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.

African Cup of Nations Recap--Quarterfinals (Day 2)

After squandering an early 2-0 lead, Cameroon needed a 92nd minute goal from Stade Rennais midfielder Stéphane Mbia to beat Tunisia today and advance to the semifinals. The extra time goal was Mbia's second of the game and spoiled any hope of a Tunisian upset, which was only made possible in the first place after an 81st minute tally from Yassine Chikhaoui levelled the match at 2-2.

The same Tunisia defense that had been stout in the group stage (3 goals allowed in 3 matches) was awful today; their marking was atrocious and in truth, they were fortunate to only concede three goals to a Cameroonian squad that racked up 10 goals in their group games. To be fair, Tunisia did manage to contain star striker Samuel Eto'o, but one man does not make a team.

The Eagles of Carthage started their only two Premiership players, Birmingham City's Mehdi Nafti and national captain Radhi Jaidi, as usual, although French coach Roger Lemerre made multiple changes to the side that drew with Angola on Thursday.

The four-time champions of this tournament and Group D winners this year exit in heartbreaking fashion. They came from behind and got a late goal to equalize, only to have their dreams shattered by a goal just two minutes into extra time.

Cameroon's lineup featured three Premiership players in Alexander Song, Geremi, and Andre Bikey. Geremi, a Newcastle midfielder, scored directly off a free kick to put the victors up 2-0 in the 27th minute.

The Indomitable Lions' victory propels them to a semifinal matchup against Ghana, the host nation, on Thursday. Goals could be aplenty with the firepower each team possesses, so I'm really looking forward to that game. My pick: The home team gets it done, 3-1.

In today's other quarterfinal, Egypt wrecked my pre-round predictions and beat Angola 2-1. I had gone 3-3 until this result, and it was a game in which Angola was clearly the unluckier of the two teams.

Egypt went ahead 1-0 on a PK (as a result of a questionable handball decision) from Hosni Abd Rabou in the 23rd minute, which was his third goal from the spot in the tournament. A left-footed screamer from Manucho, Manchester United's newest signing, levelled the match just four minutes later however, and that goal was Manucho's fourth of the tournament.

Amr Zaky "scored" the winning goal seven minutes before halftime, and it was just one of those "right place, right time" situations. Angola's defense failed to cut out a cross and it cost them, as the ball ended up deflecting off the onrushing Zaky's arm and into the net.

Angola ran out of gas at the end and Egypt was able to attack and counter-attack succesfully, though they didn't get the insurance goal which would've put the game away.

Despite the loss today, the Black Antelopes are clearly on an upward trend, having qualified for World Cup 2006 and giving a good account of themselves there as well. Portuguese coach Luís Oliveira Gonçalves has a team that will host the 2010 African Nations Cup and should have every chance to make a run there and in the 2010 World Cup, if they can qualify for that.

With the victory, the Pharaohs move on to the semifinals where they'll meet my choice, Ivory Coast. This match is going to be a little trickier for Ivory Coast than a lot of outsiders would expect, but I'm going to ride my favorites until the very end. Ivory Coast-2, Egypt-1.

I Told You So..Not Yet, but Soon

Listen. I’m not the type of guy to fake humility and modesty; when I predict something or hype something up beforehand and it comes to fruition, I’m the first person to stand up and say “Yeah, that’s right, I said that would happen.” I don’t see what’s wrong with that. To me, the majority of people who don’t say “I told you so” really want to, but they just don’t give in to that urge for the sake of wanting to appear humble. That’s it, it’s to keep up appearances so they don’t sound cocky.

Whatever. I don’t believe in that.

Go back and look at my preseason capsules for each Premiership team; I picked Fulham to finish 13th this year. Alright, I may have overestimated the players ex-manager Lawrie Sanchez brought in last summer. Upon further review, some of those players were more squad guys and depth guys than actual regular contributors. With that said though, this is all in hindsight. Steven Davis, Diomansy Kamara, David Healy, Aaron Hughes, and Chris Baird are all internationally-capped players. Healy holds the record for most goals scored in one European Championship qualifying campaign (13). Kamara averaged better than a goal every three games for West Bromwich Albion from 2005-2007. These acquisitions all seemed like legitimate, significant moves at the time, and they just haven’t worked out as well as I thought they would.

