Quick Hits

So much going on in the world of soccer and yet, so few posts. Sorry to the 5 followers. The posting will be more regular leading up to the World Cup and during the World Cup. I'm going to have to get up every morning at 5 to catch the early game and since I'll be up, I might as well post. Easier said than done. Maybe one of the former contributors will rise from the ashes of the dead and provide a stirring post as well. One can only hope for such company in this lone and dreary cyberspace blog world.

Anyways, like I said, a lot has happened in the world of soccer and I've wanted to comment on many things. Here are just a few quick hits:

1. The near post, upper V goal.

I love these goals. Luka Modric scored one of these goals for Tottenham in their final game of the season. Tottenham has already clinched 4th place so they went out and laid an egg against Burnley. But Modric's goal was just a beauty. It's such a hard goal. Usually a player in that position will go far post on the ground to try and beat the keeper. When a player is coming from the side angle the goalie usually has the near post covered (although not really in this goal since the goalie is shifting over rather slowly) and thus the best option is for the player to shoot low and around the goalie to the back post. Sometimes however, the player chooses the lower percentage, higher difficulty, yet usually more exciting shot right into the top corner of the near post. There is about a 2 foot window above the goalie and the shot has to be hard enough so that the goalie can't even get his hands up in time. The player doesn't always pull it off, but when they do, it's just lovely. (Goal is at the 40 second mark)




2. The Michael Ballack injury.

Seriously such a bummer. Injured during the last game of Chelsea's season and now he has to miss the World Cup. So sad. Worse than the Beckham injury because Ballack is Germany's captain. It wasn't even a guarantee Beckham would have made the squad (although it was likely). But Ballack would have actually contributed to the team's success. Granted, he is a little old in soccer years (33), but he would have helped on the field. Now, he's just there for "moral support." It's also worse than Beckham because this came on the last game of the season. The next competitive soccer game for Ballack would have been the first game of the World Cup.

To add a little drama to everything, the man that injured Ballack - Kevin-Prince Boateng (on the left) - although from Germany, is opting to play for Ghana in the World Cup because his dad is from Ghana. It just so happens that Ghana and Germany are in the same World Cup group and they play each other on June 23rd. Over/under this guy gets elbowed 11 times by all 11 Germany players on the field? Or that he gets a nasty tackle from behind. Just look at this guy. Just looking at him makes you want to elbow him. If it was someone like Deco or Messi, it might be hard to be upset at the person, but this guy? I'm sure the Germany coach will have no problem finding a volunteer to give him a hard foul.


3. Ribery out for the Champions League final.

Franck Ribery was red carded in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal. The Champions League suspended him 3 games for his dirty tackle. Ribery sat out the second leg of the semifinal and then appealed his suspension once Bayern Munich reached the final. Normally, I don't agree with the Champions League on their card policy. I hate the way the Champions League suspends a player for a game because the player gets a yellow card in two consecutive games. I think they should stick to two yellows in one game equal a red card and a 1 game suspension. So if a player has already served their 1 game suspension for a red card, usually I would say that he should play. But I just re-watched the play and it's just gross (the tackle, not Ribery). The extended suspension is warranted.

4. Spain is on the move.

Fabregas and David Villa to Barcelona? Torres to Chelsea? David Silva to Man United or Real Madrid? All of those players could have gone to Man City had they finished in fourth. Oh, what could have been... Anyways, it's not really a surprise that these players might be on the move. Most people expected this. But Torres, you know I love you. So pick your new team wisely. Don't make it hard to love you.

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Chelsea Deservedly Wins the Title

Well, the season is over and Chelsea, deservedly, has won the title. Entering into Sunday's final game, Chelsea needed a win over Wigan to win the Premier League title. Not only did they win, they put up and 8 spot and won 8-0. Just complete domination. Not that Wigan is the toughest team in the league, but 8?! That's always impressive. Of course, once a team is down by 4 or 5 and its in the second half, are they even trying anymore? The game didn't matter to Wigan. Of course they wanted to win, but they didn't have much riding on the line, not like Chelsea at least. So once you are down by 4 in the second half and it's the last game of the season, what's your inspiration for continuing to put forth much effort? Four, eight, who cares? All the players want is for the 90 minutes to be up so they can leave for their summer holiday in Ibiza.

