Plan the Work, Work the Plan

My vacation plans fell through for this summer. Usually I go to the Neshoba County Fair, spending a couple of days with extended family in ridiculously hot conditions, having some beers, watching people and catching up on cousins, aunt, uncles, that sort of thing. This year I was planning on going to Atlanta during that time with Erin to spend a couple of days away, but that plan was put on hold because she couldn't get out of work (two experienced co-workers left, leaving her as the most senior employee). I then started looking into doing a soccer trip, either to the East Coast to see Juventus, Manchester United and FC Barcelona on tour, or to the Pacific Northwest to check out the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders and maybe the Vancouver Whitecaps. Between money and time, that trip never came together. It's something I definitely want to investigate for next summer.

So an extended trip away is probably not going to happen this summer, which is fine. But what to do what my vacation days from work? I've decided to try to attempt a practice sabbatical. Written into our employee handbook itstates:

After every five years of full time service, full time employees will be eligible for a three month paid leave of absence.

Guess what? On January 2nd, 2012 I will have put five years in, and I have already put together a tentative schedule.

Possible Sabbatical Schedule (sometime in May through end of July):

Euro 2012

June 8 - July 1

Site: the bar(s)

MLS trip?

Pacific NW

Neshoba County Fair

July 27- August 3

Site: Neshoba County, MS

So come back from the Fair and back to work just in time for the Annual Franchisee Meeting.

Besides watching soccer, what else am I going to do? I plan to finally sit down and write, type up and edit all the crap I've been jotting down over the years. I have an idea for a second story, but first I need to edit and post the first one. That will be job one. Job two, will be to assemble the raw materials for my next whatever it is I do. This is all assuming that I edit and finish all previous materials over the winter. To prepare for all of this, I plan to take long weekends, four to five days, where I simulate what this might look like. You have to practice? Absolutely. If I have time off with no plan, ie nothing to do, I will do nothing. I mean I'll play FIFA and read and watch TV and sit around but I won't get to this stuff sitting in the corner of my closet.

I plan to use these days to help set habits to be the most effective. I start this weekend, taking Thursday and Friday off, plus having Saturday mostly to myself, to get my new soccer blog ready. I have been wanting do this for a while and things came together to launch it in anticipation of the upcoming season. I want to have a lot of new material ready ahead of time to supplement some older posts and the new posts that will be generated from the events of the season. Discipline is the only way the blog will be dynamic. If I wait until the mood hits, the blog will be boring (even more boring that it may be) and will die a slow death. So Thursday morning I am going to get up and hit the ground running, and this will be the first day of a ten month process to get me ready for my sabbatical next summer.

Strip Club—FC Barcelona Dollar Dance

It’s a less than a month until the new soccer season kicks off. I was going to do a semi-comprehensive review of upcoming kits for the 2011-12 season but @footballfashion has already done most of the heavy lifting and I’m lazy, so I strongly encourage you to visit their site (they cover a lot of ground) and get ready for some eye candy and horror shows for this campaign.

http://footballfashion.org/wordpress/

Also, @avoidingthedrop did a winners and losers post for this year:

http://bit.ly/qHmlwj

It’s a nice smattering of kits, with an emphasis on the EPL. Follow the comment thread for comments from the readership.

Instead, I will focus on the clubs I follow and some of the items that have caught my eye as I have browsed the interweb.

FC Barcelona

Home: http://bit.ly/qUA0O5

For this season, Nike went to thinner stripes with some sort of asymmetrical design, and after a couple of views, the kit grew on me.

Away: http://bit.ly/mOZnQ8

I love the black away kit. FCB is going to look badass in those (can you imagine them wearing that in the Bernabeu next year—all white versus all black?!?!) and this jersey is ten times better than the yellow, neon yellow, mint green, salmon and teal versions of the last couple of years.

Now there is some consternation re: the sponsors. I admit I don’t know enough to say whether The Qatar Foundation should or shouldn’t be sponsoring a team. FCB joined the 21^st century and is getting 125 million Euros over the next 5 years. Enough said. UNICEF gets pushed to back(side) but what are you going to do? Money talks.