My preseason prediction was heavily influenced by a healthy Brian McBride and having creative midfielder Jimmy Bullard return from injury by Christmas, which was the timetable for his recovery from his severe knee injury, suffered on September 9, 2006 in a game against Newcastle, entering this season. McBride dislocated his knee–--ironically, while scoring a goal–--on August 18 and only made his return to the lineup today in the 2-1 win victory over Aston Villa as a late substitute. McBride, the captain, was coming off a fans’ player of the year 2006-2007 season in which he scored 12 league goals and really helped Fulham retain their Premiership status. Bullard started the 2006-2007 season for the Cottagers like a house on fire, winning two Man of the Match awards in his team’s first three games played. He was terrific for Wigan from 2003-2006 when he was at the JJB, playing an integral role in their promotion to the Premiership in 2004-2005 and spearheading his team’s run to the Carling Cup final the next year.

When I did my Christmastime season summaries for every team and their respective outlooks for the rest of the year, I again was counting on both McBride’s and Bullard’s return. As I said, that was the original mark for Bullard and after McBride’s injury, the estimated timetable for his recovery was around that same time as well. The Cottagers were in 13th place at the time I wrote their summary, so things were looking good for me.

But then, things didn’t exactly go according to plan. After Christmas (December 25) and before today’s victory, Fulham did not record a win. They slipped gradually down the standings from 13th place to 19th place, where they now sit. The returns of Bullard and McBride kept getting pushed back and pushed back and no hope looked to be in sight. At that point, I was preparing to eat my words and take the heat for predicting a mid-table finish.

Not so fast. New manager Roy Hodgson tapped into his Scandinavian connections and brought in five players from that region this January, including three from Finland, his most recent place of employment (as national team manager). Jari Litmanen was the most recognizable name of those five with his background at Ajax, Bareclona, and Liverpool, but some under-the-radar moves have really proved beneficial.

Norwegian center back Brede Hangeland was signed to help shore up the leaky defense corps and at 6′5″, is a force in the air. Hangeland won the SkySports Man of the Match award in his Fulham debut against Bolton on January 29, proving his worth instantly.

Danish midfielder Leon Andreasen played well today in the victory. Erik Nevland, a Norwegian striker, made his debut today after signing from FC Groningen, where he scored 53 goals in 116 league games. Two North Americans, Eddie Johnson (USA) and Paul Stalteri (Canada) were brought in as well to help address the club’s most glaring needs (up top and in the back). Toni “Bonecrusher” Kallio is another defender, capable of playing both center and left back, and has made 35 appearances for Finland.

Most importantly though, and we saw this today, Bullard and McBride are healthy again and back in the lineup. Bullard’s free kick late in the match was a thing of magic and a perfect way to take the three points. McBride entered the game as a sub and showed his value as a target man, playing with his back to goal, controlling long balls and then either nodding them down to teammates or to himself, followed by a pass to a teammate.

Aston Villa are a very, very good young team. I had them finishing 7th this season and look to be right on that line. This was a big win for Fulham today and with the mediocrity and downright poorness of some of the teams at the bottom of the table, I can honestly see Fulham making a real run towards safety. They’re simply a better team and have a more experienced manager than the likes of Birmingham, Wigan, and Sunderland, all sides ahead of them right now. Their poor run of form was duly noted, of course, but let’s be honest with ourselves. Two of their best players in Bullard and McBride were injured for that whole period of time. No club, no matter who it is, can survive long-term injuries to their top two players.

The Cottagers have two winnable games upcoming as they’re at Middlesbrough next week, followed by a home game against London rival West Ham. The Cottagers also still have Derby, Sunderland, Reading, and Birmingham on their schedule, and their two most difficult games (against Liverpool and Manchester United) both come at Craven Cottage.

Come May, if Fulham do what I think they will do and finish very close to 13th, believe me, I’ll be here saying “I told you so” and laughing at the rest of you who wrote them off as dead and buried by Christmas.

Newest Installment of José Mourinho on Setanta Sports

Very nice.

African Cup of Nations Recap--Quarterfinals (Day 1)

The quarterfinal round of the 2008 African Cup of Nations opened in style today as Ghana snatched a 2-1 victory over their fierce West African rivals, Nigeria, through an 83rd minute goal from former MLS star Junior Agogo. Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari threaded a low, left-footed shot/cross across the six-yard box to leave the easiest of tap-ins for Agogo, whose second goal of the tournament proved to be the winner for the host nation.

