Champions League Matchday 3 Review

Liverpool is drowning. 1 draw and two losses in a group that they should be winning easily. If they don't right this ship soon, they will be out of Europe before old Chris Kringle makes his rounds.

I went 11-5 on Matchday 3 to bring my overall total so far to 29-19. That ups my accuracy from 56% after the first two matchdays to 60% now. I like where I am at right now, and i think I can stay at this high level. Now for some teams who are already at that level (and the ones who are not).

Most Impressive team: Rangers (still?)
They completely shut down Barcelona and were a post away from winning that game. There was one moment where Damarcus Beasley dispossessed Ronaldinho that was absolutely amazing. This team is on a roll, but let's see how they can do at the Nou Camp.

Other Impressive Teams:
Manchester United- This team is firing on all cylinders, and are early favorites to win the competition (along with Arsenal). 3 games, 3 wins. Can't do any better.

Arsenal- Beat down S. Prague. This is another team that has completely hit their stride. Can hit cruise control because they will be in the next round and further.

Now for the Scrubs:
Liverpool- If they don't win their next match, they are through. I cannot fathom how they are doing so bad. They have a squad built for Europe, but they can't put it together. Maybe it's the rotation system of Benitez...

I know that this may seem very much a British Bias, but I run this blog so if you don't like it, I say bollucks to you.

Champions League Matchday 3B Predictions

Yes, I am number one at Champions League predictions, Thanks Ruud.
Yesterday was pretty successful for me as I went 7-1 including the Rangers-Barca draw. Now for today's predictions:

Liverpool beat Besiktas easily

Marseille draw with Porto

Chelski give Schalke the beatdown

Valencia handle Rosenborg

Real Madrid take out Olympiakos at the Bernabeu

Bremen and Lazio draw

Milan, even without Kaka, beat Shakhtar

Celtic go on the road and grab a win at Benfica.

Let's hope today is as good as yesterday.

Champions League Matchday 3A Predictions

There's a huge game at Ibrox today. Are you ready Damarcus? If Rangers can beat Barcelona, then they are for real. If not, then they could still possibly be for real, but a win would throw them into the realm of contenders for this trophy. Keep in mind, Celtic were a goal away from making last year's Champions League semifinals an all British affair. Scotland can knock Italy out, and catapult themselves into, Euro 2008. Scottish footy is on the rise ladies and gents, and I love it. What if Celtic and Rangers were in the Prem?... Now for the predictions:

Stuttgart beat Lyon at home

Roma do enough at home to beat Sporting

Inter beat CSKA in Moscow, and Ivan Cordoba pulls out a shank of his own when someone runs onto the field to shank Ibrahimovic. Cordoba knows what's up.

PSV and Fenerbahce draw @ the Philips Stadion

Arsenal demolish Sparta Prague @ the Emirates

Sevilla dropkick Steaua back to Romania, where all Spanish speaking citizens will be taken to back alleys and you guessed it, SHANKED

MY TEAM:
Manchester United remain perfect and go to Kiev and grab a win. We finally figure out what is under Sir Alex's trench-coat, a metal plate to protect him from a shank wielding fan. Rooney then proceeds to bite the guy's nose off.

Match of the day:
Rangers gain a valiant draw with Barcelona at Ibrox

Champions League So Far...

2 Games for the Devils, 2 wins. I'd say that's reason to celebrate.

Manchester United essentially have two Cristiano Ronaldo's. This can only mean trouble for the Premiership as well as Europe. This will hopefully propel them to Champions League glory this year. Now for some reaction from the first two days of Champions League action.

My predictions for the first two days of Champions League action went 18-14 for an accuracy of 56%. Pretty shabby for my standards, but hopefully I will get better. There have been some pretty impressive and pretty unimpressive teams in this tournament so far, and here is my best and worst:

Most Impressive Team: Rangers
Rangers took out the German and French Champions back to back, and Damarcus Beasley has re-energized this team. Look for them to advance to the knock out stages and hopefully do well. Let's see what they can do against Barcelona.

