Tottenham’s staggering 9-1 win over Wigan at the weekend saw a number of records either broken or equalled. As well as being Spurs’ biggest top-flight win, Sunday’s one-sided clash at White Hart Lane also saw Harry Redknapp’s side become the second Barclays Premier League team to hit nine in one match. Jermain Defoe matched Andy Cole and Alan Shearer’s record of five individual goals in one Premier League fixture, while Wigan’s Paul Scharner got in on the act by claiming the ‘Thierry Henry slam-dunk of the week award’ as he claimed the Latics’ solitary goal.

Unsurprisingly, Defoe’s five-star performance helped him to earn the highest Actim Index score of the season, a sensational 87 points. The England striker’s mammoth score eclipsed that of Tottenham team-mate Robbie Keane, who held the previous highest total of 80 after scoring four against Burnley. Another Spurs star, Aaron Lennon, picked up 60 points this week to move back into the Team of the Season.

Despite the efforts of Wigan, Spurs do not have the highest number of players in the Team of the Week. That honour goes to London rivals Chelsea, who strolled to a 4-0 victory over struggling Wolves at Stamford Bridge. French winger Florent Malouda grabbed the Blues’ opening goal and picked up a healthy 39 points, while fellow goalscorers Michael Essien and Joe Cole also eclipsed the 30-point mark to book their place among the week’s top scorers.

Stoke’s televised victory over bottom club Portsmouth could politely be described as one for the purists. However, although entertainment was in short supply in a dire clash at the Britannia Stadium, the Potters can claim two of the week’s 20 highest scorers. Jamaica forward Ricardo Fuller grabbed the only goal of the game with 16 minutes remaining and earned 32 points, while Dean Whitehead claimed 26 points for his efforts in midfield. Stoke’s highest-scoring player remains highly-rated defender Ryan Shawcross. The giant 22-year-old, who captained the club for the first time at the weekend in the absence of the suspended Abdoulaye Faye, is in 44th position overall with 159 points.

Didier Drogba may not have featured for Chelsea this weekend due to injury, but the Ivory Coast striker has still moved to the top of the overall Actim standings after Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas endured a torrid time in his side’s clash with Sunderland. Fabregas led Drogba by two points ahead of the Gunners’ trip to the Stadium of Light and was expected to extend his lead at the Actim summit. However, the Spaniard went on to record a miserable score of -4 as Arsene Wenger’s side slumped to a 1-0 defeat, putting Drogba back on top. Arsenal forward Robin van Persie was another to miss the latest round of Premier League fixtures through injury and he has slipped from third to fifth in the overall standings as a result.

Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has come in for significant praise in recent months, with many observers highlighting his importance to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. And the 25-year-old Scot made another fine contribution as United eased to a 3-0 victory over Everton, opening the scoring with a sublime half-volley. Fletcher’s 29-point total sees him leap from 79th to 45th in the overall standings, making him United’s fourth highest-scoring player of the season.

Birmingham goalkeeper Joe Hart insists he still believes he can break into England’s squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. And the 22-year-old stopper, on loan at St Andrews from Manchester City, did his chances no harm with a fine performance in Birmingham’s 1-0 win over Fulham at the weekend. Hart picked up 21 points for his efforts – the highest score by a goalkeeper this week – and will hope to maintain his good form as the season progresses.

View the latest Actim Index >

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!

Corría el tiempo extra del partido de vuelta entre Francia e Irlanda, por el repechaje europeo rumbo a Sudáfrica 2010, cuando los galos perdían 1-0 contra Irlanda en el Stade de France, luego de vencerlos 1-0 en Dublin, y tras un centro de Florent Malouda, el delantero Thierry Henry controló dos veces el balón con la mano para darle el pase de gol a William Gallas; el gol que le dio a “Les Bleus” el pasaje a Sudáfrica 2010.

“La Mano de Dios II”, o “La Mano Negra” son de los adjetivos que se le han dado a este mediocre gesto del jugador del Barcelona, que ha causado reclamos del gobierno irlandés y de su federación de futbol, además de todo el mundo futbolístico pensante.

El sitio oficial de la FIFA no publica nada sobre esta trampa que metió a Francia en el Mundial del 2010, que sólo escribe en su artículo dedicado a los últimos clasificados de la UEFA:

“La clasificación se decidiría en la prórroga, en una confusa acción que se saldó con el empate de Francia, clasificada para su cuarta fase final consecutiva tras sufrir durante muchos minutos”.

Y termina:

“El destino eligió finalmente, pero la República de Irlanda se va con la cabeza alta”.

Qué se podía esperar de la FIFA?… Mientras tanto Henry dijo que él no era el árbitro…Lamentable del ex Arsenal.

Pero bueno, si todavía no han visto esta clarísima mano que dejó a Irlanda fuera de un mundial, o son masoquistas y quieren volver a hacer corajes, aquí les dejo el video.

Mal, mal, mal…

Saludos!

As one might expect from a Giovanni Trapattoni-led side, Ireland’s main strength through qualifying was their defence. Conceding just eight goals in ten games, they remained unbeaten, but crucially drew six of those games and wasted decent opportunities to win their home and away clashes with both Italy and Bulgaria. Nevertheless, attaining second-place in the group was a decent achievement for the Irish who have not qualified for a major tournament since 2002 and whose squad is short of world-class performers. Doubtless relishing the role of underdogs, the home side are expected to have most of their regular starters fit and available for Saturday’s Croke Park clash, with Damien Duff the latest to prove his fitness after shrugging off a hamstring problem. Trappatoni has resisted calls to include enigmatic midfielder Andy Reid who has been in sparkling form for club side Sunderland and there is also no place in the squad for Blackburn’s Steven Reid who has only recently returned from long-term injury.

Beleaguered France boss Raymond Domenech, meanwhile, is keenly aware that should France slip up and fail to qualify, he will be seeking alternative employment with immediate effect. He will have to make do without the services of Gael Clichy and Franck Ribery, however, both of whom are injured and he has opted not to offer an international lifeline to Patrick Vieira who has been struggling for game time at Inter Milan. Two uncapped players come into the squad in the form of Bordeaux goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso and Lyon defender Aly Cissokho. France have an embarrassment of riches in terms of attacking flair, with the likes of Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema, Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda and Sidney Govou all vying for a place in the starting eleven, but Domenech failed to successfully harness that talent during qualifying as France were beaten to top spot by unfancied Serbia.

All the pressure, therefore, is on the visitors and that is not something that they have coped well with in recent times. This workmanlike Ireland side will provide a stern test for the fragile French and roared on by a capacity crowd at Croke Park, they may be able to snatch a draw and keep their World Cup hopes alive.

Prediction: Ireland 1-1 France

With the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers wrapping up in the coming weeks, it seems to me that it might be time for some national team managers to start resting some of their veteran players. 

Chelsea have many international players that have made their way through to South Africa in the summer of 2010 and can afford to be left out of the starting 11 for the remainder of the qualifiers.  The last thing that a club wants to hear is that one of their players, or “investments”, was injured on international duty for a friendly or a meaningless qualifying match.

Right now, if I was Carlo Ancelotti, I’d be on the phone with Loew, Capello, Dunga, Rajevac, and Halilhodžić asking them to rest certain players or give them a limited role in the match. Having already qualified and finished first in their group, there is no reason for the likes of Ashley and Joe Cole, Lampard, Terry, Ballack, Essien, Drogba, and Kalou to take a major part or any part at all in the last qualifying match. 

 There are some players that are questionable though in the role their country needs them to play.  For example, Malouda and Anelka  are destined for the November play-offs. France are 4 points behind Serbia and 4 points ahead of Austria in Group 7, so the result is not as important.

There are some of our players that are much needed by their country though. Portugal are only ahead in 2^nd place in Group 1 by one point over Sweden. It does seem like a long shot that Malta could defeat the Portuguese, but a Portugal draw or loss combined with a Swedish win sends the likes of Carvalho, Bosingwa, Deco, and Ferreira home for the summer.

Our Cech connection is also in danger of not qualifying as they sit 2 points behind 2^nd place Slovenia in Group 3.  Mikel is also in danger of missing out on the competition as Nigeria sit 2 points behind Tunisia in the African qualifiers.

However, the decision to sit a player or give him a limited role in a match is not always easily accepted by a player.  Playing for your country’s national team is one of the greatest honors a player can achieve without lifting silverware.  Take Beckham for example, he is doing everything possible ensure that he is wearing an England shirt next June.  The bottom line is though, players that have achieved the level of success because of their competitive nature and they are going to want to play.  Good luck telling the likes of John  Terry and Michael Ballack to “sit this one out and get some rest.”

By Joey Majka

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Il Sunderland sfiora il colpaccio all’Old Trafford. Finisce 2-2 quest’esaltante sfida che ha visto il Manchester Utd acciuffare il pareggio in pieno recupero.Ospiti subito in vantaggio al 7’ con Darren Bent. Gli replica al 51’ il bulgaro Dimitar Berbatov. Poco dopo incredibilmente il Sunderland va di nuovo in vantaggio con Kevin Jones. Old Trafford ammutolito. Sarà Patrick Evra al 93’ a salvare lo United con una conclusione deviata da Anton Ferdinand. Primo pareggio per la squadra di Ferguson. 2-2 finisce anche il match tra Bolton e Tottenham.