Ghana had been playing with 10 men since the 60th minute, when captain John Mensah was sent off for a professional foul on Nigeria's Peter Odemwingie, who had broken in nearly alone on goal. There was very little contact but as Mensah was the last man back and prevented a clear goal-scoring opportunity, the match referee had little choice but to show the red card.

Nigeria went ahead 1-0 on a PK from Everton striker Yakubu, but a powerful header from versatile Chelsea stalwart Michael Essien levelled the match nearly right on halftime. The Super Eagles almost equalized in the game's dying minutes; they puffed and puffed but in the end, they couldn't blow the Ghana house down.

There were Premiership players galore in this game as four started the match for Ghana (Essien, Muntari, Paintsil, and Kingson), and four started for Nigeria as well (Yobo, Etuhu, Obi Mikel, and Yakubu).

Ghana will now play the winner of tomorrow's Tunisia-Cameroon match on Thursday in the semifinals, while Nigeria exit the African Cup of Nations before the semifinal round for the first time in five tournaments.

In today's second match, Ivory Coast cruised to a 5-0 victory over Guinea, who were playing without their captain and best player in Pascal Feindouno. My pre-tournament pick to win it all made things look easy as two Chelsea players, Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba, combined for three goals in the victory. Les Éléphants scored four times in the last 20 minutes of the game to put the match well and truly away, but this was no contest from the opening kickoff.

Five Premiership players (Kalou, Drogba, Meite, Zokora, and Eboue) featured for the winners today, who move on to face the winner of tomorrow's match between Egypt and Angola.

I got both of my predictions for today's games correct and so I'm feeling it, I'm feeling lucky. I'll go with the high-flying Cameroon side, led by Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o, to win against Tunisia. In the only real surprise pick of the round, I'm also going to go with Angola to knock off the defending champions, Egypt.

Giving Credit When Credit is Due

I've given Arsenal their share of criticism all year long and been hesitant to jump on the Gunners' bandwagon, especially because of the relatively soft away schedule they've played up to this point. Manchester United are still going to win the title in my opinion and I've said that since last summer, so don't mistake that, but Arsenal are going to make it a fight until the very end and that's something I didn't think they would do back in November and December.

In one of my most recent posts, I talked about Manchester City's dip in form recently and how it looked like they were going to contiune sliding down the table. But you know what? They entered today's game against Arsenal with a 9-3-0 record at home. Undefeated. 30 points out of a possible 36. Arsenal came to the City of Manchester Stadium and bossed the match from beginning to end and in truth, the 3-1 scoreline was actually flattering to City, the loser.

Arsenal did this without their first-choice center back in Kolo Toure, who's away with Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations. They did this without their starting goalkeeper in Manuel Almunia. They did this without talismanic, creative midfielder Tomas Rosicky. Manchester City had a near-capacity home crowd supporting them and no injuries limiting them, and still got waxed.

As I said, I still think Manchester United are going to win the title. I've been excused in the past of playing favorites and things like that, but let me assure you, that's not the case. When I recognize a good performance from any team, I'm the first to applaud it and have no problem in doing so because I don't support one specific Premiership team.

This was a great win for Arsenal today and it could very well spur them on down the road. In the end, I'm not sure if they have the firepower to compete with United and the defending champions have the advantage of hosting what could be the title-decider on April 12, when they'll welcome the Gunners to Old Trafford. It won't be as quiet as a funeral parlor then, I can assure you of that.

Premiership Clubs Outspend Other Major European Leagues Combined

Take a look at this article I found on Fox Soccer's website:

"Clubs in the English Premier League showed again during soccer's January transfer window the benefit of playing in Europe's richest national competition.

The 20 teams spent a record total of about 150 million pounds (US$298 million; €200 million) on players to boost their chances of success or aid their attempt to avoid relegation.

That is more than the top leagues in Italy, Spain, Germany and France put together.

Buoyed by a 300 million-pound increase in television revenue this season and expected total income of 1.8 billion pounds, the Premier League clubs spent about three times as much as they did in the last January trading window.

But the biggest spending club owed little of its outlay to the changing revenue streams.

Backed by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, Chelsea paid more than 27 million pounds (US$53.8 million; €36.1 million) for France striker Nicolas Anelka, Serbia defender Branislav Ivanovic and Argentina under-20 forward Franco di Santo.

