Sunday [December 4] morning marked the passing of Socrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, better known simply as Socrates. The Brazilian midfielder was 57. He is survived by his wife and six sons.
Brazilian midfielder Socrates, seen during the 1982 World Cup. (European Pressphoto Agency)Sometimes greatness is measured through intangibles like leadership and personality, sometimes it is gauged through empirical achievement, like statistics and championships. Sometimes it’s a combination of all those things. But Socrates stood on an even higher plane: Soccer will probably never again produce anyone like him.The 1982 Brazilian team that he captained was perhaps the greatest never to win the World Cup (along with Hungary in 1954 and Holland in 1974). It was also one of the last Brazil teams to fully embody the romantic stereotype that comes to mind when we think of the green-and-gold. Sublime touches, languid pace, creativity … the sheer joy of what they call “jogo bonito,” or the beautiful game. Zico was probably the best player on that Brazil side, but Socrates was its philosophy made flesh.
In searching for more on Socrates and the CDM, we came to a more academic discussion of it–an article from the Spring 1989 issue of The Wilson Quarterly titled “Socrates, Corinthians and Democracy“, by one Matthew Shirts (“Editor-in-chief of National Geographic Brazil, author of O jeitinho americano, editorial coordinator of Planeta Sustentável, and chronicler at VEJA SP.”)
Before I am charged with unfair labeling, let me make clear that I am talking not about ancient Greece but 20th-century Brazil. The Corinthians under discussion rarely, if ever, travel by boat, and this particular Socrates, while given to philosophizing, is a popular soccer player.
“Corinthian Democracy,” to come directly to the point, refers to a political movement conceived by team administrators and soccer players in an attempt to alter the managementllabor relations of the “Corinthians,” a club in Siio Paulo, Brazil’s great southern industrial city. The movement seized headlines for the first time in 1982, on the eve of elections for the club presidency. It did so because of the soccer stars involved and also because of certain resemblances between the club’s internal politics and the larger Brazilian political arena
But we’re still working on tracking down the full text of that piece–it’s behind The Wilson Quarterly’s paygate (or if any of you academics that have access to JSTOR want to pass it on, it’s also available there).
In the meantime another academically minded blog treatment of Socrates and the CDM came to us via our resident philosopher, humanist and technologist Frank. He passed on the link to a post on NewAPPS: Art, Politics, Philosophy, Science titled Sócrates: making political history with football, written by a philosopher of Brazilian origin:
The importance of his political activism cannot be overestimated. One must bear in mind that, in the early 1980s, even though the most violent phase of the military dictatorship was over, Brazil was still not a democracy (in fact, the first real elections for president took place only in 1989!). Football had been widely used by the military regime to promote their own interests, in particular the 1970 World Cup victory in Mexico. The Corinthians Democracy went in the opposite direction; by establishing a democratic structure within the club, the players (led by Sócrates, Wladimir, Casagrande and Zenon) were clearly also making a statement against the authoritarian state of Brazilian politics in general, and demanding democracy and political openness.
I was 6 years old in 1982 (ok, so now everybody knows how old I am!), and have been profoundly marked by these events. My father was a communist*, a medical doctor and a Corinthians supporter, and together with friends who shared the same attributes (and thus felt the additional ‘doctor’ connection with Sócrates), believed that something novel and deeply moving was going on with the Corinthians Democracy. Plus, Corinthians was on a roll with championships and cups, as it had not been for decades! Sócrates was our hero both for his football and for his politics. Indeed, the 1982 election that is referred to in the quote above (not for president, but for state governor and parliament) is one of my most powerful childhood memories (there I was, standing by one of the voting sites and distributing flyers for candidates at age 6), as is the Corinthians victory in the state championship of 1982 – and sadly, also the defeat to Italy in the 1982 World Cup… Sócrates is part of each of them, and I can only thank him for being such a unique and inspirational role model for me and millions of others at such a crucial time in Brazilian history: he was making history with football.
(We should include the author’s footnote: “* In those circumstances, being a communist actually amounted to being pro-democracy and against the dictatorial regime.”)
As the final matchday of the Europa League group stages approaches Wednesday and Thursday, so does the best chance to see Americans in action overseas on a TV near you. And with some of the Americans’ teams in danger of crashing out of Europa, it may be the last chance for a while. That is, unless your cable package comprehensively covers the Portuguese, Dutch, German and Belgian leagues, in which case you’re really spending way too much for cable.
