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We begin our World Cup coverage with a two-parter.

Ten offenders to watch come Cup-calling time this upcoming June.

Mind you, this is not a comprehensive or exclusive list, nor is it a list of the top scorers or the top point-getters. It’s merely a list of ten guys who dazzle with the ball on and coming off their foot.

Some are well known and some are under the radar; but all should play a part in at least one highlight in South Africa 2010.

Part I.

(As always with video compilation pieces, either grab your best club gear and a Zima or turn down your sound.)

10. Danny (Portugal)

Everyone, but everyone will be focused on Danny’s slickster Portugese counterpart, Cristiano “The Greasy One” Ronaldo. That would be a mistake. We already know that Ronaldo will make his presence felt.

The 26-year old Venezuelen-born striker had his coming out party in August 2008, notching two goals in his debut for current club Zenit as they knocked off Manchester United 2008 UEFA Super Cup. If you watched Danny’s display that day, it was, in one word, spectacular. After that day, I’ve always looked for highlights or updates on his form.

If Danny’s current form is any indication (5 goals in 10 club appearances this year as we write this), we think he’s due in World Cup 2010.

09. Giuseppe Rossi (Italy)

We’ll spare the Benedict Arnold tirade.

The slightly mercurial Italian national, by way of New Jersey, United States, has been coming into his own in 2009. After shrugging of country pitch time issues–those who played in Serie A are favored–the Villarreal striker has been on target for his club, notching 8 goals in 17 appearances to go along with handful of assists.

With the expected absence of Cassano in the Italian squad, the 22-year-old Rossi will be a focus of the Italian attack and, in our opinion, he’ll deliver.

08. Diego Forlan (Uruguay)

Diego Forlan likely needs zero introduction on this publication.

One of the elder statesmen of this group, the 30-year old Forlan is Uruguay.

Forlan had a topsy-turvy ride earlier on in his career at Manchester United, but has long-since bloomed in La Liga with Atletico Madrid. A continual target of various EPL clubs now, Forlan has bagged 6 in 12 outside the Champions’ League this year for Madrid.

While were in the minority in stating that Uruguay does not get out of Group A, there will at least be one massive highlight from the blond-locked striker in the group stage. Mark our words.

07. Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina)

“Well it’s about time” was the TSG statement when Higuain finally factored for the Argentinian Maradonas. Rumor has it Maradona as an alumnus of Boca Juniors didn’t want to trot out a big-time striker who played for arch rival River Plate.

Higuain is lights out for Real Madrid this season. El Pipita (or The Nose as Higuain is known) has made summer acquisition  of Karim Benzema redundant and spurred transfer rumors for the Frenchman Benzema just a half season after arriving at the Bernabeu.

06. Alexis Sanchez (Chile)

Watching Chile attempt to beat Spain using a 3-5-2 isn’t the only reason to tune into the Chilean World Cup squad.

Before Sir Alex heisted Antonio Valencia as Ronaldo’s replacement, rumor was Ferguson was sniffing around Udinese’s Sanchez. Dubbed both the Wonder Boy and the Explosive Boy for his on-the-ball moves, Sanchez has yet to reach world acclaim. Look for him to improve on his 8 goals in 26 appearances for his national team….and make himself known….globally.

Tomorrow: Part II

Boca Juniors

Boca Juniors is traditionally regarded as the club of Argentina’s working class, in contrast with the supposedly more upper-class base of cross-town archrival Club Atlético River Plate.

Boca Juniors claims to be the club of half plus one of Argentina’s population. They have the highest number of fans, according to their percentage in their country.He made his debut the 22, February, 1981 against Talleres. He won 4-2 and he scored 2 goals. Boca and Diego seemed made for each other. He became champion of the Metropolitan Tournament. Diego played 40 matches and scored 28 goals. He came back. He made his debut the 7 October, 1995 winning 1-0 against Colón. On the 25, that same month, he said good-bye with a victory.

South America Futbol

South American futbol is a style all its own and many of the world’s top teams, players, and fans are found on the continent. For nearly every country futbol is the number one sport and each has its own league. Many of the best players head to Europe to play, although many of the homegrown teams could compete anywhere. Teams such as Boca Juniors in Argentina have worldwide followings and wild fans are found at every game. The best leagues can be found in Brazil and Argentina. However, even the lesser-known leagues in places such as Colombia or Peru the fans pack in the stadiums.South America’s grand passion: the sport of football or soccer, as it’s known to English speaking fans. The teams, the countries, the players, the championships are all here.

South American Futbol

Charlize Theron hosted the World Cup draw in South Africa

The draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup took place in Cape Town, South Africa, yesterday. Presented by Charlize Theron (pictured) and including a host of figures from the football world including FIFA president Sepp Blatter and perhaps  the most recognisable sporting icon in the world David Beckham, the draw did throw up some intriguing individual ties and some interesting groups. “Stoppage Time” assesses the groups and the matches that should shape the fortunes at the beginning of the tournament:

GROUP A: SOUTH AFRICA, MEXICO, URUGUAY, FRANCE

The host nation should find it very tough in a group which looks like it will be very close. The French will be favourites to go through but their clash against Mexico could decide who wins the group. However the South Africans may harbour hopes of surprising Mexico in the opening game of the tournament. Uruguay, with their deadly strike force of Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez, will certainly fancy their chances of finishing in the top two. Their final group game against Mexico could be amongst the most intense of the championship.

GROUP B: ARGENTINA, NIGERIA, SOUTH KOREA, GREECE

Almost an exact copy of Group D in the 1994 FIFA World Cup (Argentina, Nigeria and Greece played in a group that contained Bulgaria instead of South Korea). Despite qualifying the tough way Argentina should top this group quite comfortably, the opening match against Nigeria will probably be their toughest assignment. However the Greeks may wish to spring a surprise in much the same way that they did in EURO 2004 when they became European Champions. South Korea can only expect to finish bottom.

GROUP C: ENGLAND, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ALGERIA, SLOVENIA

Almost after the draw had finished the English media were in overdrive, hyping up their country’s chances of winning the 2010 World Cup. It’s true that they should expect to top this group with relative ease. The only match of real interest is England’s opening clash with the USA, a game that throws back terrible memories for the “Home of Football”. If the Americans can repeat their 1-0 victory in the 1950 World Cup (so unbelieveable a result in those days that the English media initially reported a 10-0 victory for England!) then it would leave the group wide open. The match will have a personal edge involving the LA Galaxy footballers David Beckham and US Captain Landon Donovan, a war of words between the two earlier in the season may add a bit of extra spice to this match. Algeria and Slovenia will be fighting to avoid the wooden spoon.

GROUP D: GERMANY, AUSTRALIA, SERBIA, GHANA

Not as easy for Germany as it may appear on paper. The Australians were very unlucky to lose to the Italians in the 2006 World Cup (a dubious penalty tucked away by Francesco Totti five minutes into stoppage time) and they will hope to put up a challenge for the top spot in this group. Serbia are competing in their first finals as an independent nation and have a leader in Manchester United player Nemanda Vidic. Ghana could be a team that plays open, attacking football but their defence will concede plenty of goals. Germany are quietly optimistic that they can go far in this tournament. The matches between themselves, Australia and Serbia should determine the outcome of the group.

