Not surprisingly Monday’s furour about the Luzhniki Stadium pitch appears to have died away as we now hear that it is going to be just fine. From the equivalent of a neglected public park pitch to no problem in 48 hours – a miracle indeed.
Perhaps the field condition was more a product of a journalist or two who found themselves in Moscow on Monday with nothing to write about until the teams arrived later in the day.
Now comfortable in the knowledge that billions of dollars of talent will not disappear down a sink hole in Moscow I can now safely turn my attention to the game this afternoon.
The problem is that with less than five hours to kick off and I am no closer to deciding who I think is the going to be the 2008 Champions of Europe. I have had a sneaking su####ion about Chelsea since the draw for the last sixteen was made but on the other hand I treat Manchester United in a final as I do the Old Firm – never bet against them.
So in an attempt to come to a decision of Chelsea or Manchester United here are the advantages that each side brings with them to the battle.
Chelsea 1. Didier Drogba – even more so than Ronaldo, Drogba has an unerring ability to lay low for most of a match but to still step up and decide the outcome. His strength and pace makes it impossible to ignore him.
2. Michael Ballack – Player of the Year in England if it was based on the last eight weeks. His positional play has been excellent and when not arguing with Drogba over free kicks the timing of his runs into the penalty box are reminiscent of former United great Bryan Robson.
3. Frank Lampard – criticized for the apparent high number of deflected goals he should be praised for adhering to old adage that if you don’t shoot you don’t score. What’s more when Lampard gets within 30 yards of goal watch how many defenders try to shut him down – no wonder he gets goals from deflections as well as creating gaps for the other Chelsea players to take advantage of.
4. Aerial power – Ballack, Carvalho, Drogba, Terry are all excellent in the air and every set piece for Chelsea will present and real and present danger to United.
5. No other English team has enjoyed a better record against Manchester United than Chelsea and that holds true even before the arrival of Roman Abramovich’s interest free loan.
Manchester United 1. Ronaldo – if United can get him the ball early in the game and he can settle into a rhythm then he can be the match-winner. Cole has played well against him in the past so it will be interesting to see which wing Fergie starts him on.
2. Rio Ferdinand – simply the best defender in England over the last season.
3. Patrice Evra – With a license to get forward that Chelsea appears to be unwilling to give to their full backs the Frenchman can exploit the spaces that the normally narrow Chelsea formation provides.
4. Edwin van der Saar – the Dutchman’s kicking skills have been identified as a weakness by many but it is his ability to find players with quick long throws that might be more pivotal.
5. Mobility – The constant movement used by United means that an opposition defense cannot drop concentration for a moment.
Line Ups Michael Essien at right back appears to be the way that Chelsea will go with Malouda or Kalou a tactical decision and Cole or Bridge a fitness decision.
The speculation on the United line up is whether or not Ferguson buttresses his midfield with Owen Hargreaves. Bringing Hargreaves in would in my opinion be a clear signal that Ferguson would be happy to accept a saw-off in midfield and rely on his wide players and Rooney to win it for him.
A more aggressive strategy - and gamble - would be to start Tevez and Rooney in attack with Tevez being asked to hassle and upset Makelele as he sits just in front of the Chelsea back four. The downside of starting Tevez is that it takes away an option to change the game by way of the substitutes bench.
The USSF makes an interesting selection to lead the under-17 program.
And before we move on I think the comments from the UK’s minister of sport Gerry Sutcliffe are worth addressing. Sutcliffe picked on John Terry’s reported salary, as well as losses run up by Chelsea. He might have done his case more good if he had got his numbers right but even so picking on an individual is out of line and so are his general comments.
Sutcliffe’s comment included "people in the street cannot understand salaries like that.” That might be the case but the same people in the street aren’t likely to understand the kind of money made by entertainers and movie stars or any other highly paid individual.
It’s called the free market and John Terry and other players are entitled to be compared to other stars because that is what they are. They provide millions of people with enjoyment (and stuff to write and comment on!!) every week and any nostalgic longing for the good old days before money ruined the game is beyond nostalgia and is in fact delusional.
Over a century ago the first player was paid to play the game and from that point on it was about money. Before the abolition of the maximum wage in England the money flowed from the spectators to the owners with a relatively small portion finding a way to the players.
At least now players are paid commensurate with the revenue they generate – they are the product, they are who we pay to see. And let us not forget that “we,” as the fans, are complicit in the whole scheme. If we didn’t pay to see a game – either live on the box - or buy merchandise, there would be no money to pay the salaries.
The weekend game previews will be considerable shorter as I will be spending much of Thursday and Friday on airplanes. But here is something to chew over with over a quarter of the Premiership season already in the books.
One of things that I look at regularly is how a team is doing compared to previous years and, more often than not, the season before. The simple approach is to look at the number of games played; the points gained and compare the number to the same point in the season before.
Using that criteria and applying it to the top five finishers from last season the gainers so far are Arsenal (+8) and Liverpool (+6) while Manchester United (-2), Chelsea (-4) and Tottenham Hotspur (-8) have all lost ground. If you are attempting to project these numbers to a league finish in May you have to consider the final league points from 2006/07.
Manchester United 89
Chelsea 83
Liverpool 68
Arsenal 68
Spurs 60
In order to catch Manchester United this season Chelsea would have to gain or United would have to lose 6 points this season. For Liverpool and Arsenal the magic number was 21 points and for Tottenham 29 points.