But Chelsea was deserving of the title. They ended up beating Manchester United by a point. The next closest team, Arsenal, was ten points behind United. So it was really a two-horse race by the end of the season. But Chelsea was more deserving of the title because they beat United both times they played this season. It's actually sort of like Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga. Barcelona currently leads Real Madrid by 1 point in the standings and there is one game to play. However, no team in La Liga is even close to Real and Barcelona. They lead by almost 30 points over third place Valencia. That lead, in and of itself, brings to light many of the current problems in La Liga. No two teams should be that much better than the rest of the clubs in the league. That aside, if Barcelona somehow slipped up this weekend and Real won, Real would win the title. But Barcelona beat Madrid both times they played this season. So as a Madrid fan, I actually don't really want Barcelona to lose. Perhaps that doesn't make me a "true" fan as I should always want a title, no matter how we get it. But what's the satisfaction of winning the title if you lost both times to the team that finished in second? You won, but you would know that when it mattered, the other team was better than you, they just had one more lapse than you did. If anything, it would just give you an undeserved boost of confidence. There would be a false sense of accomplishment which could be more destructive than anything. Consistent champions don't get there by other teams losing. Sometimes they need the help of other teams and they need them to lose. But champions get there by winning and beating those other teams. Although its always sweet to see your rival lose and its bitter to see them win the championship, it's better than winning the championship but feeling unsettled about it because you know you didn't quite earn it.

Granted, I realize that the Premier League was much different than La Liga. There were a lot of quality teams, not just two teams like in La Liga. One could argue that Man U was deserving of the title because they beat Manchester City both times they played this season, and Manchester City beat Chelsea both times they played this season. Thus, Chelsea "giving" Man U the title by losing is different than Barcelona giving it to Madrid. Maybe I'm off and maybe any championship, no matter how it comes, should be celebrated. I understand if its the Champions League or the World Cup, because that's different. And it's not the championship wouldn't be celebrated, but it wouldn't be that special. When you already have twentysomething league titles, what's so special about one more if it comes as a result of your rival losing, but not because you could beat him? Maybe there is satisfaction and I'm just not seeing it. Regardless, the season is over and Chelsea finished on top. And its tough to argue with the fact that Chelsea deservedly won the title.


Here is Chelsea's impressive finish of the season. All 8 goals in 2 minutes.

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Manchester City v. Tottenham: You Couldn't Script It Any Better

For the past six seasons, the same 4 teams ("The Big Four") have finished at the top of the English Premier League: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. They haven't always finished in that order, but it's always been those four teams. What's the big deal about finishing in the top 4? Those teams qualify for the Champions League in the next season. The Champions League is a tournament of all the top clubs from all of the top leagues in Europe. The teams still play in their own league (English Premier League, La Liga in Spain, Serie A in Italy etc.), but in addition, they also play in the Champions League. It's a best of the best league. It's a way to crown the best team in all of Europe. Kind of a big deal. Ok, its a huge deal.

This year, for the first time in a long time, Liverpool won't qualify for the Champions League. There is only 1 game left and Liverpool is mathematically eliminated from making the Champions League. They will likely finish in 7th and qualify for the Europa League (sort of a NIT tournament to the NCAA March Madness tourney. A nice consolation for finishing well, but not nearly the excitement or publicity or glory). The two teams competing for the 4th and final spot are Tottenham and Manchester City. Perfectly enough, they actually play each other tomorrow (Wednesday). A previous game between the two teams earlier in the season was postponed and it was conveniently and dramatically rescheduled for the final week of the season. The two teams do have one more game on Sunday, so the winner of tomorrow's game doesn't necessarily have 4th place locked up, but they control their own destiny.

So here's a look at the two teams:

Tottenham:

There isn't much reason to root against Tottenham. I tried to think of one and couldn't. As far as I (and wikipedia) am aware, Tottenham hasn't finished in the top 4 since the inception of the current Premier League in 1992. The best they have finished was 5th, twice. They have always been a good team, but usually somewhere in the middle of the pack. For the most part, they have likable players. You would really have to try to not like them or have some personal vendetta against one of the players if you were upset that they finished 4th. You may have wanted another team and may not be excited that they made it, but it's sort of hard to hate them. One of those, "Well, I would have preferred Team X, but I don't mind Tottenham and at least it wasn't Team Y that made it" teams.

Manchester City:

Manchester City is a Team Y type of team.

First of all, its worth noting that Manchester City is often called Man City. Their coach is named Roberto Mancini. Mancini. Mancini coaches ManCity. This was the reason he was hired right? It's like someone walking into a job interview being named Joe Dodger or Danny Laker. You have an immediate leg up on the other candidates. Who wouldn't hire that person?

