In my last entry I refered to social media numbers possibly being part of signing-on contracts for sport stars in the near future.  This likely eventuality brings the possibility of clubs/teams wanting more of a stake in what the athlete outputs in the bloggersphere.  We have already seen a few high-profile athletes getting more than a slap on the wrist for both the content and timing of their tweets.  American footballer, Antonio Cromartie was fined 2500 US dollars for slagging-off the standard of the cuisine at his team’s training camp. And there was Larry Johnson who was even sacked for his comments about his coach and a fan (which I have to say was probably justified).

Former NBA superstar Jalen Rose reckons,  ”Teams and management will increase content restrictions for athletes. Teams and management will be vigilant at making sure that information is not released without consent. “Big Brother” will be watching very carefully to determine what is permissible and what is not. Personal views and comments will be taken seriously if it jeopardises the integrity of a team or sponsor.”

With this in mind, my concern is that sport stars will not only asked to act as ambassadors for their club/team, but will become robotic and unnatural in their communication with fans via social media, which for me defeats the whole point of the excercise in the first place.  Moreover, it seems sport stars employer’s will want to use the social media outlets of their investments to plug their own interests and at the same time ensuring that the club/team is not seen in a bad light.  What do you reckon?

Cheers,

MB

Darren Bent preaches the truth

I recently jumped on the Twitter bandwagon and one guy I’m following is Sunderland striker Darren Bent.  I follow simply out of curiosity as he is a well-known Premier League figure using social media.  He is an avid tweeter and mainly interacts regarding a game he is about to play or has played in.  Roughly two days after following Bent on Twitter I found myself being followed by SAFC (his club).  Call me a cynical bastard but I don’t think it was a coincidence.  Many of the SAFC club tweets are related to its official website trying to flog match tickets and merchandise.  Of course I don’t really mind this as I can control whom I follow and whom follows me on Twitter.  After all, if you buy any gear online from a footy club these days, you will likely receive email after email from them offering you anything from a club scarf to the tackiest trinkets imaginable.

I think we have to accept that currently, and even more so in the future, a lot of sport stars are not only out to promote their own image when using social media but also their employer’s – rather they will likely morph into one; similar to when a team has signed the hottest rising star and the star is looking to further his career and brand.  The initial idea is win, win and produces excellent results for all parties when the going is good.  Former NBA star Jalen Rose explained on the Mashable social media guide, “Social media numbers may become a part of contract negotiations. It’s possible this won’t happen in the next year, but the numbers will definitely play a major role in the future. Some athletes have over a million plus followers on Twitter and Facebook. These numbers can be used by agents, lawyers, and business managers to leverage higher contract dollars for their clients. The fans are buying into a brand and if an athlete delivers consistently, then he or she should be rewarded for it.”

I’m inclined to agree with what Rose is saying after my recent experience of Bent and Sunderland. However, I do think in this case Bent is actually tweeting with his fans and his club have probably cottoned on to the fact that they can build their club profile further and sell merchandise by piggy-backing off his social networking on Twitter.  Furthermore, the striking ace has had the Twitter logo and name sewn into his football boots.  Perhaps this the way of the future.  Maybe his next step is get a tattoo on his right thigh.

Way of the future? Bent's Twitter boots

Cheers,

Broado

It is far too early in the season to guess who will eventually win the plaudits from both players and writers alike but here are my top five performers of the campaign so far.

5.) Richard Dunne (Aston Villa) – Man City were absolutely crazy to let such an influential figure go. After establishing himself as an icon at the club he would have brought some much need direction to a talented yet nervy back line. Dunne has already become a firm fans favourite at Villa Park and it’s not hard to see why. His steady no-nonsense approach to the game has meant he has more than adequately filled the void left by Martin Laursen. He is one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League and chips in with a few goals too.

Verdict – A brilliant summer acquisition who has already proved his worth.

4.) Darren Bent (Sunderland) – Those who questioned his £16.65million price tag when he moved from Charlton to Spurs probably felt vindicated when he struggled to even get in the starting line-up. Yet despite never really being given a chance the tweetaholic still scored 18 goals in 60 appearances during his two years at White Hart Lane. Since his switch up north though Bent has demonstrated he will always score goals in any team – already scoring nine in 15 this season. He will probably not get anywhere near winning the PFA or writers player of the year award but he stands a good chance of the golden boot.

Verdict – Not the most glamorous striker but an effective one nonetheless.

3.) James Milner (Aston Villa) – Another brilliant signing by Martin O’Neil. The young Englishman has really developed this season and thoroughly deserves his place on the plane to South Africa. He has shown he has a great all-round game with the ability to really attack defences, deliver a cracking ball and is more than willing to track back to do his bit for the team.

Verdict – May not have the flair of Wright-Phillips or Lennon but is definitely more consistent.

2.) Didier Drogba (Chelsea) – Clearly one of the best strikers in the world he has at times been absolutely unplayable this season. No other striker has the same kind of impact on the game as Drogba does and the stats back this up. With eight assists and 11 goals in 14 league games he has been pivotal to Chelsea’s excellent form which sees them sitting top of the table. Many may point to the fantastic support he gets and while it certainly helps it has been his impeccable form which has brought him so much success this season.

Verdict – Has been head and shoulders above the Premiership’s other world-class strikers and will be sorely missed when he takes part in the African Cup of Nations.

1.) Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) – Without him and Van Persie Arsenal are nothing. Once again he has been the driving force behind everything they do and is completely irreplaceable. His intelligence and skill has allowed him to control games like no-one else and with six goals and 11 assists he is top of every fantasy football league.

Verdict – Has been indispensible to Arsenal and has been far more influential than either Lampard or Gerrard.

Others worth a mention include Van Persie, Terry, Giggs, Lennon, Defoe, Reina, Reid, Dunn, Given and Sorensen.

With the year nearly over and the hectic Christmas football calendar almost upon us, I felt it a good time to look back at the Premier League Club’s summer wheelings and dealings. Some moves have worked, and as always, some have not. Here’s a quick look at the 5 moves I feel have worked out for the best so far..

Thomas Vermaelen – When Arsenal made serious moves in the transfer market for a Belgian centre back who only had senior experience in the Eredivisie (Holland’s top league) and barely scrapes 6′0 tall, many journalists had eyebrowns raised at Arsene Wenger’s latest foray into the transfer market. Yet the Frenchman has once again proven himself an astute judge of talent, as Vermaelen has slotted nicely into the Arsenal backline, replacing Kolo Toure admirably. Unlike Toure, Vermaelen has quickly established a solid defensive partnership with William Gallas, showing himself to be an assured choice for Wenger’s team. Not only that, but Vermaelen has proven himself a good finisher, having already claimed 4 goals in his first 13 appearances for the Gunners. A top notch purchase, and at approximately £10 million, a bargain compared to the likes of Manchester City-bound Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure.

