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!

La sesión fotográfica, tras la entrevista, puede convertirse en un verdadero infierno con determinados personajes. Unos son poco fotogénicos, otros no saben posar, los hay quien meten prisa al fotógrafo porque no les gustan la fotos y desean terminar enseguida, etc. Por contra, existen otros entrevitados que parecen que han nacido para posar y que no representan un solo problema.

Es, por ejemplo, el caso del delantero del Real Madrid  Karim Benzema. En una entrevista publicada por el diario Marca, leemos el siguiente comentario del periodista:

‘”Sonríe un poco, Karim”. Es la voz de su agente mientras Pablo García, el fotógrafo de MARCA, fusila a flashazos a Benzema. Pero el jugador es tozudo. “No, hazme caso a mí, yo te digo que así queda mejor”, replica el chaval mientras posa con su postura preferida para la cámara: rostro de perdona vidas y este gesto con las manos que, si se fijan ustedes, aparcen en todas las fotografías”.

¡Y es que así da gusto!

Esta entrada se ha copiado de el blog: Blog de Periodismo Creativo

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

La rimonta dei rossoneri sarebbe stata completa se solo l’arbitro Brych avesse convalidato il regolarissimo gol di Pato. Il Milan c’è e lo ha dimostrato con l’ennesima prova di qualità, corsa e sacrificio riuscendo a riprendere un Real Madrid giunto a San siro con tutte le intenzioni di conquistare l’intera posta in palio. E alla fine, se Inzaghi (entrato al posto di un superlativo Borriello) avesse concretizzato un assist al bacio di Pato, il Milan avrebbe fatto filotto contro le merengues.

Primo tempo, specie nei 20′ iniziali, di marca blanca fino al gol di Benzema abile a trasformare in rete una respinta di Dida su tiro di Kakà. Il Milan ha saputo riorganizzarsi guadagnandosi un calcio di rigore (dubbio) per un fallo di mano di Sergio Ramos su cross di Zambrotta. Ronaldinho dal dischetto non sbaglia.

Nellla ripresa rossoneri più corti e Real fuorigioco sul pressing. Ronaldinho rinvigorito dalla buona prestazione dispensa assist e giocate. Ci prova Pato, poi è la volta di Thiago Silva e Ambrosini di testa, ma Casillas è salvo. L’ingresso di Inzaghi porta apprensione nella difesa di Pellegrini e in due circostanze Super Pippo va vicino al gol. Il tecnico del Real si affida a Raul che appena entrato fa correre i brividi lungo la schiena dei tifosi milanisti ma Dida è impeccabile sulla potente conclusione dello spagnolo.

Alla fine è 1-1, un risultato comodo per la formazione di Leonardo che resta in testa grazie allo scontro diretto vinto al Bernabeu.

Ottenere i tre punti a Tel Aviv contro un avversario ostico, specie tra le mura amiche, era importantissimo per la squadra di Ferrara che non attraversa il suo migliore periodo di forma. E’ stato un guizzo di Camoranesi sul finale del primo tempo a segnare in maniera indelebile la gara dopo una prima frazione di gioco in cui la Juve ha alternato buone giocate a pericoli. E’ stato ancora una volta Buffon a tenere in partita i bianconeri evitando la capitolazione con un doppio intervento.

Nella ripresa la formazione di Ferrara è riuscita a gestire bene il possesso palla rintuzzando le avanzate del Maccabi senza correre particolari rischi. Il match termina 1-0 per un risultato risicato nei numeri ma fondamentale per il prosieguo dell’avventura in Champions.

per vedere i gol clicca qui

The Champions League fixtures which were so exciting a fortnight ago were mostly dreary affairs this week, as each team played the same team as they had previously, except this time in the others’ house. We ended up with 3 draws and a couple of blowouts, assuring me that being without internet/cable access for the majority of the evening was not a total tragedy. I’ll write up most of them, except the really useless ones (I’m looking at you, APOEL v Porto). Here they are, in no particular order:

Look how happy he was to be back in Milan!

AC Milan 1-1 Real Madrid – Well, the fixture that was so explosive last week ended without the same sort of fireworks this time around. Instead of ludicrous goalkeeping errors and 40-yard screamers, tonight’s match was graced by a pair of (comparatively) cheaply-had goals and one goal which was bafflingly disallowed. Kaká’s build-up to Real Madrid’s 29th minute goal showed a flash of the genius he used to have at the San Siro (and has failed to produce thus far for Madrid), but Dida made the initial save and it was up to Karim Benzema to tap the rebound past the bumbling Brazilian. It didn’t take long what had been a rather flaccid Milan side up to that point to galvanize (and equalize), when Gianluca Zambrotta was struck by the elbow of a sliding Pepe in the area and awarded a penalty. On 35′, Ronaldinho gleefully buried from the spot. Alexandre Pato almost gave i Rossoneri the lead moments later, with his volley finding the back of the net, but the goal was ultimately disallowed because the youngster had committed a foul in scoring it (maybe the foul was scoring it?). In the end, it would finish all level at the San Siro, and all level in Group C; Milan and Madrid sit tied with 7 points just above Marseilles.

