Archive for December, 2009

Even when I make jokes, I get it right. Who would have thunk it.  I said what is the worse thing that could happen to Manchester United was a loss to Fulham. Well guess what? The mighty boys from Old Trafford got their butts whipped by Fulham 3-0.

This was a classic massacre or if you would like to say a take me to the woodshed butt whopping.

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This was one of those oh, excuse me, we have a ton of injuries what do you expect me to do?  Win. At least put up a fight and show some heart.

This was bad folks.

The Cottagers just flat at took to the mighty Red Devils and kicked some major butt. This is about all you can say about the match.

Danny Murphy led off the slaughter with a wicked shot that beat the keeper Kuszczak in the 22^nd minute to give Fulham the 1-0 lead.

The rout was on baby.

Bobby Zamora found the back of the net in the 46^th minute to give the Cottagers a 2-0 lead.

In the 75^th minute, Damien Duff ripped the winner to put the finishing touches on a huge masterful killing of the boys from Old Trafford.

Manchester United played like crap.

I haven’t seen this bad of a performance from a Man U squad in years.

There is heap big trouble in Manchester United land.

Way to go garoto to the guys at Fulham.

I just love this stuff.

Dogs ruled on this day.

Before you cats go nuts on me, let me explain. Yes, I am a fan of Manchester United. A fan is correct but not a fanatic.  I root for the Red Devils. I am partial to them but I don’t live and die with their fortunes on the pitch.

My heart is in Brasil. I am a die hard Flamenguista. I am also a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan. The NFL baby.

I also have a very found spot in my heart for Arsenal.

My wife thinks I am a nut, which I am. I do have the papers to prove it.

I became a Gunners fan when I saw the movie Fever Pitch starring Colin Firth.

I have seen Fever Pitch ten times.

Oh, guess what I saw at Emirates. The Philly fanatic dressed in a Gunners uniform was whipping up the crowd into a fever pitch.

The Philly fanatic is the Philadelphia Phillies team mascot.

I am a huge futebol fan but what floats my boat is Jesus. Without Him, I am a dead man.  I am a messianic Jew.  

Tottenham didn’t suffer a let up against Blackburn. Spurs beat em 2-0.

Peter Crouch hit the daily double to lead the Spurs to an impressive win.

The Rovers had a golden chance at the outset of the match to grab the early lead but the shot clanged off the cross bar.

Whew was that close.

Two back-to-back good performances by Spurs have put them back into the title hunt.

Aston Villa held serve in their 1-0 win over Stoke City.

John Crew scored the match winner in the 61^st minute. This goal saved Villa’s hide. This was a total lackluster performance by Aston Villa.

Maybe Bobby Darin’s Dream Lover might best describe the way Villa played on this day.

Still a win is a win and this is all that counts.

Liverpool lost to lowly Portsmouth 2-0. The Reds are dead.

Rafa will get sacked.

Liverpool has quit playing.

I have seen this before.

The players will not play for Rafa anymore.

Rafa needs to go.

After a close, first half the Gunners turned on the Afro burners and kicked some booty killing Hull City 3-0.

The first match changer was this. There was a near bitch-slapping brawl between several Arsenal and Hull City players near the end of the first half.

There was a lot of huffing and puffing signifying nothing. I wish futebol players would learn how to fight.

A few moments later Brasilian Denilson rifled home a great free kick in the 45^th minute to make 1-0 Arsenal at the break.

His shot flat out made the keeper Boaz Myhill look really silly. Denilson’s shot was a ball buster.

This was turning point number two in the match. Hull City had a chance for the equalizer when Gunner defender Silvestre knocked down Craig Fagan in the 56^th minute. Up steps Geovanni for Hull City. The run up. The shot. The diving save by Almunia. The header by Hunt off the rebound. Almunia gobbles the ball. Whew was that sucker close.

The Gunners kicked it into high gear.

Eduardo finally got in the scorebook in the 59^th minute. This gave the Gunners a 2-0 lead.

This was a great example of how short passes in the box ate up the Hull City “D”. 

The ball was on the wing. A great entry pass into Diaby. Diaby passed up the shot and hit Eduardo. Eduardo was standing at the goals doorstep. A simple poke into the net finished up the play.

A great give and go from Arshavin and Diaby cooked Hull City’s goose in the 80^th minute. All Diaby had to do was deposit the gift into the back of the net.

This was all she wrote.