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov – Very few followers of Everton had heard of the former Lokomotiv Moscow winger when he arrived at Goodison Park. Yet within a few appearances, Bilyaletdinov – known as ‘Billy’ amongst Toffees fans – has made himself a cult hero. The Russian winger has featured for Everton 6 times since his arrival in the summer, bagging himself 2 goals in the process. Not many attacking players from foreign shores adapt quickly to the pace and brute force of the Premier League – including fellow Russian Andrei Arshavin - but Bilyaletdinov has proven himself capable of withstanding a bone-crunching tackle or two. For a team with little craft down the flanks due to the prolonged absence of Spanish talisman Mikel Arteta, Everton fans are glad Moyes brought in ‘Billy’. At around £12 million, Bilyaletdinov has shown that if Wenger is the master of finding obscure foreign talent for cheap, Everton manager David Moyes isn’t far behind.

Richard Dunne – Irishman Dunne had been club captain of Manchester City since 2006, and one of their most consistent performers, commanding the defence with his strong aerial presence and assured reading of the game. But when City brought in Everton’s Joleon Lescott and Arsenal’s Kolo Toure over the summer, Dunne’s spot was under threat. Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill was quick to make his move, signing Dunne for £6 million as a replacement for the retired Martin Laursen. O’Neill’s signing was instantly proved to be a good one, with Dunne once again performing consistently, this time for the Birmingham-based outfit. Like Vermaelen, Dunne has also proved himself a weapon going forward, having grabbed 2 league goals already for his new club. Most people in football believed Dunne would be a success at Villa, and based on his performances so far, they’ve been right.

Gareth Barry – Having established himself as an England regular, both Manchester City and Liverpool pursued interest in the Aston Villa midfielder. City eventually got their man, splashing out £12 million. Adding bite to a City midfield full of wiry wingers and attacking threat, Barry and Dutchman Nigel De Jong anchor City’s play, pulling all the strings in the City engine room. An excellent passer of the ball and never afraid to make a tackle, Barry seems good value for money, especially when considering some of City’s more expensive signings.

Darren Bent – Rounding out the list, English striker Bent was a phenomenon at Charlton Athletic, scoring 41 goals in 68 appearances for the Addicks. Yet when Tottenham Hotspur came in for Bent, Charlton cashed in on their prized asset. Bent joined a squad full to bursting with attacking talent. With Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov his competition for a first-team berth, Bent never truly got his deserved opportunity at White Hart Lane. Sunderland boss Steve Bruce saw a player who was underachieving, and paid out an initial £10 million for Bent’s services. Much like his days at Charlton, Bent found himself the attacking focus of a smaller club, and instantly benefitted. With goals against the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United, Bent and Kenwyne Jones have frightened Premier League defences with their pace and ability to play off one another. A reborn player under Bruce, Bent’s record of 10 goals in 12 appearances for the Black Cats speaks for itself, and his form should see him get into Fabio Capello’s 2010 World Cup squad.

If you agree or disagree, leave a comment below!

Futbol Ingles

Manchester City 1-1 Hull City

 

Portsmouth 1-4 Manchester United

Everton 0-2 Liverpool

Arsenal 0-3 Chelsea

Ver Tabla de Posiciones

Ver Tabla de Goleo

Blackburn vs. Stoke City:
Stoke have been really solid in the back this season and I don’t seen them letting in a goal against a Blackburn side that is struggling for goals. Stoke have been solid on set plays or throw-ins with the weapon in Delap, expect a goal in a situation like that to decide the game.

Prediction: 0-1

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Fulham vs. Bolton:
The Cottagers have been really solid at home all season and are coming off a big win at Blackburn midweek.

Bolton are struggling, taking only six points from their last six fixtures. Dempsey is in form and should be good for a goal or assist.

Prediction: 2-0

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Man City vs. Hull City:
City are coming off a disappointing draw at Anfield last week and have drawn their last six matches. Hull are playing away from the safety of their home grounds and that doesn’t bode well for them.

Robinho is back from injury for City and will give them an extra scoring threat.

Prediction: 2-1

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Portsmouth vs. Manchester United:
With Portsmouth losing their manager this week and the inevitable appointment of Avram Grant, they’ll look to stop their recent skid of losses. But against a high powered Man United, I don’t think they will find their feet quickly enough.

Prediction: 0-3

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West Ham vs. Burnley:
The Hammers need some points and quickly to get themselves out of the bottom of the league. Burnley have been poor away from home and a game that West Ham should win.

Prediction: 1-0

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Wigan vs. Sunderland:
Wigan got thrashed last week at Spurs and will want to prove a point this week when their old manager Steve Bruce makes a trip back to the JJB.

I don’t see them bouncing back quite yet. Sunderland have been solid and have goal threats like Darren Bent and Jones.

Prediction: 0-1

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Aston Villa vs. Tottenham:

Match of the wannabes.

Aston Villa are coming of a disappointing draw last week against Burnley and Spurs are coming off a thrashing of Wigan. Aston Villa are at home and would normally give the edge to them, but Spurs are playing really good football right now.

Prediction: 2-2

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Wolves vs Birmingham:
Wolves will continue to fight relegation. They got beaten badly by Chelsea last week and Birmingham are coming a string of a few good results after their recent ownership change.

Prediction: 0-1

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Everton vs. Liverpool:
The Merseyside derby is always a good battle and I don’t anticipate this to be any different.

Liverpool will probably still be without Torres and are in a bad run of form, but grabbed a win midweek in the Champions League where they bowed out. Expect a goal from Gerrard and some sort of controversy. Besides the Arsenal-Chelsea clash, this should be one of the matches of the weekend.

Prediction: 1-2

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Arsenal vs. Chelsea:
Match of the weekend.

Gunners need a win to pull themselves closer to the top of the league. Both had wins midweek in the Champions League. Chelsea are in the middle of a stretch of tough away matches and Arsenal are facing a few major injuries, notablyVan Persie.

Prediction: 3-2

- Brent Lakes

Jermain Defoe Scored Five Against Wigan Athletic

Tottenham were the side to watch this weekend, after a thumping 9-1 win over poor Wigan saw them climb back into the top four in the league. Chelsea also picked up a good win, beating Wolves 4-0 to extend their lead at the top, while Manchester United beat Everton 3-0. Arsenal slipped up at Sunderland, Portsmouth lost at Stoke, and Liverpool were held to a draw by Manchester City.

Did you have a good weekend?

Jermain Defoe’s superb striking performance, in which he hit the back of the net five times, was the highlight of the week, with the striker picking up 30 points for his efforts. His team mate Aaron Lennon (Team Skin 21 pts) was also amongst the goals and managed to set up another three, while Peter Crouch (The Wooden Spoons 13 pts) scored one and set up another. Wigan defenders were certainly players to avoid this week, with the majority of them scoring minus 7 points!