But here is why it's possible to dislike Man City: they have money. And tons of it. Granted, there is a lot to like about Man City and a lot of reasons to root for them. They have long played second fiddle to the other team in their city, Manchester United (the Evil Empire of the Premier League). This isn't even like the Mets play second fiddle to the Yankees. The Mets have at least had success in the past. Man City is more like the Los Angeles Clippers. Just terrible for many years and always right next to the Lakers. Finally, a few years ago, a man by the name of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan bought the team. He's only a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi emirate. The family worth is estimated to be about $500 billion.

Anyways, he bought Man City a couple years ago and like any good owner with endless resources, he started buying many great players. The problem is/was, many were reluctant to go to Man City because Man City isn't part of the Champions League. Some went because the money was good, but Man City couldn't quite attract all the great names. Now however, they are on the brink of being a part of the Champions League. Which is why tomorrow's game is so intriguing. If Tottenham wins, great. That's fun and its a good story for the kids. But if Man City wins, it could dramatically change the Premier League landscape. They could be at the top of the Premier League for years to come. Man City will be a team that has qualified for the Champions League, so all the great players will want to go to Man City because they will get to compete against the other great teams of Europe. On top of that though, the owner has the money for all of those players. If Tottenham wins, their stock will go up and they will probably land some new players. But no one has the resources like Man City. Their owner can go out and buy up all the great players without even noticing. Man City could go to town in the offseason and have their pick of any player. They have the money and they would now be part of the Champions League stage where many of the great players want to perform. There is really no excuse for a player to not want to join. Torres? David Villa? Buffon? Ribery? Robben? The list and possibilities are endless.

Thus, despite their losing history, it's a reason Man City is a "Team Y" and people might not be happy they get in. Man City has essentially bought themselves a birth into the Champions League and will continue to buy their success for many years to come. Doesn't always make a you a likable club. Essentially it just boils down to people being jealous that Sheik Mansour bin Ihavetonsofmoney Nayan isn't their owner, but still, its a reason to root against Man City.

Regardless of the winner, the big 4 are shaken up. It's a bummer for Liverpool fans and Torres lovers (like yours truly), but in this case, any change is good change. Especially when the change comes down to the (second to) last game. Couldn't be scripted any better.

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Fulham - America's team in the English Premier League (EPL)

If you're an American without any natural ties to a team in England, then I've found one for you to follow. They are a team from London without an ugly history of Hooliganism. They are underdogs to their local rivals Chelsea, Arsenal, and West Ham. They currently have USMNT member Clint Dempsey. Their captain, up until a few years ago, was USMNT great Brian McBride.

The team is Fulham FC. They don't have much in the way of history or trophies. In fact, they were fighting just to stay in the EPL in 2005 when I started following them. Their manager Roy Hodgson made his bones coaching in Europe but was never considered for jobs at big clubs in England. Now he has lead Fulham to the Europa League Final against Atletico Madrid.

Fulham isn't a flashy team like Arsenal. They don't have Chelsea's money. They're not the favorite team of sportswriters like West Ham. They're simply well organized players with a lot of heart.

The biggest moment of the season for Fulham was when the team overcame a 4-1 deficit to Juventus in the Round of 16. The highlight was when USMNT's Clint Dempsey scored the goal to that sent them through. It was a massive goal on the biggest stage.



Jump on the bandwagon.

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The Champions League Final is set - The Special One Triumphs in Barcelona

Jose Mourinho, the Special One, has lead another team to the Champions League Final. It was an incredible match.

Here are the highlights:



Busquets feigned a massive injury to the face when it wasn't even a flesh wound. The result was a straight red card to Thiago Motta. This put Inter on the defensive and changed the team's mentality. Suddenly it was them against the world. Busquets antics turned him into the goat of the game.

In honor of Jose's greatest moment so far, here is a hilarious show that used to air on Setanta Sports:



A few questions remain for me. First, what are the implications of this Champions League draw on the World Cup final (there were a lot of Brazilians and Spaniards on the field)? Second, if Inter win, what does it say about Mourinho's ability to coach underdogs to victory, but inability to get Chelsea to a Champions League victory?

The Champions League Final is set for Saturday, May 22, 2010 when Bayern Munich and Internazionale will face off at the Santiago Bernebeu in Madrid.