This win by Arsenal squarely puts a ton of pressure on Chelsea to beat lowly West Ham. Will the dogs rule on Sunday? 

We will find out.

The table shapes up this way. Chelsea is the top dog with 40 points. Manchester United hangs on to second place with 37 points. Arsenal is third with 35 points. Aston Villa is fourth with 35 points. Arsenal has a better goal difference than Villa. The Gunners are plus 13 while Villa is only a plus 8. Spurs are in fifth place with 33.

Let fun and games begin.

I love it.

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Now it’s back to the fun in sun for the EPL resumes play on Saturday and Sunday. There is a ton of pressure on the big boys to come up with the “W” not a tie or a loss. The matches that I am focusing on are Manchester United-Fulham, Arsenal-Hull City, Spurs-Rovers, and West Ham- Chelsea. Sure, City has big one against Sunderland but for you City guys you will have to wait.

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The Red Devils have a leaky “D” as well as missing the back of net. If mighty boys from Old Trafford want a historic four peat, Rooney, Berbatov, Anderson, and the rest need to find the back of the net more often than not. Maybe Rooney and his mates might try their hand at being masons. They are good at firing bricks.

MIA is Ferdinand, O’Shea, Neville, and Brown. That’s the entire back line of defense. No wonder the Red Devil’s “D” is like a sieve.  Even the super defender Russian Vidic is hurt. Can it get any worse? Yes, A loss will kill the boys from Old Trafford.

Arsenal needs to shake off the miserable one all tie with Burnley and take it to Hull City. This is a must for win Arshavin, and rest of the Gunners.

My advice is to take it to em. Pedal to the medal. Attack, attack, and whatever you do, don’t, and I mean don’t give up a cheap goal.

Short balls. Work the ball into the offensive zone and punish the net. Please no long balls this time guys.  

Fabregas is out with a hammy injury. This will hurt. Still I expect Arsenal to win.

Drogba, Cole, and Carvalho are to play for Chelsea. This should kick it up a notch for the Blues.

If the Blues play like they did mid-week and last Saturday, it could be a long day.

West Ham stinks but this is the year of the dogs. Anything can happen just ask City, Arsenal, and Man U.

Spurs- Rovers will be a good one. Tottenham needs to get the “W”. This is not the time to let down after kicking City’s butt up and down the pitch mid-week. Come out breathing fire and score baby score. It is that simple.

All and all this season in the EPL is really wild. Who would have thought that Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United would struggle on the road?  Road warriors they are not. All of em has three losses. This is not good. Championships are won on the road. 

The team with the best road record will win the title.

Last year EPL champ Manchester United had three road losses all season. That’s it baby. The Red Devils had a total four loses for the entire campaign. Guess what? The mighty boys from Old Trafford already have four of those bad boys.

 Last year Arsenal and Chelsea had a total of three road losses each. Now hear this both Chelsea and the Gunners have already equaled last season’s total road losses. Both Chelsea and Arsenal have three of those big boys and we are not even at midterm break.

This is not good.

Need I go on?

In the NFL, we have a saying. “ On any given Sunday any team can win.” This saying is now true in the EPL. Former Commish, Pete Rozelle was seeking parity. In the NFL, parity is now a way of life.

I am not saying parity is on the fast track in the EPL but the dogs are making life hard for the big boys.

You gotta love it.

Oh, yeah, one last parting shot.

Barcelona and Estudiantes battle for the 2009 World Club Title. Will Estudiantes be Barca’s Waterloo?

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This is one of those lag kinda days. Not much happening. Once Saturday arrives, all kinds of great futebol will be played. The FIFA World Club Cup finals and the EPL is back in action as well.

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Messi and the boys will take on Argentinos side Estudiantes in the World Club Cup Finals. On paper, Barca has all the talent. The Catalans have the Golden Ball winner Messi, Brasilian Danny Alves, Pedro Rodriguez, Xavi, and Thierry Henry. This is enough to put the fear of God into any side.

This is the team that kicked Man U’s butts in the 2009 Champions League Final. Barca made the fake Ronaldo look silly.

I am sorry but the pundits and the useful media idiots think Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest player since sliced bread. Not.

For surely when it is nut-cutting time, the fake Ronaldo does a Houdini. He quits. The fake Ronaldo is a good regular season player but when the match is on the line, he plays like a girl.

Enough said.