Michael Essien (Pear Tree Productions 21 pts) scored twice in Chelsea’s win, with Florent Malouda (15 pts) and Joe Cole (Evieton’s Gingerbread Men 13 pts) grabbing the other two goals, while Yossi Benayoun (Skem Chavs 10 pts) came off the bench to save Liverpool from another defeat. Elsewhere, Antonio Valencia (Top Team United 16 pts) scored and set one up for Man United, Darren Bent (El Tel’s Stamford Bridge Blue Army 10 pts) scored the only goal in Sunderland’s win, and Ricardo Fuller (9 pts) scored Stoke’s winner over Portsmouth.

Why do I always type a little blurb here? It never really says anything; I just feel weird diving straight into the match results themselves without any preamble. It’s too… impersonal that way. So hello, hi, here we are, so let’s get down to it:

Calcio:

AS Roma Totti 3-1 Bari – Romanisti always repeat one thing when Er Pupone is sidelined: No Totti, no Party. But sometimes we get so caught up in our own negativity that we forget the flip-side of that equation: Totti = party. Er Capitano made his return today against Bari, back from over a month out after going into knee surgery earlier in the season. And just to remind us why we miss him when he’s gone, he scored a hattrick. In the first half hour. The first came on 7′ – a spot kick after Jean-François Gillet downed Mirko Vucinic in the area. Then, only 7 minutes later, Totti launched a searing free-kick into the back of the net to make it 2-0. On 28′, he scored a world-class – and seemingly impossible – goal, beating Bari’s defense, Gillet and firing an acute-angle shot into the far corner. Beauty. Roma did their usual thing in the second half, sitting comfortably back on their large lead and letting i Galletti tire themselves out. However, the visitors finally pulled one back when youngster Marco Andreolli nodded the ball into his own net on 73′. A bit of a blemish, but a pretty good party nonetheless. To Gillet’s credit, he was outstanding for most of the match (those stretches when Totti was not destroying his self esteem), as was Julio Sergio, who was very solid behind the Roman back four. Mirko Vucinic was phenomenal, back to his old self again, while the only real black spot for Roma was Nicolas Burdisso, who was an absolute horrorshow at right-back. Also, the own goal was unfortunate. But all in all, a very good party with Er Capitano back at the helm. I can’t wait until we get Danielino back – then we can really party.

Inter 3-1  Bologna – The Inter Offside webpage referred to this match as a ‘Mortadella Speedbump’ — that pretty much sums it up for me. The reigning champions probably felt as if they could simply stroll into the Stadio Dall’Ara and come back out with three easy points, and their hosts failed to prove them wrong. There was a bit of tension early in the match; Diego Milito put Inter ahead on 22′ off of a corner from Maicon, only for Marcelo Zalayeta to equalize within 60 seconds, smashing the ball past Julio Cesar and into the top corner. The next 20 minutes saw both teams get really into the game, but Mario Balotelli should have put his side ahead when he beat the Bologna backline and dummied ‘keeper Emiliano Viviano – only to waste enough time that Viviano was able to get up and rob him of his much belated shot. One could see Jose Mourinho rise from his bench, flailing in anger. However, Supermario was able to atone for his sins just before the half; another Maicon corner saw the young striker rise powerfully in the air and head home to make it 2-1 for the Nerazzurri. He picked up a knock in the process, however, and was subbed off for Samuel Eto’o, who made a rare start on the bench. The visitors would make their lead more comfortable midway through the second half, with Esteban Cambiasso, who was in excellent form, burying a left-foot strike on 72′. To be honest, the hosts never looked like they were going to get back into the game, and Inter cruised to a comfortable win over the Emiliani.

AC Milan 4-3 Cagliari – It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride in the San Siro this afternoon, but i Rossoneri came out on top. Clarence Seedorf gave the home side an early lead on 5′, but gli Isolani weren’t interested in falling behind and Alessandro Matri equalized just 3 minutes later. The visitors would take the lead on 30′ when Andrea Lazzari found himself completely unmarked at Milan’s back post and gave his side a 2-1 lead. This time though, it was Milan’s turn to come from behind, as Marco Borriello and Alexandre Pato bagged a pair of goals in quick succession to put their side up 3-2 by the 39th minute. Pato’s goal was particularly nice, a rocket-powered blast into the top shelf which sent the San Siro crowd into an uproar. Milan would further consolidate their lead after the break, with Ronaldinho stepping up to the spot after Borriello had been felled in the area and burying it, sending Federico Marchetti the wrong way. He seems to score all of his goals that way, doesn’t he? More on him later. Cagliari was able to reduce Milan’s lead to a single goal when Nenê beat Dida on 68′, but Milan would hold onto their rather precarious lead and edge their visitors 4-3 in what turned out to be an exciting goalfest. Now, Ronaldinho. He was quite possibly – I’d almost say easily – the man of the match; back to his Barcelona form and full of tricks and flicks. That he only got onto the scoresheet via PK is misleading, as he was the creative force behind Milan’s devastating offense all night. That being said, their defending was quite shoddy, and against a better team (no offense, Cagliari, I like you guys) they might have come away with a rather different result. That being said, an excellent high-scoring match to put il Diavolo into 3rd place. Who says Serie A is boring?

Juventus 1-0 Udinese – Oh that’s right, Juventini say Serie A is boring. Because Juve is boring. I Bianconeri edged, well, i Bianconeri in Turin to keep their Scudetto hopes alive tonight. After the kickoff, it was all Juventus; Diego and Mauro Camoranesi both came close in the first quarter of an hour. After that though, the game went into a bit of a lull, and neither side looked dangerous (or did anything important) before the halftime break – unless you count a Udinese goal rightly disallowed for offside. After the restart, it was once again Juventus who set the pace, and this time it paid off. Summer signing Martin Cácares set up summer signing Fabio Grosso, who beat Samir Handanovic with ease to put the home side up 1-0 on 51′. Udinese fought hard throughout the remainder of the half, and both Handanovic and Gigi Buffon were called upon to make class saves, but ultimately the most exciting thing to happen before the fulltime whistle was Alessandro Del Piero’s appearance as a substitute. Juventino or not, you gotta love that guy.

Football:

A hattrick? No, that was just a warm-up.

Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic – Stop the press! What in God’s name do they put in the water in Tottenham? The Spurs recorded the second-biggest Premiership blowout in history at White Hart Lane over a hapless Wigan Athletic, with Jermain Defoe grabbing 5 himself in the second half. Peter Crouch opened the scoring for the home side on 9′, and believe it or not, that was it for the first half. Defoe got started right away after the break though, netting on 51′ and 54′, before Paul Scharner (who may have also pulled a Thierry Henry) pulled one back for the Latics to make it 3-1 on 57′. Defoe wasn’t done yet though, and to complete his hattrick restored the Spurs 3-goal margin just seconds later. Aaron Lennon got in on the action with a goal of his own on 64′, and then Jermain Defoe topped off his hattrick with a brace on 69′ and 87′. Chris Kirkland put the ball into his own net on 88′ to make it 8-1, and then Niko Kranjcar scored in the 4th minute of stoppage time to make the scoreline a whopping 9-1. To put this into perspective, didn’t table-toppers Chelsea lose to Wigan this season? Holy shit, dude.

