The Occasional Rant 10.28.09: Surprises, Disappointments, and other things.

I once listened to Reading manager Steve Coppell (or is he former Reading manager, since Reading isn't that relevant anymore I lost track) say that after the first 10 games or so you have a good indication of how your team will be for the season. Well, this far in, my blog sucks, but you read anyway so I have to press on.

Milan defender Alessandro Nesta defended with all his might, but the midfielder Pinzi for Chievo finished so quickly. Chin up, Nesta, you're still our hero.



http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_5657228,00.html
Question for Stormer, Zac, Ike, Silky Pete, Brandon, Mooney, and Karol: were you guys at a Carling Cup match yesterday that none of us was aware of?

Milan defender Alessandro Nesta rises from the ashes in the 82nd minute to head home Borriello's header which ricocheted off the woodwork. Milan are level.

At the death of the game, and unmarked Milan defender Alessandro Nesta heads home a corner to give Milan a vital three points on the road in a win over Chievo in Verona.



"Whenever someone says they believe the earth was created in 7 days, I grab a fossil and say, "Fossil." And if they keep talking, I throw it just over their heads." .............................. I am as guilty of this as the next football fan in which I stone my team for poor performances, lack of goalscoring, mismanagement in the early part of the season/preseason to the point where I think my favorite team is doomed. Why do we continue to struggle with the concept that the league/cup/club season runs from August through May? Some talking heads on their call-in shows act on the immediacy of what's happening and carry these topics as if what happened in the space of a week is what's going to happen for the rest of the season. As an AC Milan supporter, I should know better. The Fall of 1994 could have potentially been the worst time to be a Milan fan during the Berlusconi era, when the team was slumping through the Champions League (actually had points deducted thanks to a bottle being thrown at an opposing goalkeeper from the crowd) and losing to teams like Cremonese and Padova (Alexi Lalas' Padova, and to make things more depressing, he scored the winner). When the new year turned in 1995, the Rossoneri won the European Supercup over Arsenal (back when they played it over two legs in February), upset Benfica and Paris St. Germain before losing to Ajax in a tightly contested Champions League final (and I'm still convinced that if Dejan Savicevic would have been fit for the final Milan would have 8 European Cups).
We ride the roller coaster of emotions when we support our teams. Everyone, except '08-'09 Barcelona, will endure a dip in form at some point during the season. Injuries will play a part, managers will get tactics wrong (whether the players struggle to understand them or if the manager is just nuts) and sometimes teams are just victim to dumb luck. On the flipside, we'll also enjoy it when our team goes out and exceeds expectations, and during that time we'll live in the undying denial that they will be found out and we're back to the spell of "we'll never win, we'll never get it right."
So where does this leave me? Well obviously on a high as Milan have won three straight in all competitions heading into tonight's interesting match at Napoli, but I have found a two-word adjective that I will do everything I can to live by, even if something as tragic as a 1-0 loss at home to FC Zurich should happen again, "cautiously optimistic." The season is long, more highs and lows are going to happen, and if silverware can be achieved, so be it!

Before he left Verona to return to Milanello, Milan defender Alessandro Nesta was seen saving a cat from a tree.

The game ended a few days ago, and Barcelona is still scoring on Real Zaragoza.


"I'm always amazed when I hear people saying; "That George Bush, he's a great leader". And I wonder, where can one find a drug that would make one so delusional? "............................................. What did we learn from the Liverpool- Manchester United game? Well if you want to use my rant I just finished a few seconds ago, we're learning that Rafa Benitez gets many things horribly wrong, but he's at least treating Sir Alex (or if you asked the Fat Spaniard, Mr. Ferguson) like his older red-headed stepchild. The last three times these two rivals have met, all three Liverpool wins, by a combined 8-2. The fact that even on 15 points and in fifth place in the Premier League, I can't take Liverpool's title challenge seriously, yet.
Now if there were more Scousers reading this blog, they would probably threaten my life. The fact remains that the body of work to date is still unimpressive. This was Liverpool's first really relevant win this season. The next most impressive win after that appears to be the 1-0 home win over Debrecen in the Champions League.
So here's what will get me all geeked up about Liverpool's chances again. 1. Blast Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday, I mean really get them good. 2. Go to Stade Gerland next Wednesday and beat Lyon. Just beat them, Rafa just needs the tactics to work to that effect. I don't need to see 4-0, 1-0 will do. Those two things happen, then I would say your campaign has gotten some traction. Beat Manchester City at home on November 21st, and all will be well on Merseyside again.

And one other thing to throw a rant about Liverpool fan, where would you be this season without Yossi Benayoun?

Before reporting for training at Milanello, Milan defender Alessandro Nesta risked his life saving orphans from a burning building.

Chelsea just scored another goal on Blackburn Rovers.

"After I failed my second test, I grabbed my teacher by the front of the shirt and said "Are you *trying* to keep this sh!t a secret?"........................... that's now the 2nd howler that Nemanja Vidic has put up against Liverpool in as many games. Quick, Manyoo fans, tell me the really big game where your Serbian defender hasn't sucked. I'm waiting........... still waiting................ As you're coming up with an answer, I'll also remind you of the 2009 final where Eto'o cruised past him for the 1st goal, and the 2007 Champions League Semifinal 2nd Leg where Kaka and Seedorf toyed with him all game.

