Football randomness

Carling Cup:

Liverpool did it again! They went into Stamford Bridge, scored two goals and came away with a deserved win. This time they knocked Chelsea out of the Carling Cup! In doing so they also added loads more pressure on to Andre Villa-Boas shoulders. Goals by Maxi Rodriguez and future Liverpool captain Martin Kelly were enough to see Liverpool on to the semi-finals.

BTW ... Maxi is excellent in King Kenny's system. His movement is very good, he is technically very good and overall he is just a quality footballer. He doesn’t blow you away with power or pace but he is smart enough to always be in the right place at the right time. Maxi Rodriguez is like the old Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Chris Carter. All Chris Carter did was "Score Touchdowns"... Well at Stamford Bridge all Maxi does is Score Goals! 

The one big pain in the ass about this game is that Liverpool/Brazilian midfielder Lucas was carried off on a stretcher after suffering a knee injury. Rumors are already flying that he might be out 6 months. The little man in the middle has been exactly what King Kenny needed out of a holding midfielder. He will be missed. Look for the local lad, the “Wee Man” Jay Spearing to step in and fill in for Lucas

Manchester United were beaten ... AT HOME ... To CHRYSTAL PALACE... Who are currently residing in the bottom half of the Championship table! YIKES. To be fair to United, they played 0 stars and 0 starters. Berbatov, Valencia and Smalling did feature but those three were not enough. United were outworked and outplayed by Palace.

Manchester City beat Arsenal 1 - 0 on a late Sergio Aguero winner. This game displayed Manchester City depth versus Arsenal's youth. City's "B team" includes Samir Nasri (booed loudly throughout the game), Edin Dzeko and Adam Johnson. Arsenal phenom Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain consistently gave City problems down the right wing. Keep your eye out for him. 

Championship side Cardiff defeated Blackburn 2 - 0. Blackburn are seriously awful this year. So much so, that the supporters club is routinely demonstrating for the removal of manager Steve Kean. He will be gone soon

The draw for the semi-finals took place immediately following the United v Palace contest. The results were as follows

Semi Final 1:

Manchester City will play the first leg at home in the Eastlands, before visiting Anfield for the second leg.

Semi Final 2:

Crystal Palace will welcome Cardiff to Selhurst Park before traveling to the Welsh capital.

This draw ensures that this will be the first time that a Championship club comes up against Premier League opposition since 2001 when Liverpool defeated Birmingham in the Final.

Premier League:

This past weekend in the Premier league showcased so excellent games that for whatever reason ended in draws.

Liverpool hosted League leaders Manchester City at Anfield. This game ended in a 1 - 1 draw. However, Liverpool felt they deserved the win. City keeper Joe Hart was amazing! Hart made several key saves including a diving one-handed save from a close range Andy Carroll header. After the first 20 minutes Liverpool outplayed City but had to settle for another draw at home. Rats

Manchester United hosted feisty Newcastle. This game also ended in a 1 - 1 draw. But the score line does not do this fixture justice. United’s only goal has given to them in crazy fashion. Javier Hernandez had a ball kicked off his chest by a defender and the ball fell lazily into the net. Classic United.

But as soon as the 70,000 United supporters felt luck coming to the rescue they had their hearts ripped out by far linesman John Flynn. For some crazy reason Flynn called a penalty on Rio Ferdinand who clearly got all ball when he tackled Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa inside the box. It was NOT a penalty. But the officials gave it and Demba Ba coolly slid it into the net.

From then on it was an all out assault on Newcastle’s net. Newcastle even went down to ten men in the 79th minute. As many times as I have seen this scenario play out in Old Trafford I would have put my next 5 paychecks on United to score and win. But they didn't!

Tim Krull was sensational in the net for Newcastle. He was brilliant. If he is not the Dutch keeper in this summer’s Euro Cup I will demand that Paul Dischert denounce his favorite color.... ORANGE.

Arsenal hosted Fulham in another 1 - 1 draw. Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen was the only man on the scoresheet as he put one in both nets. This game highlighted something that is becoming increasingly clear watching Arsenal play this season. They are relying too heavily on superstar Robin van Persie. So far the Dutchman has been up to the challenge but I wonder if we are about to see Van Persie head to the training room soon.

Follow me on this...

Over the last 7 seasons Robin Van Persie has averaged 16 games a season. Each team in the EPL plays 38 league games. RVP has played more than 20 games only once in a season since he joined Arsenal. Van Persie is already at 12 games. He is carrying Arsenal right now with 13 league goals and 3 more in the UCL.

If Wegner doesn’t get Van Persie some help in the January transfer window, we will see the lanky dutchy make his annual trip to the trainers table and the Gunners will fall as fast they have risen these past few weeks. 

RVP rarely stays healthy for a whole season. He is going down soon. Remember this post. … Sorry Ryan

Champions League:

The best English side in this competition... Arsenal! Robin Van Persie bagged a brace last week in their game against Borussia Dortmund. Arsenal is through to the next round and Dortmund unfortunately are done and dusted in this competition.

Chelsea lost to Bayern Leverkusen 2 - 1 and currently sit in second place in their group. Chelsea must win their last group game at home to Valencia if they want to make it to the knockout rounds. Keep an eye out for Valencia striker Roberto Soldado in that fixture. His name is being mentioned all over the blogoshpere as a January transfer target for several English clubs. A strong showing against Chelsea could see him cash in on a big money move to the Premier League

Manchester United drew at home to Benfica 2 - 2 last Tuesday. They need a win on the road against Swiss side FC Basel on December 7th in order to ensure progression to the knockout stages. When these two sides met each other back in September, Basel stunned Old Trafford with a gutsy 3 - 3 draw.

After watching United in Europe for a few years now and watching Champions league draws for just as many years, I will go ahead and make a silly little prediction:

United will defeat Basel on a Basel OG about 7 minutes into stoppage time. They will then be rewarded with a knockout draw of Trabzonspor, Ajax, Marseille or Apoel Nicosia. Uefa will spare them a fixture against Barca, Madrid, Inter or Munich. Wait and see...

Bundesliga:

Things weren’t all bad for Borussia Dortmund last week. They defeated Schalke 04 to claim a share of the Bundesliga lead with... Borussia Monchengladbach!! I was fortunate enough to watch M'gladbach crush Cologne last week 3 - 0. That was a fun game

Dortmund and G'ladbach both leapfrogged FC Bayern as the Bavarian kings fell on the road to Mainz 3 - 2. Of course all of this chatter leads to the top game in all of Europe this weekend: Borussia Monchengladbach play host to Borussia Dortmund at the "Stadion im Borussia-Park". This is going to be fantastic stuff. GolTV is showing this one live.