Chelsea 4-0 Wolverhampton – Speaking of Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti’s men took part in a rout of their own this weekend, though it seems rather paltry in comparison with their London neighbours’ rather excessive beatdown. The Wolves simply had no chance at Stamford Bridge, and with Florent Malouda opening the scoring with a 25-yard strike on 5′, it seemed a cricket score was imminent. Michael Essien furthered that notion, bagging a brace within a 10 minute span by finding the back of the Wolves’ net on 12′ and 22′. The visitors simply had no response to the dominant Chelsea play, and their ill-advised 2-5-3 formation left plenty of gaps for the Blues to exploit. The teams went into the half with the score 3-0, but not before Sylvain Ebanks-Blake forced a class save from Petr Cech. As the game progressed, Wolverhampton reverted to a more solid 4-4-2, it was not enough to stop Joe Cole from scoring his first Premiership goal in over a year, making the score 4-0. Another quite impressive blowout/shutout from Ancelotti’s men, but until they score 9 goals I think they’ll feel that their crosstown rivals have the upper hand. Then again, they’re leading the league, so who cares about the Spurs?

Liverpool 2-2- Manchester City – Every time a Koppite cries, and angel get its wings. Or so I’ve been led to believe. Either way, both the Reds and the Blues (no, no, other Reds. Other Blues too.) dropped points and further away from the top 4 with a 4-goal draw at Anfield on Saturday. Martin Skrtel gave the home side the lead on 50′, only for Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland to respond on 69′ and 76′ respectively to give the Citizens a 2-1 lead. A loss at this stage in the competition would have meant disaster for the Scousers, but luckily Yossi Benayoun cut any Mancunian celebrations short by responding with a goal of his own on 77′ to equalize and make it 2-2. And 2-2 the score would remain. This result is neither a complete disaster for Mark Hughes or Rafa Benitez, but you gotta think that the two of them, and their grossly underperforming squads, have gotta be feeling a little uncomfortable right now.

Manchester Utd 3-0 Everton – As for the other Reds and Blues of Manchester and Liverpool, a draw was not in the cards. The Red Devils trounced the Toffeemakers at Old Trafford to stay within five points of Chelsea in the table. Darren Fletcher opened the scoring for the homeside on 35′ with a beautiful goal that has been compared (somewhat hyperbolically) to the work of Zinedine Zidane. After the half Michael Carrick and Luis Antonio Valencia would add a goal each, while David Moyes’ men could do little but keep the scoreline respectable. I gotta say, the Merseyside derby is going to be downright depressing this year…

Pictured: Arsenal player not fit for today's match.

Sunderland 1-0 Arsenal – Oh, Arsenal. The Gooners had gone over a dozen games without a loss, but as usual Arsene Wenger’s men got a little too close to the sun and their wings simply burned up. Also, they had a lot of injuries. The Londoners put in an unfocused and ramshackle performance against a determined Sunderland side who clearly wanted the result more. And they got it. Sunderland simply rode out wave after wave of potent Arsenal attacking play, though admittedly, it didn’t seem like the Gunners wanted to do much other than controlling the ball in midfield. On 71′, the home side finally got their chance and Darren Bent buried it to make the score 1-0 for the Black Cats. Wenger’s men had simply no will to get back into the game (perhaps their minds were occupied with thoughts of next week’s clash against Chelsea) and ultimately fell to a steely Sunderland side. This is the second time this year that the Black Cats have beaten a top 4 side – and this time it can’t even be blamed on a beach ball.

Futbol:

Real Madrid 1-0 Racing Santander – Well, Los Galacticos are still without their biggest star – Cristiano Ronaldo – and they’re still not playing as ‘Galacticos’ perhaps should, but they’re finally where Galacticos should be: on top. Gonzalo Higuaín provided the difference that Manuel Pellegrini’s men needed to take down mid-table residents Racing Santander, with a strike from close range on 22′. Both sides had second-half goals disallowed for offsides, with both Karim Benzema and Sergio Canales putting the ball into the back of the net only to be notified by the referee that they need not celebrate. As has been the norm this year, Madrid did not completely convince, but their narrow victory was nevertheless enough to see them go top of the table for the first time this season after Barcelona picked up a similarly unconvincing result in Bilbao.

Because Bear Country is more frightening than Basque Country.

Barcelona 1-1 Athletic Bilbao – Treble Champions they may be, but at times this season Barcelona have failed to look the part. They faltered again in their title race during this weekend’s trip to Basque Country. Though many of their starting 11, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, were out with knocks, one could still expect Barcelona to produce a result against midtable opponents such as Bilbao. Early in the match, Los Leones put pressure on their visitors, peppering them with corners and free kicks, while Barca looked simply content to play on the counter. Soon however, Barca wrested control of possession from their hosts, and began to look like the side to score, though when it came to finishing they came up empty – at least in the first half. However, after the restart the Blaugrana got off on the right foot, with Daniel Alves running on to the end of a perfect throughball from Xavi and finding the back of Bilbao’s net. Athletic immediately responded by bringing Toquero into the game; a move that would prove very effective as the substitute would equalize for the home side within 10 minutes of coming onto the pitch, running onto a long ball and smashing it home. All that was left to do for Bilbao was to park the bus and ride out the waves of Barcelona attacks – which they did – in order to gain a point and drop the reigning champions down to second place. What has happened to Pep Guardiola’s men?

Fußball:

Bayern München 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen – Well, Die Roten haven’t sunk any further into their slump, but they haven’t de-slumped either, achieving a draw against league-leading Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz-Arena this weekend. Mario Gomez and Stephan Kießling each netted for their respective sides early on in the match; both goals came within the first 15 minutes of play. Bayern started off energetically, with their aggressive attack leading to Mario Gomez’s opener on 8′, which he sidefooted in on an advantage play after Miroslav Klose was fouled. However, their visitors soon caught up to them in pace and were able to exploit the home side’s defensive weaknesses; Kießling easily beat the offside trap and slotted the ball coolly past Hans-Jörg Butt to make it all square on 14′. Each team had spells of pacy and bright looking attack, but neither could capitalize during those stretches; Leverkusen keeper Rene Adler saved his side time and time again with world class saves to prevent Bayern from getting out in front. Even Thomas Müller, who has so often been Bayern’s ace-in-the-hole this season proved ineffectual, and was subbed in the second half for Ivica Olic, returning from a lengthy injury layoff. The chances petered out towards the end of the game, and a 1-1 draw it would remain – a result that sees Bayer reclaim 1st and Bayern languish in 7th.