Padroni di casa che vanno in vantaggio per due volte (Gardner, Davies), e per due volte si fanno raggiungere dagli ospiti (Kranjcar, Corluka). Gli Spurs soffrono, ma avrebbero potuto fare di più. Una vittoria sarebbe stata di vitale importanza per insidiare le prime quattro posizioni.Per quanto riguarda le altre partite, successo interno del Burnley che supera 2-1 il Birmingham City (S.Fletcher, Bikey – Larsson).L’Hull City batte il Wigan per 2-1 (Vennegoor Of Hesselink, Geovanni – S.Sinclair), mentre il Portsmouth con Yebda si impone di misura sul campo del Wolverhampton.Carletto Ancelotti ed i suoi Blues si aggiudicano il big match della domenica battendo il Liverpool con un secco 2-0, con reti di Anelka e Malouda. I Reds continuano nel loro periodo no, incassando altri due goal dopo quelli presi in Champions dalla Fiorentina.Grande goleada dell’Arsenal di Wenger che si sbarazza con un punteggio tennistico del Blackburn. Finisce 6-2 con reti di Vermaelen, Van Persie, Arshavin, Fabregas, Walcott e Bendtner per la squadra di Wenger. In goal Nzonzi e Dunn per il Blackburn.Infine pareggio per 2-2 tra il West Ham ed il Fulham (C.Cole, Stanislas – Murphy, Gera) e per 1-1 tra Everton e lo Stoke City (Osman – Huth).

di Francesco Marchetti

Only big games folks – you know the drill:

Football:

Arsenal 6-2 Blackburn - Not to be outdone by Liverpool and Tottenham’s high-scoring performances last weekend, the Gunners responded with a blowout of their own in which six different players appeared on the scoresheet. Thomas Vermaelen, Robin Van Persie, Andrei Arshavin, Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and Nick Bendtner all netted for the Londoners; while David Dunn and Steven N’Zonzi scored for the visitors – N’Zonzi giving his side an early lead in the 4th minute. An important win for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, and a result which puts them ahead of rivals Liverpool with a game in hand.

"Please, please - it's only Liverpool."

Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool – For a match that was touted in the days leading up to it as all-important and due to be a spectacular showdown of two top-notch Premiership sides, neither Liverpool nor Chelsea were able to make an impact upon the early stages of the game. Both sides looked tentative and unwilling to leap headfirst into the match – the sides would remain even until the 60th minute, when a Nicolas Anelka strike put the blues ahead. The wind was more or less taken out of the Merseysiders’ sails at this point, though Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun did all they could to equalize (the latter missing a late sitter which should have brought his side level). However, the the Scousers’ fate was sealed by Florent Malouda on 91′, as Chelsea proved that all it takes to win in the English Premier League are French strikers and an Italian manager.

Manchester Utd 2-2 Sunderland – As usual when things go wrong at Old Trafford, the blame for Manchester United’s draw against  lowly Sunderland was all the fault of the match official – if we’re to believe Sir Alex Ferguson’s side of the story. Ferguson lashed out at referee Alan Wiley after the match, questioning his physical condition and claiming he did not add on enough stoppage time at the end of the second half. However, I think it is a bit ludicrous to blame United’s perhaps disappointing result on anyone but themselves. Goals from Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones (on either side of a classy volley from Dimitar Berbatov) had seen the Black Cats go ahead of the home side at Old Trafford, but the visitors’ luck began to turn when Kieran Richardson was sent off for poor sportsmanship in the 84th minute. Things went from bad to worse when, on 92′, Anton Ferdinand deflected Patrice Evra’s long-range effort into the back of his own net – earning a not-quite-deserved draw from a United who had looked hapless and disorganize all throughout the match. Who would’ve thought that the Black Cats could be so unlucky?

Fußball:

FC Köln 0-0 Bayern Münich – This match has been called the most boring game of the Bundesliga played yet this year – and not just by me. Die Roten played almost the exact same squad they utilized in their midweek draw against Juventus – the only change being for Arjen Robben, who picked up an injury in that Champions League match, thus forcing the hand of Louis van Gaal. The fans at the Allianz Arena were treated to a game riddled with fouls and choppy play – game broadcasts panned over the stands at halftime to find fans fast asleep. I am not exaggerating. While Bayern could barely get an attack started, the dull play was not entirely their fault – Köln seemed content to park the bus in front of their goal, not playing a single player upfield and holding the home side to a nil-nil draw. Dull stuff from Deutschland, I’m afraid.

Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 Nürnberg - Elsewhere in Der Vaterland, goals were scored, and in fact scored aplenty. Keverkusen hit hard and early, taking control of the match at the BayArena with a fantastic set piece goal from Toni Kroos on 2′, followed by a spot kick by Simon Rolfes on 28′ and a strike from Erin Derdiyok on 34′ to round out the first half. In the second half the home side eased up on the throttle a little, but not enough for Nürnberg to bounce back, and not enough to stop Stephan Riessling from scoring his league-leading 6th goal of the season. A win that sees Bayer seated atop the Bundesliga table, separated by goal difference from Northern side Hamburg SV.

Hamburg SV 3-1 Hertha Berlin – Speak of the devil – Hamburg also pulled off a win this weekend, defeating Hertha in their own house at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. Hertha took an early lead thanks to an Arne Friedrich header in the 9th minute, but after an own goal from Claudiano Bezerra Da Silva equalized, Hamburg added two more of their own to go up 3-1 before the half. Neither side managed to add to that tally in the second half and so Hamburg comes away with a victory that (as mentioned) sees them second in the Bundesliga behind Bayer Leverkusen. David Jarolim and Ze Roberto netted for the away side.

Calcio:

"Gee Rob... my bad."

AS Roma 2-1 Napoli – Francesco Totti is trying to get Roberto Donadoni fired. Donadoni’s Napoli have had a miserable start to the season – a positive result at the Stadio Olimpico today might have gone towards convincing Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis that the manager was worth keeping around. Unfortunately for the ex-Azzurri boss, Roma came out strong, with Simone Perrotta and John-Arne Riise missing a pair of early chances that should have put i Lupi easily ahead of their struggling opposition. However, it would be Napoli who would ultimately strike first – after Roma keeper Julio Sergio was substituted for injury, his replacement Bogdan Lobont was beaten by Ezequiel Lavezzi’s low shot on 25′. However, Roma weren’t about to let their bright start be ruined, and equalized on 37′ with a ball that started at the feet of Mirko Vucinic, but was redirected by Perrotta and then (who else?) Francesco Totti into the back of the Napoli goal. Totti would strike again in the second half with a low shot from some distance against which Napoli keeper Morgan De Sanctis never stood a chance. Er Pupone’s brace was enough to see his side clear of the visitors and put Roberto Donadoni’s job in serious danger. Sorry Rob; nothing personal eh?

Inter 2-1 Udinese – A last-gasp win for i Nerazzurri which, combined with other events to have transpired this weekend, sees Jose Mourinho’s men sitting atop the table for the first time this season. The game was played at a lightning pace straight from the outset, with Sulley Muntari and Simone Pepe spurning early chances. Dejan Stankovic gave the home side a lead on 22′ at the San Siro, only for the on-fire Antonio Di Natale to equalize not 5 minutes later. Both teams would have plenty of opportunities – though a combination of Sulley Muntari’s lack of aim and Samir Handanovic’s goaltending ability saved Udinese on several occasions. However, it would be Inter who would take home the full spoils, as Wesley Sneijder’s 93rd minute strike gave La Beneamata a late, late victory.

"Did I look worried?"

Palermo 2-0 Juventus – Many thanks to il Rosanero for keeping my claims of the Year of the Underdog alive. The Sicilian side absolutely dismantled Juventus, who have been flying high in Serie A of late, and shown them their first defeat of the season to prevent i Bianconeri from rising to the top of the table. It took a pair of first-half strikes in quick succession to slay La Vecchia Signora, who despite pouring on pressure lacked creativity in the final third of the pitch and were ultimately unable to prevent a defeat at the Stadio Renzo Barbera. Edinson Cavani and Fabio Simplicio were the heroes for the home side, with their goals on 37′ and 42′ respectively proving a hurdle too difficult for Juventus to overcome. All in all, a fantastic win for Palermo which sees them rise to a comfortable midtable standing – and which no doubt allowed Walter Zenga a breath of relief after a stuttering start to the season. An impressive and deserved win for the Sicilian side.

AC Milan 1-1 Atalanta - I have never seen a side so bereft of confidence or direction as the Milan squad which played in the first half of today’s match in Bergamo. Milan were constantly found on the back heel in what is becoming their typical fashion -Gennaro Gattuso charged around like a tank, the strikers had no service, and Andrea Pirlo looked like a shadow of his former self. L’Altri Nerazzurri, as I like to call them, were often the aggressors in the first half and star man Cristiano Doni looked like a legitimate threat to the Milan goal every time the ball was at his feet. In fact, it would be lowly Atalanta who would take the lead in the match, after Simone Tiribocchi buried a ball left for him (perhaps accidentally) by Doni. The goal was borne out of a gross defensive error, as Alessandro Nesta had left Tiribocchi completely unmarked, but nonetheless Atalanta was on top and deservedly so. However, Atalanta would be dealt a crushing blow on 38′, when Ivan Radovanovic was handed a second yellow card for laying hands on Alexandre Pato. For my own part, I had initially thought it was a straight red card, and was seriously questioning whether match-fixing was still alive and well in the Italian game. Ultimately, the card was harsh, but not to the extent that I’d imagined – though it certainly turned the match around and gave i Rossoneri the chance to go on the attack. After the halftime break, the momentum had decidedly been reversed, and it was AC Milan who were on the offensive. Atalanta did all they could to stay ahead in the game, but Ronaldinho’s volley on 83′ inevitably earned the visitors an equalizer. One more thing: Klaas Jan Huntelaar failed to make his mark in the first half, and was substituted early in the second. How is a young striker supposed to build up confidence when he is constantly substituted in what are essentially votes of no confidence from his coach? Just an example of poor man-management from Leonardo, and perhaps another example of why Milan needs to secure themselves a replacement for the disappointing Brazilian tactician.