Marseille 6-1 FC Zurich – Normally I wouldn’t give half a shit about this game. Swiss teams, French teams, it’s all Greek to me. However, the epic nature of the scoreline forces me to give at least a bit of a shout-out to l’OM, for whom 6 different individuals made an appearance on the scoresheet (well, 5 Marseille players and 1 Zurich via OG). In fact, it was Silvan Aegerter’s own goal that opened the floodgates for the visitors on 3′ – Fabrice Abriel would make it 2-0 on 11′, but Alexandre Alphonse pulled one back for his side on the half-hour mark. After the half, Mamadou Niang, Hilton, Benoît Cheyrou and Brandao would all net for Les Phocéens, while the home side would be left less than satisfied with their solitary goal. Quite a blowout!

Gourcuff was the key to his side's victory in München.

Bordeaux 2-0 Bayern München – Les Girondins are progressing to the knock-out stages. As for Bayern, well, we’ll have to see. In the first 30 or so minutes of tonight’s match at the Allianz-Arena, it seemed like it would be the home side who would take the lead. Bastian Schweinsteiger proved a great danger as a dead ball specialist, causing the visiting defense all sorts of problems and coming close to causing a goal more than once. Bayern also might have gone ahead from the spot -players appealed for a penalty on a perceived Michael Ciani handball in the area, but the referee saw nothing; what die Roten wanted to be a spot kick would instead be a corner. Ultimately, it would be the French side who would get ahead on 37′ thanks to star man Yoann Gourcuff, who headed home after shaking off Mark van Bommel. After the break, Luca Toni had about 80,000 chances (duffed ‘em all) and Arjen Robben came on to greatly improve Bayern’s play, but the German side simply could not find the back of the net. Late in the game, Bayern fans began to depart from the stadium en masse, and those who did stay until the end were treated to the sight of Marouane Chamakh skipping past Hans-Jörg Butt to ease the ball into an empty net. Back-to-back losses to the French side for Bayern see them fall to 3rd in Group A – I knew this was the Year of the Underdog, but did it have to be the Year of the French by extension?

Juventus 1-0 Maccabi Haifa – Juventus continue to stay true to their recent Champions League mantra – do as little as you have to and scrape by. I’m sure Ciro Ferrara’s side is still reeling at the manner in which they let Sunday’s fixture against Napoli slip away, but they once again managed to beat the Israeli side (this time in Haifa) by a margin of 1-0. Mauro Camoranesi’s magic touch in first-half stoppage time was enough for i Bianconeri to slip past their hosts, who are now officially out of the competition with a grand total of 0 points. Juventus spent much of the second half patiently building up attacks and then listlessly watching them break down, as though they were simply happy to kill the time. And they were. Another half-assed performance, another victory for Juve. Go figure.

Agüero-Drogba strike force?

Chelsea 2-2 Atletico Madrid – Over the past two weeks, Chelsea’s goal differential was +19. That’s 19 for and 0 against, in all competitions. That included a 4-0 drubbing of Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge which prompted me to wonder how Abel Resino was hanging on to his job. Two weeks later, Resino is out of a job, and Chelsea have finally been scored upon. One could make a case to have this match renamed Sergio Agüero 2-2 Didier Drogba, as each prolific striker bagged a brace for his side to account for all 4 goals of the match (this time split evenly between the teams). Los Colchoneros took a second-half lead on 66′ when Agüero, just recently subbed onto the pitch, met the end of a cross with a sharp volley that left Petr Cech helpless on his line. Didier Drogba would take his time, but eventually single-handedly turned the match around for the Blues with a pair of goals on 82′ and 88′ – the latter being a supreme individual effort in which the Ivorian beat several defenders and buried his own rebound. However, Agüero was not about to be outdone, and on 90′ launched a strike from 30 yards which leveled the match for his side. New Atleti manager Quique Sánchez Flores will no doubt be disappointed that his team gave up the lead, but thrilled that they salvaged the draw – nevertheless Atletico are now officially out of the competition, while Chelsea are officially moving on.