Werder Bremen 6-0 SC Freiburg – Poor Freiburg. On more than a few occasions this season they have found themselvesin situations where they are simply out of their depth. The home side suffered a humbling defeat to Die Grün-Weißen in their own Badenova-Stadion, falling 6-0 in an all-out slaughter. Hugo Almeida opened the scoring for the visitors on 33′, Marko Marin added a second on 55′, Almeida doubled his money on 57′, Mesut Özil netted on 67′, Naldo on 73′ and substitute Markus Rosenberg made it 6-0 with 8 minutes left to play. Freiburg once again made a case for having the worst defense in the Bundesliga (they have the highest number of goals against; 30) and sit 13th in the league table, while this victory propels Werder Bremen to second, just a point behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen. I guess the English aren’t the only ones who know how to have a good blowout!

It’s going to sound like I haven’t got much new to say but it’s true; champions win games that they are supposed to win. Sunderland is not better than we are. No matter what the permutation of player combinations from the respective squads, we should beat Sunderland every time.

The English media like to hype up a new gate-crasher every chance they get. Sunderland is this year’s choice. I’m not the least bit impressed by a team with Kieran Richardson playing in the hole behind Darren Bent, Steed Malbranque, and Andy Reid running midfield, and some unknown 19 year old local in a holding role.

We did not make any kind of statement at any point in the game. We allowed an inferior team to stifle us and disrupt our flow. They waited until we got to midfield and then closed us down quickly. They counter-attacked, trying to nick a goal. We just kicked the ball about without any real drive. There was no urgency.

We had a few good moments – a few nicely worked combinations at the top of their box, dangerous crosses across their goal late – but we did little to show our superiority. Some say it is the post-internationals hangover. I’m inclined to agree with that but if we’re going to win the league, we can’t lose to Sunderland for any reason.

The lineup was a bit strange to be honest. I will never second guess Wenger’s decisions because he sees the players in training, I don’t. I just wonder why Arshavin sat for most of the match yet Gallas, who’s been playing an enormous amount off high pressure fooball, played the entire game. Why didn’t Arshavin start? He would have enabled Eduardo to be a bigger threat on an off the ball. Nasri is good around the box but rarely threatens from close in. That somewhat nullified the Eduardo as loan strike bit.

It’s all water under the bridge now. We lost. Tuesday is very important.

A few notes:

At times, it was apparent why Ramsey is still not a regular starter. He lost the ball carelessly, allowing for counter-attacks on more than one occasion.

Armand Traore was better than I’ve ever seen him. He looked more composed and trustworthy. With a healthy Gibbs, Clichy could be expendable if he doesn’t fix himself.

On 89, Song chased down Kieron Richardson where Sagna would normally be. Alex came from deep inside Sunderland territory to win back the ball. I was impressed by that so late in the game.

On the penalty that wasn’t; get used to it. It’s going to be that way for a long, long time. I’ve seen penalties given for less. We shouldn’t expect them at all any more unless it’s an axe assault leaving a pool of Arsenal red in the penalty area.

We’ve made things very difficult for ourselves now with United winning against Everton and Chelsea of course having beaten Wolves. We’ve lost ground. DAMN!!!

I’m going to get f***** up now.

Later!

Sunderland striker Darren Bent has spoken of his delight at representing England rubbishly against Brazil at an FA press conference this morning. FistedAway listened in:

I’ve dreamed of playing rubbish against Brazil since I was a small boy. Imagine then my delight when Fabio gave me the call to say “Darren, get yourself over to Qatar, I need you to play rubbish in a friendly“. It was like all my Christmasses had come at once, but this time my parents had actually bothered to get me a present.

Basically, I’m just pleased to be getting another shout. I thought that I wouldn’t get another chance to play rubbish for England, that 2006 would forever be the pinnacle of my rubbish international career. I only hope that Mr Capello gives me the chance to play rubbish at a World Cup. That is my rubbish dream”.

Owen's brand values now evidently include 'crazed' and 'constipated'

However, the competition to be England’s worst striker is hotting up with the 2010 World Cup on the horizon. Bent’s position is under threat from Michael Owen who has been stating his case with several consistently rubbish performances for Manchester United this season. When asked about what he felt he could offer Capello that would give him the edge over his rivals, Bent countered that there was much more to his international game than just not scoring goals:

Sure, not scoring goals is the bread and butter of any rubbish international striker, but what you have to remember is that I have so much more to offer: my first touch is poor, my runs are unreadable and my link-up play limited. I have got the quarter-round game that marks me out from the rest.

Admittedly my league form has been a worry; I’ve been scoring freely and have been attracting praise, this is disappointing. I’m working hard to turn it around but I’ve not had much luck of late. I had one chance against Liverpool where I tried my darndest to screw it hopelessly wide, only for it to deflect in off of a beach ball. Then all of a sudden you’re attracting headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Scoring. Not Twitter. Have I mentioned that I do that? Yeah. I do. I’m doing it right now. With my spare hand. And remember, if DB7 is ‘The Truth’, then the world is a lie”

"It's like the nostrils are...fighting each other"

One thing Bent can rely on is the full backing of Steve Bruce, who has previously stated his opinion that Darren could be as rubbish as anyone in the world on the international stage. Bruce reiterated his stance yesterday when questioned whilst leaving the training ground pub.”Look, Darren is still young” said the manager, while everyone in the room tried to avoid looking at his nose, “I don’t think that England has seen how potentially rubbish he can be. The skylight is the limit”.

Inilah top scorers sementara liga Inggris (english Premier League) 2009/2010

01.Fernando
Torres
(Liverpool) 10
gol

02. Didier Drogba
(Chelsea) 9 gol

03. Darrent Bent
(Sunderland) 8
gol

04. Louis Saha
(Everton) 7 gol

05. Robin Van
Persie
(Arsenal) 7 gol

06. Wayne Rooney
(Man. Utd) 7 gol

07. Robbie Keane
(Tottenham H.)
6 gol

08. Jermain Defoe
(Tottenham H.)
6 gol

09. Carlton Cole
(West Ham Utd)
6 gol

10. Cesc Fabregas
(Arsenal) 6 gol

11. Gabriel
Agbonlahor
(Aston Villa) 6
gol

12. Craig Bellamy
(Man. City) 5
gol

13. Kenwny Jones
(Sunderland) 5
gol

14.Hugo Rodallega
(Wigan Athletic)
5 gol

15. Graham
Alexander
(Burnley) 4 gol

16. David Dunn
(Blackburn R.)
4 gol

17. Steven Gerrard
(Liverpool) 4
gol

18. Frank Lampard
(Chelsea) 4 gol

19. Dimitar
Berbatov
(Man. utd) 4 gol

20. Emmanuel
Adebayor
(Man. City) 4 gol

Yuk intip medysept 91 di
www.alexa.com

A quick one today as I’m writing this at work as I don’t yet have internet access in my new flat (posts maybe a bit sporadic for the next week or two).

