Africa Cup of Nations: 95th Minute Winner Sees Gabon past Morocco

                      

Check out this first class free kick from Zita in the 95th minute to secure first place for Gabon in Group C of the African Cup of Nations. 

Dick of the Week: Pepe

Pepe celebrates becoming the first ever Dick of the Week.

Pepe...what the fuck dude. Between the two legs of the Copa you stomped out Messi's hand (punishable by death in some countries), stopped play with an Olympic dive and scratched your ass while Puyol flew past you to bury Barca's 2nd goal. C`mon son, you're clearly the dick of the week. 

Getting Bale'd Out: How #3 is Leading Tottenham's Charge Towards #1

There was a sliver of time in late August when a Spurs top 4 finish was almost laughable to the healthy majority of fans, pundits, and players not named Van Der Vaart. As the last week of August burned to the filter Luka Modric looked certain to end his saga with a blockbuster move to Chelsea after refusing to play in Tottenham's opener, a dreadful 3-0 trouncing to United.

Meanwhile, August 31st was just hours away and Scott Parker was in a tight race with the Chilean Miners to see who could have the worst summer ever. He may have enjoyed his summer more had he actually been stuck in a mine; instead he was forced to watch a league of idiots chase N`Gog, Thibaud Courtois, and Joey Barton, irrespective of his Player of The Year honor.

Flash forward five months and Tottenham hold a Champions League spot above 4th place Chelsea. After narrowly avoiding a catastrophic summer window the Spurs are tearing through the campaign and knocking on Manchester's door for the title. As the team gels together key performances are spilling out the sides, led by the performances of:

• Scott Parker - You don't win this many games with a leaky valve sitting just in front of your defensive 4. Parker is the gunk that drain-o can't punch through. He is the hungriest hippo. For every 100 players who stand in a wall and turn away at the last second, like sensible human beings, there is 1 Scott Parker.  (Honorable mention to John Terry for this related effort)
• Emmanuel Adebayor - Criticized for being lazy and poisonous to dressing rooms elsewhere, the gamble paid off and Manu is flying. The Togolese big man looks like the black Kuyt sometimes when he closes down hard and hustles deep into his own half to win balls. He also has 9 goals and 6 assists in 19 games, not bad for a guy forced to train with the youth team at City. 
• Jermain Defoe - I love Jermain. It's really a shame he doesn't get to play every week but there's a chance his lack of time fuels this fire he's got going right now. 7 goals from 19 shots on target in 8 starts...him and Berbatov probably drunk dial each other on game nights when they're both left out of their squads.  
• Luka Modric - After delicately removing his head from his ass the Croatian found a way to bring his game back like nothing happened. That's huge for a player who's debatably worth $40 million when he starts slinging balls to his teammates all over the pitch. 
• Van Der Vaart - Spurs possess blazing speed in almost every attacking position...except when Van Der Vaart plays. Fortunate for Spurs he's probably more accurate from 50 yards with his long ball than I am with rifle. 7 goals and 4 assists is almost surprising considering VDV has to start running 30 seconds in advance to stay up with a play when Tottenham counter. 

...and then there's Gareth Bale 

After 24 league matches played without a win between 2008-2009 Tottenham fans were begging Harry Redknapp to leave Gareth Bale out of their team. He had been dispatched as a fullback in those days and could not buy a W while on the pitch. Luckily for Spurs fans and Gareth Bale those days are over and greener pastures are surely here.

Bale has already surpassed his Premier League numbers from 2010-2011 in his first 21 games of the 11-12 season. He has scored 7 times with 7 assists to match, compared to the 7 goals and 1 assist he produced a year ago. It seems his increased production has to do with the less traditional, more free roaming role Redknapp has allowed him to take in Tottenham's attack.

Top: Passes vs Birmingham             Bottom: Passes vs Bolton (2011)                                                                                     Blue = complete pass         Red = incomplete pass.

The increased freedom of Bale's role in Tottenham's attack can be seen in the chalkboards above. The top diagram shows Bale's passed 22 times successfully and 20 times unsuccessfully against Bolton in December, 2010. The bottom diagram shows Bale a year later in December 2011 passing 37 times successfully with 10 incomplete passes. The next diagram shows a heatmap of his activity during these two games. 