The two Fox Soccer Channels offer regular viewing of Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard and Brad Friedel in England and occasionally Michael Bradley in the Serie A, and GolTV shows some of the Bundesliga exploits of Steve Cherundolo and the German-Americans in the national team, but to see Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting Lisbon), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht) or Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City) in a non-streamed format, Europa’s the ticket. Furthermore, with the Manchester teams now surprisingly in the impending mix, there could be some great matches ahead.
Some players, like Onyewu, Kljestan and Jones earned early admission to the knockout phase, as Sporting Lisbon, Anderlecht and Schalke 04 each clinched the top spots in their respective groups and secured berths in the last 32 with a game to spare. Others are less likely, but as it stands, everyone’s got a shot, even if mathematical probabilities aren’t as rosy as they might like.
Dempsey, the all-time leading American goal scorer in the Premier League, has been firing for Fulham this season, both domestically and in the Europa League, where he will always be remembered for his chip into the Juventus goal in 2010. But Fulham jeopardized their shot at the round of 32 when they slumped to a 1-0 loss in the 89th minute against group leaders FC Twente, down to 10 men. However, if Krakow lose to or draw with FC Twente, Fulham are through. But Dempsey & Co. are in charge of their own destiny. If they win, second is theirs. If Fulham lose to or draw with Odense and Krakow pull off the upset, however, Krakow takes the spoils.
Friedel has proven integral to the Tottenham first team, but he usually sits out Europa nights. For Spurs to progress, Rubin Kazan would have to lose and Tottenham have to win and overcome a goal difference of 5. Good time to have a proven shot-stopper, so Redknapp may choose to select him against Shamrock Rovers. However, one school of thought says exiting the competition would help Spurs finish in the top 3 or 4 in the Premier League, not playing weekend matches on the heels of Thursday nights in Europe, so perhaps the bald-pated American will again see some rest. Many betting sites tipped Tottenham to win the cup. Few expected they’d fail to pass through the group stage.
Spector and Birmingham may soon be crashing out, unless they’ve got some goals in them. They need first-place Braga to down second-place Brugge, while they themselves beat Maribor and hope it all works out such that they overcome the 4 goal deficit separating them from Brugge. Doable if they’ve got their shooting boots on (and Braga, theirs).
Altidore, whose career has witnessed a resurgence since joining the Dutch champions, will likely lead the line again for AZ Alkmaar, but the team must get a result against group leaders FC Metalist. Win and they clinch second. If they lose and Vienna defeats Malmo, they crash out. Draw and they squeak through, unless Vienna beats Malmo by 7 goals, which one would have to consider a tad unlikely, as they have conceded almost a third more goals than they’ve scored in the group stages. Altidore has 9 goals this season.
Onyewu, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s long-lost shorter, stronger brother, has similarly returned to form with Sporting Lisbon. In fact, he scored the lone goal in last weekend’s 1-0 victory over CD Nacional de Madeira. And with former club PSV Eindhoven still in the Europa mix, he may have a chance to exact some revenge for their lack of faith in him that led to selling him off this past summer.
Schalke 04 midfielder Jermaine Jones has been seeing more first team action and will live to see another Europa day, as the Schalke tops its group and is certain to go through.
Anderlecht is similarly a lock, and barring injury so is Kljestan, who has excelled at Anderlecht this season and must be wondering why he’s seen so little time with the national team. The midfielder has started 23 matches and scored 2 goals this season.
Hannover 96 captain Cherundolo and his team look favorites for second. Win or draw with last place Vorskla and they go through.
Possibles:
Clint Dempsey (Fulham, MF)
Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96, D)
Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City, D)
Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar, F)
Highly unlikely:
Brad Friedel (Tottenham, GK)
Wednesday, December 14
Besiktas v Stoke City 1:00 PM (DirecTV)
PSG v Atletic Bilbao 1:00 PM (GolTV)
Fulham v Odense 3:00 PM (GolTV)
Thursday, December 15
Hannover 96 v Vorskla Potlava 1:00 PM (GolTV)
Shamrock Rovers v Spurs 1:00 PM (DirecTV)
Atletico Madrid v Stade Rennais 3:00 PM (GolTV)
Birmingham v Maribor 3:00 PM (DirecTV)
Udinese v Celtic 3:00 PM (DirecTV)
Another El Clasico is upon us–Real Madrid hosts archrivals FC Barcelona at the majestic Santiago Bernabeu for a Saturday night La Liga match (kickoff is at 10pmCET/9pmGMT/4pmEST).