Futbol:

Sevilla 2-1 Real Madrid – I feel vindicated by this result. I’ve been saying since the shiny new Real Madrid started tearing up La Liga (and Champions League) that when Los Blancos finally found themselves up against an opponent capable of mounting a serious defense, Manuel Pellegrini’s men would find themselves shut down and unable to account for it. Well, it appears that it is Sevilla who was that squad, as Real visited the Estadio Sánchez Pizjuán and suffered their first loss of the season. Madrid were unable to create chances and it was Sevilla who controlled tonight’s match. Jesus Navas gave the home side the lead on 32′, which would stand until Pepe equalized early in the second half. However, Renato would see that Sevilla took all three points from Los Galacticos with a goal on 66′. Perhaps the reason for this defeat can be traced back to the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, but for the successes of a team which cost hundreds of millions of euros to assemble to ride on the back of a singular player just reveals the shaky foundation upon which this new Galacticos era has been built.

Barcelona 1-0 Almeria – Oh, and Barcelona beat another relatively small team. Spanish youngster Pedro scored the only goal of the match at the Camp Nou.

Its with a heavy heart that I write this post and I’d be tempted to not write it at all if I wasn’t slightly OCD when it comes to blogging.  I’m going to have to force my way through it.  I wasn’t feeling too confident going in to the match, but this could have been misleading as I feel anxious before every game these days.  After the disappointing performance against Fiorentina last week, the Reds really needed to up their game.

It was a pretty even first half and chances were limited, it was the usual case of two top teams cancelling each other out. I did feel that the referee was a bit harsh towards Liverpool on quite a few decisions, but maybe I’m just being biased.  Liverpool could have had a penalty when Drogba pulled down on Skrtel’s shoulder at a corner kick, but it wasn’t given.  I think it was technically a penalty, but they’re rarely given in that situation.

The second half continued to be a balanced contest, until, sickeningly (for me), Anelka scored on the hour.  The goal was created by an excellent cross from Drogba; you do have to wonder why a player with so much talent has to spoil himself with constant play-acting.  It’s actually unbelievable how much he does it and it starts to spoil the game; given the current furore over diving, I believe he should start getting booked.  Andy Gray and Martin Tyler seemed to treat it as a joke, for some reason, but they don’t take ’simulation’ so lightly in other circumstances and I can’t see any real difference.  It must be frustrating even for the Chelsea fans.

Benayoun came on for Riera on 66 minutes to try and freshen things up, but Chelsea looked quite comfortable.  The Reds eventually built up a little pressure and it resulted in Johnson blazing a shot over the bar from a good position, on 73 minutes.  Torres fluffed a good chance on 80 minutes, but he had to take the shot from a slightly awkward position.

As Liverpool pushed for the equaliser, Malouda got the second Chelsea goal at the beginning of injury time.  Straight from kick off, Benayoun then missed a virtually open goal after initially creating the chance with a  great piece of control.  It might not have made any difference to the result, but it would certainly made things uncomfortable for Chelsea in the last couple of minutes.

Sadly, the bad feeling I had before the game came to fruition.  I’m sure that the  media will now use this result to write Liverpool off, but they’ll fail to mention how close the game actually was.   Fair play to Chelsea, they did just enough to get the win.

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The Players in stats

What the media is saying?

Michael Mancienne 

Franco Di Santo

Miroslav Stoch

Ryan Bertrand

Jack Cork

Patrick Van Aarnholt

So how are the marginalised youngsters faring this year?

With so much youth talent in the ranks at Chelsea Football Club, many see it as a great shame that the opportunities for them to gain first team experience is limited.

In the modern world of football there is little time for potential or for development as teams now focus on getting immediate results, with each game as important as the next.

It is owing to this current climate that so many good young players are sent out on loan to learn their trade, rather than fighting for a first team place at their club and gaining fans’ adoration in the process.

John Terry fought his way into the set up at Chelsea many years ago and has grown up at the club, becoming a crowd favourite as he rose to the top of his profession. If Terry had been loaned out to club only to return to play reserve team football, I doubt he would have achieved what he has done to date.

Of course, the England skipper spent a short period at Nottingham Forest, but when he returned he was able to get regular games in the Blue shirt.

Miroslav Stoch, Scott Sinclair, Michael Mancienne and Franco Di Santo are all out on loan this season, gaining valuable experience at a high level.

Stoch showed great potential when he was used last season, with pace and trickery and a fighting spirit, though this time out he has been sent to Dutch outfit FC Twente, where he has shown even more potential, with two goals against Herenveen earlier this campaign.

Scott Sinclair has embarked on his sixth loan move, this time to Wigan Athletic. Six appearances have yet to produce a goal for the 20 year old, but showing lightening pace as ever, Sinclair would not doubt add something to the Chelsea first team squad which lacks just that at times.

Di Santo strolled into Chelsea and was handed the No. 9 shirt upon arrival, clearly living up to such expectation was always going to be a challenge for the Argentine. He is yet to net for the West London club, but has now been sent to Blackburn to work with Sam Allardyce and perhaps become more accustomed to English football under the wily old manager.

With just three appearances under his belt so far, Di Santo has had little chance to make any significant impact suffering an injury in his first start for the club, but now back to fitness.

Michael Mancienne has been hailed as a long term partner for Terry at the heart of the Chelsea defence and has renewed his loan move to Wolverhampton Wanderers this year after impressing for Mick McCarthy’s side in the Championship last year.

He earned the praise of the ever-insightful Lee Dixon on Match of the Day 2 on Sunday night for his potential to become a fantastic defender and the experience of McCarthy is surely guiding him in the right direction. Again, six first team appearances this season are valuable Premier League minutes under his belt.

This is fantastic for both Chelsea and the loan clubs who benefit from the services of quality players, but will these talents return to play in big matches for the Blues or simply warm the bench?

It seems only Mancienne has a real chance of a bright future at Chelsea as the others will no doubt find themselves behind International superstars such as Didier Drogba, Joe Cole and Florent Malouda.

One can certainly argue that the blooding of youth talent is all but dead and gone our biggest clubs in the land. Only Arsene Wenger is wholeheartedly committed to his youth system, but has found himself under scrutiny for Arsenal’s lack of silverware since the re-building of the ‘invincibles’ four years ago.

So, will Chelsea sacrifice trophies for future talent? Simple answer. There is more chance Sol Campbell returning to Spurs.

Richard French

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This post is fairly belated – and it’s not really gonna be as comperehensive as most Sunday 360° articles – think of it as more like a Sunday 45°. This is partially because I had a really, really long week and I’m just not up to reporting on a bunch of games that I really am not all that interested, and partially because I wanna focus on a handful of very interesting results this week(end). Also, I’ll include videos as an apology for the late/shortness. Perhaps 2009 will be the year of the underdog – this week certainly has been.

Calcio:

Sampdoria 1-0 Inter – I know what you’re thinking I’ve got that score backwards. That’s what I thought as well, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was I was incorrect and that little Sampdoria had indeed overcome the mighty Inter. It seems that Jose’s men simply could not get ahead in the match, with Sampdoria net-minder Luca Castellazi making several brilliant saves throughout the course of the match to deny La Beneamata the advantage. Neither side was brilliant, though i Blucerchiati more than held their own against the reigning Serie A champions and both sides had several chances to take the lead. Sampdoria would eventually have that honour as Giampaolo Pazzini netted in the 72nd minute to give his side an advantage that would be enough to see them take 3 points from i Nerazzurri at home before a capacity crowd at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. This is a result which sees Sampdoria flying high atop the Serie A table in one of the best starts to a season they have had in recent years, and one that will leave fans of Inter scratching their heads after finding themselves trailing both Saturday’s victors and Juventus in the Serie A standings.

Udinese 2-0 Genoa – What  a week for Le Zebrette!! First they defeated struggling giants AC Milan 1-0 in midweek play, and now they have defeated Genoa to leapfrog the struggling Grifone (who have taken just 1 point from their last three outings) and rise to fourth place in the Serie A standings. The leading light for the Friulanese side has been current-Capocannoniere Antonio Di Natale, who leads his squad, along with the rest of Serie A, with 8 goals. Di Natale scored in the 82nd minute to put his side ahead, while Simone Pepe sealed Genoa’s fate just six minutes later. Perhaps not an underdog victory to the extent of Samp’s over Inter, (as Udinese finished in a respectale 7th place last season) but a pleasantly surprising result nonetheless for Italy’s other Bianconeri.

