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

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

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

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

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

Poor Avram Grant must be thinking of ways to get the penalty mark removed from the field of play. Eighteen months ago, John Terry slipped on the spot that cost Grant his job at Chelsea. Last night, Wayne Rooney showed how to stay on your feet not once but twice when taking a penalty to steer Manchester United to a comfortable victory at the once impregnable Fratton Park.

United’s formation, based around Rooney’s power play as a sole striker together with Antonio’s Valencia’s speed and Ryan Giggs’ imaginative darts and flicks, were a thorn in the Portsmouth side. There was the usual poor first half performance from the Red Devils, which was understandable when they looked over to their bench and did not see the calming, gum-chewing influence of Sir Alex Ferguson.

United created numerous openings with the forward players’ movement, helped by a Portsmouth defence which makes Burnley’s look water-tight. Sir Alex may have found a role that fits Paul Scholes in his final few years as the deep-lying playmaker. The gingerhead looked much more comfortable with Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher combing the middle in front of him. They gave him time and space to distribute the ball as only he knows how.

Tomasz Kuszczak reassured United fans that there is life after Edwin Van der Sar with a faultless performance in goal. He was already better than Ben Foster because he could actually kick the ball. Three brilliant saves last night makes him a serious contender for the future number one spot. But it won’t stop fan forums from continually mentioning the names of Igor Akinfeev and Manuel Neuer.

The game could have gone all wrong for United had they allowed yet another unfathomable refereeing decision affect them. Referee Mike Dean was all ready to blow for a foul on Kuszczak when he got a message in his earpiece from his assistant, who somehow spotted an infringement by Nemanja Vidic 50 yards away. Sometimes, you wonder whether these people just want to get on the back pages of the newspapers, a sure-fire way to a book publishing deal in the future.

Thankfully, while my frustration was taken out on a pillow which I almost threw out the window, United focused their efforts on regaining the lead and after the interval, started to show why they had those champions badges on their jerseys. The manner in which Rooney tucked in his second goal from a trademark Giggs flick harkened back to the days of Eric Cantona, the nonchalant finisher extraordinaire.

Rooney’s hat-trick was sealed with his second penalty of the day and another to be added to the list of dubious refereeing calls in the match. Frederic Piquionne was clumsy in trying to win the ball back from Giggs but there was minimal contact between them. Dean probably used this opportunity to make things right and prevent Sir Alex from calling him bald or ugly after the game.

Giggs, who becomes 36 years young this weekend, turned it into an impromptu birthday party with a splendid free-kick just before the end. This Welsh man is the greatest Manchester United player in history. His commitment to the United cause since he was a schoolboy is a dying breed in a time when players’ loyalty to their clubs is determined by the numbers on their pay cheque. There will never be another Ryan Giggs so cherish every minute that he spends in a red jersey.

This performance may be over-stated against the bottom dwellers of the league but seeing his side win comfortably and put some pressure on Chelsea must have brought a smile to Sir Alex’s face, along with the fact that he didn’t have to sit on the bench in monsoon weather conditions.

As for Portsmouth, it’s going to be a struggle till May for them to save their top flight status. I salute the half naked lunatic fan who kept ringing his bell throughout the ninety minutes. If only his team showed just as much commitment and consistency.

There has been so much written word circulating about our clash with Chelsea.  That tends to happen when two members of the “Big Four” play each other, but with the majority of the other “Big Four” being duds in terms of football excitement, the media really enjoys covering any match we’re a part of.  That’s not me being partial.  I’m convinced Arsenal v. any of the other three clubs are infinitely more intriguing game, on footballing terms, than any other match up.

So with that, the multitude of information to absorb, including the late breaking news that Robin van Persie is most likely finished for the season, I’m just going to free form the preview with a lot of points instead of a coherent whole.

- Wenger has stated that the “moment has come.”  He has used this type of language before, during the Champions League semi against Manchester United last year.  We know how that one turned out, as a Kieran Gibbs slip negated any chance of us progressing to the final.  He is saying it, because he thoroughly believes it.  We’re a point in the season where we’ve been devastated by injuries, suffered lapses of concentration, and in the process been written off.  Believe me, after today’s news, nobody will be pushing us for the title.  That is when you either take a stand or you shrivel up and die.  Make no mistake, this is at the least a “must not lose game.”  We must, as a team, as fans, refuse to lose.

- Fixtures between relegation candidate teams are usually referred to as “six pointers.”  All matches for Premier League title contenders are six pointers, especially so when facing a direct rival.

- We defeated Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last year with a shock Robin van Persie double, one of the goals being blatantly offside.  What we’ve seem to forgotten is that Chelsea humiliated us at the Emirates in the return fixture.  That match saw us concede the most goals we’ve ever conceded at the Emirates.  I have not forgotten.  Just like I have not forgotten that Nicolas Anelka refused to celebrate his goal against us.

- Which brings us to Nicolas Anelka, one of the few Chelsea players who I do not hate with a passion.  The other player I feel that way is Michael Essien.  Anelka has aged gracefully in all facets.  He’s truly a class player, and he will be a deadly link up outlet in the game.  The reason why the diamond formation has worked at all is not because Frank Lampard is a classic no. 10, it’s because Anelka makes the attack click.

- Michael Essien is the only player I really covet from any other team in the Premier League.

- Didier Drogba has played 10 matches against us.  They have won 8 times and drawn 2 times.  Some of this is down to Philippe Senderos.  Some of it is down to the fact that he’s a big time player, and he fancies playing against us.  Tomorrow will be the first time he plays Thomas Vermaelen.  We will see if Vermaelen is truly a world class defender or a class below that.

- It will also be the first time that Chelsea face us with Alex Song as our lockdown midfield enforcer.

