Five Star Barca; FC Barcelona-5, Almeria-0

FC Barcelona continued their winning streak to nine matches in all competitions and Valdes extended the clean sheet record for the third match in a row. Almeria would have been thankful to FC Barcelona players to take the foot off the pedal in the second half, otherwise it would have been resulted in their worst defeat in the league. Ironically their worst defeat came against the same opponenents. FC Barcelona scored five goals past the Almerian defense within 36 minutes of the game and that would have send shrivers through Europe. FC Barcelona would be the first team in everyones mind now to avoid in the knowckout stage of Champions League. The Almerian defense didn’t do any big mistake; but FC barcelona boys tore them apart in one of the most enjoyed first half of this season. Guardiola decided to drop Iniesta to midfield and that mean the trio of Messi, Eto and Henry formed the forwards. Iniesta joined hands with Xavi and Toure in the midfield. Alves, Abidal, Puyol and Marquez formed the defense ahead of Valdes. This is an indication of the best FC Barcelona line-up for the rest of season.

The game started in frantic pace. Almeria’s Crosat headed wide in the 2nd minute to set up the pace of the game. In the 4th minute Xavi’s shot was saved by Goal keeper Alves. But from the resulting corner Eto put Barca one up. Messi too k the corner which indeed was a poor one and ended with Toure outside the box. Toure produced a master ball towards spotting an excellent run from Iniesta, frantic defending saw the ball been headed but staright to the path of Eto who finished it with ease. In the 10th minute Alves who was working tirelessly send a cross from the left wing to find Henry, but defense cleared in time. Then in the 13th minute Henry got into the scoresheet with a wonderful assist from Messi. Messi played a great ball to Iniesta whose run took him into a very tight angle; Iniesta played the ball back to the centre but towards defense; but they cleared it on to the path of Messi who crossed it to Henry who was at the far post and had the simplest of tapping to do. In the 16th minute Messi sets up on his trade mark run dribbling past defenders but his shot went wide of far post. In the 18th minute Barca was almost caught out when Alves has to clear out the danger with a header. In the 19th minute it was Eto’s shot to test the Goal keeper again but he shot at straight at Alves after the defense cleared the ball staright to him. Then in the 21st minute FC barcelona made the scoreline 3-0 with Eto’s second goal of the night. Iniestafound Xavi’s run with a great through pass; Xavi unselfishly squares it to Eto who had another simple tapping. In the 24th minute Eto compleetd his hat-trick with another simple tapping after Messi had done all the hard work. Messi dribbled in to the box from the left and used the dfenders body well to get past him; he the squared the ball to Eto who finished off with a good back heel. In the 28th minute Victor Valdes pulled of a great save to deny Crosat. In the 30th minute Negredo was send off after a rash challenge on Marquez. Down to ten men it was always tough for Almeria to defend and Alves made it more pathetic with a goal scored of the free kick in the 37th minute from 30 yards out. 

In the second half FC Barcelona took the pedal completely off the foot but made sure that they dominated the possesion. In the 50th minute Henry made space for himself with a great touch from a Abidal pass but shot high. He did all the tough work there with simple ease. Guardiola tried to bring back the pace with bringing Hleb in  for toure, Bojan in for Henry and Victor Sanchez in for Alves. But nothing seemed to have worked and the players seemed to have cooled off. In the 86th minute Eto was denied by the Goal Keeper from a great cross from Puyol. In the 90th minute Valdes had to make a goo save from mane’s effort to make sure that he retains the clean sheet. Whatever FC barcelona played like champions in the first half and you cannot blame them for taking the foot off the pedal in the second half. Henry would have been one person who would have been greatly impressed by Iniesta’s performance in the middle. Toure was majestic throughout the match, so did Abidal.

Written by Bibin on October 25th, 2008 with no comments.
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Chelsea 1-0 Roma

John Terry’s second-half header finally broke Roma’s stubborn resistance as Chelsea moved three points clear at the top of Champions League group A.

The Blues, who lacked fluency and rhythm, almost took the lead when Frank Lampard’s free-kick clipped the post.

Roma’s best chance came when Francesco Totti played in Matteo Brighi but Terry blocked as the striker went to shoot.

And it took Terry’s intervention at the other end, when he nodded in Lampard’s corner, to secure the win for Chelsea.

The hosts’ performance was a far cry from the attacking brilliance that subjected Middlesbrough to a hammering at the weekend.

But with Roma determined to stifle the game, Chelsea keeper Peter Cech and centre-back Ricardo Carvalho both had a gentle re-introduction to the first team on their return from injury.

Deco, the other change to Luiz Felipe Scolari’s line-up , had a more frustrating evening as he struggled to find a way through the visitors.

It was a theme running through the Blues’ ranks, as time after time Roma’s blanket defence suffocated their attacks.