Werder Bremen has scored again on Bochum

But the 60 million plus can be used to get Marco Materazzi more tattoos............ Last season, Samuel Eto'o scored 30 for Barcelona and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 25 for Inter Milan. I argued that after they swapped teams, Ibra would break the 30 goal mark in La Liga and Eto'o would not reach 25 in Serie A. Here's the latest on that:

• Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a brace in the 6-1 win over Zaragoza, giving him 7 goals in 8 league matches, and putting him on pace for 33 goals for the season.
• Samuel Eto'o did not score in Inter's 2-1 win over Catania, leaving him with 3 goals in 9 league matches, and putting him on pace for about 13 goals for the season.

By the way, they are also in the same Champions League group where Barcelona is top and Inter is bottom, so exactly how was this a better deal for Inter?

Frankly Football's Five Surprises of the first quarter of the season. Here's a nice little countdown of the pleasant surprises for the first couple months or so of this marathon of a football season:

1. Rubin Kazan. The Russian Champions are a team I am crushing on at the moment because as I asked in my rankings, find me another team that drew with Inter and beat Barcelona. Those who watched that stunner at the Nou Camp would tell you that it was a masterclass on individual and team defending.
2. Bari. The newly promoted Serie A side are giving opponents fits this season with a very young and energetic squad. Ask Inter and Milan, as Bari drew each of them. They sit 7th in the Serie A table at the moment and through 9 games have scored 10 and conceded 5, suggesting they have a very tight game plan that their team believes in.
3. Sunderland and Darren Bent. Up until last week's oopsie at Birmingham, Steve Bruce looks like he has righted the ship at the Stadium of Light with a win over Liverpool and a draw with Manchester United. Bruce has the Black Cats sitting 8th at the moment and with the way this team is made up, may still have some surprises down the road. Darren Bent is having a career season, and he is on pace to score 30 goals in the Premier League.
4. Montpellier. Last season we had two newly-promoted teams surprise us (Hull and Hoffenheim), and now we have Montpellier challenging for a Champions League place through 10 matches. It's an adventure though as they are scoring 17 and conceding 13 during this run, but a draw with Paris St. Germain is proof that they can put up decent results. Still yet to play Bordeaux and Lyon, so we'll see if they can keep this run up.
5. Bayer Leverkusen. It might not surprise anyone that they are currently top of Bundesliga on goal difference, but the fact that they have only conceded 6 goals through their first 10 is perhaps the surprise. Last season, they conceded 46 goals (only Hamburg and Hoffenheim conceded more than them in the top 8). If they continue to be this stingy, they'll only concede 20 this season. High scoring sides like Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim are among their clean sheets to date.

Franly football's five most disappointing teams through the first quarter of the season. Now to look at the five teams that need to get on with it, or else.

1. Atletico Madrid. What the hell happened to this team? A trendy dark horse to make life miserable in Spain this season, they have only made life miserable on their fans. So much promise after beating a talented Panathinaikos side in the Champions League preliminaries, they have fallen flat. The goals are shockingly in short supply for a team that boasts talents like Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero, and they have yet to score in the league stage of the Champions League. Young, up and coming goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo was brought in from Valladolid to help shore the defense, but it hasn't worked, to the tune of 18 against through 10 matches in Spain. The 4-0 pantsing from Chelsea was enough for manager Abel Rosina to be shown the door. Quique Sanchez Flores has a tough task on his hands building the morale of this team, and the top brass at the Calderon aren't very patient people. Flores is what seems to be their 100th manager in the last 20 years.
2. VFB Stuttgart. Maybe they do miss Mario Gomez after all. The replacement, Pavel Pogrebnyak, has not lived up to expectations since arriving from Zenit. Nor have any of the other players really picked up the slack. With losses at home already to Koln, Schalke and Werder Bremen, as well as a home defeat to Sevilla in the Champions League, winning at home has become optional. They still have to play joint leaders Leverkusen and Hamburg twice, as well as two meetings with Bayern Munich. The way the season has gone to date, it looks like tough times ahead for Markus Babbel's men. Not sure this was the expectations of a team that finished 3rd in the Bundesliga last season.
3. Villarreal CF. Has losing Manuel Pellegrini as a manger made that big a difference? The Yellow Submarines were a Champions League quarterfinalist a season ago, and now they sit 18th in La Liga. Guiseppe Rossi, Marcos Senna, Eguren, Joan Capdevila, and Santi Cazorla are all still at El Madrigal, so why has it not worked so far? Well, Joseba Llorente has been off the pace with only one goal in Europa League (he had 19 in all competitions last season), and overall they are just not finishing. In addition to their troubles in Spain, they may not make it our of their Europa League group, as defeat at FC Salzurg and Lazio have them struggling there.
4. AS Roma. Already changing managers after the 2nd game of the Serie A season, the Giallorossi are sitting 12th domestically. They enjoyed a brief surge under new boss Claudio Ranieri, but they find themselves picking up the pieces after back to back losses to Milan and Livorno (ugh). Last year at this time, though, they were 16th. The same thing contributing to both slow starts: conceding goals. Through 9 games this season Roma have allowed 16 goals. Somehow Doni still gets to be the goalkeeper. Losing Panucci's experience in the back has also hurt. Now last year they rallied to finish 6th, but a team with this kind of talent shouldn't be struggling so much.
5. Hertha Berlin. Although this was somewhat expected. A title contender a season ago in Germany, the team was gutted in the summer as Pantelic and Voronin were among people that left the club. Still, there is enough talent where they shouldn't be sitting at the foot of the Bundesliga table. They've been awful, only getting 4 points in their first 10 matches in the Bundesliga and their only point in the Europa league is an ugly 1-1 draw against Ventspils (I know you don't, they're from Latvia). They drew Wolfsburg at the weekend, and changed managers, so maybe they are on the upswing.