This will be, remarkably, the 7th El Clasico of 2011: there were the four matches packed into 18 days last spring (two meetings in the Champions League semifinal, the Copa del Rey final, and their 2nd La Liga match of the season), plus there were two legs to the preseason Spanish Super Copa. But the frequency of El Clasicos hasn’t at dampened the anticipation of seeing these two sides face off of the pitch. As we wrote 13 months ago, ahead of the first El Clasico of last season (the one at the Camp Nou that became, shockingly and memorably, “La Manita“), El Clasico means “Catalans vs Castilians, L’Equip Blaugrana vs Los Blancos, La Masia vs Los Galacticos, Los Cules vs Los Madridistas, regionalism vs centralism, Cryuff vs Franco, Guardiola vs Mourinho, Messi vs Ronaldo.”
We recommend two match previews to get you ready for the match:
For instance, here are a couple specific issues raised in Sid Lowe’s & ZM’s pieces:
Does Cesc Fabregas start among the front 3 in Barcelona’s usual 4-3-3 lineup? If so, in place of Villa or Pedro? Messi seems to be the only one on the front line certain to play the full 90. In addition to whoever among Cesc, Pedro & Villa doesn’t start, Alexis Sanchez and youngster Isaac Cuenca are options to come off the bench. Zonal Marking on the possibilities:
Only Messi is a certainty for the front three, and his position is uncertain – he could play as a false nine, or on the right, as against Milan. He will probably be used with one wide forward (Pedro Rodriguez, Alexis Sanchez, David Villa, Isaac Cuenca) and one deeper, more central converted midfielder (Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Thiago Alcantara). Three forwards might be too direct and not strong enough in midfield, whilst Messi and two midfielders wouldn’t offer enough penetration. Fabregas and Pedro is a decent bet – but Pedro might not be fit. Cuenca would be a bold move, but he’s the closest to what Pedro offers, in terms of excellent positioning and movement from wide.
On the other side, all indications are that Mourinho will opt for 4-3-3 instead of their usual 4-2-3-1, with the talented German Mesut Ozil unfortunately left out in favor of a more defensive midfielder (Lass Diarra maybe, joining Sami Khedira & Xabi Alonso in the infamous trivote). Up front, of course there will be CR7 (cutting in from the left wing), speedy Argentine Angel diMaria wide on the other wing, and either Gonzalo Higuain or Karim Benzema in the center forward position–the latter being Mourinho’s famous “hunting with a cat or a dog” question. We devoted a post to it, titled “Mourinho on the Truth About Cats and Dogs“, following the initial remark approximately a year ago, and Sid Lowe has a section on it in his preview of this match:
Cat or dog?
“If I can’t hunt with a dog, I will hunt with a cat”. Mourinho’s remark has become legendary — analyzed and counter analyzed endlessly. This season, it has come more clearly into focus. Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuaín have different qualities: Benzema is far more technical, a better player in the absence of space, when you need tight passing and close skill; Higuaín applies greater pressure and is swifter on the break. The decision as to how Madrid play — will it pressure higher as it has done most of this season or lie a littler deeper waiting for Barcelona, employing the speed of counterattacks that sets it apart from any side in the world? — will go a long way to deciding who Madrid play.
Next time, rake the cleats over the Swiss tendons, Rooney, my boy.
And as Matchday 6 of the Champions League separated the wheat from the chaff, the next eight into the Europa League knockouts are:
Valencia
Olympiakos
Porto
Victoria Plzen
Manchester United
Manchester City
Ajax
FC Basel
Trabzonspor
Manchester United failed to beat Basel, so MUFC goes to Europa, while the Swiss progress to the knockouts.
Manchester City defeated Bayern Munich at home, but the team progresses, as it were, to Europa due to Napoli’s victory 2-0 victory over Villareal, which means Napoli goes through.
Lyon, after a fantastic 7-1 match overcame all sorts of goal difference, go through over Ajax on goal difference. Of course, there’s a whiff of controversy about this one, with Ajax accusing Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb of match-fixing. Sour grapes? Who knows. Would’ve been nice to have a bet on that scoreline, though.
