Going down to Liverpool to do nothing…
By: Dan |
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Standard Liege are suffering a subpar season in the Jupiler League (they are in eighth place, well behind leaders Anderlecht and title chasing Club Brugge.) On the European scene, the club remains the revelation of the last couple of seasons. One of the most surprising things about them during this time is, with the exception of Marouane Felliani’s departure to Everton, Standard have managed to keep their team together. So, it was with some dismay that I read of Milan Jovanovic agreeing to a move to Liverpool, of all places, when the current season ends.
Initially, I chalked this move up as a standard, discount player grab. Jovanovic will, after all, be out of contract once the season ends. The one thing that caught my eye was that Jovanovic, apparently, needed some convincing to accept Liverpool as a destination. Usually, when a player moves to a mega club, there’s little in the way of convincing on the club’s part or explanation on the player’s part needed. ‘Join us, we’re rich and famous’ and ‘any player would be honored to move to rich and famous football club’ typically suffice.
To be fair, Liverpool are hardly the only club guilty stockpiling players, seemingly, without thought for how they might fit into the club, but given the sheer number of transfer disasters during Rafael Benetiz’s reign at Liverpool, it’s hard to blame Jovanovic for being reluctant.
Ten million pounds, of course, always helps things along, but as there was no other explanation given for what finally convinced Jovanovic, other than a vague promise that he wouldn’t end up like Bellamy, Babel, Dossena, Pennant, Keane, Voronin, etc. It’s fair to say that there’s a distinct possibility that this move won’t benefit anyone. So, is everyone involved in this move doing it just because they can?
Update Jovanovic’s agent is claiming there’s no deal with Liverpool yet.
Double Checking the Moral High Ground
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I have to admit to being one of those people who find the new, Abu Dhabi version of Manchester City extremely distasteful. It’s actually a bit sad, as before the reinvention of the club as the poster boys for conspicuous consumption, they were one of the most likable Premier League clubs. I don’t just mean that in the historical sense, although their presence as lovable losers in the overbearing shadow of Manchester United certainly hasn’t done their image much harm over the years. Before the takeover and the superstar additions, City were building a competitive, young squad that was performing above the modest origins of its assemblage. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that City have thrown away their identity for the promise of trophies. Read the rest of this entry »
Category: OtherBack to business in Manchester
By: Dan | Add Comments
‘
Nothing ever matters, apart from football – Nick Hornby
Perhaps I was wrong to assume that the latest revelations about the Glazer induced financial catastrophe at Manchester United were, in some way, a story to give serious pause to the football world. By serious pause, I mean an examination of the events going on that goes beyond on-field matters. Of course, in some places, you might have been lucky if there was any acknowledgement of anything out of the ordinary happening at all.
Say what you will about Manchester United as a purely sporting entity; I certainly don’t keep it a secret that I can’t stand them as a club, but to have their long term existence in question because of this situation is a travesty. The appropriate governing bodies appear to have given no thought to the issue of clubs becoming fiefdoms beyond ‘this proves how attractive our league is to investors’ and ‘ka-ching, ka-ching!’
To a lot of people, these sentiments will be familiar to the point of irritation. The problem is, to many others, these issues are wholly secondary to what happens on the field. I don’t think it’s entirely coincidence that this newest bout of dissatisfaction with the Glazers is occurring during a slight dip in the fortunes of Manchester United. Even after the initial 2005 takeover and the exodus of many fans to FCUM, there have certainly been anti-Glazer elements among the Manchester United support, but if I recall correctly, a great deal of last season’s media chatter surrounding the club was more along the lines of ‘we’re going to win five trophies and be the best club of all time.’
In terms of discussing these issues, the League Cup semi-final between United and City couldn’t have come at a worse time, although some of the banter was depressingly insightful in its own way. The gist of it was that Manchester United probably wish they had their own billionaire sheik now, which is a far cry from the days of Dennis Law relegating United. It’s even a far cry from the days of taunting, Robbie Fowler hand gestures.
