tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56394742809335696912024-01-26T13:50:57.968-05:00Soccer SourceBecause soccer is like life, only more important.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.comBlogger493125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-17884996680188407802017-11-05T20:24:00.000-05:002017-11-06T16:28:59.924-05:00The world's top five soccer clubs in the world as of Nov. 6, 2017It was an eventful week with two matches each for the top soccer clubs in Europe -- and therefore the world (Yes we're making that statement. Shouldn't really be debatable though we have anointed the <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-in.html#noneuro">best team from outside Europe</a> once more, just like we did <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/counting-down-five-best-soccer-teams-in.html#noneuro">last week</a> and the <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-as-of.html#noneuro">week before</a>). <b>This post has been updated </b>with an <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-in.html#also">honorable mention list of clubs</a> that are knocking on the door of the #top5 (yes that's going viral). But here are this week's best, in ascending order:<br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="5">5. Tottenham Hotspur</a></h3><b>Last week's spot:</b> None.<br />
<b>Record in all competition:</b> 11-3-3 (11 wins, 3 losses, 3 ties)<br />
<b>Notable results: </b> Lost at home to Chelsea (by 2-1 on Aug. 20), beat Borussia Dortmund (3-1, Sept. 13), drew at Real Madrid (1-1, Oct. 17), beat Liverpool (4-1, Oct. 22), lost at Manchester United (1-0, Oct. 28), beat Real at home (3-1, Nov. 1).<br />
<b>Last week:</b> The win over Real Madrid in Champions League play at midweek, edged Crystal Palace 1-0 yesterday. <br />
<b>Discussion:</b> They're back. After a one-week absence, Spurs return to the top 5 thanks to their <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/11/spurs-show-real-madrid-whos-boss-assert.html">historic beatdown</a> of Real Madrid. The <a href="https://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/11/subpar-spurs-eke-out-victory-they.html">win over Palace</a> was far less impressive and actually could have gone the other way had it not been for some heroics from Tottenham's third-string goalkeeper. Injuries have reared their head: Harry Kane is starting games but clearly not at full strength. Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and Hugo Lloris are out. So too is the reserve goalkeeper Michel Vorm, which is what led to Paulo Gazzaniga starting against Palace. Now <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4849739/harry-winks-injured-tottenham-england/">Harry Winks is hurt too</a>. Despite this, Spurs managed to get the result they needed yesterday and that is exactly what a top team does. We said Spurs asserted themselves as one of the best teams in Europe with the Real victory. We're sticking to that and not just because <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbymcmahon/2017/11/01/tottenham-hotspur-overwhelm-real-madrid-and-the-result-will-reverberate-around-the-world/#5e47f1105340">pundits have agreed with us</a> (we like it more when pundits disagree, frankly, though we do <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2007/11/with-carson-in-goal-england-cannot-fail.html">sometimes make it easy for them</a>, admittedly). Yes, Tottenham are just third in the Premiership but that's thanks to a weak start when the Wembley hoodoo took its toll (or more like the team needed to adjust to its temporary home). While it's also true that Real are not playing their best, the margin of victory and thorough dismantling of reigning European champions still carry a lot of weight. This is what makes Spurs the fifth-best team on the planet right now, in our estimation.<br />
<b>The road ahead: </b>The North London Derby against Arsenal is first up after the international break, on Nov. 18. That game is at the Emirates. No question who the favorite should be for this, though maybe not if Kane has to sit it out.<br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="4">4. FC Barcelona</a></h3><b>Last week:</b> <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/counting-down-five-best-soccer-teams-in.html#1">First</a>.<br />
<b>Record in all competition: </b>14-0-2<br />
<b>Notable results: </b>Beat Juventus (3-0, Sept. 12), drew at Atletico Madrid (1-1, Oct. 14).<br />
<b>Last week:</b> Drew at Olympiakos in the Champions League, beat Sevilla on Saturday in La Liga.<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> Barca remain unbeaten but the scoreless draw at Olympiakos was enough to dock them three spots in the ranking seeing how the teams behind them won both their games convincingly. <a href="https://www.barcablaugranes.com/barcelona-uefa-champions-league/2017/11/1/16589270/champions-league-talking-points-olympiacos-0-0-barcelona">Several things plagued Barca during this game</a>, chief among them Luis Suarez's loss of form, according to our friends BarcaBlauGranes.com. While the victory over Sevilla was impressive enough (the Andalusian side were fifth coming into the match), the ranking committee remains nonplussed by the quality of la Liga this season. <a href="https://en.as.com/en/2017/11/01/opinion/1509524791_179910.html">Spanish media share our concerns</a>. Valencia, with no European fixtures at all (not even Europa League qualifiers), are second. Spanish teams have few quality victories over European competition. Barca did beat Juventus, but that club too has had a few struggles. Add it all up and Barca are simply not the best team in the world right now. Or even the second-best. Or the third-best. What they are, is fourth best. So says us. <br />
<b>The road ahead: </b>Visit Leganes and visit Juventus immediately after the international break. The clash with Real Madrid is on Wednesday, Dec. 20, in case you were wondering. At the Bernabeu. Midweek. <br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="3">3. Bayern Munich</a></h3><b>Last week's spot:</b> <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/counting-down-five-best-soccer-teams-in.html#4">Fourth</a>.<br />
<b>Record in all competition:</b> 15-2-2<br />
<b>Notable results:</b> lost to Paris Saint German (3-0, Sept. 27), won at Borussia Dortmund (3-1, Nov. 4).<br />
<b>Last week:</b> Two wins, over Celtic in the Champions League (2-1) and Borussia in Bundesliga play. <br />
<b>Discussion:</b> Make it seven victories in a row since Jupp Heynckes took control of the Bavarian juggernaut. Bayern had no real trouble with Celtic at midweek and piled the misery on poor Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Dortmund have won just one of their last seven games and that was a cup tie against Magdeburg, some lower division side. Still, a win at Dortmund is a win at Dortmund and Bayern did that convincingly. They now lead the Bundesliga by four points over RB Leipzig. Dortmund, despite their miserable form, sit third. Bayern are in good shape in their Champions League group with nine points from four games and are effectively through to the next round. They're unlikely to win the group, seeing how PSG have a goal difference of 17 scored, 0 conceded.<br />
<b>The road ahead:</b> Host Augsburg and visit Anderlecht when teams return from the international break.<br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="2">2. Paris Saint Germain</a></h3><b>Last week's spot:</b> <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/counting-down-five-best-soccer-teams-in.html#3">Third</a>.<br />
<b>Record in all competition: </b>13-0-2<br />
<b>Notable results:</b> Beat Bayern Munich (3-0, Sept. 27), drew Olympique Marseille (2-2, Oct. 22).<br />
<b>Last week:</b> A pair of easy victories, over Anderlecht in the Champions League and Angers in French league play.<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> Since they dropped points to Marseille, PSG have reeled off three wins in a row by a combined score of 13 to zero. While the opposition has not been particularly worrisome (or at all worrisome, if we're being honest), this run of form is still good enough to make PSG the second-best team in the world at this juncture. It's also worth noting that Neymar has missed two of these games. The club play an entertaining style with their attacking 4-3-3 formation and lethal front three of Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe. While there were doubts about the defense at the start of the season, judging by how <strike>many</strike> few goals they have conceded (a grand total of eight, from 15 games), it is safe to say those can be laid to rest at this juncture. Of course a lot will depend on the next stage(s) of the Champions League. Domestically, PSG only really have to worry about Monaco and the two <i>Olympiques</i> -- Marseille and Lyon. They lead Monaco by four points and Marseille and Lyon by seven and eight points, respectively.<br />