Manchester Utd 3-3 CSKA Moskow – Sir Alex Ferguson’s men sealed their passage into the knock out rounds as Luis Antonio Valencia once more played the last-ditch heroics card. CSKA took the lead on 25′ through Alan Dzagoev, but Michael Owen equalized just 4 minutes later. Nevertheless, CSKA were undaunted, and within the next 20 minutes of play took a commanding 3-1 lead through Milos Krasic (31′) and Vasiliy Berezutskiy (47′). Darren Fletcher was booked on a strange call, after he looked to be set loose on goal and was then taken down in the box. Instead of a spot kick, the Scotsman received a yellow card. Paul Scholes and the aforementioned Valencia would bring it equal for United with Scholes’ goal on 82′ and Valencia’s in stoppage time. Moscow player Deyvidas Semberas was sent off after a bit of a spat late into injury time, but the Muscovites were nevertheless able to hold United to a 3-3 draw. Not a bad result from the Russian side, though it won’t help their Champions League aspirations this year.

VfL Wolfsburg 3-0 Besitkas – Luckily for Deutschland, one German squad was able to easily overcome their opposition this evening. Wolves took over Istanbul as Armin Veh’s side ran rampart at Inönü, with Zvjezdan Misimovic, Christian Gentner and Edin Dzeko finding the back of the net for their side. It seems that the key to obtaining an ‘always difficult’ away win in Turkey is to strike hard, and to strike often – take notes, Fergie.

La sesión fotográfica, tras la entrevista, puede convertirse en un verdadero infierno con determinados personajes. Unos son poco fotogénicos, otros no saben posar, los hay quien meten prisa al fotógrafo porque no les gustan la fotos y desean terminar enseguida, etc. Por contra, existen otros entrevitados que parecen que han nacido para posar y que no representan un solo problema. 

Es, por ejemplo, el caso del delantero del Real Madrid  Karim Benzema. En una entrevista publicada por el diario Marca, leemos el siguiente comentario del periodista:

‘”Sonríe un poco, Karim”. Es la voz de su agente mientras Pablo García, el fotógrafo de MARCA, fusila a flashazos a Benzema. Pero el jugador es tozudo. “No, hazme caso a mí, yo te digo que así queda mejor”, replica el chaval mientras posa con su postura preferida para la cámara: rostro de perdona vidas y este gesto con las manos que, si se fijan ustedes, aparcen en todas las fotografías”.

¡Y es que así da gusto!

 Benzema recently became one of the Galacticos, after Real Madrid signed him from Lyon over the summer for €35 million. The Frenchman is tipped to become one of Real Madrid’s brightest stars. He will however, have to fight for the spotlight, as fellow Galacticos Kakà and Ronaldo are quite well known themselves;-) 

Born and raised in Lyon, Benzema was part of the Olympique Lyonnais Academy. During his academy days, he was sought after far and wide by many a club. He eventually made his first team debut for Lyon in 2005 and signed his first professional contract with the club. In 2007 Benzema was given the no. 10 shirt and responsibility of lone striker. 

Benzema played in all of the French youth team, from the U-16 category onwards. He was part of theU-17 squad that won the European Football Championship for that age group. In March 2007, Benzema made his international debut for France. He was eligible to play for Algeria, the country of his parents, but chose the French national team. 

With four Ligue 1 titles under his belt, Benzema looked for a new challenge. Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal were options, all willing to part with their cash for the services of this youngster. However, one team was in the heart of Benzema, it was always his desire to one day don the white of Real Madrid. He signed for Los Blancos in the summer of 2009. He scored in his debut match against Shamrock Rovers in the pre-season. Not likely to scoop the award this year, but he confesses that one of his ambitions is to someday win the Ballon d’Or like fellow countrymen Zinedine Zidane and Raymond Kopa.

The Copa del Rey is the Spanish equivalent of England’s FA Cup or Italy’s Coppa Italia. It is an annual cup competition which pits teams from many of the different tiers of domestic competition against one another in a tournament-style competition which is officially titled el Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad El Rey Don Juan Carlos I. Gotta love those Spanish titles. Anyways, here’s the gigantic story that came out of Copa play this evening: Real Madrid – Los Blancos, Los Merengues, Los Galacticos – have lost to third-division side AD Alcorcón. Oh, and they lost 4-0 too. Admittedly, Manuel Pellegrini did not play his strongest side against the Segunda B side, with neither Kaká nor Iker Casillas featuring in the match – but still, one would not expect a side featuring Karim Benzema, Raúl, Guti, Rafael van der Vaart and with Jerzy Dudek in net to be so easily overcome. But they were.