Have a great weekend and just for fun... check out the Liverpool v Chelsea highlights:

YNWA

StamfordBridge is falling down...

... falling down, falling down

Stamford Bridge is falling down

My Fair lady

Oh yes! How easy is it to blog when the Mighty Reds of Liverpool march into Stamford Bridge and take all three points! King Kenny pushed all the right buttons for Liverpool. He left big money signings Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing all on the bench for the start. King Kenny inserted Craig Bellamy and Maxi Rodriguez into the lineup.

Bellamy and Maxi proved their worth by combining on the first goal. The play started with excellent work by Charlie Adam to pick John Obi Mikel’s pocket. He fed Bellamy who played a one two with Suarez. Then Bellamy unselfishly passed back to Maxi Rodriguez who coolly chipped Petr Cech.

Chelsea started too slow and they didn’t look a true threat until the second half. New England International, Daniel Sturridge came on for the Blues after the break. He brought a smile to Andre Villas-Boas face when he netted the leveler. Pepe Reina then made a brilliant save from a point blank John Terry header to keep the game a 1 a piece.

The game was won in the 87th minute on a brilliant run by the England Right Back Glen Johnson. Charlie Adam again started the play with a 30 meter cross that Glen Johnson expertly took in stride. Johnson then nutmegged England Left Back Ashley Cole, outran Florent Molouda and cut inside the box to shoot past Petr Cech and John Terry. What a finish. A great team effort by the Reds. King Kenny made all the right moves and the Reds fully deserved the three points. Well done lads.

But what the hell is wrong with Chelsea? They have lost their last two home games to Arsenal and Liverpool. They have lost 3 out of the last 5 league games. Fernando Torres only saw ten minutes on the pitch on Sunday. John Terry makes mistake after mistake in the back. And David Luiz looks immature and often lost out there. Luiz looked for any reason to shove and bicker with a Liverpool player Sunday. He lost his nerve and it showed. Roman Abramovich is known for the quick hook when it comes to getting rid of managers so AVB better be watching his ass right now.

Chelsea plays 6 games in the next 20 days! Their upcoming games include Champions league fixtures against Leverkusen and Valencia. They also play a Carling cup match at home against Liverpool. And in the league they play Newcastle and league leaders Manchester City. If Andre Villas-Boas doesn’t figure out his squad quickly and get them playing some decent footy he will be out on his well dressed ass faster than you can say "Didier is a diver". Or faster than Roman Abramovich can say "Oligarch". Or fatser than John Terry can say...well, you get the point

My apologies to Toon Army...         

As soon as I go singing the praises of the Newcastle they turn around and get beaten by Manchester City. Damn. I was hoping Newcastle would take a few points from City. Actually Newcastle were not that far off of City.

Joe Hart made some excellent saves early, especially the one against Demba Ba. Hatem Ben Arfa then hit the post. It looked like Newcastle were trying to outmuscle Manchester City but The Citizens are proving they can pay any style of football. Two penalties and a Micah Richards goal proved too much for as Newcastle lost their first match of the season

Ooooh there was a good game this weekend in the Bundesliga!!!

I watched current title holders Borussia Dortmund take on current league leaders Bayern Munich. I have been looking forward to this match all season! These two teams are loaded with talent and play such attractive football. This game was played in Munich. When I saw FC Hollywood's starting lineup I thought Dortmund were going to be played off the pitch. Check out Munich’s starting 11 in Saturday's fixture:

1  - Manuel Neuer

28 - Holger Badstuber

17 - Jerome Boateng

21 - Philipp Lahm

13 - Rafinha

30 - Luis Gustavo Dias

39 - Toni Kroos

33 - Mario Gomez

25 - Thomas Müller

7  - Franck Ribéry

10 - Arjen Robben

7 German, 1 French and 1 Dutch international. I mean this with all seriousness… When I look at their starting 11 I truly believe that they have what it takes to beat Manchester United and Barcelona in the Champions League this year.

But as we all know games are not won on the team sheet....

This was a feisty affair from start to finish. I actually thought the Bayern players were spared a few cards by the ref. Some of their challenges were nasty and they played with all the venom of a cobra. However, all their tough tackles did not turn into goals. League leader Mario Gomez was routinely stifled by the Dortmund defense.

I give much of the credit to Brazilian center back Felipe Santana. This guy played like a champ for 90  minutes. He was a step faster than Müller and Gomez all day. He anticipated all the attacks and tackled as tough as any of the Bavarians on the day. With Neven Subotic out of the lineup Dortmund needed a big effort form Santana and they got it.

The game winner was provided by the young German international who I have mentioned a few times already in my blog posts. Mario Götze. Götze was excellent on the day. While Munich controlled much of the possession, Dortmund counter attacked well with link up play from Götze and Robert Lewandowski.

Dortmund has now won three Bundesliga games in a row against FC Bayern - for the first time ever.

Borussia Mönchengladbach continued their hot streak by hammering Werder Bremen. Gladbach are tied with Dortmund with 26 points. Marco Reus inspired Gladbach with a hat trick. The attacking midfielder now has 7 goals in his last three games. Keep an eye out on Reus. He has drawn the interest of Arsenal, Manchester City and of course Bayern Munich.

Both Dortmund and Gladbach are now Bayern's closest challengers in the table with just two points separating the Bavarians from the two Westphalian sides with four games to go before the winter break.

Champions League football this week! Tune into FSC Tuesday and Wednesday for all the action.  Thanks for following BigTimeFootball

YNWA,

Scouser in St. Louis

So what have we missed....

Since my last post quite a bit has happen in the world of BigTimeFootball

Man City has gone 5 points clear of city rivals United...

This is shaping up to be another excellent season in the Premier League. Man City look like they can win every competition they play in, including the Premier League. Mario Balotelli isn’t looking so crazy after all. Super Mario has scored 5 goals in the Premiership and 8 goals in all competitions. Yaya Toure has been excellent is the middle with 3 goals and 4 assists. Dzeko has scored 10 League goals while Sergio Aguero has banged in 9. The heartbeat of the Man City side continues to be David Silva. He is amazing! Silva has 4 goals and 6 assists in 11 league games. He is the most creative midfielder in England right now. He has outshined Nani, Frank Lampard and Gareth Bale and Luka Modric.