1. It’s interesting to see Arsenal’s attack being lauded after 36 goals in just 11 games but it’s premature to think they’ll definitely break 100 goals. All their home games bar Spurs have been against sides in the bottom eight while it was the first time since the 6-1 against Everton on the opening day that they’d scored more than two away.

That said, they have been pretty awesome and you can only beat what’s put in front of you. The 4-3-3 formation suits Fabregas down to a tee and he already has nearly as many assists as last year as well as the small matter of nine goals in all competitions. Sunderland away is next but the real test comes in three weeks when Chelsea come to the Emirates. The best attack vs the best defence; something will have to give.

2. Surely if you’re 2-0 down in a game you’ll take a draw at the end of it. I jest slightly but Man City once again showed defensive frailty against Burnley and the current back four does not seem up to scratch if City are to be pushing for a Champions League spot. They may have only lost once but drawing all the time is not a recipe for success (just ask Liverpool last season). In the last five drawn games they could have instead won two and lost three but still been better off. Needing time to gel isn’t a good excuse.

3. It’s still only a matter of time before the Tango Man gets the chop at Hull. Jimmy Bullard was inspirational in his home debut (ten months after signing) but Stoke were doing fine until Faye got himself sent off. As luck would have it Hull have two more home games coming up against West Ham and Everton and I’d hazard a guess that if he loses both he’ll be out of a job.

Phil Brown

4. Man Utd were probably marginally the better team but Chelsea still found a way to win the game. That’s usually the mark of champions elect. A five point gap is not insurmountable at this stage of the season but if you take the big four clashes as the main opportunity to make up ground/build a lead, then Man Utd’s habit of losing them (just two wins from nine this season and last) makes life all the more difficult for themselves in terms of catching up.

5. I imagine missing a penalty wasn’t in Darren Bent’s list of ways to show Harry Redknapp the error of this ways.

6. Is the Premier League turning into a three-way race for the title and a four-way race for 4th place? Of Aston Villa, Liverpool, Tottenham and Man City the latter have the biggest squads but the former two have more experience of being involved in such a race. Villa were very good against a terrible Bolton team and might be better placed this season when they’re having to chase a 4th spot rather than lead from the front and collapse like last year. 

T.

Irlanda se juega el pase al Mundial de Sudáfrica los días 14 y 18.

Giovanni Trapattoni hizo pública ayer domingo la lista de convocados para la eliminatoria a doble partido que enfrentará a Irlanda ante Francia por una plaza para el Mundial de Sudáfrica. El laureado técnico italiano, que llevó al equipo al segundo puesto de su Grupo, sólo superado por la vigente campeona Italia, Puede llevar a los irlandeses a la cuarta cita mundialista de su historia tras las participaciones de 1990, 1994 y 2002.

‘Trap’ ha podido incluir en la convocatoria al extremo del Fulham, Damien Duff, tras los problemas físicos que ha arrastrado a lo largo de las últimas semanas.

Irlanda y Francia jugarán el próximo día 14 en Dublín y el 18 en el Stade de France de París.

La lista de Irlanda para el playoff ante Francia:

Shay Given (Manchester City), Brian Murphy (Bohemians) y Joe Murphy (Scunthorpe)

John O’Shea (Manchester United), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Stephen Kelly (Fulham), Kevin Kilbane (Hull City), Eddie Nolan (Preston North End), Sean St. Ledger (Middlesbrough), Paul McShane (Hull City) y Darren O’Dea (Reading)

Aiden McGeady (Celtic), Damien Duff (Fulham), Darron Gibson (Manchester United), Glenn Whelan (Stoke City), Keith Andrews (Blackburn Rovers), Liam Miller (Hibernian), Stephen Hunt (Hull City) y Liam Lawrence (Stoke City)

Andrew Keogh (Wolverhampton), Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton), Robbie Keane (Tottenham), Shane Long (Reading), Leon Best (Coventry) y  Anthony Stokes (Hibernian)

Capello llama a Warnock, Huddlestone y Darren Bent para medirse a Brasil

Menos trascendente pero igualmente sintomático se presente el encuentro entre Inglaterra y el combinado brasileño que se jugará en Qatar el próximo sábado. Tras una fase de clasificación casi perfecta, el italiano tiene ante sí una verdadera prueba de fuego que medirá las opciones reales de los ‘Pros’ en la próxima cita mundialista.

La lista de Inglaterra para medirse a Brasil:

Ben Foster (Manchester United), Robert Green (West Ham) y Joe Hart (Birmingham City)

Wayne Bridge (Manchester City), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Gary Cahill (Bolton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham) y Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa)

Gareth Barry (Manchester City), David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City) y Ashley Young (Aston Villa)

Darren Bent (Sunderland), Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham) y Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

What you missed while dead jellyfish littered the shores of Northern Ireland (with pictures!)…

• Chelsea 1 – 0 Manchester United. Darren Fletcher blames Arsene Wenger for the “poor refereeeing” Manchester United’s been victimized by this season.
• Olympique Lyonnais 5 – 5 Olympique de Marseille; Marseille led 4-2 with ten minutes remaining.
• Landon Donovan’s penalty kick was all that separated the Galaxy from Chivas USA; David Beckham will miss England’s friendly with Brazil as a result of the Galaxy advancing to the semifinals of the MLS Playoffs.
• Speaking of the England squad: you can either title this story “Bent Included in Capello’s Squad” or “Owen Left Out of Capello’s Squad”. Whichever way works for you.
• Fernando Torres has been left out of the Spanish national team’s squad due to the fact that he’s playing with a hernia; Cristiano Ronaldo, however, was named to Portugal’s roster.
• Hull City legend Steve McClaren’s FC Twente just won their eighth straight game in the Eredivisie. I wonder where he might coach next…?
• Samuel Eto’o would like to end his career at Mallorca.
• Thiago Silva scored twice in AC Milan’s 2-1 win over Lazio; unfortunately, it wasn’t in the way he probably was intending.

'sorry? (...) yeah shut the **** up.'

That wasn’t really what I was expecting to be honest. Despite notable absences from the Sunderland side, and to a certain extent a lack of bite in our midfield today’s game was one that we won’t be forgetting for a while. It’s safe to say that it was somewhat of an aggressive affair with both sides putting boots where perhaps they shouldn’t have been and this incision found its way into the general scheme of play. Ultra-special mention belongs to our perennial shot stopper Gomes who today once again showed us why the majority of pundits are worryingly biased; despite managing pointing out obvious mistakes he has made. Fact is he is a top-top keeper and for every blooper he makes he makes several saves that would find their way past the majority of keepers in our league. The fact that he continued today after taking a Bent boot to his shoulder is testament to the fact that he gives 110% percent at any given time. If every player in the lilywhite showed that kind of focus we might have been in resurgence a few years before now.