Other Impressive teams:
Marseille: took out Liverpool at Anfield, first time the Pool have ever lost at home to Frogs

Celtic: finally scored a a goal (2 actually) against AC Milan (where were those in the knockout round last year Bhoys?)

Barcelona: business as usual. Henry had a peach of a goal against Stuttgart and the Henry/Messi/Ronaldinho triumvirate is starting to mesh...Yikes

Manchester United: haven't scored a lot, but the defense has been exceptional. United are living on the edge with all of these 1-0 scorelines, but as long as they win, who cares.

Arsenal: this team has just looked good whenever they step on the pitch this season. It seems that the team chemistry has skyrocketed since Henry left. Look out for them in all competitions this season.

Now for the Unimpressive teams (that you would normally expect more from because we don't waste time here with teams that we already know suck):
Liverpool: a draw on the road in Portugal is acceptable, but losing at home to a French team? That is not going to sit well on Penny Lane.

Lyon: They had a fire sale at the end of last season, and it is beginning to show. This team is nothing without Florent Malouda, and not signing Ribery really hurt them. Look for them to drop into the Uefa cup and get eliminated by some team that Gorbachev crapped out after the Soviet Union split up.

AC Milan: Last year's winners barely beat Benfica, and got upended by the Celts. This team is also performing terribly in Serie A. If they don't fix this soon, a certain best player in the world might start thinking about plying his trade elsewhere

On a side note, I really miss Jose Mourinho. I just can't enjoy the Manchester United/Chelsea rivalry without him (or the rivalry he has with Rafa Benitez). It just made things more fun, and his firing makes me hate Chelsea even more. He was the only part of that team that I liked, other than a few players, and now he is gone. Abramovich is an idiot because he will not find a better coach in the world, that isn't already taken, to coach this team. However, maybe his mistake opened a huge door...ARE YOU LISTENING SUNIL GULATI!!!!!!! HIRE MOURINHO FOR THE USA JOB!!!!!!! IT DOES NOT MATTER THE PRICE BECAUSE HE COULD BRING US A WORLD CUP SOONER RATHER THAN LATER!!!! WE HAVE THE TALENT, WE JUST DON'T HAVE A TACTICIAN... SO BRING THE BEST ONE IN THE WORLD TO US!!!

Champions League Matchday 2B Predictions

Hatikvah gets the start today for Liverpool against Marseille, and I know that will make some of the contributers to this blog very happy. Now... Le Predictions:

Porto take out Besiktas
Schalke edge Rosenborg
Valencia and Chelsea draw
Real Madrid beat Lazio
Werder Bremen over Olympiakos
Benfica win easily over Shakhtar
Celtic upset AC Milan at Parkhead
and finally...
Liverpool walk all over Marseille

Champions League Matchday 2A Predictions

Yes, give praise for Champions League footy. Match Day 1 was bad for me, but I will rebound this week:

Rangers and Lyon draw
Barcelona all over Stuttgart
Sporting beat Dynamo
CSKA all over Fenerbache
Sevilla beat Sparta Prague
Inter beat PSV
Arsenal pound Steaua
and finally, MAN UNITED over Roma

Champions League Matchday 1B Predictions

Welcome back Wayne, grab a goal for us today against Sporting will you?
I don't have much time today, so no smalltalk and straight to the predictions:

Rangers beat Stuttgart in an upset
Roma pound Dynamo Kiev
Inter Milan all over Fenerbahce
PSV beat CSKA Moscow
Arsenal and Sevilla draw at the Emirates
SHANK SPECIAL: Sparta Prague and Steua Bucharest draw
MATCH OF THE DAY 1:
Barca beat Lyon in a good one

MATCH OF THE DAY 2:
Manchester United get all over Sporting and win easily

Champs League Preview/Matchday 1A Predictions

After a long summer in Blogging purgatory, have no fear, Sam is here!!!!! Sorry for the vacation, but I had a summer abroad in Oxford and I met the most awesome girl ever, so I have been a little busy, but I am back and ready to give my two cents on the beautiful game.