Some excellent games since my last post.

City kicked United's ass 6 - 1. Once United went down to 10 men to flood gates opened and City went for the jugular. Not only did City bang in 6 at Old Trafford but each one of their goals came on the end of free flowing, pass and move, elegant football. Truly fun to watch.

Arsenal beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge 5 - 3. This was a classic. Arsenal and Arsene Wegner were supposed to be dead and the Gunners walked into the bridge and smacked down the Blues. Van Persie banged in a hat trick and he currently playing out of his Dutch mind

A Team looking pretty good right now ... Newcastle United. Newcastle are currently sitting in 3 place with 25 points from 11 contests. In the past two season Newcastle have lost Andy Carrol, Kevin Nolan and Joey "I deserve a call up to England" Barton. Head coach Alan Pardew has supplemented his former big name players with footballers more suited to the style of ball he wants to play.

Demba Ba was picked up from West Ham and he leads the club with 8 goals. When I watched the guy play at tiny Hoffenheim of the Bundesliga, he looked a great player then and he looks even better st St. James Park. Frenchman Yohan Cabaye has replaced Kevin Nolan in the midfield. Cabaye is an excellent passer and doesnt shy away from a tough tackle either. Watch out for Newcastle this year

A team not looking so good right now ... Liverpool. I must admit I find it harder to blog consistently when my Reds are playing poorly. Now Liverpool is not playing terrible but they are not playing up to their potential either. Liverpool are drawing at home to the likes of Swansea and Norwich. What!?!? They should be pounding the newly promoted teams. This is a problem that goes back to last season. In the 6 games last season against the new boys Liverpool lost 4 of the 6. Results like this will not egt Liverpool back in the top four let alone winning the league.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Reds. Their next three games are away to Chelsea, home to Manchester City (a fixture they did win last year) and a Carling Cup tie away again to Chelsea. COME ON YOU REDS!!!!!

Upcoming fixtures.... mark these games on your calendar and find a way to watch them

Saturday November 19th:
- Man City host Newcastle ... did I jinx Toon Army?
Sunday November 20th:
- Liverpool travel to Chelsea to take on Fernando Torres. I am hoping Steven Gerrard will be back by then. The Liverpool midfield needs their playmaker back.
Saturday November 26th:
- Newcastle stay in Manchester only this time they will be taking on the red side of the city.

Real Madrid and Barcelona have reclaimed the top two spots in La Liga.

Leo Messi and Christiano Ronaldo are fighting for the Pichici trophy as La Liga's top scorer. Messi currently has 14 league goals to Ronaldo's 13. Madrid is currently sitting at 28 points from 11 fixtures while barca have played the same amount and only claimed 25 points. Barca's trouble has been draws. They have 4 draws. The injury bug has bitten Barca but we still expect them to do better.

Madrid's upcoming fixtures look tricky so if they want to stay on top they will have to play their best football:

Nov 19 - Valencia v Real Madrid, Mestalla

Nov 22 - Real Madrid v Dinamo Zagreb, Santiago Bernabéu, Champions League
Nov 26 - Real Madrid v Atlético Madrid, Santiago Bernabéu
Dec 4 - Sporting Gijon v Real Madrid, El Molinón
Dec 7 - Ajax Amsterdam v Real Madrid, Amsterdam ArenA, Champions League

Barcelona also have some upcoming fixtures that should give pep Guardiola's men more tough times:

Nov 19 - Barcelona v Real Zaragoza, Camp Nou

Nov 23 - AC Milan v Barcelona, Giuseppe Meazza, Champions League
Nov 26 - Getafe v Barcelona, Coliseum Alfonso Pérez
Nov 30 - Barcelona v Rayo Vallecano, Camp Nou
Dec 4 - Barcelona v Levante, Camp Nou
Dec 6 - Barcelona v BATE Borisov, Camp Nou, Champions League

Comparing the fixtures list it looks like Madrid has the tougher road leading to our first El Classico of the season.

Dec 11 - Real Madrid v Barcelona, Santiago Bernabéu

 

Bayern Munich is reminding Germans who the top dogs in the Bundesliga are.

After matchday 12, here is the top 8 of the Bundesliga:

Club - points:
Bayern - 28
Dortmund - 23
Bremen - 23
M'gladbach - 23
Schalke 04 - 22
Hannover 96 - 19
Stuttgart - 18
Leverkusen - 18

Dortmund and Leverkusen appear to be struggling just a bit with playing a full Bundesliga schedule and playing Champions League games. Last years 4th place finisher Hannover 96 are also involved in Europa League play and they have seen their form dip a bit.

Bundesliga Top scorers:

Mario Gomez - FC Bayern -13
Claudio Pizarro - Bremen - 11
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - Schalke 04 - 10
Lukas Podolski - Koln -9
Papiss Demba Cisse - Mainz - 8
Robert Lewandowski - Dortmund - 8

This weekend after the European break offers us up some mouth water fixtures. Keep on the lookout for the following games:

11/19 - Wolfsburg v Hannover 96

11/19 - Schalke 04 v Nurnberg
11/19 - M'gladbach v Bremen
11/19 - Bayern v Dortmund
11/20 - Hamburg SV v Hoffenheim
 

Whats new in Calcio ...

Antonio D'Natale has found the net 8 times in 10 games to move Udinese to the top of the table. Meanwhile Inter only have 8 points from nine fixtures. That would be hilarious if I wasn’t such a big fan of ... oh wait. That is definitely hilarious

Saturday October 29th brought us the first "Derby of Italy" where Juventus defeated Inter 2 - 1.

I could tell you the top goal scorers and list the top of the Table but I don’t have a word count to work towards and those details would really just be filler at this point. I wish the Italian league was better I really do, but most of the talent has left the country and the top clubs are all over the place right. There is just not that much to get excited about in Italy.

Coming soon Euro 2012 qualifiers wrap up tomorrow. I will break down all of the national sides tat made the tournament.

Welcome back readers and thanks for staying with me!

YNWA

BTF Cup Final ... finally :-)

The Debte: Where to play the BTF Cup Final?!?

Uefa had to choose between Old Trafford, home of Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United and the Santiago Bernebeau, home of The Special One's Real Madrid. The highlight of the debate came when UEFA President Michel Platini suggested the game be played at the Stade de France. Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho simultaneously threw their glasses of Sassicaia in his face.