The natural passage of time wouldn’t normally be such a problem, but one of the Premier League’s major selling points to international fans is the supporter culture that exists in England. The irony here is that the Premier League reaps the benefits of this international reputation despite seemingly working to dismantle it at every conceivable opportunity for the last twenty years. The disconnect between current events and the rich history of English football can only be stretched so far before the last, lingering threads to that history are permanently severed. Once that occurs, if it hasn’t already, the current scramble for trophies, to recount to opposing fans at a later date that passes for football is going to have to stand on its own. That won’t be a pretty sight.
Category: OtherEuropa League: Round of 32 and Round of 16 Draw
By: Dan | 1 Comment
The draws for the Round of 32 and Round of 16 were held this morning in Nyon, Switzerland. I have to say kudos to the officials who removed balls from bowls, placed them in different bowls, and removed them again. They put some very entertaining match ups together.
1. Rubin Kazan v. Hapoel Tel Aviv
2. Athletic Bilbao v. Anderlecht
3. FC Copenhagen v. Olympique Marseille
4. Panathinaikos v. AS Roma
5. Atletico Madrid v. Galatasaray
6. Ajax Amsterdam v. Juventus
7. Club Brugge v. Valencia
8. Fulham v. Shakhtar Donetsk
9. Liverpool v. Unirea Urziceni
10. Hamburg SV v. PSV Eindhoven
11. Villarreal v. VfL Wolfsburg
12. Standard Liege v. Red Bull Salzburg
13. FC Twente v. Werder Bremen
14. Lille OSC v. Fenerbahce
15. Everton v. Sporting CP
16. Hertha Berlin v. Benfica
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Europa League Round of 32 Draw Seedings
By: Dan | 1 Comment
Here are the seeded (group winners and four highest ranked Champions League drop ins) and unseeded (group runners up and four lowest ranked Champions League drop ins) teams for the Round of 32 draw tomorrow. Country protection does apply in this round and teams that played in the same group cannot be drawn against each other.
SEEDED
Anderlecht
Valencia
Hapoel Tel Aviv
Sporting CP
AS Roma
Galatasaray
Red Bull Salzburg
Fenerbache
Benfica
Shakhtar Donetsk
PSV Eindhoven
Werder Bremen
Unirea Urziceni
Juventus
VfL Wolfsburg
Olympique Marseille
UNSEEDED
Ajax Amsterdam
Lille OSC
Hamburg SV
Hertha Berlin
Fulham
Panathinaikos
Villarreal
FC Twente
Everton
Club Brugge
FC Copenhagen
Athletic Bilbao
Liverpool
Rubin Kazan
Standard Liege
Atletico Madrid
The seeding doesn’t make a whole lot of difference. There are enough teams in the unseeded pot that pose a serious threat. I suppose Hertha, (sorry guys) Club Brugge, and Copenhagen will probably be on the seeded clubs’ wish list. I don’t think being drawn against Atletico is going to give too many teams the shakes right now either.
The draw for the Round of 16 also takes place tomorrow. As usual, this is an open draw, which means that teams from the same country and that have played each other previously, in the group stage, can be drawn against each other.
Group Stage: Match Day 6 Groups A, B, C, G, H, I
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It’s the end of the road for the Europa League group stage. Like yesterday, the matches were either last gasp qualification battles, or teams just playing out the string.
Group B was still wide open going into the final day. The big match here was Genoa at home to Valencia. Valencia definitely had the better start, as they controlled play for the first fifteen minutes or so, and Genoa goalkeeper Alessio Scarpi kept out a couple of dangerous David Villa attempts on goal. Valencia’s distribution slackened after that, and Genoa, who were mostly hitting long balls forward to start the game off, began to look more comfortable in possession, although they did not look as dangerous as Valencia had. They threatened the Valencia goal when some poor marking on a free kick allowed Rodrigo Palacio to slip in, and several nervy attempts to clear the ball were required. Valencia came close to scoring again in the 34th minute when a David Villa backheel freed Joaquin, but his disappointing effort went wide. Genoa’s best opportunity of the half came in the 44th minute, when Hernan Crespo was forced to hurry a lob over Valenica keeper Miguel Angel Moya, and the ball ended up over the crossbar. Valencia broke the deadlock in first half stoppage time when Bruno Saltor’s looping header from a free kick found the top corner. Valencia nearly added a second, moments later when Scarpi saved Villa’s free kick effort.
