Not such a good day yesterday for Italian squads in the Champions League. In fact, apart from Fiorentina, it wasn’t such a good week. Inter got stomped 2-0 by Barcelona, Marseille drew AC Milan with a goal apiece and Juventus fell 2-0 to Bordeaux; meanwhile humble Fiorentina edged Lyon 1-0 to seal their qualification and send Liverpool crashing prematurely out of the competition. As far as coefficients go, the Bundesliga isn’t exactly doing its best to overtake Serie A so far; Bayern Münich needs to beat Juventus at home in their next fixture to leapfrog them and move on, VfB Stuttgart have a chance if they defeat upstarts Unirea Urziceni in their final match, while VfL Wolfsburg sit tied at second in their group and have the obstacle of a home match against Manchester United to navigate if they wish to move on into the round of 16. Meanwhile, it’s the French who have asserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with; at this point both Bordeaux and Lyon have sealed their passage into the next round, while Marseille have a very real chance, but also a very strong opponent to overcome in Real Madrid in their final match of the group stages. As for the Spanish, both Barca and Real Madrid have had their hiccups in the group matches – Real in the form of a loss and a draw to AC Milan, Barca with a loss and draw to Rubin Kazan. Atlético Madrid have been abysmal, and only Sevilla have really succeeded in dominating their group (although they gave up an embarrassing defeat on Tuesday). The only sides looking wholly comfortable (apart from the aforementioned French) are the English — other than Liverpool, of course. Chelsea, United and Arsenal have all topped their groups with relative ease, thus, three English teams have sealed their qualification, while one has sealed its own demise. At this key point in the group stages, it really is anybody’s tournament to be won, but I will say that Chelsea look to be leading the pack right now, and Bordeaux may reveal themselves as a force to be reckoned with.

That being said, Chelsea fans: don’t get too big-headed just yet, because we’ve got a long way to go yet and there’s bound to be a few surprises along the way.

Grupo A:

Girondins 2 – Juventus 0: los franceses son la sorpresa del grupo. Bajaron al Bayern y ahora a la Juve que buscaba asegurarse la clasificación. El Girondins ya está clasificado como primero del grupo.

Bayern Munich 1 – Maccabi Haifa 0: el Bayern sigue con vida, y no en le Europe League, gracias al Girondins. Van Gaal tiene menos apoyo que Maradona en la FIFA. El Maccabi sigue sin sumar un solo punto.

Grupo B:

CSKA Moscú 2 – Wolfsburgo 1: partido de equipos irregulares. Los moscovitas, desde hace varias semanas sin Juande, ya estrenaron a su tercer DT en Champions. Los alemanes siguen a los tumbos, extrañando a Diego. Todavía los dos tienen chances de clasificar.

Manchester United 0 – Beksitas 1: una de las sorpresas de la jornada, y hasta me animo a decir que de la etapa de grupos. ¿QUé le pasa al Manchester? ¿Sufre de la ida de Cristiano Ronaldo?

Grupo C:

Milan 1 – O. Marsella 1: Lucho Gonzáles, ese jugador con el pecho helado, con su gol permite que no dan nada por perdido. El Milan se la juega en su visita al Zúrich.

Real Madrid 1 – Zurich: el partido se podría resumir en dar solamente el resultado y la vuelta de Cristiano Ronaldo. Después, nada más, como lo del Madrid durante toda esta temporada.

Grupo D:

Oporto 0 – Chelsea 1: no se jugaban nada, y dentro de esa nada, Anelka clavó un lindo cabezazo.

Apoel Nicosia 1 – Atlético de Madrid 1: otros dos equipos que no se jugaban nada, y no jugaron a nada.

Grupo E:

Debrecen 0 – Liverpool 1: la gran sorpresa (decepción) de la etapa de grupos, salvo que el Madrid no llegue a octavos. A pesar de la victoria, los de Benítez van a jugar la Europa League.

Fiorentina 1 – O. Lyon 0: una de las sorpresas es la Fiore que ya está en octavos. Los franceses ya son figura repetida pasando la etapa de grupo, aunque hasta ahí llegan.

Grupo F:

Barcelona 2 – Inter 0: la máquina de fútbol contra… ¿Jugó el Inter?

Rubin Kazan 0 – Dinamo Kiev 0: un empate que agrega emoción al grupo. Todos tienen chances de clasificar.

Grupo G:

Unirea 1 – Sevilla 0: victoria que sirvió para pelearla hasta la última jornada. El Sevilla se quedó con las ganas de asegurarse el primer puesto.

Rangers 0 – Stuttgart 2: era un resultado cantado, ya que el paso de los Rangers por la Champions es meramente anecdótico.

Grupo H:

Arsenal 2 – Standard Lieja 0: los gunners se aseguraron la primera plaza.

AZ Alkmaar 0 – Olympiakos 0: los del AZ se aseguraron la última posición.

Y acá los goles…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What you missed while the Boston Aquarium was teaching kids to operate on squid (it’s not quite jellyfish, but we’re gonna use that tag anyways)…

• Your Champions League results: Rubin Kazan 0 – 0 Dynamo Kiev, Debreceni 0 – 1 Liverpool, Fiorentina 1 – 0 Lyon, Barcelona 2 – 0 Inter Milan, Rangers 0 – 2 Stuttgart, AZ Alkmaar 0 – 0 Olympiakos, Arsenal 2 – 0 Standard Liege, Unirea Urziceni 1 – 0 Sevilla
• Paul Hart’s been sacked by Portsmouth for not being able to win very many games after the team sold all of his players to pay the electric bill; early candidates for replacement are Darren Ferguson and Avram Grant. Hart may still accept a job with Portsmouth as technical director.
• Kieran Gibbs suffered a “horror foul” against Standard Liege, fracturing his metatarsal and leaving him sidelined for up to three months.
• Everton manager David Moyes (along with, presumably, ever other Premier League manager) doesn’t think Phil Brown should be sacked.
• Congratulations to Gamba Osaka midfielder Endo on winning the Asian Player of the Year award.
• The Dutch national team would like Edwin van der Sar to consider playing for them in the 2010 World Cup.
• Ajax has signed on to help coach the Chinese Football Association’s youth program.
• After numerous ankle injuries, DC United midfielder Ben Olsen retired yesterday. His kid presumably did not wear a Beckham jersey to the press conference.
• Celtic winger Aiden McGeady says that he wouldn’t pay to watch Celtic play.
• Bayern Munich have suspended Luca Toni after making comments critical of Louis van Gaal. That’ll help ‘em win more games, right?
• The Chicago Fire have sacked manager Denis Hamlett for…getting them to the semifinals?

