Matchday 1 con't: Whaaaa?

There's crazy, and then there's the absolute lunacy of Chealsea boss Jose Mourinho quitting the Blues less than two months into the season, and in the midst of a Champions League campaign.

Leave it to Mourinho, the sports most insatiable attention whore, to steal the headlines on a day his team isn't even playing. According to early reports, Mourinho added a touch of class to his abandoning the team by informing Chelsea skipper John Terry via text message. Details of the breakup are still under wraps, but it's not hard to imagine that the "Special One" quit in a fit of pique, considering he's done little except behave like a child the last three seasons.

The Times' always entertaining Martin Samuel has penned the first of what promises to be many incisive columns on the Mourinho era, and how it ended. It's so well-written that I suspect it's been hanging around in a makeshift obit file, since the only thing surprising about this divorce is that it happened so early in the season, and at Mourinho's suggestion.

The million-pound question, now, is what we can expect of the Blues the rest of the way out. They head to Old Trafford, Sunday, for what has the makings of a bloodbath at the hands of Ronaldo and Co., which could be the first domino to fall in what's now promising to be a disastrous EPL campaign (a campaign that wasn't looking all that hot, mind you, when Mourinho was still in charge). As for the Champions League, which probably now registers as an afterthought for the Blues, it's as hard to imagine them not earning one of the top two spots in group play as it is to imagine them getting very far at all in the knockout stages (again, this isn't a marked change from Chelsea's prospects with TSO at the helm).

Regardless, it's safe to assume the only group involved that will, in time, regret Mourinho's departure from English soccer — because he's got a better chance of bedding Gemma Atkinson than getting another EPL job after his puerile departure from Stamford Bridge — is the media, which relished Mourinho's willingness to slander just about everyone, including his own players.

As for the games themselves, Wednesday's slate traded in Tuesday's plodding pace — and unexpectedly ugly performances by favorites — for a couple of blowouts and an otherwise uneventful victories by favorites (no, I do not considering the "tearful" 1-0 victory for Man-U over Sporting to be eventful). About the only thing I can think of that's remotely notable is how little Barça's 3-0 victory over Lyon really tells us about the team many feel is a favorite for a trip to the finals. With Eto'o out to injury, Barça was able to accommodate all of its available all-work attackers within a more traditional 4-3-3, but the play still appeared stilted. Henry's first goal with his new side was more happenstance than skill, and he still looks completely out of place having to play up front with players who are actually better than him. The passing is well below what one would expect of a team with that much class on display, and one wonders if there will be too much talent overlap — not to mention too few places on the field for everyone to play within a reasonable structure — once Eto'o's available for play again. In the spirit of making predictions one might regret later, I'll go ahead and say that Barça's run will be a lot shorter than most expect this season.

Tomorrow: Inter loses! Who can't be happy about that?

Continue Reading

Mid-Week Fixture: Champions League Predictions

Today’s 3-0 Champions League wins for Barcelona and Arsenal over their top group rivals, Lyon and Sevilla, respectively, demonstrate the collective power of these two teams. In fact, it’s not a stretch to say that these two could be the last two standings next May when the championship game is contested in Moscow.

What you might not be expecting me to say is that I think Arsenal has a better chance of winning, and will win, the Champions League, than their Spanish rivals.

We all know about Barcelona’s star-power, but Arsenal’s more of an unknown quantity, despite currently sitting at the top of the Premier League standings. Facing an unknown is a dangerous proposition in the Champions League, a collection of teams that know everybody else inside-out. One just has to look at the Porto-Monaco final from 2004 or Liverpool’s triumph a year later to see that the Champions League, despite its glamorous façade, is still a competition that isn’t always kind to the teams you'd expect to win — just ask Roman Abramovich.

Arsene Wenger recently signed a contract extension that settles his situation and keeps him at Arsenal until 2011. He mentioned that he did it for the young players at the club, but his intentions weren’t entirely out of sympathy – those young players are very good. So good, in fact, they are surprising even the most optimistic Gunners fan by looking like they will contend this season, not in two or three years. I’ll take it one step further, and I’m not the only one, and say they can win this year’s Champions League.