I can see that Nani is raring to go against his former club Sporting Lisbon tomorrow, and he is heels over head that he is a Manchester United player now. I know that I do this every year, but I am predicting that Manchester United have the squad that will win Europe this year. The additions help their depth, and once Rooney and Tevez begin to mesh, it will be game over.

Now, it is that time of year again folks, the time where teams from regions that you would never dare visit lest you be ( here comes a common theme of this blog) shanked, come out of their caves to get humiliated by the big clubs. You might catch the occaional upset (heck, even Villareal made the Semifinals a couple of years ago), but it isn't likely. Here are my predictions for Matchday 1A:

Marseille over Beskitas in a match that will indeed involve fans wielding shanks.

Chelski (Chelsea) over Rosenborg (Whoop dee do)

Schalke and Valencia play out a draw in Gelsenkirchen

Lazio returns to the Champions League and gets a draw with Olympiakos

AC Milan grab a win over Benfica (sorry Mr. Adu and his apologists)

Celtic easily win over Shakhtar aka Shanktar (this team easily has the craziest, shank wielding fans)

Liverpool go to Portugal and grab a win from Porto

MATCH OF THE DAY:

Real Madrid win a barnburner over Werder Bremen, but watch out for Diego in this match.

"He's a Man Mountain in There."

Restraint on blog posts just wasn't to be. Too many feelings, you see, are floating 'round in late summer sunshine worldwide at the onset of myriad seasons. For the following reasons the end of August has captivated us peons: Nine months of footy to follow, More for La Liga, Title Races, teams uncomfotable in odd UEFA Cup places, Blackburn are on the map, Sven is back and walking on water. Sir Alex hasn't yet releaved what he stows beneath that coat and by winter we'll have sorted the men from the stoats. Ronnie and Rooney share the stage with Nanni and Carlito, Italy has the hopes of having a scandal free season, maybe mob violence will silence to reason, net-minders to endure the Catalan's Fantastic Four, Juventus offically in flight after scorer's delight, Lyon's roster is no more for an exodus was in store, living the dream newly promoted teams blacken their blades at night, some players seek better futures through last gasp transfer rumors, all whilst David Beckham is causing Beatlemania, outright hysteria. Yet, how and why is this good for the United States of America? Our world anticipates its footballing magicians taking stage. All at the fingertips, soon restored, now and forevermore.

Champions League Final Preview: AC Milan v. Liverpool

All I have to say about the FA Cup is that at least United won the Prem.

Here we go folks, Liverpool vs. AC Milan part deux. This matchup is a very difficult one to call. Both of these teams are loaded with talent and both are well coached, but one team is better coached. Rafa Benitez is one of the best tactical managers in the world. I think that he will have Liverpool ready for this game. Steven Gerrard is probably the most inspirational captain since the Roy Keane glory days. He could be the deciding factor in this game.

On the Milan side of things, Kaka, enough said.

Who wins? I think that the best player in the world will carry his team to victory today, and that player is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, or simply, KAKA. I said in an earlier post that I will never pick against Milan in Europe again and I meant it, but believe me, I am rooting for Liverpool. C'MON YOU REDS!!

FA Cup Final Preview: Manchester United vs Chelsea

Well, here we go. This one's for all the marbles. One team realizes its dreams, and the other has them dashed. There can only be one winner and one loser. The... wait a minute, that's one too many sports cliches. Sorry about that...

Anyway, today marks the final showdown of the season between the two best teams from the best league in the world. On the Chelsea side of things, they are without Ballack, Shevchenko, and Carvalho for sure, and Robben and Cole are up in the air. This will make things EXTREMELY difficult for them.

On the Manchester United side of things, two players (Saha and Neville) are out for sure, but that is no surprise as the two have been injured for most of the latter part of the Premiership campaign.