That's about all I have for today. Ever since Fergie said I'm not fit to blog at this level, I keep going to English stadiums and putting up with fans chanting "you're too fat to blog."

What were your surprises and disappointments? Hit me up with your thoughts.

The Euro Top 25 as of 10.22.09

Back to the clubs, and another round of Champions League games in the books. Where does everyone fit after the big shake up of games on Matchday 3? Have a read to see where it all plays out.

1. Manchester United
Top of Premier League, top of Group B in Champions League
Okay fine, they are not winning with the style and swagger of 2007-08. That team beats Bolton 4-0 at Old Trafford easily. But the bottom line is with the inconsisency of the other big guns of Europe, Sir Alex's men are getting results. They traditionally start to hit their form just before Christmas.

2. FC Barcelona
Top of La Liga, top of Group F in Champions League (on goal difference)
Is the pressure of defending three titles getting to them? Played out an uneventful draw at Valencia before losing at home to Rubin Kazan at midweek. Puyol and Henry have been out, but there is still plenty in the armory for the Blaugrana to deal with these opponents.

3. Chelsea
2nd in Premier League, top of Group D in Champions League
They might be #1 on this list if Ancelotti took the time with his charges to practice defending corner kicks before playing Aston Villa on Saturday. With the way Atletico Madrid is stuggling, that 4-0 win may not be much to get excited about. Still, in command of a talented group and a real threat for the Premier League title. Will the age and mileage slow them down at some point?

4. Lyon
Top of Ligue 1, top of Group E in Champions League
That win at Liverpool is better than you think. Liverpool's struggles have been against teams with a pulse, yes, but all of those struggles were on the road. Anfield on a European night is usually untouchable for visitors. I forgive the defeat to Sochaux at the weekend as they were extra motivated in playing for Charlie Davies.

5. Sevilla
3rd in La Liga, top of Group G in Champions League
My Champions League dark horse. No shame in losing at the weekend to an in-form Deportivo who have closed up shop and aren't allowing anyone to score. They rebounded nicely winning at a Stuttgart side that was desparate for a win. In firm command of their Champions League group.

6. Real Madrid
2nd in La Liga, 2nd in Group C of the Champions League
They are continually getting exposed in defense, which many expected to happen. 6 goals conceded in their last 3 matches in all competitions. Is it me, or has Kaka not settled in? Don't blame the defeat to Milan on not having Ronaldo, this team is too loaded to be a one man show.

7. Rubin Kazan
Top of Russian Premier League, 3rd in Group F of Champions League
I'm going to get some shtick here. But a team that can stay top of their domestic league, draw Inter Milan and beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp deserves this spot. A poor 45 minutes vs Dynamo Kiev prevent them from topping their Champions League group. Devil's Advocate: how good would they be if they had to play regularly in the Premier League, La Liga, or Serie A?

8. Inter Milan
Top of Serie A, bottom of Group F of Champions League
Very convincing in their 5-1 win at Genoa at the weekend but followed that up with a disappointing 2-2 at home to Dynamo Kiev. I thought Jose Mourinho was brought to Inter to win the Champions League? They are quickly becoming the most inconsistent team on this list, not to mention the most difficult to figure out.

9. Arsenal
4th in Premier League, top of Group H in Champions League
Seconds away from having a 100% record in their group, and they are getting results without Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott. Devil's Advocate: their 4-match winning streak in England are over Fulham, Birmingham, Blackburn, and Wigan. Yippee!

10. Fiorentina
4th in Serie A, 2nd in Group E of Champions League
Followed up a hard-earned point at Juventus with a harder than had to be 3 points at Debrecen to consolidate 2nd spot in their group in Europe. Unbeaten in their last four in Italy with just one goal conceded, and the four they faced were Sampdoria, Livorno, Lazio, and Juventus.

11. Manchester City
5th in Premier League
Back to back draws at Aston Villa and at Wigan aren't going to wow anyone, but they still have that win over Arsenal and that near miss in the Manchester derby.

12. Tottenham Hotspur
3rd in Premier League
Getting goals from so many different sources and seem to be over the back to back defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea. The win over Liverpool suddenly doesn't look as impressive anymore.

13. Leverkusen
Top of German Bundesliga
In a league filled with goals, no one is scoring on Leverkusen at the moment. 4 consecutive clean sheets with Hamburg and Werder Bremen among the teams who couldn't find the net.

14. Bordeaux
3rd in Ligue 1, top of Group A in Champions League
Back to back away defeats domestically keep them from being ranked any higher, topping a Champions League group that has Bayern Munich and Juventus justifies them being here.

15. Juventus
3rd in Serie A, 2nd in Group A of Champions League
Have they already been found out? They needed heroics from Chiellini to beat Maccabi Haifa, and stop a six match winless skid in all competitions. The goals have started to go buh-bye, only finding the net 3 times in their last 5 overall matches.

16. Hamburg
2nd in German Bundesliga, 2nd in Europa League group
Still boasting an impressive resume of wins domestically, and will look to get their European campaign going with a win at Celtic tonight.

17. Aston Villa
6th in Premier League
Drawing Manchester City and beating Chelsea are impressive results indeed. Opponents best be advised to not concede set pieces on corners to them.

18. Sampdoria
2nd in Serie A
The Inter win was nice but if they are to maintain a top 10 ranking, they should beat Parma and Lazio (drew them both).

19. Deportivo
4th in La Liga
4 straight wins, all clean sheets, and 5 shutouts overall. Most recent accomplishment is the win over an in form Sevilla side.

20. Dynamo Kiev
Top of Ukranian league, 2nd in Grouf F of Champions League
If you believe in Rubin Kazan, than Dynamo deserve to be on this list too. Battled hard to draw Inter at the San Siro.