- John Terry has been walking around with his chest out, feeling as though the team is back to their Mourinho days.  Well, the first year Chelsea won under Mourinho, they conceded only 15 goals.  They’re halfway there already.  They lost to Wigan Athletic, and no offense to Wigan, close call aside, Mourinho’s sides did not lose to sides like that.  But that’s fine by my book, I like arrogance as much as the next professional.  They’ve done nothing to merit their status as front runners, others have merely faltered.

- On good and bad luck, Chelsea were outplayed, fairly comprehensively in my eyes, by Manchester United and still got the three points.  We outplayed Manchester United and they snuck out with three points at Old Trafford.  That’s football.  Name another sport where you can dominate a match and lose.  There is none.

- A couple of weeks ago, I spoke about how Chelsea were having injury problems.  Well, Drogba and Lampard recovered and we lost van Persie and Gibbs.  I guess it’s my fault for tempting the gods.

- Carlo Ancelotti was not a good league manager in Italy.  He won a title, but his main accomplishments are in Europe.  From what I can tell, his European touch has rubbed off on their side.  We’ve yet to see if he’s carried over his league form, but methinks the funeral parlor man will have real tests in the upcoming months, starting with the next two weeks.

- The African Cup of Nations will not affect Chelsea while their players are away.  Look at their cream puff schedule.  They can easily handle those teams without the African quartet.  However, it will affect their side when they return.  Players have a difficult time coming back from that tournament, just look at Kolo and his malaria.  But likewise, we’ll be losing Song and Eboue when we actually need them and they’ll return fatigued.  Clearly, it’s worse for us than it is for them.

- Chelsea’s transfer ban will do nothing to the club, as Wenger categorically stated. All it did was bring attention to a young player who may or may not have been worth the fuss. With rumors that Chelsea will be signing Kun Aguero for 50 million pounds, just what was the point of the ban? Aguero, on his day, is a super player. Not sure that he’ll make it here, but at least his progeny will have super genes.

- William Gallas is a warrior.  And unless his eye is completely shut off, he will play tomorrow.  He relishes the big games, and he will want to play against Chelsea.  Kolo’s pot shot at him was both disrespectful and unnecessary.  How many ex-Arsenal players have to go down that route?  And where are all the pundits who were writing that Arsenal was wrong to sell him now?  Eating that nasty bird.  That’s where.

- Armand Traore struck me as being a useful player last week against Sunderland.  Despite words to the contrary, I felt as though he could be a decent understudy to Clichy.  That being said, Gibbs seemingly helped neutralize the left side of Standard Liege, so his loss will also be felt.  But let’s not forget that Armand Traore is a devoted professional and was once and still is a highly rated prospect.

- The diamond formation for Chelsea is far less effective when Frank Lampard holds the keys.  In that respect, maybe it is better that he has recovered.  Deco and Joe Cole can operate on the tip of the diamond, but Lampard is struggling with it.  That does not mean we can discount his work rate and his affinity for shooting missiles from middle range.

- Then again, clashes between the Big Four rarely come down to offensive brilliance.  They come down to the small moments.  I find it somewhat laughable that Manuel Almunia is talking about ensuring that “we” don’t make any small mistakes.  His rash throw 18 months ago during a match against Chelsea started an attack which led directly to a goal.  If he doesn’t make a mistake against United, we could have walked to victory.  He has been okay since he’s come back from his chest infection/family bereavement.  I suggest that he is the one who should not make a mistake.

- As much as I’d like not to see Cesc associate himself with Gerrard, I can’t help but think his statements about our club are 100% genuine.  Let’s never think about his future while his present is so thoroughly with Arsenal.

- Theo, I’m looking at you.

- A few months ago, we were deprived of having Gallas (through injury) and Arshavin (through ineligibility) in the Champions League semi.  Now, it looks as though Robin will miss out.  When will the stars align for us?  These injuries are taking a toll.

- With Robin van Persie’s devastating injury news, an alternate formation may need to be developed over the next few weeks.  I can’t say something like that for sure, but now, more than ever, somebody needs to step into that breach.  That player has to be Andrey Arshavin.  There have been numerous reports about his depression following Russia’s exit from the World Cup.  I sympathize.  But this is the moment where he proves that he can be one of the all time greats.  I believe he has that potential, and he must prove me right for our season to stay on track.

- I love this club, and I will support it until the day I die.  

Victoria Concordia Crescit.

by Jack Schiavi

Chris Kirkland

1. Football 365 – Fergie believes Wes Brown is the “best natural defender in the country”.

Brown has struggled since returning this season and needs to improve his performances to prove Fergie right. With England’s right back slot still open Brown has a chance to be starting at the World Cup.

2. BBC – Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs out for three months.

This is gutting news for Gibbs and for England. With Gael Clichy out this was Gibbs’ chance to make a real push for a World Cup space.

3. Telegraph – John Terry for sale as Chelsea and England captain touts for business.

And he doesn’t get paid enough already. Concentrate on the football John – if you win the World Cup you’ll get all the endorsements you ever wanted.

4. Daily Mail – Gazza offered coaching lifeline by Peter Beardsley.

Gazza coaching youngsters? He’s probably not the best example to follow. A surprise appointment even at Newcastle.

5. Daily Telegraph – Kirkland is England’s best says Steve Bruce.

Bruce praises the injury prone goalkeeper, this on the back of Wigan’s 9-1 loss on Sunday.

Not in period style peak level but Becks is still the king of his money

With 32.4 million euros, midfielder played for AC Milan are the type of loan from LA Galaxy, David Beckham became the best money player in the village football world. The top 10 on the list, Milan also has two other capital contribution in the name Kaka and Ronaldinho.

No flowers were beautiful boys proud as Beckham, but the soul of Barcelona, Lionel Messi is also equally good money after collecting 28.6 million euros on to win second place in the top 10 money on airport Viking grass. “Footballer of the world” Cristiano Ronaldo won the third position with 19.6 million euros.