I Can't Believe It Either...

The beautiful game did not disappoint tonight, and the match results will give this prognosticator some food for thought going into the final matchday come early December. Despite making a number of seemingly routine ‘guestimations’ regarding the ties of the day, I was once again foiled by the anything-can-happen spirit of the competition. Most notable of the suprises of the day was the early exit of Liverpool FC, a team that has struggled both at home and throughout Europe this football season. Rumour has it they will be looking for some help in the form of a new blood during the transfer window in January (more on that to come).

Before getting into the results of this past half of the matchday, let’s get down to business on predicting the forecast for tomorrow’s clashes… some of which will undoubtedly end up being a footy fan’s dream.

We begin with Group A, where top teams Bordeaux and Juventus will look to do battle in the hopes of officially securing a trip to the next round of play. Bayern Munich will need every ounce of their hunger in order to beat Maccabi Haifa who can do no better than spoiler at this point the competition. Bayern must win to have any hope of continuing into the knockout round. Look for Bordeaux and Juventus to dance to a stalemate with Bayern to win.

In Group B, CSKA Moskva will need full points against a Wolfsburg team that has nearly qualified. Anything short will spell exit from the competition. The already safe Manchester United will likely field their second string  of footballers against a Beskitas team that has already conceded defeat in a season that has been a complete wash. Despite starting their bench Man U should rule the day. Wolfsburg to put out Moskva’s flickering flame.

Group C is where all the action is on this half of the matchday, with all 4 teams holding a mathematical chance of advancing past the group stage. Reports have tipped Cristiano Ronaldo to return for Real Madrid’s clash at the Bernabeu against Zurich. While the Swiss have managed a decent run considering their company, I cant imagine their trip will go much further. Elsewhere, Marseille will have to have their wits about them if they intend on taking full points from this matchday as they will face joint group leaders AC Milan, a team that edged them 2-1 in their first meeting this season. Marseille will be hard pressed to advance without the win, unfortunately, I just don’t think they have what it takes. Milan to win. Madrid to win.

CR9 - Ready For Action

Group D, which… well its already been decided with both Chelsea and Porto advancing. In the interest of good fun, I am going to wager that Chelsea will sit a number of its big guns in order to rest them for the EPL match against Arsenal on Sunday, and that Porto will send their top XI to battle… just enough to edge past the English giants. Atletico Madrid will take on APOEL Nicosia for pride… and if Madrid doesnt play in top form, it will be another in a long line of disappointments on the season. Porto to win. Atletico and APOEL to tie.

The Cheddarbomb team would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has commented on our posts. Your insight is much appreciated and indeed welcomed! To all of our readers, as always, you can follow us and our daily rantings and ravings at cheddarbomb.wordpress.com, or why not have us come to you… sign up for our RSS feed to get instant updates from the Cheddarbomb universe.

RESULTS: Matchday 5- Part I

Debrecen 0 – 1 Liverpool: Robert 1 for 1 (starting strong)

Fiorentina 1-0 Lyon: Robert 1 for 2

Rubin Kazan 0-0 Dynamo Kiev: Robert 1 for 3

Barcelona 2-0 Inter Milan: Robert 1 for 4 (this is getting painful)

Rangers 0 – 2 Stuttgart: Robert 2 for 5

Unirea 1 – 0 Sevilla: Robert 2 for 6 (Lazy bums didn’t even start Luis Fabiano… the nerve!!)

AZ Alkmaar 0-0 Olympiacos: Robert 2 for 7 (Looks like ‘Dutch Pro‘ was right about Alkmaar being useless this year)

Arsenal 2 -0 Standard Liege: Robert 3 for 8

Tonight marks the kickoff of matchday 5 in the UEFA Champions League, starting with what should be a heated encounter between Rubin Kazan and Dynamo Kyiv. Rubin Kazan will be looking to stretch the gap between themselves and Barcelona who are currently sitting in a disappointing third position in Group F due to an inferior goal difference.

The rest of tonight’s action sees Debreceni take on English giants Liverpool (and should be confident with their chances with Liverpools current slump in Premier League form), Fiorentina take on Lyon, Greek soccer gods Olympiakos take on Alkmaar, Unirea play Sevilla, Arsenal meet Standard de Liege and Rangers play Stuttgard in what should be one of the evenings must watch games. The highlight of the evening has to be the clash between Spanish giants Barcelona and and the Italian bad boys Inter Milan. An Inter victory will see Barcelona facing an uphill battle to make it to the knock out stages of the competition.

Schedule for Matchday 5

Tomorrow night (25/11/09) is where my real interest lies with Manchester United playing Besiktas in group B. While I have full confidence in them winning at home and almost securing their spot in the knock out stages, my eyes will be glued to the telly to see who Sir Alex decides to play on the evening. I’m going to stick my neck out and predict that United will win 3 – 1 on the evening with a guaranteed goal from “my man” Rooney!

Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs prepare for their clash against Besiktas

The other fixtures see Bordeux take on Juventus, Bayern Munich host Maccabi Haifa, Wolfsburg travel to CSKA Mosko, Real Madrid should walk past Zurich, while the other Milan (AC) play Marseille and APOEL tackle Atletico Madrid. Another game that I’ll be keeping an eye on is the clash between FC Porto and Chelsea.

Check out the standings as they stand before kickoff.

UEFA Champions League standings

Also, going to be hoping that my UEFA Fantasy League team can pull it together and pull me back up into contention.

Bring it home boys!

What you missed while perusing the jellyfish family album…

• Russian fans have started an online petition to convince Guus Hiddink to stay on as national team manager.
• Qatar would like to host a World Cup in spite of daily temperatures around the 104°F mark in June and July.
• Sevilla striker Arouna Kone will miss today’s match against Unirea Urziceni to be with his six year old daughter who fell down the stairs and has a serious head injury.
• David Beckham’s had asthma since he was a kid. That’s not really news, but everyone just found out, it’s a David Beckham story, and we have quotas to hit.
• Ryan Babel wants out of Liverpool because he’s not playing enough games.
• New Zealand spent the $10 million they received for making the World Cup on Foster’s and shrimp for the barby youth coaches.
• It’s looking more and more likely that Bayern Munich boss Louis van Gaal will be sacked over Germany’s winter break; Bayern needs to win tomorrow to have any hope of advancing in the Champions League.
• Spurs defender Vedran Corluka isn’t moving to Juventus.
• Cristiano Ronaldo will make his triumphant return for Real Madrid against FC Zürich tomorrow.

La prensa coloca ya a Van Gaal fuera del banquillo del Bayern tras su empate contra el B. Leverkusen, pero por muy mal que este el equipo, todavía esta a seis puntos de la cabeza. Esta claro que si cae en la Champions será su guillotina, pero no lo tiene todo perdido en la competición doméstica. En cuanto al Bayer, que decir, tras once jornadas sigue invicto y con muchas posibilidades de ganar la ensaladera. Me alegraría por Heynckes. Gómez y Kiessling fueron los goleadores del partido.

Ver el resumen del partido

Por detrás del Leverkusen viene el Werder Bremen con fuerza tras golear al Friburgo. Menos mal que no echaron a Schaaf el pasado año y podemos disfrutar de este equipo tan ofensivo y además jugando con un solo delantero puro como es Hugo Almeida. Precisamente el portugués inauguró el marcador, anotando otro gol minutos después, luego marcarían Marin, Özil, Naldo y Rosenberg.

Ver el resumen del partido

En tercera posición, a dos puntos del líder, se ha situado el Schalke 04 tras imponerse esta jornada al Hannover 96. Aunque no lo tuvo nada fácil ya que tardó 69 minutos en marcar gracias al peruano Farfán. En los minutos finales sentenció el partido Moravek.

Ver el resumen del partido

Ahora otra goleada de la jornada. El Hoffenheim no tuvo piedad con un Colonia que no termina de arrancar y sigue rozando los puestos de descenso. La verdad que tuvo premio la apuesta de Rangnick con jugadores como Ba, Obasi, Eduardo y Maicosuel en la delantera del equipo. A los cinco minutos marcó Eduardo, luego Obasi, siguió Ba y culminó Ibisevic.

Ver el resumen del partido

El único que pinchó de la zona alta fue el Hamburgo que se vio sorprendido en casa por un Bochum en puestos de descenso. Los de Labbadia se quedan con el último puesto europeo y a cinco puntos de la cabeza. El único gol del partido lo marcó Grote.

Ver el resumen del partido

Otros resultados de la jornada:

B. Dortmund 0-0 Mainz 05
Wolfsburgo 2-3 Nuremberg
E. Frankfurt 1-2 Borussia M.
Stuttgart 1-1 Hertha B.

What you missed while scientists were finding a new type of predator coral that can eat jellyfish…

• David Beckham’s LA Galaxy lost the MLS Cup on penalties to Real Salt Lake last night, but Beckham is still planning on coming back after his AC Milan move, possibly with an eye towards one day owning an MLS franchise. Beckham Beckham Beckham Beckham.
• Jermain Defoe scored five goals in Tottenham’s 9-1 demolition of Wigan.
• Barcelona drew 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao Saturday, dropping them behind Real Madrid on the table; even worse, Lionel Messi went down with a thigh tear that will likely leave him out of the Super Classico on Saturday.
• Gaël Kakuta, the controversial Chelsea youth prospect, made his debut against Wolves.
• Liverpool will have to beat Debrecini VSC without Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel; the way things are going lately, look for a 2-2 draw in Hungary tomorrow.
• Carlos Vela’s potential has convinced Arsene Wenger to stop trying to sign Marouane Chamakh.
• Thierry Henry considered quitting after his controversial double dribble against Ireland.
• Philipp Lahm says that Bayern Munich is “sick” and “lame”. No word on whether they’re also “bogus” and “heinous”.
• Switzerland’s FC Gossau and FC Thun have each banned players over their roles in a match fixing scandal.
• Palermo have sacked Walter Zenga for extending the club’s winless run to four games, knocking all the pieces over.
• Rubin Kazan’s scoreless draw with Zenit St. Petersburg saw them clinch their second consecutive Russian Premier League title.
• Gary Neville has hit out against “mollycoddled” players who collect paychecks but never seem to actually play rely on their agents to do everything for them.

With Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool all looking light up front – an unusual suspect may well ease the pain.

Stefan Kiessling may be at the centre of a bidding war come January

Bayer Leverkusen’s Stefan Kiessling is a time bomb waiting to explode.

Kiessling, 25, is the German league leaders’ top goalscorer. Tall, athletic, calm and blessed with an industrious work ethic, the German international has got the lot. He’s so far managed 9 league goals, with the latest coming against Bayern Munich in his side’s 1-1 draw earlier today.