And when Chelsea carved half-chances, Lampard volleyed weakly and Salomon Kalou scuffed a shot.

In between those efforts, Lampard had connected superbly after Deco rolled a free-kick into his path, but the midfielder’s shot bounced off the apex of the goal.

Roma’s intentions were clear - particularly as they had no out-and-out striker in their line-up - but in skipper Totti they had a source of invention.

The Italian forward produced a superb turn and precise through ball to release Brighi, but Terry recovered well to make the tackle.

That was a rare break from Roma, who continued to invite Chelsea on and were relieved when Lampard shot wide after Deco’s flick had earned some space.

Chelsea’s torment was increased when they were denied a clear free-kick on the edge of the box when Deco was clattered.

The introduction of Juliano Belletti at the start of the second half added little thrust to Chelsea’s play.

And when the Brazilian tried to repeat his 35-yard wonder goal from Saturday, he was woefully off target.

Kalou had an easier chance, when picked out by Lampard’s free-kick, and should have done better than to head straight at keeper Doni.

When Jon Mikel Obi’s shot took a deflection and looped wide, it was starting to seem as though Roma might take a point from the match.

That was until Terry rose highest at the near post to glance in a header and take his side to the brink of qualification from the group.

Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari:
“The most important thing today was our result.

“We have one more game at home and we needed three points tonight. Sometimes 1-0 is more important than 5-0 because you have to respect the other team.

“When I was with Portugal, we played against England and I was afraid when Terry came into my area at corner kicks.

“I told my players that this player is very decisive and we need to look for him. If he touches the ball it is dangerous for us. Now I am here, I say to Terry to do the same.”

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Terry, Carvalho, Bridge, Kalou (Di Santo 77), Lampard, Mikel, Malouda (Belletti 46), Deco, Anelka (Ferreira 90).
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Ivanovic, Alex, Stoch.

Booked: Malouda, Terry.

Goals: Terry 78.

Roma: Doni, Cicinho, Panucci, Mexes, Riise (Tonetto 82), De Rossi, Brighi, Aquilani (Perrotta 60), Taddei (Menez 81), Totti, Vucinic.
Subs Not Used: Artur, Loria, Montella, Okaka Chuka.

Booked: Mexes, Panucci.

Att: 41,002

Ref: Kyros Vassaras (Greece).

Written by Darkvader on October 25th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Champions League 08-09 and Results.

Quitting comes easy for Harry.

                                                    Harry nose when to quit!

It’s confirmed. Tottenham’s new manager will be the ‘king of quitters’ Harry Redknapp. A hefty fee was agreed between Spurs top man Daniel Levy and Pompey’s Peter Storrie on Friday (they kept that quiet) and tonight old Harry spills the beans. Join me after the jump for a look at the ‘history’ of Harry…don’t leave early will you?

Champion quitter Harry Redknapp has announced that he will be Spurs new gaffer. The man to save the day and resuscitate Tottenham’s cadaverous season. He told SKY Sports tonight that Porstmouth will receive 5 million quid in compensation for his extremely intriguing move to the scared shitless part of North Laaaandon.

“I love Portsmouth and I loved my time there, we had some fantastic success and I’d never been happier, but it’s a great deal for Portsmouth, £5m for me, and it’s a chance for me to get on and see what I can do. Once Tottenham came in and once the offer was made it was difficult for the club to turn down a £5m offer for a manager. The club were pleased to take it and hopefully people will remember what I’ve done there.” -Harry Redknapp.

So It’s a “GREAT “deal for Pompey, that’s the slant. They wanted to sell me! Honest!

True or not, Harry is the new Spurs manager and it’s a weird move indeed. Porstmouth are currently 7th in the table and the reigning F.A Cup holders. Spurs have 2 points, are 5 from safety and are rooted bottom of the Premier League. They are also bottom of their UEFA Cup table after Udinese rolled them over 2-0 in Italy on Thursday. Harry must like a challenge because this is the mother of all challenges. But this isn’t the first time Harry has quit a team, he is starting to make a habit out of it.

Harry’s first act of quittage was Bournmouth in 1992. He’d had enough of the limited resources and walked. Next Rednapp joined West ham as Billy Bond’s assistant and took over the top spot in 1994 after Bond’s resigned. After a falling out with Hammers supremo Terry Brown over some comments he made to a fanzine regarding Brown, Redknapp left West Ham in 2001. Pompey were next. After pulling a Houdini and keeping Pompey in the Premiership Harry quit in 2004 after falling out with (then) owner Milan Manderic. He joined rivals Southampton in a move that turned him into a hate figure for Porstmouth fans but in 2005 he pulled the old switcheroo for Portsmouth once again. Keeping the hate flowing on the south coast (It just moved east to west a bit). Moving to a rival once was unheard of, but twice? Harry sure is a quitter, but quitting is better than getting the old tin-tack isn’t it Harry? And that brings us to today.