Who wins this clash of the titans? Well, it goes like this:

Chelsea have a strong squad despite their injuries, and this is the only trophy left for them to claim. Drogba has been on fire this season and was a very close second to Cristiano Ronaldo for best player in England. Unfortunately for Chelsea, I think this game rests on Frank Lampard's shoulders. When he scores, Chelsea typically do well. The problem with that is, well, Frank Lampard is a choke artist. Look at the world cup for example. The guy had 21 shots on goal and none went in. At times, Lampard couldn't hit a barn door with a machine gun. I don't think that he is capable of coming up big in this game, and that is one reason why Chelsea will not win this game.

The other reason is that Manchester United are just too talented and have less injuries. Cristiano Ronaldo is unstoppable, and Rooney has caught fire towards the end of the season. Alan Smith will most likely get the nod, and he has been brilliant since his return.

This game will end with Manchester United hoisting the FA Cup and completing a domestic double. If only things had gone different in the Champions League...

THE CHAMPS!!!!!!

Truer words were never spoken, "WE GOT OUR TROPHY BACK!" For the first time since the 02-03 season, MANCHESTER UNITED ARE PREMIERSHIP CHAMPIONS! So ... (to the tune Glory, Glory, Hallelujah, and with a re-written by Sam verse)

Glory, glory, Man United,

Glory, glory, Man United,

Glory, glory, Man United,

As the reds go marching on, on, on.

Just like the Busby Babes in Days gone by

We'll keep the Red Flags flying high

You've got to see yourself from far and wide

You've got to hear the masses sing with pride

United! Man United!

We're the boys in Red and we're on our way to Wem-ber-ly

Wem-ber-ly! Wem-ber-ly!

We're the famous Man United and we're going to Wem-ber-ly

Wem-ber-ly! Wem-ber-ly!

We're the famous Man United and we're going to Wem-ber-ly

In Two Thousand-Seven it was Wayne Rooney

Ronaldo, Giggs, Saha, and Paul Scholes-ee

And all the masses know just who we are

Chelsea played like they were stuck in tar

United! Man United!

We're the boys in Red and we're on our way to Wem-ber-ly

Wem-ber-ly! Wem-ber-ly!

We're the famous Man United and we're going to Wem-ber-ly

Wem-ber-ly! Wem-ber-ly!

We're the famous Man United and we're going to Wem-ber-ly

Glory Glory Man United

Glory Glory Man United

Glory Glory Man United

As the Reds Go Marching On! On! On!

Normal words could not describe the feelings I have about this glorious achievement, so I had to do it with the Manchester United fight song. Now, I'm not going to say I told you so, but I did predict at the beginning of the season that Man United would win the title. (Check the old blog) The best part about this is that on Wednesday, United get to play at Stamford Bridge having already locked up the title. This is going to be fantastic. I can't wait to see the look on Jose Mourinho's face when Manches... er excuse me... Premiership Champions Manchester United walk out of that tunnel onto the pitch at the Bridge.
As for next season, look for Manchester United to definitely add Owen Hargreaves and lose Gabby Heinze to Juventus and Louis Saha to someone. Now, these next two are predictions but, Manchester United will add two more players. One will be Southampton left back Gareth Bale, who will be 18 at the beginning of the season. The other will be... a striker. I don't know who this could be, but rumors say it could be anyone from Fernando Torres to Dimitar Berbatov. Whoever it is, you can be sure that Louis Saha is going the other way. Look out Prem, Man United are going to be strong favorites for next year!

Champions League Semifinal Review (Man Utd v. AC Milan) and Final Preview

Well, congratulations Liverpool and AC Milan; you've made it to Athens. It will be a rematch of the Istanbul matchup from 2005.
My team has been eliminated, and my heart broken. So I don't have a whole lot to say about this game other than Milan wanted it more, and I will never pick against them in Europe again. Manchester United will win the FA Premier League and the FA Cup, but the treble dream has been dashed. Kaka, not Cristiano Ronaldo, is the best player in the world. He will win the Ballon D'or, and the FIFA world player of the year.
As for the final, I already said it earlier. I will never pick against Milan again in Europe. As of right now, I pick them to win the final, but I will have a more comprehensive preview closer to the May 23 date.