If you assume from here on the teams would generate the same record this season as they did last season then the league table for the five teams would look like this.
Manchester United 87
Chelsea 79
Arsenal 76
Liverpool 74
Spurs 52
Chelsea’s magic number has grown from 6 points to 8, while Arsenal’s gap is now 14 where it was 21 points at the start of the season. Liverpool’s gap has also closed considerably dropping from 21 to 13 points. In the case of Spurs the gap is now an unachievable 35 points up from 29 points.
However, there is perhaps a more interesting way to compare season to season records. And that is to contrast the records last season to this one against the same opposition.
Because of relegation and promotion you have to make an assumption about the teams that dropped a division and those that came up. For the purposes of this example Sunderland = Sheffield United, Birmingham City = Charlton Athletic and Derby County = Watford.
When you consider this scenario only Spurs are actually doing worse than last season having dropped 2 points over last season. Manchester United and Chelsea are exactly even, Liverpool have picked up 2 points and Arsenal leads the pack having gained 6 points on last season.
Projected to seasons end and assuming no change to last season’s head2head records for the remaining games the positions come out looking like this.
Manchester United 89
Chelsea 83
Arsenal 74
Liverpool 71
Spurs 58
What this ishows is that despite Liverpool and Arsenal making early gains it is still a long road to catch United and Chelsea – even though it doesn’t appear that way when looking at the present table.
Of course you have to consider that given United and Chelsea’s records last season there is more down side than up. However, one area available to Manchester United are the two games against Arsenal – they lost both last season. And of course on Saturday they meet for the first time this season.
Others games that stand out this weekend include Blackburn at home to Liverpool. Don’t expect many goals in this one – we’ve only seen five in Liverpool’s last five visits to Ewood Park. In MLS to second leg of the first round of play offs continue with all three games evenly balanced. We can expect more goals than in the first leg - as we saw on Thursday evening between the Fire and DC United.
Italy has the Italian derby with Juventus against Inter. In Spain Sevilla “welcomes” Liga champions Real Madrid while Atletico Madrid versus Villarreal looks to be an intriguing match.
Craigy_f - (Are you) feeling a tad more confident after beating the Ukraine? What’s your take on Lampard being booed? Are there any other instances like that which you can recall? Do you pay attention to stats in football? Do you read any print media on football?
Bobby – I will not feel confident until there are enough points to finish in the top two. However, the win against Ukraine does guarantee that Scotland will go into the Italy game with a chance of qualifying. As for Lampard being booed – I can’t understand how supposed fans can boo one of their own players.
The same thing happened to Gary McAllister playing for Scotland. A few decades ago it wasn’t unusual for Old Firm players to get bad treatment from the other side of the divide. In terms of the stats question is yes. I do most of my daily reading electronically.
D Powell22 - Has anyone heard of any clubs that are interested in Jozy Altidore? I know he is turning 18 at the end of this year. Is he going to play for a European team next?
Bobby – With his physique and talent I can guarantee that there are a lot of European teams watching him. However, I don’t think it is a slam dunk that he will be off to Europe next year. I also don’t think it is necessarily a bad thing either.
Therealrico - Derek Rae feels South American needs to revamp their WC qualification process. While I do think that Fifa's rankings are fairly BS, I think that the WC and Euro Cup qualifiers need to be revamped using the Fifa rankings. For example all the minnows of Europe or South America I think should have to play a pre qualifier. With countries like the Faroe Islands, San Marino, and so forth having to play in a qualifier to determine who get to go to the next level. Similar to what they do in the champs leagues with teams from places like Wales. This would put less strain on countries like France, or Italy, who have players playing way too many games as it is. What do you guys think?
Bobby – I think the upside of the present South American qualification system has been missed. First of all they are playing games while European countries are either playing WC or Euro qualifiers. In fact South American countries are playing fewer games than European countries as they don’t play a qualifying tournament for the Copa America.
South American countries will play 18-20 games; European countries will play a minimum of 24 games between the two qualifying tournaments. That’s an average of 33% fewer games played by South American countries if you exclude the possibility of a play-off round.
Since South America went to the 18 game qualifying round the gap between top and bottom has narrowed considerably. For example you referenced the minnows of COMNEBOL - who would these minnows be? I can’t think of one South American country that wouldn’t finish in the top four in CONCACAF. You also have to consider that the 18 game format guarantees as far as it is humanly possible that the best 4 (or 5) countries from South America reach the WC finals.
Before the 18 game format it was a case of only 4 or 6 games which significantly increased the chances that a good team would pay a hefty price for an off day.
Finally do you really think if there were less WC qualifying games that the clubs would not simply pick up the slack?
Djnima - 1. Do you think management is the problem at Spurs? I think Jol should go. However Spurs seem to have a problem more with defending rather than management. They rely too much on King and he is always injured. 2. Pls post a new pic on the website without your glasses. 3. Have you seen Fifa 08? Are you into video games? 4. Where do you see Mourinho popping up this season? AC? Inter?
Bobby –1. What is your definition of management? If you are talking about the board then the answer is yes. 2. I don’t have one. 3. No, and no. Jeremy is the guy you want for video games. I’m from a different generation. I'd do just about anything before playing video games. 4. You might not see him popping up any place if all the bigger sides play reasonably well until spring.