Thats when it hit them. They would have a drinking contest to decide which venue would hold the final. Whoever was still standing could claim his home soil for the final. Then the two managerial giants then did something unexpected. They let Platini decide which drink they would use in their contest. In an act of vengeance Platini chose Patron Silver. Neither manager wanted to back down so the contest was set

8 hours and 4 bottles later the final was set for Old Trafford. Ol’ red nose had prevailed. A stacked Premier League squad would now have the advantage of home supporters. Would either manager be able to keep their eyes open long enough to manage this game?

Through a hangover headache that would make Zach Galifianakis blush, Sir Alex made two changes to his lineup. Phil Jones red card in the semi final meant that Ryan Shawcross would step in. Ferguson also decided to insert Ashley Cole into the left back spot. Cole is a little better suited to deal with Jesus Navas and the incredible Lionel Messi.

The noise at Old Trafford was deafening. Both sets of supporters were in full voice. The home supporters were slightly noisier as their side started brightly. The Premier league players stroked the ball around in impressive fashion, and great play between Bale and Modric gave the latter a fine shooting chance in the third minute but the Levante keeper Munua made the save.

However, the La Liga players were not playing scared and were determined to take the game to the Premier league players. Christiano Ronaldo had a great chance when Fernando Llorente laid the ball off for him to fire a piledriver goalwards, but it was straight at Tim Howard. 

The Premier league players should have heeded the warning. They fell behind in the 15th minute when Christiano Ronaldo drove down the wing and crossed to the middle for Llorente. The big boy from Bilbao rose above John Terry and headed thunderously into Howards net.

La Liga began to take control. The lone defensive midfielder in the game, Ever Banega broke up two Premier attacks that lead to two chances for Messi. His first shot came after side stepping Modric and Terry but his finish curled just over Howards net. However, Messi made no mistake on his second attempt in the 23rd minute. Messi was the finisher after a clever play between Navas and Sergio Ramos. Howard thought Messi was going to go far corner but he was deceptive and went near post. 2 - 0

The Old Trafford crowd truly played the role of The Twelfth Man. Their voices surged the Premier League side back into the game. Sergio Aguero and Luis Suarez plugged away and a defence-splitting pass from Rooney released Aguero but he could not get his shot right. A few minutes later the hosts were appealing for a penalty when Gerard Pique collided with Suarez. It would have been harsh and the referee waved Rooney, Suarez and Terry away.

The English were on the board three minutes later when Suarez brilliantly controlled a long pass from Ashley Cole. Suarez then side stepped his compatriot Diego Godin and slid the ball across the goal to Aguero who simply tapped in. 2 - 1 Premier league. This goal gave the Premier league more confidence and they began winning challenges all over the field. Their hard work paid off only minutes later. Aguero was brought down by Banega just outside of the box. This brought out the first yellow card of the game and gave the Premier players a great free kick opportunity. Wayne Rooney did not disappoint his faithful supporters. He looped over the wall into the upper 90. 2 - 2

The Manchester weather made things more difficult to find a rhythm. In fact the final minutes of the half were played more like a rugby match than a football contest. Ronaldo was shown a yellow card for a retaliatory lung on Ashley Cole. Cole was then showed yellow for a challenge on Sergio Ramos.

As the two sides headed for the tunnel Ramos and Cole had to be seperated. Llorente and John Terry also needed the referee to step in between their heated exchange.

The second half saw each manager make an earily similar change. Ferguson took off Shawcross for Samir Nasri as he felt the Premier League team needed more playmakers in the middle. England would now be playing a 3 - 5 - 2. Mourinho also pulled a center back. Godin was replaced by playmaking wizard Xavi. But Mourinho didn't stop there. He also pulled off Fernando Llorente for Madrid star Mesuit Ozil. This allowed Leo Messi to move the middle as a central striker. The Spanish side would now be lining up a 3 - 4 - 3 attack.

Both managers made moves to make their clubs more offensive. However the players were moving cautiously. Neither side wanted to make the first mistake. With Xavi and Ozil in the game the La Liga players began controlling possession.

The Premier League then jumped ahead when Nasri picked Xavi's pocket and sent a long diagonal cross from the left side to a streaking Aguero, who outraced Premier defender Terry and headed inside the right post from 12 yards out. 3 - 2 to the premier League side.

Wayne Rooney then had a flashback to his game against Manchester City as he found the net for Premier League with a bicycle kick in the 55th minute but his effort was disallowed for offside. Sir Alex tore into the fourth official for the call.

Mourinho's tactics then began to take affect and La Liga dominated the run of play for the rest of the game La Liga leveled the contest with some confusion in the area as the premier league twice blocked La Liga shots but the ball landed at Messi who struck a side-volley to make it 3 - 3

La Liga finally grabbed the winner in the 86th minute as Ronaldo's ball from the right side was smashed on by Messi to the far right post for the hat-trick.

The La Liga players had done the impossible. Leo Messi took home the man of the Match honors. When the final whistle blew Mourinho had a Porto flashback as re raced down the touch line in front of Sir Alex.

Mourunho's celebration.

Coming Soon .. We will get back into real football. We have a lot to catch up on. Thank you for indulging me in this fantasy contest. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

BigTimeFootball Cup. Semi Final. Spain v Italy

"How in the hell was Pep passed over for this game"? Luis had been a Barcelona supporter all of his life. His father named him after the legendary Barca playmaker Luis Suarez. The night before the Spanish all-stars took on the all-stars from Italy, Luis and his son Johan, sat discussing the match

"UEFA wants attention dad. If Pep is the manager, Spain wins with style and class. With Mourinho as manager UEFA gets clownish quotes and plenty of drama. The bigger the circus the more attention people will pay and the bigger the TV contract". Not only does young Johan possess the footballing skill of the great Johan Cruyff, but is as intelligent as the Dutchman once described as “Pythagoras in boots”.

Pleased with his son’s assessment of Spain’s manager, Luis moves on to personnel. "So who will shine for Spain Tomorrow?"

Quickly Johan replies, "Too Easy. With Messi up front and Pique in the back there is no way Spain will lose. Xavi will come off the bench for some second half play making. And Navas on the wing is real trouble".

"Good. And who is the trouble for Italy?"