Maybe Harry gets itchy feet? Maybe he likes money. I’ll go with the latter, but it has to be said early, if anyone can save Tottenham from a drop into the Championship, it’s Harry Redknapp. If Harry fails to save Spurs then he has proven that he can bring a team back up from the challenge that lies below (Porstmouth 2002-03). Maybe that’s the key to Levy’s move? Prepare for the inevitable while having a good go at surviving. Either way it’s going to be a tough challenge. However, Harry Redknapp is a tough cookie. Spurs players certainly won’t get an easy ride or the niceties of Senor Ramos and his European ways, oh no! And this is a wonderful opportunity to bust out one of my favorite you tube videos EVER.

So take that as a warning all you under achievers of Tottenham. Harry is in the house and he means business. Shape up or you’ll be in the “facking reserves”.

-Bigus

Written by Darkvader on October 25th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Bigus Dickus and Bigus wrote this drunk. and Harry Redknapp and Tottenham Hotspur and portsmouth and quitting and tough jobs.

Adios, Ramos… Hello, ‘Arry

After an unwhelming start to the season in which they’ve claimed a whopping two points (from eight matches), Tottenham have (finally) kicked the chair out from under Juande Ramos. But, the former Sevilla manager isn’t the only one looking for work, since Spurs have also fired their Sporting Director (Damien Comolli) and Ramos’ two first-team coaches, Guy Poyet and Marcos Alvarez.

Written by Darkvader on October 25th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Harry Redknapp and Juande Ramos and Spurs are awful.

Cristiano votes for himself

“I am completely confident…If you assess what I did over the course of the season; I think I did more than anyone. What more could I have done to win the Ballon d’Or and the Fifa award?”

The question is will Messi do the same?

> Info Source

Written by Darkvader on October 25th, 2008 with no comments.
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The Geovanni Magical Mystery Tour Continues

No, that’s not a picture of Bigus. It’s Joe the pub-goer, who is thrilled about the run of success that his club, Hull City, is having in their first trip to the Premiership. After gaining promotion from the Championship thanks to a 1-0 playoff win against Bristol City, many had predicted that Hull would be sent right back down. We at UF predicted a little better. For now, Hull are doing quite a bit better than anyone predicted.

Hull City have started off their first season of top-flight football with 20 points from their first 9 matches on a record of 6 wins, 2 draws, and only 1 loss. This puts them at the top of the table after today. Given that Chelsea and Liverpool play each other tomorrow, there are two possible results for Hull: (1) Chelsea and Liverpool tie, leaving Hull in 3rd place but only 1 point behind the leader; or (2) either Chelsea or Liverpool win, leaving Hull tied for second place with the loser of that match.

Aside from the wonderful job that Brown, the gaffer, has done, the early success of Hull City can be attributed largely to Geovanni. After scoring only 3 goals in 19 appearances for Manchester City last season, the Brazilian has already scored 4 goals in just 7 appearances this season. His diving header against West Brom today came from an excellent bit of skill by Marlon King, but was an exhibition of Geovanni’s lethal finishing.

Can Hull City continue to pull off both the big shock wins (e.g. against Arsenal), the sturdy away wins (e.g. West Brom), and continue to handle business through the end of the season? Can Geovanni keep up this goal-scoring pace? I’m not sure if either is possible, but being already halfway to the magical 40-point “safe from relegation” total, I think that we will continue to have fun watching this club move through the EPL (suck it Barclay’s!).

Written by Darkvader on October 25th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Hull City and The NY Kid and lots of goals.

Ancelotti excited by Beckham

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is looking forward to the arrival of ‘champion’ David Beckham at the San Siro.

The England midfielder is set to join the Serie A club on a three-month loan from Los Angeles Galaxy in January in a bid to keep his place in the international squad during the close-season in Major League Soccer.

The 33-year-old will link-up with the likes of Kaka, Ronaldinho and Andriy Shevchenko with the Rossoneri and Ancelotti is looking forward to the arrival of the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star.

“Beckham is a great footballer and he can play anywhere,” he told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

“He can play in the centre of midfield or on the wing. Champions are resources, never problems.”

Meanwhile, Ancelotti hopes the arrival of Beckham can spark a serious run at the Serie A title.

“Our first aim is to play well,” he continued. “With the quality players we have got, there is an obligation to provide a spectacle.

“The owner does not like winning narrowly, maybe with a single goal in the break, he demands a spectacle.

“And then we want to win the Scudetto.”

Written by eugeniu on October 25th, 2008 with no comments.
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Gunners cruise in Turkey

Arsenal put on a superb display in Turkey to secure a stunning 5-2 victory over Fenerbahce to put them in charge of Champions League Group G.