<b>The road ahead:</b> Host Nantes and Celtic after the international break. Lyon is on the docket for Jan. 20.<br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1">1. Manchester City</a></h3><b>Last week: </b><a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/counting-down-five-best-soccer-teams-in.html#2">Second</a>.<br />
<b>Record in all competition: </b>16-0-1<br />
<b>Notable results:</b> Won at Chelsea (1-0, Sept. 30), beat Napoli (2-1, Oct. 17) and won at Napoli (4-2, Nov. 1)<br />
<b>Last week </b>Two big wins, at Napoli in the Champions League and over Arsenal in the Premiership.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIICe9ishqvcX1MP7iswESnuli7gVXEa_-V_rdpUfWxKqtNthWA-v6f-Gr79FsOVSkQEViZ1-4pCZA-FXVykJNky2-Ri78r7wNHT5g4FaK240QyUF-VVpCleFmXC0A0X_2wgZdol8xK8v/s1600/Pep-Guardiola1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIICe9ishqvcX1MP7iswESnuli7gVXEa_-V_rdpUfWxKqtNthWA-v6f-Gr79FsOVSkQEViZ1-4pCZA-FXVykJNky2-Ri78r7wNHT5g4FaK240QyUF-VVpCleFmXC0A0X_2wgZdol8xK8v/s200/Pep-Guardiola1.jpg" width="200" height="150" data-original-width="1368" data-original-height="1026" /></a></div><b>Discussion:</b> Man City are dominating domestic and European competition alike. Their lead in the English topflight is now eight points after yesterday's victory over Arsenal and Man United's loss at Chelsea. It was the ninth straight win for Pep Guardiola's side, though the man himself <a href="https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/657823/Man-City-news-Pep-Guardiola-Arsenal-Premier-League-Etihad">apparently doesn't think they're anywhere close to their potential</a> yet. Unfortunately, he's <a href="http://www.goal.com/en-ie/news/guardiola-refusing-to-compare-city-to-barca-bayern-despite/dezm32d5rzkk14xq35srdb423">refused to compare them to rivals on the continent</a>, making our job just a little bit harder. Domestically, it's hard to see how anybody will be able to catch them at this point -- barring injuries of course. For now, City are just too good. <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41880620">Alan Shearer says they're unstoppable</a>. Antonio Conte has all but <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/chelsea-latest-news-antonio-conte-manchester-city-premier-league-title-race-a8035906.html">conceded the Premiership title</a> to them. There has been <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/10/25/yaya-toure-hints-man-citys-ultimate-ambition-season-wolves-scare/">talk of an invincible season</a>, though Guardiola has <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5047123/Manchester-City-won-t-replicate-Invincible-record.html">talked this down</a>. They found themselves a goal behind after 21 minutes at Napoli but were able to turn the match rather easily in the end. With the win Citizens are now on a perfect 12 points after four games and obviously assured passage to the next round -- though not yet as group winners, as Shakthar Donetsk are just three points behind. The two clubs don't meet until the final matchday but at that point it probably won't matter anymore.<br />
<b>The road ahead:</b> The Manchester derby is the second weekend in December. Man U did not look good against Chelsea but remain second for now. Could that be the last, best chance to upend City's march to the title? <br />
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<h4>Dropping out</h4>Napoli (<a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/counting-down-five-best-soccer-teams-in.html#5">fifth last week</a>).<br />
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<h4><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="also">Also receiving consideration</a></h4><b>Besiktas Istanbul:</b> The Turkish side lead their Champions League group ahead of (in order) Porto, RB Leipzig and AS Monaco, but sit just third in their domestic league. Including Besiktas by definition means Porto, RB (don't call them Red Bull. That's Rasenballsport, which if you must know is an invented word. More on that some other time) and Monaco do not get consideration. Besiktas beat all three of these teams, two of them away from home. <b>AS Roma</b>: Winners of five in a row. Lead their Champions League group ahead of Chelsea, whom they beat up on 3-0 last week. But sit just fifth in Serie A.<b> Lazio</b>: Lead their Europa League group with a perfect record after four games, and beat Juventus Turin in Serie A competition. Hold fourth place in the Italian league. <b>Inter Milan:</b> Unbeaten in all competition, which actually is just one competition as the nerazurri are not playing continentally at all this season. Third in Serie A. <b>Olympique Lyon</b>: Have lost just once this season and that was to PSG. Just beat up on St. Etienne 5-nil in a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/nov/06/lyon-st-etienne-ligue-1-derby-violence">raucous Rhone derby</a>. Third in Ligue Un.<br />
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<h4><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="noneuro">Best Ex-Europe: Boca Juniors</a></h4>Boca get the nod for the second week in a row thanks to victory in an <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4850520/river-plate-boca-juniors-superclasico-nahitan-nandez-marcelo-gallardo/">explosive Superclasico</a> at archrivals River Plate. It was a <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5053507/River-Plate-1-2-Boca-Juniors-El-Monumental-silenced.html">fiery encounter</a> with two red cards and a pair of wonder goals. Do yourself a favor and watch the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm3lcEQRYb8">highlights of this match on YouTube</a> (commentary in Spanish, but you won't need to know what they're saying if you don't understand Spanish. Video being a visual medium). For more English language coverage of this game, check out <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/boca-juniors-river-plate-superclasico-gives-us-amazing-goals-great-scenes-red-cards/">CBSsports.com's comprehensive story</a>. Unfortunately there do not appear to be any English-language blogs devoted to Boca, or at least not any that have been updated recently (and if you're not going to update it after the Superclasico, well, then it just can't be very good, can it?). The excellent <a href="https://hastaelgolsiempre.com/">Hasta el Gol Siempre</a> is a good go-to for anything related to Argentine soccer. If you know of Boca-centered coverage that we're missing, please let us know in the comments sections (coverage outside of the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/BocaJuniors/">reddit sewing circle</a>, that is, which we are well aware of and which is in all seriousness an excellent resource). Anyway, with the result, Boca have now started the season with eight straight wins and a goal difference of 21 scored, two conceded. That obviously puts them first in the Superliga table, nine points ahead of the nearest contender. Unfortunately there is no continental competition until the start of the Copa Libertadores in January. Boca do have one loss on the season, a 1-0 loss to Rosario Central in the Copa Argentina. That's an acceptable blemish to name them the best non-European team in the world at present.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-48605742729196294142017-11-05T09:30:00.000-05:002017-11-05T14:24:45.114-05:00Subpar Spurs eke out victory they absolutely needed over stubborn Palace: match report and link roundupA weakened Tottenham Hotspur narrowly defeated Crystal Palace at Wembley today, grabbing the must-win game on a late goal by Heung Min Son. It was an unimpressive victory by Tottenham that easily could have come very different had it not been for the heroics of their goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, given his first ever start due to injuries to Hugo Lloris and Michel Vorm. With the win Spurs move equal on points, for now, with second-placed Manchester United. <br />