Johan had been studying the Italian squad for months. Boys of this age obsess of every player and every stat of the sports they love. Again, Johan was ready for his fathers query.  "Their front three is very good. Sneijder can make plays for both Di Natali and Cavanni. If Banega and Pique can cut out his distribution we should be able to outscore them"

            The next morning, Luis and Johan were joined for breakfast by Luis’s older brother Zoltan. Zoltan was named after Hungarian and Barca legend Zoltan Czibor. Zoltan is by far Johan’s favorite uncle. Their love for football and especially Barcelona has made them very close. Johan had been told of his uncles past and it made him all the more mysterious and intriguing.

His uncle is former Ultra with the Barcelona Firm Boixos Nois (Crazy Boys in Catalan). He left the group in 1985 after a Barca - Juve match where Boixos showed a banner where there was written: “Thank you Liverpool for Juve's deaths” (in reference of the Heysel disaster). Zoltan joined the Boixos to promote the Catalan separatist agenda and go crazy for Barca, not to cheer mass deaths from a tragic stadium disaster. Zoltan was out.

            “Tell me Johan. Whose ass did your father have to kiss to get off today? Shouldn’t he be tasked to keep our Catalonian streets safe from the invading hordes of Italians? ” This is another reason Johan loved Zoltan. He never missed an opportunity to give his father a little trouble.

            Luis had recently been promoted to Inspector in the Citizen Safety division in the Barcelona Police department, the Guardia Urbana. “Now that you mention it brother. We know for a fact that at least three groups of Italian Ultras are here. Probably more. Flags and songs from Drughi (Juventus),  Curva Sud (Roma) and Brigate Rossonere (AC Milan) were seen all over La Rambla to the wee hours of the morning ”.

            “Not to worry though. We have riot police all over the Nou Camp and all of the surrounding Metro stations. We will have men in uniform riding the metros all day, both before and after the game. I expect the real problems to come after the match when the Italians have lost 6 nil”. 

            The men finished their breakfast and head for the Nou Camp.

As our three heroes travelled closer and closer the Nou Camp, the Metro cars began to fill with football supporters. The car they were traveling in just happened to be packed with Italian supporters. More specifically, Drughi Bianconeri. The Drughi took their name from the film A Clockwork Orange. In the film Alex and his band of Droogs roamed the countryside looking for a bit of the old “Ultra Violence”. The Drughi are easy to spot wearing black and white and waving Juventus flags.

Johan was not afraid of the traveling Italian supporters. He was with his father the Inspector and his uncle the former Ultra. Another reason for comfort was his father’s correct account of the police force. There were two members of the Guardia Urbana in the car and they were not taking their eyes off the Drughi.

As the heroes stop Les Corts approached the behavior of the Drughi intensified. Members of the firm began getting on each others shoulders and yelling at the Guardia. A few had begun giving the Guardia a few menacing hand gestures. This was intentional. The Drughi (or a few of them anyway) wanted the police close by when the metro came to a stop. When the metro halted at Les Corts there was a rush to get off the car. Members of the Drughi managed to get the two Guardia off with them.

 Luis noticed this and gave quick hushed instructions to Zoltan. “Take Johan to the match. I am going to stay on a few more stops. Johan, I may miss the opening 15 so text me a play by play”. The three did not speak after the instructions had been given. Zoltan knew that his brother was bound by an oath to protect the city. Luis knew that Johan would be safe with his brother and that he would see them soon.

When the train began to move again Luis knew he had made the right decision. The 20 Drughi remaining all put their scarves in their pockets and huddled around each other in quiet conversation. There was no more signing. No more taunting. With the uniformed Guardia off the car they were regrouping … and planning.

 After a few more stations Luis got his first text from Johan. This made him feel good and also made him look more inconspicuous as a man just riding the metro and texting.

First Text ...  Kick off delayed 10 minutes due to supporters clashing outside the grounds. Just made it to our seats as Natali Kicks to Cavanni. ...

 --Reply… Thx. Keep me posted. Don’t worry

Second Text  ... Minute 10. Messi played through by Navas. Chips Stekelenburg for a goal.

--Reply … MESSI!!!

Luis and the now incognito Italians rode the metro a few more stops to the Zona Universitària station. Luis exited with the Italians staying a comfortable distance behind them going unnoticed. He was beginning to wonder what these Drughi were up to. Why did they remove their colors? Why were they not at the Nou Camp raising a ruckus? Where the hell are we going?

.Third text ... Minute 20. Another Messi goal, This time he ran through three defenders. Where are you?

--Reply ... just got off at Metro Zona Universitària. On foot.

Before Luis sent his last text, it dawned on him that he should not only be texting his son. He was now CC’ing his second in command Sgt Pedro Valdes. He would not reply to Sgt Valdes but he would keep copying him. Pedro was bright and would figure out Luis’s replies.

Fourth Text ... Pretty Boy Ronaldo gets on the board. Excellent Free kick after he dove to get the call. The Italians look lost. Where are you?

--Reply ... Walking west. Other ultras have joined this group. The number is now about 50

            Luis was fully aware of how these groups of Ultras worked. Walking around with 200 of your best hooligan buddies is a tad suspicious. So smaller groups around 20 – 30 all take different forms of public transportation (trams and tubes usually) and meet up in a designated area.

Fifth Text ... Italian Ultras inside the stadium are letting off bangers and throwing flares. Some bastard just lobbed a flare off of the Gol Sur!! The match has been halted and riot police are on the pitch! Where are you?

--Reply ... I'm about 50 meters behind the Italians. The real crimes will be committed outside the Camp today. The tactics of Ultras in the Nou Camp must be to draw attention away from this clash.

Sixth Text ... Halftime. 3 - 0 to Spain. Too much possession and too much Messi :-)

-- Reply ... Entering the Parc de Cervantes.

By this time Luis has seen the number of Italian Ultras grow to 150. Many of them are now putting on their balaclavas. Luis could see the trams on the other end of the park are emptying. Based on colors he spotted members of the Frente Atletico, Boixos Nois and the lunatics from the Basque region of Spain, The Herri Norte Taldea. This was their pre-designated spot. This is where it is going to happen

Seventh Text ... Xavi replaces Banega and Ozil is in for Carzola. Daniele De Rossi is in for Seedorf. Second half is underway. Where are you?

-- Reply ...

Leaders of the groups step to the front. There are several minutes of taunting and finger pointing. A lot of adrenalin is being worked up. Flares and missiles are lobbed from the back of the groups. And then ... the spark. A member of the Boixos Nois pulls out a Liverpool flag. The Italians are enraged and they charge the Spanish.