The home side (who are so small that their stadium, Santo Domingo, does not even have an electronic scoreboard) went ahead early in the match when Borja Gómez skipped past Mahmadou Diarra and beat Jerzy Dudek to put the ball in the back of the net. Just over five minutes later the home side’s lead would be doubled when Royston Drenthe was caught out of place and Alvaro Arbeloa was forced to intervene upon a low cross, inadvertently touching the ball past Dudek and into the back of his own net. Incredibly, Alcorcón would take a 3-0 lead before the half when the Dutchman Drenthe was once more caught out of position; this time it would be Alcorcón midfielder Ernesto who would capitalize in 40′. The second half would bring little change for the men in white; the abortion-of-a-left-back Drenthe conceded a free kick on 52′ and with Dudek failing to punch away the danger Borja Gómez was given a golden opportunity to bag his brace and send Madridistas into utter dispair.

Florentino Perez and Jorge Valdano were both at the game this evening – one can only imagine the expressions on their faces as Alcorcón scored not 1,2, or even 3, but 4 goals against their reasonably strong Galacticos side in quick succession. Madrid simply could not fight back – they were powerless to get themselves into the game and held off easily by a determined and heroic, albeit tiny side. Is this what €250,000,000 was spent on this summer, Perez? A team which loses to – nay, is crushed by – 3rd tier sides? There’s still a second leg to play, of course, and at the Bernabéu, no less – but I for one believe that whatever happens, it is AD Alcorcón who deserve to progress solely on the merit of this giant-killing display. Oh, and Madridistas? Keep counting down, your precious CR9 will be back soon.

In 2006, we saw the emergence of the new French superstar. Little known Marseille attacking midfielder Franck Ribery made a splash on the international scene during the World Cup 2006. His speed and ability to create plays gave all French supporters hope that we might have already found a replacement for the retiring Zinedine Zidane.

But since those World Cup days, injuries have limited Franck Ribery’s playing time for the national team. And in recent months, even though he has been healthy, Ribery always come off the bench for France, but never starts.

I have talked to a number of French supporters about Ribery, and they are all baffled about why he isn’t seeing more time on the pitch. He is a quality player that needs to be out there on the field, but why does he rarely play anymore?

Simple, France don’t need him.

Yes, i’m going there. I did say it. Raymond Domenech and the French National Team doesn’t need Franck Ribery as their starter. I know many of you think that I am crazy for saying this, but let me explain.

Back in the 2006 World Cup, France had a pretty balanced midfield.  They would run five midfielders, with Makelele and Vieira in the back, with Vieria pushing up. Up front at midfield, Zidane controlled the play in the middle with Ribery on his right and Moulouda on his left.

But even with Ribery on the right, he would always drift to the center toward Zidane and Henry. Moulouda does the same on the left. And even in the few games that he has played for France this year, Ribery usually finds his way to the center of the pitch. Being in the center is just Ribery’s style.

In the 2010 WC qualifying, France looks like a different team than they did just four years ago. Thuram, Wiltord, Sagnol, Zidane and Vieira are gone. And players like Jeremy Toulalan, Moussa Sissoko, Andre-Pierrie Gignac, and Karim Benzema were added. France is a different looking team than the great 2006 squad.

Therefore, as the team has changed, the way that Raymond Domenech has run the team has also change.

Instead of going with the traditional #10 player creating the play up the middle as we have been accustomed to seeing France do for the last 15 years, Domenech has now started moving the ball up the flanks. In addition, Domenech has made his defensive midfield stronger by adding  Lassana Diarra, Jeremy Toulalan and Moussa Sissoko. And usually two of those three players are starting in the central midfield.

As a result of playing this type of system, Domenech doesn’t need Ribery, who seems to be more comfortable as a floating attacking midfielder in the center than he is at the flanks. And, as we all know, Ribery is no defensive midfielder.

So, why did Domenech move from a traditional attacking style of play to a predominate defensive style of play? Only Domenech knows that one.

Therefore, I will go ahead and take a crack at it. Here we go…he has too many strikers. Yes, France is loaded with strikers. Domenech has so many strikers, that he usually he has to put one on the bench. And, as of recent, the player that has been the victim of the bench has been Karim Benzema.

Andre-Pierre Gignac, Nicholas Anelka, Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema, Sidney Govou, Bafe Gomis…the list is endless. Therefore, Domenech has decided to take two of his best passing strikers, Henry and Govou, and put them on the right and left side, while playing Gignac (last year’s Ligue 1 leading scorer) and Anelka (EPL’s leading scorer) up front.

So far, this is all just an experiment. The first year of this format is slowing catching on. Remember, asking players to change the way that they have played for years is quite a hard thing to do. To adapt to a new style of play isn’t easy. And that is exactly what Domenech is asking his players to do.

But the last two games have shown that France can succeed with this formation. Not only did Gignac find the net a number of times, but Henry in that attacking right midfield position also found the next. This new formation has made France more unpredictable and stronger offensively.