Futbol Time Management

A couple of weeks ago on the World Football Phone In, as a result of Sean Wheelock’s rant against Beckham’s trip to the Royal Wedding, Dotun started a rant segment at the end of the show. Wheelock stepped forward again and made some interesting comments about US soccer fans. In short, he said that he can’t stand footy fans in this country ignoring the domestic league. He went on to say that unless the fans that are following the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, etc., get invested in the MLS, the league will never hit the heights it is capable of. I was struck by his statements and almost quit the run I was on. It was if he was speaking directly to me.

When I first started following footy in the early 90’s, there was no US league, barely even a US team. Coverage basically consisted of World Soccer and FourFourTwo, week old London Sunday Times, with TV games hard to the find—odd Champions League game or an English game on PPV. To put it in context now, Americans can now see more European games than they can handle: Spanish and German games on GolTV, English and Italian on FSC, and a host of leagues on ESPN3. To put a further point on it, in 20 years we have gone from only seeing the FA Cup Final to watching Gary Neville’s testimonial live.

Then in 1996, MLS launched and Eric Wynalda scored that first goal and things were up and running. I originally started following DC United in the MLS. The team had Ben Olsen, who I really liked as a player, and they had a simple uniform, which was in stark contrast to the Nike pieces of crap during that time (insert pics).

DC was a little far away, so I followed them as best I could and would go and see them at Soldier Field in Chicago when the Fire started up. Fortunately I picked a team who was successful out of the gate, reaching the first four MLS Cup Finals, winning three of them. But in the end, I felt the quality of the games was poor, especially compared to other European leagues I was watching. The breaking point was the 1999 MLS final at Foxboro. The pitch looked terrible, with the American football lines still visible; Harkes and Lalas part of the halftime analysis (a vision of things to come); and the game wasn’t that compelling. I was like if you are not going to take this seriously, then neither am I.

The following summer I bought Euro 2000 on PPV, after that, I was hooked on European soccer. I watched a tournament that was exciting, dramatic, and fun to watch. There was no way I could go back to the Wiz v the Burn. In the fall of 2000 United were in the midst of three straight league titles, plus their amazing Treble season; Juventus, after reaching three straight Champions League Finals, were rebuilding; Real Madrid had captured 2 out of the last three Champions League titles and were heading towards a third in five years. Plus qualification for the World Cup in Japan/South Korea was starting.

In the intervening years I have tried to keep track of the league as a whole through websites, blogs and social media, even with the ridiculous team names, but for me, it comes down to time. I only have so much time during the week to scour the internet for articles and info and only so much time on the weekends to get drunk at the bar or watch legal and illegal feeds online. I have to use that time wisely. Plus I started have family and time is at a premium, which further reduces discretionary time. There are only so many hours in a day, so I choose to follow the big three leagues with occasional glances at Holland, Germany, and France.

And I am able to see all of these leagues because US networks sense the need to provide it. If there was not audience for European leagues, networks would not provide the platforms. Simple supply and demand. Consumers want the best product, and that product is currently in Europe, specifically at FC Barcelona. I want the kids of America dreaming of being Leo Messi and Xavi, not Landon Donovan and .

And let me say there that presentation of MLS is lacking. Soccer Night in America? Really. Has NBC sued for that yet? I would argue that between all the levels of soccer in this country, every night is Soccer Night in America. New slogan or new campaign.

So if it’s a choice between FCB/Villarreal and Colorado/Houston, I’m going La Liga. Or United/Spurs against Chicago/New York, I’m going with the Reds. I would rather watch a game of a high technical level or high energy and passion instead of a glorified High School game. In the past ten years I have probably seen a dozen MLS games in their entirety and have left feeling underwhelmed in the main.

