Arsenal do a Bolton Against Bolton

I’m not sure if you guys watched the Arsenal – Bolton mini-series this past week, but for those of you that didn’t, they played each other twice in four days. Bolton has historically been a tough game for Arsenal – the Wanderers rough playing style and no nonsense tackles contrast Arsenal’s slick passing and off the ball movement perfectly. It is true that Arsenal have found it difficult in recent years to continue to play their own game when a team begins to outmuscle them. That truth has made Bolton a very difficult side for the Gunners to beat, and a side that brings forth one massive weak point in the North London side : they are too weak.

I for one knew nothing was guaranteed for Arsenal going into either of these games. Despite the massive gap between the two teams in the table, one of Arsene Wengers biggest nightmares leading up to last weekend was probably having to bring his already thin team to Lancashire to face one of the roughest teams in the league. Arsenal couldn’t afford any more injuries, yet from the start it looked as if nothing had changed. Abou Diaby was kicked and fouled nearly every time he touched the ball in the first half. After one incident, however, something happened that was seemingly uncharacteristic of a team that oozes composure and a class about them that allows them to pass teams to death. Tomas Rosicky kicked back. He kicked back as if stay, ‘enough is enough.’ Suddenly, Arsenal realized that being physical AND outplaying their opposition seemed plausible. They walked out of the Reebok 2-0 winners and one game away from the top of the top of the table. That was over the weekend.

This Wednesday, Arsenal had the privilege of hosting Bolton at the Emirates. A victory by two or more goals would elevate them to the top of the table – a place that has seemed so close, yet so far for Arsenal fans all over the world for the past several years. Sure Bolton new boy Owen Coyle has become relatively known for transforming his former Burnley into a passing team that actually plays somewhat attractive footie at the top level. I don’t doubt that he’ll do the same at Bolton, but for the time being, he has the same personnel that he was ‘blessed’ with when he took the job last week. The same personnel that is flirting with relegation and  42 games in the Championship next year.

So Arsenal now have the chance to go top of the table against a team they outclassed on several days prior, all while playing in the comfort of their own ground. The script went awry for Wenger’s men when his side conceded twice in the first half and looked to be getting outplayed themselves. Eduardo and Arshavin both had several efforts on goal that didn’t seem to bother Bolton. Things started looking very bleak for the men in red. Just before the half, however, Tomas Rosicky pulled one back – an absolute bomb from an awkward angle near the top right side of the box. Zat Knight – you want to give Rosicky time and space to drop a bomb? Feel free. Just be prepared to help your keeper lift the net while he digs the ball out of the back of it. A man with that amount of class should never be given an invitation to shoot from the top of the box. 2-1 Halftime. Game on.

It didn’t take long for Cesc Fabregas to score the equalizer for the home side. At 2-2, Bolton were probably thinking they should step up the physical intensity of the game and battle for a draw. If they were lucky, they could nick another goal and hope for the best. But Arsenal had other plans. The tackles started coming in harder from not only the team in white, but also the team in red. The Gunners were fighting back, and when Thomas Vermaelan scored the go ahead goal in the 65th minute, a Bolton player lay writhing on the pitch in agony from a William Gallas tackle. Owen Coyle, as well as the rest of the Bolton personnel went ballistic. Any manager would – a possible foul had been missed and a goal resulted from it. Shame. But where was the referee when Matt Taylor tripped and pulled Cesc Fabregas’ hair in the box in the first fixture. Or when Jaaskelainen clearly brought Cesc down in the box in the second game? Yes, Wenger complained. Yes, Cesc complained. But they got on with it. And they fought hard. And they tackled hard. And at the end of the game, when the ref blew the whistle to signify that the 90 minutes was up, Arsenal walked off the pitch 4-2 winners. At 2-0 down, things looked bleak for Arsenal. I’m sure many in the stadium and in the world alike doubted the eleven guys in red had the cajones to fight back and get a win. But they did. They managed to continue their passing style of play. They continued their off the ball movement that leaves heads turning and mouths dropping. They managed to score four times in fifty minutes. And they did all that while fighting and tackling against a team that is known for fighting and tackling.

If Arsenal is able to maintain this no-nonsense ‘we don’t give a f@#$ ‘ attitude until the end of the season while passing and scoring teams off the pitch, then I think the times may be shifting in favor of the red side of London.