The Gunners went into the game with defensive problems, with Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure and William Gallas all absent. Alex Song and Mikael Silvestre were both handed starts.

Early on Manuel Almunia came to his side’s rescue as Ugur Boral collected a cross from the right and his close-range shot hit the Spanish keeper in the face.

However, Arsenal then scored twice in just over a minute to take total control of the game.

First, the home defence was split wide open by Cesc Fabregas’ astute pass and Emmanuel Adebayor raced through to finish low past Volkan with a clinical right-foot effort.

Then, Fabregas repeated the trick to send Theo Walcott scampering away and the England winger rounded Volkan before slotting the ball into the empty net.

With just 19 minutes on the clock it was 2-1 as the Gunners fell asleep from a free-kick and when the ball was flashed across the face of goal, Mikael Silvestre turned it into his own net.

However, two minutes later Arsenal were two goals ahead again as Abou Diaby collected a long ball forward, held off his marker and smashed a low, left-foot shot into the far corner of the net from the left side of the area.

There was still time before the break for Dani Guiza to blast a shot inches wide of the upright, before the Spaniard’s heavy touch allowed Almunia to prevent the home side from pulling another goal back.

The Gunners took just four minutes of the second half to stretch their advantage to 4-1, as a free-kick was played into the area and it eventually dropped for Song to rifle home a right-foot volley from eight yards.

The game then finally dropped in pace, with the home side seemingly having accepted their fate and unable to test Almunia with any serious intent.

However, Guiza finally got a reward for his hard work as he just beat Almunia to a lofted ball forward and toe-poked it into the net to make the score 4-2.

Fittingly it was the Gunners who would have the final say, as in the final of four minutes of added time substitute Aaron Ramsey smacked in a superb right-foot shot from 20 yards out to round off a superb team performance.

Written by eugeniu on October 25th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Football-Player.

Pep Delays Naming Of Squad Against Almeria

Pep Guardiola has refused to name the final squad against Almeria till the time of match. So there will be real excitement this time about who is going to miss from the squad. The guaranteed absentees are Keita, Pedro, Milito and Gudjonsen, who all are out injured. Whatever Barca fans would be expecting their team to extend their winning streak to nine match in all competitions. Last season FC Barcelona saw off the Almeria challenge with goals from Messi and Henry. Almeria has been the surprise package of last season, and they are making sure that they are not called a one season wonder. It is essential for FC Barcelona to hit top form before they take on Sevilla, Valencia, Real Madrid and Villarreal one after other.

We can expect Eto and Iniesta to make a come back to the side after being rested in the match against Basel. Eto, Iniesta and Messi should form the attacking trio. Xavi should lead the midfield along with Toure. The third person in that midfield will be tricky; Almeria will be definitely tougher than Basel and you need a atatck minded player there. Either Iniesta can drop to the middle or Victor Sanchez has to take the responsibility. I am not in favour of putting Busquests and Toure in the midfield together. The back four should see Abidal returning along with Pique to form the defense with Puyol and Alves. Anyway Victor Valdes is the only certainity under Guardiola. FC Barcelona fans might be expecting a goal rout from their players. I have a feeling that they may not be dissappointed.

Written by Bibin on October 25th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Barcelona Match Preview.

Did Gallas actually kill anyone with that cigarette?

NO he didn’t, but judging by some people’s reactions you would have thought that he’d gone on a mass murdering spree poking people to death with his zippo lighter.

I’ll admit it wasn’t Gallas’ finest hour, getting caught like that was stupid. He should have hid round the back of the bike sheds, it worked for me, I never got caught at school.

At the end of the day it hasn’t done Billy any favours with Gooners but was it really that bad? Lot’s of people smoke, it isn’t a big deal.

People will say he’s supposed to be a role-model to kids, well Gallas smoking or not smoking wouldn’t influence them anyway. Kids OR anyone else will smoke because their mates do OR maybe because they want to.

I think there is a band-wagon forming about Gallas and lots of people are jumping on it. Any little mistake he makes is high-lighted to the extreme. Birmingham incident aside I can’t work out why, but my main suspicion is because he used to play for Chelsea.

People say he isn’t the right captain for the club, well who is? Arsene Wenger seems to think that he is and as it happens, so do I.

We can’t keep comparing Gallas to captains of the past. Tony Adams IS the greatest captain of all time at Arsenal, but he was one of a kind. You will never see a captain like Adams again at the club in our life-time so its unfair to keep comparing the two. Its like comparing chalk and cheese.

I sometimes think that some Gooners can’t wait for Gallas to slip up just to say I told you so, had it been Toure caught with a snout most Gooners would have probably laughed.

Lets not make a scapegoat out of him, although I fear that it’s too late for that already.

Keep it Goonerish…………

Written by Wrighty7 on October 25th, 2008 with no comments.
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