According to those in Germany, this guy has had it for a while now without ever really producing the desired goods. Back in his hometown of Nuremberg, many footballing wise guys felt Kiessling – a teenager back then – was the hottest prospect in Germany, a player who could go as far as he so pleased.

There’s added pressure this time around for Kiessling, however, as Leverkusen are without another German international, the influential Patrick Helmes, who is out injured until the new year. Early signs are good, as Kiessling continues to thrive under the extra responsibility, regularly providing as well as scoring, which has propelled his club to the top of the Bundesliga.

The target man has more than meets the eye. His goldie locks fail to show his exemplary determination, trickery and strength. It quickly becomes apparent just how good Kiessling can become once you see him in action for a full 90 minutes.

With or without the ball, he continues to willing run anywhere his legs can take him. His intelligence and self awareness allows those runs to be used to maximum potential. If you watch a game for long enough you’ll soon wonder why Kiessling always seems to gain possession in acres of space.

Finishing isn’t a problem either. Aerially, left foot or right, nothing is too daunting for a player who confesses to enjoying celebrating a goal he’s scored more than anything else.

So, come January, with Drogba and Kalou away for Chelsea, Van Persie just returning from a lengthy absence for Arsenal, and United and Liverpool still looking light in the final third, all four may well be keeping a close eye on the availability of a certain Stefan Kiessling.

Well folks, it’s November. Which means it’s almost December. Which means it’s almost January. Which means it’s almost time for the transfer window to open once more. Which means it’s rumour time.

In the past week I have seen several articles detailing certain high profile clubs (English) monitoring the movements of a “new Kaká,” a “new Didier Drogba” and so on and so forth. I’ve heard rumours about Roman Pavlyuchenko coming to Roma in a swap for Julio Baptista, of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar going pretty much anywhere but Milan, and of pretty much every single pleasant surprise of this year being on their merry way out the doors of their respective clubs. Not to mention players like Nani, Guti and Phillip Lahm, who have taken nasty swipes (however accurate) at their clubs via the press recently; with rumours of Lahm to Real Madrid and the other two far from spectacular, could these be foreshadowings of events to come in the new year?

I’ll rattle off some other trade rumours: Juan Manuel Vargas to Real Madrid, Edin Dzeko to AC Milan, Marek Hamsik to Chelsea, Sergio Agüero to Chelsea, Angel Di Maria to Chelsea, (and so on and so forth), Raúl to Retirement, Cesc Fàbregas to Barcelona, and even Wayne Rooney to Barcelona (ha!).

Will any of these rumours come true? Eh, maybe one or two. For the most part it’s probably all just a load of crap; the unfounded conjecture and speculation that always precedes the opening of the transfer window. It will be interesting to see just what does materialize in the new year, and especially how much the transfer window will be affected by the Real Madrid-inflation that occurred over the summer. In the meantime, let the rumours fly; ’tis the season!

Almanya’nın en büyük kulübü Bayern’in en  esaslı adamlarındandır her şeyden evvel bu sağ ayaklı sol bek. Kendisini ”Lahm” yapan kulübüne olan sevgisi ve mesleğine olan saygısı ile günümüz futbol dünyasının parmakla gösterebileceğim adam gibi adamlardandır. Geçenlerde schalke 04 maçından önce yayınlanan bir röportajında kulübünün transfer politikasını ve idare şeklini çok doğru ve iyi niyetli bir şekilde eleştiren lahm’ı münich’in hatta almanya futbolunun otoriteryasından beckenbauer, hoeness ve rummenigge adeta katlettiler. Gerçek bir münichli olan ve 11 yaşından beri bu kulüp için ter döken, geçen sene barça’nın hatırı sayılır teklifini sırf münich sevgisi yüzünden red eden bu adamı sadece kulüp yöneticilerini eleştirdiği için ” takım arkadaşları ve teknik kadroyu” suçlamak ve huzursuzluk çıkarmak suçundan günah keçisi ilan ettiler. Büyük tehditler ve cezalarla kulüp tarihinin en ağır suçuyla yaftalandı lahm.
Tüm kalbimle onun yanında olduğumu hissetirmek isterdim aslında. Çünkü futbolcular düşünmez, futbolcular konuşmaz, futbolcular bilmez sadece büyüklerinin tavırlarına ve düşüncelerine göre kurşun askerlik yaparlar düşüncesinin yıkılması için en önemli modellerden birini temsil etti. Zaten özümde romantizm ve anarşizm düşüncelerinin insan doğasının özünü oluşturduğunu düşünen birisi olarak Lahm’ı bu anlamda sonuna kadar destekliyorum.

Bakın bakalım lahm’ın söylediklerinin tek kelimesine katılmayanınız olacak mı?
Lahm o söyleşide kulübün hiçbir konsept gözetmeyen transfer politikasını eleştiriyor;
Sırf iyi diye bir oyuncu alınmaz. Öyle ya, bakalım aldığın topçu senin oyun anlayışına uyuyor mu? Bayern münih yedi-sekiz yıl öncesine kadar şampiyonlar ligi’nin en başarılı takımlarından biriydi, fakat bundesliga’nın en iyilerini toplayıp aynı kazanın içine atma formülü artık bir işe yaramıyor. Sezon başında takımı 4-4-2 sistemine göre hazırlayan van gaal, robben’nin gelişiyle 4-3-3′e döndü. Haliyle gomez bu sistemde sırıttı, ön libero diye alınan timoşçuk ortanın sağında şaşkın ördeğe döndü. Lahm oyun sistemindeki belirsizliğin hocadan değil, kulüp yönetiminden kaynaklandığını söylüyor. Ayrıca mevcut kötü oyunu, araya paslarla atakları gol pozisyonuna dönüştürecek bir ortasaha oyuncusunun eksikliğine bağlıyor.