Ringo - I say bring back pitches like the old Baseball Ground, Derby. Two months into the season and not a blade of grass left and ankle deep mud. Now THAT was football! I`m planning on watching tomorrow`s Georgia/Scotland game, but I`m not sure which team to root for, could you help me out?
Bobby – Was it at the Baseball ground that Brian Clough perfected his love of over watering? The pitch always seemed to be a mud bath. If I was you, I would support the team with the most surnames beginning with the initial M.
CIAO - What do make of Donadoni as Italy's coach so far?
Bobby – Inconclusive. Italy’s position is a product of a poor start right after the WC last summer. I don’t think you can blame Donadoni for that. However, if Italy fail to qualify then the excuses will count for nothing and he will be gone.
MeanSucka - What do you think of John Terry's sudden knee injury ahead of the Russia match? I'm sure it will give more fuel to the whole "plastic pitch" fire, no? I can't believe some people are comparing Field Turf - which is relatively new to the Astroturf fields of the 80's and 70's. That's pretty bad journalism, isn't it?
Bobby – Terry’s knee was a problem before he got any place close to a “plastic pitch”. Blaming his knee locking on the Moscow pitch? You might as well every other injury on grass surfaces. Newer artificial surfaces versus what we had 20 years ago was the point I made on Monday’s show - it is not an apples to apples comparison.
CIAO -Do you think any of the clubs fighting for CL glory need to bring in any additional players? Are any of the Ajax player cup tied? Do you think Huntelaar will make his long awaited move to a bigger club in January?
Bobby – It very tough to find players that are not cup tied so any “winter” signings tend to play in domestic leagues and allow the players they have replaced to be rested for the European games. Ajax players – if they played – are cup-tied. There were a few posters that were telling me a few months ago that Huntelaar was sure to go to a big club last summer – it did not happen and it may not happen in January either.
Gegz - Don't you think that Ever Banega should be included in the Argentina line-up as he may be the long-term replacement for Riquelme? And don't you think at times Tevez tends to overdo it a bit?
Bobby – I don’t see Banega as a long term replacement for Riquelme – he has a very different style. Having Riquelme in the side dictates that Argentina plays through him – otherwise he doesn’t bring very much to the team.
Banega brings a bit of everything with him - more like a Redondo. Tevez’s strength is his desire and his ability to run at defenders – he would not be the same player if you asked him to do anything different.
Craig_f -The plonker and his mate on Fox are talking about Premier League games outside England, either in the US or Asia. Kind of a mirror of what the NFL is doing with the Giants Dolphins at Wembley.
Bobby – I have no idea why anyone would suggest taking Premier league games outside of England. There is no business case to be made for a move like that. The NFL does it because they need to try and develop an overseas market for their product. That is not a problem for the Premiership. It sounds as if someone may have come up with an answer before making sure that they understand the problem. And to top it off I can only imagine the sanctioning and jurisdictional issues that something like that would create.
I will put up a midweek European Championship qualifying post on Wednesday morning.
Henry14 - I do not know if its your company policy Bobby that you are not supposed to say that MLS is poor, because if you read nick ' article you would have thought MLS is like the Prem. l do not see Becks in the near future, because in my opinion the MLS is more of a league that is based on passion and euphoria rather than quality. The defending and general play is generally appalling; the league is just not good enough as fantasy manager with Juan Pablo Angel will testify.
Bobby – In the twenty years I have been involved in the media end of things no one has told to say or not say anything so if there is such a policy it hasn’t been brought to my attention. As far as only watching “quality” football then you must be a connoisseur compared to me. I can enjoy watching the game played at all levels.
Venti_vidi_vici - What is your take on the goings on at Stamford Bridge? What will Chelsea look like in three months time, will they sign anybody important, who will leave? Reportedly during a strategic meeting last week to discuss summer transfer targets etc., Abramovich apparently drastically cut spending, removed himself from day-to-day operations of the club, Lampard and Terry still don't have a new contract, and Mourinho wasn't even in the meeting. I guess just like a spoiled kid, his new expensive toy isn't as much fun anymore, and is amazingly making a mess of a very fine football club.
Bobby – Chelsea is a bit of a freak show at the moment. With all the speculation and rumour mongering I would not be surprised to find out that Elvis has been spotted at Stamford Bridge. Let’s just wait and see.
djnima - I just have one question and one question only this week. Who do you think deserves to win La Liga this year? and please don't say whoever has the most points and head to head records. Also, when is Rupert Murdoch going to give you your own show?
Bobby – It is probably one of these seasons when no team deserves it because Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla have all suffered through some pretty poor results. I picked Real Madrid at the start of the season and I will stick with that pick. As for a show – between the two shows a week and the blog I am busy enough as it is. But I will be asking for blog ideas, preference etc in the next few days.
Venti_vidi_vici - Where does Milan rank in terms of all time great football clubs? Over the past half century they have been incredibly successful - are they possibly the greatest ever? What is the key to their success over the past twenty years? Berlusconi? In the past twenty years they have reached eight UCL finals, next best is a Serie B team with four, and their five titles are two better than anyone. Their players always seem to love the club, they've always had a lot of Italian players in the team, and they seem to get the best out of their players, and make their players into champions?
Bobby –One of all time great teams – absolutely. The greatest ever? An argument as fruitless as trying choosing the greatest ever heavyweight. Weren’t Milan in Serie B a while back as well?