Juventus 1-1 Bologna/AC Milan 0-0 Bari – Okay, not underdog victories – but I wanted to acknowledge the performances of these two small teams nonetheless. I’m of the opinion that Bologna should take a 1-1 draw as a moral victory, considering they are a team which finished the 2008-09 season just one place out of relegation, whereas Juve finished just one place out of winning the scudetto. That’s without mentioning the fact that Bologna only managed their draw by fighting hard and winning an equalizer in the 93rd minute of play (though they were helped no doubt by the fact that goalscorer Martins Adailton was left completely unmarked by Cristian Molinaro). Juventus had gone ahead on a strike from David Trezeguet. Bari pulled off a similar result in Milan this weekend, drawing AC 0-0 at the San Siro, and though frankly speaking Milan are a shadow of the team they once were, it is nonetheless an impressive and important result. Both smaller teams should have no small amount of pride after this weekend’s away results, while both larger teams will no doubt be shaking their hands and wondering what has happened – an interesting weekend for Italy’s big three. I’ll post a video of the Juve/Bologna game, because who wants to watch highlights of a no-score draw?

Football:

Wigan Athletic 3-1 Chelsea – In a weekend that saw Liverpool and Tottenham both blow away their opponents (Hull City and Burnley, respectively) by a five-goal margin, it came as a shock to me and most Blues fans, I’d assume, that Chelsea had lost away at the DW Stadium to Wigan Athletic. Wigan went ahead early in the 16th minute on a corner, which, upon replay, was shown to be taken outside the circle and therefore Titus Bramble’s goal should have been disallowed. Chelsea fought hard to equalize through to the half, but were unable to best a determined Wigan side. However, after the break the deadly combination of Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba finally managed to break down Wigan’s defense and the Ivorian equalized for the Blues. The equal footing would be short-lived, as Petr Cech was sent off on 53′ for taking down Hugo Rodallega in the box – the Colombian converted the penalty Chelsea were forced to play the last 37 minutes down a man and without their keeper. It was a blow that the Blues would never really recover from, and when Ashley Cole was forced off the pitch through injury, reducing his side to nine men in the games final minutes, Wigan was able to add insult to injury as they poured men forward and Paul Scharner found the ball at his feet to slot home in injury time. Needless to say, Chelsea’s impressive winning streak has been shattered in the worst way – the Blues have tasted defeat for the first time this season and we’ll see how they react next weekend in an all-important fixture against Liverpool. For a ridiculous 14 minutes of highlights which I refuse to embed, click here.

Fußball:

Hamburg SV 1-0 Bayern München – I’m gonna call this an underdog victory because I remain unconvinced that there are other teams in the Bundesliga which can truly rival the quality of Bayern on a consistent basis (Hamburg haven’t even finished as Bundesliga runners-up since 1987). Nonetheless, this was something of a battle between giants of North and South – two highly technical and tactical sides squaring off in the HSH-Nordbank Arena in Hamburg. Both Bruno Labbadia of Hamburg and Louis Van Gaal of Bayern made numerous tactical changes throughout the game, though largely to no avail as neither side could get ahead in the first hour of play. On 72′ it would be ex-Bayern star Ze Roberto who would truly be his former side’s undoer, feeding a low cross to Mladen Petric who duly slotted home. The 1-0 lead would be enough for the Northern side, whose midfield was able to shut out die Roten in the final stages of play and secure 3 points for die Rothosen. Couldn’t embed the video, but you can watch the highlights (only 1:15, don’t worry) here.

All in all, a fairly good weekend for some of Europe’s smaller teams – and a fairly baffling one for some of its larger ones. Better luck next time, big guys!

Yossi Benayoun leads the way in this week’s Barclays Premier League Actim Index after collecting the third hat-trick of his Liverpool career in the 4-0 victory over Burnley. Benayoun’s treble haul earned him a staggering 74 points – the highest total of the season so far. As a result, the Israel international has stormed up the overall standings, moving from 221st place to 16th. Dirk Kuyt also scored against the Clarets, moving him up to seventh overall and making him the second highest-ranked Liverpool player behind full-back Glen Johnson.

Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor made the headlines for all the wrong reasons this weekend, but his goalscoring performance against former club Arsenal saw him leap to the top of the overall standings. Adebayor was involved in an unsavoury incident with former teammate Robin van Persie and also sparked controversy with an inflammatory goal celebration which saw him run the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the visiting Arsenal fans. However, his tally of 33 points was enough to take him above Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon at the top of the rankings with a total score of 139.

It has been another good week for Manchester United and England forward Wayne Rooney. The 23-year-old firstly helped Fabio Capello’s Three Lions secure qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup with a 5-1 victory over Croatia at Wembley. And Rooney was then on hand to crown a fine Manchester United display with his side’s third goal as the Red Devils came from behind to beat Tottenham 3-1 at White Hart Lane. Rooney’s all-round display earned him a total of 47 points – making him the joint highest-scoring striker in this week’s Index alongside Blackburn’s Jason Roberts. The former Everton striker is also up to third in the overall standings with 128 points.

Hull suffered a miserable 4-1 defeat against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, but one of their defenders has still managed to make it into the Team of the Week. Kamil Zayatte brought the Tigers back on level terms towards the end of the first half, but his afternoon took a turn for the worse when he inadvertently diverted Michael Turner’s header into the net for Sunderland’s fourth goal. However, despite that setback, Zayatte was able to accumulate 26 points – his best score of the season to date.

Zayatte is joined in the Team of the Week by Damien Duff, who scored his first goal for Fulham to secure a 2-1 victory over Everton at Craven Cottage. Duff endured a difficult 2008-09 season which culminated in relegation from the Premier League with Newcastle. But the Republic of Ireland international appears to be relishing the opportunity of reviving his career with Roy Hodgson’s side and picked up a healthy 36 points for his efforts at the weekend.

Chelsea maintained their 100% record in the Premier League courtesy of Florent Malouda’s last-gasp goal against Stoke. And the table-topping Blues have the most representatives in the current Team of the Season, with no less than four of their players involved. Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba heads the list with 129 points and he is joined by Ashley Cole (103), fellow full-back Jose Bosingwa and goalkeeper Petr Cech (both 80).

View the latest Actim Index >

Nummer 1: Chelsea FC

Stiftet: 1905

Stadion: Stamford Bridge (Kapacitet: 42.055)

Kælenavn: Blues, Pensioners

Seneste tre ligaplaceringer: (07/08/09): 2/2/3

Første fem kampe: 15/8 Hull (H), 18/8 Sunderland (U), 22/8 Fulham (U), 29/8 Burnley (H), 12/9 Stoke (U)

Manager: Carlo Ancelotti (Siden juni 2009)

Efter Big Phil Scolaris rædselsregime og Guus Hiddinks heroiske genrejsning af Chelsea i sidste sæson fortsætter Roman Abramovich sin heftige shoppingtur blandt alverdens største trænernavne. Italienske Ancelotti er således blevet lokket til efter en lang og mestendels succesfuld årrække i italiensk fodbold. Her har Ancelotti nået at stå i spidsen for såvel Parma som Juventus og Milan gennem de sidste 13 år, og mange vil særligt huske ham for de sidste 8 år i Milan, hvor det ganske vist kun blev til et enkelt mesterskab. Til gengæld blev det til to eksemplarer af det trofæ som Chelsea tørster mest efter – pokalen med flyveørene: Champions League-trofæet.

I Milan var Ancelottis varemærke desuden at formå at få hold bestående af aldrende spillere til at fungere som et godt og stabilt godstog, som måske ikke altid var prangende på afstand, men som til gengæld ydede det nødvendige. I Chelsea får italieneren en utrolig stærk trup, som oven i købet er lidt yngre – og antageligvis noget mere sulten.

Truppen generelt: Skræmmende

På kassen har Petr Cech tilhørt den absolutte verdenselite på målmandspladsen de seneste år. I sidste sæson vaklede den store tjekke dog helt usædvanligt, og leverede en række tvivlsomme præstationer. Det rokker dog ikke ved indtrykket af at Chelsea har en absolut topkeeper som sidste skanse. Backupen Hilario har imidlertid ikke vist nogen udpræget grund til hverken at råbe hurra eller æv-bæv, når han har fået chancen. På henholdsvis venstre - og højreback er Ashley Cole og José Bosingwa i verdensklasse, alt imens anfører John Terry og Ricardo Carvalho er en meget stærk stopperduo.  Alex, Branko Ivanovic, Juliano Beletti og Paulo Ferreira er alle aldeles glimrende breddespillere, som desuden er ganske alsidige.

På midtbanen er alsidighed ligeledes et nøgleord, og mange spillere kan bytte plads på kryds og tværs alt efter omstændighederne. Kraftværket Michael Essien en fremragende fodboldspiller, mens viceanfører Frank Lampard aldrig stopper med at løbe og desuden har en næsten paranormal evne til at lave mange mål fra sin plads på den offensive centrale midtbane. En lignende rolle vil portugisiske Deco vældig gerne indtage, uden dog for alvor at slå igennem i sin debutsæson. Chelseas ofte kompakte midtbane kan desuden bestå af Michael Ballack og he-manfiguren John Obi Mikel. Dette bevirker ofte den luksus at enten Ballack eller Essien får en rolle på højrekanten, hvor også Salomon Kalou kan benyttes. På den modsatte kant har Florent Malouda været et fast indslag i sidste sæson, uden på noget tidspunkt at imponere undertegnede. Kloge hoveder hævder dog han er fremragende, så det tror vi delvist på. Nu er Joe Cole imidlertid så småt på vej tilbage efter en særdeles slem knæskadde, og den lille engelske troldmand kommer givetvis til at spille en rolle inden sæsonen er omme.