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Still A Year Away

The much anticipated, but somewhat uneventful El Clasico happened on Saturday. It's the biannual meeting between Barcelona and Real Madrid. It was "the game" in La Liga not just because the two teams were tied for first in the standings, but also because La Liga has pretty much been a two horse race this year. Valencia, the team currently in 3rd place, is 20 points behind Barcelona and Real Madrid. Even if Barcelona or Real lost the rest of their games, Valencia still couldn't catch them. The two teams have been completely dominant this year which makes for good drama twice a year when the two teams do play each other, but leaves a lot to be desired the rest of the weeks. As exciting as it may be to watch Real and Barcelona play each other or other teams, the league is definitely better off when the there is talent accross the board.

Even that sentence however may be a little incorrect as it lumps Real into the same category as Barcelona. While other teams may not be able to compete with Real, Real still can't compete with Barcelona. Barcelona is like the varsity sports team of the world right now and everyone else is JV. No one can compete with them. On some days the JV teams might surprise or shock the varsity team and pull out a tie, maybe even get really lucky and pull out a win. But whenever that happens, the varsity squad just comes out the next day and thumps the JV team and reminds them that they can't really compete despite their victory. The perfect example of this was a couple weeks ago in Barcelona's Champions League game with Arsenal. In the first leg of the series that was played at Arsenal, the two teams tied 2-2. Despite Barcelona going up 2-0, Arsenal clawed their way back to a tie. It was an exciting and inspiring victory by the JV squad (Arsenal). So what happened next? The following week when the teams played the second leg at Barcelona, Barcelona came out and thumped Arsenal 4-1. Any slim hope or belief that Arsenal had that they could actually compete with Barcelona was smothered by the end of the first half.

So on Saturday, I was curious to know if Real Madrid, with all of their off-season acquisitions, was still a JV team or if they had made the jump to varsity. Could they really compete with Barcelona? Well, no. They couldn't. Here's three reasons why:

1. Dominant center midfield.

Good night Xavi is ridiculous. Every Spain fan has to be salivating in anticipation for the World Cup this summer. Xavi and his passes and the way he controls the game are...well, Zidane like. I said it. I'm surprised as well that I went there, but Xavi is deserving. He's up there with the finest in the game right now. His vision and control of the game and his incredible through balls are just lovely. He's so great to watch. He just takes over the game and controls the pace and the tempo and controls every player on the field. It's magnificent to watch, unless of course you are rooting against Barcelona in which case its incredibly frustrating. But yet you have to admire his skills, which makes the situation even more frustrating. I hate you Xavi and Barcelona, but you are so good.

Real doesn't have that player at the moment. Kaka was supposed to be that player and was that player with AC Milan, but he was injured on Saturday and he's been nonexistent all year. The huge contract and huge expectations have really made him seem lost. Real also has Guti, but he's so erratic. Sometimes brilliant but sometimes dismal. He was actually brilliant on Saturday and provided the beautiful pass that set up Real's best moment of the game, but again, he's not a consistent player unfortunately.

2. Team Chemistry and Rhythm

This is another one that is just awesome to watch unless you want Barcelona to lose. Barcelona is just one fluid mass moving up and down the field. They will possess the ball and barely advance it for 5 minutes and just frustrate the other team. They are so patient and every player is moving and knows exactly where they need to be. They have a lot of veteran players and a lot of role players. Everyone knows where they need to be and they all do their job. Xavi and Iniesta control the midfield and the game, Puyol and Pique take control in the back and Messi scores the goals. All the other players understand that, respect it and play their supporting role as needed.

Real has no chemistry. For one, their midfielders that are supposed to control the game, Kaka and Xabi Alonso are new to the team this year. Granted, the season is almost over, but as mentioned, Kaka has really struggled to take the reins of the team. That's probably because he has to deal with C. Ronaldo running all over and trying to keep him satisfied, which is no easy task. Speaking of which:

3. Barcelona has the best player in the game

Remember how two years ago when Ronaldo set those crazy scoring records in the Premier League and he was considered the greatest player in the world, and then the following year Messi and Barcelona went on to dominate the league and people started to wonder who was better, Messi or Ronaldo? Then everything culminated in the Champions League final last year when Messi's Barcelona palyed Ronaldo's Man United. Messi scored, Barcelona won, and Ronaldo, who had little impact during the game, eventually left Man U for Real Madrid in the offseason.