I think it was a shock that Estudiantes won the Copa Title. Estudiantes beat the Brasilian side Cruzeiro 2-1 on aggregate. Both sides played to a nil-nil draw at Estudiantes house Cidade de La Plata. The Argentine side shocked the Brasilians winning in Cruzeiro’s house in Belo Horizonte 2-1.

I was shocked too. I thought that Cruzeiro was going to win but hey crazy things happen in the  futebol world.

The Los Pincharratas (The Rat Stabbers) have Leandro Benitez, Juan Veron, Maximiliano Perez, and Mauro Boselli that can cause fits for Barca.

The key match up will be midfielder Juan Veron verses Lionel Messi. If Veron can at least somewhat control Messi, Estudiantes will have a chance to beat Barcelona.

For all you history buffs, the Catalans have been to this dance twice and each time Barcelona has lost. 

Will the Catalans make it an O for three?

I won’t bet on it.

But remember this, Barcelona is a tired squad. They have played a boatload of matches. The Catalans are discovering what Man U discovered last year. It is really hard to play in the FIFA World Club Cup Championship, Champions League, and fight to win a domestic title all in the same year.

Then add on top of that defend your Champions League crown when every side in Europe wants to kick your butt and send you home packing.

They want to embarrass you.

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Barcelona came out looking for total domination over the Mexican side Atlante. Not so, fast bucko. Atlante sent a shock wave through the mighty Barca squad. Atlante struck first. Guillermo Rojas ripped the twines in the 4^th minute to give Atlante the early 1-0 lead.

A misplayed long ball by the Barca “D” allowed Rojas to slip into the goal area. Bam. Bingo. Goal.

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Barca said this is not going to happen on our watch. We’re not going to allow Atlante to upset us big time.

Barcelona began to apply lots of pressure. The siege began on the Atlante goal. Sergi Busquets rammed home the winner in the 35^th minute to tie this sucker up at one all.

A well-placed corner kick set up this baby. The ball was fired into the box. Pass. One timer. Goal.

Enter the best player in the world Lionel Messi in the 53^rd minute. Instant presto. Goal. Messi takes charge. Mate Ibrahimovic slipped a great pass to Messi.  Messi breaks free in the box. Whoop. Messi makes the keeper looked silly.  Shot. Goal. Messi’s walk in goal in the 54^th minute gave Barca a 2-1 lead.

Pedro flat out beat the keeper in the box in the 66^th minute to give Barcelona a 3-1 lead.

Turn out the lights the party’s over.

Stick a fork in Atlante for they are surely done.

A gallant effort by Atlante but this was close but no cigar.

Barcelona proved they were the better side on this day.

Was there any doubt?

Barcelona comes from behind to beat Atlante 3-1.

It is onto the finals for Barcelona where they will face Estudiantes.

This should be a good one.

Now lets go to the fun in the sun EPL

Chelsea almost pulled a draw out of their hat but thank God, for Frank Lampard’s PK winner in the 79^th minute that gave Chelsea a 2-1 win over lowly Portsmouth.

This baby could have wound up in one all draw.

Nicolas Anelka fired a rocket from inside the box to give the Blues the early 1-nil in the 23^rd minute.

Portsmouth discovered the equalizer in the 51^st minute. Once again, the Blues can’t defend a set piece. Fredrick Piquionne rifled home the winner from dead center of the box to tie this baby up at one all.

Enter a dumb foul in the PK area by Portsmouth’s Marc Wilson. Super man to rescue Frank Lampard and thus Chelsea is rewarded a win instead of a tie.

Do you want to talk about crazy? Try this one on for size. The Gunners had a chance to really keep their “MO” alive. But no Arsenal gives up a dumb penalty and winds up snatching a draw from the jaws of victory. It is one all draw between Arsenal and Burnley. Fabregas scored first on a dead on strike that gave the Gunners a 1-0 lead in the 7^th minute.

Then a boneheaded penalty by Thomas Vermaelen gave Burnley the equalizer in the 28^th minute. The run up. The Kick. Crunch time baby. Goal by Graham Alexander to level this sucker at one all.

Instead of three points, Arsenal has to settle for one point.

There goes the Gunners Mojo right out the window.

Now do want to talk about Mojo taking a hike. Let us look at City and the abomination of a performance against Spurs. Spurs kicked City’s butt. This was one of those old fashion take me to the woodshed whooping. 

Spurs win in a cakewalk 3-0.

Way to go garoto.

I just love it.

Tottenham took it Manchester City from the opening whistle. Sure, Tevez missed a gimmie in the opening moments but that was about it for City. City played with a whimper from that point on.