GROUP E: NETHERLANDS, DENMARK, CAMEROON, JAPAN

This group looks to be a fairly comfortable one for the Dutch. As I reported in my blog “FIFA World Cup draw preview – Part Three” the Dutch had a very easy group in qualifying and they will look to take that form into this group. Cameroon will be a strong contender for second place and with players like Samuel Eto’o and Geremi can give the Danes a tough challenge when they meet in their second group match. Japan have improved as a nation in the last decade but won’t be expected to trouble the other three too much.

GROUP F: ITALY, PARAGUAY, NEW ZEALAND, SLOVAKIA

The current world champions Italy won’t have too much trouble getting through this group. The opening group game between themselves and Paraguay should be among one of the better ones in the group stages. Slovakia are a tough team on their day and won’t go down without a fight. However they may be just a little too inexperienced at this level and will find it tough to get to the Round of 16. New Zealand will be ecstatic to be in South Africa but their squad is very limited, therefore expect defensive tactics from a nation that will want to avoid embarrassment in this tournament.

GROUP G: BRAZIL, NORTH KOREA, IVORY COAST, PORTUGAL

There’s a 1966 World Cup feel to this group; it was Portugal who, literally, kicked Pele and his great Brazilian team off the park (Goodison Park to be precise) and it was Portugal who had to come back from 3-0 down to defeat the surprise package of the tournament North Korea 5-3. This time, though, matches in this group involving North Korea should be more clear-cut as they’re the outsiders of this tournament. The Ivory Coast, involved in a tough group including Argentina and Holland in the 2006 World Cup, will be expecting as tough a time in 2010 but some will feel that they can beat Portugal, whose qualification for the World Cup was only confirmed via a play-off. If the Ivorians can get three points against Portugal in the opening group match then they should reach the second round.

GROUP H: SPAIN, SWITZERLAND, HONDURAS, CHILE

The current European champions Spain are currently the favourites to win the FIFA World Cup and they will be encouraged further having seen the draw. They should easily overcome the challenges of their group rivals leaving the rest to fight it out for second place. Honduras qualified thanks to events elsewhere (see blog “FIFA World Cup draw preview – Part One) but aren’t expected to get through this group, therefore the match between Switzerland and Chile (both teams’ second group match) should prove to be amongst the more important.

The group draws for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa were completed today at Cape Town and yielded some interesting results.  This World Cup, more than ever, seems like one that can produce some surprise teams and upsets.  Given the inclusion of some lesser-known European teams, as well as lackluster performances from traditional powerhouses, this year’s Cup could feature some strong runs from teams outside of the familiar countries.  However, it also seems to be a year in which the top five or six teams seem far superior to the middle of the field.  Although it may be a bit premature, considering that the teams have yet to fill their rosters, it’s time to break down the groups and give my predictions of what to expect this summer in South Africa.

Group A

The Teams: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France

The Stars: Thierry Henry (FRA), William Gallas (FRA), Blanco (MEX), Rafael Marquez (MEX), Steven Pienaar (RSA), Diego Forlan (URU)

Proving that Karma doesn’t exist in international soccer, France, a team that notoriously clinched its spot in the World Cup finals with a blatant handball from Thierry Henry, received the draw that every nation in the Cup was hoping for.  South Africa, seeded in the top eight teams based entirely on the fact that they are the host nations, is clearly one of the weaker teams in the entire tournament.  As a result of the draw, the French avoid having to play the likes of Brazil, England, Spain and the other top teams in the world.  Joining them in this group is Uruguay, another team that advanced on a goal that was clearly scored from an offside position.  Having qualified by the skin of their teeth, both teams face a very favorable draw in the opening stage of the Cup.  Rounding out the group is second-place CONCACAF finisher Mexico, who looks like the best team of the group, based on recent form.

The Mexican squad looked to be struggling during the middle stages of CONCACAF qualifying, losing to Jamaica, and looking unimpressive in the opening stages of the final group of six.  However, the team has looked strong in their last few matches, led by veteran striker Blanco, and anchored in the back by Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez.  They have a wealth of good, young players, including Aresnal’s Carlos Vela, and Tottenham’s Giovanni Dos Santos to mix in with veteran players like Gerardo Torrado, Carlos Salcido, and Israel Castro.  Given the recent poor play of the French, Mexico is looking like the top team of Group A, and the favorites to move on to the knock out rounds.

The likely second place finishers are the recently vilified French squad, led by the now infamous Thierry Henry.  Les Blues have, by far, the most star power of the group, featuring a dynamic offensive attack, including Henry, Nicolas Anelka, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Florent Malouda, and Sidney Govou.  Complementing their star strikers is a solid defensive unit, featuring William Gallas, Patrice Evra, and Bacary Sagna.  On paper, France is one of the best teams in the world, but they have looked less than stellar in their qualifying campaign.  They were never really in contention to win their group and barely squeaked past Ireland in the controversial playoff.  They could possibly finish first and sweep the group, but they could also finish in the bottom and miss the knock out stages entirely.

The wild card of the group is South Africa.  Historically, every host nation has advanced to the second round, but many think the streak will come to an end this year.  Everton’s Steven Pienaar is among the most underappreciated players in the world, and can provide a real spark with his runs down the wing.  Also, veteran striker Benedict McCarthy will most likely make a return to the squad in the hope of making a magical run in the tournament.  However, aside from those two stars, South Africa is experiencing a serious draught of world class players.  In fact, the host nation even failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations, the equivalent of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.  Home pitch advantage tends to mean a lot in this competition, but not enough to get the South Africans through.

The fourth team in Group A is Uruguay, a team that, like France, qualified on a dubious decision from the officials.  The Uruguayan team has won two previous World Cups, but that was almost 60 years ago.  Recently, they’ve been a middle-of-the-pack team in the CONNEMBOL region.  They do feature some strong players, including Diego Forlan, Luis Suarez, and Diego Lugano, but they struggled in the latter stages of qualifying and were quite fortunate to get past a very game Costa Rican squad.  Given the overall quality of the group, they do have a chance to squeak into the knockout stages, but it seems unlikely given their recent form.

Prediction: 1) Mexico, 2) France

Group B

The Teams:  Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece

The Stars: Lionel Messi (ARG), Carlos Tevez (ARG), Mikel John Obi (NGA), Obafemi Martins (NGA), Park Ji-Sung (KOR), Angelos Charisteas (GRE)

Group B is yet another unpredictable group in which any team has a chance to win.  The top team in the group, based on both FIFA World Rankings and star power is Argentina.  The Argentine team, led by soccer legend, Diego Maradona, was anything but world beaters in their qualifying campaign, barely avoiding a play-off with Costa Rica on a last day victory.  However, looking at the team, they are absolutely packed with world class players, including reigning FIFA World Player of the Year, Lionel Messi.  Joining Messi up front in a formidable attacking partnership is Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez, whose “bulldog-like” approach should intimidate any defender.  Their midfield is anchored by the tenacious ball-winner, Javier Mascherano, and their defense is formidable, featuring veterans Javier Zanetti and Gabriel Heinze.  No one can question the talent of the squad, but everyone should question their recent achievements.  On paper, they should have finished comfortably ahead of Paraguay and Chile in CONNEMBOL qualification, and they don’t seem to be meshing well as a unit.  Even given their recent struggles, it seems foolish to suggest that Argentina will sputter out in the group stage.  They should easily make it through to the knock-out stage.