Champions League Semifinal Preview: Man Utd v. AC Milan 2nd Leg

"Can anyone stop me?" I don't think so.

Today is the day that the Champions League final is set. Two perennial powerhouses will lock horns today at the San Siro. Manchester United have a slight advantage with a 3-2 aggregate from the first leg, but Milan have two away goals and home field advantage.
From the Milan perspective, Maldini is out, but Gatusso is fit to play. Kaka will be on a mission, and this team has more European Pedigree than anyone other than Liverpool or Real Madrid.
From the Manchester United perspective, it seems like they should be able to wrap things up. If they get a goal, they should be okay. With Ferguson as their manager, they never lost a Champions League game after winning the first leg. They also might get Rio and Vidic back. If this is the case (even if it isn't), United will move on to the Champions Leage final, setting up an all English Manc/Scouser matchup.

Champs League Semifinal Review (Chelsea v. Liverpool)

You are looking at the best spot-kick keeper in the world. Pepe Reina (along with Steven Gerrard) singlehandedly won Liverpool the FA cup last year, and he singlehandedly took Chelsea out of Europe. Do you hear something? Oh, it's just Jose Mourinho wining about how Liverpool were only playing for the Champions League and that his side were playing for 4 trophies. Well you got one (the Carling Cup... big deal), and realistically, now YOU are only playing for one trophy (the FA cup).
This is the worst I've seen Chelsea play all season. They looked like scoring once or twice, but it was apparent that after Liverpool scored that Chelsea were content to play for PK's. Bad idea, and Pepe was up for the Challenge. Back to Jose for a minute. Now that you are only playing for the FA cup, does that give you the advantage over Manchester United. Is Sir Alex Ferguson going to wine now because he may have to play in the Champions League final 4 days after that FA cup final? The answer is no because Sir Alex Ferguson is the best manager in the world and you Mourinho are a winy little (expletive)!!!!!!!

Champions League Semifinal Preview: Chelsea v. Liverpool 2nd Leg + Premiership Weekend recap.

Now isn't this the most fake-looking handshake you have ever seen. You could cut the tension between these two with a Twizzler.

Time for round two at Anfield. This game is going to be an old-fashioned barnburner. Liverpool are on high alert, and have to come out strong. They need to attack from the get go. Chelsea are going to be without Shevchenko, Ballack, and Carvalho. This will make things extremely difficult for them, and that is why I am picking Liverpool to be the first team to clinch their place in Athens for the Champions League final. This will leave Chelsea with only the F.A. Cup to play for because...

This weekend, Manchester United basically wrapped up the Prem, thanks to Sam Allardyce. His Bolton Wanderers side fought back from 2-1 down to tie Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. In the mean time, Manchester United were busy coming from behind to beat Everton 4-2.In his post match interview, Sir Alex was asked if he would be calling his old friend Sam Allardyce. What was Sir's response? "He'll be getting a hug and a kiss. Maybe two kisses."
These results leave United ahead of Chelski by 5 points with 3 matches left to play, meaning that they only need 4 points from the last three games to win the Prem. Their remaining fixtures are the Manchester Derby at the City of Manchester Stadium, Chelsea at the Bridge, and West Ham at Old Trafford. This seems like a pretty easy end to the season, and if Chelsea don't beat United, I can confidently say that ManYoo will win the Prem.
In his post match interview, Sir Alex was asked if he would be calling his old friend Sam Allardyce. What was Sir's response? "He'll be getting a hug and a kiss. Maybe two kisses."
Speaking of Sam Allardyce, he stepped down as Bolton manager yesterday. The speculation behind this is that he is going to take over for Stuart Pierce at Man City upon season's end. Whatever happens to Mr. Allardyce, I say thank you. Thank you for helping my preseason prediction of Manchester United winning the Prem in tact. ONWARD TO THE TREBLE!