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Besides the surprise start by the Argentine goalkeeper, Spurs were also without Dele Alli. Harry Kane, though in the starting 11, was clearly not at full strength either and made way for Fernando Llorente in the second half. Harry Winks appeared to pick up a knock in the first half and was pulled at halftime for Moussa Dembele. <b>Update: Winks twisted his ankle and could miss England’s friendlies, <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/tottenham-star-harry-winks-twisted-ankle-against-crystal-palace-and-could-miss-england-friendlies-a3676821.html">the Evening Standard reports</a>.</b> That substitution did pay immediate dividends as Spurs were able to take the initiate right after the restart.<br />
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It wouldn’t last. Serge Aurier, back in the starting lineup after Kieran Trippier was so impressive <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/11/spurs-show-real-madrid-whos-boss-assert.html">against Real Madrid at midweek</a>, gave the ball away and Palace nearly scored on the counter. It was not the first such error by Aurier, who was bailed out by Gazzaniga on both occasions. Indeed there is a strong case for the Argentine as man of the match in this one.<br />
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Spurs finally got the goal off a bit of a scramble in the Palace penalty area. When the ball came to Son at the edge of the 18-yard box, he <a href="https://imgtc.com/w/9ppyZDv">placed a superb shot into the right corner of the net</a>. Crystal Palace never really threatened after that. They do deserve credit for a strong defensive game, particularly in the first half when they frustrated Tottenham. Spurs were clearly not at their best; missing Alli, with Son playing poorly until his goal (several misplaced first touches) and Christian Eriksen still a ways off from peak Eriksen. Danny Rose, given his first start since return from injury, got better as the game wore on and was able to launch several attacks on the left flank. His return will give Spurs’ offense the additional threat on that side of the pitch. Ben Davies is a nice player, perfectly fine for the Wales national team, but he simply cannot produce that element.<br />
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In the end Spurs get the required win, but not without a not insignificant struggle. Palace did not look like relegation fodder and can be expected to move up the table if their form continues. Tottenham now have new injuries to worry about. No sooner are Rose and Dembele fit that Alli and (perhaps) Kane and Winks go down. Kane would obviously be the biggest blow so that is one situation Spurs fans will be monitoring very closely. Perhaps the two-week international break comes at a good time for Spurs then. They looked like they needed the rest.<br />
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<b>Headlines:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/tottenham-1-crystal-palace-0-premier-league-report-son-heung-min-goal-watch-replay-highlights-a8038621.html">Tottenham brought back down to earth</a> — Independent<br />
<a href="https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2017/11/5/16608734/tottenham-hotspur-vs-crystal-palace-final-score-second-half-son-strike-gives-spurs-three-points">Second half Son strike gives Tottenham three points</a> — Cartilage Free Captain<br />
<a href="http://www.espnfc.us/report?gameId=480800">Son strikes as Tottenham squeeze past Crystal Palace</a> — ESPNFC<br />
<a href="http://metro.co.uk/2017/11/05/tottenham-1-crystal-palace-0-spurs-win-but-clash-reveals-continuing-problem-for-mauricio-pochettino-7054997/">Spurs win, but clash reveals continuing problem for Mauricio Pochettino</a> — Metro<br />
<a href="http://www.goal.com/en/news/gazzaniga-emotional-after-impressive-tottenham-debut/1silskohw1q6g1ej70y7tky0la">Gazzaniga emotional after impressive debut</a> — Goal.com<br />
<a href="https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/tottenham-1-crystal-palace-0-gazzaniga-heroics-backed-son-strike">Gazzaniga heroics backed up by Son strike</a> - FourFourTwo<br />
<a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/tottenham-1-0-crystal-palace-11471359">Five talking points</a> — Mirror<br />
<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5051755/Tottenham-1-0-Crystal-Palace-FIVE-things-missed.html">Five things you missed</a> — Daily Mail<a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4847003/dele-alli-girlfriend-ruby-mae-tottenham-wembley/">Twitter reacts to Dele Alli’s stunning girlfriend</a> — The Sun<br />
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/11/05/tottenham-vs-crystal-palace-premier-league-live-score-updates/">Son spares Spurs’ blushes after Zaha spurns golden chance</a> — Telegraph<br />
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/nov/05/tottenham-hotspur-crystal-palace-premier-league-match-report">Son strike seals laboured Tottenham win over Crystal Palace</a> — Guardian<br />
<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/tottenham-hotspur-1-crystal-palace-0-player-ratings-paulo-gazzaniga-wilfried-zaha-wembley-a8038651.html">Paulo Gazzaniga and Wilfried Zaha the pick of the bunch at Wembley</a> — Independent player ratings<br />
<a href="http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2017/11/05/mousa-dembele-sums-up-tottenhams-week-in-four-word-tweet-harry-k/">Mousa Dembele sums up Tottenham's week in four-word tweet; Harry Kane among teammates to also comment</a> — HITC<br />
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Do you like this format of match report with the links at the end? Let us know in the comment section!The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-64040248292231062252017-11-02T22:27:00.000-04:002017-11-02T22:53:38.027-04:00Woes continue for Everton and Nice as Patrice Evra loses his sh*t: Europa League roundupSoccer Source takes a rare look into the "second tier" of European football. This is a good way to see how some would-be contenders are being exposed as pretenders and other clubs are rising, potentially knocking on the door of the top tier. Maybe even our top 5? Unlikely for now, but the winner of this competition does qualify for next year's Champions League, so it's definitely worth keeping an eye out.<br />
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On the pretender front: Everton FC and OGC Nice are two clubs whose fortunes very much mirrored each other since the start of last season. Both were invigorated by new managers last year: Lucien Favre for Nice and Ronald Koeman for Everton. Both outdid expectations in 2016/17, causing much excitement among supporters. Nice finished third and made it to the Champions League qualification where they fell to Napoli, while Everton finished seventh, which is about as high as could be expected in the top-heavy Premier League. This season has seen a marked decline for both clubs. Everton have already <a href="http://www.goal.com/en/news/ronald-koeman-everton-sack-manager-odds/e8i48edncpjr12hzvmvnjf1dd">fired Koeman after a disastrous start</a> to the season left them 18th. Favre is hanging on to his job for now, though Nice sit 16th in France's Ligue Un. While Nice did not spend anywhere near as lavishly as Everton in the off-season (just some $30 million, matching their income from player sales), they like Everton added several key players, including Wesley Sneijder (remember him?), who joined from Galatasaray on a free transfer. It's a good thing Sneijder came cheap (or free) because he has yet to do much, starting just four times in all competition, according to data <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/wesley-sneijder/leistungsdaten/spieler/4673">compiled by our friends at Transfermarkt</a>. The most expensive acquisition, Allan Saint-Maximin who joined from Monaco for some $13 million, <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/allan-saint-maximin/leistungsdaten/spieler/272642">hasn't played much either</a>.<br />