Joining the Argentines in group B are the Super Eagles of Nigeria.  The Nigerians surprisingly failed to qualify for the ’06 Cup, and barely edged past Tunisia in this year’s qualifications.  The Nigerian squad is ranked 22^nd in the world, but that ranking seems quite generous given their most recent performances.  They do have some talented players, especially up front, with the likes of Obafemi Martins and Yakubu.  There’s even a chance that the Super Eagles will dust off revered veteran (and my favorite player) Nwankwo Kanu, for one final World Cup run.  Chelsea midfielder, Mikel John Obi is as talented a ball-winner as anyone in Africa and could cause fits for his opponents.  The defense could be a bit porous, but there is some talent there, including EPL players, Danny Shittu and Joseph Yobo, but that may not be enough to keep up with the ultra-talented strikers they could face if they move on to the next round.  Also, the Nigerians have reason to worry, given the recent rumors of poor team chemistry and a lack of respect for their coaching staff.  If this is true, it would be a shame to squander such a talented squad due to egos.

Manchester United’s Park Ji-Sung will look to recreate the magical run the Koreans had when they hosted the tournament back in 2002.  Joining Park on the South Korean squad is a number of talented players who play for top teams, including Seol Ki-Hyeon, Lee Dong-Gook, and Lee Young-Pyo.  Given the struggles of the other teams in the group, strong veteran leadership, and a player with the class of Park Ji-Sung, the Koreans could be a sleeper team to win this group.  If they can stop their opponents from scoring, they could make some real noise in this tournament.  They’re not a team to take lightly.

The Greeks are in the tournament by virtue of a mild upset over Ukraine in the UEFA play-offs.  This team, more so than any other in the tournament, is almost impossible to predict.  They won the European Championship in 2004, but failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.  In fact, this is only their second appearance in the World Cup finals.  The majority of their team plays in Greece, so they don’t have as much experience playing against top players from other nations.  In fact, a disproportionate amount of their team plays for Greek powerhouse, Panathinaikos.  Among those players is team captain and midfielder, Giorgos Karagounis, who has 90 CAPs for the Greek Squad.  In order to win, the Greeks will have to find a way to score behind strikers, Georgios Samaras, Theofanis Gekas, and Angelos Charisteas.  They certainly have the talent, as they proved in 2004, but they have very little experience playing on the world stage, and that makes them a shaky bet.

Predictions: 1) Argentina, 2) South Korea

Group C

The Teams: England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia

The Stars: Wayne Rooney (ENG), John Terry (ENG), Clint Dempsey (USA), Tim Howard (USA), Nadir Balhadj (ALG), Milivoje Novakovic (SVN)

This group represents the favorable draw the United States were hoping for, as well as the challenge the fans were demanding (supporters gathered at Nevada Smith’s soccer bar in New York enthusiastically chanted “We Want England” before the draw).  While the states will challenge for top of the group, England is clearly the class of these teams, and should be regarded as the favorite to advance.  However, Algeria and Slovenia can’t be counted out, as they both turned in gritty performances to win their respective play-offs.

The England team has looked as impressive as ever under the reign of Fabio Capello.  The English boast some impressive options at striker, including Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Peter Crouch, and Gabriel Agbonlahor.  It seems likely that one of those five players could miss out on the team.  The midfield is also stacked with strong options, not the least of which are the familiar faces of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and Gareth Barry, who seem like locks for the starting eleven in 2010.  They also have a wealth of talented options on the wing, with youngsters Ashley Young, Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Aaron Lennon competing with veteran David Beckham for a spot on the World Cup roster.  If the Three Lions have a weakness it’s on the defensive end.  They still have yet settle on a number one goalkeeper, with David James, Scott Carson, Ben Foster, Robert Green, and Joe Hart competing for the starting position.  Unlike the competition for striker and midfield, the battle to be England’s number one keeper is the result of not having a true stopper in the net.  Furthermore, England’s starting back four seems to be relatively set, and quite formidable, but they really lack depth in the defensive front.  In fact, the lack of quality in backup defending has led to a tongue-in-cheek petition, asking for Capello to consider Watford defender Lloyd Doyley for the squad.  If that doesn’t show a lack of confidence in the defense, nothing does.  However, even counting their defensive shortcomings, it would be insane to consider England anything but the favorites in this group.

The United States seems positioned to be the runner-up in this division, which would put them in the knock-out stages following a disastrous campaign in 2006.  However, there are some question marks surrounding the Stars in Stripes heading into South Africa.  Two key players, Charlie Davis and Oguchi Onyewu, were badly injured leading up to their qualification.  Davies, having suffered serious injuries in a deadly car accident will not make and appearance in the World Cup, but Onyewu’s prognosis is a bit more favorable.  However, it remains to be seen whether he will be at full strength for the big stage.  The injury to Davies has left the U.S. without a strong compliment to striker Jozy Altidore.  US manager, Bob Bradley, has given plenty of opportunities to fill the void, but no one has looked particularly impressive.  Meanwhile, Onyewu needs to be healthy to anchor the defense alongside captain Carlos Bocanegra.  The American defense has been their weakest link.  Winger, Steve Cherundolo has been impressive since returning from injury, but Bradley doesn’t seem to have much confidence in him.  The left back position is almost wide open, as is almost every backup spot.  The one advantage that the U.S. does have over the English is Tim Howard, a legitimate, lockdown, number one keeper.  Howard has the ability to singlehandedly keep the USA alive in games, which will be a huge asset, given America’s Swiss cheese defense.  The midfield is strong, with Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, playing alongside coach’s son Michael Bradley. If the US can overcome their injuries and sure up their defense, they have a great chance to make some noise.

The Algerian team is one that is relatively unknown to the world, but they do have some good players and are currently ranked 28^th in the world.  Their two key players are Portsmouth defender Nadir Belhadj and striker Rafik Saifi, who has scored 18 goals in 55 appearances.  They also boast players who play for some impressive teams, including team captain, Yazid Mansouri, Karim Ziani, Khamel Gilas.  They showed a lot of heart and guts in their playoff win over a favored Egypt side, and could upset one of the big two, should they get overlooked.  However, it seems unlikely that any neutral fan could expect Algeria to get through.

Another relatively unknown squad, Slovenia shocked Russia to qualify for the World Cup.  They lack recognizable players, yet still outplayed a heavily favored Russian squad.  However, based purely on talent, this is one of the weaker European sides, and a very favorable matchup for both the US and England.  Slovenia is a massively inexperienced team, without a single team member registering over 50 CAPs for their country.  Striker Milivoje Novakovic has scored 13 goals in 36 CAPs and will most likely play alongside Auxerre’s Valter Birsa.  Newcastle’s Robert Koren has played well for both club and team, but, in the end, the Slovenians should fall short.