On the note of Bent; he was really going for it today, (this further exasperated by Capello’s appearance in the stand and the obvious target of stating a claim on a starting berth in direct competition with the likes of Defoe and Crouch). His efforts however were in vain as Gomes along with Woodgate kept the lad quiet. The most notable of course would be the penalty taken charismatically by the Brazilian. In terms of our overall performance we were lucky that they did lack the finishing edge as for the most part they bossed the game in midfield with their mobility; with old favourite Malbranque looking especially lively. Goals from Keane, (another scramble but welcome nonetheless), and Huddlestone (always great to see his rocket shot rip into the net), put the game beyond doubt. Safe to say that this is proof that any player on the pitch can win a game almost single-handedly and today it was Gomes’ time to shine.

Ratings

Gomes – 9.6 – About as good as it gets from Gomes; sublime performance today turned a tie which could have been into a foregone conclusion.

Everyone Else – 6.5 – Everyone else did great, but in comparison to the big brazilian hardly comparable.

Next up: Wigan at home. Yep. Let’s keep engine rolling.

Professional footballer and prolific twitterer Darren Bent (of Sunderland, ex-Spurs subs bench fame) has really taken the micro-blogging network to heart – he’s had his profile name, @DBTheTruth, stitched into his boots. The interactive kickers are courtesy of his supplier Umbro.

This isn’t the first time the occasional England striker has embraced Twitter. In the summer, in an attempt to reinvigorate his stalled transfer from Harry Redknapp’s White Army to the Black Cats, he let his feelings been known with what some might call a strongly-worded outburst aimed at the North London club’s chairman, Daniel Levy.

Obviously Bent isn’t the first sportsperson to use Twitter, but he does seem to be the one embracing it the most. We’ve had live event blogging and tweeting – what money on Bent to tweet whilst playing in a match?

Twitter has taken the world by storm, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. Everyone seems to be tweeting. High school students share their biggest fears while world famous athletes hold competitions rewarding their followers. Some of the most famous people in the world, like Shaquille O’Neal, Lance Armstrong, and Ashton Kutcher have more than 2 million people reading their thoughts every day in 140 character increments. These accounts have proven a great way for fans and the general public to get a sneak peak inside the lives of their favorite athletes and celebrities.

As wonderful as it is for athletes to be spilling their guts and saying whatever they feel whenever they feel, it couldn’t be a bigger nightmare for their employers. Prior to blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets, professional teams were able to monitor and approve all interviews. If players said something somewhat controversial, it would be erased from the interview and the public would never see it. Twitter has changed the game, though.

Although its old news, Darren Bent made it completely clear how he felt about his situation at Tottenham Hotspurs this summer before his account was shut down. Thousands and thousands of fans, media sources, and apparently club officials were shocked when they saw Bent reveal his true feelings:

“Seriously getting p***** off now”

“Why can’t anything be simple. It’s so frustrating hanging round doing jack s***.”

“Do I wanna go Hull City NO. Do I wanna go stoke NO do I wanna go sunderland YES so stop f****** around, Levy. Sunderland are not the problem in the slightest.”

I’m not a genius, but if someone possesses your rights, I probably wouldn’t recommend telling them to “stop f****** around.” At least he learned, though. In his first press conference after signing for Sunderland, Bent explained what happened on Twitter. Skip to 5:25 to hear what he says about opening a new account.

His new account can be reached at http://twitter.com/DBTheTruth.

Several weeks ago, after showing up late for the team bus to Portsmouth, Hull City striker and American starlet Jozy Altidore tweeted:

“Apologize to all of you. I showed up late. Made a big mistake I’m very very sorry.”

Not only did Phil Brown drop him from the squad, but he also hit Jozy with a two week fine for revealing why he had been dropped from the squad. Brown cited that Jozy’s absence from the squad was a private team matter that didn’t need to be revealed. You really have to wonder, though. Do we really live in a world where when you mess up at work the first thing you think to do is make it public?

The world is changing and definitely for the better. Twitter allows us common folk to get a glimpse of the glamour that surrounds the rich and famous, as well as their daily routines. I personally follow several Premier League, NFL, and NBA players and love seeing where exactly they are and what exactly they are doing. I only hope that these players are smart enough to know what can and can’t be made public to the millions of people watching.

After all the fuss and furore surrounding Darren Bent’s the beachball’s winner against Liverpool, it was inevitable that this would be the theme in this week’s Guardian Photoshop comp. As we all know, it shouldn’t have been given, which makes it all the more funnier that it was! Lots of different things you could do – I went for a slightly leftfield entry as you can see below.

Seeing as there's seemingly no problem with inflatables being on the pitch, Rafa's taken the opportunity to increase the much maligned squad depth at Liverpool with a few bargain signings.

.

Plenty more entries can be found in the rest of the gallery here.

.

T.

.

Archive.

It was another scintillating weekend of twists and turns at the top of the Barclays Premier League as Aston Villa inflicted a second successive away defeat on Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea. Martin O’Neill has been astute with his summer signings and two of his defensive arrivals Richard Dunne and James Collins scored the goals to heap more misery on Didier Drogba and co. Collins’ winner was his first goal for Villa and it was a double celebration as he was week nine’s biggest scorer with 48 points. That saw Collins make the Actim Team of Week alongside Dunne and also move up 42 places into 16th. There was some consolation for Drogba though as the Ivorian scored against Villa to remain top of the index with 231 points.

Liverpool fans decided to stage their very own October beach party at the Stadium of Light but there was little to celebrate as Sunderland grabbed a 1-0 win courtesy of Darren Bent’s goal via a massive deflection off a beach ball. Sadly the beach ball did not make it into the team of the week but Bent moved up four places into third in the overall standings. Team-mate Craig Gordon also made it into the Actim Team of the Week following his fine display between the sticks for the Black Cats.

Down at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal capitalised to make up ground on their rivals with a comfortable 3-1 win over Birmingham. Abou Diaby has come in for much criticism during his time with the Gunners but his goal saw him take home a 36-point haul to be named in the Actim Team of the Week. Diaby moved up 37 places to 32nd in the index, while team-mate Robin van Persie broke into the top 20 after his goal saw him move into 18th place. However, captain Cesc Fabregas remains Arsenal’s highest points scorer with 219 and is still chasing Drogba in second.

Sir Alex Ferguson has found the boots of Cristiano Ronaldo difficult to fill this season, but summer signing Antonio Valencia did his bit by grabbing his first goal for Manchester United in the 2-1 victory against plucky Bolton. Valencia earned 44 points in week nine, earning himself a place in the Actim Team of the Week alongside Blackburn’s David Dunn who produced another fine display in their thrilling 3-2 derby win over rivals Burnley. Dunn’s haul of 42 points also saw him move into the top 50, in 47th place.