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The two teams' fall from grace was on vivid display in last night's Europa League action. Everton's performance was the more pathetic of the two as the Toffees fell 3-0 to Olympique Lyon. After a decent start Everton were dismantled in the space of 21 minutes. "There was no fight, fight, fight as the goals poured in; they were just weak, weak, weak, allowing Lyon to expose the mental fragility of those who were brought in to kick-start a new era for the club," <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5044115/Lyon-3-0-Everton-Toffees-crash-Europe.html">the Daily Mail reports</a>. With the loss Everton are officially out of European competition. It is a <a href="http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/huge-summer-spending-no-striker-13851486">fitting fate for a team</a> that has played so poorly. Blues are now a laughing stock, <a href="http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/everton-verdict-staggeringly-bad-blues-13851615">writes the Liverpool Echo</a>. To make matters worse, defender <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4830736/everton-cuco-martina-hospital-lyon-fall/">Cuo Martina was lost to a rather gruesome injury</a> during this game. For a team whose defensive ranks have already been decimated by injuries, this is very bad news indeed. While Everton undoubtedly <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/with-koeman-gone-everton-stand-to.html">still have quality in their squad</a>, the question has to be asked if caretaker manager David Unsworth is the man to lead them.<br />
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While Everton's European campaign is over, Nice's is very much alive. By the way the club's official name is Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d'Azur and they're known as the <i>aiglons</i> (Eaglets) or <i>le gym</i>, presumably an homage to their <i>gymnaste</i> roots (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OGC_Nice">thanks, Wikipedia</a>). Anyway, the eaglets (wtf is that, by the way? Like a small eagle?) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxdEt2_2Zlg">scored an own goal in stoppage time</a> to give Lazio the victory. But Nice are still second and in the driver's seat to advance to the elimination round. Here's the table of that group:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsyqdsSRKRnoNO3HkImoHIN8X-BKU-RPbxRP0Fv7-wd9qyGnyeg441x4NCCTqjEl8a_RQkiHKmfyVpZ511ox468_i4BEnalQb4yl92-5ls60jrohjnqbi3t0PqG6Sf6FvkpSC5oQWtK43/s1600/CaptureNice.PNG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsyqdsSRKRnoNO3HkImoHIN8X-BKU-RPbxRP0Fv7-wd9qyGnyeg441x4NCCTqjEl8a_RQkiHKmfyVpZ511ox468_i4BEnalQb4yl92-5ls60jrohjnqbi3t0PqG6Sf6FvkpSC5oQWtK43/s320/CaptureNice.PNG" width="320" height="106" data-original-width="1118" data-original-height="369" /></a><br />
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In their remaining two fixtures, Nice face Zulte Waregem (whoever that is) at home and Vitesse away. Should be do-able even for a club clearly not in their best form.<br />
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<b>The contenders<br />
</b>Lazio are the cream of the crop so far, with a perfect record after four games. The Roman side have excelled in Serie A play as well, and currently sit fourth, just three points behind leaders Napoli. While Lazio lost 4-1 in their head-to-head meeting with Napoli in September, they have taken some impressive scalps as well, most notably a 2-1 win at Juventus Turin on Oct. 14. That will certainly get the #top5 ranking committee's attention. At this (admittedly still early) point Lazio should be seen as clear favorites for the Europa League trophy, though of course there will be the third-placed Champions League teams who join the elimination round as well.<br />
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Another team emerging as a contender is Zenit St. Petersburg, who dropped their first points yesterday in a 1-1 draw at Rosenborg. Unfortunately Zenit's fans caused negative attention, with <a href="https://www.nrk.no/sport/hevder-zenit-fansen-lagde-apelyder-mot-adegbenro-1.13762570">reports of racist chants and hooliganism</a> (though hopefully not massacre, as the Google-translated version of the article states).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-auu_sX3-CYSy584nLWbsilH0JtNggIdAzvb9v-8VyvyGv3czqPxc5PWGRcAyJF2YT8wRSTx7vEgjBLF0qMXBVTqIxUIBf2Bt9uEq2dZ1bQy0djaJm3HVWb_cJHxW3NwCPFtM3a4EaLO/s1600/Capturemassacre.PNG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-auu_sX3-CYSy584nLWbsilH0JtNggIdAzvb9v-8VyvyGv3czqPxc5PWGRcAyJF2YT8wRSTx7vEgjBLF0qMXBVTqIxUIBf2Bt9uEq2dZ1bQy0djaJm3HVWb_cJHxW3NwCPFtM3a4EaLO/s400/Capturemassacre.PNG" width="400" height="265" data-original-width="779" data-original-height="517" /></a><br />
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Zenit lead the group ahead of Real Sociedad. Both clubs have qualified for the elimination round. Zenit are second in the Russian league, three points behind Locomotive Moscow. They beat Sociedad in the first meeting, which Zenit hosted.<br />
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Elsewhere Patrice Evra managed the rare feat of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/nov/02/patrice-evra-sent-off-kicking-fan-marseille">being sent off from a match before kickoff</a>. The former Manchester United defender appeared to kick of his club's own supporters in the head. A French Twitter user <a href="https://twitter.com/karimattab1/status/926177490619584512">posted this video</a>. Perhaps inspired by Evra, his Olympique Marseille teammate Boubacar Kamara earned a sending off during the match, five minutes after OM gave up what would be the winning goal to Portuguese side Vitoria. Even with the loss Marseille can control their own destiny in this group:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQEorfliAtdsfGX7ZU6EBA6QPKDIM4IBYB5v3FryWOU9DU9QgUMt10aCmqYbgSoY7qz7lSPeDuRs24xmTi3Q11Pzjfq8A9MX7WVfSc8Xm_hGtEe28inMdlDMewkv30AS7g9d28cPNcE-U/s1600/CaptureSalzburg.PNG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQEorfliAtdsfGX7ZU6EBA6QPKDIM4IBYB5v3FryWOU9DU9QgUMt10aCmqYbgSoY7qz7lSPeDuRs24xmTi3Q11Pzjfq8A9MX7WVfSc8Xm_hGtEe28inMdlDMewkv30AS7g9d28cPNcE-U/s320/CaptureSalzburg.PNG" width="320" height="106" data-original-width="1098" data-original-height="364" /></a><br />
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It's interesting to see a club called FC Salzburg anywhere in European (or even Austrian) football. Salzburg being well-known as the birthplace of one Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and less known for sport, but closer examination reveals this is just the new name for a certain energy drink-sponsored team.<br />
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<b>News from other groups<br />
</b>Group J is an interesting one, with two well known clubs (Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin) and two that probably nobody has ever heard of (Ostersunds FK and FC Zorya Luhansk). Shockingly, it is the lesser-known clubs who head the group. Ostersunds, apparently from Sweden, are first followed by Zorya Luhansk, who by the way sound like a female villain from a James Bond film.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOEY4zQ2H0Xd0IkV2sevxCvv35DK5I80tO2itPfUwfq7sNI3tSLEFqAuiEcYtgwh4pCzW5Uunhx2ixnC3kxcvM6aa_QdTP_Mu7cu5XwOHwZ1WEJwMOz-CQOYJ6aBVyWLcbWOckAdJZBt4/s1600/CaptureOstersunds.PNG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOEY4zQ2H0Xd0IkV2sevxCvv35DK5I80tO2itPfUwfq7sNI3tSLEFqAuiEcYtgwh4pCzW5Uunhx2ixnC3kxcvM6aa_QdTP_Mu7cu5XwOHwZ1WEJwMOz-CQOYJ6aBVyWLcbWOckAdJZBt4/s320/CaptureOstersunds.PNG" width="320" height="109" data-original-width="1101" data-original-height="374" /></a><br />
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As you can see there is still everything to play for. Bilbao host Hertha and visit the Zorya in the final two matchdays. <br />
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Finally, Arsenal are through to the elimination round after a <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/11/02/arsenal-vs-red-star-belgrade-europa-league-live-score-updates/">scoreless draw at home to Red Star Belgrade</a>, but you probably knew that already.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-53476146668084282752017-11-01T18:09:00.000-04:002017-11-01T23:31:24.791-04:00Spurs show Real Madrid who's boss, assert themselves as European powerTottenham Hotspur thoroughly outplayed Real Madrid, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/11/01/tottenham-join-europes-elite-dismantling-real-madrid-declares/">dismantling</a> the reigning European champions 3-1 at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night. It was a magnificent performance by Spurs, a <a href="http://www.skysports.com/football/tottenham-vs-r-madrid/384307">"famous win"</a> (Sky Sports) and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/nov/01/tottenham-real-madrid-champions-league-match-report">"historic victory"</a> (Guardian) whose result was never really in doubt. Even Zinedine <a href="https://twitter.com/RickSpur/status/925848466177314822">Zidane acknowledged</a> Spurs were superior in all aspects of this game. <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/real-madrid-are-in-bit-of-crisis-and.html">We told you Spurs were capable of this</a>. Did you listen? No, you never listen and that's why this relationship is such a challenge.<br />