List of France Football, the British totally proud when they can contribute to three players: Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and John Terry. Premier League proper is fertile land in the contribution to the fourth name in the top 10.

Top 10 best money player in the world.

1. David Beckham (Milan): 32.4 million euros

2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona): 28.6 million euros

3. Ronaldinho (Milan): 19.6 million euros

4. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United): 18.3 million euros

5. Thierry Henry (Barcelona): 17 million euros

6. Kaka (Milan): 15.1 million euros

7. Zlatan Ibrahimović (Inter): 14 million euros

8. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United): 13.5 million euros

9. Frank Lampard (Chelsea): 13 million euros

10. John Terry (Chelsea): 11.7 million euros

By France Football

Righty oh after the shoe sniffing fun and hilarity over the transfers (Should the British Government re-survey the geography of England there would be a new mountain in London consisisting of the bullshit transfer stories of The Daily Mirror, The Sun and others) it is time to move on to more philosophical topics..

This week question is designed to address the fact that no matter how hard we try and ignore it time continues to roll on and in just 5 weeks we will enter a new decade. In that vain I will be using the question of the week slot to look back over the last ten years and the players, managers and personalities who have shaped what is undoubtably the most successful decade in the clubs history.

This week I would like to start in a perfectly logical order by looking at the central defenders who have sweated blood sweat and tears to defend the Chelsea goal over the last ten years, I have compiled a list of 5 candidates for your consideration.

1. Marcel Desailly

Marcel Desailly joined Chelsea as a World Cup winner after the blues had themselves won both the League Cup and European Cup Winners Cup and his signing represented how far the club had come in such a short period of time and the dawn of the Hoddle era.

After the turn of the millenium Desailly spent a further four years at Chelsea in a Chelsea team full of swagger, flair and success only a mistake against Monaco that inadvertenly ended the commentary career of Ron Atkinson (no fault of Desailly) blotted his copybook. Skilful strong and powerful no one can argue that he was not a Chelsea legend.

2. Ricardo Carvalho

After following Jose Mourinho from Porto Ricardo Carvalho joined John Terry and William Gallas to form one of the most formidable central defensive line ups in Premier League history, between them they only conceded 15 Premier League goals as Chelsea romped to their first title in 50 years.

What he lacks in height and pace he makes up with an amazing ability to read the game and his positioning skill, a defensive rock during but dangerous from set pieces he is a fans favourite and definite contender for the title ‘ Best Chelsea Central defender of the noughties’

3. William Gallas

A controversial suggestion but after 230 appearances 14 goals, 2 Premier League titles and a League Cup it is hard to ignore the contribution he made before acting like a complete bellend and threatening all sorts in order to secure a move away from Stamford Bridge.

Strong, quick and powerful he was also versatile and able to play in a number of positions along the back line. His move to Arsenal as part of the Ashley Cole deal can be argued to be a key factor in the relinquishing of the Premier League title in 2007.

Hated now, but was he one of Chelsea’s best?

4. John Terry

The obvious choice, captain since 2003 he has played a definitive role in Chelsea’s decade captaining the side to a plethora of titles and a heartreaking kick away from European glory. Strong, athletic and dedicated he is often dubbed ‘Mr Chelsea’ and has been European Defender of the year twice and will captain his country to the World Cup next summer.

I do not need to waste time extolling Mr Terry’s virtues as you know them already!

The Wrappy Up Bit

Right so the obvious candidate is Terry, but Desailly and Carvalho would win this at pretty much any other club in the country and so would Gallas if well he wasnt an arrogant idiot full of self importance.

Have I missed any other candidates? 

Can we look beyond John Terry?

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Brazilian footballers tend to take a more cavalier approach to making the distinction between given names and nicknames. Hence a good proportion of the boys in yellow run around with something a little out of the ordinary written across their shoulders. This ranges from the amusingly prosaic like Fred, Jo or my personal favourite, Tim, to the scatalogically infantile such as Kaka and Dudu. 

But sometimes the choice of moniker can represent an unfair advantage. During England’s one-sided friendly in Doha last week Givanildo Vieira de Souza was brought on to make his debut. Otherwise known as Hulk. The provenance of this sobriquet is disputed but what is certain is that it strikes fear into the heart of any opposition defence. Hulk is aptly named: muscular, stocky and a generally a nuisance. Particularly when he’s angry.

I’d argue that Fifa should introduce a law that entitled every international team to adopt this relaxed approach to the naming of squad members, but Wazza, Crouchy and JT don’t really share that same sense of menace.

If the above two players from Manchetser United are legends according to you my friend Noyang then widen your horizons to other clubs also…
The premiership leaders as of now and favourites to win the premier league this season, Chelsea is the club to watch for… And the man whom I am talking about is the Whale in the blues sea. He is John Terry.

The cool clam defender who also plays for England is a player to watch with his great style of defending who can attack when he is unnoticed. He has made his mark in the Chelsea side and has been in the squad in the previous Chelsea when the Russian Roman Abramovich bought the London club in June 2003. When a defender is that good the awards will follow. He was voted as the best defender in the European Champions league in 2005 and 2008 and was voted the PFA Player of the Year by his fellow professionals, the first Chelsea man to get the honours.
AtChelsea he had already taken on the skipper’s role, having observed and thoroughly studied Marcel Desailly and led the club toan unbelievable title in his very first year with the captain’s armband. He recently said that ifChelsea doesn’t win a champions league or any major he won’t be also to sleep in peace.
As the high spending Manchester City didn’t stop offering Terry till July 2009, making a third bid for Terry, but Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti has insisted Terry will remain at Chelsea. With 350+ appearances at Stamford bridge has surely made him a legend at Stamford Bridge.

He has shown the way for Chelsea again and again, the latest being the winner against Manchester United in the premier league recently. Making him the man with the tag… The Striking defender.