Niko Kranjcar fired the opening salvo in the 37^th minute.  It was follow the bouncing ball as Kranjcar poked home the winner that gave Spurs a 1-0 lead. Lennon fired the cross into the box. Header by Peter Crouch. The ball bounces off of City’s Ireland. Kranjcar deposits the gift into the bank.

Defoe adds another goal in the 54^th minute to make 2-0 Spurs.

Then City just quit. They sorta attacked but not really. Spurs played pitch and catch the rest of the match.

The icing on the cake came in the final moments of the match. Kranjcar attacked the City goal. It was one on three. Whoop. Kranjcar flied past three City defenders. Adebayor was the last line of defense. Here’s your jock mister defender. Shot. It was right through the keeper’s wickets.

Kiss this baby bye-bye for City.

This was a total domination of City by Spurs.

Sure, City was missing some key players but Manchester City quit.

Liverpool picked up a much needed win. The Reds defeated Wigan 2-1. Ngog and Torres scored for Liverpool.

This win keeps the Reds in the hunt for a Champions League spot.

Chelsea is in the drivers seat with 40 points. Manchester United is in second place with 37 points. The Gunners are third on goal difference with 32 points. Arsenal has as game in hand. Villa is in fourth spot with 32 points.  Spurs are in fifth place with 30 points.

Liverpool is now in sixth place with 27 points. City drops to eighth place with 26 points.

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The EPL and FIFA World Club Cup are on tap for today. This is a good mixture of futebol for us on this fine day. Sports Memorabilia and Luci Now Com-e Cigarettes bring my blog to you.

Estudiantes was locked in deadly nil-nil draw with the Pohang Steelers in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Club Cup.

The Pohang Steelers were hanging in there with the superior Argentinean side then a dumb challenge by Pohang’s Jung Kim in the 45^th minute created the opportunity Estudiantes needed to take a choke hold on this match.

Whamo. Bam. Match changer time. Free kick. The ball was lifted high into the air. Bing. Header.  Nothing but the back of the net. 1-0 Estudiantes. Leandro Benitez’s head ticks the winner to send this match spinning out of control.

This goal took all the steam out of the Pohang Steelers sails.

Estudiantes put the match out of reach when Leandro Benitez hit the daily double in the 53^rd minute. This made 2-0 Estudiantes.

Estudiantes Enzo Perez lobbed the ball over the keeper. Benitez was left free near the left post. Pohang defender Kim Jae-sung lost Benitez. Benitez ripped the ball that went boom off the left post and went flying into the back of the net.

Pohang made it very interesting in the 70^th minute. Denilson Martins Nascimiento ripped home the close range winner to make it 2-1 Estudiantes.

Three Pohang Steelers got the heave-hoe.

Pohang’s headman Brasileiro Sergio Farias alluded to the fact that the fix may have been in.

From what I saw, no way Jose was the fix in. The Pohang Steelers played dirty futebol.

Estudiantes has their spot booked in the 2009 FIFA World Club Cup final.

We will know on Wednesday who their dance partner will be. It will be either Barcelona or Atlante.

If I were a betting man, the other finalist would be… I will give you three guess and the first two don’t count.

Aston Villa took care of business in Sunderland’s house the Stadium of Light. Villa breezed to a 2-0 win over Sunderland.  Heskey found the back of the net in the 24^th minute to give Villa a 1-0 lead.

James Milner sealed the deal in the 61^st minute. Milner ripped the shot past the keeper Fulop that put Villa up 2-0. This was all she wrote.

Game, set, and match to Villa.

Villa looks like they are making at run at a league leaders Manchester United and Chelsea.

Villa moves into third place with 32 points.

United righted their wobbly ship by thrashing lowly Wolves 3-0. Rooney started off the goal parade for Manchester United.

Ronald Zubar gave the Red Devils a gift goal. There was no pressure what so ever on Zubar. He made a bone headed play. All he had to do was head the ball out of danger. But no dumbo punched the ball out. Maybe he thought he was playing volleyball. This was a no-no. It was PK time. Up stepped Rooney. Bam. The back of the net was ripped. It is 1-0 Manchester United after thirty minutes.

Man U applied more pressure on Wolverhampton. In the 43^rd minute Darron Gibson fired a corner kick right on the button. Vidic ripped the header from dead center of the box to make it 2-0 Red Devils.