Now, I'm not saying that C. Ronaldo isn't an amazing player, but can one honestly argue that he is better than Messi? Last year it was a great debate. Now, not so much. Ronaldo is still probaby the second best player in the world, but no one can compete with Messi right now. And that's mainly because Messi always comes to play. I mentioned above that Messi is on a team with better chemistry and a better midfield, but it's not that Ronaldo is playing with chumps. Ronaldo is surrounded by great players, just like he was at Man U. Yet for some reason, in the last couple of big showdowns, Messi has proven that he is the better player. Yet again on Saturday Messi scored a goal and had a few other great opportunities. Ronaldo was fairly silent throughout the game. He didn't create much for his team and he didn't do much on his own. Again, not saying he's a bad player by any means, but until something changes, the debate is over as to who is the better player.

So even though Barcelona proved that they are the varsity squad and that Real Madrid is still a JV team, the nice part about JV is knowing that you are so close to making the jump. Which is where Real is right now. Assuming they don't fire their coach and blow up their current team (which is more likely to happen than not), they could easily make the jump next year and finally compete with Barcelona. Between Kaka, Xabi and Guti, they have the midfield playmakers. They have Higuain and Ronaldo that combined can be as great as Messi and in a year they will have a defense and a team that has had time together to form and identity and chemistry. They are close. You can tell that the pieces are there and that they want to be considered a varsity team. But they aren't. They are still a year away.

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Sir Alex the Fantastic

As mentioned in the previous post, Manchester United lost in the Champions League to Bayern Munich. As expected, Manchester's coach, Sir Alex Ferguson came out today with some nice 'gems' about the game. From ESPN:

"Ferguson was furious about the manner in which the Bayern players had put pressure on the referee to show Rafael a second yellow card after tugging back Franck Ribery.

"The young boy showed a bit of inexperience, but they got him sent off, everyone sprinted towards the referee - typical Germans," [Ferguson] said. "They were never getting through that tie. With 11 men, we had no problem."

Fantastic comment. Typical Germans? What does that even mean? Only Germans yell at refs when there is a foul and try and get the ref to make a call in their favor? I suppose that makes sense. I mean, its not like Manchester United players ever argue with the refs. It's also interesting that he says that this behavior of complaining about the refs is typical of Germans yet in the process of saying Germans complain about refs, he too was complaining about the poor calls made by the refs. But Ferguson is Scottish, not German. And this isn't the first time he's complained about the officiating. Someone should tell him to retract his comment to say, "typical Germans, and Scottish." Then it would be a little more accurate. We don't want Sir Alex to look like a fool with his comments.

Seriously though, I have no problems with a coach being upset at some of the calls that happened during the game. I understand that calls can influence a game. But when your team gives up a two goal advantage at home, and your best player, who is also arguably the best player in the league right now, had to sit out the entire second half because of a busted ankle, then maybe it was your team, and not the "typical Germans" that are responsible for the loss. Just a thought. Not that you need to go out and blame it on your players, but perhaps a little perspective could improve your comments and thus prevent snide remarks from the bored bloggers.

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Recognize this Face?

This is the "Aw Snap, I Just Made a Wicked Goal and Knocked Your Team Out of the Champions League with My Sick Volley that Sort of Even Surprised Me, but Not Entirely Because I Knows I Gots Mad Skills So Much So that It Almost Causes Me Pain But Not Really Because Ohhh That Was So Nice" face.



The goal and face come at the 5:20 mark.

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Hey Look! Another Drogba Red Card

So Chelsea bowed out of the Champions League yesterday in a surprise loss to Inter Milan. Inter Milan is a great team, but Chelsea was definitely the favorite to win this match-up. It was sweet revenge for Jose Mourinho, the current Inter Milan boss and former Chelsea boss. Not that anyone ever really roots for Mourinho or has any sympathy for the guy. Great coach, not exactly the world's most likeable guy though.

Anyways, the loss is very disappointing for Chelsea. Two years ago they made it to the Champions League final only to lose to their rival Manchester United. Last year they were literally seconds away from returning to the final until Andres Iniesta ripped their hearts out by scoring a late goal and sending Barcelona on to the finals where they eventually won it all. After getting so close the past two seasons, they are eliminated in the first stage of the knock-out rounds. Even though the results haven't been consistent, one thing has been consistent: a late in the game card for Didier Drogba.


2008:

Granted, this is pretty weak. I understand Drogba "hit" Vidic, but it's not like it was a punch or anything. Not sure if he deserved a red.



2009:

In 2009 he actually only received a yellow card and it came after the game was over (it just makes for a better post to pretend he got three red cards).



Drogba's reaction is actually understandable. Here is a video of Iniesta scoring late in the game and ripping Chelsea's heart out (love the announcer in that video). Below is a video of all of the potential penalties that happened during the game that weren't called and made all the Chelsea players so upset.