"Rarrrrrr"

John Terry has often been touted as the ‘lion-heart’ beating furiously at the centre of the England teams feral core – but it appears the constant barrage of Lion-esque eulogising has had an unanticipated effect. Clearly no longer satisfied with having three Lions on his shirt it appears brave Terry 29, has opted for a controversial ‘gene-splicing’ procedure at a private London clinic to merge his unique genetic make-up with that of THREE LIONS.

With the 2010 World Cup rapidly approaching, fearless Terry appears to have sought out alternative measures to not only improve his on-field performance but also enhance his patriotic credentials. Craig Muff, the visionary doctor who previously succeeded in grafting Nigel Winterburn with a bush baby, will perform the controversial operation next Thursday. He explained:-

“My fellow doctors and I have sat brave John down and attempted to explain that splicing his valiant, fearless DNA with 3 assorted Lions will achieve the same effect as doing it with a single Lion. However, John was a very clear in what he wanted. And is very rich. So, in keeping with the patients wishes, we’re going ahead with three lions.”

The initial warning signs of heroic Terry’s increasing lion-fixation were subtle but there for all to see at a Chelsea press conference in June this year; Terry refused to answer any questions from assembled hacks unless addressed as ‘Mr. Lion’ or ‘Your Highness.‘

Terry’s worrying but very brave spiral into Lion-obsession continued after he was cautioned for verbally chastising a group of American tourists at London Zoo in September after they dubbed Simba, the zoo’s resident lioness, a “jerk-off Lion”.

More to follow…

Copyright 2009 Crab Football. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. This is fictional. Obviously.

I’m not underplaying the provocative international matches tomorrow. France v. Ireland promises to be an intriguing fixture, with Raymond Domenech’s head on the line. Portugal v. Bosnia-Herzegovina is a matchup ripe for an upset.

That being said, my head has been turned by the Chelsea players who will miss the match against us in two weeks time.

The players are Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Jose Bosingwa, and Ashley Cole. John Terry has a slight knock.

This is excellent news for two reasons.

The first, I don’t need to mention. We must not allow Chelsea to extend their lead over us, and they will be primed to be pounced on, especially without Drogba who nearly always scores against us.

The second reason is less important. Because Chelsea will be missing key personnel, I’m sure people will underestimate the importance of the win. That will allow us to fly under the radar, something I’d prefer.

So I send out thanks to the English FA for using a plane to small to accommodate English players and Jonny Evans for his kung-fu tackle on Didier.

That being said, fingers crossed that our own players make it back from their own intense matches.

England boss Fabio Capello remains confident the 28-year-old will be fit, but vowed not to take any risks with the Chelsea defender.

If Terry is absent, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney will captain the side.

Rooney, Terry and Gareth Barry are the only first-team regulars remaining in Capello’s squad for the game at the Khalifa International Stadium.

England may be especially careful with Terry after his Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard flew home on Thursday with a thigh injury.

The midfielder will be out for three weeks with a torn muscle.

But Capello said of Terry: “He was running on his own and twisted his ankle. I am confident he will be fit for Saturday.

“The doctors think so but I won’t take a risk. If he is not fit, he will not play.”

Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson withdrew from the squad on Tuesday, joining first-team regulars Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole, David James, Theo Walcott and Emile Heskey on the sidelines.

Squad members David Beckham, Aaron Lennon and Carlton Cole are also missing.

In their absence, the likes of Wes Brown, Michael Carrick and James Milner could get a chance to shine for England.

Aston Villa’s Stephen Warnock and Wayne Bridge of Manchester City are vying to replace Cole at left-back.

Barry, speaking to the media in place of Terry on Friday, said England could draw on their performance against Germany in a friendly a year ago when a makeshift side won 2-1 in Berlin.

“It is a disappointment the amount of injuries we have had at one time,” he said.

“When you are playing the best team in the world, you want your strongest team out there against them.

“But at least it will give other people the opportunity to prove what they can do at this level.

“We played against Germany when a lot of senior people were missing and produced one of our best performances under Fabio Capello.”

Brazil, by contrast, are almost at full strength, although manager Dunga has left out AC Milan pair Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato.

In Pato’s place, Porto striker Hulk has been given his first call-up.

Manchester City forward Robinho is also with the squad, despite not having played for his club for over two months because of an ankle injury.

City boss Mark Hughes says his £32.5m signing should not play for his country.

“We felt he would benefit from having training sessions with the quality of the Brazil squad,” Hughes told BBC Sport.

“But it was only agreed to on the understanding that he takes no part in the games. Frankly we’d be disappointed if he did because if he plays in a full international he’s going to compromise himself.”

Goalkeepers: Ben Foster (Manchester United), Robert Green (West Ham), Joe Hart (Manchester City).

Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Manchester City), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Gary Cahill (Bolton), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Huddlestone, Jermaine Jenas (both Tottenham), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Aston Villa).

Strikers: Darren Bent (Sunderland), Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe (both Tottenham), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

As I’m working on the feature script, as a director I have to think about who’s going to play which roles.
I have some actors that I have in mind for the role of KEN but I haven’t really thought about who should play JACK. (Crime boss, Ken’s father figure who adopts him)
Now, you guys have seen the film and you get the idea.
These are the actors that I have in mind for the role but I want to know what you guys think.
To be honest, I’ll be very lucky to have any of them and I’ll probably go for all of them with the script, too.
So, pick your choice! Let the game begin!

James Morrison

Liam Neeson

John Terry

Rade Serbedzija

Cu totii il stim pe John Terry, capitanul lui Chelsea Londra si totodata sufletul acestei echipe, alaturi de Franck Lampard. Este unul dintre cei mai bine platiti fotbalisti din lume la ora actuala, cu o situatie materiala de invidiat.