You can now stick a fork in Wolves for they are surely done.

Valencia nailed the right-footed winner in the 66^th minute to give Man U a huge 3-0 win over Wolverhampton.

The win moves Manchester United into a first place tie with Chelsea in the EPL.

Both Arsenal and Chelsea will play on Wednesday night.

Both of these squads know what result is needed. A loss by either side would be disastrous.

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A huge way to go garoto goes out to Banfield for winning their first Argentinean League title in 113 years. El Taladro (The Drill) was founded in 1896. English, Irish, and Scottish immigrants founded the club.

Banfield is located 17 Kilometers south of the center of Buenos Aires. The club is named after Edward Banfield. He was general manager of the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway from 1865-1892.

Banfield was given the nickname El Taladro (The Drill) by the newspaper El Pampero because the forwards on the futebol team drilled the rival defenses.

Please Bobby Gee enough of the history BS. I can dig it. But I thought you might like it.

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I knew Boca Juniors would come out loaded for bear in their house the La Bombonera.  

This was Boca’s final match of the year. Pride was on the line for Boca Juniors. Lets be really honest Boca was having a crappy year. Los Xeneizes were play like dung. Yes, it was that bad.

Martin Palermo had the daily double for the Genoese. Palermo took it to the rack and was pulled down in the box. Wham. Bam. PK in the 8^th minute and Boca were up 1-0.

Palermo fired a wicked strike that ripped the twines in the 61^st minute to seal the deal for Boca.

Newell’s Old Boys were hoping for this result. Los Leprosos (The Leapers) now had the opportunity to steal the crown. No way Jose. Newell’s lost to San Lorenzo 2-0. You can kiss the title bye-bye.

El Taladro needed a little bit of luck to win the title. Banfield was locked in scoreless draw with bottom feeder Tigre. Then Bam. Shot. Score. Victor Lopez nails the header in the 85^th minute. Game over. El Taladro escaped with a 1-0 win. Hello championship.

Both Boca and River Plate struggled throughout the season. Struggled is a huge understatement. Both teams stunk the joint out. The players should be quartered and shot at dusk for horrible play.

Boca finished in eleventh place with 27 points. River wound up in 13^th place with 21 points. ‘

Both Boca and River are two of the most famous and storied clubs in Argentina futebol history.

Boca has won 24 league titles.

Boca’s last title came with the Genoese won the Apertura in 2008.

Since then, the Los Xeneizes have bombed out of the Copa Libertadores, the Clausura, and the 2009 Apertura.

River Plate has won 33 titles in their 108-year history. The Los Millonarios name came about when River Plate bought two players from rival Argentinean futebol clubs in 1931 and 1932. River secured the services of Carlos Peucelle from Sportivo Buenos and Tigre’s Bernabe Ferreyra.   

To get under the skin of a River Plates fan call them River Gallinas and see what happens.

The EPL has some huge matches coming up on Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ll talk about them when the results come in.

Manchester United battles bottom feeder Wolves on Tuesday. Aston Villa has a hot date with Sunderland.

On Wednesday, Arsenal battles Burnley and Chelsea take on Portsmouth.

Ah yes, fun in the sun with the EPL.

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Arsenal righted their ship while Liverpool’s ship is taking on so much water it is about to sink. You can almost stick a fork in Liverpool’s season after the Reds were defeated in their house Anfield by Arsenal 2-1.

Liverpool played a very strong first half. Dirk Kuyt ripped the rebound winner in the 41^st minute to give Liverpool a 1-0 lead.

Aurelio hit a great free kick into the box. Lucas fired a header that was blocked by Arsenal keeper Almunia. The ball comes bounding out. Shot. Save. Rebound. Header. Goal.

The second half was a different story. The Gunners came out breathing fire. Arsenal played like their lives were dependant upon them winning.

It was.

Then wham bam thank you madam the match was spun around and changed on its head.

Nasri fired a great crossing ball into the box.  Whamo. The ball goes flying off of Reds defender Jamie Carragher. Liverpool’s Glen Johnson is cemented to the spot. Bing. Bam. Boom. The ball ricochets off Johnson and into the Reds net to tie this baby up at one all in the 50^th minute

Eight minutes later, 58^th minute, Liverpool’s Glen Johnson was once again the main ingredient in the Gunners second goal. Fabregas fired a wicked cross into the box. Reds defender Glen Johnson failed to make a play on the ball. Johnson gave Arsenal attacker Andre Arshavin a free play on the ball.