Finally, 2010:

Here is the red card Drogba received late in the game yesterday.



At first view I didn't think the red card was deserved, but after a few views, the ref made the right call.

I really wouldn't consider Drogba a dirty player. Although the third was cheap, the first red card was a little ticky tacky, the second was actually just a yellow. But his reactions are somewhat justified. The Champions League is a big deal and naturally emotions will run high. I get upset and start yelling at the ref in my local city league. I can only imagine the intense emotions running through these players in a Champions League game, let alone final. So I don't post this so much to say that Drogba is dirty, but if it's the Champions League and Chelsea is losing and the game is almost over, bet your neighbor on a late card for Drogba.

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Six Years, One Result

I know this post is a little late since it has been almost a week since Real Madrid lost to Lyon and was knocked out, yet again, in the first round of the knock-out rounds in the Champions League. That makes six years in a row that they have lost in the first stage of the knock-out rounds of the Champions League. I wanted to post earlier, but I needed a few days to mourn as I was legitimately upset after the game. There is nothing worse as a sports fan than losing and knowing that you will have to wait an entire year before you can team can redeem itself.

The other difficult thing about this game is that I don't really know what to say about Real. I keep wandering in circles. Six years with the same result means that this has happened to six different squads. You can't fault C. Ronaldo or Kaka for not getting the job done, when Zidane also failed with Figo and the original Ronaldo. But it's not the players and I don't think its the coach. I could only come up with one explanation: the business model.

Real's "business model" doesn't work. They spent over $280 million in the offseason to acquire 5 players and they lost to a team that doesn't have 1 recognizable player. I didn't know anyone on Lyon. At first I thought I knew one guy, but then I realized it was thinking about a differnet guy with the same name. I guess Lyon's central defender might make Brazil's World Cup squad as a back-up. Might.

I haven't read Soccernomics entirely, but I understand that Lyon is discussed in the book as a team that is projected to be successful in the future because of their business model of developing youth and not overspending for players. Real disregards its youth system, overspends on players and has no loyalty to its current players because they are constantly running out and looking for the next "hot" player to buy. I think the game was a great illustration of both teams and how their style of play reflects their business models.

In the first half Real came out firing. Granted, they were down 1-0 because they lost the first leg at Lyon, so they couldn't hold anything back. Not that they would though. They are hot, flashy players. Not all of them of course (some are ugly), but most of them are recognizable players and have a huge paycheck and huge expectations to live up to. So they come out firing and needing to score goals to silence the critics and be int he spotlight. Which is what they did in the game. They scored right away and had a couple of other great opportunities. Real just dominated in the first half. It could have easily been 3-0. One would think that the dominance would continue in the second half, but it was a totally different game.

But in the second half, Real flamed out. Lyon had weathered the Real storm and onslaught, proven that they weren't intimidated by the big names on the back of the jersey, and then they just started a slow, progressive attack on Real. The game turned into a finesse battle and was no longer just one side trying to overpower the other side. Lyon suddenly had tons of chances and was attacking just as well as Real. Lyon knew that the game was 90 minutes long and they played like it. Real was in it to win it within the first 10 minutes of the game. Not in it for the long haul. No development, just come out and slaughter the other team. Lyon withstood the onslaught, built up their confidence and offense, and came out and late in the game put the dagger in Real's heart. Which is what they have been doing all season. The announcer mentioned that Lyon scores most of their goals late in the game - more than any other team. Might not be the most exciting way to win games or the most exciting way to build a club, but it works. Just slow and progressive and playing for 90 minutes.

Lyon's business model and game plan isn't flawless of course, but it is pretty brilliant. Sometimes it might not work. Real did have some moments where they should scored. But you aren't going to beat Real at it's own game - not that you would want to. No one can spend money like Real, frankly, no one should. And no one can really attack like Real. Well, teams can attack better than Real, but you know they are going to do an all out attack. Lyon didn't try and match their attack, they just frustrated it. Waited until Real was done trying to show off, and then just beat them at soccer with their good team chemistry and players that might not be individually as skilled, but collectively are solid.

So really it's pretty simple. Real failed because their business model failed. They were beaten by a team with a better business strategy. The need to change their strategy. I understand that the original group of galacticos won the Champions League in their first year together, but they only won once. No long term success. If you only have one championship to show for all your efforts over a long period of time, then your business model needs to be changed. And it's a shame Real couldn't figure things out a couple years ago so that the dream of winning the Champions League in Madrid in their own stadium could have been a reality. I'm sure Barcelona will be more than happy to turn that failed dream into a nightmare by winning the championship in Madrid.