Trabzonspor’s goalless draw to Lille means Lille goes though and they go on to Europa.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Mata faced his former club and Chelsea took top spot in the group, consigning Valencia to Europa after a convincing 3-0 victory in which Didier Drogba looked like the monster of old.
Olympiakos defeated a sorry Arsenal 3-1 at home and would have gone through to the knockout stages of the Champions League had Marseille not pulled up an incredible come-from-behind victory in Germany, having been down two goals.
Given Apoel Nicosia’s loss to Shaktar Donesk, Porto would have won their group with a victory over Zenit St. Petersburg, but the goalless draw meant the Russians go through and the Portuguese do not.
Plzen scored in the 89th minute and in stoppage time to draw 2-2 with AC Milan, but given Barcelona’s 4-0 battering of BATE Borisov, they would have gone through to Europa regardless.
The U.S. Under-17 team took on Brazil in Lakewood Ranch, FL, and never looked outclassed in the slightest, defeating Brazil 3-1. Having drawn 2-2 with France midweek and beaten Turkey 2-1 on Friday, they won the Nike International Friendlies trophy with three first-half goals and an impressive second-half defense.
As for witnessing the emergence of the “next Neymar” or “next Clint Dempsey” in the crop of U-17 players, the latter certainly seemed more the case. (“New Pelé” Neymar played in the tournament in 2008.) U.S. attacking midfielder Junior Flores displayed outstanding playmaking abilities and looks a huge prospect for the future. Involved in each of the U.S. goals, he outmaneuvered defenders at will, as Rubio Rubin charged down the right flank, providing excellent service to forwards Corey Baird and Wesley Wade. Meanwhile, right back Shaquell Moore and centerback Tyler Turner looked solid, both in attack and defense. Rubin, Flores and the back four played in every match of the tournament, consistency evidenced in the group’s chemistry and cohesiveness.
Kellen Gulley, former U.S. U-17 standout, sat beside this intrepid reporter in the stands in the second half and said, “The Brazil team two years ago would have killed this [Brazil] team. And last year’s was almost as good.” Gulley, 17, scored the equalizer against Brazil in the 2009 tournament for a 1-1 draw. He currently plays for the Chicago Fire youth team.
Brazil’s number 10 Gabriel repeatedly put in dangerous crosses on which forwards Joanderson and Bruno failed to capitalize. However, captain and center half Eriks definitely seemed one to watch in the coming years. Going against type, though, the side produced more fouls than flair. And when themselves fouled, the theatrics came out, eliciting jeers such as “Get him a binky” and “Get him a pacifier” from the capacity crowd. Right back Abner, in particular, made a meal of every challenge, prompting even Eriks to bark at him to get up and on with it as they chased to close the goal gap in the second half.
Right winger Rubin knocked in a back-to-the-goal strike at just two minutes in, the first shot of the game. Off a free kick from the dynamic Junior Flores that got headed his way, Rubin flick-volleyed the ball over his right shoulder to the surprise of everyone, not least Guilherme, the Brazilian goalie.
In the 12th minute, Brazilian midfielder Matheus Queiroz attacked a poor clearance and blazed in a power strike into the upper right corner to level the proceedings. On a night when the U.S. served up the majority of the ball control and goal-scoring flair, the strike had Samba written all over it.
U.S. captain Turner picked up the ball and created space after a scramble from Flores’ delivery into in the six-yard box in the 31st minute, striking to make it 2-1. The celebration between players and fans actually resulted in a section of ad placards and pitch barriers getting knocked over. The goal was Tyler’s second of the tournament (third, if you count the own goal in the France match-up).
As half-time approached, Flores weaved through midfield and centered for Wesley Wade, who beat his defender and sent the ball past Guilherme into the far corner, doubling the lead and Wade’s tournament goal tally, making it 3-1 at the break.
Brazil pressed for a second goal in the second half, to no avail. Despite firing off many shots, most attempts proved easy saves for Paul Christensen, the U.S. ‘keeper. On the other end, Flores nearly scored in the 75th minute, only to hit the outside netting.
In the earlier match of the day, France drew 3-3 with Turkey to take third.
Betting sites had tipped Tottenham to take home the silverware, but the odds are now against them even exiting the group stages.
With two weeks until the final matches of the Europa League group stages, 14 clubs have clinched spots in the knockout rounds of the cup with a game to spare. With the eight teams that finish third in their UEFA Champions League groups transferring over to Europe’s second-tier competition, that leaves 10 spots.