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We told you that Mauricio Pochettino needed his best player, Harry Kane, to start this match for his team to have a chance at victory. Kane did start, though he was noticeably compromised by the hamstring injury that kept him out of the weekend loss at Man United. It didn't matter. Compromised or not, Kane was able to stretch the Madrid defense, creating space for Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Tottenham's wingbacks. It was Kieran Tripper, a surprise starter on the right flank, who created the first goal by Alli with a pinpoint one-time cross. Indeed, Tripper owned the first half of this match on both ends of the pitch. Defensively his anticipation ended more than one Real Madrid attack. <br />
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In starting Trippier over Serge Aurier, Pochettino showed once again he is not afraid to use young (or not so young, in Trippier's case. Dude's already 27) English players over established international veterans on the big stage. Harry Winks also started again. While that is no longer a surprise at this point, Poch did have other options including Moussa Dembele at his disposal. <br />
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It was Winks who launched Trippier to set up the first goal. After a tentative start by both sides Tottenham started to establish themselves, growing in confidence in the early stages of the first half. Eriksen had a good early look at goal but his first touch deserted him. A few minutes later Winks lofted a pass behind Marcelo for Trippier to run onto. Trippier one-timed the ball into the six-yard box where Alli had split the Real Madrid centerbacks. 1-0 and Spurs never looked back. Alli got a second shortly after halftime and Real never really looked capable of fighting their way back. Tottenham's performance was that good.<br />
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This could be <a href="http://www.espnfc.com/blog/the-match/60/post/3254057/tottenham-rout-real-madrid-could-be-transformative-moment">Spurs' transformative moment</a>. It will <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbymcmahon/2017/11/01/tottenham-hotspur-overwhelm-real-madrid-and-the-result-will-reverberate-around-the-world/#66677b2a5340">reverberate around the world</a>, says Bobby McMahon. There should now be no question Tottenham are now among Europe's elite teams, as <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41840197">Pochettino himself said</a> afterwards. If the <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/an-inspiring-performance-from-spurs-as.html">1-1 draw in the first leg</a> announced Tottenham's arrival as a contender on the continental stage, tonight's 3-1 victory drove the point home. This was timely, coming after a tough week of consecutive losses that saw Spurs lose the spot in our <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/counting-down-five-best-soccer-teams-in.html">top 5 ranking</a>. But it is clear now that this team belongs here. With the victory they are through to the knockout stage of the Champions League, and probably as the group winners. This sets Tottenham up for a potentially easier Round of 16 opponent than they might have drawn as runners-up. Not that that should matter. This win tonight will make teams throughout the continent take notice: Spurs can beat absolutely anybody.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-22128847504891079462017-10-30T22:54:00.002-04:002017-10-31T10:07:01.633-04:00Real Madrid are in a bit of crisis and Spurs can beat them -- but only if Harry Kane playsTottenham Hotspur host Real Madrid in the Champions League tomorrow hoping to rebound after a tough week. For the uninitiated: Spurs were every bit Real's equal in their first meeting a fortnight ago and provoked a series of <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41716925">media fellatio</a> after trouncing Liverpool. Then the letdown of the <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/spurs-bottling-carabao-cup-is-not-end.html">Carabao Cup defeat to West Ham</a> and 1-0 loss to Manchester United on the weekend have caused a pretty brutal hangover for Tottenham. <br />
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Real Madrid have been struggling as well and their struggle is more real if only because of the immense expectations placed on this side. Zinedine Zidane's men were upset by newly-promoted Girona on Sunday and have fallen to third place in La Liga, eight points behind their Catalan rivals after just 10 games. More importantly, they've been <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/counting-down-five-best-soccer-teams-in.html">dropped from our latest #top5</a> (so too have Tottenham). The team's president <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/873346/Real-Madrid-News-Furious-Florentino-Perez-blasts-players-Zinedine-Zidane">bitch-slapped the players</a> in front of Zidane after Sunday's defeat and there is talk of this being the <a href="http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/zidane-faces-first-real-crisis-as-madrid-lose-in-girona/39bvjbcwqpsn15c5dwd0neq60">first genuine crisis</a> facing Zidane as Real manager. <br />
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To put the pressure facing Zidane into perspective: if Spurs win tomorrow, it would be just the second time Real have lost consecutive games since he took charge at the Bernabeu, <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/zinedine-zidane/leistungsdatenDetail/trainer/21284/saison_id//verein_id//liga//wettbewerb_id//datum_zu//datum_ab//gegner_id//trainer_id//plus/1">according to data compiled by our friends at Transfermarkt</a>. But that would be enough to plunge Real into real crisis and one would think put Zidane's job in peril. <br />
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Tottenham are up for the task. They almost nicked the first game at the Bernabeu. Against Liverpool, the last time an 'A' Spurs side graced the Wembley pitch, they were confident and played superbly, with the 4-1 score flattering Liverpool in the end. An 'A' Spurs side -- ay, there's the rub. Tottenham's best player, Harry Kane, is nursing a hamstring injury and missed the last two games, both losses. At Old Trafford, Harry Kane's absence gave Jose Mourinho the necessary latitude to actually dominate proceedings for once, at least in the early going. Spurs might have been unlucky to not sneak off with a point, but there's no question the game would have been completely different with Kane in the starting 11. The latest reports <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/tottenham-optimistic-that-harry-kane-will-be-fit-to-face-real-madrid-in-the-champions-league-a3670951.html">have Tottenham "optimistic"</a> that Kane will be fit for the match, with Pochattino apparently <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2017/10/30/spurs-boss-pochettino-feeling-good-about-harry-kanes-return-action-ahead-real-madrid-clash">hinting he could play</a>, though the medical staff will surely <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5033345/Tottenham-star-Harry-Kane-frame-face-Real-Madrid.html">err on the side of caution</a> seeing how this is not a must-win situation (Spurs are still in good shape to advance to the next round even with a loss).<br />
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Spurs will need Kane to keep Real's defenders honest. Without Kane in attack, everything else Tottenham does is secondary. He is the only one who can create the necessary havoc by himself. Sure, having Fernando Llorente alongside to free up space worked out great in the first game and can probably have he same effect this time out. But Kane needs to be there from the start. Without him, there simply isn't enough to threaten Real Madrid. Christian Eriksen has been poor lately and was arguably Spurs' worst player at the Bernabeu. Dele Alli is not in midseason form yet either and does not appear capable of single-handedly breaking down a defense like Real Madrid's. Heung Min Son is a complementary player and nothing more, or at least not yet. All of them need Kane to work more effectively. For this reason it's hard to see Spurs having much of a chance if Kane is not starting tomorrow.<br />