MeanSucka – I saw someone on Sky Sports (Alan Mullery, a former England player from the 60's) talking about Beckham not getting the proper training to stay on England's team past this week's call-up. In the process he called MLS a Mickey Mouse league and said it's only slightly better than the Conference - a sentiment echoed in the Lovejoy column. That's a little harsh, I thought. What do you think - how does MLS compare to England's divisions?
I would like to think that MLS is on the level of the Championship or at least League One, especially considering results of some of our players overseas and our team internationally.
And speaking of MLS, I tend to think sometimes that it is not as good defensively as it should be. I continue to see flat footed defenders giving goal scorers ample opportunities to finish. Do you think defense is a problem in this league?
Bobby – Your average former-player-now-pundit in Britain doesn’t know the difference between his arse and a hole in the road when it comes to anything outside of English football. The major short coming of the MLS is the lack of depth and that will take some time to rectify. There are some very good North American based players in the MLS (proven by the number that have moved overseas) but there are a number who would struggle to get a game in League Two. But there again you could look at Jay Demerit who was playing A League and started regularly in the Premiership so there are examples of it working both ways.
It is interesting that when Capello arrived at Real Madrid he was appalled at the shape the team was in physically which would seem to indicate that Beckham wasn’t getting the kind of training in Spain either. No doubt Mullery believes that only good English coaches can get English players fit.
Given the choice between watching a league with good defenders and bad forwards and bad defenders and good forwards which would you prefer?
Atleti female - I've heard a lot of good things about an Arsenal player called Francisco Merida Perez (aka 'Fran Merida). Some are dubbing him Arsenal's new wonderkid. What have you read about him? Do you think he is in the same level of ability as other wonderkids, such as Jonathan dos Santos and Bojan Krkic?
Bobby – Until you mentioned him I had heard nothing about him. I am a bit leery of wunderkids – is it just me or are there more of them around? – so I prefer to just wait and see. The Champions magazine this month had a piece that linked players with past stars i.e. the new Pele, the new Maradona etc.
Meansucka - What do you make of this FIFA ruling that games may no longer be played at altitude above 8200 feet? I read that one of the Brazilian club teams were upset that they had to play in Bolivia with freezing rain at altitude. But to me - it seems home field advantage is the reason you play a home and away leg to begin with and if they eliminate altitude, why not also look at air quality, temperature, or other factors? Why has this become a problem now?
Bobby – To answer in reverse I think it has become an issue as more clubs and countries have been or have been threatening to take games to higher elevations in order to get an even greater advantage. While FIFA claim it is far medical reasons it is more likely down to lobbying by Brazil and Argentina. Having said that I could see how playing at some of these elevations could be dangerous. However, you do make a good point about air quality. In Mexico City it is the combination of altitude and air quality that makes it so challenging.
Carneade - What would you change in soccer to improve the game? I'm not talking so much about the rules of the game itself (even though I do think that the goal size and the pitch width should be increased), I'm referring to max number of players in rosters, domestic and international schedules, number of games per year, national teams, refs and instant replay etc.
Bobby – I think FIFA’s desire to have leagues maxxed at 16 teams is a good one. How you ensure that the clubs don’t fill the vacant dates with other stuff is another issue. I would also find a way to curtail the World Cup and European Championship qualifying schedules – it would be an easy fix. I would also like to see the Gold Cup and Copa America consolidated into a true Cup of the Americas.
Henry14 - Can anyone tell me why Carragher is seen as a great defender, because for me he is highly overrated. He plays for an extremely defensive minded team and he is not usually exposed, l do not think he is as good as Gallas, Toure, Rio, Vidic, Carvalho, Terry, so why do pundits rave about this guy?
Bobby – Because he is a great central defender. He reads the game well, makes few mistakes and is a great tackler. Apart from that I can understand why you wouldn’t rate him.
Henry 14 - Have you ever considered having a Bobby McMahon weekly podcast, because surely you have a lot of friends who are journalist or football experts and talk about football thoughts. The two hours you have a week do not exhaust all burning soccer issues, because you are one of the best and rationale football pundits l have met rather than a lot of so called Liverpool biased pundits we have all over the world.
Bobby – Thank you for the kind words. Hold that suggestion as I will be asking for some input in the next days in terms of the blog.
CIAO - Do you think Buffon will leave Juventus? Also have you heard whether or not Inter are ready to split with Julio Cesar and Toldo? If so, and Buffon doesn't transfer who would they get -Amelia?
Bobby – It is strange that after spending a season in Serie B that Buffon would leave but I have heard that there is a strong possibility that he will move. I have not heard anything on the Toldo / Cesar front but you would expect that neither of them is particularly happy with the situation. Your suggestion of Amelia moving from Livorno to Juventus is an interesting one and one that would make a lot of sense. He is young for a goalkeeper and if he stays at Livorno then Champions League football is a pipe-dream. Probably a good time for a move and I would expect him to stay in Italy rather than moving to another country.
I am a bit behind this morning. We went to see country music legend Don Williams last night and so I am going to have to watch the EPL highlights show and the FSWR on tape.