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What the John Terry scandal tells us about England, America, and Tiger Woods

Six months ago, discussions involving Tiger Woods focused on whether or not he would win more major championships than Jack Nicklaus. No one really knew much about him, other than that he was an incredible golfer and a fierce competitor with a beautiful wife and a strong dislike of photographers. Suddenly, everything changes. The facade is pulled down. Now when we talk about Tiger, we talk about his infidelity and indiscretions.

We understand that he wanted privacy so that he could keep up the appearance of the perfect husband and father but live the rock-star lifestyle. Tiger surrounded himself with enablers who pandered to him. His agent helped him become the wealthiest sports figure in the world. That same agent put a protective cocoon around him. Tiger's caddy kept the competitive juices during tournaments and protected him from the awful discomforts of clicking cameras and thoughtless fans. His life was well planned and completely fake.

On the other side of the Atlantic, the John Terry scandal swept through football. Terry was involved in an affair. News leaked that the captain of England's National Team had been unfaithful to his wife. However, this wasn't really news because it wasn't the first time he had cheated on his wife. Rumors of alleged affairs had circled around him for years. One website alleges relationships with 13 different women since 1999 despite the fact that Terry has dated Toni Poole, his current wife, since high school. The couple were married in 2007 and had twins together in 2006.

So why was this different? Terry was revered by fans of Chelsea and England despite his personal life. He was made team captain for both club and country. In reality, his indiscretions are no different than those of many of his teammates for club and country (Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard). The culture amongst the players not only allows for this poor behavior, it acts as a catalyst. Footballers party hard. They go to the club to celebrate after a win and to drink away their sorrows after a loss.

At the same time, the status that comes from being a "WAG" means that these guys can have a second life as doting husband and father since it seems that these women only leave the husbands if he happens to die (Cheryl Cole might buck this trend). Terry was even named "Father of the Year" in a poll of English adults (sponsored by a Ketchup maker). However I can't tell if anyone takes it seriously seeing as Indiana Jones and Homer Simpson were #1 and #2 fictional characters people would like as their father and Peter Andre was the winner last year. The English are either dopes or hilarious.

Back to my question. Was was this different? Why did John Terry pay his mistress hush money? Why did Terry get a gag order on the press when the story started to leak out? Because of Wayne Bridge:



That's Terry on the right and his former best buddy, Wayne Bridge. Bridge was Terry's teammate at Chelsea and was a member of the England Men's National Team. Terry cheated on his wife with Bridge's ex-girlfriend, Vanessa Perroncel. Perroncel and Bridge have a child together. For the English, this went too far. There was a line that Terry crossed by having an affair with his teammate's ex girlfriend. The line seems to be pretty fair down the path of shame, but there is definitely a line. For a celebrity athlete like Terry, you can cheat on your wife, mock Americans after 9/11, and assault security guards in night clubs.

But cheating on your teammate goes too far. Terry was stripped of his role of Captain of England's National Team and there was a feeling that the National Team Manager, Fabio Capello, was doing it not only for team unity, but because of the demands from the people.

Let's compare Tiger and John. Both crossed a line. I don't care to argue about which country has stronger morals or higher standards, but we can all accept that both athletes crossed a line. Tiger even apologized to the public for his indiscretions, and, while many think he doesn't owe them an apology, he had to do it in order to repair his image (I'm sure Nike is working around the clock on a rebranding strategy). Terry betrayed a teammate, which has a direct affect on the unity of the National Team and their prospects in the upcoming World Cup, which means he betrayed the public as well.

Tiger is still not back. Terry is and I think it gives a good indication of what might happen when Tiger returns. Here are the Premier League matches he's played since the shoe dropped:

Burnley
Hull City
Arsenal
--- Stripped of England Captain's Armband ---
Everton
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Manchester City

In Terry's first game back, he came out firing on all cylinders. He was emotionally charged up for the game. He was defensively strong and even managed to score a goal. The match was at Burnley and he was abused by the fans. The Burnley supporters were very vocal and loud. Terry's teammates came out in support of him and everything seemed fine. No dip in form, no negative repercussions on the playing field.

Against Arsenal, a home game, the Chelsea fans brought banners and were very supportive. After the game, Terry thanked them profusely for their support. Chelsea diehards were behind him all the way. Again, Terry was very emotional, but played well.