By selling Thierry Henry to Barcelona, it appeared as if Arsenal was giving up on their claim of being one of Europe’s great clubs and starting from scratch. Instead, they gave Barça a spectacular, but injury-prone, attacking player to a team that already has three of them. The results so far haven’t been spectacular, as Barça’s high-powered offense has two 0-0 draws on the road against middling teams, the kind of results that gifted the title to Real Madrid last season. The team’s best and most in-form player, Lionel Messi, is also the least egotistical of its attacking quartet, and often makes way for the clubs more ornery players, Henry, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o. Neither of those three have hit their stride yet this season, and their video-game offense is known to backfire.

Its most consistent player up front last year and the guy that does the small stuff for his better-known teammates, Eidur Gudjohnsen, is practically on vacation on the Barça bench until he’s sold somewhere else. Worse yet, their defending last season was abysmal in all competitions; the addition of Gabriel Milito and Éric Abidal will help, but this is still a team that has the mistake-prone Rafa Marquez and Carlos Puyol and the aging Lilian Thuram at the back, not to mention a shaky keeper in Victor Valdés. For all their attacking prowess, the rearguard was the reason why they lost to Liverpool in last year’s second round.

Arsenal, meanwhile, ridded itself of its dependence on Henry, which they got a taste of for most of last season. While the club will certainly be asking a lot of its forwards, the talented but relatively untested Robin Van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor, Eduardo da Silva and Theo Walcott, they will get support from everywhere in Arsene Wenger’s system. The midfield, in particular, has pound-for-pound the best balance of bite and skill in Europe, led by the incomparable Cesc Fabregas. Had Barcelona been paying better attention a few years back, Cesc would be exactly the player they need now – a box-to-box player with great instincts and a nose for goal.

Defensively, Arsenal could do better than have the error-prone Jens Lehmann in goal, but the backbone of Kolo Toure and William Gallas, with Gilberto Silva protecting them from midfield, is athletic and aware enough to handle anybody. Perhaps Arsenal’s biggest weakness is themselves — too often, they are criticized for searching for the perfect goal instead of being selfish. The draw here can help them if they avoid an Italian team that could easily stifle their free-flowing style of football, but with that human highlight-reel Thierry Henry gone, I think the current crop of Gunners will be less likely to play to the fans and instead go for the victory.

Final Four Predictions: Arsenal (winners), Barcelona (runners-up), Liverpool, Milan

Continue Reading

Matchday 1: What sayeth ye, Rafa?

Tuesday's Champions League openers offered much in the way of uninspired English play, as both Liverpool and Chelsea came away with 1-1 draws and singe marks from the bullets dodged.

It's to be expected that upsets will happen in group play. What wasn't to be expected was the all-around shoddy performance of the Reds, who — with the exception of striker Dirk Kuyt — appeared almost ambivalent at the prospect of getting an early leg up on their group, despite coach Rafa Benitez's stated goal of earning a road win off the top, as to allow his side to concentrate on the goal of a Premier League title. And while Chelsea's draw, earned on the back of maligned striker Andriy Shevchenko's 53rd-minute header, was surprising, the lackadaisical play was at least somewhat expected with the Blues missing both Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.

No, Liverpool is alone in being forced to wonder if it really has the heart for a serious run in the competition, as unfathomable as it may seem.

Porto came out as if it smelled blood in the water, controlling every aspect of the game in the first half, with Liverpool managing to earn a halftime push thanks only to a flukish header opportunity by Kuyt in the 17th minute. It would go down as the Reds' lone scoring opportunity of note, and one of the few times that a Liverpool pass actually found its intended target in the first half.

The second half was notable only for the fact that Porto responded to Jermaine Pennant getting sent off in the 57th minute — more on that in a second — by removing its foot from Liverpool's throat and apparently settling for an almost embarrassing home tie, considering to what degree the Dragons outclassed the Reds on the night.

Both teams ended up losers on the night, but it's Liverpool that appears worse for the wear despite earning a point in its toughest match, on paper, in group play. Pennant's second yellow card was what one would expect of a churlish amateur, not the brilliant winger who put on a show in last year's CL final against Milan. In addition, Torres — a complete non-factor in his much-awaited CL debut — Kuyt and Mascherano were booked; the only reason Gerrard didn't draw a yellow is because he didn't get involved in the game whatsoever until a centering pass from inside the box in the game's final minutes, which went unrequited, unsurprisingly. As if that weren't cause enough for a slack jaw, Benitez left two strikers on the pitch for a good 15 minutes after going a man down, as if he were baiting Porto into the additional two points it rightly should have earned.