Top: Bale vs Birmingham (2010)           Bottom: Bale vs Bolton (2011)

The diagrams show that a year ago Bale's activity was focused almost exclusively on the left wing. This season he has been given the green light to move through the center of the pitch and explore new ways to get at goal. Compare the square of boxes in the heatmap just above midfield. In 2010 vs Birmingham Bale operated in that central area of the pitch only %3 of the game. In 2011 vs Bolton that space accounted for %28 of his activity. For a player as fast, powerful and skilled as Bale, this is where he should be operating in order for Spurs to win games. 

Liverpool KO Man City to move on to the Carling Cup Final

                     

                             Wembley Stadium will host the Carling Cup final: Liverpool - Cardiff City

It was a roller coaster of emotions today at Anfield. City draws first blood with a magnificent goal from Nigel De Jong only to be equalized by Stevie G’s rocket of a penalty kick. In the second half things looked grim for the Reds as Kolarov sent in a wonderful cross for Manchester’s front man Edin Dzeko. However the boys of Anfield kept attacking and eventually converted some nice one touch play into a fantastic goal by Craig Bellamy which put them ahead in the aggregate score. Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish then made some smart defensive subs and had his players lock down their side of the field to eventually win the semi-final of the Carling Cup.

Things looked excellent for Liverpool today as they outshot (16 to 8) and out played the men of Etihad. Today they had passing, pace, urgency, and (most importantly) chemistry. Stewart Downing certainly improved his play today; he seemed to have more confidence and was willing to take players on, one on one. Like I recommended him and Enrique both moved the ball inside with passing and dribbling rather sending in useless crosses. While Dirk “Dangerous” Kuyt did not convert any goals or assists today he certainly had a large role in every important play, moving the ball fluidly up the field and sending in a great cross for Downing (only for be stuffed by one of the many brilliant Joe Hart saves).  Jordan Henderson worked harder than anyone on the pitch today, so much that it seemed he was omnipresent. With excellent passing and movement he really gelled with the team today

Of course Craig Bellamy put forth another huge effort for Liverpool giving it his all scoring the series winning goal. With every game the man defies age more and more, at the ripe age of thirty-two he hustles around the pitch like the Bionic Man (I guess that was what the 6 Million was for). Making smart passes and great movement off the ball, and of course converting every chance he gets into a goal. He has more than cemented his spot on the starting squad and the team has come to really rely on him as a presence up front with the absence of Luis Suarez.

Gerrard played a very defensive role shadowing Silva, a brutal assignment even for the caliber of player Stevie is. The only noise he made up front was his converted PK in the 40’. Even with Joe Hart’s effort put forth today there was nothing he was able to do against a shot like that. David Silva put together another solid game for himself, showing that he is one of the top players in the Premier League .He was able to create the chance for the first goal by drawing in both Liverpool CMs to lay it off to De Jong for one of the best goals I’ve seen in a few weeks. Every time he touched the ball, as usual, he was dangerous and near impossible to get the ball from. Whenever he was near the top of the 18 I’m sure every Liverpool fan was holding their breath in fear that he would do something incredible.

Defensively City had a tough game. Liverpool was (gasp!) counter-attacking regularly working the ball up the field quickly with a lot of momentum. The only thing keeping them alive was the English keeper Joe Hart, who was a rock in the back. He made ten total saves, three of which would have been goals if it was anyone else in the net. These saves have come to be expected from a top quality keeper like Joe Hart, but it was easy to see that Man City was hurting in the back without their captain Vincent Kompany; the pace of both Bellamy and Kuyt seemed to be too much for them.

                               Stevie G immediately starts celebrating with a victory brew on the pitch

In the beginning of the season Manchester City certainly had high hopes and big appetites for silverware. In the past few months they have been knocked out of not one, not two, but three cups; the Champions League, the FA Cup, and (now)the Carling Cup. With all of this disappointment I’m sure they will be hungry for the League Cup and wouldn’t be surprised if they kicked things into over-drive and started going on a huge winning streak. The next league fixtures they have to deal with are Everton, Fulham, Villa, Blackburn, Bolton, Swans, and Chelsea. They won’t have to play Chelsea until March which gives them a lot of time to start that winning streak.