Eighth Text ... Minute 56. Messi completes the hat trick. 4 - 0 Spain. Please text me back.

-- Reply ...

The scene is now a chaotic mass of smoke, bodies and screams. Flesh on flesh. Bone on bone. A riot is taking place in Barcelona's Parc de Cervantes. If any of these mad men paused for a second they could hear the sirens coming. Two police helicopters arrive overhead and this starts panic amongst the troops.

Ninth Text … 67th minute. Sub Lavezzi gets Italy a gol. 4 - 1. Are you ok? Father?

-- Reply ...

Riot trucks and officers wielding batons arrive. Water cannons knock fighting teenagers and middle aged men to the ground like rag dolls. Tear gas from the riot police scatters the men from both sides into gagging and coughing huddles.

All hell has broken loose. There is blood. There are bodies on the ground. Why do they do this? What drives this violence? Is it ideology and opposing world views? Perhaps xenophobia? Even in the year 2011 are we afraid of what we do not know? Maybe these men are looking for a sense of community, though it looks more like tribalism and blind rage.

Or is the easiest answer the most logical? Shall I use Ockham's Razor…

These bastards simply like hitting people.

Tenth Text ... Great Finish. Sergio Ramos scored a header. But the gol of the night belonged to Juve man Arturo Vidal. He scored on  bicylce kick from a Cavanni cross. To little to late though. Spain win 5 - 2. We are headed to the Les Corts metro. See you there?

-- Return Call: "Johann? This Segeant Valdes. We have your father’s phone...."

BigTimeFootball Cup. Semi Final. England v Germany

The blogosphere was ablaze before the match at Wembley. Wayne Rooney fired the first shots by taking to Twitter and claiming, "Achtung! Krauts cant win at Wembley". Sir Alex stoked the flames when he wondered aloud if German manager Jurgen Klopp, "knew what it takes to win a big match". German all-star captain Bastian Schweinsteiger hit back at Rooney saying, "Who cares what a hooligan says. Our side will be ready." Reporters asked Jurgen Klopp if revenge was on his mind for the 1966 World Cup defeat to England. To that, Klopp retorted, "We had our revenge in 1990, 1996 and 2010. We are only thinking of this game".

When the match finally arrived, the 96,000 fans that packed the New Wembley were treated to 66 degrees and partly cloudy weather, a perfect afternoon for football. The 30,000 travelling German supporters showed their ambivalence to the English/German rivalry as they sang out, "Wir würden lieber spielen Holland" or in English "We'd rather be playing Holland". Not to be outdone the English supporters rang out with , "Two World Wars and One world Cup" . A little racist? Sure, but this is England v Germany. Not a night at the opera.

Off the opening kick, the German All-Stars took the game right to the English All-Stars. In just the fourth minute, Robben streaked down the right side before cutting back to his preferred left foot and blazing a shot just over Tim Howards bar.

The lack of a true holding midfielder was very apparent in this contest. Midfielders for both sides had room to move and create. Marin and Götze linked up well to create several chances and Howard was forced into making several fine saves in the 9th and 10 minutes.

England got going 15 minutes into the match as All-Star captain John Terry blocked a Lucas Padolski shot which lead to a break. Modric juked Marin just outside of his own 18 yard box and he hit Spurs teammate Gareth Bale with a chipped pass. Bale proceeded to do what he does best. He nutmegged Arjen Robben and ran full speed Hoffenheim's Andreas Beck. Beck turned to run with Bale and the two cheetahs went stride for stride. Just before Bale hit the end line he arrowed a left footed cross to a trailing Wayne Rooney who unleashed a powerful header to roof of the net. Enlgand were in front.

the England supporters found their voice, the lads found their footing. The attacks started to come from the wings as both Bale and Glenn Johnson whipped in crosses. England almost made it 2 - 0 in the 25th minute but Suarez's header rattled off the bar.

Suarez was not to be denied just 6 minutes later. Suarez ran off the shoulder of Mats Hummels and as two midfielders collapsed on David Silva he found the Uruguayan in stride. Suarez danced around Marc-Andre ter Stegen and guided the ball into the empty net. Now it was 2 - 0 to the home side.

England did not let their foot off the gas the rest of the half. Suarez and Aguero's movement led to opportunities. If it wasn’t for a brilliant diving Stegen save off of a thunderous Bale free kick in the 43rd minute England would have had 3. Another Stegen save from an Aguero shot resulted in England’s 4th corner of the half. Now it was time for the youngest and most controversial pick, Phil Jones to find the net. Jones towered over Filip Daems and headed down past Stegen. 3 - 0 ENGLAND!!

Then the game turned on its head in the one minute of first half extra time. After Schweinsteiger picked Rooney's pocket, he found Erin Derdiyok on the left wing. The Swiss international then played a fine give and go with Podolski and Derdiyok only had Phil Jones to beat. A swivel of the hips and a clean pair of heels later Derdiyok was bearing down on Howard. Jones must have felt he only had one option as he grabbed Derdiyok's shoulder pulled him down just inside the penalty area.

Referree Mark Clattenburg immediately showed Jones the Red Card and pointed to the spot. John Terry and Wayne Rooney were yellow carded for dissent for ripping into Clattenburg. Replays however vindicated the Clattenburg call. After the yellow cards and several missiles were thrown onto the pitch, Schweinsteiger stepped up to take the penalty. Howard dove right and Schweinsteiger's penalty was blasted straight down the middle.

When the whistle blew for half time England were down to ten men but they were still ahead 3 - 1. Phil Jones had gone from hero to villian

The second half saw 1 substitution from Sir Alex. Knowing he had a lead to protect and three defenders weren’t going to be able to make it hold, he brought on Ryan Shawcross for Sergio Aguero. This left Suarez as the lone striker and trouble maker up front.

As soon as the whistle blew to start the second half the blitzkrieg was on. Götze dribbled past Modric and Rooney only to see another save from Howard. This was a sign of things to come and Sir Alex knew it. He kept motioning his men back but with Rooney and Modric in the middle, two men out of position, it was only a matter of time before the Germans broke through again.

As England parked the bus in front Howard's net, the German all-stars kept creating chances. In the 72 minute the Germans had a breakthrough. Arjen Robben whipped in another corner kick and American Steven Cherundolo hammered a header into the top right corner. The Germans were nipping at the English heels now 3 - 2.