Eee bu analiz bayern münich’in son 3-4 yılındaki yanlışının ve şuan ki sıkıntısının en net analizi değil mi beyler. Bu analizi yapan bayern’in sol beki diye onu asıp kesmek mi doğru yoksa onu mesleğine olan saygısı ve alakasından dolayı tebrik edip kulak vermek mi doğru.

Tek başına buralardan, istanbuldan sana sesleniyorum philp ” eski tüfeklerle ve çürümüş futbol adetleriyle mücadelende sonuna kadar yanındayım ”.

Leeds United and a life in the Press Box

I HAVE recently just finished reading two books based on Leeds United.

The first was called Leeds United and a life in the Press Box written by John Wray. Now for me as a young aspiring journalist this was not only a fantastic read, but an interesting insight into the world of journalism and its development over the last few decades.

From sub-editing a match report between local teams Toby Jug and Squinting Cat to covering the European Cup final between Leeds United and Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris, Wray paints a fascinating picture of his journalism career.

The Unforgiven: The Story of Don Revie's Leeds United

A fantastic book with some wonderful anecdotes, this really is a must read for any upcoming journalist, Leeds fan or not.

The second book I recently read was The Unforgiven: The Story of Don Revie’s Leeds United by Rob Bagchi and Paul Rogerson. Now as I’m still relatively young (20-years-old), my knowledge of Leeds United’s history is (or was until I read this book) a little vague.

This book paints a colourful picture of Revie’s time at the helm and gives an interesting insight into how he built a fantastic team.

For anyone who has any interest in Leeds United, young and old, this book is a must have.

"Why didn't Real Madrid want me instead of Alvaro Arbeloa?"

“Top teams in the Champions League have first-class players in seven, eight positions – we don’t. Other clubs have a system, a philosophy, and buy the players accordingly. We don’t. It’s not enough to buy good players, one has to develop a team.”

The team this quote references is having a rough go of things this season. They’re about to lose out on the Champions League, where they’ll likely finish third behind a French and an Italian side. They’re stuggling in their domestic league, where they’re currently sitting out of European contention in eighth place; this has been caused, in large part, because they relied too heavily on two players that are now injured. At the moment, there are minor uprisings within the squad, as everyone around them seems to have improved over the last few years while they’ve stayed the same.

Oh, and the team isn’t Liverpool; it’s Bayern Munich, the team that’s been called one of the best run clubs in Europe.

The quote in question came not from a fringe player, or from a disgruntled transfer target; it came from fullback and vice-captain Philipp Lahm. He was frustrated after Bayern’s 1-1 draw with fourth-placed Schalke over the weekend; a win would’ve meant fourth place. And they’re not particularly far from the title in the tight-as-ever Bundesliga, where only six points separate eighth place from first place.

They’re crashing out of the Champions League, though, mostly thanks to some lackluster play against Bordeaux. Injuries to Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben have hampered their progress, but, as Lahm said, that shouldn’t be the case. Actually, that quote’s just a small part of the longer rant:

“If you want to measure yourself with Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United, you, as Bayern Munich, need a philosophy. That must be the aim of the club.

“Clubs like Manchester United or Barcelona have a system, and then you hire personnel who fit this system. We hired Arjen Robben because he is very good and an international player. But we didn’t hire him because we said, ‘We will play 4-3-3 from now on.’ This doesn’t happen here – the club says, ‘We will [change our system] now,’ and everything is built on that.

“On an continental level you need at least eight players who have learned to play their position, who are confident and competitive. I don’t see these eight players here. That has nothing to do with the players, but with a lacking philosophy over the past [few] years.

“The club must tell a new coach, ‘This is the way we play.’ No one in Barcelona would ever play 4-4-2. Barcelona play 4-3-3 – that is a fact.

“I was raised at the club and Munich are dear to me – that’s why I am outspoken. I think I am in a position to make these statements. We want to be successful on an international stage and to win titles.”

On one hand, Lahm is right. Barcelona have been strict advocates of their attacking 4-3-3 formation ever since Johann Cruyff came over in the mid ’70s; the formation is part of the structure of the club. The players are integrated into the formation at a youth level, and are taught the specific skills needed to make the tactic work by the coaching staff from the time they’re very young in a training camp that tries it’s damndest to emulate the Dutch training method. It’s a small part of the overall philosophy that the club adheres to, and it gives Barcelona a unique character and feel; when Joan Laporta famously said “We make Ballon d’Or winners and others have to buy them” earlier this year, he was referring to those methods.

The problem with Lahm’s logic, however, is that Barcelona isn’t even close to being the model used by other teams. Far more teams go about their business the way that Bayern do: buy a player first, then adjust your tactic to suit the new player’s skills. Manchester United, the other example given by Lahm, are well documented tactical shifters; Ferguson might line his players up in a 4-4-2, but until you start playing you won’t really know if they’re going to play as a 4-3-3, a 4-2-3-1, a 4-5-1, or a straight-up 4-4-2. The formation is constant; the tactics within the formation, however, are developed for specifically for the players on the field. Are we defensive? Put Park out there. Are we looking to rip this team apart? Throw Obertan on the left, Valencia on the right, sink Rooney in the hole behind Berbatov, and go to town in a makeshift 4-3-3.

In a roundabout way, Chelsea is the perfect example of this strategy. In the past year, Chelsea have gone out in a 4-3-3, a 4-1-4-1, a 4-1-2-3, a 4-3-1-2, a 4-5-1, a 4-2-3-1, and a plain old 4-4-2; they can accomodate these different tactics because they have good depth and good players that have been purchased not only for their specific skills but also for their versatility.