Another wild and woolly weekend. It could not have turned out better for SAF (my thoughts on Fergie the greatest ever can be read tomorrow). Meanwhile we are still waiting to hear why Terry got sent off. Watching the replays of the incident during the match there is something very untoward about it. Terry and a Spurs player (King?) get tangled in the penalty box but there is nothing unusual about that. Then when Terry gets up and starts to move away some of the Spurs players are livid. A ruckus ensues then Terry gets called over and sent off – he says nothing which given what is becoming Chelsea’s natural reaction to referee’s decisions is surprising. Terry did something (I have read elsewhere that he threw a punch but I have yet to see it) otherwise he and the other Chelsea players would surely have reacted. Maybe Terry can come clean and tell Jose.
Anyway on to some weekend articles.
Anthony Stokes is on loan from Arsenal at Falkirk and he is currently the hottest player in Scotland.
Michael Grant on the club that the then Alex Ferguson left twenty years ago. It was a move that all but brought to an end an era when the Old Firm was firmly second class citizen in Scotland.
One of the British games great characters Tommy Docherty (the original man who has had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus) has just released on new book “The Doc, Hallowed Be Thy Game.”
Some interesting observations from Stewart Robson on the ability of Jens Lehmann and Edwin van der Sar to start attacks with excellent distribution.
Steve Tongue makes some astute observations about Chelsea. I find it interesting that on a number of occasions since he took over at Stamford Bridge Mourinho has been compared to Brian Clough. It seems to me that Mourinho has more in common with Don Revie. Revie’s Leeds team of the 60’s and early 70’s, although widely admired for the football that they were capable of playing, was widely despised for the cynical win-at-all-costs approach.
…….and now that I have brought up Leeds. After losing on Saturday to Barnsley, Leeds now sit 23rd in the 24-team Championship. Six years after playing in the Champions League semi-final. Leeds and new boss Dennis Wise are facing a relegation battle to avoid what is really Division Three.
Peter Risdale may have lived the dream, but he has the left Leeds to face the nightmare.
Henry14 - 1.What do you think of Parlemo, l saw them play during the past two weeks and l was impressed with their attacking flair and talent within their ranks, do you feel with high profile victories over Milan and Fiorentina they can push inter all the way?
2. As a Gunner l have to say this in the line of the poor draws at home and the boos directed to Henry do you feel one of Wenger's worst decisions in charge was to make Henry captain when you compare his level of commitment to a Terry or Gerrard do you feel he has enough to lead the young Gunners squad?
Bobby – Palermo has made a great start to the season but it is far too early to think about winning Serie A. Coach Francesco Guidolin made a surprising return in the summer and Palermo has made some good signings over the last year or so – even though they lost Luca Toni relatively cheaply. Mark Bresciano and Simplicio, David Di Michele, Giovanni Tedescoand Andrea Caracciolo are all good players. However, Corini is the player that has impressed me the most since Palermo was promoted. He’s 36 but is still a very important player. At the end of the season I can definitely see a top five spot, maybe top 3, but not a Scudetto.
If you were a player who would you want on your team Terry, Gerrard or Thierry Henry? From what I have seen this season commitment or any lack of it is hardly the problem at Arsenal. Are you suggesting that if they just try harder that they will score more goals from the chances that they create? Did they try harder against Reading – 4 goals – than they did against CSKA Moscow – shut out?
Bigdavedisaster - Other than from free kicks (which Naka does a fine job at already) and publicity what does Celtic gain from Beckham? I just don’t see how he fits into the side as it is today, so unless players are lost in transfers at the end of the year I see it as a bad move.
Bobby – Bigdave, I’m with you on this one. Strachan had to reduce the age of his squad and the cost and remain successful. So far it looks as if he is on the road to achieving all three. How signing Beckham would help achieve these three objectives beats me.
Neophyte -1.Your top U-21 footballers - If you had to field a squad, who do you take and where do you put them? 2. Provided the squads maintain current form, is there a more important match than Man. Utd vs. Chelsea?
Bobby – In the World, in Europe, in England, in the USA, in Winnipeg? Picking an U-21 world team is not something I would attempt without a fair bit of research. Just checking on dates of birth takes a ridiculous amount of effort.
As for Manchester United vs. Chelsea – it is likely to be a more important game for United than Chelsea. Despite the win at Old Trafford last season Chelsea still have the upper hand since Mourinho arrived – same goes for Chelsea's record against Liverpool and Arsenal. On the grander scale the game will be hyped beyond believe but rarely does the outcome of a league race come down to a single game.
Gregz - What is this I hear of Basile thinking about recalling Veron to the Argentine national team. This would seem to be a desperate move on the part of Basile. Veron is 31 for crying out loud. Surely it must be obvious that recalling him is a short term measure. By the time the 2010 WC comes around he would be looking to retire wouldn't he? What do you guys think?
Bobby – If it is true it doesn’t seem to be a move for the future. However, all managers know that if they can get off to a winning start then it lifts the pressure they are under from fans and media and buys sometime to make the changes they think they need to make. That might be Basile’s thinking. Veron was never the same player after he moved from Italy. I thought the season at Parma in particular he was fterrific.
Henry14 - Is it me but the closest team Chelsea seem to resemble is Bolton, they are showing no skill but brushing and bumping into opposition, l thought that as they was so much talent on the horizon l would see a much open match but it was boring to be honest.
Bobby – I was disappointed in the Chelsea – Barcelona game as a footballing spectacle. It was a poor display by both teams. If they both keep this up we might see the equivalent of Portugal vs. Netherlands sometime soon.
