The Croatian/Brazilian has scored in 1/2 his UCL games this season The second day of Champions League knockout action is about to start, with the Ukrainian side sitting tops of their league (having won it last season) while Roma have been smacked around of late, dropping to 8th position a full thirteen points off the lead in the Serie A. What's the problem at Rome? There are a few injuries that are causing concern: Striker Marco Borriello has a nagging thigh injury keeping him on the bench, and preferred midfielder David Pizzaro is feeling pain from a recurring knee injury. Of some serious concern is the injury to first choice keeper Julio Sergio, who will be replaced by former first choice Doni. The Italian side should be excited to have their talisman Francesco Totti back in action, though rust may play a part in his finding
Firstly, from the Xavi interview, speaking about Spain, but easily parallels Barça: "Paraguay? What did they do? Built a spectacularly good defensive system and waited for chances – from dead balls. Up it goes, rebound, loose ball. It's harder than people realise when you've got a guy behind you who's two metres tall and right on top of you." I think we all know that Arsenal totally incapable of playing like Paraguay. Also from Xavi: "But now I see Arsenal and Villarreal and they play like us." That said, certainly Wilshere's remarks about "getting nasty" indicate a plan, though Xavi suggests an alternate route, "Yes, but this year they're much better. I think it's a disadvantage for us that we played last year. They had [too] much respect for us. It was as if they let us have the ball." So keeping the ball, Arsenal's preferred routine in Engerland, would
Gattuso needs his meds increased (or decreased)... Some quick thoughts on Spurs' triumph at the San Siro, just as soon as I try and stop an Italian from headbutting a 59 year old Scot... First and foremost, that was a fantastic performance from pretty much everyone on the Spurs team. Gomes made some crucial saves, the defence looked more solid than ever and the midfield linked up well with Crouch, creating numerous chances. Special mention must go to Van der Vaart, who was able to only play for 60 minutes as he was coming back from a hamstring strain, but with better luck he could have two goals at least. His invention and dynamism in the middle of the park galvanised the whole team and it showed how much we now rely on a player who was not even with us in the first few weeks
Round of 16 - Feb 15/16 & 22/23; March 8-9 & 15/16 Yet another advantage of being a soccer fan--our March Madness arrives a month early. The knockout phase of the Champions League starts today, with a sweet collection of 16 teams remaining. If you were one of the fans that was caught up by the World Cup last summer, but haven't watched a game since Spain-Netherlands, now is the time to tune back in. See below where and when to tune in. US-based fans, set your DVRs accordingly--or make plans to duck out of whatever responsibilities you may have in the afternoons (all matches kickoff at 20:45 CET = 2:45pmET/11:45amPT). For tomorrow's two games, see here for a preview of Milan-Tottenham by our resident Spurs fan, and here for a preview of Valencia-Schalke by Sean (who honestly didn't know much about either side until researching
[Editor's note: We've been soliciting commentary from our resident Chelsea fan via back-channel communications over the course of the season--here is his writeup of the scoreless draw between the Blues and Fulham.] Watching the Monday game in the EPL. On a dark cold night, very little shine on offer to dispel the gloom. 45 mins in, this is dreadful stuff. The only bright point is that Duff, Sidwell and Sparky are former blues. Dempey the Tex vs. Čech the Czech The second half saw Chelsea establish complete and utter domination in the midfield and dictate ball movement with relative ease. By my count Fulham had less than 4 credible attacking forays; in fact, the second half was mostly played in Fulham's half with about 8 men in the box. Chelsea attacked from all angles but found it extremely difficult to break Fulham down. If Fulham's resolute
Pablo Hernández: The key to Valencia's attack Champions League knockout action is upon us, so let's take a look at what might be the most evenly matched tie of the round: Valencia CF vs FC Schalke 04. Valencia CF Valencia made their way into the tournament this year on the strength of their two Davids: Villa and Silva. Both moved on at the end of last season, but Valencia hasn't missed a beat, sitting third in the table at this point and with a fantastic home record (thanks in no small part to the screaming maniacs sat up in the Estadio Mestalla). Still, Los Che don't have a great record against German teams, having drawn five and lost one in their last six home encounters with teams from der Fatherland. Who to look out for from the side in orange, you ask? Éver Banega, 22 yr
Some of the lads with the UEFA Cup, 1972 This week marks the return of Champions' League football to the European calendar, with the first night featuring Tottenham going back to the San Siro, this time to take on A.C. Milan. Last time they were in Milan, Spurs started out about as badly as is possible, being 4-0 down at half time and down to 10 men against Internazionale (a position they enjoyed so much, they repeated it against Fulham in the FA Cup last month). A second half hat-trick from Gareth Bale gave Tottenham some confidence, which led to them beating the reigning European Champions at home and they ended up qualifying for the last 16 top of their group. Inter, though, have been on a downward trend this season and Spurs must now take on an A.C. Milan team who have been leading Serie A since
Here are a bunch of matches to watch over the next few days--a few on Saturday, one Sunday, and one Monday. Which takes you right up to Tuesday...and the start of the Champions League Round of 16. Bananas. As always, all times ET, and a hat tip to WaPo's Soccer Insider for posting the weekend listings every week. Saturday, Feb 12 England, Manchester United-Manchester City 7:30am FSC: Manchester derby! Early in the morning! This is a big one--City is but 5 points behind Man U, after the latter finally lost last weekend. See here for squad sheets. Also, Mancini denies he is Italian. England, Arsenal-Wolves 10am ESPN2: Why? Because we have so many Gunners fans among us, because it will be interesting to see how they rebound after the debacle last Saturday at Newcastle, and because it will be interesting to see if Wolves can pull off two upsets in