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Our fearless forecast then will have to depend on this x-factor. If Kane starts, we're calling a 2-1 Tottenham victory. If he is on the bench and can see 30 or 45 minutes of action, chances favor a draw. If he is unable to play at all, Spurs have no chance. The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-2509708466206310582017-10-29T20:11:00.001-04:002017-10-30T09:11:53.733-04:00Counting down the five best soccer teams in the world as of Oct. 30, 2017Here it is, the third edition of this season's top five club ranking, reflecting the full slate of weekend games. Check out last week's iteration <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-as-of.html">here</a>. There were some important results with the teams in the #top5 (yes that's going viral) so let's see how that affected things. Skip right to the <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/counting-down-five-best-soccer-teams-in.html#noneuro">best non-European team here</a>. This list will update again shortly so be sure to check back frequently.<br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="5">5. Napoli</a></h3><b>Last week's spot:</b> None, though were given consideration.<br />
<b>Record in all competition:</b> 12-2-1 (12 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie)<br />
<b>Notable results: </b>Lost at Shakthar Donetsk (2-1, on Sept. 13), beat AS Roma (1-0, Sept. 20), lost at Manchester City (2-1, Oct. 17), drew Inter Milan at home (0-0, Oct. 21)<br />
<b>Last week:</b> Won both Serie A matches, at Genoa and at home against Sassuolo, where they <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFt2lQrwlKQ">scored a goal directly from a corner</a>.<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> Napoli had a good week, winning both games convincingly to take the fifth spot in our ranking. Maurizio Sarri's team have established themselves as the favorites in Serie A, with an unbeaten (and just once tied) record after 11 matches, good enough for a three-point lead over Juventus and Lazio. The European campaign has been less positive. Napoli sit third in their group, behind Man City and Donetsk, but can potentially leapfrog the latter on Nov. 21 (or maybe even earlier, depending on what happens next week). The ranking committee deemed losing at Donetsk and the Etihad as forgivable offenses and decided Napoli worthy of the fifth spot. This is a quality team in good form. With Marek Hamsik, Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens they have <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM0_bKvMjAw">three bonafide superstars</a> in the making.<br />
<b>The road ahead: </b> The return leg against Man City is on Wednesday. That will be a major test for both teams. Napoli can really make a statement, and upend this entire ranking, with a win. City look ripe for the picking. Then visit Verona Sunday before AC Milan pay a visit next Saturday. Juventus looms Dec. 1. <br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="4">4. Bayern Munich</a></h3><b>Last week's spot:</b> None.<br />
<b>Record in all competition:</b> 13-2-2 (thirteen wins, two losses, two ties)<br />
<b>Notable results:</b> lost to Paris Saint German (3-0, Sept. 27)<br />
<b>Last week:</b> Beat RB (don't call them Red Bull. That's <i>Rasenballsport</i>, if you must know) Leipzig twice. The first of those games was a cup tie that went to penalties, then in Bundesliga action over the weekend the Bavarian side won rather convincingly by a 2-0 score. <br />
<b>Discussion:</b> Bayern make their first appearance of the season in the top five after moving into first place in the Bundesliga. The team have been resurgent since Jupp Heynckes took control on Oct. 6. This is his fourth go-round managing the German juggernaut, in case you were counting. Bayern have reeled off five victories in a row since this most recent return. This is clearly a different team from the one who were so soundly beaten by PSG a month ago. They get their chance for revenge in December, on the last matchday of group stage play, at which point it likely won't matter.<br />
<b>The road ahead:</b> Visit Celtic tomorrow and Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Dortmund are now second in the Bundesliga and of course always a very tough place to play, so that's a big one. A loss and Bayern will likely be dropped from this space. A win and they may move up, especially considering what might happen to...<br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="3">3. Paris Saint Germain</a></h3><b>Last week's spot:</b> <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-as-of.html#3">Third</a><br />
<b>Record in all competition: </b>11-0-2<br />
<b>Notable results:</b> Beat Bayern Munich (3-0, Sept. 27), drew Olympique Marseille (2-2, Oct. 22)<br />
<b>Last week:</b> Beat Nice, 3-0 on Friday.<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> No Neymar, no problem for PSG who made quick work of Nice on Friday night. The game was effectively settled by the 30th minute when Edinson Cavani got his second goal. PSG now have 29 points from 11 Ligue Un matches with a goal difference of +26 (34 scored, 8 conceded). But it's the French league. There's one good team besides PSG (Monaco, currently second) and a few decent ones. Nice were supposed to be decent, falling in Champions League qualification to Napoli, but Lucien Favre's men currently sit 16th.<br />
<b>The road ahead:</b> Host Anderlecht in Champions League action tomorrow. That should not be a problem considering PSG won the first leg 4-0. Then visit Angers, whoever that is, on Saturday. The return leg at Bayern Munich which wraps up the UCL group stage is worth watching. That game is Dec. 5. Also visit Monaco, Nov. 25.<br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="2">2. Manchester City</a></h3><b>Last week: </b><a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-as-of.html#1">First</a><br />
<b>Record in all competition: </b>14-0-1<br />
<b>Notable results:</b> Won at Chelsea (1-0, Sept. 30), beat Napoli (2-1, Oct. 17)<br />
<b>Last week </b>Won twice, in midweek Carabao Cup (Wolverhampton Wanderers, albeit on penalties) and Saturday over West Bromwich Albion (3-2).<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> Neither victory last week was quite as convincing as we would have liked, costing City their top spot in the ranking. The Wolves game was just league cup and not worthy of much discussion except to say that it was against a Championship side. A very good Championship side, but a Championship side nonetheless. Who, it should be noted, were not playing all starters either. The win over West Brom was a little more comfortable than the score might indicate, with Albion's second goal coming very late and after matters were already decided. Still, when you're supposed to be the best team in the world minor blemishes like the Wolves match will be counted against you. Tough, but so is life.<br />
<b>The road ahead:</b> The return leg against Napoli tomorrow. That game is in Naples and is as much a chance for the Italian side to show they belong as it is for City to reclaim the top spot. The Manchester derby is the second weekend in December. Man U are looking resurgent after this week.<br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1">1. FC Barcelona</a></h3><b>Last week:</b> <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-as-of.html#2">Second</a><br />
<b>Record in all competition: </b>13-0-1<br />
<b>Notable results: </b>Beat Juventus (3-0, Sept. 12). Drew at Atletico Madrid (1-1, Oct. 14)<br />