Totusi, englezul nu se poate lauda si cu familia sa, una nu tocmai la fel de cinstita… In ajunul derby-ului Chelsea – Man Utd (incheiat 1-0 pentru londonezi) a aparut stirea conform careia tatal lui John, Ted Terry (55 de ani) a fost surprins printr-o camera ascunsa de niste ziaristi deghizati vrand sa faca tranzactii cu cocaina. Suma de bani nu era una enorma, britanicii de la „News of the World” urmau sa-i plateasca 120 de lire sterline, un gram de nisip comarativ cu muntele de bani pe care il castiga pe saptamana la Chelsea (aproape doua sute de mii de lire).

Nici mama lui Terry nu e usa de biserica; in urma cu cateva luni a fost arestata pentru furt dintr-un magazin ce – ATENTIE! – era si sponsor al echipei nationalei de fotbal a Angliei. Femeia a fost prinsa in afara magazinului cu produsele neplatite.

Legat de incidentul cu tatal sau, aparut in presa inainte de partida de duminca – se pare ca nu l-a afectat prea tare pe John Terry, cel care a si marcat unicul gol al partidei, care a decis meciul si care a distantat-o pe Chelsea in clasament.

Chelsea Meet Carlo...

The Borough of Chelsea and Kensington is home to a number of the wealthiest people on earth, the most sublime of gastronomic delights, and is a practically unrivaled locale for a shopper on the hunt for haute couture. Yes, Chelsea is undoubtedly one of London’s crown jewels, though its extra sparkle of late can be solely attributed to one man… and his influence over their infamous boys in blue.

Several years ago when ‘The Special One’, Jose Mourinho, left the club due to a prolonged and aggravated dispute with the powers that be, Chelsea was once again thrust into football limbo. Granted this limbo included a trip to the Champions League final in 2008, but it also included player dissatisfaction, off field escapades and falling short in their quest to win the EPL, the Carling Cup, the FA Cup, not to mention losing to bitter rivals Manchester United in the aforementioned Champions League Final.

It was obvious that Avram Grant was not the answer, and it became painfully obvious to everybody, except perhaps the man himself, that Luiz Felipe Scolari was not the man for the job either. Such dissatisfaction with the team’s management had Chelsea fans in London, England, and indeed the world over, clamoring for Chelsea’s billionaire sugar daddy, Roman Abramovich, to put aside his squabble with the gifted Portuguese. With typical Russian stoicism he declined their requests and delivered unto them a saviour that has footy fans who worship the blue and white asking… Jose Who???

He knows the stakes. He knows the odds. He knows his competition, and more importantly, how to dissect and frustrate them. He is the master of the four man defensive system. Champions League? He has won it 4 times… twice with his own two feet and twice with a pad and a pen. His name is Carlo Ancelotti, and Chelsea fans, you can thank Roman later.

Of course the majority of Ancelotti’s success came while at the helm of Italian giant AC Milan. He took one of the world’s true football dynasties and restored them to the glory of the star studded Milan teams of the late 80s and early 90’s. Chelsea  fans should be honoured that he has selected their club as his next project. That is not to say that he is charged with building The Blues up from scratch. On the contrary, this is a team that is far and wide unrivaled in its collection of talent. However, much like Milan, talent counts for little if the squad does not move uniformly towards one ultimate goal. The goal, the only goal according to Abramovich, is for Ancelotti to replicate his successes with Milan at Chelsea, and to become the Champions of Europe.

Of course, like all great Italian football strategists, Ancelotti focuses on building from the net out. In Peter Cech he has arguably one of the greatest keepers of the past decade, and in John Terry he has found a captain and defensive workhorse reminiscent of a certain Milanese defender of note. Paolo something I think his name is. To that end, the Milan comparisons are numerous. A midfield previously reserved for wide attack play has been substituted for more through the middle action, focusing primarily through the artistic conduit that is Frank Lampard (Kaka anyone?). Furthermore, strong play and deft passing from Michael Essien and John Mikel Obi has allowed for more freedom of movement on the wings and of course down the middle to the strike duo of Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba. That’s right, a strike duo.

For years, Drogba has patrolled Chelsea’s opponents’ 18 yard box on his own, the tip of Chelsea’s attacking spear as it were. However, upon reflecting on his ‘modest success’ utiziling Andrei Shevchencko and Filippo Inzaghi simultaneously at Milan, Ancelotti has decided that perhaps using two of the deadliest strikers in Europe in the same starting XI would increase the team’s killer instinct in front of goal.

Lets have a look the results thus far. EPL rivals Liverpool and Manchester United have come calling to Stamford Bridge and both have been turned away by scores of 2-0 and 1-0 respectively. Chelsea currently sits supreme in the Premiership with a mighty 10-0-2 record, both losses coming away from London’s west end. Moreover, it was not until last week that Chelsea allowed a goal in this Champions League season, again in an away match.

Cech Please...

Granted the scoring touch of Drogba and new pal Anelka is ever present as is the high flying wing play of Florent Malouda. It should be noted that many teams in the premiership have proven scoring capability. Take Arsenal for example, a team of  chock full of young phenoms who like nothing better than to find the back of the net, often rely solely on this ability in order to eek out wins in their matches. Their defense, however, has for some time been a point of contention, and this year’s incarnation has not put that unease to rest.

In this writer’s opinion, much of Chelsea’s early success this season can be attributed to the stonewall goal keeping of Petr Cech and Ancelotti’s movable fortress of John Terry (et al) manning the barricades in front of him. Together this defensive unit has amassed 6 clean sheets in 12 premiership matches, and 3 clean sheets in 4 opportunities in Champions League play.  All in all a considerable improvement on the campaigns of years previous. If Ancelotti can continue to find ways to mesh his Italian style defense with a traditionally opportunistic Premiership style attack it will be next to impossible for their opponents to knock them off track en route to perhaps the greatest season in club history.