Arshavin took the gift. He quickly turned. Arshavin fired. Goal. 2-1 Gunners and this was all she wrote.

The fat lady sang.

Now you can say Voce Vai Liverpool for your season is surely cooked and burnt to a crisp.

This  was the Reds six loss for the season.

Liverpool’s only hope to save their sorry year is that if the top clubs Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal fall apart and lose their next four matches.

Stranger things have happened.

Do you remember what I said about Aston Villa and Manchester United? 

I do have ESPN, I mean ESP.

They way it stands right now. Chelsea is the top dog with 37 points. The Red Devils are in second place with 34 points. Arsenal is in third position with 31 points. Villa is in fourth place with 29 points.

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Do I have ESPN I mean ESP or what. Aston Villa pulled off the grand daddy of em all. Villa took it to the mighty men of Old Trafford with a convincing 1-0 victory over Manchester United.

The 26 year Old Trafford winless streak is dead and buried for now.

Way to go garoto.

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The Red Devils came out loaded for bear but on this Saturday night Villa had all the answers.

Manchester United pressed the attack.

Villa counter attacked. Aston Villa found the answer in the 21^st minute. Gabriel Agbonlahor headed home the only tally of the match.

This goal was set up by a great give and go between Ashley Young and Agbonlahor. This one two combination proved deadly for Aston Villa.

This loss stuck a fork in Manchester United’s chance of wrestling first place away from Chelsea. Instead, the Red Devils drop their fourth match of the season. This was Man U’s first home loss.

Man U had their chances but once again, the boys from Old Trafford came up firing blanks.

Villa has three wins and zero losses against the big boys. Aston Villa has whipped Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool.

One defensive lapse caused Man U problems.

Once again, stupid defending came up and bit the men of Old Trafford in the butt.

If Man U can learn how to finish, they would be deadly.

They can’t so it may be a long season for Manchester United.

The Red Devils had Rio Ferdinand one of their premier defensive players on the injury shelf. His absence cost Man U dearly. 

The lone goal of the match that did in Man U was a mix up between Wes Brown and keeper Kuszczak gave Villa’s Agbonlahor the crack he need to head home the match winner.

All and all this was a much-deserved win for Aston Villa.

You gotta love the dogs.

Chelsea took on lower feeder Everton. Guess what? The Blues barely escaped with a three all tie with Everton at Stamford Bridge. Another dog bites a top echelon club in the butt.

What has happened to the Blues “D”?

It sucks.

An own goal by Peter Cech in the dying moments of the match killed Chelsea’s chance of putting more distance between them and the rest of the field in the EPL title chase.

Bolton and Manchester City played to a three all tie. This was a crazy but fun match to watch. 

Both teams, left it all on the pitch.

It looked like the Wanderers were going to win when Bellamy dived and was given the heave-hoe. This was his second yellow card.

But No! City pressed the attack. Man City forced their will on the Wanderers. At one point, it looked like City was playing with thirteen men instead of being a man down.

Carlos Tevez death defying goal in the 77^th minute save City’s bacon.

A great run into the box by Tevez. Tevez fired a skittering shot that was squeezed between the right post and the net. Pay dirt for City.

Tevez’s daily double may have saved City’s season.

This what I don’t get. The Wanderers let City attack instead of taking it to them. This should have been pedal to the metal time for Bolton.

It was time to squash City like a bug. No! Bolton sat back and did nothing.

This stupid play cost the Wanderers two points.

Chelsea is in first place with 37 points. Manchester United is in second place with 34 points. Aston Villa is in third place with 29 points. Arsenal is in fourth place with 28 points. Spurs are in fifth place with 27 points.

Spurs had a chance to move into third place but no Tottenham lost to bottom feeder Wolves 1-0.

This win allow Wolverhampton to move out of the drop zone. Wolves are in 17^th place with 16 points.

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There are two matches that I will be watching with a very keen eye. First up on Saturday is the battle between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils are a scant two points behind league leader Chelsea.

I am not saying this is a must win but it is pretty damn close to it. 

Man U defender Vidic will be back in the line up. Rooney, Berbatov, and Ryan Giggs are rested and ready to go too.

Aston Villa will have central defender James Collins in tow for this all-important encounter.

Villa will be looking for their first win at Old Trafford in 26 years.