Helt på toppen råder klubben over to stærke og meget målfarlige herrer i form af Nicolas Anelka og Didier Drogba. Begge spillere er utrolig træfsikre foran mål, og særligt Drogba kan reducere de fleste forsvar til randen af tårer med sine begavede løb og overmenneskelige fysik (så glemmer vi for en gangs skyld hans utrolige fysiske svaghed når først han tackles i feltet). Salomon Kalou kan tilbyde et mere listigt alternativ, hvis Ancelotti får lyst til at forsøge sig med stor-stærk/lille-hurtig kombinationen.

Væsentlige transfere: Stille og roligt

Udover at benytte sommerne til at udlåne, hvad der minder om et helt ungdomshold – mest nævneværdigt forsvaren Michael Mancienne til Wolves, angriberen Franco Di Santo til Blackburn og offensivtalentet Scott Sinclair til Wigan – har Chelsea endelig fået skilt sig af med kæmpefloppet Andriy Shevchenko, som er taget hjem til Dynamo Kiev på en fri transfer. Det er de sikkert glade for i både London og den ukrainske hovedstad. En anden eksotisk angriber som aldrig slog igennem i Chelsea, Claudio Pizarro, er ligeledes smuttet fra the blues. Peruvianeren er taget tilbage til Bundesligaen, hvor han fremover skal spille for Werder Bremen.

Der har været rimelig stille ved indgangsdøren til Stamford Bridge. Chelsea største indkøb denne sommer – og måske et af de bedste indkøb overhovedet i dette vindue – kom i form af venstrekanten(/backen) Yuri Zhirkov som kommer til fra CSKA Moskva. Zhirkov var en del af det russiske landshold som imponerede røven ud af bukserne på alt og alle ved EM 2008, og kommer med både fart, teknik og fremragende blik for spillet til at kunne blive et kæmpehit i engelsk fodbold. At han så oven i købet har en snert af lighed med Christian Dailly bør blot fremme en hurtig og succesfuld integration. Yderligere er to unge talenter Boro-keeperen Ross Turnbull og Man City angriberen Daniel Sturridge blevet tilknyttet efter kontraktudløb i deres tidligere klubber. Særligt sidstnævnte er en spændende breddespiller pt, og potentielt en fremtidig stjerne.

Forventninger: Nu tromler Chelsea-toget…

Chelseas trup er skræmmende. Holdet råder over klassespillere til alle pladser, og ofte mere end en. Ydermere rammer en række af holdets profiler deres formodede allerbedste år i disse sæsoner, og motivationen har næppe været større for at vinde alt hvad de kommer i nærheden af efter et par lige-ved-og-næsten-sæsoner. Ancelotti er en begavet, forsigtig og kompetent træner som meget vel kan bibringe noget stabilitet og ro til det cirkus som ofte har omgærdet holdets omklædningsrum de senere år.

Derudover har holdet den fordel i forhold til sine umiddelbare konkurrenter, at man ikke har skiftet særlig meget ud i truppen, og derfor kan lade den samme maskine som sluttede sidste sæson rigtig stærkt tromle videre i denne. Hvis man dertil ligger at den særlige os-mod-verden attitude som bliver stærkere og stærkere på Stamford Bridge jo mere modgang holdet møder – ja så fremstår Chelsea godt gammeldags frygtindgydende. “Fucking-disgrace”-gate og den nylige transferban har kun skabt endnu mere sammenbidte miner hos Chelseas bundrutinerede verdensstjerner, og hvis spillere som Terry, Cole, Essien, Lampard og Drogba bliver endnu mere trodsige i deres vindermentalitet, er det næsten uhyggeligt.

Derfor vinder de Premier League 2009-2010. Med mindre egoerne eksploderer, Ancelloti fejler totalt i engelsk fodbold, knalder Abramovichs kone i frustration og russeren i stedet indsætter sin hemmelig kammersjuk Ole Mørch på trænersædet. Det er heldigvis aldrig kedeligt i vestlondon…

Tip: Forventet placering: Nummer 1 Supersæson: Nummer 1.

Epilog:

Dermed slutter den syge og muntre gennemgang af Premier League holdene. Det trak tænder ud – og trak i det hele taget bare ud. Nu kan mine fikse ideer og forudsigelser så bide mig i røven resten af sæsonen. Buddet på sluttabellen ser jo allerede ud til at være helt i skoven, og jeg er ved at formulere flere hundrede dårlige undskyldninger. Tottenhams købe af Kranjcar gør dem endnu stærkere, Portsmouth al for sene take-over ser ud til at blive dyr, Burnley har allerede gjort det bedre end antaget, og Arsenal tog vel røven på de fleste i første spillerunde. Anyways. Jeg håber i har hygget jer med det. Jeg kan se der er tusindevis af folk der har kigget ind, og jeg har da endnu ikke modtaget dødstrusler, så det tolker jeg som en munter succes…

Nu skal bloggen tilbage på sporet med selvmedlidende vrøvl fra the wonderfull world of West Ham, hvor der er sket mere de sidste tre uger end der sker på fem sæsoner af Glamour. Det er nemlig heller aldrig kedeligt i østlondon. Først skal skribenten dog på en tiltrængt restitutionstur ud i efterårslandet. Watch this space osv.

Back from International week – hoo hah! Roma won – hoo hah! …Okay, lets get on with it. As per usual, just the big games.

Football:

Manchester Utd 3-1 Tottenham – 47 seconds. That’s all it took for Jermain Defoe to give the Spurs a gloriously early lead over the Red Devils. With a bicycle kick, no less. It would take United twenty-two minutes to recover completely, as Ryan Giggs curled an equally glorious free kick away from the fully outstretched keeper Cudicini. The play went back and forth for a time, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s men went ahead before the half (40′) courtesy of Anderson’s first ever EPL goal. Dimitar Berbatov had an active night, posing a constant problem for the Spurs defensive line until he made way for substitute Michael Carrick. United saw their fortunes flag a bit upon the hour mark, as Paul Scholes received a (perhaps harsh) second yellow and was shown his marching orders after clattering into Tom Huddlestone. However Tottenham was largely lackluster and the Devils would double their lead on a Wayne Rooney goal with twenty minutes remaining – more than enough to see 10-men United earn a deserved three points.

Chelsea 2-1 Stoke City – Stoke Fans knew it couldn’t last forever. The team looked to continue their 100% success rate at home in Britannia Stadium, and were aided in that by the head of Abdoulaye Faye in the 30th minute. An enormous amount of pressure was put on the Blues, and Cech was forced to make more than a few last-ditch saves, but the tides began to turn in the second minute (out of a whopping eight) of first-half stoppage time, when Didier Drogba proved that Chelsea are not going to let a little FIFA ban ruin their fiery streak by smashing the ball into the roof of the net. After the half the Stoke back line took a relentless pounding, and though they looked rock-solid, like any rock they eventually began to crumble under the waves of assault. It would be Florent Malouda who would eventually find the back of the net, though it would be again in stoppage time (4th minute) that Chelsea preserved their fantastic winning streak.

Manchester City 4-2 Arsenal – Manchester City faced by far the hardest test they have come up against this season in the form of Arsenal – and passed with flying colours. It was the first return to the Emirates for former Arsenal players Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor since both picked up big-money transfers to Manchester in the offseason – neither expecting a warm welcome. Both sides were missing key players, with Robinho and Carlos Tevez out for City and Andrei Arshavin missing from the Gunners – all picked up knocks while serving international duty this week. A Manuel Almunia own-goal opened the scoring in this fiery first battle between the two sides who will both likely be jockeying for fourth place this season – the ball hitting the crossbar and bouncing, somewhat comically, off the diving keeper’s head and over the line. The second unfortunate own-goal in two weeks for Arsenal did not diminish their spirit, as they dominated the early portion of the game despite the deficit. The game was an incredibly scrappy outing, and the next goal did not come until well into the second half, with Robin Van Persie equalizing for the Gooners on the counter-attack on 62′. Soon after, Emmanuel Adebayor left the Dutchman with a mark to remember, making accidental boot-to-head contact, drawing blood and enraging his former sides’ fans. Unfortunately, their outrage would not subside any time soon, as Craig Bellamy would restore City’s lead before none other than Adebayor doubled it, celebrating his goal with a 90-yard run to stand defiantly before the Arsenal supporters, a move which earned him a booking and a plastic seat thrown at him from the stands. Shaun Wright-Phillips would all but seal the win in the 83rd minute, capping off a half that saw City turn the game around to dominate the home side, though Tomas Rosicky, returning from injury, would do his best to shake that dominance with a fantastic strike in the 87th. A day to forget for City fans, though they’ll take consolation in the fact that the FA will have taken an interest in Adebayor’s inflammatory celebrations.

Yeah, they almost looked this good.

