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As we draw towards the close of another Premiership season, I wanted to offer a few random thoughts about how things have played out and, of course, a view on Tottenham Hotspur's year. Tottenham's year One of the things that has been creeping into conversations I have had recently with fellow Spurs fans, is the desire to avoid being in the Europa League next season, preferring to miss out on Europe all together. The idea is, without the distraction and tiredness that extra games in the Thursday Night Cup would bring, Tottenham would be more likely to challenge for a Champions League place next season. First time I heard this, I did not think it was an unreasonable position to take. However, a couple of issues have made me change my mind - mainly, the idea that qualifying for the [caption id="attachment_1120" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Braga's stadium, cut into a mountain

Little Lille Leading Ligue 1

May 11, 2011 — by Suman — 1

What's one to do until the highly anticipated Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United (Saturday May 28 btw)? All the big European league winners have been virtually decided over the past couple weekends, and in each case there's been little drama--the champions have each been atop their respective tables for some time. Manchester United basically wrapped up the English Premier League with their dominating victory over Chelsea on Sunday. In Spain, Barcelona need just a single point this afternoon in their match against Levante to clinch the title (though really they clinched it with their draw a few weeks ago with a draw at the Bernabeu). And despite a bit of wobble over the past few weeks, Borussia Dortmund finally did wrap up the Bundesliga crown.

Lille Olympique Sporting Club - Les Dogues

Well, you could finally turn your attention across the Channel/Pyrenees/Alps/Maginot to

El Clásico Series, Part 3: Champions League 1st Leg

April 27, 2011 — by Suman — 2

Pep: Decir la verdad al puto jefe!

Just when you thought El Clásico couldn't get any more heated, Pep Guardiola took the rivalry to 11 in his press conference yesterday in Madrid. But the real battle of Mourinho contra Guardiola will take place on the pitch later today, with the 1st leg of the Champions League semifinal. It will remarkably be the 3rd meeting in the past 11 days between Guardiola's Barcelona and Mourinho's Real Madrid (following the tense 1-1 draw in a La Liga match on April 16 and Madrid's dramatic 1-0 Copa del Rey victory a week ago), and the real battle will be the tactics the two managerial masterminds deploy today, in light of the past two matches--and in light of key absences for both squads. Here's what you need to get ready for today's match: If you have time for nothing else,

CultFootball Film Session: Copa del Rey Clásico (Part 2)

April 25, 2011 — by Suman — 1

We went through the 1st half highlights of last Wednesday's Copa del Rey Clásico in detail--highlights that were dominated by Real Madrid's counterattacking. But it was a game of two halves: The second half was a different game entirely. Barcelona were rejuvenated by whatever spanking Pep Guardiola gave them in the dressing room, and they came out with the sort of belly fire you expect from the best team of their generation. Suddenly the game was stretched (in part because Madrid were pushing more into attack, but also because Xavi and Pedro were drawing out Pepe and Khedira more successfully) leaving Iniesta room to move through the middle. Watch along as we detail the 2nd half highlights below: Comments on 2nd half highlights: The 2nd half highlights start off (at 7:06 of the video) with a great chance for Pedro from the left flank, created by Xavi and Iniesta (51'). The

CultFootball Film Session: Copa del Rey Clásico (Part 1)

April 22, 2011 — by Suman — 2

Sean's excellent postgame analysis of Wednesday's tense and memorable Copa del Rey final included the video of Sergio Ramos dropping la Copa under the bus. Here is video from the match itself, followed by some micro-analyses of key sequences in the 1st half. We'll follow up with commentary on the 2nd half and extra time highlights over the next couple days. Certainly prior to the next El Clásico (3 of 4)--back to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday, for perhaps an even bigger match--the 1st leg of the Champions League semifinal matchup. Comments on 1st half highlights: The first highlight (0:00-0:50 of the clip, 11' of the match) illustrates Madrid's quick counterattacking in the opening half. The play is created in the initial 10 seconds--we suggest you watch that segment a few times: notice how Madrid left winger diMaria picks up the ball in a crowded space along the touchline and

What to Watch this Weekend (April 23-24)

April 22, 2011 — by Sean

Jeremain Lens will need to be on point against Feyenoord come Sunday

We're approaching the end of club football in Europe, and while no fixture can be taken for granted at this point, there's not a whole hell of a lot that's particularly interesting this weekend. The games are important at the top and bottom of the table for sure, but will that make them something we want to watch? We think not. The few exceptions are below, all times Eastern US, and click the teams for viewing information all around the world. Just think, with so few games to care about this weekend maybe you'll actually get out there and have a kick about yourself? When's the last time you did that afterall? Saturday April 23 9:00am Inter Milan vs Lazio Lazio sits in fourth and Inter in third, with the sides separated by three

Real Madrid Lay Hands on the Copa del Rey

April 21, 2011 — by Sean — 5

Less than a week after their hard fought tie in league play, Madrid and Barça met in the final of the King's Cup. Mourinho sent his defensive set into the midfield again, then put in Özil from the start for an added touch of creativity in attack, and sprinkled the whole side with an extra dose of aggression dust. The force of Madrid's tackling and their quickness in closing down the Barça players immediately unstabilized the usually unflappable Blaugrana. On the strength of their defense and their quick counter attack, Madrid had far the better of the first half. Pepe seemed to be everywhere and Ronaldo did very well as the lone striker up top (even with Mascherano shadowing his every move). The game moved quickly up and down the pitch, but Barcelona weren't finding any joy past the midfield circle and it wasn't until nearly the 40th minute that

Marca on Madrid: “Con 10 Se Juega Mejor”

April 17, 2011 — by Suman — 1

We've been digesting Saturday's Real Madrid-Barcelona 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu--just the first installment of this month's 4-part El Clásico series; the second is coming up this Wednesday with the Copa del Rey final, to be contested on neutral turf--at the Mestalla in Valencia. In the meantime, it's always entertaining to see how Madridista tabloid Marca spins the latest big result. There's much to savor in this cover. The screaming lead ("Con 10 se juega mejor") seems pedestrian enough. Translating to "It's better to play with 10" (or "We play better with 10"?), Marca is seemingly remarking simply that Madrid played better after losing Albiol to a red card and playing a man short for the final 40 minutes of the match. But it turns out the headline may actually be an allusion to an aphorism attributed to the legendary manager Helenio Herrera--which leads to something of a Möbius strip

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Commentary

End of the season thoughts

Table

Little Lille Leading Ligue 1

Preview Tactics Video

El Clásico Series, Part 3: Champions League 1st Leg

Commentary Video

CultFootball Film Session: Copa del Rey Clásico (Part 2)

Commentary Video

CultFootball Film Session: Copa del Rey Clásico (Part 1)

Preview Schedule

What to Watch this Weekend (April 23-24)

Commentary Spain

Real Madrid Lay Hands on the Copa del Rey

Commentary History News

Marca on Madrid: “Con 10 Se Juega Mejor”