21. Valencia
5th in La Liga, top of Europa League group
Battled Barcelona to a draw at the weekend and can get control of their Europa League group with a win today over Slavia Prague. And yes their players are getting paid.

22. Olympiakos
Joint top of Greek League, 2nd in Group H of Champions League
Finally caught Panathinaikos at the summit of their domestic league and have gotten some separation from AZ Alkmaar and Standard Liege in their efforts to secure a Champions League knockout place.

23. Wolfsburg
5th in German Bundesliga, 2nd in Group B of Champions League
Starting to get it in gear domestically with 4 straight unbeaten. Also holding off Besiktas and CSKA Moscow for a knockout place in the Champions League.

24. AC Milan
8th in Serie A, top of Group C in Champions League
If beating a resurgent Roma and doing the unthinkable by beating Real Madrid at the Bernabeu doesn't kick-start their season, nothing will.

25. Schalke 04
3rd in German Bundesliga
Keeping pace with Leverkusen and Hamburg in Germany at the moment, but some of the real tests are coming.

Missing the cut (in no particular order):
Sunderland
Liverpool
Montpellier
Monaco
Marseille
Real Mallorca
Unirea Urziceni
Bayern Munich
Werder Bremen
Genoa
Parma
Fenerbahce
Galatasaray

That's it for now, I'll have the next one in a couple weeks.

The Weekly Rant 10.07.09: Blaming refs for your ineptitude and other stuff.

I am probably going to let you down with this week's rant on the beautiful game. Sir Alex Ferguson has branded me "unfit." He says that I am unfit for a blog of this standard. The pace of the blog demands a blogger who is fit. It is an indictment of blogging. You see bloggers abroad who are as fit as butcher's dogs.



Of course if Mike Riley was the center man, United would have hit Sunderland's net for six like Arsenal did to Blackburn, right Mr. Moyes?................................ I have been kicking this one around for the last 3 or 4 days wondering if Sir Alex has this one right or not. And in the end I just don't think it would matter. I do, though, have some thoughts about the lastest Sir Alex attacks the referee tactics. Here's my say:

1. What surprises me is that the FA is taking such a long time to make a decision on this. The fact that they are waffling on what to do about this latest attack on officials seems to me to undermine the purpose of the RESPECT campaign in the first place. Had this been any other manager in the Premier League, or Jose Mourinho, he would have been fined swiftly and charged with bringing the game into disrepute. And no, I don't think a touchline ban should be given to a manager for making comments after a match. Ferguson has been able to attain some sort of special handling from the FA that other managers envy.


2. I was listening to Radio 606 last night and I think it was a recording from the weekend. I recall the host having a 16 year old calling in who is a referee. The explanation is that the FA referee licensing course and training is VERY rigorous (I am assuming the professional level), to where this self-declared fit 16 year old has failed the course twice. Based on that, I'll go way out on a limb and assume that Alan Wiley has met the fitness criteria to be an FA referee at the professional level.


3. The fact that Sir Alex Ferguson has attacked the official with this post match commentary should surprise no one. This has become his trademark, especially in matches where Manchester United arrives at an unexpected and disappointing result. United were outplayed by Sunderland and needed an own goal in stoppage time to escape with a point. So Ferguson goes the "I'll attack the referee" route. In a way, he's taking the blame and the scrutiny off his team who so surprisingly underperformed, and put the attention sqaurely on the official. Yes, yes, yes, he did say at the end of the interview that he was disappointed with his team's performance and credited their character for gutting out the draw, but he already did the damage and had everyone's attention on the fitness of the official. It's worked brilliantly in the past as he's taken the pressure off his players, but he continues to stir up controversy in the media.

When are people going to stop being surprised by Sir Alex's ability to deflect the blame from his players in the media? Other managers, namely Rafa Benitez, need to not get in an uproar over what Ferguson gets away with and focus on improving their teams. This isn't the first time Fergie has questioned the officials, and it won't be the last. Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the more manipulative managers in all of sport, and unfortunately he lacks the class to match his competitiveness. Sad thing is that whenever he gets mic time and wants to have a pop at the refs, everyone is shocked that a man who has won so many trophies can have such a hissy fit.

If you want a manager with humility, look to Steve Bruce, who oh by the way is Sunderland's manager. A very fierce competitor as a player and a manager, and quite gentle in how he goes about addressing the media. He has been on the wrong end of some lopsided results wherever he has coached (games while he was at Birmingham where he got battered), and he always seems to delicately balance between crediting the opposition and saying his players were not good enough. Never, have I heard him blame a referee.

But he was fit enough to book Kieran Richardson not once, but twice............................ I should footnote, like most observant people out there, that this is the same Alan Wiley who was the fourth official in the Manchester Derby that Sir Alex Ferguson was all chummy with after United scored the winner in what seemed to be the 20th minute of stoppage time, despite Wiley previously holding up that board with the number 4 on it.

Everyone gets a neat looking badge to add to their shirts...................................... So what exactly has the RESPECT campaign accomplished anyway? Managers are still grouchy about penalties not being awarded among other things, and players who are not captains (see Drogba and Ballack) still confront the official when they've been fouled or if a handball in the box was missed. The braintrust behind the RESPECT campaign are looking for special protection for the population of the game who's human element play a role in decision making. In other words, interpretation of the Laws of the Game. Here's how this campaign can stick, allow a referee who has been scrutinized some mic time after the match to get their views on the manager's tactics, such as starting Nani and Danny Welbeck.