Drogba Gives Back

The wonderful people over at The Spoiler are reporting that Didier Drogba has donated 3 million pounds to build a hospital. Now I understand Drogba is no saint – he still dives, cons referees, complains about everything, and has shocking hair – but his act of giving back has opened up a soft spot in my heart for him. I really do hope other Premier League stars and athletes follow his lead. I know celebrities give back all the time, and I admire them for doing so. However, relative to the amount of money these stars are making, the amount of money they give back is hardly comforting. In fact, Drogba’s donation is far more than I’d ever expect any athlete to give. If an athlete is making 10 million dollars a year, donating 500 thousand of those dollars would hardly put a dent in their way of life. It would, however, make a huge difference in the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of people. And that’s just one athlete. I understand they work hard for their money and can choose to do whatever they wish with it, but I also understand that 500k is 1/20 of their salary, which would leave them with 9.5 million other dollars. I can think of several things to do with that sort of money.

As long as professional athletes and other rich people are being advised accordingly, making a huge donation really won’t affect their lifestyles at all. Lets take a billionaire for example. If Roman Abramovich is worth 8.5 billion dollars, surely he could donate 1 billion dollars and do whatever he does on a day to day basis with 7.5 billion other dollars. He was reportedly seen eating a 47,000 dollar lunch the other day in New York. I eat fresh at Subway for $5.55 on a regular basis and leave feeling good.

The world is full of problems that could be helped greatly with the injection of huge donations. Drogba’s 5 million dollar contribution is a huge step towards that help. I really hope others take notice of his generous act.

Adebayor Is Sort of Confused

I think Emmanuel Adebayor is having a quarter-life crisis. Every time he speaks to the press, he completely contradicts what he said in the previous interview. When speaking to the press today, Adebayor had this to say:

“I love Arsene Wenger, and I will always keep that love for Arsene – he is the person who made me what I am today”

This quote comes months after Adebayor told the press that he left because Wenger basically forced him out. He’s also told the press that he left because, “the fans hated” him. I’m not completely sure Adebayor gets it. He scored 30 goals in all competitions for Arsenal in the 2007/2008 competition and demanded a pay increase. Clubs like AC Milan came in for him but  Arsenal gave him a raise and he stayed. He openly told the media that he expected to get a hike in wages because of his efforts, and that if his demands weren’t met, he’d look elsewhere for employment.

Adebayor burning bridges, one stomp at at time.

In terms of loyalty to a club and manager that showed so much faith in him, there ins’t much to speak about. He wonders why the fans “hated” him. He asked Arsenal to quadruple his wages in order to keep him. Now he’s on roughly $250,000 a week at Manchester City and has already been involved in an incident that saw him suspended for a number of games. If he doesn’t want City’s fans to start “hating” him, then I suggest he just keep his mouth shut and start doing what he’s paid a quarter of a million dollars a week to do: score goals.

Last Minute Heartbreak in France

Further to my post “Why Rafa Must Win on Wednesday”, it is now Thursday and Rafa’s Reds left Lyon with only a point. That leaves Liverpool with only 4 points after 4 games. Once again, they are averaging a point a game. Liverpool love a late comeback, however, so you can’t completely rule them out of the knockout phase, but it isn’t looking bright at all. Steven Gerrard has only played 25 minutes in the last month and looks as if he may be facing a session under the knife of a surgeon in order to get back out on the pitch. Fernando Torres has been fighting through pain in order to play and will likely also face a surgeon’s scalpel in order to regain his full fitness.

Yesterday’s game was full of excitement, but if I had to describe it in one word, I’d have to choose cruel. Both Lyon and Liverpool attacked all night, and all sorts of chances were created on both ends. Hugo Lloris, Lyon’s goalkeeper, was by far my man of the match. He spent a majority of the night keeping his team in the game with point blank saves and was left completely stranded when Ryan Babel dropped a 25 yard bomb in the 82nd minute. Babel’s effort looked to secure a crucial three points for the Liverpudlians – their celebrations blatantly showed how important of a goal it was.

All they had to do was hold on for 8 minutes. Don’t concede, pack it in. Grind out the win and head back to England with the much needed victory. They couldn’t do it, though. In the 90th minute Lisandro Lopez, Lyon’s Argentine striker, finished off an impressive attack that meant the spoils would be shared. The table now looks like this:

Lyon                 10pts
Fiorentina        9pts
Liverpool          4pts
Debrecen          0pts

‘Pool’s fate is no longer in their hands, but one thing is for sure -They need to win their final two games and hope pray that Fiorentina lose both.

In Other News…

Cesc Fabregas is the man.

Captain Fabtastic - 2 goals for Arsenal against AZ on Wednesday night.

 

Dress to Impress

I was always told growing up that, regardless of my position in life, I should try to dress for success. Some may see it as a cocky way to express false wealth, but I always agreed that dressing up is a great way to gain respect amongst your peers. Even if you have no idea what you are talking about, you’ll not only be noticed, but people will know that you take what you do seriously.