England held tough until the 83rd minute when substitute Kevin Großkreutz pounced on a loose ball in the 6 yard box to level the game at 3 a piece.

Sir Alex brought on his last two subs knowing that he needed a goal and some fresh legs. Robin Van Persie was brought in for an exhausted Luis Suarez and Ashley Young replaced Gareth Bale. Klopp countered with strikers Cacau for Padolski and Schürrle for  Götze.

The Germans continued to press for a winner when against the run of play England created a miracle. Newly inserted Cacau got too cute with his dribbling and lost possession to Wayne Rooney. Rooney found teammate Ashley Young out on the left wing who side stepped Großkreutz and then tussled with Andreas Beck. Young somehow managed to get around the gifted Beck and he darted in a cross that met the educated left foot of Robin Van Persie.

Van Persie’s shot was expertly taken and the ball slammed into the back of the German net. All of England erupted. The England players mobbed Van Persie and the Germans fell to ground many already with tears in their eyes.

At the beginning of the match the German fans had sung for a game with Holland instead they were eliminated from the tournament by a Dutchman. Epic

Then... somewhere from the top of the terraces it started... "There were ten German bombers in the air, There were ten German bombers in the". As the final whistle blew, England had won and the last chorus was sung, "Cos the RAF from Britain shot them down".

Coming Soon … Semi Final Match 2. Spain v Italy

BigTimeFootball Cup ... PART 1

During the European break I got to sit back and look at a lot of the National sides. I thought about writing a post featuring the top players from each nation. But then I thought it would be more fun to pick all-star squads from each of the top divisions and play out a fictional cup tournament. So I bring you...

The inaugural BigTimeFootball Cup

The Breakdown:

• Select a starting 11 from clubs in the top European leagues
• The Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and The Bundesliga
• No more than two players per club team can make the starting lineup of their league team. For Example, the la Liga team can only feature 2 Barcelona players in it's starting 11. However they are allowed one more bench player for a total of three.
• The four teams will be placed in one pot and drawn together to make 2 semi-final  fixtures. Single elimination knockout format.

The Squads:

Premier League: 4 - 4 - 2

                                                Tim Howard (Everton)

Glen Johnson (Liverpool) - Phil Jones (Manchester United) - John Terry (Chelsea) - Leighton Baines (Everton)

Davild Silva (Man City) - Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) - Luka Modric (Tottenham) - Gareth Bale (Tottenham)

                         Sergio Aguero (Man City) - Luis Suarez (Liverpool)

Subs: Peter Cech - Robin Van Persie - Samir Nasri - Ashley Young - Ashley Cole - Ryan Shawcross

Manager: Alex Ferguson

Trying to pick out the top two players from Man U and Man City was very tough. Leaving Steven Gerrard out of my squad just doesn’t feel right in my soul. I did not pick a holding mid-fielder. This just seems more fun. Playing a 4 - 4 - 2 formation seems right with this group as well. Having Gareth Bale out on the wing with Aguero and Suarez upfront will be a nightmare for the other leagues. The EPL is far and away the deepest league in Europe. Anyone could easily pick three different starting 11’s and each one of those teams could easily win the BTF Cup

La Liga: 4 - 3 - 3

                        Gustavo Munua (Levante)

Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) - Diego Godin (Athletico Madrid) - Gerard Pique (Barca)  - Filipe Kasmirski (Athletico Madrid)

            Jesus Navas (Sevilla) - Ever Banega (Valencia) - Santi Carzola (Malaga)

    Leo Messi (Barcelona) - Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao) - Christiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Subs: Roberto Soldado - Xavi - Mesuit Ozil - Carlos Marchena - Andres Palop – Falcao

Manager: Jose Mourinho ... I can't think of a better manager to piss off and defeat SAF.

Barca manager Pep Guardiola is excellent but he is too classy for this tournament. Picking a starting 11 from La Liga is tough because the top talent is concentrated at Madrid and Barcelona. I did pick a holding midfielder in this 11. The two best holding midfielders in La Liga play for Madrid and Barca (Busquets and Xabi Alonso respectively), but neither one of them is worth picking over Messi, Ronaldo, Ramos or Pique. And Ever Banega is pretty good. He is an Argentine international who is strong in the tackle and an above average passer. It also made sense to pick a holding midfielder in this tournament if La Liga runs up against the English juggernaut. Any team featuring both Messi and Ronaldo has to like their chances in a shootout.

Bundesliga: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1

                                    Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Borussia M’Gladbach)

Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim)    Mats Hummels (Dortmund)    Filip Daems (M’Gladbach)   Steven Cherundolo (Hannover)

                Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern)   Marko Marin (Werder Bremen)

Arjen Robben (FC Bayern)         Mario Götze (Dortmund)                        Eren Derdiyok (Leverkusen)

                                                Lucas Padolski (Cologne)

 Subs: Jerome Boateng - Ron-Robert Zieler (Hanover 96) - Andre Schürrle (Leverkusen) -

Cacau - Kevin Großkreutz - Marcell Jansen

Manager: Jürgen Klopp... Duh!

Picking only 3 (2 starters and 1 on the bench) Bayern Munich Players was tough. I went with the Cool head of Schweinsteiger to anchor the midfield and the lethal Arjen Robben to slice up the right side of the attack. I chose M'Gladback keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen over Manuel Neuer. Stegen is only 19 year old, he has surrendered 6 goals in 9 games including clean sheets against FC Bayern and Hamburg.

Serie A: 4 - 3 - 3

                        Maarten Stekelenburg (Roma)

Maicon (Inter)       Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)      Thiago Silva (Milan)       Burdisso (Roma)

Marek Hamsik (Napoli)      Arturo Vidal (Juventus)           Clarence Seedorf (Milan)

Edinson Cavanni (Napoli)    Antonio Di Natali (Udinese)   Wesley Sneijder (Inter)

Subs: Lucio - Sebastion Giovinco - Antonio Cassano - Ezequiel Lavezzi - Daniele De Rossi - Federico Marchetti

Manager: Who the hell is going to manage this team? The top clubs in Italy change managers like crazy. There is no stability. Therefore before the tournament begins I will hold a fight club between Ultra's from Roma, Lazio and Juventus. The last knife wielding lunatic left standing gets to call the shots.