On the other hand, the defense has improved as well. France has done a great job shutting down the opposition. France has only allowed nine goals in the 10 WC qualifying matches.

While the defensive line has looked quite impressive, the defensive midfield is playing great as well. I dare to say it, but Jeremy Toulalan is turning into the best ever ‘defensive’ midfielder for France. I know that people don’t want to hear that either, but the games he has played for both France and Lyon have been exceptional. He is the real thing, and will continue to prove himself year after year.

So, when all is said and done, the player that is left out of the equation is Franck Ribery. Yes, the player that many consider France’s best player might not find a place on this French team because he has too much of a tendency to work his way inside. And Domenech has shown in the last few WC qualifying matches that he doesn’t want a floater inside, but someone who can run up the flank, with discipline, and make plays from those positions, not the center.

And also, due to Ribery’s injuries, Domenech can’t rely on having a strong central attacking midfielder. Therefore, he needs to create a plan that doesn’t solely rely on Ribery. And having a #10 centered formation means that Ribery needs to be healthy 100% of the time, or they are screwed.

So, French fans, don’t get discouraged, as I had. I finally see what Domenech wants to do. And, if they can make this system work, they might just be better in 2010. I just say “watch out”!

Oh, and since we are talking about Ribery, there are rumors today that he might take the place of Robinho at Man City. As a City supporter, god I hope so!!!!!

In a game that France needed to win in order to at least qualify for the playoffs, Les Bleus dominated the visiting Faroe Island side with a 5-0 victory at Guingamp.

Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac scored two goals in the span of five minutes, while William Gallas, Nicholas Anelka and substitute Karim Benzema scored goals as well.

From start to finish, France dominated the game. Even with the first 34 minutes being scoreless, France had a number of chances to score. Jeremy Toulalan hit the post early in the match, and William Gallas’ header in the 32nd minute hit the crossbar. The game could have easily seen a few more goals for the home side.

Both of Gignac’s goals were quite impressive. The first goal Gignac positioned himself perfectly in front of the goal as Theirry Henry and Nicholas Anelka set up the play for the Toulouse superstar. Gignac’s second goal showed his pure individual talent as he took a long past from goaltender Steve Mandanda and moved up the pitch, taking four Faroe Island defenders with him. He also looked quite impressive defensively, stealing the ball a few times from Faroe defenders.

In the second half, France continued to pile on the pressure. William Gallas, who had missed a goal earlier in the 1st half, used his head again and banged in the 3rd goal for Les Bleus. Late in the game, the Faroe Islands look like they lost their steam as both Nicholas Anelka and Karim Benzema netted goals. Les Blues dominated from start to finish.

While the play on the pitch was one sided, one player for the Faroe Islands did stand out.  Rogvi Jacobsen had a tangle with French manager Raymond Domenech in the 29th minute when Jacobsen pushed Domenech while he was throwing an out-of-bounds’s ball back into play. Jacobsen later received the boos of the crowd when he kicked another out-of-bounds ball into the stands. Jacobsen was substituted in the 79th minute with a score of boos raining down on him.

All and all it was a great game for France. France needed to have a dominate performance, and that is exactly what they did. They need to figure out a way to have Henry, Gignac and Govou on the pitch at the same time, and they did that as well. Still, it will be interesting to see is Benzema makes the starting lineup against Austria after his recent remarks about ‘not trying hard for France or while he was at Lyon’.

France will look to wrap up their World Cup qualifying group play tomorrow when they host Austria at the Stade de France. This might be the last time that France plays a WC qualifier at the 1998 World Cup final venue, as the FFF hasn’t renewed their contract with the Stade de France to continue play there after next year.

J’avoue attendre impatiemment que les jeux soient enfin ouverts. Mais, messieurs les hommes politiques, ne faites pas les choses à moitié. Vous avez le devoir impérieux de nous permettre de jouer sur des événements vraiment intéressants, qui nous passionnent au plus profond de nous-mêmes.

Les questions que l’on soumettra au peuple chaque semaine devront être cruciales. Quelques exemples si le système était déjà en place:

- Raymond Domenech tapera-t-il sur l’épaule de Karim Benzema mercredi lors de France-Autriche ?

- Le prochain jogging de Nicolas Sarkozy se fera-t-il avec son fils, Jean ?

- Laure Manaudou prénommera-t-elle son futur enfant Mark, Alain, Michael, Kiki, Amaury Rachida ou Lolo ?

- La prochaine pub de Sébastien Chabal sera-t-elle pour Gillette, Tampax ou Smart ?

- Le prochain contrôle de Richard Gasquet révèlera-t-il des traces de: jus d’orange, d’aspirine ou d’herbes de provence ?