Prediction:  1) England, 2) United States

Group D

The Teams: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana

The Stars: Michael Ballack (GER), Bastian Schweinsteiger (GER), Michael Essien (GHA), Sulley Muntari (GHA), Tim Cahill (AUS), Nemanja Vidic (SRB)

Group D is a very tough group, and any of the four teams has a shot of getting past the group stages.  The clear favorite is Germany, a disciplined, hard-nosed team than tends to play well in the big competitions.  They will be led by a strong midfield, containing captain (and Matt Damon look-a-like) Michael Ballack and Bastian Schweinsteiger.  They also possess a scary attacking unit, with veterans Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski being joined by youngster Mario Gomez.  This is a German team that is capable of putting up high scores, but will still likely stifle opponents with strong defense.  They suffered a huge blow with the tragic death of former number one keeper, Robert Enke, and will be looking for a new net minder.  But, their defense should still be tough, with veterans Phillipp Lahm and Arne Freidrich leading the way.  The Germans certainly didn’t receive the easiest draw, but they look to be the favorites to finish top of the table.

Die Mannschaft will be challenge by Australia, a member of 2006’s final 16 teams.  The star of the squad is Everton midfielder, Tim Cahill, who looks to return the Socceroos to the knockout stage for a second consecutive year.  Joining him in the midfield will be Mark Bresciano, Brett Emerton, and Jason Culina, which is, undoubtedly a very strong group.  Scott Chipperfield and Lucas Neill will lead an experienced defense and try to protect the net for Fulham’s Mark Schwarzer.  Where Australia will struggle is on the offensive end, as they lack any real top class strikers.  Archie Thompson is their leading active scorer, but rarely plays against top competition, and Alkmaar’s Brett Holman has scored only one goal in 29 CAPs.  If Australia wants to repeat last year’s success they’re going to have to find some way to put the ball in the net.

Also in the top 16 of the previous World Cup, Ghana’s Black Stars boast, perhaps, the best player in the group, in midfielder Michael Essien, who possesses excellent defensive abilities and a cannon of a leg.  He will play alongside veteran and team captain, Stephen Appiah, who already has 53 CAPs at age 28, and Inter Milan’s Sulley Muntari, in a midfield that rivals Germany’s on talent.  Asamoah Gyan and Matthew Amoah are more than capable strikers who should find the back of the net a few times before the end of the tournament.  Junior Agogo (who has, perhaps, the best name in the whole tournament) will be a nice third piece of the striking puzzle.  However, like many African teams, the Black Stars struggle in defense.  They’ll ask a lot from Fulham’s John Painstil, as they’ll expect him to defend and push the pace on the offensive end.  Other than Painstil and veteran John Mensah, Ghana lacks real quality and experience on the defensive end and it could be their undoing.

The final team in the group is Serbia, who bested France to finish top of the table in their qualifying campaign.  They boast, perhaps, the world’s best defender in Manchester United’s center back, Nemanja Vidic, to go along with a solid back line of Branislav Ivanovic, and Ivica Dragutinovic.  Inter’s Dejan Stankovic is the class of a midfield that is relatively inexperienced and unknown.  Veteran striker Nikola Zigic will be expected to do the majority of the scoring.  Like Australia, it will be interesting to see where the goals come from, as the Serbians lack a real top-notch striker.  In a battle for second place, it will be interesting to see Australia’s and Serbia’s strikers take on Ghana’s defense.  Something has to give.

Prediction: 1) Germany, 2) Ghana

Look for Part two of this article tomorrow, as well as more in-depth analysis of the US and England teams.  Following part 2, I’ll be going back to my Baseball Hall of Fame analysis, and other reflections on topical sports news.

For those of you who have not looked at ESPN lately and have not been paying attention to World Cup news, the Draw was today and gave us plenty to look forward to. Let’s break it down group by group.

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France

This was an unfortunate draw for host South Africa. They are probably the worst team among the four and although they will have a distinct home-field advantage, their work is cut out for them. France has all sorts of talent but has been inconsistent in qualification. They should advance here, but if Domenech cannot get his men together then Uruguay or South Africa could take their spot. Mexico looks like the other team out of the group. They are experienced, talented and definitely could have gotten a worse draw. Uruguay boasts Athletico Madrid’s Diego Forlan, but are otherwise made up of surprising youngsters and crafty veterans. They could pull an upset, but I would not bet the house on it. My Prediction: 1. Mexico 2. France

Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece

Worth the price of admission

Argentina is clearly the class of this group, but that is to be expected since they are the seeded team. We can assume 7 points out of Argentina at the least, so let’s give them the top spot and look at the rest of it. I do not know much about South Korea except for Park, who is pretty decent. The South Koreans made a surprise run when the World Cup was in Seoul, but I would not bet on it again. Nigeria is among the West African Nations without notable Premiership superstars, but do not have a weak team in the least. However, the second spot will go to Greece, who play an unapologetically defensive style of football, and will thus not likely crash out without really having bad form. I wouldnt expect domination out of Greece, but just enough to advance. My Prediction: 1. Argentina 2. Greece

Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia

The Americans could not have been handed a kinder group. England is clearly very good and will most likely take 3 points from the match, but Algeria and Slovenia are two teams that the US should beat. Go ahead and give England 7 or 9 points and the Group C win, but barring total failure, the United States should advance with relative ease. If they cannot beat Algeria and Slovenia, then they do not deserve to advance anyway so do not worry about it. Since this is the US’ group I will go ahead and predict how they will do against their group on top of who will advance. My Prediction: England 2-0 USA, USA 2-0 Algeria, USA 1-0 Slovenia. 1. England 2. USA

Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana

The Germans are clearly the favorite of the group, but the other three are more than competitive and should provide some very entertaining football. The Socceroos are generally athletic and probably underrated on the international stage but we will see if they can sneak up on everyone like four years ago. The Black Stars of Ghana also have a very solid squad and should be able to compete for the second spot, though they will certainly not win it easy. My personal pick for the second spot is Serbia. They have a solid mix of underrated and well-respected players and many of them have experience on big st ages, though not necessarily this big. My Prediction: 1. Germany 2. Serbia

Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon

Fun Fact: The Dutch wear orange because of William of Orange.