Gunnersfan1 - I just don't get Arsenal, they play very well and still can't score a goal or even win at home. Do you have any thoughts on this?
Bobby – Adebayor seems to be the most “ruthless” finisher in the squad and that doesn’t say very much. The Rosicky, Fabregas and van Persie misses were quite something – although Helguera howler against Steauamatched them. If the chances were not being created then there would definetly be more to worry about. Wenger has never found his “fox in the box”. However, I think someone is going to get a real clobbering sometime soon.
Djnima - Examining the schedule Liverpool faces after playing Arsenal (Boro, City, Pompey, Wigan, Fulham, Charlton, Watford) and their recent performance against the Villains, do you think Gerrard is finally hitting form and could go on a scoring tear? How about Rooney? Some of his goals were grave defensive errors. Do you think United will slip with all the goals they have been scoring? Must have been a big snowstorm! Sad to not see you appearing on tonight's show . . . was looking forward to it!
Bobby – Liverpool needs to go on a run – first of all they need to get back into contention for a top 4 spot and then go from there. Things balance out so Gerrard’s goal against Bordeaux might be a sign of things to come in the Premiership.
Bolton made defensive mistakes against United that they rarely make. But as with Gerrard, things balance out and Rooney was due a goal or two or three – he took all his goals very well. As for United’s overall goal production – if the squad stays fit there is no reason why they shouldn’t keep scoring a lot of goals but perhaps not quite at the same rate. The best United has ever done was back in 1999/00 season when they avearged 2.55 goals per game – the poorest rate of return was 2004/05 with only 1.53 goals per game. At present their strike rate is 2.3 goals per game which – if they maintained – would be their second best performance ever in the Premiership. Over the last 14 and a bit seasons Manchester United has averaged 1.95 goals per game.
As for Monday night the snow storm was not the reason for missing the show. Sometimes life gets in the way of football and Monday was one of these nights. I had a long standing commitment that could not be moved.
Thanks for the contriuitions this week - there were real crackers.
On a closing note I managed to catch “Once in a Lifetime” this week. I thought it was a great movie. The story telling was fantastic and the soundtrack hit all the right notes – so to speak – with Steely Dan’s “Dirty Work” providing a fitting end.
Venti_vidi_vici asks about the foul on John Terry versus Blackburn that led to a penalty kick.
Bobby – I did not see the penalty as a dive at all. If Ooijer is going to wrap his arms around Terry then the only way Terry is going to remain on his feet is if he stands still. As soon as he moves, he is bound to fall, which he did. For anyone to claim that it was not a penalty then they will have to explain how wrapping arms around someone is not a foul.
Eponymous - Any chance you can make any extended comments on the Tottenham-Everton match and whether it bodes well for Everton (and/or ill for Tottenham) for the rest of the season?
Bobby – I thought that after Kilbane went off Everton were terrific. Howard had very little to do until Everton tired in the last 10 minutes or so. The central defensive pairing looked very good and quick and the full backs hardly put a foot wrong. Carsley was immense in front of the back four and Arteta and Osman dictated the game for large periods of time. Tottenham just could not handle the pace and mobility of Johnson (his goal was as good as any I have seen this season so far) and he looked as if he was enjoying himself. As for Spurs – they need Ledley King back sooner rather than later and in midfield, they need to sort out who the playmaker is. No one seemed to want to take that responsibility. It looks as if Spurs are adding to their squad before the transfer window. Mido signed on Tuesday and there are reports that Chimbonda will arrive from Wigan and Steed Malbranque from Fulham. Wayne Routledge is supposed to moving on to Fulham while Lee Young-pyo will join Roma. And Eponymous we expect nothing less than a detailed account of your first Merseyside derby on September 9.
Hoodedclaw – Please see below my recent email to FIFA regarding the Oscar nominees that have found their way into the beautiful game. I was going to wait until the middle of the season to see if there has been any improvement in the officiating, but after the weekend’s ludicrous penalty decisions at Charlton and the sending off of Kevin Kilbane, as a result of the quite spectacular theatrics of Young-Pyo Lee, I feel it worth mentioning now. I am also happy to report that Chelsea’s Drogba had a perfect opportunity to hit the dirt on Sunday, but the ‘new’ Drogba decided on this occasion to persevere and score a gem o####oal. I am a Chelsea fan (since 1966) and have been recently embarrassed by his (Drogba) and Robbens antics. Hopefully together we can put enough pressure on FIFA to do something about this? Dear Sir/Madam I have no doubt that you have received many emails on this subject, some perhaps offering a solution. Here is mine. I understand that most games now have a TV monitor, which is or can be watched by the 4th Official. Your reluctance to use this facility for instant replays is, I believe, based on the fact that these replays will slow the game down. I disagree with this. In the time, it would take for the 4th Official to replay the contended incident, even in slow motion, more often than not, the players will still be arguing with the Referee! In any situation, whether it is a penalty, foul, violent conduct or even players vying for an Oscar, the incident can be viewed and a decision made and transmitted to the referee.
Bobby – But isn’t this predicated on the belief that a replay will make it clear what the right decision should be? The problem is that a video replay usually only goes to support the viewer / fans original opinion so you will be no further forward. I watched the Everton – Tottenham game and did not see any theatrics from Lee nor have I seen anything to indicate that the referee felt he made a wrong decision. So are you saying that if there had been a video replay capability and the referee had still sent Kilbane off that you would have accepted it - not because you thought it was right but because a video replay was used?