<b>Last week:</b> Won twice, in midweek Copa del Rey (3-0 over Real Murcia) and Saturday at Athletic Bilbao (2-0).<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> Speaking of "No Neymar, no problem..." The Brazilian's departure to Paris was supposed to usher in a period of instability and self-doubt. While that is very much <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/10/28/catalans-looking-fc-barcelona-leadership-will-provide/">what has happened politically</a> in this part of Spain, or what is still Spain at the time of this writing, the local soccer power is a-ok. Like Man City they possess an unbeaten and only once-tied record. It was a very close call but the win at Bilbao, never an easy task, is what clinched it along with the slightly less convincing performance from City. Unfortunately, the political crisis could have a major impact on the club in short order. The president of La Liga has said <a href="http://www.sport-english.com/en/news/barca/tebas-in-a-catalan-league-barcelona-would-stop-being-a-big-club-in-europe-6273319">Barcelona would not be allowed to play</a> in Spain's topflight if Catalonia becomes an independent country. Presumably this would not be instituted mid-season. Barca bloggers Barca Blaugranes seem to think <a href="https://www.barcablaugranes.com/2017/10/29/16563502/three-reasons-why-fc-barcelona-should-join-ligue-1-in-case-of-catalan-independence">joining France's Ligue Un</a> would be a good idea. To his credit, Barca head coach Ernesto Valverde is <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41784364">refusing to be drawn in</a> to the crisis.<br />
<b>The road ahead: </b>Visit Olympiakos in Champions League play tomorrow. Host Sevilla, currently fifth, in Liga action on Saturday. Those should prove whether they are worthy of this spot. With great ranking, comes great responsibility. The return leg against Juventus is Nov. 22, though that may not matter at that point seeing how the teams are first and second in their Champions League group, with neither of the other two clubs (Sporting Lisbon is the fourth) being able to offer up much in the way of competition. The clash with Real Madrid is on Wednesday, Dec. 20. At the Bernabeu. Midweek. Should be fun.<br />
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<h4>Dropping out</h4>Real Madrid (<a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-as-of.html#4">fourth last week</a>) after losing to Girona, Tottenham Hotspur (<a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-as-of.html#5">fifth</a>) after losing at Manchester United.<br />
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<h4>Also receiving consideration</h4>Chelsea (first in their CL group where they won at Atletico Madrid, fourth in Premiership), Besiktas (first in their Champions League group after defeats of Monaco, RB Leipzig and FC Porto, but just third in domestic competition).</i><br />
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<h4><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="noneuro">Non European Team of Note: Boca Juniors</a></h4>Unbeaten and untied after six games in Argentina's Superliga, with just one goal conceded, the club from Buenos Aires <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-as-of.html#noneuro">replace their crosstown rivals River Plate</a> in this space. Last week saw the continuation of Boca's dominance, with a 4-0 victory over Belgrano. Dario "Pipa" Benetto, author of two goals in that game, has picked up where he left off last season when he was the league's top scorer. His prowess has earned him <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4620973/who-is-dario-benedetto-argentina-boca-juniors-lionel-messi/">call ups to Argentina's national side</a>, never an easy task with all the competition. Centerback Lisandro Magallan has <a href="http://www.football-oranje.com/ajax-eyes-boca-juniors-defender/">caught the eye of European clubs as well</a>. Another one to watch is teenage midfielder Julian Chicco, who already has his own <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmYuk1okiSk">YouTube highlight reel</a>. Unfortunately, Boca have no continental competition until the 2018 Copa Libertadores, which kicks off in January. But things are about to get very interesting domestically where they face River Plate on Sunday. <i>If any of our South American readers have further thoughts on Boca or other teams in the region that they'd like to contribute, please supply them in the comments section.</i>The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-58931617169876239212017-10-27T03:18:00.001-04:002017-10-27T19:27:05.841-04:00With Kane out, Poch will need tactical masterclass for Spurs to succeed at Old TraffordTottenham Hotspur face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday in a battle for second place in the Premier League. With <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/harry-kane-injured-injury-tottenham-spurs-manchester-united-latest-team-news-a8022736.html">Harry Kane out injured</a> it will take all of Mauricio Pochettino's tactical guile to outwit Jose Mourinho's carefully laid plans to park the bus.<br />
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Yes, we expect Mourinho to park the bus even with Kane now officially ruled out. Because that's <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/872130/Man-Utd-news-Jose-Mourinho-Premier-League-title-Jamie-Carragher">what Mourinho does</a>. It may be rooted in his <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/oct/27/jose-mourinho-manchester-united-alienation-philosophy-tactics">failure to make it as a player</a>, but whatever its cause we don't expect Mourinho to deviate from it now. So an element of surprise is needed. In their last league game against Liverpool, Spurs' 5-3-2 lineup shocked Juergen Klopp's defense into submission in minutes. Klopp, far all his charms, is nothing of the defensive mastermind that Mourinho is. Or even close. In fact, Klopp is looking more and more like a decidedly average manager in general. But let's leave Liverpool and their latest savior alone for once as they've suffered enough recently. <br />
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The point is, after Tottenham's successes against <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/an-inspiring-performance-from-spurs-as.html">Real Madrid</a> and <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/spurs-beat-up-on-liverpool-making-us.html">Liverpool</a> (we're <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/spurs-bottling-carabao-cup-is-not-end.html">not talking about the Carabao Cup</a> here, sorry) Mourinho will now be <i>expecting</i> a 'WTF' Spurs lineup -- probably even more so without Kane. That element of surprise is gone. And with Kane out, so too is the option of really going for the jugular to reinstate shock and awe. One vision had Poch trotting out three strikers: Heung Min Son on the left, Kane in the middle and Fernando Llorente on the right. That's out the window. Instead, a lot of the responsibility for Spurs' attacking game <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5025289/Tottenham-Harry-Kane-team-Chris-Sutton.html">falls to Dele Alli</a>. Tottenham will again seek to exploit the width of the pitch as they did against Liverpool, aiming to catch United's slow defenders off guard. That will be a more difficult order than it was against the likes of Dejan Lovren. But it could still work. United's defense is not 1970 vintage Inter Milan. In fact, it's pretty average. Eric Bailly is really the only defender of true quality and with Victor Lindelof, Man U may have their very own Lovren in training.<br />
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But Bailly <a href="http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-utd-injury-news-tottenham-13807855">remains questionable for this match</a>. Phil Jones is expected back from injury, so United will likely not have to go with Lindelof. Still, even without Kane Spurs' attack will present problems for this Man United defense. Son, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen can make quick work of the likes of Jones and Chris Smalling if given the space. Mourinho knows this so his gameplan will likely depend on throttling Spurs' midfield play, but here too his options are limited without Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick, also injured. The alternative, to attack, is simply not Mourinho's style, regardless of <a href="https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/655465/Jose-Mourinho-Man-Utd-Spurs-game-of-the-season-Martin-Keown">what Martin Keown says</a>. Man U might <a href="http://thepeoplesperson.com/2017/10/27/ryan-giggs-manchester-united-need-the-win-more-than-tottenham-190482/">need the win more</a>, but fear of losing at home is more paramount at this stage. So expect Mourinho to risk little.<br />