While Dunn made a big move up the index, his leap was not a patch on team-mate Morten Gamst Pedersen who climbed an astonishing 158 places into 315th. Other big moves this week included Tottenham’s Ledley King. The injury-prone centre-back notched his first goal of the season in the win over poor Portsmouth to move up 100 places in the index to 86th and earn a place in the Team of the Week. Fulham striker Bobby Zamora also moved up 100 places and was the week’s top striker with 43 points following a goal and an assist in the 2-0 win over Hull.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel may have committed a howler in allowing Didier Drogba’s shot to bounce past him but it mattered not as the American leapfrogged Manchester United’s Ben Foster to become the Actim Index’s top goalkeeper with 122 points. Foster is not far behind on 114 points, but with the return of veteran stopper Edwin van der Sar, the England goalkeeper could see opportunities limited in the coming weeks.

As with everything in life there are winners and losers and the Actim Index is no difference. We’ve talked about your winners this week, your Bents, Fabregas’, Zamoras and even your beach balls. But let’s dedicate a little time to this week’s biggest loser…………..step forward Liverpool’s Fabio Aurelio. The Brazilian has that sinking feeling as he dropped 118 places to 481st in the Actim Index. It summed up a poor week for Liverpool’s defenders after being outdone by an inflatable toy.

View the latest Actim Index >

What a weekend to get swamped with essays. Is it just me, or did it seem like nearly every big match this weekend was decided by some flukey instance – some strange twist of fate? Let me first and foremost talk about Liverpool. The Koppites must have left Sunderland with their heads in their hands after a red beachball, thrown onto the pitch by a Reds supporter, deflected Darren Bent’s low shot, causing Pepe Reina to lose sight of the ball and allowing the Black Cats to secure perhaps one of the most dubious 1-0 victories in Premiership history. You almost feel bad for the Reds fans, until you remember that it’s largely their own fault (the goal should have been disallowed, but the referee and linesmen did not see it properly) and that if they hadn’t been such gobshites in the first place the result may have been different. Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea also suffered a loss in the EPL this weekend, but that was largely due to their inability to defend set pieces as they were put to bed in a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.

So, onto the Bundesliga. League leaders Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg played out to a goalless draw, to remain joint league leaders, this weekend so nothing interesting there. Meanwhile, Bayern Münich were happy to discover that SC Freiburg does in fact have one of the worst defenses in the Bundesliga, and (following a Thomas Müller strike) took a 2-0 lead over the home side when Du-Ri Cha poked the ball into the back of his own net. Freiburg would pull one back before the match was over, but with that own goal the damage had been done, and Die Roten took home a much-needed three points.

Meanwhile, in Italy, Inter spent Saturday evening tearing apart Genoa CFC at the Stadio Marassi, strolling to a commanding 5-0 lead. In the theme of flukes, though, was Dejan Stankovic’s wonder strike from 45 yards out that left Genoa keeper Marco Amelia looking more than a little stupid.

AS Roma got off on the right foot on Sunday at the San Siro, with Jérémy Menez capitalizing on a mistake from Milan centreback Thiago Silva to put i Giallorossi ahead in the 2nd minute of play. However, Roma lacked killer instinct and were unable to add to their lead in the first half – a fact that would come back to haunt them. On 56′, AC Milan was award a dubious penalty kick by referee Roberto Rosetti (with whom Roma have quite a history) on a needless but nevertheless clean tackle from Nicola Burdisso. Ronaldinho buried the spot kick to draw his side level, and Roma were ultimately undone by Alexandre Pato, who beat an out-of-position John-Arne Riise and sealed a much-needed home victory for i Rossoneri.

Well, fuck. Bring on next weekend – I need to forget about this one.

Nell’ultima giornata di Premier League, durante la partita Sunderland – Liverpool, una singolare carambola ha determinato il gol di Darren Bent che ha condannato i Reds alla sconfitta. Il terzino del Liverpool, Andrea Dossena, intervenuto ai microfoni di Radio Incontro durante la trasmissione ‘Diario di Bordocampo’, parla delle reazioni post gara: “Il mister era talmente tanto arrabbiato con noi che ha deciso di lasciare perdere l’arbitraggio. Le discussioni ci sono anche da noi, ma non con gli stessi toni e modi. In Inghilterra gli animi sono meno caldi, durano il tempo di una conferenza stampa mentre in Italia le polemiche continuano per giorni”.

Ai box per un principio di pubalgia, Dossena scalpita per il rientro: “Sono fermo da un mesetto per un problema all’adduttore. Credo di averne ancora per una decina di giorni. Anche Alberto Aquilani in poche settimane rientrerà. Sta correndo e lo vedo molto motivato. Lo aiuto nel fargli capire il mondo del calcio inglese, spero torni presto. Ci sarà utile”.

L’ex esterno dell’Udinese ci aiuta poi a conoscere meglio il suo allenatore: “Benitez è molto amareggiato del nostro momento. L’anno scorso abbiamo perso solo due partite mentre quest’anno non ci stiamo esprimendo al meglio. Il mister ha studiato molto a Coverciano, specialmente gli schemi di Arrigo Sacchi. A livello tattico è preparatissimo, ci tiene molto alla fase difensiva e la sua idea calcistica è quella di tenere la squadra in 20-30 metri. Una squadra che non si sbilancia mai, che difende e attacca in 11. Cura di più la fase difensiva, rispetto la fase offensiva ma nulla è lasciato al caso”.

Nella scorsa finestra di calciomercato Dossena sembrava in procinto di tornare in Italia: “Chiedo come qualsiasi giocatore di giocare con continuità, anche in ottica mondiale. Non c’è mai stata qualcosa di concreto con altre squadre specialmente italiane”.

Il giocatore italiano è rimasto colpito dalla Fiorentina, ultimi avversari di Champions: “La Fiorentina sia contro di noi, sia contro la Juventus mi ha fatto un’ottima impressione. Abbiamo preso la partita contro di loro un po’ sotto gamba e ci hanno punito con Jovetic. Cristiano Zanetti a centrocampo dà qualcosa in più, ma la squadra di Prandelli cresce a vista d’occhio. Spero che l’altra squadra a passare il turno di Champions siano loro….”.

Nessun italiano tra i candidati per l’assegnazione del Pallone d’oro: “La Champions League è il torneo che stabilisce le nomination di chi può ambire al pallone d’oro. I giocatori italiani pagano il pessimo momento che stanno attraversando le loro squadre nelle competizioni europee. Messi quest’anno è stato il migliore. Sotto di lui metto i vari Gerrard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Torres e Drogba”

Agenzia stampa presa da me