Well, as is clearly a developing trend, the seeded team is the clear favorite here and should advance in impressivefashion. They might even have the largest goal differential heading out of the group stage, but regardless, they are through with 9 points. Japan and Cameroon have shots at the second spot, but it is Denmark’s to lose in my opinion. Cameroon will do it if anyone, but the Danish are not bad and certainly good enough to get second in a somewhat lackluster group. However, not all will go to plan and the Cameroonians will push Denmark to their limits. I will even go as far as to say that Cameroon and Denmark will be even on 4 points, but Denmark will advance on GD. My Prediction: 1. Netherlands 2. Denmark

Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

Italy is the group winner, but they may not do it in especially impressive fashion. Their group is quietly somewhat challenging despite lacking the big names and all teams are capable of playing spoiler in the group. I would put my money on Slovakia to advance with 5 points, but if Paraguay ended with 5 and advanced I would nto be surprised in the least. New Zealand is not too bad, but they have yet to play a really quality team in qualification and you may well see a stage-fright group of Kiwis when the bright lights go on. My Prediction: 1. Italy 2. Slovakia

Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal

This is the consensus Group of Death as of the three outstanding teams (not North Korea), only two can advance. I think we can safely assume that Brazil will advance, but the second spot should be a duel to the death. Drogba and the Coast vs. Ronaldo and the Portuguese. Like the old Chelsea vs. Man Utd days? Sure, why not, but should be compelling stuff. It would be easy to say that their head to head matchup will decide the second spot, but the true test is seeing who can potentially pull a point from their fixture against Brazil. If one can get a point there, it will make a huge difference when they face the other because a draw does not leave it up to goal differential. I am going to pick the Coast on this one if only because Portugal have underachieved since their 4th place finish in 2006. I apologize, but I wil not be talking about North Korea because, thanks to Kim Jong Il, no one knows anything about that team. Loosen up and lose the glasses Mr. Dictator, umm I mean President. My Predictions: 1. Brazil 2. Ivory Coast

Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

Could the draw have handed Spain an easier group? Probably not. Spain will get 9 points easily and leave the worrying to the amateurs. Switzerland is probably the favorite to advance, but I am going to take Honduras to surprise some and be the second team to advance. The bad news for the second team out of this group is that they have to face the winner of Group G, and that will be Brazil. By the way, this makes Group G all the more deadly because even if you can advance, then congratulations you get to face Spain in the knockout stages. Chile is not a team I know much about so I will not pretend to. My Predictions: 1. Spain 2. Honduras

In case you didn’t know, the winner of Group A plays the second team out of Group B and so on. My picks are in italics
Mexico v. Greece                       |                            Netherlands v. Slovakia

Argentina v. France               |                           Italy v. Denmark

England v. Serbia |                           Brazil v. Honduras

ermany v. USA                           |                           Spain v. Ivory Coast

I will not bother picking far past there because it is like trying to pick a NCAA Basketball Champion in the preseason. You cannot do it with any accuracy. Regardless, should be some great stuff to come from South Africa this summer. Get hyped.

Fotbalistii Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo sau Zlatan Ibrahimovici sunt printre cei zece aspiranti la premiul Balonul de Aur, acordat in fiecare an celui mai bun jucator din Europa de catre revista franceza France Football, informeaza AFP.

Castigatorul premiului Balonul de Aur va fi anuntat in cadrul unei ceremonii care va avea loc marti, 1 decembrie. Presa il considera principal favorit pe argentinianul Lionel Messi. Trofeul de anul trecut a fost castigat de portughezul Cristiano Ronaldo.

 Lista celor 10 finalisti: Didier Drogba (Coasta de Fildes, Chelsea), Samuel Eto’o (Camerun, FC

Barcelona/Inter Milano), Steven Gerrard (Anglia, Liverpool), Zlatan Ibrahimovici (Suedia, Inter Milano/FC Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Spania, FC Barcelona), Kaka (Brazilia, AC Milan/Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Argentina, FC Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugalia, Manchester United/Real Madrid), Wayne Rooney (Anglia, Manchester United), Xavi (Spania, FC Barcelona). Jucatorii care nu au intrat in finala sunt (locurile 11-30): 11. Fernando Torres (Spania, Liverpool); 12. Cesc Fabregas (Spania, Arsenal); 13. Edin Dzeko (Bosnia, Wolfsburg); 14. Ryan Giggs (Tara Galilor, Manchester United); 15. Thierry Henry (Franta, FC Barcelona); 16. Luis Fabiano (Brazilia, FC Sevilla), Nemanja Vidic (Serbia, Manchester United), Iker Casillas (Spania, Real Madrid); 19. Diego Forlan (Uruguay, Atletico Madrid); 20. Yoann Gourcuff (Franta, Bordeaux); 21. Andrei Arsavin (Rusia, Arsenal), Julio Cesar (Brazilia, Inter Milano), Frank Lampard (Anglia, Chelsea); 24. Maicon (Brazilia, Inter Milano); 25. Diego (Brazilia, Werder Bremen/Juventus Torino); 26. David Villa (Spania, Valencia), John Terry (Anglia, Chelsea); 28. Franck Ribery (Franta, Bayern Munchen), Yaya Toure (Coasta de Fildes, FC Barcelona); 30. Karim Benzema (Franta, Lyon/Real Madrid).

MARIN MIHAI-BLOGUL ROMANILOR  DE PRETUTINDENI(http://mihaimarin.wordpress.com)

Era só o começo das Eliminatórias para a Copa do Mundo de 2006, mas o Uruguai parecia querer garantir a vaga já na quarta rodada. Tanto é, que no dia 19 de novembro a Celeste Olímpica enfrentaria o Brasil em Curitiba e o treinador Juan Carrasco escalou três atacantes, com Hornos, Zalayeta e Forlan. E ainda tinha o meia-armador Liguera no meio de campo.

O Brasil de Carlos Alberto Parreira já tinha boa parte do time que iria para a Alemanha três anos depois, e entrava em campo com muito mais cautela, e também mais qualidade. O ataque era formado por Rivaldo e Ronaldo, o novato Kaká vinha de trás, apoiado ainda por Zé Roberto.

No duelo do desespero (desmedido) uruguaio e do equilíbrio tático brasileiro, os visitantes começaram melhores, marcando a saída de bola brasileira e assustando. Ao mesmo tempo, dava espaço para os contra ataques, e aí morava um grande perigo. Após a pressão inicial uruguaia, o Brasil passou a atacar mais e abriu o placar aos 20 minutos, com Kaká, de joelho.
Oito minutos mais tarde, Zé Roberto deu belo passe, e Ronaldo marcou um gol histórico: o seu 50º com a camisa da Seleção Brasileira.

Ainda no primeiro tempo, o Brasil perdeu oportunidades de golear o corajoso Uruguai que estava dominado, certo? Errado. Logo aos 11 minutos do segundo tempo Forlan diminuiu e recolocou a Celeste no jogo. O gol de empate ainda demorou para sair, mas veio aos 30, de novo com Forlan. Para piorar a situação, dois minutos mais tarde o volante Gilberto Silva desviou uma cobrança de falta contra o próprio patrimônio: 3 a 2 Uruguai.

Agora era o poder de reação do Brasil que estava em xeque, e o pior, o time de Parreira tinha poucos minutos para evitar a primeira derrota em solo brasileiro na disputa das Eliminatórias. Além disso, a última vez que o Brasil perdera uma partida oficial em casa foi em 1975, para o Peru.

Agora o desesperado Parreira lançou mão de Luis Fabiano e Juninho Pernambucano, mas quem decidiu mesmo foi Ronaldo, que aos 41 minutos recebeu e bateu cruzado, vencendo o goleiro Múnua e decretando emocionante empate por 3 a 3. No final das eliminatórias o desespero uruguaio se justificou, já que a equipe deixou de ir para mais uma Copa.