Liverpool 4-0 Burnley - Welcome to the Yossi Benayoun show! The Israeli international was nothing but class on Saturday, bagging a brace and lifting his side through a thorough thrashing of the Clarets. Burnley started well enough, looking organized and confident under the leadership of Owen Coyle. Liverpool fans suffered through a frustrating first twnety-odd minutes, as Fernando Torres seemed to lack any conviction on the attack – but Rafa Benitez moved Steven Gerrard up from his unusual position as a holding midfielder and Dirk Kuyt in from the wing to add some danger to his side. On 25′ Glen Johnson spotted Yossi Benayoun making a run and fed him the ball – the Israeli continued his mazy run past two defenders before slotting home to give his side the lead. Burnley looked to silence the jubilant Kop by way of Martin Patterson, who troubled the home side’s defense and might have drawn a spot kick after being nudged off the ball in the box by Lucas. Dirk Kuyt doubled ‘Pool’s lead before the half, burying a rebound from a long-range Benayoun strike. Gerrard only gained dominance in the second half, passing up a clear-cut chance for himself to supply Benayoun with his second of the night, and hitting the post after a bombing run into the box. It would be the Israeli who would ultimately knock the Clarets into the dust, with an easy finish after taking advantage of a misplayed offside trap to lift his side to a 4-0 win at Anfield.

Calcio:

Roma 2-1 Siena – I don’t really know how to feel about this one. The win is much-needed, but Massimo Maccarone made mince-meat out of our defense to score the opener, despite Claudio Ranieri’s ultra-defensive 4-4-1-1. Speaking of ultra-defensive, this was an ugly game – I feel that the fickle Roma fans who effectively ousted Spalletti might soon be longing for his attractive attacking style of football. It is noteworthy that both of our goals came from our back lines (Philippe Mexes and John-Arne Riise, respectively), though Mexes was set up beautifully by Totti. Also notable is that both were second half goals, and that our winner came in the 89th minute. Daniele De Rossi seemed to be on the verge of exploding throughout the match, and several times had to be calmed down by his teammates – a sign of intensity, or a worrying one? One bright spot: When Vucinic took the field, the whole squad was galvanized; Totti became a new man (well, an old one – but the one we like) and we began to look dangerous. At any rate, a win is a win, and let’s look towards grabbing another one against Fiorentina next weekend instead of picking apart this one too much.

Juventus 2-0 Lazio – Another entry for the good news column. I hate Juventus as much as any self-respecting Italian, but the choice between La Vecchia Signora and I Biancocelesti is no choice at all. Like Roma, Juventus scraped out an ugly win to secure a place at the top of the Serie A table, two points ahead of scudetto favourites Inter. Lazio thought they had gone ahead just before the half with a strike from Stefano Mauri, but the shot was disallowed after Julio Cruz was adjudged to have fouled Nicola LeGrottaglie in the box and the whistle had blown. Neither side was able to find the back of the net until the 73rd minute, when a rocket-powered volley from on-loan Martín Cáceres, making his Juventus debut, beat Lazio shot-stopper (and fellow Uruguyan) Fernando Muslera. Lazio pushed hard to equalize, but to no avail, and David Trezeguet added insult to injury with a late, late goal in the 94th minute to ensure Juve back-to-back successes in the Eternal City. The good news for Juve haters though is that young star Sebastian Giovinco, who was substituted after Diego picked up an injury (more good news) has complained bitterly about the club’s continued practice of ignoring its young talent – going so far as to say that he regrets being born Italian, as the foreigners get better starting chances (paraphrasing, of course). Gio; come to Roma – ti amiamo!

AC Milan 0-0 Livorno – Milan coach Leonardo has lamented after this weekend’s match that his team failed to show up for the first half of their disappointing draw against the newly-promoted Amaranti. Both teams missed golden opportunities, with Cristiano Lucarelli losing his marker to nod just wide of goal, and Andrea Pirlo crashing a free-kick off the crossbar. For the most part though, it was a quiet night, and won’t say any more than that – because I don’t think I can put it any better than Leonardo did himself.

Genoa 4-1 Napoli – Leonardo isn’t the only disappointed manager this weekend: Napoli’s Roberto Donadoni is livid with his squad after they lost their 17th straight away game at Genoa this weekend – a streak that extends all the way back to October of last year. Sergio Floccari, Giandomenico Mesto, Hernan Crespo and Houssine Kharja all netted for I Grifoni, despite Napoli taking the early lead by way of Marek Hamsik. Genoa have grabbed 9 points from their first three outings to tie them with Juventus and city rivals Sampdoria at the top of the table.

Inter 2-0 Parma – A result to be expected – the newly promoted Parma failed to live up to the promise of their companions in promotion Bari and fell to the reigning champions. However, though they didn’t see much of the play, the visitors did manage to frustrate the Nerazzurri at home in the San Siro, and managed to hold them off for 70 minutes before Samuel Eto’o broke the deadlock and Diego Milito sealed their fate.

Udinese 4-2 Catania - Le Zebrette were lifted from a rather tepid start to the season by an Antonio Di Natale treble which saw them rise above the Sicilians in front of their home crowd at the Stadio Friuli. Finally a truly convincing result from the Northern side.

Fußball:

Bayern Münich 5-1 Borussia Dortmund – Fallen Bundesliga giants Bayern Münich have reasserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with after the international break, dismantling Borussia Dortmund in their own home at Signal Iduna Park. Borussia manager Jürgen Klopp had been adamant that his side would attack the visitors and hold them at bay, but Bayern were in unbeatable form and goals from Franck Ribery, Mario Gomez and Bastian Schweinsteiger, as well as a brace from Thomas Müller, were enough to ensure that Louis Van Gaal’s men emerged victorious. Not even the capacity crowd of 80,000 was enough to daunt Die Roten, who sent their opponents packing with style and ease.

Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 Vfl Wolfsburg – Last year’s Bundesliga Champions Wolfsburg suffered another blow to their title hopes, with their second loss in as many weeks of play. Wolves’ keeper Diego Benaglio was sent off early in the first half after a reckless foul, and Leverkusen smelled blood, taking the lead just six minutes later thanks to Simon Rolfes, who would bag a brace in the outing. Zvjezdan Misimovic and Grafite would score for Wolfsburg, and their ten-man disadvantage was eased with the second-half ejection of Eren Derdiyok, but Stephan Kiessling’s fast-break goal would prove to be enough to see Der Werkself take three points and rise to the top of the table.

Futbol:

Valencia 4-2 Valladolid – Valencia’s lethal combination of David Silva and David Villa proved that the International break did them absolutely no harm, with Silva grabbing a goal and Villa a brace (alongside a goal from Mata) to lift their side in an impressive display away at the Estadio Jose Zorilla. Los Che maintained their winning start to the season, while Valladolid picked up their second loss. Nauzet Alemán and Manucho netted for the home side.

Villarreal 1-1 Mallorca - Neither side could come away with more than one point from this weekends match at El Madrigal, with Giuseppe Rossi and Borja Valero scoring a lone goal for each respective side.

Real Madrid 3-0 Espanyol – The Catalan side fell before the still-shiny-new might of Los Galacticos, with new signing Kaka proving his worth by providing two crucial assists that lifted his side well clear of Los Periquitos. Granero, Guti and Cristiano Ronaldo, who came on as a substitute, all found the back of the net to make sure Madrid returned home with three points in hand.

Barcelona 2-0 Getafe - No surprises here. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi both scored in order to ensure Barca a win away at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez.

Sevilla 4-1 Zaragoza – Luis Fabiano once again proves that he is one of the most dangerous (and perhaps underrated) strikers in the world, bagging a brace to help his side dismantle Zaragoza at home in the Estadio Sánchez Pizjuán. Abdoulay Konko and Perotti added to their sides total with a goal apiece, while Arizmendi scored Zaragoza’s lone goal which briefly equalized in the 32nd minute.

Un gol nell’ultimo minuto di recupero di Florent Malouda contro lo Stoke City regala al Chelsea di Carlo Ancelotti la quinta vittoria consecutiva in Premiership. I blues si sono imposti 2-1 in rimonta: al gol di Aboudalaye Faye al 32′ del primo tempo ha risposto prima dell’intervallo Didier Drogba. Al 94′, il gol-vittoria siglato da Malouda. Il Chelsea conserva l’imbattibilità e sale a quota 15 punti. I ‘Blues’ precedono di tre punti il Tottenham (sconfitto 1-3 dal Manchester United) ed il Manchester City, che ha sconfitto l’Arsenal per 4-2 ottenendo la quarta vittoria in quattro partite giocate. Nel successo dei ‘Citizens’ da segnalare un gol di Emmanuel Adebayor, a segno contro i suoi ex compagni di squadra dell’Arsenal. Vince e sale a quota nove punti il Liverpool, passato con un netto 4-0 sul malcapitato Burnley (tripletta di Youssi Benayoun).

Ancelloti - No word on Terry

Tuesday started with the rumour that Aston Villa boss Martin O`Neill was interested in making a bid for Spurs Jermaine Jenas and Alan Hutton but as the day moved on, O`Neill did not want to make a comment.  Most of the Premier League`s top managers were involved in plenty of gossip with the exception of Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelloti.

We have all been expecting an announcement or statement from the Chelsea manager over John Terry`s position with the club but nothing.  So the focus of attention today has turned mainly to Ferguson and Benitez, with Arsene Wenger being involved too. 

Fergie got the sniping under way by claiming that Wenger didnt have the money to buy any new players despite the Adebayor sale, Benitez then came out with accusing Ferguson as being a liar, after saying United had finished buying this summer.  We wait with baited breath to see if Ferguson bites on Benitez comments.  Hey ho, what a wonderful football soap!