In all honesty today’s match could have gone either way. Liverpool, while having more shots and certainly did look much more dangerous than their competitors today, did get a little luck in two instances. The first being a stupid challenge by Charlie Adam in the box during the first few minutes of the game which was never called. The second being the PK that Stevie G converted should have never been a PK in the first place. While it may be the beautiful game is definitely is not the perfect game.

Now Liverpool get to move on to the finals against Cardiff City who yesterday knocked Crystal Palace out of the semi’s. If the Reds play like they did today there shouldn’t have a problem. If they underestimate their competition, which they seem to do a lot as of late, they will pull an Arsenal and lose an embarrassing defeat. But let’s try to stay optimistic and hope for a cracking game at Wembley on February 26^th. 

Highlights from the match can be seen here

Madrid - Barca as usual

Today's matches


El Classico - Real Madrid vs. Barcelona - 4 P.M. EST

Carling Cup Semi Final - Manchester City vs. Liverpool - 2:45 P.M. EST


Should be a pretty exciting weekday for soccer.

Theo Doesn't Know, Theo's Gotta Go

Let's concede the obvious right away.  Theo is not Henry, shouldn't be compared to Henry and aside from the number on his shirt and his raw speed they don't have much in common.  Though Wenger has hinted at moving him into the striker role from time to time, Theo's skill sets have shown us he is very much limited to the right wing.

Unlike every other wide forward under Wenger's era Theo is not dynamic.  He has one foot
to produce with and that is his right.  His reluctance to cut in from the right wing and his lack of distribution on the left is the clearest example of a player who is limited and predictable.  While there have been many great wingers who have been strong with one foot, they have not played for the Gunners in the past 10 years.  The reason being Arsenal has been a team that traditionally brings the winger in from the outside, creating more passing lanes in and around the box.  Think back to arguably the best left flank of all time,  Cole Pires and Henry.  Constantly switching out to in and dragging fullbacks and covering midfielders all over the pitch until they popped up on the far post for a tap in or made a streaking run to get on the end of a pass behind the defense.

Until this season there has not been a great reliance on Theo's services, but with the loss of key personnel, Wenger has moved to a more direct game to accommodate his teams current skill sets.  Theo is now a key player for the Gunners and his weaknesses have hurt them more than ever.  What's more and more noticeable every week is Theo's lack of intelligence.  He may be able to beat defenders to the bi line and sneak in a low line drive to RVP (something he has improved on this season), but when he is asked to drift inside by an overlapping Gibbs Sagna or Jenkinson he looks like a lost child.  If space is given to him he won't shoot.  If RVP calls for a pass Theo will force it.  Defenders have even picked up to keep him inside so he makes a mistake, which he often does.  On many occasions his loose ball control his been his own undoing in any tight space.  This has created a slight reluctance on his part to check back for the ball and link with his midfielders and fullbacks.

That still leaves us with his nearly unmatched speed that wreaked havoc on the Barcelona back line two years ago in the CL.  There are two scenarios where Theo's pace has made him look like a clone of Mr. Henry.  The first being when he gets open space to run at a back line.  While there have been glimpses of something special in the making, they have been put to rest this season.  Simply put, his decision making has been poor.  He does not understand how to create space, overlap when necessary or just pass to the right man.  The second being running behind the defense.  For some reason he seems reluctant to attack the space behind defenders this season.  Perhaps he would like the ball played to his feet more, or maybe he just doesn't see the space or how to get there (running diagonal instead of in a straight line.)

With the arrival of Oxlade-Chamberlain it looks more in more like Arsene has picked up Theos replacement and not his understudy.  While still very raw the young gun has shown he is more than capable of taking on defenders whether it be inside or out, and has shown much more confidence on the ball whether it be at his foot or his distribution.