Benitez has made no secret of his priorities this season, clearly stating that the Premiership title is the Reds' primary goal. That's understandable, considering the heat he's taken in the media for Liverpool's relatively poor showings in league play under his guidance, but it's also foolhardy. The reason the Reds have a legitimate shot in the EPL is precisely because of their recent dominance in European competition; the heralded offseason pickup of Torres was made possible because of the striker's desire to play in the Champions League, and he's probably not alone in that regard. Yes, it's difficult to ignore idiotic comments like these. But Benitez, of all people, should be the first to realize that while the next few domestic fixtures for the Reds are unlikely to decide his team's chances of domestic supremacy, that's not the case with the Champions League.

In other words, it's time for Benitez to drop the cavalier shtick when the subject of the Champions League comes up, because it's apparent that his team is willing to follow suit.

Continue Reading

The best of what's on TV, Sept 18-23

This week, in a word, is going to be absolutely bananas. Group play hath begun in earnest, though this week's slate offers up only two CL games that are a lock to be captivating. Nonetheless, for those of us without Setanta, it's our first opportunity to see the superteam that is Barça against the best side France has to offer, which alone is worth the cost of upgrading your cable package to include ESPN Deportes (which is stupidly available, at least in my area, only as a part of the Spanish package, and not the sports ... who wants to come over for some hot telenovela action?).

After the Champions League's opening salvo, it's on to a marquee Sunday offering from both the EPL and Serie A, with Juventus heading to the capital for a face-off against Roma, followed by Chelsea's trip to Old Trafford. Best part? Both should be over before the early NFL games, which means there's really no excuse for movement at all.

TUESDAY

UEFA Champions League (Group Stage)
Real Madrid v. Werder Bremen
2:30 p.m., ESPN Deportes
Porto v. Liverpool
4:45 p.m., ESPN Deportes
Chelsea v. Rosenborg
7 p.m., ESPN Deportes

None of the four Tuesday games really stand out on first glance, if only because Real Madrid and Liverpool are expected to roll. However, there's cause for fans of either giant to be a little worried about these openers. Read Madrid has scuffled so far under new coach Bernd Schuster and without some of the pure star power of years past, and while Werder Bremen has problems of its own, the Germans' hyper-aggressive style could be a disastrous matchup for the Spanish Giants. As for the Reds, Rafa's clearly stated that the EPL title is Priority No. 1 this season, something he probably believes until weeks like this. Liverpool is a sure bet to get after it in international play, but Porto — even a Porto that suffered a couple of key losses in the transfer market — isn't known as a giant-killer for nothing. If Liverpool plays it close to the vest, Porto could very well provide the first upset of the group stage.

WEDNESDAY

UEFA Champions League (Group Stage)
AC Milan v. Benfica
2 a.m., ESPN Deportes
Barcelona v. Lyon
2:30 p.m., ESPN Deportes
Sporting Lisbon v. Manchester United
2:30 p.m., ESPN2
Arsenal v. Sevilla
7 p.m., ESPN Deportes

Leave it to ESPN to totally botch its coverage in a day in which what's shaping up to be the game of the week — or, at the very least, the second-best — happens to come at the same time that David Beckham's Former Team Manchester United (did you know David Beckham played for Manchested United? He did! Now he plays in America! And he calls it "football!"). The decision to air Barça-Lyon on the main stage should have been a no-brainer, but alas we'll be treated to two hours of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani beating up on their former mates. Barça, of course, is expected to cruise through its group — if not the entire tournament — but no team is capable of making domination so damn attractive. The nightcap should be as, if not more, compelling, with Arsenal and Sevilla facing off in the first week's most balanced and aesthetically pleasing match. The Gunners have been brilliant so far this season in EPL play, but play between the pipes is usually in the spotlight during international play, and that happens to be Arsenal's most glaring weakness. Sevilla is an up-and-coming side that appears ready to be to La Liga what Arsenal is to the EPL; a team that makes up for not having the financial clout of the league's upper-echelon by developing talent and employing a playing style that is both gorgeous and dizzying for the opposition. This is a football fan's football match.

THURSDAY

UEFA Champions League (Group Stage)
Roma v. Dynamo Kyiv
2 a.m., ESPN Deportes
Fenerbahce v. Inter Milan
3 p.m., ESPN Deportes

Fans of Italian soccer should enjoy Thursday, as the two best bets to make the knockout stage from Serie A are featured in games in which they should roll. Of course, any time Inter's involved, you can count on some unforeseen drama, and Roma skipper Francesco Totti hasn't looked very sharp so far in league play.