When I look at the sidelines during soccer games, I can’t help but notice what the managers are wearing. There’s basically two types of managers: those that wear suits, and those that wear their training kit. To be honest, I think managers that wear their training kits on matchday are tacky and tasteless. The managers with the most success in recent times all seem to dress well, separating themselves from their team and commanding authority. For example, I’ve never seen Jose Mourinho rock Chelsea’s or Inter’s training kit on the sideline since he has been in charge. The same goes for Fabio Capello and even newboy Pep Guardiola at Barcelona. The success between those three managers alone in recent times has been incredible.

Then you’ve got guys like Steve Bruce at Sunderland and the current US Men’s National Team manager Bob Bradley. You can argue that they have been somewhat successful in their time as managers as well, but by no means can they be mentioned in the same breath of success as the aforementioned. I don’t understand. It’s not really that hard to throw a suit on for ninety minutes and look the part. I tend to look at the people that are successful in whatever it is I want to be successful in and try to emulate them. Dressing to impress may not get you to the finals, but at least you’ll look good while you try.

Current FC Barcelona Manager – Champions League Winner 2009

Current Chelsea Manager – Champions League Champion with AC Milan 2003,2007

Current Inter Milan Manager – Champions League Champion 2004 with Porto – Premier League Champion with Chelsea FC 2005,2006

Current Sunderland Manager – Has bounced around high Championship/low Premier League sides

Current US Men’s National Team Manager – Experienced some success in the MLS as well as this year’s Confederations Cup – World Cup 2010 will be a test.

Former Burnley Manager from 2004-2007. Currently without a job.

Current England Manager – Won the Champions League with Milan, La Liga with Real Madrid, and the Serie A with several Italian Clubs. Obviously dresses for success with strapped sandals and a speedo.

Tweet Tweet

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

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

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

“Seriously getting p***** off now”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

English Commentators v American Commentators

I’d rather listen to Britney Spears’ new CD The Circus on repeat than some of our network’s commentators. Watch Stevie G’s top 10 goals and listen to the commentators. Andy Gray on the number one goal is absolutely fantastic. Gives me goosebumps.

Then watch this year’s AT&T Goal of the Year Nominees from the MLS. The commentators make me want to listen to Britney.

Why Rafa Must Win on Wednesday

10 days ago, in front of 44,000 happy Scousers, Rafa Benitez and his Reds looked as if they had turned their season around. A visiting Manchester United was stunned as the Merseyside giants finished the ninety minutes as 2-0 winners. The past several weeks were put to rest and it looked as if Liverpool were back in the title race. Unfortunately for Rafa, it looks as if the United game may have just been a blip on the radar.

Liverpool’s bad run of form started in their second game in the Champions League when they traveled to Italy to face Fiorentina. Despite being a tricky fixture on paper, the Britons were still expected to win or at least leave Italy with a point. When the final whistle was blown, the Italians found themselves as 2-0 winners. Liverpool then faced Chelsea in the League four days later at Stamford Bridge – Hardly a game you look forward to as a manager when your team has just put in a lackluster, if not questionable, performance midweek. The result? Another 2-0 loss.

With a week to regroup and think about about their next game, Rafa and his Reds traveled north to the Stadium of Light to do battle with Sunderland. An in form Darren Bent, as well as a perfectly placed beach ball, did enough to spoil another one of Rafa’s afternoons. 1-0 to Sunderland, and it could have been far worse.

Next up: Lyon at home in the Champions League. Another less than favorable fixture that Rafa probably lost several nights of sleep over. The Kop and Anfield alike exploded when Yossi Benayoun put the Reds up 1-0 after 41 minutes. A strong second half and a three vital points in Europe’s competition later, Rafa could begin to focus on the highly anticipated game against Manchester United. There was no strong second half, though. Maxime Gonalons equalized for the French outfit after 71 minutes and Cesar Delgado secured all three points for them in stoppage time. With a possible nine points to be had in their first three Champions League games, the Scousers had dropped six (They managed to beat Debrecan (?) on opening day to secure their first and only three points).

Rafa will be looking for three crucial points on Wednesday.

No one on Merseyside could have been looking forward to Manchester United’s visit. Liverpool had just lost four games on the trot, and Manchester United were, and still are, on their march to the top of the table. An incredible performance from Rafa’s Reds looked to salvage the season. A new energy was surely brewing in Liverpool.

The United game was followed by a midweek loss to Arsenal at the Emirates in the Carling Cup, a result that was overshadowed by the debut of Alberto Aquilani. The £20 million summer signing from Roma spent the entire start of the season recovering from a broken ankle and looked lively when he came on in the second half. Still, though, the fact that Liverpool had been eliminated from their first competition couldn’t be hidden.