Anderlecht, who alone won all 5 of the first 5 group matches, FC Twente and Sporting Lisbon had already qualified even before Thursday’s matches kicked off, as had PSV Eindhoven and Legia Warsaw before Wednesday’s matches.
Meanwhile, former frontrunner Tottenham’s loss to 10-man PAOK Thessaloniki at White Hart Lane puts makes them unlikely to join the last 32. As punishment, perhaps Jermaine Defoe should write “Panthessaloníkios Athlitikós Ómilos Konstantinoupolitón” 100 times on the blackboard.
First 14:
Anderlecht (Belgium)
FC Twente (Netherlands)
Sporting Lisbon (Portugal)
Atlético Madrid (Spain)
Braga (Portugal)
Hannover 96 (Germany)
FC Metalist Kharkiv (Ukraine)
PAOK Thessaloniki (Greece)
Standard Liège (Belgium)
Stoke (England)
Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)
Legia Warsaw (Poland)
Schalke 04 (Germany)
PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
At the beginning of November, Tottenham had been tipped to take home the silverware, but their loss to PAOK on Wednesday made it such that while it’s still mathematically possible if they go on a goal spree against Shamrock Rovers and Rubin Kazan loses, it’s unlikely. For one, Redknapp may not even truly wish to progress. One school of thought says exiting the competition would help them finish in the top 3 or 4 in the Premier League, not playing weekend matches on the heels of Thursday nights in Europe and avoiding overall fixture congestion with all the two-leg showdowns to come.
Currently, odds are on Atlético Madrid to hoist the trophy on May 9 in Bucharest. Other frontrunners include Schalke 04, PSV Eindhoven, Paris Saint-Germain and Athletic Bilbao, despite the latter two having not yet qualified.
Arsenal’s 1-0 home loss to Manchester City in the Carling Cup match yesterday showed, once again, the power of the petropounds. One goal from over £150 million in transfer fees is a pretty weak return, but a win is a win and even if City are on the ropes in Europe, they’ve booked their spot in the semifinals of the league cup.
Costel Pantilimon (Loan)
Kolo Touré (£16 million)
Nedum Onuoha (Academy)
Pablo Zabaleta (£6.5 million)
Aleksandar Kolarov (£16 million)
Stefan Savic (£6 million)
Owen Hargreaves (Free)
Nigel De Jong (£16 million)
Samir Nasri (£24 million)
Adam Johnson (£7 million)
Edin Dzeko (£27 million)
sub: Sergio Aguero (£35 million)
Transfer fees depend on many factors and are a dubious way to judge a squad, but compare the total of City’s transfer fees for this roster, roughly £153.5 million, with that of the side Arsenal fielded (roughly £33 million). Aguero alone cost more than the entire Arsenal starting XI.
Lukasz Fabianski (£2 million)
Sebastien Squillaci (£4 million)
Johan Djourou (Academy)
Laurent Koscielny (£10 million)
Ignasi Miquel (£1.1 million)
Yossi Benayoun (Loan)
Francis Coquelin (£0.9 million)
Emmanuel Frimpong (Academy)
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (£12 million)
Park Ju-Young (£3 million)
Marouane Chamakh (Free)
A battle of reserve sides, yes. But Manchester City’s second team could mow down almost any Premier League opposition, acknowledging of course that at first contact Hargreaves might shatter into a few million pieces. On the plus side for both teams, Arsenal held its own and Hargreaves still walks the Earth unshattered.
But Manchester City couldn’t possibly be expected to score with the paltry attack they fielded in the starting XI, so of course they brought on superstriker Sergio Aguero as a first half substitute, a decision that eventually paid off in the 84th minute of the match.
The Arsenal back four consisted of all center halves. Squillaci played the best game I can recall (not just good for him but actually good), Koscielny put in another good shift, Miquel performed well at left back. At right back, Djourou wasn’t half bad. Considering he’s not a natural right back and he lacks the pace and stamina of someone like Sagna, he did a commendable job of neutralizing Dzeko, Nasri & Co.
Frimpong and Coquelin shut the City midfield down effectively, to the visible frustration of Nasri, frustration that led to a reported bust-up in the tunnel after the final whistle blew. Oxlade-Chamberlain played a great match, nearly scoring on a 20-yard, left-footed strike to the upper right corner of goal. A first touch strike, no less.