Genoa made a determined start to the second half that paid off rather quickly, when Crespo slid the ball past an advancing Moya in the 50th minute. After equalizing, Genoa had an increasingly nervous Valencia on the back foot for the rest of the second half, although they did not really turn their control of the game into many clear cut goal scoring opportunities. Genoa looked to be done for about five minutes from time, when Salvatore Bocchetti gave away a penalty by shoving Joaquin in the back. Unfortunately for Valencia, David Villa put his penalty shot wide of the goal, meaning the tension would continue for the final five minutes, plus an additional four for stoppage time. David Villa eventually did grab a second goal for Valencia deep into stoppage time when Scarpi hit a comically misplaced clearance straight into Villa, who merely had to round the keeper and tap into an empty net. The goal gave Valencia the win, and top spot in Group B. They will advance with Lille, who brushed aside Slavia Prague, 3-1, to assure their advancement. I think it would have been very harsh on Lille if their 90th minute slip up against Genoa was responsible for knocking them out of the competition anyway.
Group A, which had looked comfortably in the hands of Ajax and Anderlecht was thrown into confusion, first by Dinamo Zagreb’s disappearing and reappearing points, then by Zagreb’s victory over Anderlecht on match day five. This left Anderlecht needing at least a point from their trip to Amsterdam to qualify while Zagreb had to beat Timisoara and hope for an Ajax win. In the end, Anderlecht had nothing to worry about. They beat an Ajax side resting a few starters (though they were introduced later, though too late to have much of an effect) 3-1 on the night, and Dinamo Zagreb fell to Timisoara, in Zagreb, 2-1. Anderlecht’s win does mean, though, that they win the group ahead of Ajax, despite not being anywhere near as convincing as the Dutch side have been.
Hamburg and Hapoel Tel Aviv already qualified from Group C. Hamburg was another team resting some usual starters, and they slumped to a 1-0 defeat in Israel, which means Hapoel finishes the group in first place. In Vienna, Rapid raced out to a 3-0 lead over Celtic that they slowly squandered over the course of the evening. Celtic will surely be happier with the result, or at least as happy as a match between also rans can leave them. In any case, they will certainly be happier than Rapid Vienna, who appeared to simply collapse when faced with Celtic’s fightback.
The late games were mostly affairs between teams that already progressed or were already eliminated, so a lot of reserves were on display. It was only Twente and Sheriff in Group H that still had to settle matters. Twente and Sheriff came into their games needing all three points. Sheriff had the additional burden of relying on Steaua Bucharest to get a result against Twente. Twente were very unlucky not to at least draw with Fenerbahce on the last match day, so it’s somewhat fitting that the Turkish side’s result helped them out today. Twente only managed a draw with Steaua, but Sheriff failed to take advantage of Twente’s stumble; they lost in Turkey 1-0. Steve McClaren’s Eredivisie leaders will advance with Fenerbahce.
In Group G, Red Bull Salzburg completed a perfect group stage campaign by downing Villarreal in Spain, 1-0. Levski Sofia scored their first goal in the Europa League, it was enough to defeat Lazio and collect their first points as well.
In Group I, Benfica and AEK Athens were somewhat competitive in a game that had no meaning. Benfica, who have dominated the group, went out on a winning note, 2-1. At Goodison Park, BATE defeated Everton reserves 1-0.
After some of these games, I really can’t wait for the draw tomorrow.
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Group Stage: Match Day 6 Groups D, E, F, J, K, L
By: Dan | 3 Comments
Well, it’s time to start wrapping up the 2009-10 Europa League group stage. At this point, there are only two types of matches to be had. The desperate, last day deciders and meaningless dead rubbers. While there are enough of the former to keep things interesting, there’s no denying that there are a few matches only worth mentioning for the sake of thoroughness.
Group D was still not quite decided going into today’s matches; only Ventspils were definitely eliminated. Ventspils performed respectably throughout the group stage, but the combination of their fate already being decided and Heerenveen’s desperation did not work out well for the Latvian side today. After a scoreless first half, the Frisians tore through Ventspils in the second with a five goal onslaught. For all the good it did them in the end, Heerenveen needn’t have bothered. Hertha Berlin, fresh off an inspired performance against Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, downed Sporting at the Olympiastadion, 1-0, to ensure their progress.