I'm so scared right now. I'm just gonna to do what's sensible, I'm gonna file for unemployment. Then I'm gonna try to get a job at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, because they got an excellent corporate structure and they... *they* give *you* the tools to be your own boss. ...................... Portsmouth's new owners have just hired Avram Grant (last seen smiling at an airport in Israel relieved to be relieved of his duties as interim Chelsea boss) to be their Director of Football. Nice job on that win over Wolves, Paul Hart, now meet the man that will probably have your job within the next month.

So then I got a call from him, saying we don't have to worry about money no more. And I said, that's good! One less thing................................. So the best player on planet Earth and the two neighboring planets, Lionel Messi, got signed to a contract extension through 2016 with Barcelona and this has prompted Johan Cruyff to discuss the hazards of long-term contracts/ make sure people remember who he is. Cruyff disagrees with such a lengthy contract for Messi, as it can lead to players losing their motivation.

We don't have a lot of sample to work with here, but I think Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka are doing just fine so far at Real Madrid, and each of them were penned to at least 6-year deals. Lionel Messi is currently a better footballer than both of them and deserves the contract he's been signed to. Cruyff is likely recalling guys who have gone Billy Bigboots like Ronaldinho and Ronaldo (fat one), but Messi's class and willingness to ambassador the sport certainly suggest he will still be motivated.

I'm an AC Milan fan, FML.
So this week my team wasn't even on tv, and thank goodness because we spent over an hour trailing bottom side Atalanta before Ronaldinho rescued us and got us a critical point in our mission of accomplishing extreme mediocrity! Woohoo!

Our greedy and selfish owner, Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, has an approval rating in Italy of over 50%. No AC Milan fans were polled.

The 60+ million Euros was needed for Jose Mourinho's wardrobe..................... Checking the Ibra will score more than 30 in La Liga and Eto'o will score less than 25 in Serie A numbers:

• Zlatan Ibrahimovic has 5 goals through 6 La Liga games, putting him on pace for 32 goals.
• Samuel Eto'o has 3 goals through 7 Serie A games, putting him on pace for 16 goals.

Exactly how was this a better deal for Inter again?

Bits and Pieces, and Bits and Pieces. In other words, a few things that got my attention in the European football that I didn't want to spend a lot of time on.

• In their maiden voyage of the Premier League, Burnley has made Turfmoor a fortress, winning all four home games outscoring their opponents 7-2. Too bad they can't play all their games at home, the have a 0% away form in 4 getting shelled 14-0 in the process.
• At Bayer Leverkusen, it was never an issue of scoring goals in the German Bundesliga last season, it was a matter of conceding them. Conceding 46 goals through 34 games won't put you in a position to win the title. Jupp Heynckes has taken over and so far he's tightened the ship, with the help of veteran defender Sami Hyypia. Through 8 games, only 5 goals against. Oh, and they're still scoring plenty of goals too, as they have hit the back of the net 18 times. And Patrick Helmes, their leading scorer last season, has yet to play this season.
• If you looked at the form books from last season, or simply read my Serie A preview, Palermo's 2-0 win at home over Juventus shouldn't be that much of a surprise. Last season Palermo earned 43 of their 57 points in Sicily. The form is following again this season, as the Rosanero are unbeaten in 4 home matches (won two, drawn two), and winless in their 3 away fixtures to date (drawn one, lost two).
• Steve McClaren, who we all know as they guy who couldn't manage England out of a wet paper bag, has his FC Twente team sitting top of the Dutch Eredivisie. Which leads one to ponder: how far have Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord really fallen?

The Sack Race or Managers who better get their act together, or else:

1. Paul Hart, Portsmouth
2. Phil Brown, Hull City
3. Abel Rosina, Atletico Madrid
4. Ernesto Valverde, Villarreal
5. Leonardo, AC Milan
6. Markus Babbel, VFB Stuttgart (but I might think he'll be safe).

So thank you for letting me have a chance to vent about football and the issues that have come up in the past week. Hope you enjoyed the read. Let me know what's got you all hot and bothered about the beautiful game.

The Euro Top 25 10.06.2009

Quite a bit of shifting around since the last rankings I sent out. Many of the big names in Europe have taken a bit of a dip. Have a read to see where your time might be.

1. FC Barcelona
This is a generous ranking because: they might be getting a wee bit lazy lately. Even if they didn't put out their best team, more should be expected of them than winning 1-0 over Almeria at home. That said, Andres Iniesta is getting back into the mix, and oh goodie! They have another goalscorer in Pedrito, who hit the winner against Almeria and also scored in the Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev.

2. Chelsea FC
This is a cruel ranking because: Besides being the only team to have really pushed Barcelona in the last six months (sorry Manyoo fan, you got bossed off the park in May), they might also boast the most impressive resume of teams in the top five. The win at Sunderland is starting to look better and better. Shutting out Liverpool without Cech in goal was impressive. Not only can't you win at Stamford Bridge, you can't score their either since Hull's goal in the opener. However.....
This is a generous ranking because: that stinker at Wigan hasn't necessarily escaped anyone's memory. Winning 1-0 at APOEL Nicosia won't flatter anyone either. Did they just happen to catch Liverpool during a below-average run of form?

3. Sevilla
This is a cruel ranking because: it can be argued that no one is playing better than Sevilla now. Since losing the opener to Valencia, they have ripped off 7 straight wins in all competitions outscoring their opponents 20-3. Not only do they have playmakers, but they are proving to be stout defensively. The best thing to happen to them is the International break, as this Real Madrid win could go back under the radar to most people.
This is a generous ranking because: Real Madrid were without Cristiano Ronaldo for that match, and certainly with his form the result might have been different. Also, does this team have the depth to continue on this run?