O Brasil, é claro, foi. E dos 14 jogadores que entraram em campo neste dia, apenas seis não estiveram lá: o zagueiro Roque Júnior, o lateral-esquerdo Júnior, o volante Renato, o meia Alex e os atacantes Luís Fabiano e Rivaldo.

Ficha técnica: Brasil 3 x 3 Uruguai

Brasil
Dida; Cafu, Lúcio, Roque Júnior e Júnior; Gilberto Silva, Renato (Juninho Pernambucano), Zé Roberto e Kaká (Alex); Rivaldo e Ronaldo.
Técnico: Carlos Alberto Parreira

Uruguai
Múnua; Romero (Recoba), Bizera, Lopez e Lago; Sosa, Abeijón e Liguera; Hornos, Zalayeta e Forlan.
Técnico: Juan Ramon Carrasco

Data: 19 de novembro de 2003
Local: estádio Pinheirão, em Curitiba
Competição: Eliminatórias para a Copa do Mundo de 2006
Árbitro: Horácio Elizondo

Por Raoni David
——————————————————————–
Ronaldo saves Brazil in a thriller

Back in 2003 the national teams of South America were starting the race to the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Uruguay saw a chance to beat Brazil in Curitiba and the coach Juan Carrasco chose three forwards for the match, Hornos, Zalayeta and Forlan, and Liguera coming from behind.

Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira already had almost the entire team that went to Germany three years later, Rivaldo and Ronaldo were in the front, backed up by a young Kaká and Zé Roberto in the midfield.

The Uruguayans were attacking hard at the begginig of the game, leaving Brazil with dangerous counter attacks, after the initial minutes Brazil managed to get in front with a goal from Kaká. Before the end of the first half Ronaldo doubled it, scoring his 50º goal for the Seleção.

Uruguay came back in the second hald scoring rigth away with Forlan, he tied with 15 minutes to go from regulation, and Gilberto Silva scored an own goal two minutes later, giving to Urguay the lead.

A desperate Parreira flooded his team with forwards for the last minutes, but Ronaldo, always him, tied the match again and gave final numbers to the game.

Uruguay could not get a spot in the 2006 World Cup, despite of the good team they had back then. Brazil went to Germany with 14 players that were in Curitiba in 2003, missing only Roque Júnior, lefty Júnior, defensive midfielder Renato, playmaker Alex and forwards Luís Fabiano and Rivaldo.

Brazil 3 x 3 Uruguay

Brazil
Dida; Cafu, Lúcio, Roque Júnior and Júnior; Gilberto Silva, Renato (Juninho Pernambucano), Zé Roberto and Kaká (Alex); Rivaldo and Ronaldo.
Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira

Uruguay
Múnua; Romero (Recoba), Bizera, Lopez and Lago; Sosa, Abeijón and Liguera; Hornos, Zalayeta and Forlan.
Coach: Juan Ramon Carrasco

Date: 19th November 2003
Place: Pinheirão Stadium, Curitiba
Competition: Qualifiers to the 2006 World Cup
Referee: Horácio Elizondo

Tradução de Fabricio Presilli

El jugador argentino Lionel Messi, al ser galardonado del premio Di Stefano al mejor jugador de la liga española de la temporada pasada, admitió que estaba muy nervioso, no tanto por el premio, si no por el estar al lado y ser galardonado por estos dos grandes de la historia del futbol, Alfredo Di Stefano y Diego Armando Maradona.

Messi alzo su gran triunfo individual por delante de 50 futbolistas, entre estos se destacan Diego Forlan (Atl. Madrid),y de sus compañeros de equipo Xavi Hernández y Andrés Iniesta (F.C Barcelona).

El galardonado argentino recalco: “Ojalá pueda conseguir el balón de oro, pero si no lo consigo no pasa nada”, que agradeció a los cerca de los cien asistentes al acto haber sido “obsequiado” con el premio.

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.

Al een tijdje is Voetblah voornemens te schrijven over Diego Forlan. Stiekem hoopten we dat hij met een doelpunt  van Diego tegen Diego de aandacht op zich zou vestigen, maar helaas. De uiteindelijke reden kwam uit volstrekt andere hoek. Forlan kwam namelijk voor op The List van Slechtste Spitsen in de Premiership Allertijden tussen types als Erik Meijer, Lilian Laslandes, Savio en Patrick Kluivert. En dat is opmerkelijk.

Want Diego Forlan heeft eigenlijk alles. Ten eerste, en most important: hij scoort goals (tweemaal Europees topscorer). Ten tweede, hij heeft een fabuleuze techniek en is tweebenig. Ten derde, hij is niet zelfzuchtig. Ten vierde, hij werkt hard en verdedigt mee. Ten vijfde, het is een aardige gozer. En ten zesde, hij is nooit geblesseerd.

Bij Manchester United was hij wellicht wat groen en kwam hij nog niet uit de verf. Bij Atletico Madrid is hij echter goud waard en gedijt hij prima in de schaduw van zogenaamd wonderkind Kun Aguero. Waar moeten we Forlan inschatten? Kan hij meekomen met Messi, Ronaldo en Ribéry? Is hij meer een Sneijder, Eto’o of een Rooney? Of mag hij blij zijn dat ie met landgenoot Suárez in de spits mag spelen. Wellicht huist het antwoord in het feit dat hij woensdag, ondanks zijn goede spel, niet die enige treffer aantekende tegen Argentinië. Net geen wereldtop dus.

Ps. Forlan staat 14e op The List. Stephane Guivarc’h is lijstaanvoerder

Estadio Vicente Calderon. Absolument rien à voir avec le Santiago Bernabeu qui a été retapé en 2006. Le stade hôte de l’Atlético Madrid, l’autre équipe madrilène militant dans la première division espagnole, serait davantage comparable à notre bon vieux Stade Olympique. Structure en béton, vision limitée à certains endroits, aucunement confortable, etc. Sans oublier que le gazon est arrosé quelques minutes avant le match! Mais peu importe, le match Atlético Madrid-Real Zaragoza s’annonçait palpitant. Et pas seulement parce que l’Atlético était à la recherche d’une première victoire en championnat alors qu’il traîne dans les bas fonds du classement. En fait, l’événement tant attendu devait avoir lieu avant le match même. Vous pouvez voir les photos sur Facebook.

Diego Martin Forlan Corazo alias «Uruguayo» recevait hier soir son deuxième soulier d’or européen, remis au buteur le plus prolifique du Vieux Continent, pour ses 32 buts marqués en 33 matchs la saison dernière.

Forlan reçoit le soulier d'or

Forlan, Uruguayen âgé de 30 ans, fait maintenant partie du très sélect club des joueurs qui ont remporté ce titre deux fois (2005 et 2009). On parle, entre autres, de grands joueurs comme Eusebio, Gerd Muller et Thierry Henry.