SATURDAY

English Premier League
Liverpool v. Birmingham City
9:45 a.m., Setanta
Arsenal v. Derby County
9:55 a.m., Fox Soccer Channel

The only thing notable about these mismatches is the fact that both Liverpool and Arsenal will be coming off mid-week Champions League tilts, which means both favorites will likely be playing with less than a full deck against overmatched competition. Does it mean an upset is likely in either case? No. But it's certainly more probable now than it would be in a regular week.

English Premier League
Fulham v. Manchester City
Noon, Fox Soccer Channel

Team America is on a little bit of an upswing, losing by only a goal to hard-charging Aston Villa two weeks ago, and forging a final-minute, 3-3 comeback draw against the foundering Spurs last week. Conveniently, Man City has cooled off considerably after a torrid start. While Fulham is still an undecided underdog, this writer has a feeling that the Cottagers are in good standing to deliver an upset in front of home fans. Screw it: I'll go ahead and call it 2-1 in Fulham's favor, with Yank Clint Dempsey bulging the old onion basket in the 86th minute.

La Liga
Barcelona v. Sevilla
4 p.m., GolTV

Sevilla gets its second opportunity to knock off one of the big boys in a week, this time in league play. Barça's construction, while potentially breathtaking, is also pretty volatile, as Frank Rijkaard struggles to find spots for four world-class attackers on one field without going too far outside the box in terms of scheme(though there's a decent chance that Eto'o will be out to injury, which should make things a little more clear-cut). Barça has only one win to show for its first three league efforts (against two draws), while Sevilla has dispatched both of its season-opening opponents in impressive fashion. Yeah, Barça features three of this decade's best players (Ronaldinho, Henry and Messi), but would it really be that much of an upset if Sevilla comes into Camp Nou and wins? I don't think so.

SUNDAY

Serie A
Roma v. Juventus
9 a.m., Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday starts off with a bang, as La Vecchia Signora invade the quaint town of Rome, Italy, for the first marquee matchup of the young season. Juve was looking like it hadn't missed a beat until getting stunned by Udinese in Week 3, Udinese! At home! With the shine off Juve's early start, this one's looking like Roma's to lose.

English Premier League
Manchester United v. Chelsea
11 a.m., Fox Soccer Channel

The nice thing about games like this is that there's nothing really left to say except: I'll be watching.

Continue Reading

Uh oh

The idea of the Reds being eliminated by Toulouse in their third-round Champions League qualifier just got a little less outlandish.



Yes, Liverpool still out-classes the French side by a factor of 10, even without Gerrard and defender Jamie Carragher, but few teams rely on its skipper to the degree that the Reds do, and one has to wonder if Torres has had enough time with his new side to actually set the pace for the offense. Factor in the fact that Rafa seems unwilling to ever let Peter Crouch feel like he's a valued member of the team, and one couldn't ask for a better setting for a stunning upset.

The Gerrard injury might have big consequences for England's national squad as well, which was already limping though its summer slate of friendlies and Euro Cup qualifiers. Rooney's already out for the next few matches, Owen is what he's always been (gimpy, but supposedly close to being fit), the keeper situation is up in the air, a once-left-for-dead Beckham is still suffering from his ankle sprain, and Steve McLaren is looking no more competent at the helm of the Lions than the near-lynched Sven.

Essentially, within the next month or so, England could find itself without representation by either its most historically prolific club and its national team in the two most important European competitions.

In a word: Wow.

Continue Reading

The Best of What's on TV, Aug 27-Sept 2

With all the European Leagues in full swing, it'll be a jam-packed weekend of EPL and Serie A fixtures on Fox Soccer. Nothing really worth watching in La Liga this week, but there is an appearance by Spain's Sevilla in Friday's UEFA Super Cup tilt. If you don't have a ton of room on the DVR, go ahead and delete those episodes of Ken Burns' Jazz you've been sitting on for the last six months, because you're going to need the space.