When the Sounders launched in 2009 with accompanying excitement and fanfare, I didn’t get on the bandwagon. Last fall and winter I sensed the buzz around the Portland Timbers and wanted to jump in but work took over and I missed another chance to get in on the ground floor. I told myself after Wheelock’s comments that I would give the league another go this summer, but there’s Gold Cup and Copa America to watch, plus vacation and general sitting around to be done. For me, I may be an American but the game I love is in Europe, and what little time I have to devote to it will be spent watching from across the pond instead of my backyard.

Conflicted but Satisfied--UCL Final review

Going into the game, I felt the following: conflicted (read my preview post); confident that MUFC would score at least one goal; and worried for FCB in regards to the pitch, which tends to play and heavy, and the travel plans, which were changed due to the ashcloud again.

The conflict inside me affected more than I thought it would. After getting all of my housework done, I took a shower and got ready to go to the bar. I had decided to go jersey neutral, so I was then left with a decision of what to wear. I settled on a blue oxford button up, which is crazy because I never, ever dress up, but there I was in a dress shirt and jeans.

In the weeks leading up to the game, a lineup had materialized for United. Chicarito would lead the attack and trouble the backline of the opponent; Rooney would be able to have some space to attack and would help the center mids; Valencia and Park would work the wings in both directions; and the partnership of Ferdinand and Vidic would be rock solid in the middle. The only debates were whether O’Shea or Fabio would start and whether Carrick would keep his spot. Berbatov wasn’t going to start (turns out he didn’t even make the bench), and Nani was a question due to his defensive weaknesses. The lineup that had gotten them this far, including huge wins in the EPL and Champions League against Chelsea would be the team that would face FCB, and was a team that I was sure would score.

The New Wembley has been less than spectacular. The field cuts up and the players look like they are playing in quicksand. I felt the slow surface might be factor, especially if the game became a dog fight. This would hurt MUFC, but at least they would be used to it. As for FCB, while the Nou Camp pitch has hand some issues this season, it is always slick. Travel plans usually don’t factor into game prep, but in this case, it was a key item of analysis. Barcelona travel to away games the day of in the league. Except for a crazy trip to Osasuna earlier in the year, this works for them. For European games they arrive with one day to spare. Due to the ashcloud, they could not fly and wanted to avoid a train ride, so they flew in on Tuesday. Taking a team out of their routine was a concern because Pep is very meticulous in his preparation and execution. Plus he preaches comfort, letting players stay at home for as long as possible, so being cooped up in a hotel for several days had to be a touch unsettling.

After all the hype and potential issues and words written, the game kicked off and it was simply 2009 all over again. United harrying and pressing and making FCB uncomfortable. Valdez quick reactions saved the proverbial bacon and allowed the Blaugrana to finally settle in after about 20 minutes. The absence of Puyol was noticeable, as Mascherano struggled in possession and team shape. From there, tika taka took over, with Messi committing half the United team, passing to Xavi who slipped in Pedro, and he opened the scoring with a composed finish. Vidic and Evra were ball watching and did not react to the danger. One day I want to put together a goal compilation involving Vidic. Seems like every goal scored has him sliding at the last second as the goal keeper is beaten.

United responded quickly and decisively. Amazing interplay led to Giggs finding Rooney and he fired in a shot, which gave VV almost no chance. Game on. Halftime came with FCB in control but frustrated and the Red Devils teetering. Carrick looked lost, never venturing very far from Vidic and Ferdinand. Valencia was almost invisible and balls over the top to the Little Pea were wasted, either because they rolled to the keeper or he was offside. In my halftime phone call to Erik, I said if the second half starts as the first half ended, there can only be one result.

FCB were majestic in the second period. Their intricate possession kept United at arms length and resulted in an exquisite finish from Messi as no one closed him down. Moments before the goal, I told a fan at the bar that FCB had control in the first half but were not dangerous. Stay organized and focused, and if Messi beats you from 25 yards, which he rarely does, you have to live with that. Then he fired the ball in and there was no way back.