Voici une vidéo des 32 buts du pichichi (meilleur buteur en Liga) 2009:
Le match pouvait enfin commencer. Et comme je le disais plus tôt, l’ambiance au Vicente Calderon était bien meilleure que celle au Santiago Bernabeu. Déjà à l’extérieur du stade avant le match, on pouvait voir des demoiselles aux courbes généreuses qui démontraient de manière convaincante leur appartenance à leur équipe favorite…..euh…..je parlais de quoi déjà?! Ah oui, l’ambiance. Donc peu importe où l’on se situe dans le stade, les gens chantent et participent activement à la rencontre. On pourrait vulgariser brièvement en disant que le Real Madrid est l’équipe de la bourgeoisie alors que l’Atléti est l’équipe du peuple. Peuple parfois très dur envers ses joueurs. On m’avait prévenu que les partisans étaient quelque peu «étranges». Du genre: une minute on encourage jusqu’à en perdre la voix et la minute suivante on veut la tête d’un joueur pour une petite erreur sans impact majeur. Mais bon, vaut mieux sortir sa frustration au stade que de vider son chargeur dans la rue!

Fort heureusement, les colchoneros ont remporté le match 2-1 grâce aux buts de Jurado en début de match et à un superbe coup franc d’Antonio Lopez durant la deuxième demie. Real Zagaroza avait réduit l’écart avec 20 minutes à faire grâce au penalty transformé par  Arizmendi. Notons que le gardien de l’Atlético Madrid, De Gea, avait stoppé un penalty en première demie pour préserver l’avance des siens. Voici le résumé du match:
Première victoire en championnat dans la poche. La crise de l’Atlético est-elle terminée? Forlan va-t-il terminer pichichi cette année aussi? Seul le temps le dira. La Liga n’en est qu’à sa 6e semaine d’activité sur 38 et j’en suis déjà un mordu…..une obsession qui va finir par me coûter cher!!!

Galatasaray’ da Diego Forlan Dedikoduları

Galatasaray yönetiminin Atletico Madrid’ in başarılı forveti Diego Forlan’ ı transfer etmek için girişimlerde bulunduğu dedikoduları yayılmıştı, son gelen haberlere göre Atletico Madrid’ in Forlan’ ı göndermeye niyeti yok.

Yönetimin menajerler aracılığıyla gelecek yıl için Forlan’ la görüştüğü yönünde haberler yayıldıktan sonra İspanya’ nın önemli spor gazetelerinden AS, Galatasaray’ ın girişimlerine misilleme amacıyla Atletico Madrid yönetiminin oyuncunun ücretini yıllık 3 milyondan 4,5 milyon avroya çıkardığını duyurdu.

Devamını oku>> Galatasaray’ da Diego Forlan Dedikoduları

Italienischen Medien zufolge, will AC Milan-Trainer Leonardo im Winter zumindest einen Topstürmer nach Mailand holen. Neben Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid), Luis Suarez (Ajax Amsterdam) und David Villa (FC Valencia), findet sich mit Grafite vom VfL Wolfsburg auch ein Spieler aus der deutschen Bundesliga auf Leonardo´s Wunschliste.

Billig würde Grafite den Mailändern nicht kommen, hat der Brasilianer doch noch Vertrag bis 2012 bei amtierenden deutschen Meister.

16 goals for and 2 goals against in 4 games. Yet, it is not good enough. Real Madrid has always been a club with tremendous pressure on their backs. It’s a club where results are not good enough. Games have to be won with absolute style. Following Real Madrid’s 5-0 win over Xerez yesterday coach Pellegrini had this to say about the team’s performance:

“We didn’t play well as a team, especially in the first 20 minutes. Perhaps we were too confident after the first goal”

“I am happy because we won 5-0 but leaving aside the result we did not play well,” he told Marca.

“We must keep improving. Every game is different. We had a good end to the first half but maybe we were too confident after the first goal.

“We improved in the second half and got the goals but we should have been better in possession,” Pellegrini added.

Pellegrini gets to play against his former club on Wednesday when ‘Los Merengues’ travel to El Madrigal to play against Villareal. For the rest of this post I have collected some nice stuff for you from the weekend. Highlights of the Real Madrid game, highlights of Atletico Madrid getting their annual ass-whopping from Barca, and highlights from the crazy Manchester derby:

Barcelona 5-2 Atletico Madrid

And this is the incredible finish in the Manchester derby on the weekend. From the 89th minute on. Sorry about the poor quality, but it’s about as much as youtube has on right now. It’s a must watch:

i

I’m just going to get right into it today:

Calcio:

Juventus 2-0 AS Livorno – Four in a row for Juve – Ciro Ferrara’s men just keep on rolling, and newly-promoted Livorno couldn’t do anything to stop it. That’s not to say that l’Amaranto were helpless in Saturday’s match in Torino, but two first-half goals and another superhuman performance from Gianluigi Buffon were enough to see Juventus take three points away from the fixture. Vincenzo Iaquinta and Claudio Marchisio both appeared on the scoresheet for i Bianconeri, who now sit tied atop the table and two points clear of bitter rivals Inter.

Inter 2-1 Cagliari – Speaking of Inter, the reigning scudetto champions came from behind to win away at Cagliari this evening, largely thanks to a certain Argentine. I Nerazzurri went behind early in the match after Maicon got a little rough in the box with Alessandro Matri and Jeda converted the ensuing spot kick on 16′. Gli Isolani managed to hold their lead for the better part of an hour, but in the 52nd minute a gross defensive error saw the tides turn as Diego Milito capitalized on Cagliari’s mistake. Just four minutes later, Cagliari’s luck would worsen as the Argentine took advantage of a long ball and beat Federico Marchetti once more to put his side ahead. The slim lead would prove to be enough for La Beneamata (and I use that nickname with all due sarcasm) who take three points home to Milan this evening. However, it was not all smooth sailing for Jose Mourinho’s side, as Cagliari regained their confidence midway through the second half and youngster Daniele Dessena should have equalized on two seperate occasions. Mourinho himself had a mixed bag of a night, celebrating wildly upon Milito’s second goal but being sent off the bench just minutes later for complaining about a decision regarding Mario Balotelli – he would watch the remainder of the game from the stands. All in all, not an overly convincing victory for Inter – but a victory nonetheless.

AC Milan 1-0 Bologna – It seems that all of Milano will be celebrating tonight, as the Rossoneri managed to grab a late win at home in the San Siro this evening. Despite starting the match positively enough and retaining possession for the majority of the play, it took Milan 75 minutes to finally break down Bologna and take a deserved lead. That lead came via Clarence Seedorf, who once again proved that old dogs don’t need to learn new tricks – just be really good at the ones they know. The (flying?) Dutchman came barrelling up the wing, and finding no one to pass to, instead turned defender Andrea Raggi inside out and fired home himself. Bologna looked close to a late equalizer on a 30-yard bullet from Nicola Mingazzini in the 87th minute, but a spectacular save from Marco Storari ensured that Milan got the three points they were due.