In third place and seeking to regain the title they last won in 2006, the Blues were the only team of the so-called "Big Four" rounded out by Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool to go into the red in January.

Much of that went on Anelka, whose 15 million-pound (US$29.9 million; €20.1 million) transfer from Bolton made him the Premier League's most expensive January signing ever.

That pushed Chelsea into spending almost as much as the total 30 million pounds (US$59.7 million; €40.2 million) by the 24 teams in the second-tier League Championship.

With such riches on offer to those in the elite, it is little surprise that Fulham, Wigan, Birmingham, Bolton and Sunderland all spent a lot to bolster their squads as they fight relegation.

Fulham spent almost 10 million pounds (US$19.9 million; €13.4 million), although its most important arrival could prove to be free signing Jari Litmanen, the veteran Finland forward who won the Champions League with Ajax and also played for FC Barcelona and Liverpool.

"I have no doubt that he will have a big part to play over the coming months and that we shall benefit as a team from his skill and experience," Fulham manager Roy Hodgson said.

Fulham has struggled to protect a lead this season and is in 19th place, but Litmanen's ability to hold the ball up and score crucial goals should relieve some of the pressure on a defense strengthened by Denmark's Leon Andreasen and another Finland international, Toni Kallio.

Last-place Derby was one of the busiest clubs, bringing in eight players despite looking certain to be relegated. But the Rams only spent 3.5 million pounds (US$6.9 million; €4.7 million) and brought in the experienced Laurent Robert, Alan Stubbs, Roy Carroll and Danny Mills for free or on loan.

That reluctance to spend suggests the club is thinking about preparing for next season and an attempt at promotion back to the Premier League.

But at the other end of the table, United and Arsenal, which are tied atop the standings with four points more than Chelsea, made no major acquisitions. They only jettisoned fringe players and sent youngsters out on loan.

And while a record amount was spent, more than 73 million pounds (US$145 million; €97.6 million), or about half, was recouped in sales.

And Tottenham was the perfect example.

Spurs were the second biggest spenders with 21.5 million pounds (US$42.8 million; €28.7 million) on Jonathan Woodgate, Alan Hutton, Gilberto and Chris Gunter signed to shore up a defense that has conceded more goals from free kicks and corners than any other.

But it clawed back more than 11 million pounds (US$21.9 million; €14.7 million) offloading eight players, including England striker Jermain Defoe to Portsmouth."

All I can say is "wow". A net total of $153 million US was spent by Premiership clubs to acquire players this January. That's an average of $4.9 million per day, which is just $200,000 less than what Chelsea striker Claudio Pizarro signed for last summer. In one month, Premiership clubs spent more than half of what Alex Rodriguez would make in his new 10-year, $275 million contract with the New York Yankees, which is the richest contract in sports history.

The Premiership is the most entertaining soccer league in the world, and I've said that on numerous occasions. The quality of play might not be the best, but obviously people like watching it as evidenced by the Premiership's gigantic TV contracts.

David Beckham Deserves his 100th Cap

With the announcement of the 30-man provisional squad selected by new England coach Fabio Capello yesterday for the upcoming friendly against Switzerland, I thought it was time for me to weigh in on the “Does Becks deserve his 100th cap?” debate.

Let me make something clear first. I have no problem whatsoever with Beckham not being picked for this game. He’s not match fit, and it’s that simple. You can’t justify putting him on the roster when he’s been training for a month with Arsenal’s reserves over players like David Bentley, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Ashley Young, guys who have been playing competitively in the Premier League all winter and play that same wide position (although Young plays on the left for Aston Villa). Again, I completely understand the rationale behind that decision.

Capello left the door open to recall Becks to the squad if he is on good form when the MLS season kicks off this spring and I have no doubt he will be. Capello and Beckham have a history of this same sort of thing from Real Madrid last year, where Beckham impressed the manager so much in training that he put Becks back into the starting lineup (where he played an integral role in helping Madrid win La Liga) even after chairman Ramón Calderón stated that the former would never play for the Spanish giant again after his declaration to move to the LA Galaxy that summer.