In Group E, we already knew Roma would advance. They completed their group campaign by easing past CSKA Sofia 3-0. In the group’s other game, Fulham travelled to Basel to determine who would join the Giallorossi in the next round. The Swiss side, who started out so brightly by beating Roma, crashed out against a Fulham side resting eight regular starters. Basel went down two goals, courtesy of Bobby Zamora, just before half time. A Sebastian Frei penalty gave Basel some hope, but it was Fulham that scored the next goal. Zoltan Gera struck in the 77th minute to restore Fulham’s two goal advantage. A late goal from Marco Streller only gave the defeat the sting of false hope, as their last ditch pressure did not produce a miracle. Fulham will move on to the Round of 32.
The other early matches took place in the long since decided Group F. Sturm Graz salvaged a morsel of pride by beating a not exactly full strength Galatasaray, while Panathinaikos beat up on Dinamo Bucharest, 3-0.
Werder Bremen cannot have been in a good mood after losing their first match since August to the always unlikable Schalke last weekend. They swiftly put themselves back on the winning path against Athletic Bilbao. Both teams displayed a commitment to attack, but it was Bremen who deservedly seized control of the proceedings in the first half with the positive and precise football that has made them such a favorite among neutrals. The goals were provided by Claudio Pizzaro, Naldo, and Markus Rosenberg. The second half was contested as if the score was still level, with Bremen’s determination to add to their lead matching Bilbao’s efforts to salvage something, but there were no more goals in this match.
Elsewhere in Group L, Nacional condemned Austria Vienna to a last place finish with a decisive 5-1 victory.
The big match in Group J was the second place decider between Club Brugge and Toulouse. Brugge only needed a draw to claim their spot in the knockout rounds, but they looked like the side more likely to score throughout the match. They duly claimed their goal deep into stoppage time, to advance on a winning note. In the other Group J match, Partizan Belgrade claimed their first points of the campaign against Shakhtar Donetsk, who already won the group. Given that there has been yet another crowd disturbance involving Partizan’s fans, I don’t think it’s too harsh to say that all parties involved will be glad to see them go.
The finale of Group K was somewhat anticlimactic. FC Copenhagen comfortably took all three points and second place from Sparta Prague with a 3-0 win in the Czech Republic, while group winners PSV defeated bottom club Cluj by the same score.
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The Island of Misfit Toys: Eight football shirts that have been overlooked, unappreciated, or unfairly maligned
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Shirts are always a popular topic in the football world. Why shouldn’t they be? Not only are they an integral part of a club’s public image, but as items that fans are expected to shell out ever increasing amounts of money for, they are a natural hotbed for debate. Also, they’re a form of art, and who doesn’t love a good art fight, where cold hard facts melt away under a tide of subjective, individual opinion.
With that in mind, here is my subjective, individual opinion on eight shirts that people simply don’t like enough.
8. Tottenham Hotspur 1986-87
The mid-80s Hummel design that usually gets all the attention is the vertically halved solid/pinstriped shirt that was worn by Denmark in the 1986 World Cup. When a nontraditional design is worn by a beloved side like Danish Dynamite, that is wont to happen. Personally, I’ve always preferred the shirt that Hummel turned out for Tottenham. It seems like the Denmark shirt was the first draft and the Tottenham version was the finished product. So, Spurs, not as good as 1986 Denmark, but they did have a better shirt.
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Ladies and Gentlemen, your official Champions League drop-ins
By: Dan | 5 Comments
I took a preliminary look at the possible drop in clubs from the Champions League a couple of weeks back, but now that the group stages are reaching their conclusion, it’s time to revisit this topic, as some things have changed quite a bit from the end of match day four.
There are, obviously, some major casualties from the Champions League dropping into the Europa League knockout rounds. The unfortunate thing about the participation of some of the bigger brand name clubs is that they may decide not to take the competition seriously. If, for example, Liverpool find themselves in a struggle for a 2010-11 Champions League place, or Juventus still have a shot at the scudetto, don’t be surprised to see them send out the reserves in Europe.