The thing that Chelsea, Manchester United, and Barcelona all have in common, however, is the versatility of their players. Barcelona’s defenders are versatile enough that they were able to beat Barcelona without their two top right backs and with a defensive midfielder slotted in at centerback because they were versatile. Manchester United’s midfielders and forwards are able to play each other’s positions to a reasonable level. Chelsea fluctuates between positions on a game-by-game basis, seemingly without ill effect.

Bayern Munich doesn’t have that luxury, however. Without two wingers (as Robben and Ribery have both been injured), their targetmen strikers simply aren’t getting decent service from Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Muller. Robben, partially brought in to provide a little backup for Ribery, is also hurt, so there’s no creative force in the midfield that can really cover them.

So Bayern is in a little bit of trouble right now. And, like Liverpool’s eerily parallel situation, it’s not one with an easy fix. Unlike Liverpool, however, they have the money to fix it; Bayern Munich’s the fourth richest club in Europe. It’s just a matter of getting the right players in, which is apparently a lot harder than it seems.

Click on the thumbnails to see full size (Bấm vào hình nhỏ để xem hình lớn):

What you missed while NASA was discovering jellyfish on Mars (I was actually gonna let this go today, but this one was too good to be true)…

• David N’gog will be pleased that there was no splash, but he’ll be upset that his body was nowhere near close to vertical at the point of entry during his shameless dive against Birmingham City yesterday. Also, Liverpool add Albert Riera, Yossi Benayoun, and Daniel Agger to their rather lengthy injury list.
• None of that should take away from Cameron Jerome, however, who scored one of the prettiest goals I’ve seen this season; check it out here. Also worth mentioning: Birmingham City have not lost in seven matches.
• Fiorentina midfielder Riccardo Montolivo will replace Roma’s Daniele de Rossi in the Italian squad for friendlies against Holland and Sweden.
• Barcelona and Bayern Munich have both targeted Galatasaray winger Arda Turan for a move in January.
• Arsenal have scored 36 goals in 11 matches…so of course Cesc Fabregas is worried about a goal drought.
• Darren Ferguson might have been sacked be Peterborough; this is  in spite of the fact that he’s taken the former League Two side to promotion two years straight.
• Tottenham have announced that they made a record profit of £33.4 million last season.
• Harry Redknapp would like to beat up on Celtic and Rangers in the Premier League.
• Cristiano Ronaldo has received a libel settlement from the Daily Mirror over claims he was drinking in L.A. while he was supposed to be recovering from ankle surgery in 2008.
• Mark Hughes says that Robinho isn’t leaving Manchester City in January.

B. Leverkusen 4-0 E. Frankfurt

2′ Kießling
6′ Reinartz
11′ Kroos
86′ Bender

Ver el resumen del partido

Werder Bremen 1-1 B. Dortmund

36′ Özil
54′ Barrios

Ver el resumen del partido

Hannover 96 2-2 Hamburgo

15′ Jansen
26′ Konan
44′ Elia
88′ Stajner

Ver el resumen del partido

Bayern 1-1 Schalke 04

31′ Van Buyten
43′ Matip

Ver el resumen del partido

Hoffenheim 1-2 Wolfsburgo

23′ Ibisevic
52′ Misimovic
57′ Grafite

Ver el resumen del partido

Otros resultados de la jornada:

Mainz 05 1-0 Nuremberg
Bochum 1-2 Friburgo
Hertha 0-1 Colonia
Borussia 0-0 Stuttgart

A couple of very big (in my not-so-humble opinion, at least) matches went down this weekend, with some producing more exciting results than others. This week there was a double countdown to what I thought were two of the biggest Red v. Blue matches this year. In England we had arguably the two largest Premiership contenders in Chelsea and Manchester United going head-to-head, while in Italy Scudetto favourites Internazionale went testa-alla-testa with my beloved (but struggling terribly) AS Roma.

Football:

Arsenal 4-1 Wolverhampton – Sure, Chelsea and United are probably the two favourites in the Premiership race this season, but I’m not fool enough to dismiss Arsenal as also-rans just yet. For one thing, the Gunners are on a hot streak of 13 unbeaten matches in all competitions. For another thing, one of those matches consisted of something of an Arsenal youth squad (but then again, aren’t all their squads youth squads?) defeating admittedly-struggling Liverpool in Carling Cup play. On the other hand, this weekends performance in particular wasn’t all that impressive, and it might be more appropriate to say that Wolverhampton lost the match rather than saying Arsenal won it. The Molineux Stadium offered the Wolves no security, as the visitors went up 3-0 before the end of the first half, with 2 of those goals being put into the Wolves’ own net by their defenders Ronald Zubar and Joey Craddock. Cesc Fàbregas would provide the third. Andrei Arshavin added his name to the scoresheet in the second half, and Joey Craddock somewhat atoned for his errors by scoring a consolation goal (in Arsenal’s net, this time) in the 89th minute. Along with the result of the Chelsea-United match this afternoon, this win in Wolverhampton sees Arsenal climb to second in the League table.

Perhaps one day Drogba will follow the footsteps of Vinnie Jones to Hollywood.

Chelsea 1-0 Manchester Utd A fairly controversial match – but then again, it was always going to be. There’s bound to be a million gripes from United fanboys about the various ‘injustices’ committed against them today, so if you’re a Blues fan gloat with caution, because you’re likely to receive a long series of whines in response. Let me say a few things: Darren Fletcher’s foul was not a foul, Drogba should probably retire and become an actor, and Jonny Evans is a little punk. Many tempers flared during the match, and it seemed as if a full-out brawl was imminent at points, but alas they kept their heads and all that came of it was a flurry of yellow cards. It was nevertheless dramatic, though, with such highlights as the constant battle between Didier Drogba and Wes Brown providing (me, at least) with much entertainment. It would be Mr. Chelsea himself, John Terry, who would make the difference between the two sides, heading in what I believe was the only goal United have conceded from a set piece this year on 76′. I suppose that earns him a man of the match nod, but other contenders include Wayne Rooney, Nicolas Anelka and Michael Essien, who all gave 110% and played hard-nosed games (must’ve eaten their Toast’n'Butta this morning). Though Drogba’s theatrics were shameful, and he may have hauled down Wes Brown in the build-up to Chelsea’s goal, I have to call out Jonny Evans here, for his kung-fu kick to the chest of Drogba and then his tackle on Ricardo Carvalho long after the whistle. Horrific performance for the youngster; he should consider himself lucky that he wasn’t sent off. A win that sees Chelsea sitting 5 points clear atop the EPL table, and which should boost their morale for weeks to come. As for United; well I’m sure we’ll hear all about how they feel.