Attention football clubs of Europe, Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti Era has arrived. Beware not only the fortress he has built at ‘The Bridge’, but also the heights his squad can reach once he irons out their away game and takes it with him on the war path.

A clean sheet, goal and win bonus earned 19 points for El Tel

It was a big weekend in the Barclays Premier League as Chelsea and Manchester United went head-to-head on Sunday, with Chelsea taking the points in a 1-0 win. Arsenal climbed into second spot with a comfortable 4-1 win at Wolves, while Spurs moved up to fourth after their 2-0 win over Sunderland. At the bottom, both Portsmouth and West Ham lost as Hull picked up an important win over Stoke.

Did you have a good weekend?

Chelsea captain John Terry (El Tel’s Stamford Bridge Blue Army 19 pts) was the leading points scorer over the weekend, scoring the only goal in the win over Man United and keeping a clean sheet. Another captain, Cesc Fabregas (Flash in the Pan 16 pts), also had a good week by scoring one and setting up another in Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Wolves, with Jody Craddock (8 pts) finding the back of the net for both teams.

Aston Villa’s 5-1 win over Bolton produced plenty of points for James Milner (El Tel’s Stamford Bridge Blue 16 pts), John Carew (16 pts) and Carlos Cuellar (14 pts), with Milner setting up 3 goals and scoring one himself as well as missing a penalty. Elsewhere, two goals from Jason Roberts (14 pts) helped Blackburn beat bottom club Portsmouth, a goal and a key contribution from Shaun Wright-Phillips (Team Skin 14 pts) brought Manchester City back into the game against Burnley, and goals from Seyi Olofinjana (13 pts) and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (9 pts) helped Hull to their third win of the season.

Watching the Chelsea/Man United game last night when I got back home, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  Of course I thought, like most, that Chelsea would take the three points.  All the signs were there, United have honestly been as unconvincing this season as I can remember over the past few seasons.  While Chelsea have been on terrific form, and scoring goals for fun.  But as with every time two of “big four” meet up; the potential for an absolutely shit game is ever present.

The game on Sunday however was more of what the Premier League can offer at it’s best.  Far from being a “beautiful” game, but still both sides played like they wanted three points.  Off course the obligatory “cancelling each other out” comments spring to mind, but I don’t necessarily believe that.  I thought it was an excellent chess match between the two managers.  Ferguson all but negated Ashley Cole with the use of Valencia, but gave a lot of room to Ivanovic to come forward and continually dump crosses into the box (to no avail the vast majority of the time).  And as much as I hate to admit it, when actually given the ball into productive areas, Wayne Rooney was a big, big, BIG threat.  And for my money, Manchester United’s best player.  Okay enough ball washing of United, Rooney is as far as the praise goes.  I hated Darren Fletcher before this game for a myriad of reasons, but Sunday was THE perfect example of what I despise about him.  A shit player (let’s be honest, he is) and a whiny little bitch.  As much stick as Chelsea gets for harassing the officials (rightfully so), Fletcher/Ferguson/Rooney and Giggs do it just as well.  Fletcher however was just a piece of shit the entire game.

Okay — the goal.  I’ll make it quick, it wasn’t a free kick.  That’s the just a bad break, BUT that decision didn’t make United not cover the set piece.  Drogba was offside, but didn’t touch the ball.  So that just goes into the whole ‘What exactly IS the offside rule” debate again, and I don’t have the time nor energy to open that can of worms.  All I know is 1-0 to the Chels, and JT comes good again.  And Manure is sent home 3rd in the table, which at the end of the day is ALL I CARE ABOUT!  Also let me just say that from what I could here from the Sky Sports broadcast, the Chelsea supporters sounded amazing!  Well done to all those that were lucky enough to be there.

So there you have it, another game, albeit a big one and the Chels are still top of the table!  UP THE CHELS!

Chelsea beat Manchester United and we are now 5 points clear of them at the top (the view from the top is spectacular!). The best bit was that it was our captain fantastic John Terry who scored the all important goal in a very hard fought out game of football. I can’t believe I finally got a prediction so right! Earlier in the day someone asked me who would score for Chelsea and I had said JT!  It would have been great if Chelsea had won by loads of goals but credit to Manchester United for playing very well. In fact, I think United played some of their best football of the season last evening, which probably isn’t saying  much especially since their form has been no where near  what it was during the sparkling win-all Cristiano Ronaldo days.  However, of all the clashes with the top 3, the match I enjoy the least is when Chelsea play Manchester United and it’s not because I am scared of Chelsea losing… I mean, c’mon the last time Chelsea lost to Manchester United was in April 2002!  Its because no matter how well you play against Manchester United to beat them, you are always blamed for cheating or getting lucky or both. The next days headlines are usually dominated not by the positive play of the team that won but by how poor a deal United or what Sir Alex thinks! I don’t care what Sir Alex has to say! He is the worst loser in the league. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that wanting to win every time is the mark of a champion. It shows your desire, your passion for the game and your commitment to excellence. But there is a difference between wanting to win every time and being a unsporting, blaming, bratty loser. Sir Alex has made being a bad loser something of an art. Whenever his team loses, there is almost always something wrong with the refereeing, or the referee or the weather and when United win, he shares a laugh and jokes with the same referees who have now remarkably become fit and worthy of his smiles and back-slapping!

He is a brilliant manager and one would forgive  him a lot but surely he must know that his attitude is adopted by his team. They look up to the gaffer and so when thing aren’t going their way, instead of focusing on their football, they start to focus on being bratty and on trying to influence referee decision like Darren Fletcher did when he waved an imaginary card at referee Martin Atkinson in an attempt to get Carvalho dismissed for a tackle on Rooney.