Champions League Semifinal 1st legs Review

This is a Wayne Rooney wallbanger. I have one on my wall. After the 90th minute stoppage time winner scored by Mr. Rooney on Tuesday, my wallbanger and I had a little celebratory sparring session during which I badly jammed my left index finger to the point of a nasty swell. But it was worth it.

AC Milan/Man U: This game was an instant classic. I think that in terms of the Ballon D'or (European player of the year) and Fifa World Player of the Year, Kaka has the advantage over C-Ron. The only reason I say that is, well, did anyone see the goals he scored against United? The first goal was a sheer showing of his lightning fast pace, and the second was just sheer brilliance. On the second, he took received a goal kick, flicked the ball over Gabby Heinze, and then proceeded to make the Argentinian (and Patrice Evra for that matter) look utterly foolish. The ball was bouncing between Evra and Heinze, and Kaka gives it a very slight touch with his HEAD and nudges it in between the two defenders. Evra and Heinze collide, and all Kaka had to do was push the ball past Van Der Sar.
However, this game was determined by the fact that Milan tried to be classic Milan and sit on the ball once they had the lead. United are too dangerous offensively to do that. Rooney equalized off of an audacious chip pass from Scholes. Then, in injury time, Rooney cast his stone in Old Trafford folklore. He hit a Giggs pass one time past Dida and into the net. This bodes veryh well for United to advance to the final in Athens.

Chelsea/Liverpool: Liverpool played relatively well in the second half, but were dominated by Chelsea in the first. I still have no idea what Rafa Benitez is doing by exiling Gerrard out on the right, but it renders him ineffective. If Gerrard is exiled on the right for the second leg, Pool are in trouble. The goal was extremely well worked by all parties involved (Carvalho, Drogba, and the finish by Cole). I still think Pool hold the advantage because of the home leg at Anfield. All I know is, I CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT WEEK'S SECOND LEGS!
Come back here for all pre and post match coverage next week.

Champions League Semifinal Preview: Chelsea v. Liverpool 1st Leg

OOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've been waiting for this one for a long, long time.

This is by far, the best rivalry in the Premiership. Both of these managers HATE each others guts. In the pregame interviews for this match, Mourinho said that Liverpool would try to injure Drogba. What was Rafa Benitez's response? "Drogba is a diver, a penalty hunter. This type of player needs to be eliminated from the game." Ouch.
As for the players in this match, Chelsea will be without Ballack. As for Liverpool, they have a virtually full squad. I think this match comes down to one man, Steven Gerrard. Simply put, he is one of the top 5 in the world. He can take control of a game and I think he will rise to this occasion. The result? Liverpool go into Stamford Bridge and rip Chelsea's heart out. Come back tomorrow for a wrap-up of the semifinal first legs.

Champions League Semifinal Preview: Man United vs. AC Milan 1st Leg

The double has occured, PFA player of the year and young player of the year. Was there even any question that this was going to happen. If it were any other year, Drogba would have claimed this award easily... however, C-Ron was around this year and he deserved it more than anyone else. He has been tearing up the Premiership all year; and no one, I repeat, NO ONE, can stop him, including Nesta and Maldini.

This brings me to today's match between AC Milan and Manchester United. This is almost too hard to call, but I have to give a prediction. United are all banged up, and it looks like it will be a tough one for them. On the AC Milan front, they are completely healthy. Kaka is on form, and AC Milan always play their best in the Champions League. Who wins? I give the edge to... MANCHESTER UNITED! They will win this one at Old Trafford because, well, they have to. If they don't win this one, then they are in for an uphill battle at the San Siro. I say United win this one off of an inspired performance from the newly crowned PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year.

Messi (Impossible is nothing)

Getafe's coach had this to say, "I can't see the goal through the eyes of a spectator. We should have stopped him before he got to the area even if it cost us a yellow card. You can't afford to be so generous,''