Ferguson was forced into a change when Fabio pulled up in jured, and moved Valencia to right back and brought on Nani. The sub made sense; bringing on an attacking player and going for the equalizer. But questions remain why Berbatov was left completely off the team sheet and why Anderson did not come on. Surely Anderson for Carrick would have been better than Scholes. The problem with Nani’s introduction was that Nani’s first touch was a turnover that led to Villa receiving the ball and hitting a shot of such power and accuracy that even Messi fell to his knees in admiration and exultation.

3-1 up with 20 minutes to go, the game slipped away from a United short of ideas, energy and poise. Ferguson learned from two years ago but it didn’t matter. His team simply isn’t good enough. Maybe if Fletcher had played, he could have won the center mid battle; maybe if United could have been rewarded from all of that early pressure; maybe if the team had concentrated during the key moments.

Maybes but no matter. We are in the presence of greatness, the greatness of Pep and Messi and FC Barcelona. After a night’s sleep, I awoke with this thought: this Barca are this generation’s AC Milan. I was too young and unaware to witness the wondrous Rossoneri teams of Sacchi and Capello, who were in charge of Van Basten, Rijkaard, Guillt, Baresi, and Desailly.

From 1987 to 1996, these teams accomplished the following:

*5 Scudetti in nine seasons, with 2 second place finishes, including a 58 game league unbeaten streak

*1 Coppa Italia Runners-Up

*3 European Cup/Champions League titles and 2 more Finals

Now look at the achievements of FC Barcelona from 2005-2011 (Rijkaard/Guardiola):

*5 La Liga titles, including 3 straight La Liga titles, with points totals for the last two in the 90’s.

*1 Copa del Rey title, with a semi in 2010 and a Final appearance this year.

*2 Champions League titles in the last three years, 3 in the last six and in at least the semi-finals the last four years.

What can the Blaugrana accomplish in the next three or four years? In a word, everything. Their team is in their prime, with replacements only needed for Xavi and Puyol, and the youth team continues to generate talent with money available for a big name if needed. The club is poised legendary greatness, and. in the end, I wanted FCB to win because, in 10, 20, 30 years, I want everyone to look back and remember a team that was wonderful to watch, a team that brought joy and excitement to the European stage, a team that deserves a spot in the pantheon of historical giants.

My conflict going into the game was alleviated by the quality and energy of the game. Chances at both ends, a better performance by United, a clinic by the Blaugrana, and dazzling goals from the star players. In the end, the best team won, and seeing Abidal lifting the cup after having a cancerous tumor removed just months ago was an emotional finale to a great match. Bring on next season as FCB try to match four straight league titles of Cruyff’s Dream Team and go for another sextuple.

Conflicted--A Champions League Preview

The stage has been set, and FCB and MUFC will play on May 28^th in the 2011 Champions League Final. MUFC breezed through the semis, sending out a Carling cup side in the second leg to crush Schalke 4-1 on the night, while FCB survived four El Clasicos in 18 days to prevail 3-1 on aggregate, in a tie complete with playacting, moments of brilliance, red cards and conspiracy theories. Both teams won their first European Cups at the old Wembley (MUFC in ’68 and FCB in ’92); both teams have been at the forefront of domestic and continental competitions over the last 10 years; and both teams met in the final two years ago.

In 2009, I went off the grid and waited to watch the Champions League Final between Barcelona and Manchester United on replay. After work and coaching a local girls high school team, I settled down at my favorite pub and watched as FCB connected five passes backwards to Valdes, who kicked the ball into touch. The match started weirdly for FCB and for me, and, while it got better for the Blaugrana, it never improved for me.

I didn’t know who I wanted to win the game, in a match that went back and forth, United have a couple of early chances. But then E’too popped up and clipped the ball over Van de Sar, and suddenly it was 1-0 FCB. Usually when Barca score I’m pounding the table, internally screaming my head off, yet at that moment I was conflicted. Manchester United were going after back to back League and European Doubles, which would have been an amazing achievement, while FCB were going for a historic treble under first year coach and former player Pep Guardiola. I follow both teams, with United being my first love, and Barcelona being my current girlfriend, and Juventus, the chick I call up in the middle of the night.