Udinese 0-0 Napoli – Another case of the scoreline not telling the full story as both sides created more than their fair share of chances in highly spirited match at the Stadio San Paolo. Perhaps the closest of all of these was Antonio Di Natales’s wrongly disallowed goal (he was definitely on-side), doubly notable because the striker showed his class by not celebrating (he didn’t realize it had been disallowed) out of respect to his Neapolitan heritage. In truth, Napoli looked the stronger side going forward, but were unable to beat Samir Handanovic, who worked miracles between the uprights for le Zebrette. All in all an entertaining draw – neither side should be overly disappointed with the result as both could have gone behind on innumerable spurned chances from the other.

AS Roma 3-1 Fiorentina – Oh no, no, no – this one gets its own article.

Football:

The next Maradona? Somehow, I doubt it.

Arsenal 4-0 Wigan Athletic – Arsenal have bounced back from last week’s loss away in Manchester to trounce Wigan in an impressive performance at the Emirates. The home side’s four goals came from Eduardo and Cesc Fabregas, who netted one apiece, and Thomas Vermaelen who bagged a brace and put in a man-of-the-match performance. However, none of these goals could compete with what was undoubtedly the most memorable event in the match – Emmanuel Eboue’s Diego Maradona impression. Eboue was booked for deliberately striking the ball with his hand in attempt to score a Maradona-esque goal for the home side – an attempt which has some outraged (though not the Gunner support, who applauded him off the pitch after he was substituted in the 73rd minute). It’s not the first time the Ivorian has been booked for actions of an unsportsmanlike manner, as he was booked earlier in the season for diving when Arsenal faced Manchester United. What the game means for Arsenal is clear – three points – but what it means for Eboue is a little less certain. Cheatin’ bastard.

Manchester Utd 4-3 Manchester City - This, friends, is what a derby should be. It was truly one for the ages; a goal-fest in which the two teams competed as equals for perhaps the first time, Carlos Tevez was roundly booed by the Old Trafford faithful, and United’s winning goal was scored by a former Liverpool legend. Wayne Rooney gave his side an early lead on 2′, Gareth Barry equalized on 16′, Darren Fletcher twice gave his side the lead only to have Craig Bellamy twice equalize minutes later (including a 90th minute equalizer), and Michael Owen played the unlikely role of hero for United with a goal that came in the 95th minute of play. Sir Alex Ferguson and Mark Hughes have been engaged in a sort of war of words lately, and while Fergie will no doubt be happy to rub the loss in his opposite’s face, Hughes shouldn’t be too displeased with his side, who proved to be more-than-worthy opponents for the reigning EPL champions even without the suspended Emmanuel Adebayor. A derby to remember, and (though City fans will beg to differ) a good day for United and City fans alike.

Chelsea 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur – Judgement day for the Spurs – it was a second chance after losing to United, an opportunity to test their mettle against Champions League-level competitors and see if they could beat Chelsea at home for the first time in 20 years (give or take). Spoiler alert: They couldn’t. Tottenham went on the attack early, with Wilson Palacios and Jermaine Jena attempting to test Petr Cech early from range, but their efforts proved fruitless. Chelsea’s retaliation was swift, as Jose Bosingwa and Nicolas Anelka poured on the pressure down the right flank – though the opening goal would eventually come from the left, as Didier Drogba’s cross found the head of Ashley Cole and beat Carlo Cudicini. Chelsea would go into the half up one goal – but they weren’t done yet. When the two teams returned, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba would double and triple Chelsea’s lead, respectively, in a furious span of 5 minutes. The Spurs would be unable to fight their way back into it, and while Carlo Ancelotti will be pleased with his players’ performance, one can be sure that Harry Redknapp’s men will be getting an earful as they return to the Lilywhite half of London tonight.

Liverpool 3-2 West Ham – Liverpool came out on top of a hotly contested match that saw West Ham twice come from behind to equalize and Fernando Torres twice give his side the lead with a brace that would ultimately win the game for the Scousers. Dirk Kuyt also netted for the Reds, while Carlton Cole and new signing Alessandro Diamanti each netted for West Ham. The first half of the match was energetic and fast-paced, with West Ham’s Zavon Hines impressing – though he should have put his side ahead early after Jamie Carragher committed a calamitous error – essentially offering the ball up on the edge of the ‘Pool box. In the second half the tempo slowed inevitably, though it remained a closely-fought match and Liverpool will feel happy (and perhaps a bit fortunate) to have won it.

Fußball:

VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 Schalke 04 – A brace from Edin Dzeko saw the reigning Bundesliga champs rise above hopeful contenders Schalke and the manager who took them to the title – Felix Magath. Magath left Wolfsburg last year for greener pastures after the club was crowned German football champions for the first time in its history. The scoring didn’t open until the 55th minute, when and unmarked Dzeko headed a perfect cross from Sascha Riether into the net. Magath’s side thought they had equalized in the 80th minute thanks to a strike from Benedikt Höwedes – only for Dzeko to restore the lead less than a minute later, finishing superbly on another well-placed cross. Wolfsburg parked the bus for the last nine minutes of the game, ensuring that Schalke could not get back into it and grab a share of the points.

Choupo-Moting - sounds German, right?

Bayern Münich 2-1 Nürnberg – Die Roten continued their fiery run of form, although the first half that didn’t really get started until 20 minutes in and Bayern did not really hit their stride until the half-hour mark. However, the second half would produce more results, as Ivica Olic game the home side the lead on 55′ minutes. After scoring the opener just Bayern maintained control of possession, but did not apply overt amounts of pressure on the Nürnberg goal. After falling behind, the visitors introduced German U-21 star Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to instant effect, as the youngster caused Bayern’s back line all sorts of trouble, and showed a knack for getting behind defenses – he would equalize for his side on 73′ after doing just that. However, Bayern weren’t going to settle for anything less than a win, and it would be Daniel van Buyten who would put his side ahead less than ten minutes later (with less than ten minutes left). His effort would be enough to see his side take full points at the Allianz-Arena and keep their winning streak – and their confidence in the title race – intact.

Futbol:

Barcelona 5-2 Atlético Madrid – Barcelona beat los Colchoneros by a wide margin despite strikes from the deadly duo of Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero. Unfortunately for Atléti, the entirety of Barca’s squad seemed deadly last night, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Daniel Alves, Seydou Keita and Lionel Messi all appearing on the scoresheet. It was never an even match, as Barca went up 4-0 before Aguero and Forlan would pull two back for their side. Messi’s extra time goal in the 93rd minute would finish his brace and finish Atlético, who simply could not withstand the might of the Spanish champions.

Real Madrid 5-0 Xerez – Madrid’s other team fared much better this weekend, with Los Merengues stomping all over Andalucian squad Xerez – who are appearing in La Liga’s Primera division for the first time in their club’s history. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for his side in the first minute – though they would not improve upon their one-goal lead until the 74th minute, when CR9 would net again. This opened the floodgate for Los Blancos, with Guti, Karim Benzema and Ruud van Nistelrooy all joining Ronaldo on the scoresheet in the game’s final minutes. This was clearly a case of a little fish in a big pond – a pond called the Bernabéu in which little fish are caught, gutted, and fried.