If Johnny Evans’  ill-tempered tackle on Drogba was not a case of a dangerously high-challenge, I don’t know what is. His studs caught Drogba in the chest full-force leaving the Chelsea striker wincing in pain and he was quite understandably in no position to jog off the field at lightening pace. The referee showed him a yellow for staying on the field, an incomprehensible and inhuman decision. Johnny Evans who deserved a red for the assault got away scot-free.

Sir Alex has pointed out quite a few things wrong with the goal that won Chelsea the game, starting from the free-kick which he felt was unjustly awarded to Chelsea; he feels Drogba was interfering with play from an offside position and also something about the referee not being in the right position. Next, he will be complaining about the colour of the referee’s hair or perhaps the effect Carlo Ancelloti’s raised eyebrow has on Fletcher’s concentration and how the chairs at Stamford are at a strange home-team advantage angle. Stop lying to yourself and cooking up excuses and blaming everything in sight. Admit that you didn’t make the most of the chances you had and the other team did, decisions in football have a weird way of evening themselves out and are never the reason a team wins or loses a game. The bottom line is Manchester United lost and Chelsea who haven’t by the way conceded at Stamford Bridge in 872 minutes, won.

Una notizia choc che potrebbe avere ripercussioni sullo stato d’animo di John Terry e nell’ambiente Chelsea. Il padre del capitano dei Blues, secondo quanto riporta il News of the world, è stato filmato mentre vende cocaina. Un giornalista del domenicale inglese si è finto cliente e la transazione è avvenuta in un bar nell’Essex. Il padre del calciatore, Ted Terry, ha anche pregato il suo interlocutore di non svelare la sua indentità per non creare un polverone, ma la telecamera nascosta dell’inviato ha svelato l’arcano.

E, dunqe, si scrive sulle colonne del News of the world, mentre il capitano del Chelsea guadagna 160.000 sterline a settimana, il padre è felice di sbarcare il lunario per 40 sterline per ogni grammo di cocaina venduta.

Un gol di John Terry al 31′ della ripresa regala la vittoria al Chelsea nel match clou della dodicesima giornata di Premier League. Prime prove tecniche di fuga per la squadra di Ancelotti che ha piegato il Manchester United, e adesso a quota 30 è lanciatissima in classifica, con un +5 sulle inseguitrici.Allo Stamford Bridge, i blues sono stati bravi, determinati e fortunati (prima del gol-partita, i ‘Red Devils’ avevano sfiorato il colpaccio con Rooney): l’esito della vittoria è che il Manchester resta a quota 25, dove ieri sera era stato raggiunto dall’Arsenal di Wenger.

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

Football:

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

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

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

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

Futbol:

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

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

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

Fußball:

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

Calcio:

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

Mauro Camoranesi makes the difference for Juventus once again.

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

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

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

A great weekend of soccer just passsed is passing passed with lots of good play in the games TSG keeps track of.

We’re going to make a valiant effort to watch the Galaxy-Chivas game this evening in support of Houston fan Kevin who has been diligently waiting for us to follow the MLS. Winner there of course plays the Dynamo through on a 1-0 home win in 120 over the Sounders.

Manchester United – Chelsea

This game was the anomaly of the EPL weekend (lots of scoring elsewhere), ending in favor of the home side 1-0 on a header by John Terry. Man U came to the Bridge and looked

Join our Terry chorus: OVER-RATED! OVER-RATED!

to play a very technical, defensive game as Sir Alex opted for Anderson behind Rooney up top with Fletcher and Carrick in the middle. Chelsea countered with Deco up top–who was pretty much shut down and Joe Cole replaced him about half way through the 2nd half–backed by Lampard, Ballack and Essien. Deco looked both his age and his size against the Red Devs.

A defensive struggle, despite the Blues fluid movement through the midfield and Man U’s willingness to bring the counterattack and the counterattack alone.

Here are some observations:

• Despite John Terry being the hero with a glancing header (that Wes Brown may have actually stopped if Didier Drogba didn’t knock him down), the Chelsea man gets far too much respect from the refs. Early in the game Terry “accidentally” elbowed Antonio Valencia in the head and got nary a warning.  Per our stats earlier this year, Terry’s wear and tear is beginning to show and perhaps Chelsea should have let him head northward to Man City. The elder statesman is prone to grabbing, kicking and fouling on par or beyond Jamie Garragher only Garragher makes plays outside these fouls, Terry typically does not. The refs need to stop giving Terry breaks.

• Anderson’s talent for Man United cannot be denied. Plenty times the squat midfielder went up against TSG favorite Michael Essien and held his own. In fact, I shall call Anderson “mini-Essien” because in many respects–ability to maintain possession, visionary passing and generally being steely on the ball. Anderson, despite not playing forward all that much, made a number of good runs from the middle to the opposite post.

• Speaking of Essien, the Ghana national was again tip-top. Nobody calms the play down and switches field as well as Essien. Class in the midfield.

• Class in defense belonged a little bit to Wes Brown, but mostly to Ashley Cole this game. Cole was continually challenged yet was more than solid in defense and made some threatening runs forward.

• Antonio Valencia, to this writer, is somewhat confusing. Ronaldo’s replacement really looks like someone who needs the correct service to

WR: "Really man, I would have passed that last one to you if I had known you were on the pitch."

get the spacing he needs to do something. Unless Valencia  faced the opposing goal and had a moment to compose himself, he wasn’t very ineffective today. Somewhat incredulously as well, Valencia was absent nearly the entire day on the counterattack.

• And Cristiano Ronaldo would have been welcome in this game for Manchester United. United’s offense was a slew of counterattacking either initiated with run-ons by Wayne Rooney or through quick passing in the middle with Anderson (not Carrick or Fletcher both of who have offensive skills for that leave a lot to be desired). Giggs often joined as well, but you could say all of the Red Devils attacks lacked a certain creative dynamic.