- Le prochain match de l’Angleterre sera-t-il retransmis sur: La chaîne histoire, XXL ou le circuit interne de la Sécurité Sociale ?

Well, International week has come again. The qualification stage for South Africa 2010 is soon coming to an end (and good riddance to it); although yesterday saw several dramatic matches and the final qualification matches on Wednesday should also prove exciting. As of yesterday, the following nations have qualified for the World Cup: Serbia, Germany, Denmark, England, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, the USA, Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay and Chile. Notable exceptions include France, Argentina and Portugal – all three of these footballing powers have struggled greatly on the road to South Africa, but all three will be heartened by the results they achieved yesterday. Oh, and the fact that FIFA has decided to seed the qualification play-offs and destroy football in the process. But I digress – let’s get down to it:

Argentina 2-1 Peru – Man oh man, did Diego Maradona ever need this. Argentina’s nightmarish qualification campaign was almost drawn to a premature close yesterday but for the heroic last-ditch efforts of Martin Palermo. Palermo’s goal on 92′ cancelled out the last-ditch heroics of Peruvian substitute Hernan Rengifo, who thought he had sealed a draw for his side with his headed goal in the 89th minute. Argentina had gone ahead earlier in the game on a strike from Higuan just after the break, but Peru had thought they were going to keep the Albicelestes (who needed the win) out of the World Cup with Rengifo’s late header in the torrential downpour of Buenos Aires. However, Argentina was not willing to say die, and when the ball flashed across the mouth of the Peruvian goal just 3 minutes later, Palermo was there to bury it. A win that keeps alive both Argentina’s hopes of getting to the World Cup and Maradona’s hopes of keeping his job.

Gilardino plays last minute hero for Italia.

Italy 2-2 Republic of Ireland - Keeping with the theme of last-minute heroics are the Azzurri, who played to a 2-2 draw against Ireland in front of a crowd of over 70,000 in Dublin’s Croke Park yesterday. The Boys in Green took the lead twice in the game, and twice Italy equalized. Ireland took an early lead on 7′, with a schoolyard free kick that caught the defending Italians with their pants down and left Gigi Buffon dumbfounded. Liam Lawrence appeared to be taking the kick from out on the wing, but instead teed up an onrushing Glenn Whelan in the middle, who, unchallenged, beat Buffon with an unstoppable swerving kick. It was a beauty of a goal and a wake-up call for Lippi’s men. However, Mauro Camoranesi would make it equal on 26′ with a goal of his own, a bullet header that beat Shay Given off the end of a perfectly-placed corner kick from Andrea Pirlo. The game would remain level until 88′, when the Irish took the lead once more (on another poorly-defended set piece) with Sean St. Ledger scoring a dramatic diving header. Giovanni Trapattoni’s men thought they had the game in the bag with their 2-1 lead, but the Italians weren’t done yet, and two minutes into extra time substitute Alberto Gilardino put a slow-rolling ball past Shay Given to seal automatic qualification and send the Azzurri to South Africa next summer.

Bolivia 2-1 Brazil – Well, the Bolivians have slain another Giant. The Seleção needed only a victory in today’s match to cement their place atop the CONMEBOL standings, but Dunga’s men seemed uninterested in pursuing that goal. Instead, they started the game at a jogging pace, wary of the effects that the altitude of La Paz can have on a squad. This slow start backfired though, when the home side took the advantage in the 9th minute on a strike from Edgar Olivares. The atmospheric made possible fantastical long-range strikes, and both teams tested the other with attempts from over 30 yards. On 31′ Marcelo Martins Moreno would, incredibly, double Bolivia’s lead with a swerving strike from 25 yards that Julio Cesar was powerless to stop. In the second half the Brazilians came to life, and Nilmar would halve the home side’s lead on 70′, but the game belonged to the Bolivians. In the end it was the side who have already been eliminated from World Cup qualification that would handily defeat a squad who have long looked like probable World Cup favourites. Good Job, Bolivia!

Fair enough Cesc, fair enough.

Spain 2-1 Armenia – The Spanish had qualified for South Africa long before this weekend – but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t pursue a perfect record in their qualification campaign. Cesc Fàbregas gave his side a first-half lead with a beautifully chipped goal on 33′ – after a long build-up in possession Xavi found the streaking Arsenal man, who beat the keeper with a light touch into the far corner of the net. However, the Armenians were equal to that, and on 57′ Robert Arzumanyan equalized with his head off of a free kick. The Armenians gave a spirited performance – perhaps ultimately too spirited, as Spain’s second goal would come from a spot kick after Juan Mata was clipped in the box by keeper Roman Berezovskiy. Ultimately, not a surprising win for the Spanish – but what was surprising was how hard they had to work to earn it.