Manchester United cannot afford to sit back and play the waiting game. The Red Devils need to use their superior speed as a weapon by attacking and pressing Villa. This will open the game up and allow Rooney and his mates to create a ton of scoring opportunities. The Red Devils have to be able to finish these chances. If not it will be a long match for the mighty men of Old Trafford.

Villa will be looking to end the 26-year winless streak at Old Trafford. All good things have to an end. It might as well happen on Saturday. It is a good as time any so lets see what happens.

The other match with dire and huge consequences is the Gunners-Liverpool tug of war. Both sides are hurting. Arsenal is missing their big gun RVP. Liverpool hasn’t won in what ten years or so. No, it just seems that long for the scousers.

Torres and Gerrard will be on the pitch for Liverpool and this should help.

The Reds cannot afford to drop any more points. Liverpool has five losses and one more could end their slim chance of winning the EPL let alone compete for a Champions League spot for next year.

Arsenal on the other hand is in contention for the EPL crown. The Gunners trail league leader Chelsea by eight points but Arsenal has a game in hand. A loss by the Gunners could squash their hopes of winning the EPL title but not kill them all together.

The Gunners need to get off to a quick start against the Reds at Anfield. What I mean by a quick start is to attack and force the Reds to play “D”. Tilt the pitch towards the Reds end and pepper the goal with shots. Eduardo, Arshavin, and Walcott need to find the back of the net.

Liverpool on the other hand must have a lights out game from Torres and Gerrard. The Reds cannot afford to have another defensive brain fart by giving up a late goal to either tie or lose the match. If this happens can you say bye-bye Rafa.

Chelsea has somewhat of a breather when the Blues take on lower feeder Everton.

Tottenham has a big date with heave-hoe zone Wolves.

The Blues have been playing like crap of late. If Chelsea takes this baby for granite, they could wind up on the short end of the stick.

Don’t be surprised if the Toffees take it to the Blues.  

I would like to see the Spurs win.

This would keep the pressure on Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal to win.

I love it when it is a real horse race between four or five teams.
I like the dogs even though I am a Manchester United.

In Brasil, fans of teams have names. I am a Flamengo fan. I am called a Flamenguista. Boca Juniors fans are called Los xeneizos or the Genoese. Sao Paulo fans are called Sao Paulinos.

What are the fans called of Chelsea? Manchester United? Arsenal? Liverpool?

I think it is really cool for fans of teams to be called names.

Let’s think about it.

www.palau.org

http://www2.hillsong.com/tv/home.asp

http://www.bolaradio.com.br/

This is really a strange day. I don’t have my beloved Flamengo to write about. I am lost.

I am lost with nothing to do or write about.

This is really strange but I will get over it.

So, lets talk about the Argentina Apertura. I haven’t written or spoken about Argentinos futebol in a long time.

This is the final week of the Apertura. It comes down to one match and winner takes all. Banfield battles hated rival Boca Juniors. All Banfield has to do is beat eleventh place Boca and the title is theirs. If Banfield wins this will be their first title in 113 years.

Banfield scored a last second goal by Victor Lopez to beat bottom feeder Tigre 1-0 to set up the drama this Sunday December 13^th.

Second place, Newell’s Old Boys defeated Gimnasia La Plata 1-0 on Wednesday night to keep the title out of Banfield’s eager waiting paws.

So, this is the deal.

Banfield leads Newell’s by two points. Banfield has 41 points while Newell’s has 39 points.

Newell’s battles San Lorenzo.

Newell’s can win the title out right if Banfield losses and Newell’s Old Boy wins or if Banfield ties with Boca and Newell’s wins by three or more goals.

All Banfield has to do is win baby.

That’s it.

I am pulling for Banfield to win. I like the dog to win it all.

Why?

Banfield has zippo nothing nada in 113 years playing in both the Apertura and Clausura.

It is about time Banfield wins some hardware for their effort.

The Banfield-Boca match will be played in Boca’s house Estadio Alberto J Armando or better know as the Lá Bombonera or the chocolate box.

This is one of the hardest places for a visiting team to play in the world.

The Boca fans or as they are called Los xeneizos or the Genoese will jump up and down in the stands so that will be life a living hell for the opposition. The Chocolate box will vibrate as if an earthquake is happening while the match is being played on the pitch.

Boca is buried in eleventh place so I have this sneaky suspicion that the Los xeneizos will be loaded for bear in an attempt to stop Banfield from winning the first title in 113 years.

www.palau.org

http://www2.hillsong.com/tv/home.asp

http://www.bolaradio.com.br/