Everyone knows that Rooney is going to threaten left and then look to get on his right foot. Everyone knows that Giggs is going to look to find the ball to his left foot for a pass or shot and now everyone knows that Valencia is going to primarily head to the baseline and wide to get space for a shot or cross. If I know it, then other teams know.

Berbatov in this game was nowhere to be found (perhaps too physical play). Without the floating Bulgarian there was just a lack of anything interesting on the attack. Man U is solid, but completely not spectacular.

• Further, speaking of the lone major offensive weapon in Wayne Rooney, the announcers commended him for getting back and defending on multiple occasions. Really?! Your top guy in your alignment and your main striker is in the defensive box and this is a good thing. Rooney, who Sir Alex commented last year needed to stay up on the pitch, must root himself above or just below the halfline at worst to create some space. Appreciate the effort, but don’t track back young man.

Our expectations were that this game would be won in the midfield, that is only slightly the case. While Chelsea won the defensive struggle, both teams played even enough for a draw. The advantage to Chelsea was that midfield as the Blues at least had some semblance of an offense where Man United was relegated to counter attacks and follow-up shots from Carrick and Fletcher –that’s just not going to get it done.

West Ham – Everton

For the life of me, I can’t figure out how Everton can’t play a good game. Yes, they are killed by injuries, but the Toffees made West Ham look like Arsenal on the day, absent the scoring.

That being said, at least Moyes’ team came away with the 2-1 win.

Many times it was only a Yobo thwarting that led to a denied chance right before Big T had to take action.

I felt like the announcer was Joseph Yobo’s proud parent or something. “Yobo, with a fantastic stop! Yobo, there at the last minute! Yobo, makes the play! Yobo, got 2400 on his SATS!” (Since when are they 2400?)

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the different in this one might have been the absence of Carlton Cole for the away squad as the Hammers couldn’t convert their chances.

Finally, TSG gets to run a Fellaini pic this campaign

Not all was luck for Bluenoser City as Louis Saha looks to have fully reclaimed the form that made him the object off Manchester United’s desire  just a few short years ago. Lightening strikes lately from the Frenchmen.

Alas Saha would not have had the those chances if ‘Fro-man Fellaini (I never miss an opportunity to link to that video) was not distributing capably. Consider the big man a poor man’s Magic Johnson on the pitch as he stands  6 ft, 4 inches and distributes the ball like he can easily see over everyone.

USMNT fans should take note. With Herita Ilunga injured for West Ham that places 5th man Jonathan Spector squarely in the starting four–at leftback. Spector looked better and better as the game went on and even got involved in the offense occasionally.

Back to Carlton Cole. With the English team striker out for Gianfranco Zola’s squad, I have to question Zola’s decision to leave Alessandro Diamanti on the bench until midway through the 2nd half. We’ve mentioned Diamanti before (cruise to the bottom of that linked post). West Ham looked to need some more offensive firepower and then summarily looked better for it after Diamanti took the pitch. Maybe Diamanti’s fitness is not there yet, but still, Zola, what are you waiting for? You’re boys are bottom table.

Oh and more note here, not to tread on Timmy. Howard was beaten on an exquisite flick on the West Ham goal.

The goal was credited to an own goal by Goodison’s Tony Hibbert, but Howard was beat. Note, Howard came out for this one (correctly) and got beat left side as he tried to shut down the dominant foot of Junior Stanislas who was making a run on to a ball over the top by none other than Diamanti. Not a bad beat and otherwise Howard was his usual self, bulletproof as he swatted away shot after shot including a low liner from….yes…Diamanti. Timmy needs more press overseas….seriously.

Hull City – Stoke City & Fulham – Wigan

Not much TSG can add on these matches as only the highlights are available.

• Hull – Stoke:

• By now you know JZA started and played 83 minutes. Three notes on that move: 1) Jozy better be sending a thank you gift to Geovanni

Might this man hold the key to JZA's success at Hull?

for his red last week, because if Geovanni is there you’re probably getting him and Jan VofH again in the starting line-up, 2) Numero deux, consider everything between Altidore and Hull City A-ok if he’s now starting a few weeks after he counted sheep too long and found himself fined, and 3) With Stephen Hunt now accompanied by Jimmy Bullard in the middle you’re going to see more offensive ability from the Tigers. Yes that was 16 shots by the home side against a decent Stoke City defense today. JZA, you might as well send a gift to Bullard as well.

Oh, one more note on Drogba Jr. He’s confirmed his national team spot–we had no doubt–via his Twitter.

• Fulham – Wigan:

• I can tell you something you definitely know: Clint Dempsey scored (again.) I can tell you something you may know, Clint Dempsey didn’t play his forward role today, but played more of a mid/wing role away on the road. The road part is significant because you would expect Demps up forward with one less striker to play for the tie away from home–but you didn’t see that. That’s all I can tell you about this one.

Dempsey: Rolling for Fulham

More to read here.

Saturday’s News

• In what we thought might be a closer encounter in our preview piece. Tottenham knocked off Sunderland at home with Darren Bent missing a

Bent, no tongue-wagging this Saturday

vital penalty kick. That’s either karmic or unfortunate depending on your feelings about Bent. Alas, Bent has made the national squad side for their showdown this coming weekend with Brazil.

• Arsenal, as easily predicted by TSG and anyone with a pulse, scored north of 3 goals on the road and came away 4-1 at Wolverhampton. Yawn.

• Chicago beat New England for the right to beat up on Real Salt Lake. You would have thought a better effort would have come from the New England side. That’s it — give up the nickname NOW! Really, zero goals is not Revolutionary.

• Blackburn hung a 3-spot on Portsmouth at home after the break to prove that they should be just above them still in the battle to leave the Premiership.

• And does Marcus Tracy have a shot? Not mentioned–and rightfully–in our piece yesterday about the forthcoming USMNT roster, Tracy, who plays in Denmark, subbed in and scored over the weekend. If anything gets Tracy a shot at the bench, that would be it.