Ukraine 1-0 England – Fabio Capello’s England was another national squad looking to continue their perfect qualification record yesterday as they visited Dnipropetrovsk, in the Ukraine. The Three Lions have looked dominant ever since the Italian took over, and suffered only the first defeat of their campaign yesterday. The Ukrainians should have taken the lead on 13′, when Robert Green was sent off for his tackle on Artem Milevsky, but Andriy Shevchenko missed the ensuing spot kick. The home side would take the lead eventually, with a 29th minute long-range strike from Serhiy Nazarenko. Though England started strong, play was interrupted early by flares thrown on the pitch, and the one-two punch of Green’s sending off and Nazarenko’s strike was enough for the Ukrainians to come away with a win. The victory means that the Ukraine will likely progress to the qualification play-offs (at the expense of Croatia), while Capello’s men will have to settle for a less-than-perfect qualification campaign.

France 5-0 Faroe Islands – The French, despite having a far less perfect campaign than the English, managed to achieve a far more positive result yesterday – sealing their play-off spot with a commanding victory at the Stade du Roudourou. To be fair, the Faroe Islands aren’t the most imposing of European competitors, and it was nothing short of expected that the French cruised to an easy victory yesterday. Gignac André-Pierre opened the scoring in the first half with a brace not five minutes apart, and William Gallas, Nicolas Anelka and Karim Benzema would all add their names to the scoresheet in the second. Despite the imbalance in the scoreline, Faroese keeper Jakup Mikkelsen put in a strong performance, and the final result would have been even more lopsided without the heroic efforts he made for his nation. The victory could not stop Serbia from clinching the top spot in Group 7, but nevertheless, Raymond Domenech’s men have ensured that their qualification campaign will not end prematurely with their match against Austria on Wednesday.

Seeding means more of this. Pure evil, I say.

Portugal 3-0 Hungary – Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. have progressed one step closer to a spot in the qualification play-offs with their commanding victory over Hungary yesterday. Portugal have long been underachievers in Group 1, and only recently have begun to look like a squad fit to participate in the World Cup. Portugal took the lead in the 17th minute as Simão buried a rebound after Hungarian keeper Gabor Babos intercepted Cristiano Ronaldo’s low cross but couldn’t hang on to it. Hungary had an opportunity to equalize on 39′, when Balazs Dzsudzsak cut in from the right flank to fire on goal – his low shot missed just wide of the goalpost. Liedson doubled Portugal’s lead on 73′ with a direct header that just barely beat Babos, who punched it away but couldn’t stop it from crossing the goal line. Simão returned just minutes later to bag his brace and seal Hungary’s doom with a classy volley that was borne out of a botched clearance. Portugal needs only defeat Malta on Wednesday to make the play-offs – and with FIFA implementing their new seeding policy for the play-off rounds, it looks like we will surely be seeing Cristiano Ronaldo in World Cup play next year.

The other Poulsen's still a douche, though.

Denmark 1-0 Sweden – It was a late goal from Jakob Poulsen which saw Denmark secure their place atop Group 1 and book their spot in South Africa next year. Sweden looked strong coming into the match, with Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic causing all sorts of trouble for the Danish backline – but ultimately the Danes held their ground and Poulsen’s long-range strike on 78′ was enough to see them past the Swedes. Both Thomas Sorensen and Andreas Isaksson looked impressive between the uprights for their respective sides, and prevented the scoreline from being much more dramatic. Sweden will need to beat Albania and Portugal to lose or draw to Malta Wednesday if they are to keep their World Cup hopes alive.

Germany 1-0 Russia – Guus Hiddink’s men were looking to usurp Germany at the top of Group 4 yesterday at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. The Russians needed a win if they were to have even the opportunity to bypass the play-off round and qualify automatically for South Africa. Despite a hard-fought performance from the Russians, it would be Miroslav Klose’s lone goal on 34′ which ultimately separated the sides. Russia looked at times to be the better and more creative side, with Vladimir Bystrov and Andrei Arshavin creating many chances but ultimately failing to capitalize upon them – heroic efforts from German keeper Rene Adler didn’t help their cause. Jerome Boateng’s sending off on 69′ spelled trouble for Joachim Löw’s men, but they were able to hold off the home side for the last 20 minutes despite being down a man. Yesterday’s victory sees Die Mannschaft seal their position atop Group 4 and book their place via automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup.

Mission accomplished, Didier.