Wenger - Out Of Cash

In other gossip today, Arsene Wenger yet to respond to Fergie`s comments did publicly say he is interested in Bordeaux Striker Marouane Chamakh but this news soon took backstage as reports emerged from Austria via a French website that Arsenal midfielder Sami Nasri has broken his fibula in training and will be out for at least 6 weeks.  It doesn`t get any easier for Arsenal fans does it?  We wish Sami well.

Peter Crouch the Pompey striker made headlines throughout the day, first a report suggested Crouch did not want a move to the North East and this rumour was quickly confirmed when Sunderland boss Steve Bruce stated he was gutted that the Black Cats wont be signing him despite personal terms being offered. 

Blackburn`s Sam Allardyce publicly stated Blackburn were now out of the chase which seemed to confirm that Crouch will indeed be staying South. Whilst Crouch himself has yet to confirm this, rumours exist that the tall striker will only consider a move to a London club, Spurs and Fulham who have expressed interest in Crouch look to be battling it out for his signature.  But now following todays announcement that Portsmouth have finally been taken over by Arab property billionairre Al Fahim, might Peter Crouch stay where he is?

Crouch - No to North East

Portsmouth have been linked to signing former Liverpool favourite Steve Finnan and today Pompey confirmed that manager Paul Hart has signed a permanent two year deal to stay at the club.

In other news Wigan confirmed the signing of Hamilton`s James McCarthy, Chelsea confirmed Florent Malouda had signed a new three-year contract and Ashley Cole apologises to former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

If you want to find out who The Times has voted as the Top 10 football mercenaries which just happens to include Carlos Tevez, surprise surprise and Sven Goran Ericksson even less of a surprise take a look on our Daily Headlines page and click the link, the same applies for all the information mentioned above.

About the only other unusual news affecting today`s Premier League is Mark Hughes the City boss, for once there is little going on to report about Manchester City!  Oh well, there is always tommorrow of course…

Every year Premiership managers conspire to spend millions of pounds on exotic sounding foreign players whose names have never graced the screens of an English TV. Last year it was Marouane Fellaini, a £15 million signing for Everton. And what’s more, his tough tackling, willingness to play ludicrously out of position, and even more ludicrous haircut have made the Premiership a better place over the last twelve months. So who will be the next anonymous football starlets to to be thrust into the Premier League’s limelight?

10. Steven Defour and 9. Alex Witsel – Standard Liège

Starting with Fellaini’s old club, these two versatile and elegant midfielders added finesse to Fellaini’s more direct approach during their years together at Standard Liège. Steven Defour, the club captain, is the side’s playmaker. At 5′8 and without seven inches of hair to add to that height, he hasn’t got his former team mates presence. But he has got oodles of vision and a superb right foot, both of which helped Standard in 2008 to lift their first Belgian league title in 25 years and Defour to the coveted Golden Shoe award for his performances. With Gareth Barry now ensconced at Manchester City, rumour has it Martin O’Neill has earmarked the 21-year-old as the perfect replacement for Aston Villa.

At 20 Alex Witsel is an even younger, although arguably also a little rawer, talent. A natural deep lying player and capable passer of the ball, his athleticism has seen him play much of this season on Standard’s right wing. Witsel succeeded Defour as the Belgian Golden Shoe winner in 2009, marking him out as the season’s outstanding player a year after his goal secured Standard’s title victory. All of which should make him a pretty attractive proposition for the Premiership’s most veracious developer of young talent, Arsenal’s Arsène Wenger.

8. João Moutinho and 7. Miguel Veloso – Sporting Clube de Portugal

Another double header, this time from Sporting Clube de Portugal - the club that gave the Premiership Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani. Like Defour, João Moutinho is an attacking midfielder and club captain. But unlike Defour, five seasons at one of Europe’s elite clubs has honed Moutinho into a complete talent that has certainly caught the eye of Everton (and surely a host of other suitors). A creative player with a tendency to drift out wide on the right, he could be just the midfield dynamo to add energy to Tim Cahill’s increasingly weary legs.

Two years ago Miguel Veloso was being linked to Arsenal, so perhaps it is no wonder that he has been reticent about more recent rumours about a move to Bolton Wanderers. Whether playing just in front of a back four, or in the heart of defence, Veloso’s stock can only have improved after a string of impressive performances in the Champions League over the past three seasons. Veloso is an expert man marker and has nullified some of the most potent attacking forces in the game – just the kind of grit Liverpool could do with if Javier Mascherano decides to up sticks to Barcelona.

6. Andre-Pierre Gignac – Toulouse

The BBC’s gossip column today suggests Andre-Pierre Gignac could be a transfer target for a Blackburn side shorn of Roque Santa Cruz. The Toulouse forward was top scorer in last season’s Ligue 1, but is hasn’t always been plain sailing for Gignac. As a young striker with Lorient, the Frenchman reneged on a contract with Lille to move to Toulouse in 2007 leading to a protracted and very public allegation of foul play. A rumoured doubling of his salary at Toulouse may have had something to do with the controversy. Yet his slightly checkered past clearly hasn’t troubled his football, and as one of the French league’s top performers last year he is bound to attract attention from a cluster of top clubs in the Premiership.

5. Yuri Zhirkov and 4. Igor Akinfeev - CSKA Moscow

Chelsea and a Russian? Surely not? But the Blues fans can rest assured that Yuri Zhirkov is no Alexei Smertin. The CSKA Moscow star can play anywhere along the left flank, which would provide welcome competition for Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda.  The Russian league is a bit of an anomaly, as high salaries mean that players as good as Zhirkov haven’t previously been swept up by Europe’s bigger leagues years ago. He certainly hasn’t been kept a secret – his goal against Hamburg in the 2006-2007 Champions League was named the best of the competition.

Right, time for big hyperbolic claims now. Igor Akinfeev is the best goalkeeper outside of Europe’s big three leagues, and probably the best 23-year-old keeper in the world. Aged 18, he was the Russian national team’s youngest ever player when he made his debut. What’s more, regardless of his age after 147 senior club appearances and 32 caps for Russia he is well on the way to being a veteran. He is certainly not green, anyway. If you want proof of his ability, he went 362 minutes without conceding a goal in the 2007-2008 Champions League season. That should be more than enough to convince Sir Alex Ferguson that he could be Edwin van der Sar’s long-term successor at Manchester United.

3. Diego Buonanotte – River Plate

Extremely short, Argentinean, breathtaking ball skills – it all sounds very familiar. Diego Buonanotte is the latest in a long line of the next Diego Maradonas. Leaving that particular poisoned chalice aside, Buonanotte is an exceptional talent with a diminutive frame, just how they like to build them at River Plate. At 21, he has played nearly 50 times for River, scoring 13 goals, and represented Argentina in the Olympics. With an Italian grandparent, and therefore an Italian passport, he might not come cheap but he would come easy without the hassle of work permits to be negotiated. Which could all sound very tempting to a manager like Gianfranco Zola at West Ham, a man who knows a thing or two about small but effective creative talents.

2. Edin Džeko – Wolsburg

You could be forgiven for struggling to pronounce Edin Džeko’s name. However, you may have to get used to saying it. The Bosnian has set the German Bundesliga alight with his performances for Wolfsburg, including a tally of 34 goals in 60 appearances. Alongside teammate Grafite (picked out by this blog in March) the duo were the most successful strike partners in Bundesliga history as they propelled Wolfsburg to their first ever league title. AC Milan has been strongly linked – a deal is expected to be concluded shortly – but if it falls through expect the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal to be circling.

1. Jozy Altidore – Villareal

Six games and one goal for Villareal are hardly the signs of a world beater – even a 19-year-old world beater. But if one moment can make a career, then Jozy Altidore’s goal for the USA against Spain to end the European champion’s run of 15 straight wins and 25 games unbeaten was it. A place in the team to face Brazil in the Confederations Cup, and even perhaps a winner’s medal, are the least Altidore deserves. That goal, set up by Fulham’s Clint Dempsey, was Altidore’s 7th in 15 appearances for the USA. That record alone could be enough to convince Roy Hodgson to take a punt on the American linking up with Dempsey again in the Fulham team.