Then he was stripped of the captaincy and Chelsea headed to Everton where Terry was abused by Landon Donovan and Louis Saha. Chelsea lost 2-1 and Terry was atrocious. He misjudged the long ball and was abused by Donvon's speed.

The big one came on February 27th when Chelsea hosted Manchester City, Wayne Bridge's team. He had no idea what was about to hit him. This game had more pressure than could be imagined. The press was writing pages for the build up. Manchester City rallied around their teammate and catapulted themselves to a 4-2 victory. It was an incredible game. The peak moment was when City's Carlos Tevez beat John Terry to tie the match. Tevez ran over teammate Wayne Bridge and pointed to him. "This is for Wayne!" It was an incredible moment of unity and the entire team rallied around their betrayed teammate. It was all City from there on out. Chelsea and Terry simply didn't have that kind of unity and strength.

The John Terry scandal tells us three important things about Tiger's comeback:

1. It will be easy to ride the adrenalin of emotion when he first returns. Those first three tournaments will be intense as friendly and angry fans come together to either shout praises or scorn but Tiger's own emotions will carry the day, and like Terry, he'll perform well. He'll sink the puts and pump his fists as the crowd roars. "He's back" will be our first reaction.

2. Some venues will undoubtedly be like home matches, full of support, but at some point, his form will slip. Tiger will have his own "Everton" where he plays poorly and the fans shout abuse. He'll miss a cut and the gallery will pile on the abuse. "He's lost it" will be our second reaction.

3. The tournament after he suffers the most abuse will tell us if he can handle the heat. It's at that point when we'll know whether he will can regain his spectacular form. Terry's form dipped at Everton and then he walked into an ambush against Manchester City, with the world watching, he failed again. That's when we can make our final decision on Tiger.

Can Tiger handle that game after "the game?" If he plays a tournament with a "Phil Mickelson" crowd a few weeks before a major, will he be able to bounce back from a bad day?

We tend to forgive our heroes in football and life, and with time, we'll forgive Tiger and Terry.

What we don't know is whether they'll ever return to the form they had before they fell.

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Weekend Preview: Owen is out, City on the Rise, Real seeks Revenge

Before getting to the weekend preview, it was reported earlier today that Michael Owen is out the rest of the season due to injury. Talk about a career completely plagued with injury. Such a bummer.

He had the ability to do this:



But this is how he will be remembered:



Unfortunate.


The first big game of the weekend is Manchester City v. Tottenham. Both teams are tied for 4th and have a one point lead over Liverpool in the standings. Manchester City is coming off a great win last weekend against Chelsea. A game that featured 6 goals and this awesome move. (For those unfamiliar with the story, it recently came out that John Terry, the player in blue, had an affair with Wayne Bridge's girlfriend, the player in white. Hence the no handshake.)

Tottenham is coming off a win vs. Everton last weekend thanks to this sweet move by Landon Donovan. Doh! My heart actually aches a little every time I watch that clip. So sad. That goal would have tied the game. Just rough.

Anyways, the two teams are currently tied. Both are trying to hold on to that 4th spot, but surely both can hear Liverpool coming up behind them in the standing. If Liverpool wins, then the loser of the Man City/Tottenham game will fall to 6th behind Liverpool. A tie doesn't even help these teams as it would only give them 1 point each and Liverpool would leap frog both of them with a win. A lot riding on this game.

Prediction: Man City wins 2-1.

Real Madrid v. Sevilla

Huge game in La Liga. Real needs the win, but could very well lose for a variety of reasons:

1. Sevilla beat Real earlier in the season when the two teams met. However, that game was played at Sevilla and this game is in Madrid so Real should exact their revenge.

2. Real is only two points behind Barcelona and if they want to win the league this year they know they can't lose or tie to anyone otherwise they won't win the league even if they beat Barcelona in a few weeks. They just have added pressure for each game.

3. C. Ronaldo is already running his mouth and saying that he is sure Madrid will win the league. Again, why add the pressure? You haven't won anything yet. Barcelona is the king of La Liga. Why bother even saying anything at this point?

4. Lyon comes to Madrid on Tuesday. I don't think Real is overlooking Saturday's game, but they know the second leg of their Champions League match up will take place this Wednesday. It's a huge game for Real. To spend so much money and lose this early in the Champions League would be a huge embarrassment and epic fail. Players know it. Fans know it. Ownership knows it.

Prediction: Despite the pressure, Real comes out and thumps them 3-1.


Many other games of course. Those are the two big ones. Hopefully Donovan comes out and redeems himself and isn't scarred for the rest of the season.

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