Côte d’Ivoire 1-1 Malawi – Les Éléphants became just the second African side (discluding South Africa) to qualify for the World Cup yesterday via a 1-1 draw with Southeast African side Malawi. Both goals in the match were scored within a brief period in the second half, with Jacob Ngwira giving his side the lead on 64′ and Didier Drogba equalizing on 67′. The Ivorians have reached the second consecutive World Cup in their history due largely to the strength of the Chelsea hitman.

Andre-Pierre Gignac is set to be preferred to the Real Madrid striker for les Bleus’ forthcoming fixture.

France head coach Raymond Domenech is set to once again snub Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema from his starting XI to face the Faroe Islands in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday.

Although France Football reports that les Bleus’ head coach will maintain a 4-4-2 system, the magazine states that Wednesday’s training session in Guingamp has revealed some clues as to what the starting unit will look like. Surprisingly, Benzema will be beaten to the punch by Andre-Pierre Gignac, who is expected to partner Nicolas Anelka in attack.

The Toulouse striker may have been preferred to Benzema in previous internationals, but he has been exclusively used as the ‘one’ in a 4-2-3-1 formation. In addition, Gignac has very little experience of playing in a forward pairing at club level in recent times.

Although doubts had previously been raised over the fitness of Thierry Henry, Domenech is set to try the Barcelona striker in a left-sided midfield role ahead of Florent Malouda.

With Franck Ribery, Yoann Gourcuff and Samir Nasri all injured, Lassana Diarra and Jeremy Toulalan are set to start in a defensively-minded midfield duo.

The only other eyebrow-raising manoeuvre set to be performed by Domenech is to partner Eric Abidal at the heart of the defence alongside William Gallas.

France’s Probable Starting XI To Face The Faroe Islands

Mandanda; Sagna, Gallas, Abidal, Evra; Govou, L. Diarra, Toulalan, Henry; Anelka, Gignac

Goal

Los Blancos’ summer recruit is reportedly unhappy with his role in the squad, and has made his feelings perfectly clear.

Karim Benzema has stunned Real Madrid by stating that he does not want to play up front with Raul and is furious about being constantly substituted during matches, according to a report in Sport.

The moody French striker raged at coach Manuel Pellegrini after the defeat in Sevilla, when he was again withdrawn, because he was assured that he would not be rotated.

The report states that Benzema’s attitude has not gone down well at the Santiago Bernabeu and that his outburst may have more serious repercussions within the squad.

The €35 million signing reportedly believes that playing up front with Raul is hampering him because he thinks that the Madrid captain is not mobile enough and that they cross over each other.

Pellegrini chose to listen to the forward’s outburst, remaining silent as the Frenchman fumed that it is his right to play whole games after being brought in for such a large fee from Olympique Lyonnais.

The outburst by the player and the coach’s inability to react shows that Pellegrini has less influence than he would like at the club.

In the summer the Chilean coach wanted to keep Alvaro Negredo and use the €35m that was spent on Benzema to keep Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben.

President Florentino Perez wanted a big name up front, and the move for Benzema was made, but that could be about to backfire as the first signs of his temperament are showing.

Pellegrini supposedly felt that Benzema was not mature enough for a move to Real Madrid.

Goal

“C’est le terrain qui compte et la seule réponse des joueurs c’est la réponse du terrain.”

Dans la série la phrase la plus con et la plus crédible, la déclaration de Raymond Domenech, toujours à propos de Karim Benzema et de sa sélection en équipe de France (voir également ici).

Une affirmation évidemment crédible, puisque la logique sportive la plus élémentaire veut que les meilleurs joueurs soient sélectionnés en équipe nationale, autrement dit ceux qui font leurs preuves chaque week-end sur les terrains.

Et une mise au point digne des phrases les plus cons quand cela sort de la bouche du manager général de l’équipe de France. Pourquoi donc ? Il suffit simplement de demander à David Trezeguet son avis sur la question.

Et puis c’est tout…

En presque live ci-dessous :
(cliquez sur le triangle)

nb: outre le joueur de la Juventus de Turin, considéré comme l’un des meilleurs avant-centres mondiaux par les spécialistes transalpins depuis des années et qui prouve son talent chaque semaine sur les terrains italiens, il aurait été possible de parler également, entre autres, des cas Ludovic Giuly et Robert Pires, même pas évoqués par Raymond Domenech alors qu’ils brillaient sous les couleurs du FC Barcelone ou d’Arsenal, à savoir deux des plus grandes équipes européennes. Mais bon, il faut éviter de citer trop d’exemples frappants, sinon Raymond va encore faire une déclaration fracassante du style “On a perdu, c’est quand même un match satisfaisant, j’en profite donc pour envoyer un sms à ma femme et lui demander si elle préfère que je porte un costume ou un jogging pour le mariage.”

Pour en savoir plus…