There you have it, from no less a football authority than Le Profeseur, Eduardo is a witch and the football purists (and whinging Celtic supporters) are engaging in a witch hunt! Run, Eduardo, Run!
Anyways, bring on the big pile of ManUre! Go Gunners!
Celtic want to see Eduard punished for his PK-winning dive, which transformed the Hoops' eventual Champions League aggregate loss a 5-1 affair rather than a much tighter 4-1 loss. It's nice to see the Scottish team so righteous on this point. I'm sure they'll be the first to turn in any divers past and 
I'm not for the dive. I think it's an ugly part of the game that takes away from the quality of football. However, it would be wrong to approach this on a case--by-base basis, depending on when teams complain loudly about a particular player.
Instead, the EPL (and the SFL, for that matter: watch out Bhoys!) should implement a consistent system for detecting and punishing players committing egregioius diving. I would like to see video review of all matches, and offending players (and there'd have to be some criteria established for what constitutes a serious diving infraction) given a 1 or 2-game suspension. Something like that would be liable to reduce diving to a minimal level.
But pick on our boy Eduardo just 'cuz the Celtic are hurting over being thoroughly outclassed by Arsenal over 180 minutes of football? That'd be wrong.
My daughter and I went to Husky Soccer Stadium to watch the ladies begin their 2009-2010 season with a 2-1 win over Seattle U. We were a few minutes late to the game and Seattle had already scored. The Dawgs were sleepwalking through the first half so I can only imagine how they were scored on. They picked up the tempo towards the halftime and outshot SU 11-4 with a few very close calls.
The 2nd half was not really a contest. The Dawgs superior athleticism and skill easily brought the equalizer and they never took their foot off the pedal as they scored the game winner with about 30 minutes left, I think. Could've scored more, as well. Good start to the season!
The Bhoys worked hard throughout the game, and created a few chances of their own, but were largely outclassed by Profeseur Wenger's Acedemie de footbal. The first goal, a free kick that bounced off defender William Gallass' back as he tried to duck out of the way, was certainly lucky. The second, although an own goal off Captain Gary Caldwell, was the result of another dangerous Arsenal attack and a dangerous cross from Abu Diaby.
Vermaelen continues to impress. Having a smart, tough central back in the game makes me happier about Arsenal than at any time in recent memory. Both Song and big Nick look like different players (and I mean that in a good way). I've started calling Nick the anti-Jacqua (you Sounders fans know what I mean).
Two away goals put the Gunners in the drivers seat in this pair of matches. All they have to do is hold on at Emirates and they're back into the Group Stage. The Gaffer warns against complacency. Go Gunners!
Arsenal Rings in the New Season With a Bang (and 6 goals!)
Well, Arsenal's first effort of the new season has me stunned. The Gunners poofed around for 20 minutes or so, then unleashed an onslaught of offense that was helped in no small measure by absolutely incompetent and unconscious defending from Everton.
Denilson got the Gunners going with a killer curving shot that left Tim Howard with nothing to do but leap after it, for appearances sake. Even better the shot came from some tidy, patient short passing from RVN to Cesc and then the young Brazilian.
American Timmy Howard was given lots of practice to look hapless, thanks to defenders who just decided that defedning on set pieces was sooo beneath them. Newcomer Thomas Vermaelen notched the 2nd goal of the game and the first in his Arsenal career, with a deadly accurate inswinging free kick. To be charitable, Tim Howard would've had trouble on his hands, even if Vermaelen had been marked. But he wasn't.
...of course, it was difficult for Joleon Lescott to defend well, what
with City boss Mark Hughes chasing him all over the pitch like a
lovelorn stalker.
The new defender was impressive on both sides. I have to say that I was delighted at his performance and am actually thinking positively about our central pairing of V and Gallass. Granted, Jo ain't DeeDee Dogbreath but Vermaelen had him chained and shackled and read the game extremely well.
Gallass bagged the third goal, on another unmarked set piece. And then young Fabregas snared a brace before Eduardo, a late substitute got his first EPL goal (the easiest of goals, at that) in over a season. Nice to see the lad score and am hoping for lots from the rehabbed striker. He looked sharp and hungry in the spare minutes he had on the pitch.