Manchester City 3-3 Burnley – Bad news all over Manchester this weekend, it seems. City have been struggling for weeks now, and had drawn their 4 previous fixtures. Well, make it five, Citizens. Newly-promoted Burnley are notoriously shoddy away from home, yet a late goal helped them to steal a point at the City of Manchester Stadium in a 6-goal draw. Burnley in fact took an early 2-0 lead over their hosts after Graham Alexander converted a spot kick and Steven Fletcher found the back of the net. City fought back, and goals from Shaun Wright-Phillips, Kolo Toure and Craig Bellamy saw them take control of the game by the 56th minute. However, they were unable to keep hold of that control and on 87′ Burnley substitute Kevin McDonald scored to bring his side level for once and for all. I’m sure Burnley won’t be happy to have given up that initial 2-0 lead, but all in all, this is a result which should leave Owen Coyle pleased and Mark Hughes with his head in his hands.

Futbol:

The dangerous duo nearly gave Los Blancos a run for their money.

Real Madrid 3-2 Atlético Madrid – Well, El Clásico never fails to disappoint. Even in a season where Atléti has struggled so badly that they have been forced to make a change in management, against Los Blancos they always bring their all. It seemed at first that Real would simply stroll to a Clásico win this season, after Kaká gave his side the lead on 5′, with Marcelo and Higuaín adding their names to the scoresheet on 24′ and 64′, respectively. However, Los Colchoneros would battle back late in the second half after Sergio Ramos was given his marching orders on 66′; a frenzied 2 minutes would see Diego Forlán and Sergio Agüero pull two goals back for their side with 10 minutes left to play. Manuel Pellegrini’s men would ultimately be able to hold off their crosstown rivals, but Quique Sánchez Flores can at least take heart from his side’s spirited fightback. An exciting Clásico, to say the least.

Barcelona 4-2 Mallorca – Samuel Eto’o commented this week that if he had not been bound by his duties to Inter, he would have traveled to the Camp Nou to see his ex-sides face off against one another – he would have sat directly at the centre line so as to not betray his allegiance to one over the other. I gotta say, Sammy, from a Romanista’s point of view, I wish you’d gone. But I digress. Barcelona youngster Pedro gave his side an early lead on 10′, only for Mallorca’s Nunes to equalize from a corner kick just under 10 minutes later. Pedro wasn’t finished yet, though and on 39′ restored the lead to his side, smashing home the third rebound after Mallorca keeper Aouate denied teammates Thierry Henry and Sergi Busquets. The two would get their chance just a few moments later, when Busquets sent in a cross for Henry, who beat Aouate with a diving header to make it 3-1. Lionel Messi was introduced after the break to further increase Barca’s tally – he would eventually, but he would take his time, and it would only be from the spot after teammate Ibrahimovic was brought down in the area. Mallorca sub Alhassane Keita would earn one back for his side late into stoppage time, but ultimately it was too little too late and Barcelona would cruise to an easy victory.

Fußball:

Bayern München 1-1 Schalke 04 – Bayern have been demoralized over and over again the past two weeks, and were perhaps unenthused to face the stiff challenge of Schalke this weekend. Schalke sit above Die Roten in the standings, and looked to pressure the home side early, forcing them into rash challenges and using their wingers to cause Bayern problems on the break. Both sides traded chances in the early stages of the match, but ultimately it would be Bayern who would get ahead first, with a little bit of luck. On 31′ Holger Badstuber lofted in a long ball to Miroslav Klose, whose headed effort deflected off of Kevin Kuranyi and landed at the feet of Daniel van Buyten, who duly buried it. However, Joel Matip, making his debut for Die Königsblauen, was able to cancel out the home side’s advantage with a strike of his own on 43′. The teams would go into the half level, and when they came back it was all Bayern – Louis van Gaal’s men poured forward and for the better part of the half had their visitors pinned in their own end. However, no matter what Bayern did, they were unable to find the back of the net, and both van Gaal and Felix Magath’s sides would come away from the game with a point. Bayern need to get themselves out of this current slump if they are to have any chance of keeping alive their hopes of European and domestic conquest.

Calcio:

AS Roma 1-1 Inter – I think I’ll tackle this one in its own article.

Mauro Camoranesi makes the difference for Juventus once again.

Juventus 5-2 Atalanta – It seems that when Mauro Camoranesi is on form, so is La Vecchia Signora. Forget Brazilians and expensive summer signings (and those that are one and the same); the success of Ciro Ferrara’s squad depends on the performance of the Italian international, who has been with i Bianconeri since 2002. In the case of yesterday’s game, it was Camoranesi’s brace which opened up the scoring in a 5-2 drubbing of Atalanta. Felipe Melo, Diego and David Trezeguet would account for the other 3 goals on Juventus’s part, while Valdes and Fabio Ceravolo pulled back 2 for the home side. This is a very positive result for Juve; while Atalanta generally climb to midtable at the best of times, they are nonetheless notoriously difficult to defeat at home. With Inter tying Roma and yesterday’s drubbing in Bergamo, Juve move to 5 points off of first place.