No one has kept a clean sheet against City this season, domestically. And Arsenal proved no exception. Down the field on a breakaway counterattack, the passes from Dzeko to Johnson and Johnson to Aguero were fantastic and Fabianski was blameless for the goal. Aguero was never going to miss, and Fabianski never had a chance.
So, Arsenal exits the Carling Cup, but lessons were learned and/or cemented. Oxlade-Chamberlain looks ready to develop into a truly excellent player, given the right guidance. Same with Frimpong and Coquelin, who are becoming formidable in midfield, both separately and in a defensive partnership. And once again, Chamakh has shown that he is not is the answer in the strike department. Perhaps Park can yet play some role in the mix, but in the interests of all parties, Chamakh should head back to Ligue 1. One of the strikers from the reserves like Benik Afobe should get a chance before the Moroccan. Is Wenger playing him in the hopes that he’ll finally score a few, not necessarily for the here and now (though it’s what we desperately need) but rather to raise his January sell-on value?
Random aside: Why can’t commentators put it together that Miquel is not the man’s first name? He’s not the waiter from Fawlty Towers, and it’s not pronounced, “mee-GELL.” Yes? We good now? We get it. He’s Spanish. But note the Q, dumbasses.
A variety of matches worth watching this weekend: a couple from England, a couple from Spain, intriguing matches in Munich and in Naples, a Uruguayan super derby, and the MLS championship game.
(As usual, all times ET and all TV listings for the United States.)
Saturday, Nov 19
England, Manchester City-Newcastle (10amET, Fox Soccer): The match of the weekend in England. Will the new Mancunian juggernaut keep rolling? City is at the top of the table, with 10 wins and 1 draw. More remarkable: 39 goals for vs. 10 goals against. But the Toon are the only other unbeaten team, 3rd in the table (7 wins and 4 draws for 25 points, 1 behind that other Manchester club, 6 behind Man City). Will Newcastle’s French revolution keep the Tooners run going? Or will the Newcastle bubble burst?
Match of the weekend?
Germany, Bayern Munich-Borussia Dortmund (12:30pmET, ESPN Deportes & ESPN3.com): The Bavarian giants–favorites to win the Bundesliga yet again–against the team that won it last year. Take a look at the video highlights of last year’s match on the cultfootball tumblr.
Italy, Napoli-Lazio (2:45pmET, ESPN3.com): Napoli is the Serie A neutral observer’s team of the moment–open attacking football, featuring skilled and exciting players like Cavani and Lavezzi up front, with Hamsik and Inler behind them in midfield. But they’re only 8th in the Serie A table (on 14pts), while Lazio has quietly climbed even with Udinese at 21 points at the top of the table! German striker Miroslav Klose had struggled for Bayern Munich the past couple seasons, but has been prolific and pivotal for Lazio this year.
Spain, Valencia-Real Madrid (4pmET, ESPN Deportes & ESPN3.com): Madrid has been overpowering, but this is a tricky fixture. Barcelona struggled to salvage a draw at the Mestalla a couple months ago. Don’t be surprised if this one comes down to the wire as well. You’re probably more familiar with the Madrid squad, so here are a couple Valenica players to watch: wingback Jordi Alba, midfielder Ever Banega, forwards Robert Soldado and Aritz Aduriz (with diminutive Argentine striker Pablo Piatti often coming as a super sub). But imagine for a minute if they’d been able to hang on the players they sold over the past couple summers: David Villa, David Silva, Juan Mata, Raúl Albíol.
Saturday, Nov 20
England, Chelsea-Liverpool (11amET, Fox Soccer): Two of the biggest clubs, though both have been inconsistent this season. #4 and #6 in the table, respectively.
Spain, Sevilla-Bilbao (12pmET, ESPN Deportes & ESPN3.com): We are fascinated by Atletic Bilbao and Marcelo Bielsa after previewing and watching them host Barcelona couple weeks ago. Sevilla is not uninteresting either.
MLS Cup, Los Angeles-Houston (9pmET; ESPN, Galavision, and ESPN3.com): The one MLS match we’ll watch this season. Maybe.
Monday, Nov 21
England, Spurs-Aston Villa 3pm (ESPN Deportes & ESPN3.com): Spurs are up to 5th in the table (with a game in hand, due to the cancellation of that season opener due to the riots in London that week), while Villa are 8th.
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