Read more here

• Tottenham move for a more familiar name – Gabriel Heinze
• All the very latest football transfer rumours
• Barcelona set to make their move in transfer market

• Mijlocasul spaniol de la Arsenal, Cesc Fabregas, a declarat recent ca este fan AC Milan, dupa ce in trecut a recunoscut ca in Spania ar juca doar la FC Barcelona, echipa la care a mai trecut, in tinerete .  Nu doar Fabregas este fan-AC Milan, si coechipierul sau togolez Adebayor si-ar dori sa evolueze pe “San Siro”, iar din Spania, Carles Puyol a mai declarat ca in cazul unei despartiri de Catalunya, ar evoluat doar in culorile “rosso-nero”.
• Un alt simpatizant al AC Milan este varful bosniac al campioanei Germaniei, Edin Dzeko. Este posibil ca transferul acestuia la Milano sa se concretizeze din moment ce atat clubul e interesat de jucator, cat si jucatorul. Totodata, si Luis Fabiano, brazilianul lui Sevilla, si-a oficializat dragostea fata de AC Milan. Deci, nu sunt singurul caruia ii curge in vene sange rosu-negru.
• Jean-Claude Dassier este noul presedite al lui Olympique Marseille, dupa ce Pape Diouf a demisionat. Asadar, curatenie de vara la OM, unde au plecat si presedintele si antrenorul Eric Gerets (ultimul plecat la Al-Hilal), toate acestea dupa ratarea titlului in Ligue 1!
• Mijlocasul francez Florent Malouda si-a innoit contractul cu Chelsea pana in 2013, dupa ce presa il dadea ca favorit sa plece de pe “Stamford Bridge”…
• Fostul mare jucator, brazilianul Denilson, a parasit Vietnamul si echipa Xi Mang Hai Phong dupa doar 45 de minute jucate! Asta doar datorita unei accidentari suferite in singura partida in care a jucat. Cel mai probabil, Denilson se va intoarce de unde a venit, in Brazilia.
• Dupa cum probabil ati tot auzit, Dario Bonetti este noul antrenor al formatiei Dinamo Bucuresti. Italianul a fost propus de Marius Vizer (patron  FC Sopron, fosta echipa a lui Bonetti) si acceptat de Cornel Dinu, noul manager sportiv al “alb-rosilor”. Sa se reediteze povestea “Esteban Vigo”?
• Vedetele de ieri, somerii de azi! Fostul finalist de UCL, Fernando Morientes, fostul pusti-minune al lui Liverpool, Michael Owen, unul dintre cei mai buni fotbalisti cehi din istorie, Pavel Nedved si multi alti fotbalisti consacrati se afla liberi de contract. Lista “somerilor” continua cu Juan Ricardo Cruz (ex-Inter), Christian Panucci (ex-AS Roma), Sylvinho (ex-Barcelona), Pantelic (ex-Hertha), Thomas Rosicky (ex-Arsenal), Ze Roberto (ex-Bayern Munchen)…
• Fostul mare jucator Antonio Conte a plecat de la Bari, formatie pe care a promovat-o in Serie A. Ramane de vazut unde va antrena in sezonul ce vine, asa cum nu se stie nici care este inlocuitorul lui Conte pe banca tehnica a celor de la Bari.
• Landreau, aproape de Lille. Fostul portar al nationalei de fotbal a Frantei, actualmente aflat inca sub contract cu PSG, a declarat oficial ca este tentat sa semneze cu ocupanta locului 5 din sezonul recent incheiat in Ligue 1.

• Fabio Grosso e pe cale sa paraseasca “masinaria de fotbal” Olympique Lyon! Este foarte posibil sa-l vedem la pe “Delle Alpi”, la Juventus Torino. Pe de alta parte, Fiorentina este interesata de serviciile lui Drenthe, de la Real Madrid.

CLICK AICI PENTRU A DESCARCA “Il Giro ‘09″, povestea Turului Italiei, editia centenara.

Pentru a afla modalitati de copiat la bac/examene, dati click aici!

It would be fair to say that the last week in the Barclays Premier League was not the most exciting, with nothing really changing at the top or the bottom. And that is reflected in the Actim Index, with the week`s highest score a conservative 45, which was registered by Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas. Jenas bagged the only goal as Harry Redknapp`s side beat bottom club West Brom and recorded his highest Actim score of the season in the process. It helped him rise 28 places to 76th in the standings, the sixth best Spurs player in the standings. He was joined in the Team of the Week by team-mates Ledley King and Vedran Corluka.

Also flying high in this week`s standings is Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner. The Dane scored twice as the under-strength Gunners beat Portsmouth 3-0 at Fratton Park to register a score of 42 points, which is his highest score of the season. That helped him earn one of the two coveted striking spots in the Team of the Week, where he was joined by Chelsea`s Didier Drogba, who continued his belated climb up the standings with his own season`s-best tally of 40 in the 3-1 win over Fulham.

The top of the Index remains unchanged, with Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina and Manchester United`s Cristiano Ronaldo swapping places being the only movement in the top 10. But had the Index started at the end of the January transfer window, there would be a clear leader at the top – and his name is Andrey Arshavin. The Russian has made an instant impression since his move to Arsenal and is already knocking on the door of the top 100. He was again in the Team of the Week after his performance at Portsmouth and averages 29 in the Actim Index in each of his 10 appearances. To put that into perspective, Index leader Frank Lampard averages 18, and the next highest average behind Arshavin is 19, by second-placed Nicolas Anelka.

Manchester United and Liverpool are still slugging it out for the title, but after regulation wins over north east strugglers Middlesbrough and Newcastle, they have just one player each in the Team of the Week – and both in defence. United are represented by Jonny Evans, who earned 27 points in the 2-0 win at the Riverside, while Liverpool`s Fabio Aurelio earns his spot after a tally of 29 in the 3-0 win over the Magpies.

The Team of the Week is completed by Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, in-form Chelsea winger Florent Malouda and Everton`s Steven Pienaar. The South African netted just his second goal of the season in the 2-0 win at Sunderland, while also setting up Marouane Fellaini for the second – his fifth assist of the campaign. That helped him to a season`s-best score of 40, 10 better than his previous highest.

Newcastle`s battle against the drop will no longer be aided by Joey Barton after the controversial midfielder was sent off in Sunday`s 3-0 loss to Liverpool. The 26-year-old`s troubled career has taken another hit after he was suspended by the club until further notice on Tuesday, leaving his future at St James` Park hanging by a thread. The Actim Index shows that in his nine Barclays Premier League appearances this season, the former Manchester City man has scored one goal and averaged just seven in the Index each week. He has won all 10 of the tackles he has made that have not been fouls, but has committed nine fouls, earning two yellow cards and the one red. He has made 98 passes – more than 10 a game – and four crosses, but has been unable to help the Magpies claw their way out of trouble.

View the latest Actim Index >

The penultimate day of Chelsea’s Search for an Asian Soccer Star event continued as more young Desi hopefuls turned up to the club’s training ground in Cobham, Surrey.

Today was the turn of the under-13’s to impress the scouts and coaches to be crowned the winner. Ilford lad Jordan Sadhu was the chosen one and will get a summer trial with the club’s Academy.

The youngsters had a memorable day as they were visited by first-teamers Ashley Cole, Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou as well as assistant manager Ray Wilkins, who offered them advice and encouragement.

Click here to read more…

Oh, I was looking forward to this game since the fixtures came out last June. Oh, how my wait was in vain.

I turned up the game about 50 minutes before kickoff to soak up in the atmosphere of Stamford Bridge. I’ve been there 4 times this year and I still haven’t learnt – there is no atmosphere at Stamford Bridge. I sat there reading my programme whilst being bombarded with the sound of advertisements as Chelsea had conveniently put about 10 massive speakers right above the away end. Not nice to have when you’re on the phone to your Dad, I might add.

Before the game, I had a genuine sense of expectation for Fulham to do well. That’s what playing big four teams in between vital Champions League semi-finals does to you. But then again, Liverpool played a weakened side last year against us and we lost 2-0. Chelsea played a full-strength squad and, as you’re later going to find out, it was a closer game than Fulham v Liverpool at the Cottage last year.

Fulham started with Nevland and Zamora up front – even though AJ doesn’t really score away from home (his only away goal in the league coming in a 3-1 win against Bolton Wanderers in March), you can’t help but feel he would have made a difference in today’s game. We also started with Zoltan Gera, who proved to the Fulham faithful what he can do with a fantastic goal against, sorry but I’ve forgotten who it was against… Oh, oh, it’s come back to me. Only Manchester United. He also gave a good performance against Stoke (so I’ve heard. I unfortunately missed the Stoke game due to other commitments, and it left me gutted as it was the first league game I’d missed at the Cottage since Everton in 2005/06), so he has to have had some confidence going into the game.

Chelsea against Fulham is always a good game, and it was shown early on. Unfortunately, Fulham were the first team to feel the harshness of conceding a very early goal when Nicolas Anelka put the ball past Mark Schwarzer after just 51 seconds. But we still had 88 minutes, so we kept believing.

And that belieft was paid off three minutes later. I quote myself on saying “first team to feel the harshness of conceding a very early goal” because Erik Nevland put us on level terms just three minutes later with a typically tight finish following a gloriously lofted ball from none other than Danny Murphy. The Fulham faithful, including myself, went wild, inspiring one of my friends in the Chelsea East Stand to say “why are you all getting excited, you’re only drawing”. Such is the meaning of a goal against the team everyone loves to hate.

All season long, I’ve been saying Florent Malouda is awful, but he chooses to play well against Fulham. He played well, but his goal was a bit fortunate. John Pantsil lost the ball and allowed Anelka to cross in for Malouda to score. Three goals after ten minutes.

The game calmed down, but the Fulham faithful didn’t. We kept on outsinging the Chelski and our support prompted a few futile attempts at a battle between the fans.

At half-time, you still felt that Fulham had a chance to get a goal and keep going and pushing on for the win. Well, those hopes were cast aside when Didier Drogba scored eight minutes into the second half. The same sort of goal as he scored against Arsenal.

He played quite a big role in the later stages of the game as well, typically confusing football for theatre. He was on the ground at least three times in the game and only one was a challenge where he got injured and ended up being substitued for Franco Di Santo late on. The first two were good challenge, but the third was a bit of a freak accident as he collided with John Pantsil’s fist as he was jumping up for a header. No intent in the challenge, just collided with it.

I left the game 5 minutes early because Fulham didn’t really look like creating any more chances, but I will always remember the Fulham faithful singing when we’re 3-1 down.

And my last words for this post: “Forty-thousand Muppets!”

– Ryan