Laguna22 - Bobby, when a player goes down and writhes on the floor in agony, only to go off and return again next whistle, the game is brought into disrepute. Why can't FIFA institute a "minimum out" period -- if you are in such agony that you must leave the pitch for the magic spray from the physio, you cannot return to the pitch for three minutes minimum? This would put the diver's club at almost a hockey-esque power play disadvantage; obviously if the player was legitimately hurt, his substitute could come on immediately.
Bobby – You view seems to be based on the premise that anyone who goes down in agony and recovers within a short period of time (say a minute for arguments sake) is a diver. I do not agree with that. Anyone who has had a set of studs rip across almost bare bone or has been on the receiving end of knees cracking together in a tackle knows that the pain is intense for a short time and then disappears very quickly. From what I have seen in the Premiership so far, the directive to the players that referees are responsible for stopping the game and not the players, has worked very well. Under your proposal, a player could get his teeth knocked out but he if the trainer was called on then he would be required to stay off for three minutes – that hardly seems fair.
GeorgeWeah - I'm having a hard time finding the US national team. Are you guys stashing them up in the hinterlands of Canada? Seriously, the absolute drop in news that has taken place re: US squad is frustrating. I understand they won't be playing anytime soon but it would be nice to know what is going on with the coaching search and the timetable. Then again, that would mean we need someone in the media to step up and ask that question. Couple questions: not going to ask you who the US Federation should hire, rather, I want to ask you what kind of coach (and style) they should be looking at? Also, is there a player or 2 players that you think deserves a look for a call-up that got overlooked by Bruce Arena (not someone like Twellman, rather, more under the radar). Thanks a lot, Bobby!
Bobby – Jamie Trecker is working a story so keep checking his blog for an update before the end of the week. Players will come and go as part of the natural cycle but I do not think Arena made a mistake in his choice of players to take to Germany.
djnima - Do you believe that Hargreaves is worth all of this fuss from SAF? Where would he fit in the midfield? With Carrick and Scholes? Surely all 3 cannot be on the field at the same time. Thoughts? Also, where do you think Tevez is going? It doesn't sound like he's going to Man U which will probably mean he's going to Chelsea and being loaned out. Thoughts?
Bobby – Hargreaves is not worth the money that is being suggested in the media. Anything over $10M and someone would be overpaying in my opinion. However, I do not think you can question it on the basis that United already Scoles and Carrick particularly given that they are quite different players. Scoles plays much further forward and although Carrick plays deep, he is very much a playmaker while Hargreaves is a defensive midfield player with very little attacking flair. As for Tevez – I really do not know but I doubt Chelsea.
Los Angeles Chelsea Fan - Bobby thanks for continuing with this. I'm going to re-ask a question I asked last week since it seems to be getting coverage in the media. If Chelsea's "Wingless Wonders" (as even Chelsea's own website is now referring to themselves), bought a wide right sided player this week who might that be? Bobby or anyone have an idea? Thanks FYI. This morning Boularouz admitted on TV that it's 4 years since he played at right back and it was not in the same attacking mould as Wayne Bridge.
Bobby – Mauro Camoranesi. I do not think anyone who saw Boularouz at the WC would be surprised that he is not an attacking full back – with the ball anyway.
The Gaffer - Bobby, the question I have for you is whether you would ever be interested in becoming a full-time football analyst. Bobby – I think it would be difficult to make a decent living as a full time soccer analyst in North America no matter how much the game is growing. At the moment, I probably have the best of both worlds. I operate my own business – I work with organizations that are hosting major sporting events – and that provides me with flexibility in terms of watching games and keeping up to date. When I travel on business, I can generally make it midweek so not to miss the FSWR.
Reggae Boy 23 - What on earth was up with Arsenal this weekend? I know it's early in the season and I'm not about to panic yet BUT watching that game was like a slow and painful torture. I mean seriously is there some law that you can't take a shot unless you're standing directly in front of and empty net? Believe me I love to watch the beautiful one touch, give and go, crisp passing football and short of Barcelona and an in form Real Madrid no club team on earth plays a more beautiful brand of football than Arsenal, BUT there comes a time when you have to take a crack Right?! Personally I blame Henry. As the captain of such a young squad, I feel that he needed to set the tempo for the game and although he found himself in space on a number of occasions and timed his runs well. His demeanor around the penalty area was very laxed and uninspiring. His touch let him down on a number of occasions and he generally seemed to lack that sharpness we've grown accustomed too. All in all, though our general play throughout the game was positive and we were extremely unlucky not to score, denied by the post twice and a few brilliant saves by the keeper, but there was a serious lack of composure in front of goal and a certain lack of toughness in the midfield I feel. And finally your thoughts on Justin Hoyte (*SIGH*). I really don't even want to get into what I thought of his performance (there may be children reading this) but let’s just say not his best performance (possibly the understatement of the millennium). Defensively I think we'll need a bit more strengthening up to compete with the better squads, but for the most part I thought they were ok except for the aforementioned player who's name I shall not speaketh again Let me know what you think.
Bobby – It went beyond Henry – there were a number of guilty parties who either passed the ball off to someone in a poorer position or took too long to get the shot away. I did not think Justin Hoyte’s performance was dreadful by any means. When you create a dozen or more chances and do not score, I do not think the left back is the logical player to criticize. He is still a young player and I think it is premature to write him off.