I’m not sure how you can make the argument that Beckham doesn’t deserve his 100th cap for everything he’s done for England and soccer in that nation, both with the national team and with Manchester United. You can say that Beckham isn’t part of England’s future, which is correct, but this discussion isn’t about whether he will play any part in World Cup 2010 or even the qualifying campaign. This is about whether he should lead the team out of the tunnel for one more game, whether he should receive the honor of 100 caps for England, something done only by four players previously. It would be a milestone figure for Beckham, and one that he’s truly earned through his accomplishments on and off the field.

Beckham’s reputation as a player is well-documented. Notable figures in the game like his former managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Capello have praised him for his consummate professionalism and dedication. He was a part of six Premiership winners at Manchester United, where he also won a Champions League and two FA Cups. He was the runner-up for the FIFA World Player of the Year award on two occasions (1999 and 2001). Without Becks’ free kick against Greece in October 2001, England wouldn’t have even qualified for World Cup 2002. In that match, he was the only England player to step up and it was his performance that carried the rest of the team. In World Cup 2006, Beckham played a direct part (either through a goal or an assist) in four of England’s six goals in the tournament. He became the first English player ever to score in three different World Cups. Since that World Cup, he’s played in four matches for England and totaled four assists.

Beckham served as England’s captain for 58 of the 99 games he’s appeared in, from November 15, 2000 to July 2, 2006, when England lost on penalties to Portugal in the World Cup quarterfinals. After that loss, Beckham was the definition of a great captain. We saw him consoling his teammates, picking them up off the field and embracing them, shaking hands with the Portuguese players, and applauding the fans as he went into the tunnel. Six years’ worth of wearing the armband is a remarkable accomplishment and in terms of “matches captained”, Beckham ranks fourth in England national team history. It’s common knowledge that his tenure and leadership was instrumental in the career of many English players, Wayne Rooney most noticeably. Rooney was a loose cannon for Everton, England, and for Manchester United when he first arrived at Old Trafford, but the time he spent around Beckham with England really seemed to change him as a player.

Do I think Beckham deserves that 100th cap? Of course. Do I think he’ll actually get it? Yes. Barring injury, there’s simply no way he won’t get it and I think the only question is when, not if, it will happen. I believe Capello will want him to get it at home in front of the fans, so I’m predicting Beckham will captain the squad for the last time in the game against Kazakhstan on October 11 of this year. Prior to that, there are two other World Cup qualifiers but they’re both away, so I don’t think he’ll play in either of those games. Of course, the middle of the MLS season (when Beckham should be in full stride) would come closer to the September 6 match at Andorra, and even though Beckham should be in better form than most of the Premiership players who are just getting their season underway, I’m not sure if he would get that 100th cap on the road.

David Beckham deserves his 100th cap. He’s contributed enormously to English soccer over the years and served his country as captain for 58 matches. He’s carried the team and won important games single-handedly. He’s influenced many players both on and off the field in tremendous, positive ways.

How can this man not reach that honored milestone?

African Cup of Nations Recap--Day 12

Both teams said they were playing to win the game. Both teams only needed a point to advance the quarterfinals. What was the result? As I predicted here a few days ago, the Tunisia-Angola match yesterday ended in a boring 0-0 draw. The crowd was depressingly small, it was a hot afternoon, the match was played at an incredibly slow pace, and there were only a few real chances all game long.

Angola, after qualifying for their first ever World Cup in 2006 (and they acquitted themselves very nicely as well), have now reached the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations for the first time in their soccer history.

Tunisia coach Roger Lemerre was clearly satisfied with a draw as he was shown repeatedly waving his players back to sit behind the ball in the second half and his side go through as the champions of Group D. Radhi Jaidi and Mehdi Nafti, both Birmingham City players, started for The Eagles of Carthage.

Senegal and South Africa both needed to win and then have a winner in the Tunisia-Angola match for either of the former two nations to qualify for the next round. Neither event happened as yesterday's other game ended 1-1. South Africa went ahead almost a quarter of an hour into the match through Elrio Van Heerden's second goal of the tournament, but West Ham striker Henri Camara equalized for Senegal in the 37th minute. Blackburn defensive midfielder Aaron Mokoena played but didn't have a great game for South Africa, and Premiership players Camara, Abdoulaye Faye, Papa Bouba Diop, and Diomansy Kamara all started for Senegal.

The Lions of Teranga were playing without starting goalkeeper Tony Sylva and captain El-Hadji Diouf as the pair were suspended for breaking curfew earlier in the week. It was a disappointing exit for the West African nation; their roster is full of accomplished players and after a quarterfinal run in World Cup 2002, they enter every major tournament with high expectations.