4. Real Madrid
This is a cruel ranking because: Up until the Sevilla loss, Real Madrid were crushing and killing everything in its path. 7 straight wins outscoring opposition 27-4 before this happened, and a fit Ronaldo might have made a difference this past weekend. If Sevilla is #3, Real Madrid has to be #4.
This is a generous ranking because: We got to see what happens to this team when the injury bug hits. More of an onus was put on Karim Benzema and he couldn't deliver, and the backline was as suspect as ever.

5. Lyon
This is a cruel ranking because: it really isn't. Part of why they are this high up is because every other team out there is finding ways to drop points or lose meaningful games. Lyon meanwhile, top the French Ligue 1 and a Champions League group featuring Fiorentina and Liverpool. Unbeaten in all competitions, with Miralem Pjanic the best player you don't know about.
This is a generous ranking because: they are fattening up on French teams that are not at their level or spending power to date. Let's see what happens when they face Bordeaux, Marseille, or even Liverpool coming up in the Champions League.

6. Manchester United
This is a cruel ranking because: would you really take Lyon over Manchester United at this point? Despite the players they have lost, they have gotten wins over Arsenal, Manchester City, Wolfsburg, and at Tottenham on 10 men. This might be a team that's patching together victories before the machine starts to hum or.......
This is a generous ranking because: they have gotten extremely lucky. They needed Ben Foster's left leg, a penalty, and a Diaby own goal to beat Arsenal. They needed a lapse in concentration from the City defenders to win their derby late. Finally, they needed a most unfortunate own goal from Anton Ferdinand in stoppage time to draw Sunderland, at Old Trafford.

7. Sampdoria
This is a cruel ranking because: it isn't. Joint top of Serie A at the moment and conquerors of Inter. Pazzini and Cassano are proving to be a dangerous attacking combination.
This is a generous ranking because: they have the fortune of being able to prepare for their Serie A matches without the European distraction. They may be joint top of the league, but other wins are over bottom feeders like Catania, Siena, and Atalanta. If you rate Sampdoria this high, then Fiorentina (who beat Samp 2-0) should be up here too.

8. Inter Milan
This is a cruel ranking because: they are top of the Serie A table, and just defeated a hot Udinese team 2-1. They have been finding ways to produce results without Eto'o's goalscoring, and have given Barcelona their only dropped points in any competition this season.
This is a generous ranking because: there don't seem to be that many resources beyond Eto'o, Sneijder, Maicon, and Diego Milito. They were fortunate to draw at Rubin Kazan in the Champions League.

9. Manchester City
This is a cruel ranking because: if this team was playing in Serie A or Ligue 1, it would probably be top. So many options in attack, and a nice resume with wins over Arsenal and a draw at Aston Villa. They were also seconds away from getting a draw at Old Trafford.
This is a generous ranking because: they have been conceding some pretty sloppy goals lately. What appears to be well-taken by their opposition can be attributed to slack marking and defending, especially on set pieces and crossing situations. If you have a solid center forawrd in your team, you have a chance.

10. Hamburg
This is a cruel ranking because: Ivica who? Petric, Guerrero, and Ze Roberto have plenty of attack to offer as evidenced by the team's 20 goals in 8 Bundesliga games. Among the teams they have taken full points from are Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich.
This is a generous ranking because: How good would Hamburg be if they were in the Premier League or Serie A? In other words, would they have this kind of strike rate against teams more organized?

11. Bayer Leverkusen: Ahead of Hamburg on goal difference in Germany and tied with Schalke for the tightest defense in the league to date (5 goals conceded in 8 games). Stefan Kiessling has 6 goals through 8 matches thus far.

12. Juventus: Suddenly winless in their last four in all competitions. Injuries are playing a part in this.

13. Tottenham: most teams are going to get tagged by Manchester United and Chelsea if they had to play them in back to back weeks. Responded nicely by thrashing Burnley 5-0 and earning a hard fought draw at an improving Bolton side.

14. Arsenal: This might be the lowest they are ranked all season. Getting players healthy now and they have won six straight in all competitions since the back to back Manchester defeats, outscoring their foes 18-4 in the process.

15. Bordeaux: yes, losing 3-1 away to Saint Etienne does have its consequences. However joint top of Group A with Bayern Munich in the Champions League over Juventus.

16. Fiorentina: Unbeaten in their last four in all competitions without conceding a goal. World, if you haven't gotten to know Stefan Jovetic yet, you do now.

17. Liverpool: On talent and what they are capable of, they should be higher. On the fact they haven't beaten anyone with a pulse, they belong at this spot.

18. Fenerbahce: That is 8 wins out of their first 8 in Turkey's top flight, opening a 5 point lead over Galatasaray. Should also get out of their group in the Europa League as well.

19. Schalke 04: Felix Magath is steadying the ship in Gelsenkirchen with 3 wins in their last 4 in Germany.

20. Valencia: Have put the only blemish on Sevilla's La Liga campaign to this point and outlasted Genoa in the Europa League 3-2. The defending will need to tighten up if they expect to grab a Champions League place for next season.

21. Aston Villa: The Liverpool win suddenly isn't looking as good save for the fact that it happened at Anfield. A hard-earned draw with Manchester City yesterday.

22. Werder Bremen: Who's Diego? Unbeaten in 12 since the August 8th loss to Eintracht Frankfurt, in all competitions, scoring 33 goals in the process.

23. Panathinaikos: Perfect through six matches in Greece.

24. Bayern Munich: Hard earned draw with Juventus, but the goals have gone buh-bye, failing to find the net in their last three matches.