Not much you can say in a runaway game like this. Everything was going our way. This wasn't a scrap and battle with Chelsea, or Liverpool, so I'll take it for what it is: a very nice way to open what will be a long and challenging season. However, I can't for the life of me remember who that tall, shaggy fellow was that used to ply the front line for us...
My surprise of the game? Young Nick "Look, my shorts are staying on" Bendtner. With the injuires to the squad, Le Profeseur, put the lanky Dane on the right outside mid. He hustled on both sides of the ball. He was a monster for the Everton defenders to handle. He held posession when needed. He passed and linked up with his teammates and for all I could tell, looked like a man who might begin looking like more than 6 foot 5 inches of potential. Good game, Nick!
Sounders Actually Score!
335 minutes of scoreless Sounders soccer?! Has it really been that long? Wow. Well, a David Beckham WTF moment, and a red card, put the Rave Green in the drivers seat and set up a Steve Zakuani score, on as pretty a set-up play as you'll see. Fredy Montero played a smash and grab ball to the roof of the net in the 2nd and that was all that was needed for the Sounders to leave LA with a 2-0 victory and leapfrog the Galaxy into 2nd place.
Now, I'm going to rain on the parade. The Sounders didn't look all that good throughout the game, even with the man advantage. In my mind, they didn't work very aggressively, showed too much content with a 1-goal lead, were sloppy with their passing, and a host of other sins.
They're going to have to get a lot better, if they want to survive the last months of the season and all the road games that they've got. Still, coming out of LA with a win and 2nd place is a good day!
Two final thoughts:
1) LA was the hottest team in the MLS? Wow, they looked bad. If this is one of the MLS' best, we've got deep problems.
2) The MLS refs are nuts. Yes, Beckham's red card was deserved. That could've been a leg breaker. But the 2nd yellow on Marshall was a silly ref biting on what wasn't even a good dive by Landon Donovan. Look at the replay. That dive makes some of Montero's play-acting look positively Shakespearean. And while Eddie Lewis did strike at James Riley's head, it was the weakest of punches ever thrown. Give him a yellow card and a week's free lessons at the nearest self-defense course.
Are Sports drinks appropriate for kids? If they're serious athletes, the answer is yes...but only during competition.
Only, like, my favorite player in the entire world!
And, Arsene Wenger continues to play hardball with Bordeaux over Manouh Chamakh. Bordeaux senses that Arsensal is desperate for an Adebayor replacement and are jacking their asking price up. Wenger ain't playing. Does this guy have testicules, or what?!
"I like Chamakh, he is a forward that attracts me, but I already
have (Theo) Walcott, (Nicklas) Bendtner, (Robin) Van Persie, (Andriy)
Arshavin and Eduardo. I am in no rush.
"My offer seems fair to
me, taking the market into account. Chamakh would be good, but there
are other options should we wish to pursue them."
Talk about a game with no redeeming quality in it for a Sounders fan! The 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the lowly SJ Quakers was ugly all around. The Sounders to a man seemed to have nothing in this game.
How bad was it? It was so bad that by the 2nd goal, I could no longer complain about the refereeing and the horrible decision for a straight red card on Sounders James Riley. In fact, at the end of the game you'd be hard pressed to complain about the ref. The Sounders were so off-stride today that they wouldn't have stayed in it even under the best of refereeing.
How bad was it? You couldn't tell the Sounders were playing down a man for most of the match. I don't mean that in a good way.
Fortunately, Time Magazine didn't watch this game. Bring on Barca. And Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi better play!
Adebayor gone to City. Now, Toure follows him. Arsene has some extra $40 million pounds to flash around in search of reinforcements, but the question is, whether he will open the club's wallet.
David Young argues that, while Toure was a good player for the Gunners, the move is a shrewd one, banking a nice profit for a player who is on the downhill swing of a good career.
The question of course, is now what, or rather whom? Rumours abound that Arsene is pursuing Brede Hangeland, maybe even Patrick Vieira. Wouldn't the last one be interesting? Even if all it did was save #4's career from an ignominous end in White Hart Lane, it'd be worth it.
Back on the US West Coast, my Sounders FC are down in San Jose to play the Quakers. New signing Leo is with the team but won't likely play at this time. It sounds as if Sigi will use Leo to finally solidify the left back spot. Though Tyson Wahl has played decently of late, the position needs strengthening. The sight of a left back with the ability to bring the ball up, the way right back James Riley does, should give MLS opponents jitters.
Posts
All Comments