AC Milan 2-1 SS Lazio – I give Davide Ballardini until the end of the month. After the horrendous loss to Villareal in Europa League play on Thursday, Lazio needed some kind of result to break them out of a long, long losing streak. Admittedly, this revived AC Milan team are not the easiest team to achieve it against, but if they are going to do it anywhere, it would be in their Roma’s house, the Stadio Olimpico. As it can plainly be seen, they did not achieve said result. Thiago Silva and Alexandre Pato both found the Lazio net with first-half goals to dash whatever hopes could still be held in the Curva Nord even before the halftime whistle. However, Lazio were handed a lifeline when Thiago Silva deflected the ball into his own net after some deft play by Mauro Zarate. After that own-goal, gli Aquilotti seriously threatened to equalize, with Tommaso Rocchi and Mauro Zarate both coming close to restoring parity. In the end though, AC Milan would grab a valuable 3 points, while Lazio return to their fortress of solitude media silence to ponder what continues to go wrong.

Fiorentina 1-0 Udinese – It took them 84 minutes, but la Viola were able to to squeak by midtable side Udinese with some help from a Juan Manuel Vargas strike. It was  night of missed chances for both sides; a race to the finish where both teams were misfiring on all cylinders. Fiorentina had the bulk of the chances, with 14 shots and 5 on target, compared to Udinese’s 7 and 2. However, only one of those shots would make a difference tonight at the Stadio Friuli, and it would be Vargas’ set-piece shot. That shot earned i Gigliati a victory which sees them only 1 point behind AC Milan in the standings, sitting comfortably in 4th place.

Comme la semaine dernière, c’est le tour des stades européens . Alors prenons quelques minutes pour fixer les chocs et rendez-vous du week-end à ne pas manquer dans les 5 championnats européens majeurs.

Tout d’abord, direction l’Espagne où l’Atlético Madrid recevra le Real pour derby de la capitale espagnole. Après avoir reçu Chelsea, mardi dernier en Ligue des Champions, les coéquipiers de Simao s’attaquent au dauphin du FC Barcelone. Les joueurs de l’Atlético, premier relégable en Liga, ont arraché le match nul en Champion’s League. Un match qui pourrait être le déclic et la référence que l’équipe cherche depuis le début de la saison.

En Italie, le rendez-vous de la journée est aussi déséquilibré que celui opposant l’Atlético au Real Madrid. L’Inter Milan de José Mourinho, leader du Calcio, reçoit l’AS Roma de Claudio Ranieri, 14^ème et en difficulté en ce début de saison. En manque de points, le club de la capitale aura comme but d’aller battre l’Internazionale à Giuseppe Meazza, mission quasi-impossible.

Au pays d’Angela Merckel, la 12^ème journée de Bundesliga renferme deux matchs intéressants. Hoffenheim, promu surprenant la saison dernière, reçoit Wolfsburg, tenant du titre. Un duel entre le 5^ème et le 7^ème qui pourrait modifier le classement tout comme la rencontre Bayern Munich-Schalke 04. Un match à gagner pour le Bayern qui n’occupe pas la place que l’on attendait, 6^ème. Schalke, en cas de victoire des siens et de défaites du Werder et d’Hambourg, pourrait devenir le dauphin d’un Bayern Leverkusen, bien enfoncé dans le trône allemand.

Un petit tour de l’autre côté de la manche. Les Anglais pourront apprécier, ce week-end, un classique du genre : Chelsea-Manchester United. Le leader reçoit son dauphin et, pour une fois depuis quelques saisons, Chelsea part favoris. Mais attention, avec seulement 2 points d’avance sur son poursuivant, le club londonien pourrait vite déchanter. Malheur au vaincu !

Pour finir, on rejoint l’hexagone et ses températures en baisse. Dimanche soir, le choc de la 13^ème journée de Ligue 1, le choc des Olympiques, le choc du second contre le 7^ème enfin bref les Lyonnais affronteront les Marseillais au stade Gerland. Les joueurs de Didier Deschamps n’ont plus perdu à Gerland depuis la saison 2005/2006. Pourquoi pas un quatrième match à Gerland sans défaites en Ligue 1 pour l’OM ? Pari tenu !

Hoy por hoy estos tres entrenadores tienen un dolor de cabeza que a estas alturas no pensaban tener. Tres entrenadores de tres grande de Europa, que todo lo que no sea clasificar para los Octavos de la Champions League sería considerado un fracaso.

El que menos complicado lo tiene es Pep Guardiola. El Barcelona no depende de nadie y ganando sus partidos estaría adentro. En este momento está tercero en su grupo y no creemos que se queden afuera, pero… Eto’o se las tiene jurada. Y el Inter visita el Camp Nou en busca de venganza. Objetivo: Guardiola y Laporta.

Ya hablamos de Rafa Benítez, y lo del Liverpool tiene fea pinta. Está tercero a 5 puntos del segundo, la Fiorentina. Lidera el OL con 10. A los Reds le queda recibir a estos dos equipos.

Van Gaal se va a tener inventar alguna que otra excusa válida para que no lo echen a patadas. A cargo del Bayern Munich, el equipo con mayor presupuesto de la Bundesliga, está haciendo el ridículo en la Champions League. Están a 4 del segundo la Juventus y a 6 del Girondins. Les queda recibir al debilucho Maccabi y visitar a Del Piero.

Igualmente, y aunque lo tiene más fácil, el gran fracaso sería no ver al Real Madrid en la próxima ronda. Ni a golpe de talonario Florentino Pérez se aseguró todavía el paso a Octavos. Le queda recibir al Zurich y visitar al Marsella, quien lo podría mandar a la Europa League. Para un equipo que se arma en los despachos y no en la cantera, y que tiene como objetivo el jugar la final en su estadio, el 2012 habría llegado tres años antes. Que con el dinero vayan comprando varios bunkers.