Coreydan - Didn't get to see the FSW Report last night; how do you rate Zambrotta's debut with Barcelona?
Bobby – Sorry I cannot help you as I did not see the game.
Redfan4ever - Bobby, last week's speaker's corner you were calling Crouchy a dud and then he up and scored again this weekend! Any further observations? Also, Dirk Kuyt started and his first 40 minutes were fiery. Rafael Bentitez has real striker options for the first time in 3 years. Do you see this change likely to improve Liverpool's fortunes? What price Portsmouth's chance of European footy next year?
Bobby – Ah yes. I think I have to put my hand up and admit that describing Crouch as a dud was overkill. However, using Crouch’s scoring statistics for England is a perfect example of how statistics can lie. My contention is that he is a role player and nothing more. His height obviously bothers defenders but I don’t think he is particularly good in the air. He scores a goal about every four Premiership games and last season he only completed 7 out of the 32 Premiership games he played in. Even though it was only 40 minutes, Kuyt looked to be a much better long-term option. I suspect that Liverpool fans will quickly take to Kuyt at Crouch’s expense if he can maintain his debut performance. As for Portsmouth and European football – I would still consider that a very long shot.
Kopper - In today's Guardian Kevin McCarra makes the argument the small nations such as Andorra and San Marino devalue international soccer. It is suggested later in the article that there should be a qualifying round similar to the champions’ league to remove some of the weaker nations. What is your opinion of this? It could certainly go some way to relieving fixture congestion.
Bobby – Kevin McCarra makes some very good points in the article. There are also some good comments from readers. In terms of fixture congestion caused by padding the groups with “smaller” countries, the simple solution is to move to a qualifying system in which only the winner goes through. I believe Africa and UEFA are of similar size and African World Cup qualifying is reserved for the winner only. On average, it would make a massive difference in the number of games that would be needed in order to qualify from UEFA. However, that radical a solution is unlikely. I can see were McCarra’s idea could actually add something to the competition given that the smaller countries would have something to strive for – even if it was only the right to be mauled in World Cup qualifying proper.
Henry 14 - Bobby l wanted to know what you feel about the Senna issue that Man Utd will sign players who are English alone due to sponsors because l have to say it makes little sense to me as they have made a bid for Trezeguet who is a French man, he wanted Vieira .l feel he was put off by the age factor and that he was not willing to risk a big fee for someone who needed to adjust to the Prem and in Owen and Vieira he would had gambled with higher fees because they understand the Premiership .what do you think about this?
Bobby – Well you have me on that one because it is certainly news to me that United has an English only policy. It probably comes a bit of a surprise to the legion of non-English players that United currently have on their books as well. As an aside, my understanding was Senna’s fee was not big. As for Owen, United were never serious bidders and Vieira was more speculation than any real interest.
Steve McClaren is making changes to the England backroom staff. We found at a while ago that former England manager Terry Venables will be part of the England coaching staff and now it looks as if Steve Round – a relatively unknown figure – will be joining McClaren's support group. Round was McClaren’s assistant at Middlesbrough and will maintain a position at the Riverside as well as performing his new England duties.
Round replaces former Liverpool midfielder Sammy Lee. Lee was offered the chance to replace Peter Taylor as the coach of the Under 21 team but chose instead to commit himself full time to Bolton. McClaren has decided that he would like the Under-21 coaching job to be a full time assignment and the cynic in me wonders if McClaren knew that Lee wasn’t interested in leaving Bolton – hence the job offer, the refusal, and now the chance to replace him.
McClaren will name his first England squad on Friday for a friendly against Greece on August 16 in Manchester. Another decision for McClaren is who will be the new England captain. Realistically it comes down to John Terry (Chelsea) and Steven Gerrard (Liverpool). Both are captains at club level and both are excellent candidates.
I think Terry will be given the nod - the position he plays might be the deciding factor - but whoever the choice it is sure to set off a heated debate.
There are a couple of other things to watch for over the next week or so. Will David Beckham remain part of the England set up under McClaren? And what new faces will be drafted into the England squad? Just last weekend a number of English newspapers tipped West Ham's Dean Ashton to be a likely newcomer.
No doubt the Rooney sending off will dominate the discussion after the game. Rooney showing frustration possibly caused by being so isolated up front. Not unexpectedly it has changed the complete shape of the game.
Terry and Ferdinand have been outstanding for England. England relying on Crouch and Lennon up front. Lennon has pushed quite far forward.
Portugal has not been able to translate possession into chances in the penalty box.
Fortunately for England Postiga has done so little that Portugal is almost playing with 10 men as well.
At the moment they are flopping worse than an 80-year-old who has forgotten to renew his Viagra prescription.
If it wasn't for John Terry goal line clearance ####mp;T would be leading.
England's game plan seems to be the stretch the ####mp;T defense and although it has created a few chances the English finishing as so far been - ####.
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
Thank you to all who take time to visit this blog and especially to those of you who post your comments and thoughts.
PS - If you have questions please post them on the regular Monday blog. I am unable to answer e mails posted to the inbox on this site.
And one more thing. If you have questions or complaints or compliments about programming please contact Fox Soccer Channel or Fox Sports World Canada directly. I have no control over what the stations televise.