When I first started researching the starting 11 for the Italian club side I thought they would not stand a chance. But with Seedorf in the middle pulling the strings for Hamsik, Vidal, Cavanni and Sneijder. This lineup can score with the best of them.

The Draw:

The four nations were thrown in a pot and the draw shook out like this …

Game 1 – Premier League v Bundesliga … Wembley

Game 2 – La Liga v Serie A … Camp Nou

Part 2 … Coming Soon

Fire and Ice

With all the major leagues in Europe in full swing, let's take a look at a few teams/players who are firing on all cylinders and a few are already running on fumes.

Premier League:

The easiest place to start our tour is by taking a look at who is hot in the EPL. Manchester United are a perfect 5 - 0 and have already banged in an astounding 21 goals. Wayne Rooney is off to a blistering pace with a pair of hat-tricks and a total of 9 league goals. Rooney has also helped England to two straight victories in Euro Cup Qualifying by knocking in 2 more goals. Ashley Young has been another huge contributor for United with 2 goals and a league leading 5 assists.

United's noisy neighbors, Manchester City, currently sit in second place in the league table. The transfer of the summer, Sergio Aguero is challenging Rooney for the Golden Boot with 8 goals. The heartbeat of City's play is the dynamic tandem of David Silva (3 Assists) and Samir Nasri (4 assists).

Arsenal are by far and away the biggest disappointment of the new EPL campaign. 5 matches and only 4 points to show. Arsene Wegner's team is only 1 point above the drop. Injuries, suspensions and Arsene Wegner's jaw dropping transfer policy (spend some f**king money) have all contributed to the Gunners pitiful start. Things don't get any easier either. Jack Wilshere is out until November and from 9/20 to 10/02 Arsenal have 4 fixtures including a Champions League match with Olympiakos and trip to White Heart Lane. Good luck with that you "Gooners"

A few Individuals stinking up the EPL ... Number one with a Bullet is the $75 million turd Fernando Torres. Have a look at El Stinko in action:

A few others who are not quite up to their normal standards... Frank Lampard. This guy can barely get off the bench for Chelsea these days. When Fernando Torres told the Spanish media that his teammates were old and slow he was surely was talking about Mr. Lampard.

Jaime Carragher. I do believe the Ghost of Bill Shankly is going to visit me in my dreams tonight and kick me in junk for writing this, but Mr. Liverpool seems to have lost it. Carragher's blunder lead to Bolton's only goal in Liverpool's 3 - 1 victory. Carragher took down Jonathan Walters inside the penalty area (Walters converted) in The Pools loss to Stoke. Carragher was again called for a penalty today in Liverpools 2 - 1 Carling Cup win over Brighton. Pace has never been Carragher's strength but he appears to be running around in cement boots

La Liga:

Before this season started all the pundits, bloggers and footy junkies were saying that this is a two team league. Meaning Barca and Madrid would be fighting it out for the title. But here we are 4 games into the Spanish season and the boys with the bats on their shirts are in first place. Valencia has started the season with victories over Santander, Gijon and Athletico Madrid. Their biggest match of the young year was played today at home against Barca. Valencia held Europe's reigning champions to a 2 - 2 draw. Valencia has been powered to the top of the table by Roberto Soldado's league leading 5 goals. Can you hear that knock Fernando Torres? That's Soldado coming to take your place on the Spanish national team. Trust me

As hot as Valencia are, the same can not be said for Real Madrid and Barcelona. Barca already has 2 league draws and they drew against AC Milan in the Camp Nou! What?!?! Real Madrid have already drawn a league game and have been beaten by Levante!!! The Royal White's and The Blaugrana better wake up and stop taking these clubs for granted.

Bundesliga:

Ah yes...Germany. Home to fanatical fans, high tech stadiums and 1000 Derbies. Bayern Munich are off to a flying 5 - 0 - 1 start. Mario Gomez has knocked in 8 goals. They have already beaten some of  Germany's best clubs in Schalke, Wolfsburg and Hamburg. Munich also started out their Champions League campaign in fine fashion with a comfortable win over Villareal.

Borussia Monchengladbach had a dreadful 2010-2011 season. They finished in 16th place and just missed the drop! So how did they start the new campaign? By giving FC Bayern their only loss of the season in the Allianz Arena! M'gladbach are currently third in the Bundesliga table. M'gladbach are one of the most successful clubs in German history and it's good to see them starting the season so well.

Not starting well is my favorite German club, Hamburg SV. The Red Shorts have played 6 league matches and only have one f'ing point! ONE F'ING POINT!!! Coach Michael Oenning has already been sacked. Just a few seasons ago, Hamburg was a side overflowing with internationals and stars. Now I look at their lineup and I see nothing. At least there is no where to go but up.

Another Bundesliga team that is off to a stuttering start is current title holders Borussia Dortmund. They have started the season 2 - 1 - 3 and they are already 8 points behind FC Bayern. Perhaps playing in Europe has coach Jurgen Klopp's men rattled? Btw... have I mentioned Jurgen Klopp before in this blog? Well let me tell you about this guy. Jurgen Klopp rocks! He is as enthusiastic and as animated as any coach in Europe. He is all fire all the time. When his team scores I always expect him to run into the stand and join the supporters in some flag waving. I will say Klopp let me down a bit in Dortmund's UCL fixture with Arsenal. He was wearing a suit! In league games you rarely see him without a sweet Dortmund Hoody. He dresses like a common supporter! I love it. Turn it around Dortmund or you'll have to deal with this:

And finally... The Serie A

Only three games into the season and guess what? Inter have already sacked their coach Gian Gasperini. Nice knowing you dude, but you can't lose a Champions League match to the second best team in Turkey then start your league campaign going 0 - 1 - 2.  Italy is a weak league so they might be able to claw their way up the table but right now things look bleak.

AC Milan is not fairing much better at the moment. They have started the season 0 - 2 - 1. Inter and Milan have combined to win the last 7 Scudetto (league) trophies. It will be nice if another team can reach the top of Serie A. Perhaps....

Juventus. Juventus has added some real quality to their team with new boys Andrea Pirlo, Eljero Elia and Arturo Vidal. GiGi  Buffon is healthy for the first time since Italy won the World Cup back in 2006. At least it seems like it. And Juve have a brand new state of the art stadium in Turin. Aptly named 'Juventus Stadium'. How clever

Thanks for your time today or night or whenever. Let me know if there is something I missed by leaving a comment.

YNWA,

Scouser in St. Louis