South Africa was using this tournament as a chance for the players to gain high-level, competitive match experience before World Cup 2010, which they'll host. Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Perreira has made the World Cup the main focus for his team and they'll put all their eggs in that basket.

The quarterfinal bracket for Groups C and D is now complete. Tunisia, the champion of Group D, will take on Group C runner-up Cameroon on Monday and Angola will face Egypt, the defending champions of this tournament and winner of Group C, on Tuesday.

Final Group D Standings (Teams in bold advance):

1. Tunisia (5 points, +2 goal differential)
2. Angola (5 pts, +2 GD)
3. Senegal (2 pts, -2 GD)
4. South Africa (2 pts, -2 GD)

Action resumes on Sunday with the first two quarterfinal matchups, Ghana-Nigeria and Ivory Coast-Guinea. I'm going to go with good form and take Ghana and Ivory Coast to win their games and advance to the semifinals.

City, Liverpool Exposed for What They Are

Yesterday's action proved especially telling for two sides, Manchester City and Liverpool. Both teams came into this season with high expectations; Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez stated repeatedly that winning the Premiership was his side's main goal and obviously he wanted the deep Champions League run that has become the Reds' trademark. Manchester City didn't have the same expectations as Liverpool but with a new, successful manager and significant turnover from the 2006-2007 squad, City fans had to have been thinking along the lines of a place in Europe.

To be fair, City have had the least disappointing season of the two teams so far and there is still just over a third of the schedule remaining. However, with the way City started the year (three consecutive wins--including a win over fierce rivals Man U--, seven wins in their first ten league games, and three straight victories in the Carling Cup), fans have to be a bit nonplussed with the way City is going right now. The Blues have won just three times in their last 14 games in all competitions; one of those wins was in the FA Cup and another was against Newcastle.

City are the soccer version of bipolar as they boast a 9-3-0 record at home but only a 2-5-5 mark away from Eastlands. Yesterday's 1-1 draw against Derby, who are looking like the worst team in Premiership history, was a clear representation of City's problems. The equation is simple: If you can't win away from home, you won't challenge for anything significant. City were actually down 1-0 and it took a goal from a youngster, Daniel Sturridge, to equalize. Where was Elano? Where was Stephen Ireland? If your big name players don't perform on a consistent basis, again, you won't challenge for anything.

After yesterday's games, City sit in 6th place in the Premiership but that's looking tenuous. Liverpool (and I'll get to them in a bit) are only a point behind but have a game in hand and a much, much better goal differential. Blackburn is in 8th place and they're only a strong run away from passing City as they're just three points behind, and Portsmouth will make that strong run after they get the players who are currently taking part in the African Cup of Nations back in mid-February. Suddenly, City's 6th place spot and UEFA Cup berth could vanish and they could be looking at anywhere between 8th-10th. With the way they started the year, that would have to be viewed as a disappointment.

The true definition of disappointment, though, is Liverpool. I don't want to get into much detail about the Reds as I've already done that in the past week or so (and taken heat for it; was I wrong? No.) and there's no need to restate the obvious. Yesterday's game against West Ham was a microcosm of the entire season for Liverpool. More often than not, the Reds will have the clear advantage in amount of possession (the most useless stat in soccer), a high shot total but with few of those on goal, and more corners than their opponent. Yet on the scoreline, which is the only thing that matters, Liverpool tends to come up short. I don't care how long have you the ball; you can pass it around all game long and it wouldn't mean anything to me. It's all about what you do when you have the ball and in Liverpool's case, it's a whole lot of nothing.

Having said everything I have about Liverpool, I stand behind the prediction I made a couple weeks ago that they'll still finish in 4th place. But is that good enough? I'm sorry, I don't think just scraping by the other teams in the hunt for the last Champions League spot can be viewed as a success. It would be a step backwards from Liverpool's performance last season at a time when all the clubs around them are getting better, not worse.

City and Liverpool are two different cases of disappointment. Liverpool had title hopes and will be fortunate to finish in fourth place, while City had legitimate European hopes with the way they started out and may not get there. If you're a Liverpool fan, I'm not sure how you could possibly look at this season in a positive light and although you still can if you root for City, you have to think about what could have been.