Arsenal seems to be developing a bright crop of young talent as always and while the future looks bright Theos is as dim as ever.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Summary in 1 Picture

Alex Oxlade- Chamberlain song

Liverpool - Bolton: Postmatch

It's a big weekend for Liverpool. Chelsea have dropped points to Norwich, Arsenal has to play Man United, Newcastle loses to Fulham due to an excellent performance by Clint Dempsey, and Tottenham has a fixture against Man City. This is the perfect storm for Liverpool to start gaining some much needed momentum to fit themselves in one of the coveted top four spots. Their opponent? Bolton Wanderers, who are sitting in the relegation zone. As this season has gone on any fan of any team has come to know that there are no easy games in the Premier League. However, this is no excuse to take another stroll down let down lane for the "performance" that was given today.

It's amazing how much money has been spent on new players in the past year for the Reds. Carroll £35M, Suarez £27, Downing £20M, Henderson £15M, Adam £7M, and the list goes on. Yet they have almost nothing to show for it. Liverpool has a solid amount of money to spend on players yet they seem to do a great job wasting it on overpriced English players. 

Andy Carroll is purchased for £35M. He is said to be an aerial threat with his deadly headers and solid left foot. As it turns out he has scored zero goals with his head and four with his feet after starting fourteen games and being subbed on for ten. Where that £35M price tag came from is beyond me; why Liverpool thought it would be beneficial to pay it is something Tyler Durden would even question. It baffles me how every time the ball touches his foot it goes 10 feet away from him. It baffles me how every time a ball is crossed to him he has no idea how to create space for himself. It baffles me how every time he tries to get the ball he finds himself, yet again, on the ground. At the game’s top level these things should be elementary.  

Many say that Carroll isn't getting the service that he needs to put the ball in the net. We'll luckily the men in charge thought of that and purchased some great crossers to help with said service to Andy, those players being Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam. As it turns out neither of them are any good at crossing or finishing.  Downing has one goal and zero assists while Adam has two goals and four assists in a combined forty eight games. Surly Aston Villa and Blackpool were sad to see them go. 

Charlie Adam truly doesn't deserve a starting spot on this team. He commits hard and very unnecessary fouls, likes to shoot right at the defender, and most importantly he refuses to get back on defense as a center mid. This forces Gerrard to get back and play defense for him which then takes Stevie away from being up top which is where he’s needed most. Someone who plays center mid should never be this non-athletic. Simply put, he isn't a good player, he is a third string center mid not even a backup player. Yet week in and week out he is on the pitch with his poor play. 

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein

 Tactics also seem to be a huge problem at Anfield. Week in and week out the same 4-4-2 formation is played with the same players while occasionally changing the right wing and striker. This one size fits all approach clearly isn't working for them. Would it be so hard to try a 4-3-3, 4-3-1-2, or a 4-2-3-1? It could change the lack of chemistry there seems to be with the team, improve the passing, and really play to every player’s strength. Plus what’s the worst that could happen, another loss or tie? At least it’s different from the predictable strategy that the other teams have come to know.

Johnson – Skrtel – Agger – Enrique

          Henderson – Shelvey

     Bellamy – Gerrard – Downing

                 Maxi/Kuyt

With the injuries and bans Liverpool has to deal with right now why wouldn’t something like this be considered? Gerrard won’t have to come back as a holding CM anymore and can be strictly a CAM, Downing can work his way inside coming up the wing rather than sending in horrible crosses, Maxi/Kuyt both have great positioning and can move the ball, and Bellamy has been lights out in front of the net since he was signed and seems to be able to play any position up front. It could be argued that Henderson and Shelvey are too inexperienced for the defensive positioning. On the other hand they are young, athletic, skilled, and (for the most part) intelligent players. They have a very strong defense behind them, and an experienced group in front of them. They are signed professional players, and have proved they can take on the task.

With two huge upcoming cup fixtures this week against both Manchesters, Liverpool is in for quite the ride. If they keep playing like this they can kiss a top four spot goodbye. If they keep playing like this they can kiss both cups goodbye. If they keep playing like this they can kiss the Adidas sponsorship goodbye… wait that happened already. On the bright side there is a lot of season left and ten days left in the transfer window. No one seems to be sure of the Red’s fate, especially not the men in charge. But if King Kenny keeps this nonsense up it’s a safe bet that the Fenway Sports Group will have his head by the end of the season.

In closing here is a short summary of how ‘Pool fans feel.

DISAPPOINTED!

P.S. Go Giants.