Two years ago, Ferguson got it all wrong, marooning Rooney on the left where he never got involved and sticking Ronaldo up top where he was not quite as dangerous. The midfield never came to grips with the game and the defense could only hold out for so long. However, I think United are in a better position to win this time around. They are more organized, Rooney has found a position behind the striker and Valencia and Nani are quite the tandem on the outside. This team does not blind you with their star power, but as a unit they are quite good and squeeze the most out of the individual parts.

FCB swept all before them in 2009, dominating MUFC on their way to a historic treble. Some of the players have changed, especially in attack (Villa and Pedro), and this time they should have a first choice defense as opposed to Rome where it was held together with tape and string. The blaugrana probably peaked just before the New Year and are not hitting the heights of earlier this season. Their possession is still quite impressive, but they have been lacking in finishing and have had defensive frailties exposed to a certain extent.

Now two years on, I am faced with the same quandary. United have ground out results on all fronts and are on the cusp of an amazing return. They are not super sexy with CR7 running around or Rooney and Tevez buzzing around creating havoc. Barcelona, in the meantime, could add to their legacy, winning a second European Cup in 3 years to go along with three league titles in a row. If they win at Wembley, it would be 6 major trophies (League, Cup, Continental) out of 9, plus two Spanish Super Cups, a European Super Cup, and a World Club Cup.

The game is still a couple of weeks away, and it will be hard to watch it as a neutral. Right now I’m leaning towards FCB, only because I want history to remember this team. Next year they will challenge the Dream Team for four titles in a row, and if they have a second Champions League to go with four straight semi-final appearances, they may go down as the best Barcelona side ever. United’s run has already been undermined. Weak league, a lame defeat to City in the FA Cup and a less than impressive run to the Final (Marseille—blech; Chelsea—underperformed; Schalke—crapped the bed)

This pinnacle of club football should be an enthralling afternoon, but already it feels muted. Part of that comes from what Soccernomics would call being a polygamous fan. Gone are the days when it was one fan, one club for life. Here I am “devoted” to several teams, my emotions and time splintered instead of deeply rooted in one team. Maybe by gameday I will have to come to some sort of peace about the game. If not, I’ll just have a couple of pints and hope there is a footballing spectacle on show.

Old Futbol Buffet--All You Can Eat

Editor’s Note: after weekends I gorge myself on footy, I plan to post on what I saw, heard, thought. This is a little late because I lost my flash drive (momentarily) and then was on the road for work.

Saturday

The rest of the family was away, so I was given free reign over the weekend to watch footy and basketball. I missed the Manchester United game (BERBA BABY!!) but got some work down around the house and headed out for the afternoon matches.

Ran into a couple of Arsenal fans who were drowning their sorrows after the Gunners dropped more points in a 2-2 draw with West Brom. They mentioned that Alumnia had a poor game, which is usual. I watched the hilites later and his contribution to a calamitous second goal. Looks like his fine performance against FCB in the second leg really is the anomaly.

The couple conceded the league to United, but there is still a ways to go. However, the loss in the Carling Cup Final has really put the pressure on them. No trophy from a match which they were heavily favored, and now the club out of Champions League and FA Cup. Everything is tied up in the league or it’s another season of “Wait til next year”.

I watched the end of Lazio and Cesena. Not too much happened. Lazio had a point blank header saved but picked up all three points in 1-0 win.

FCB v Getafe

FCB got off to a nervy start due several factors: Real Madrid playing after so the Blaugrana had to put three points on the board; Puyol out still; and the drama around Abidal. A goal by Alves on 16’ seemed to settle the team. Messi was dangerous but not sharp enough; Villa was looking for PK’s instead of finishing his chances. Bojan was lively but still not up to Pedro’s high standards. The midfield was solid, with Masch winning several challenges. Milito was shaky, but with his injuries and lack of playing time, what do you expect? Felt Adriano could have played better.