With the Arsenal game behind them, and the thought of victory against Manchester United still lingering, Rafa and the boys headed to Southwest London in search of three more points against Fulham. Bobby Zamora opened the scoring for Fulham in the 24th minute, but his strike was cancelled out by a Fernando Torres screamer just before the half ended. Then it all went wrong. In the 63rd minute, at 1-1, Rafa decides to replace Torres with Ryan Babel. Torres looked beyond upset as he jogged off the pitch shaking his head. Then, in the 73rd minute, Erik Nevland put the Cottagers ahead for the second time in the game. In the 78th minute, Yossi Benayoun was yanked and replaced with Nathan Eccleston. One minute later, Philipp Degen was sent off for Liverpool. Three minutes later, Jamie Carragher received his marching orders for Liverpool. Three minutes after that, Dirk Kuyt was replaced with Daniel Ayala.

What was Rafa thinking?  With thirty minutes left, he started replacing his biggest source of goals and creativity with inconsistent bit-part players. The game was still even and an extra two points were up for grabs. In the 87th minute, super-American Clint Dempsey side footed his first and Fulham’s third into the net to secure victory. Torres, Benayoun, and Kuyt all looked disturbed when they were being taken off. Their faces and mouths said it all. Something along the lines of, “why am I coming off” was actually read on Benayoun’s lips.

Tomorrow, Liverpool travel to Lyon to face the French again. Rafa made it clear in London this weekend that his sights aren’t set on winning the Premier League. They currently sit in sixth place, nine points off the leaders. In the Champions League, Liverpool sit just above Debrecen in their group in third place. Rafa is averaging a point a game in Europe at the moment, and that will never be enough to get him through to the knock out stages.

Where Liverpool finish in the Premier League this year isn’t certain. Whether or not Rafa can turn the season around and actually start winning games isn’t certain either. However, if he doesn’t start his heroic attempt to get Liverpool into the knockout stages on Wednesday, then it is certain that he will be looking for employment elsewhere.

To the Beckham Haters:

When David Beckham signed for the Los Angeles Galaxy in the summer of 2007, many people wondered exactly what $250 million was going to bring to Major League Soccer. A number of people have been disappointed with Beckham since his arrival. Many people expected him to be in a class far above the rest the players in the league. Many expected him to wow American fans week in and week out with stellar displays of skill that only a player with a name like ‘David Beckham’ could possibly possess. Now that we are in 2009 and people have seen almost two years of Beckham, many are starting to believe he was quite possibly the world’s biggest waste of money.

Unfortunately for the MLS, as well as the rest of people in our country, the average soccer fan in the United States isn’t able to appreciate the smorgasbord of talent Beckham possesses. Never in his career was he able to run at blistering speeds at defenders while doing stepovers and other tricks. That isn’t David Beckham. It never has been, and it never will be. What David Beckham is capable of doing, however, is playing forty yard line drives on a dime to front men who time their runs right. He did it when he was twenty years old at Manchester United, he did it when he was sold to Real Madrid in 2003, and he even did it this past year while he was on loan at AC Milan.

The teams he has suited up for arguably the top three clubs in the world – all in different leagues, all with different styles. When he was brought into those clubs, he was brought in as a right sided player that was depended on to create opportunities – and boy did he create opportunities. The only difference between the opportunities he created with those clubs as opposed to the MLS, however, were the players on the receiving end. At United, Beckham could look up and spot a run from Dwight Yorke, Ruud Van Nistlerooy, and Ryan Giggs. At Madrid, his options included Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, and one of the most prolific goalscorers ever in Raul. During his time at Milan, players like Filippo Inzaghi, Kaka, Pato, and Seedorf were all calling for the ball. When Beckham picks his head up in Los Angeles, he is given options like Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle, and Bryan Jordan.

Today it was confirmed that Beckham will be rejoining Milan on loan at the end of the MLS season. I couldn’t be happier for him. The amount of stick he has received since returning from Italy in the summer has been disgraceful. Even a book, The Beckham Experiment, authored by Grant Wahl was published stirring up all sorts of controversy around Beckham’s time in the States. There have also been rumors that Beckham will be leaving the MLS at the end of the season for good. Fabio Capello has made his intentions clear that Beckham will not be selected for England if he is playing with the Los Angeles Galaxy when World Cup 2010 rolls around next year. As a professional, he has decisions that he has to make. If he leaves, good for him. Every soccer playing kid around the world dreams of playing in the World Cup. He has played at the top level since he was a teenager and expects excellence from himself and his teammates. If he needs to look elsewhere for that excellence, then he needs to look elsewhere.

Whatever happens, I’m behind him. I do, however, hope that soccer fans in our country take the positives from the so called ‘Beckham Experiment.’ I hope his teammates and opponents have learned from his strengths on the field. Most of all, I hope everyone in our country that loves soccer appreciates the fact that one of the best right feet in the history of the game graced our stadiums for more than two years.