25. Wolfsburg: Edin Dzeko is starting to warm up. Gave Manchester United a scare at Old Trafford before losing.

Others Considered:
Genoa
Hoffenheim
Deportivo La Coruna
Olympiakos
Rubin Kazan
Montpellier
Monaco
Marseille
Mainz
Rangers

That's it for this edition, would you have changed anything to this list?

The weekly rant: how to fix Milan and other things that make me grouchy 10.01.09

Time for me to air out the things that have made me grumpy about football, or things about football that have flat-out annoyed me, or just me standing on my soapbox. Either way, thanks for letting me vent.

"Because I'm strong and you're weak. Because I'm the kind of guy everyone here wants to be like and YOU are pathetic........................." I'm going to guess that legendary Manchester United supporter Howard Rogers has not softened his stance on how the UEFA Champions League should be run. I know Michele Platini disagrees with it. The sentiment out there is that the league stage of the UEFA Champions League is useless, and just a moneymaker delaying the inevitable 12-16 strongest teams in Europe matching up with each other, and that's when the competition really begins.

Oh really? How about runnig that logic by an FC Zurich supporter today? Or go to Romania, stand in the main square of pretty much any town in that country and tell them that what Unirea Urziceni did Tuesday isn't that important. Good luck telling a Rubin Kazan supporter this after they drew with Inter. For that matter, you won't have a lot of success arguing this in the Ukraine today either, as Dynamo Kiev might have lost to Barcelona but they sit 2nd in their group over Inter Milan. Still not satisfied? Okay, look at last year. Ask a Panathinaikos fan, or more importantly, a Werder Bremen fan how useless the group stage is. And I'm sure you'll have people in Belarus tell you that Bate Borisov drawing Juventus and taking an early 2-0 lead on them wasn't meaningful to them.

Those of us west of the pond know full well the value of preliminaries and early stages of competitions. Yes, yes, yes, the elite will rise to the top and matchup in the latter stages of all competitions with the rare underdog getting farther than anyone would expect. But the league stage embodies the spirit of competition, and the UEFA Champions League is no more immune to the little guy getting some glory than the NCAA College Basketball championships. If your logic is that the league stage is boring and that having the champions of less competitive countries in it is useless, then you believe the following:

• Y.E. Yang shouldn't have been allowed to play for the PGA Championship.


• George Mason should have forfeited their Final Four place to UConn.


• Greece should have gone home after the group stage of Euro 2004 and let Spain go through.

Bottom line is this, enjoy the league stage. Reporters, shut up about the boredom of this part of the competition, and let the little guy play for a little more bread. Your dumb questions only hinder the spirit of competition.

If they played at Anfield they would have scored 5 times.................... Liverpool's 3rd place position in the Premier League could potentially be the most misleading place in all of Europe. I know the Scousers and the Kopites are all gushing over the run of wins in the Premier League and now their talking about their intent to win the Premiership. Okay fine. The issue I have with your Premier League campaign is that your wins, though impressive, are over Stoke (12th), Bolton (13th), Burnley (11th), West Ham (18th), and Hull (19th). Your losses: Tottenham (4th), and Aston Villa (7th). When your beloved reds go out to Florence and get tagged by Fiorentina 2-0 (and my friend Kirk will testify that I warned that Jovetic would be the danger man in that game), it might suggest you aren't set up to beat a big boy in England, and that could keep you from winning the one trophy you claim to care about this season. Beat Chelsea on Sunday, and I'll feel differently about Liverpool's chances on the island.

The 60-something million Euros can be used to help Massimo Moratti get a nose job..................... Checking on my fearless prediction that Ibrahimovic would score more than 30 in La Liga games and Eto'o would score less than 25 in Serie A games: Zlatan Ibrahimovic has 5 goals through 5 games in La Liga, while Eto'o has 3 through 6 Italian top flight matches. At this pace: Ibrahimovic 38, Eto'o 19. So exactly how was this a better deal for Inter Milan?

Well at least Sheva didn't score at the Nou Camp.................................... in this edition of "I'm an AC Milan fan, FML." Milan have gone scoreless in their last three matches now; Champions League loss to FC Zurich yesterday 1-0, a 0-0 draw with Bari on Sunday (which they should have lost), and a 1-0 loss at Udinese last Wednesday. On those dates or thereabouts, here's a summary of men who could have been Milan players this season and how they performed:

• Kaka scored yesterday against Marseille in the Champions League, Sunday in league play against CD Tenerife (who is a promoted team like Bari) and last Wednesday at Villarreal.
• Edin Dzeko scored yesterday in the Champions League at Manchester United, over the weekend in league play against Hannover 96, and in a cup match last Wednesday against Koln.
• Luis Fabiano scored for Sevilla in the Champions League against Rangers on Tuesday.

So what exactly is that $95 million U.S. getting my favorite team? Well, a chunk was spent on Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who has scored, yep you guessed it, 0 goals so far this season.

Rachel Phelps: "I think he'll fit right in with our team concept."
Charlie Donovan: "That reminds me. I was going to ask you. What exactly is our team concept?"............................................................ So with the dreadful 1-0 home defeat to FC Zurich in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, Rossoneri supporters (like me) are tearing their hair out and cursing Berlusconi, Galliani and everyone associated with the embarrassment that has been going on at Milanello. It doesn't take a genius to see that losing a long-time coach, long-time captain, and former World Player of the Year all in one offseason would have its effects. When I saw Milan perform during the preseason, I declared "I'm going to be patient, I'm going to let them sort this all out and we'll in decent shape around the start of the Champions League." Well, time to now press the panic button. Everyone can blame Leonardo and his lack of experience as a manager, and it's very easy to do so. Probably the easiest thing to do is scapegoat the coach, and especially in this case a guy with NO coaching experience. However the problems do not start at Leonardo and they certainly don't end there.