Getafe had a great chance to equalize, but Valdes came up huge. FCB continued to create chances but the HT whistle blew with only one goal being scored. Last week Sevilla came out of the blocks in the second half and surely that was part of Pep’s comments during the interval.

Bojan, who has been marginalized over the last two seasons, scored a vital goal early in the second half. It took a slight deflection but will probably do wonders for his confidence. The third goal never came and Getafe set up an interesting finish with a fine finish by Manu. FCB saw out the match and put pressure on Los Merengues heading into the Madrid Derby (which of course they against the choking dogs know as Atletico Madrid).

Sunday

Athletic Bilbao v Villarreal

Watched the last half an hour of this match while watching the Duke/Michigan game. Looked like a tense, hard fought game but I didn’t see much action. The Yellow Submarine picked up three vital points with the 1-0 victory to solidify their spot in the top four and keep the pressure on Valencia. This followed an impressive victory in the Europa League. They continue to fight on both fronts, with very little chance of losing their Champions League position, because, skimming results, Espanyol have lost 7 of their last 9 to fall away from the Champions League places. They are now 1^st for the rest of the table, holding a one point edge over Bilbao.

At the bottom, Malaga have finally caught fire and now have the momentum in the relegation fight. Hercules have hit rock bottom and look to go down despite being the only team to beat FCB this season. The relegation battles in Spain and England should be nail-biting right to the last minute of the season.

Marseille v PSG

I usually have not been impressed by French games, but the first half was very open and entertaining. OM really took it to PSG, which looked very average. Lots of turnovers and too much hesitation when they finally got into the final third.

Heinze opened the scoring 15’ with a fantastic free kick. Coupet didn’t even move. Who knew he could take free kicks? However PSG took advantage of poor clearance, and scored when a shot off the post from Nene was fired home by Chantome. OM responded quickly and Ayew scored with a relatively free header from Gignac to put the Champions in front on 35’.

The exciting first half caused two thoughts: Where was this against United? And I had made the right choice as Valencia v Sevilla was 0-0 at HT.

The second half was a little more disciplined. PSG really didn’t create enough chances, even though Marseille looked to have settled for the lead and invited PSG on to them.

Ayew had a great chance after a fine individual run turned away by Coupet, then Mandanda kept PSG out with a nice save 10’ into the half. Lucho and Abriel came on with half an hour to try to maintain OM’s grip on the game.

Guily best chance came with 10’ to go with interplay creating a real chance on goal as opposed to the half chances for most of the half. PSG threw bodies forward in an effort to equalize and OM squandered two gilt edged chances to kill off the game, with Lucho and Remy at fault.

After that result, this what the top of Ligue 1 looks like. With OM out of the Champions League, they could still make a final push to retain their title.

Lille	28	15	10	3	22	55
Marseille	28	14	9	5	17	51
Rennes	28	14	8	6	11	50
Lyon	28	13	10	5	21	49
PSG	28	12	9	7	12	45

La Liga Lowdown - Round 22

Boring, Boring Barcelona edition

How great is it that 20 years ago, you couldn’t see a soccer game on TV, and now you can’t keep up. Between ESPN3.com, golTV and FSC, plus all of the internet streams legal or otherwise, there are games on all the time. I am constantly figuring out which games I can watch live or on replay, trying to hit my biggies (FCB, Manchester United, and Juventus) while getting a smattering of other teams and leagues. Focusing on FCB, here are the results of the last couple of matches I’ve been able to watch live or on replay since November’s El Clasico:

Espanyol 5-1 2-0 at HT

Athletic Bilbao 0-0 0-0 at HT

Athletic Bilbao 1-1 0-0 at HT

Malaga 4-1 3-0 at HT

Almeria 5-0 4-0 at HT

Atletico Madrid 3-0 2-0 at HT

If you take away the cup tie against Bilbao, which was tense and physical, FCB have taken several opponents out to the woodshed. I actually turned the Almeria Copa del Rey game off at halftime because I had to get back to work. Well let's be honest here. I was bored. Can I say that? FCB are so good right now that watching them has become tedious. Yes, an effort. The Blaugrana possess the ball anywhere from 65 to 75 percent of the time, poking at and stretching out the opponent until they finally carve them up to create a scoring opportunity. Then they score and do it again and again. During Satruday’s game against Atletico Madrid, I found myself constantly checking the Juventus/Caligari game, and, when that was over, checking email and Facebook and twitter, all the while lamenting the fact that I missed the greatest day in EPL history.