Tuesday

UEFA Champions League (3rd Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg)

Liverpool v. Toulouse

2 p.m., GolTV
Last year's runner-up is walking the razor's edge against the upstart French side, going into this match with a tie after an unimpressive 1-0 victory in the Liverpool home leg. Sure, it's almost unfathomable that the Reds will actually end up on the losing side of the ledger to a team that's enjoying it's first go-round in the Champions League — that's ever — but stranger things have happened. On the bright side, it appears Rafa Benitez's vendetta against Peter Crouch only applies to domestic matches; the robot-dancing phenom played all 90 minutes against Toulouse in the first leg, contributing the assist in the game's lone goal.

Friday

UEFA Super Cup
AC Milan v. Sevilla
2:30 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel
In one of the stranger hardware games of each season, UEFA Cup champs Sevilla will take on Champions League victors Milan in what could be a surprisingly good game, if recent history is to be taken at face value. Sevilla's going for a second-straight Super Cup after last season's 6-3 drubbing of Barca, so there's reason to believe that any effort by the Rossoneri to hold back will be met with some pretty fierce resistance.

Saturday

Premier League
Fulham v. Tottenham Hotspur
9:55 a.m., Fox Soccer Channel
It's Team America vs. Team Sleeper, as everyone's favorite pick to upset the usual gridlock in the top four of the EPL gets an opportunity to take out some rocky-start aggression on a side that appears well on its way to relegation. But the silver lining here is the opportunity to see former USMNT keeper Kasey Keller back between the pipes, and fellow Yank Clint Dempsey continue to prove that he should have been starting all along for the foundering Cottagers. If Dempsey scores another goal this week, he should be a lock to appear in another rap video, shortly.

Premier League
Liverpool v. Derby County
9:55 a.m., Setanta
It's pronounced "Darby," guys. I can't stress that enough.

Premier League
Manchester United v. Sunderland
Noon, Fox Soccer Channel
I don't know about you, but I'm taking Man U's one-point lead in the standings over Sunderland as evidence that this one will be a thriller. That's not completely in jest, either: The Devils have scored exactly one goal through three games, and they'll be without Ronaldo (suspension) and Rooney, who's apparently trying to convince everyone he can play with a broken foot. Yes, Man-U should roll, but let's not assume the season-opening slump is over until it's actually over. Oh, and this game also marks the return of former Manchester United captain Roy Keane to Old Trafford, this time as Sunderland's manager. Can he pull one over on Fergie?

Serie A
Empoli v. Inter Milan
2:25 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel
OK, it's probably a little early to say Inter's "slumping," but the season-opening draw against Udinese was baffling, considering last year's Scudetto winner went to great lengths to get even better in the offseason. Inter usually reserves its swan-dives for European competition, so expect the Nerazzuri to actually show up. That said, Empoli's a plucky squad that's looking to prove a point after a UEFA Cup berth, and Inter just received news that stopper Marco Materazzi will be out for at least a couple of months after a leg injury suffered in a friendly/humiliating loss to Hungary last week. Materazzi said the injury was "fate," and a sign that he was not meant to slander any of the French players' sisters in the Sept. 8 Euro Cup qualifier. Il Dio, truly, works in mysterious ways.

Sunday

Premier League
Arsenal v. Portsmouth
8 a.m., Setanta
The good news for the Gooners is that Pompey hasn't won a road fixture since before this writer was a footie fan (OK, not really). More good news for Arsenal is that L.A.H. (Life After Henry) hasn't turned out to be all that bad, thanks in large part to the early-season exploits of Fabregas and Van Persie. The good news for Pompey? They were a goalkeeper error away from a 0-0 draw against Chelsea last week, though I'm sure Mourinho would tell you the only reason the Blues didn't score another goal was because he wanted them to work on passing within the box.

Serie A
Roma v. Siena
9 a.m., Fox Soccer Channel
I'm not going to lie: This game will be an absolute beat-down. But it should be a pretty beat-down; have I mentioned that Roma plays the most beautiful football in the world right now? Fawning aside, the Giallorossi have two fairly easy fixtures left before a tone-setting tilt against Juventus on Sept. 23, and Francesco Totti did not look match-fit in the opener; these next two matches will be a much-needed opportunity for the Roma skipper to get his legs back before the real competition arrives.

Premier League
Aston Villa v. Chelsea
11 a.m., Fox Soccer Channel
Chelsea has 10 points through four games. Aston Villa has four, and that includes a win over a feckless Fulham squad. I only know two things: 1) Chelsea will win; 2) It will be closer than you think. Don't ask me to justify that statement; I just know it will be the case.

Continue Reading