Of course, until the Round of 32 draw on December 18th, we’re still very much in the realm of guesswork, so hopefully I’ll avoid repeating myself too much.
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Group Stage: Match Day 5: Groups D, E, F, J, K, L
By: Dan | Add Comments
Match day five concludes today, with Groups D, E, F, J, K and L in action.
There were definitely some quizzical decisions made regarding television coverage, as both live matches, Werder-Nacional and Galatasaray-Panathinaikos, were from groups that were all but decided, while the pivotal Roma-Basel encounter won’t be aired until 8 pm. Other matches that will have a major impact on progress in the competition, Shakhtar-Club Brugge, Hertha-Ventsplis, and PSV-Sparta Prague, for instance, won’t be aired in full at all.
In the first televised match, a Werder Bremen side going through the motions was still able to outclass Nacional. Bremen put the game beyond reach with two Markus Rosenberg goals in three minutes just after the half hour. Rosenberg’s first came after Marcel Moreno put a header against the post which rebounded to the Swede. The second goal was just as simple, as Rosenberg merely had to give the ball the slightest touch goalward with his head after Nacional keeper Rafael Bracali threw himself into a crowd of players during a corner kick and failed to clear the ball. Nacional pulled a goal back in the 61st minute from a free kick and began to attack with some determination. This approach would produce a handful of chances, but it was Bremen who would score again, seven minutes from time, when Moreno headed past Bracali. Marko Marin would add another in injury time, when he chipped a rebound over the goalkeeper.
Athletic Bilbao also won, 3-0 away to Austria Vienna, to officially seal their progress. In addition to the loss, and the elimination, Austria Vienna will have to concern themselves with possible UEFA sanctions after a pitch invasion delayed the match for over twenty minutes.
Defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk have dominated Group J from day one, so Club Brugge did very well to hold them to a scoreless draw in the Ukraine. The draw marks the first time in this group that Shakhtar have dropped points, and means that Brugge only need a draw on the final match day against Toulouse, who beat whipping boys Partizan 1-0, to progress to the knockout stages.
Group K has remained a tight affair, and today only partially clarified matters. PSV had to wait for injury time to break Sparta Prague’s resistance, and even then, it was only through an own goal, while Copenhagen secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Cluj. PSV will win the group after their win, while Sparta and Copenhagen go into their head to head match on the last day of the group stage level on seven points; Cluj are eliminated.
Galatasary at home to Panathinaikos was the second live televised match of the day. The Greek side came into this match needing a point to assure their qualification for the next round, while the Turkish power had already progressed, yet it was Galatasaray that made the brighter start. Their early efforts looked to have been rewarded around the twentieth minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Galatasaray continued to create the majority of scoring chances for the remainder of the half. The Turkish side finally scored early in the second half when a Mustafa Sarp shot in a crowded penalty area was deflected into the net. After that, precious little of interest happened, and the game ended 1-0 to Galatasaray, who win the group.
Dinamo Bucharest won against last place Sturm Graz to keep their slim hopes of advancing alive. Panathinaikos will just need to avoid defeat to Dinamo on the last match day to go through though.
Group D is another group that has involved one club, Sporting Lisbon in this case, than the rest. The second spot behind Sporting was still wide open at the start of the day. Hertha Berlin, who domestically are drawing comparisons with the worst team in the history of the Bundesliga, Tasmania Berlin, made their case for second by beating Ventspils in Latvia. In Lisbon, Heerenveen looked like they were set to really complicate matters, but Sporting grabbed an injury time equalizer to confirm their place as group winners. Heerenveen will need all three points against Ventspils on the final match day to have any hope of progressing. Assuming that Heerenveen do get all three points, Hertha will need to avoid defeat against Sporting.
In Group E, Roma, Basel, and Fulham are still finding it difficult to separate from each other. This is a trend that continued in today’s matches. Roma overcame an early deficit against Basel. Francesco Totti equalized through a penalty, and Roma went ahead after an inspired move from DeRossi and Vucinic resulted in a Vucinic goal. Fulham defeated CSKA Sofia 1-0, but remain in third place. Despite their distinctly unimpressive form in this competition, Roma are now group leaders. Roma will need a result against bottom CSKA to win the group, while Basel-Fulham should end up as the second place decider.
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