How can I witness one of the great club sides in recent memory, quite possibly ever, and yet be more concerned with my Facebook status and twitter timeline? Several reasons. Xavi to Iniesta to Xavi to Alves to Messi to Xavi and so on is mesmerizing but, once the result is secured, can be a little repetitive. I have some form of ADD and need to be constantly entertained. The opponents. Most teams park the proverbial bus right away. BORING. Some teams are great on the counter so that can be exciting. Still others try to out Barcelona Barcelona with high pressure and these tend to be the best encounters. The last two categories account for about five clubs, so there are 14 barricades or white flags thrown up. Yawn. Finally, let's face it, barring injury, the league is all but over already. Real Madrid have gone seven points down, which is essentially eight due to head to head goal difference. Barcelona have now won 16 league games in a row which means the league is over in February. It's not even a two horse race anymore.

However, all is not lost. Here are the upcoming fixtures:

Sporting Gijon v Barcelona

Arsenal v Barcelona

Barcelona v Athletic Bilbao

Mallorca v Barcelona

Valencia v Barcelona

Barcelona v Real Zaragoza

Barcelona v Arsenal

Sevilla FC v Barcelona

My guess is that once the Champions League starts up again, the thrill of watching the Blaugrana will return. Playing Arsenal in games that mean something should install a spark of intensity that will get the fire going again. Plus Bilbao and Valencia usually give FCB a tough game. More games means more rotation, so different players will be used in the league fixtures, which means the gap between Barcelona and their opponents will close, providing a more competitive environment. All of this leads to mid-April and two Clasicos in four days. First at the Bernabeu in the league (4/17) and then the Copa del Rey final on 4/20 as FCB will go for their second domestic double in three years.

I should continue to broaden my horizons in La Liga anyway. I think I've seen every team at least once, but I need to focus more on the bottom end of the table, as there is very compelling relegation battle forming.

R Zaragoza	22	5	8	9	-13	23
Sporting	22	5	7	10	-8	22
Osasuna	22	5	7	10	-8	22
Hercules	22	6	4	12	-14	22
Racing	22	5	7	10	-14	22
Deportivo	22	5	7	10	-15	22
Levante	22	6	3	13	-11	21
Almeria	22	4	8	10	-15	20
Málaga	22	5	3	14	-19	18

Malaga may go down despite their Qatari money; Hercules may go down despite their great start; Deportivo was a big name just 5 years ago and will be fighting for their spot to the bitter end this season. A nine team Battle Royale is on the cards and should provide some wonderful entertainment, while, at the top, FCB tries to win everything again.

Taking One for the Team

So while you were working and I probably should have been, I was checking out games around Europe.

Real Madrid 2 AC Milan 0

This match was a test of the “new” Madrid, the one that’s fun, but organized, stylish, yet disciplined and full of goals versus the aging Milan team that has decided to quasi-Galactico themselves (Ibra and Robinho for starters).

I got pulled into meeting at work and missed most of the match, but fortunately I was able to see the goals. The wall for CR7’s free kick was shameful. Ibra was a kitty kat and moved, which allowed the ball through and gave the keeper no chance. Almost immediately after CR7 got down the left side and set up Ozil whose shot was deflected in. 2 goals in 2 minutes set Real on their way.

When I came back, AC Milan still looked abject going forward, with the Ibra/Dinho/Pato line not putting fear into anyone. The only positive moment I saw was a Pirlo free kick denied by St. Iker. And this team is in second place in Serie A?