The simple fact is that Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani, the chief figureheads of this team, have gone far too long with the same core of players. And whenever there was a glaring need to fill a position in the team, it was usually ignored and they would spend their transfer kitty on the next 30-something burnout, and most of the time he was Brazilian (see Rivaldo, Ronaldo ~fat one~, and Emerson, and pretty soon you can add Ronaldinho to the list though they got him at 28). Someone like Sir Alex Ferguson would have amicably split with players like Massimo Ambrosini, Kakha Kaladze, Marek Jankulovski, Massimo Oddo, Clarence Seedorf in some formal structured way after 2007, and yes even Pippo Inzaghi and Rino Gattuso (very beloved Milan players). If this approach was taken, you would have seen players like Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Luca Cigarini (Napoli), Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina), among others making a name for themselves in the red and black. Since we're stuck with the greybeards, here's how to make the season somewhat salvageable and perhaps set the team up long-term. Or what I would do if I had a say so at Milanello:

1. I paid good money for Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Huntelaar and Pato are my long-term strike partnership. They should be out on the pitch for as much as they possibly can, with having Inzaghi get the occasional game. I don't care about Huntelaar's struggles to find his way into the team, the best way to get him going is to play him. He's had a proven strike rate wherever he's gone. Marco Borriello is not a Milan player, no matter how much of a chance you think he deserves.
2. I give Massimo Oddo and Kakha Kaladze embroidered towels and part ways with them. Now. I won't get anything of value in return so I might as well wish them well. Same can be said for Dida. I'm only giving my goalkeeper coach headaches having him on board. Storari is my guy now, and Abbiati will get to prove he's still the #1. Flavio Roma I have to keep because I just got him.
3. I just opened up a non-EU spot on my roster by terminating Tabare Viudez' contract (I know you don't, he's a 20 year old playmaking midfielder from Uruguay). I'm celebrating New Year's in Sao Paulo, Brazil. On January 1st, I'm showing up at Sao Paulo FC's facility with a blank check asking "Write on that check what Hernanes is worth to you and I'll pay it (hoping he writes 'swap for Ronaldinho' but that's wishful thinking)." I immediately put Hernanes in the first 11 and in midfield with Flamini and Pirlo.
4. I tell David Beckham, "It was fun, but I have other ambitions this season. Thanks for your efforts last season. I have this boy Abate and I want to give him more chances."
5. Gattuso and Ambrosini can stay as long as they realize their appearances will be limited to Coppa Italia games and bottom feeders. Marek Jankulovski only gets games when I need width on the left and left-footed crossing.
6. I check with Ajax during the summer '10 transfer season to see if they are interested in having Clarence Seedorf close out his career in Amsterdam where it all started.
7. In the summer I bring back Alberto Paloschi from Parma, sell Marco Borriello to whatever Italian side wants him (likely a newly promoted team).
8. I tell Pato, "get off your ass and start playing like the next big thing you are supposed to be!"
9. I find out if Mr. Capello is getting bored in England after World Cup 2010 and wants to come home. If I'm denied, I ask Mr. Lippi if he would like to manage a club again. If Strike Two, why not ask Mr. Hiddink if he actually wants to manage a club again since it looks like my former coach is going to stay at Chelsea for a while. The worst that can happen is that I can be told no. My safe bet is that I can go to Florence and tempt Cesare Prandelli.
10. I give Leonardo his chance to fix this, but let him know I have quick hook.

And those are just 10 things I would do, I have a few more but I don't want to turn this completely into a Milan column.

Bits and pieces and bits and pieces. These are just some quick blurbs that I didn't want to spend an enormous amount of time on but get your attention with anyway. Some might be facts that you can use to impress your friends or that person of the opposite sex you are trying to attract:

1. The last three Champions League winners were losing semifinalists prior to the year they won: 2009 Barcelona (lost in semis to Man Utd in 2008), 2008 Man Utd (lost in semis to Milan in 2007), and 2007 Milan (lost in semis to Barcelona in 2006). Just something to get Chelsea and Arsenal fans excited.
2. Want a team to rip up the script in Spain? How about Sevilla. They have won 4 straight in La Liga since the opening loss to Valencia, sit three back of Real Madrid and Barcelona, are 2 for 2 in the Champions League, and are loaded. Luis Fabiano and Frederic Kanoute provide the scoring, and Jesus Navas, Adriano (not that one), and Renato providing the playmaking.
3. The German Bundesliga is picking up where it left off last year if you want a league that will be filled with goals. Four teams (Hamburg- 17, Wolfsburg- 15, Leverkusen- 14, Hoffenheim- 14) are averaging 2 goals a game through 7 games.
4. If you want an intriguing, fly under the radar Champions League matchup for Matchdays 3 and 4, have look at the ties between Bayern Munich and Bordeaux. They are joint top of Group A on four points each, and Bordeaux has been near flawless in France with 19 out of possible 21 points to start the season (3 goals conceded in 7 games). Additionally, it will be a great proving ground for Yoann Gourcuff that he is the best French player and not Franck Ribery.
5. If the Italian teams want to keep their 4 team allocation for the Champions League, then AC Milan, Inter, and Juventus (all sitting third in their groups) better get on with it.

So thanks for taking the time to read and let me stand on my football soapbox, keep on enjoying the beautiful game and let me know what you're grouchy about in this sport.