Real Madrid are all but in the next round with 9 points, but the knockout phase is where the Special One will have to earn his money. AC Milan are now in a tie with Ajax on four points and will need some sort of result in a couple of weeks at home versus Los Merengues.

I was in real conflict about Wednesday games. Here were my choices:

FCB v Copenhagen

FCB is a team I follow closely, but I figured they would wipe the floor with the Danes.

Rangers v Valencia

Valencia is a Spanish team (La Liga Lowdown plug), and I wanted to how they responded to their defeat to FCB, but I feared it would be a dour match.

United v Bursaspor

I wanted to watch United after the whole Rooney soap opera of the last few days.

Inter v Spurs

This match promised to be exciting with Spurs shaky defensively in their first real test in the CL.

I ended up watching the Barcelona game. Minutes before the match, I checked the starting lineup and saw this midfield—Maxwell, Mascherano, Busquets. I immediately placed a bet on the under (3.5). Barca has not won a game that Masch has started and Maxwell was terrible in this role last season.

The match kicked off with the usual FCB pressure and Villa had a chance hit the crossbar. I’m not sure what happened between that and Messi’s goal on 19 minutes because Twitter was going absolutely nuts re: the Inter/Spurs game. I was tempted to switch over for entertainment value but stayed on task.

The second half started and Copenhagen stayed compact and hit the break with numbers. If Santin wasn’t such a worthless piece of crap they have even scored. Example #1: in the first half, Santin stopped on a 1 v 1 because he thought he was offside. #2 N’Doye hit a thunderous shot off the cross bar and Santin, with the goal at his mercy, headed the ball wide. He was finally subbed with 15 minutes to go.

As happened in the Rubin Kazan game, a Barca turnover allowed their opponents to try score from midfield. Pinto was able to backpedal and tip it over. From there Barcelona closed out the game, with a couple of half chances and Messi finally added the second late in regulation.

FCB maintain their 100% record but were below their usual high standards and Copenhagen, who dropped their first points of the group stage, really made them work for the three points and sit in second. Since Pana and Rubin played out a scoreless draw, if the Danes can get a draw at home they will have a real chance at progressing to the knockout stage.

After the Barca game, I watched highlights of the Rangers game.

Rangers 1 Valencia 1

Highlights: http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/rangers-valencia-longer-7275111/

In a game reminiscent of Scotland/Spain, Rangers hit Los Che on the counter and really should have had several goals in the first half. The breakthrough came on Edu’s header, for which he got punched in the face. He had another chance which crashed off the post and Miller put it out, almost for a throw-in. While Caesar played well, Kenny Miller was guilty of squandering several chances.

Early in the second half, Edu had a well placed header; unfortunately it was into his own net. That led to a period in which Valencia was in the ascendancy. Rangers slowly came back into in the end and Steven Davis had a chance to score but Caesar was equal to it.

Even though Rangers got the draw, they are in a tough spot. Of the three games remaining, only one is at home, against United. They still have to travel to Valencia and Bursa. Can’t see them winning one of those games outright, and they will need to because Valencia has Bursaspor at home, which should be 3 pts for the Spainards and may tip the balance for second.

Red Bull Salzburg 1 Juventus 1

Highlights: http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/salzburg-juventus-7283811/

I affectionately called this match the Energy Drinks versus the Old Lady, and the Energy Drinks came out flying. They were all over the Bianconeri and tested Manninger several times. Juve looked lost without Krasic out wide and Aquilani in the middle. Red Bull were rewarded with a goal thru Dusan Svento when he cut in from the left and scored a brilliant goal.

The new Nedved came on at halftime and immediately scored. Juve couldn’t push on and were lucky to get a point. Amauri and Momo were terrible as usual, giving the ball away needlessly and contributing very little. Juve as a whole looked flat and were missing the edge shown in the games against City, Inter and Lecce.

Three draws in three games puts the pressure on the Old Lady. They really need to win the return fixture against Red Bull because I don’t see them beating City or getting three points in Poland.