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This is where Pochettino needs to get creative, again, with his wide players. Starting Serge Aurier on the left against Liverpool was a masterstroke. An even better alternative is Danny Rose, fit enough for 60 minutes of Carabao Cup duty at midweek (which we said we wouldn't talk about. But mentioning it is okay). Keep <a href="http://the4thofficial.net/2017/10/3-4-3-tottenham-hotspur-predicted-lineup-vs-manchester-united-rose-aurier-start/">Aurier on the right</a> and have the two wingbacks push up aggressively. The back three of Jan Vertonghen, Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld have proven they are capable without much support from the defensive midfield -- though Eric Dier is also healthy and available for that. Without Pogba, United's creative attacking duties appear to be falling to Jesse Lingard. That worked out fine in the Carabao Cup (okay, mentioning it again), but Spurs are better than Swansea City. Further bolstering the midfield battle in favor of Spurs will be Moussa Dembele, also healthy again, and <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/manchester-united-vs-tottenham-premier-league-prediction-team-news-lineups-start-time-live-tv-head-a3668026.html">ready to start</a> according to some reports. This leaves Victor Wanyama as the only other absence for Tottenham, unless you count Eric Lamela of course, but he's been injured (or something) since the Obama administration.<br />
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In the end it probably won't be enough. This unfortunately has the look of another tactical stalemate match, not unlike United's visit to Anfield a few weeks ago. A lot of that depends on Spurs' ability to break through Man U's defense in the early stage of the match. The opening minutes will set the tone. Again, the element of surprise is largely gone and without Kane there may simply not be enough quality in Tottenham's attack to strike the early blow. Expect a scoreless draw from this one. The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-44529625811133196492017-10-25T20:17:00.000-04:002017-10-25T23:03:07.345-04:00Spurs bottling the Carabao Cup v West Ham is not the end of the world -- or even a temporary setbackWest Ham United came back from a 2-0 halftime to stun Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 and advance to the quarterfinals of the Carabao (ne League) Cup. It was a courageous rally by West Ham and likely saved Slaven Bilic's job, or at least gave him a(nother) stay of execution. Beyond that there is no significance to this match.<br />
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Some Spurs fans are in quite a tizzy over this, bemoaning not just the blown lead but the fact that this is one more trophy their team is not going to win. Some felt <a href="http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?threads/will-we-win-a-trophy-under-poch.130748/">compelled to ask</a> if the team would ever win one under Mauricio Pochettino. Presumably Pochettino has the team going nowhere. The Twittersphere was quite a read immediately after the final whistle as well:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfE0OmkrUl1cdWZml2KUmAetzXjHlrydQBLrSMLMySp3Gg1mbyKd0qcFV3G4B_QOtz52_j3Q8HPLDVQPb4pS9uDBvz7aFC01ocrjDe0orrb3ggoLTrpXt8P4hABhXzEnjT4tKSgJOd9b6/s1600/Capture1.PNG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfE0OmkrUl1cdWZml2KUmAetzXjHlrydQBLrSMLMySp3Gg1mbyKd0qcFV3G4B_QOtz52_j3Q8HPLDVQPb4pS9uDBvz7aFC01ocrjDe0orrb3ggoLTrpXt8P4hABhXzEnjT4tKSgJOd9b6/s320/Capture1.PNG" width="320" height="120" data-original-width="665" data-original-height="249" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnrB3dymDSLDXngBm9496MaScAARYs4Me080dI3JFhGhBge8KincRrMInVCKYIpiytJTBvYCmcM2oHG74fDSr8bWS54ADJZdOXk2PTunF16il77o4T9Lv4R2lZOIjE7cH89daREDmI3wI/s1600/Capture2.PNG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnrB3dymDSLDXngBm9496MaScAARYs4Me080dI3JFhGhBge8KincRrMInVCKYIpiytJTBvYCmcM2oHG74fDSr8bWS54ADJZdOXk2PTunF16il77o4T9Lv4R2lZOIjE7cH89daREDmI3wI/s320/Capture2.PNG" width="320" height="133" data-original-width="671" data-original-height="278" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cxrXakv8HJZX9dDismVxOONDn1l-BawpJ_Ln0Es6oxt5pVdiRiVaRivNAhHtN7PvQjJ3TPPtTHUWb9h0G6nz46-0ABPuSPn_-yZTFnHXrZDyE-0TuKHjMHhMRLhU6HNk54MFhPi1NINL/s1600/Capture4.PNG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cxrXakv8HJZX9dDismVxOONDn1l-BawpJ_Ln0Es6oxt5pVdiRiVaRivNAhHtN7PvQjJ3TPPtTHUWb9h0G6nz46-0ABPuSPn_-yZTFnHXrZDyE-0TuKHjMHhMRLhU6HNk54MFhPi1NINL/s320/Capture4.PNG" width="320" height="264" data-original-width="640" data-original-height="527" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHUx1KRojmyH9cFrHBc4Wt9RMpriEZU2ZWCRfsvCgPRdS3DVTdIAqbEInXCd4PHxYNf-u9GWUiMLSd1miT9_wb0nHlJQxoEsE61yqWAMFMMUH0o5kHAm0qx_ruOp0LssSEs-trnn3V0ed/s1600/Capture5.PNG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHUx1KRojmyH9cFrHBc4Wt9RMpriEZU2ZWCRfsvCgPRdS3DVTdIAqbEInXCd4PHxYNf-u9GWUiMLSd1miT9_wb0nHlJQxoEsE61yqWAMFMMUH0o5kHAm0qx_ruOp0LssSEs-trnn3V0ed/s320/Capture5.PNG" width="320" height="128" data-original-width="681" data-original-height="272" /></a><br />
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Our friends at <a href="http://www.spurs-web.com/spurs-news/spurs-fans-furious-performacne/">Spurs-web.com have more of these</a>. Reddit was aflame <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/coys/comments/78qoqe/post_match_thread_spurs_2_3_west_ham/dovw5wn/">as well</a>. It's almost like soccer fans are drama queens who spend too much time on social media. It's not just social media though. Pundits, too. Jamie Redknapp <a href="http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11675/11098856/arrongant-tottenham-missed-carabao-cup-opportunity-says-jamie-redknapp">said Spurs were arrogant and complacent</a>. Former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy <a href="http://www.insidefutbol.com/2017/10/25/yes-tottenham-could-go-trophy-less-now-former-chelsea-star-says-following-cup-exit/354686/">said Spurs are now likely to go silverware-less yet</a> again this season (then again we'd expect a former Chelsea player named cund to act like a, well, cund).<br />
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Time for everybody to relax and take a step back. Yes, the game was a disappointment with the way Spurs rushed out to an early lead that evaporated in the course of 15 minutes. Maybe Spurs aren't the <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-as-of.html#5">fifth-best team in the world</a>, because the fifth-best team in the world should be able to field a 'B' squad capable of beating West Ham pretty easily. No, losing to the Hammers is never pleasant, but how can you begrudge a club so desperate for success, any success, that their <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4768187/west-ham-tottenham-fan-mark-noble-shirt/">fans fight young children over Mark Noble's sweaty jersey</a>? In a way this was a charity act by Spurs. Or maybe a cruel way to manipulate West Ham to keep Bilic and get relegated. Either way it's worth remembering that this is the Carabao Cup. What exactly is a carabao? Exactly. It's an irrelevant name for an irrelevant competition, apparently played with a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/oct/24/pep-guardiola-manchester-city-wolves-ball-blames">strange ball</a>. Which is why teams are trotting out 'B' lineups for this.<br />
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The Carabao Cup may mean a lot to mediocre clubs like West Ham and Liverpool, but for teams in the Champions League, with aspirations of a league title, it is secondary out of necessity. Spurs, with a smaller budget than the other "big six," do not have the depth to compete for trophies like this if they are going to be serious about the Premiership and Champions League. Or even the FA Cup. Was the League Cup the easiest way to a trophy? Probably, seeing how opposing teams field weakened lineups. For this reason it's a cheap way to silverware. Again, a terrific alternative for clubs like West Ham. Not for Tottenham. Besides Spurs fans, do you really want your first trophy under Poch to be the Carabao Cup? Come on now. This club can do better. And it will do better.<br />
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Because with the Carabao now out of the way, Spurs will be able to concentrate on the competitions that truly matter: The Premiership, where they can assert themselves as the primary challenger to Manchester City. The Champions League, where they are all but assured passage to the knockout round. The FA Cup, which Tottenham dominated in the 60s but hasn't won since 1991. Even if Spurs don't win any silverware this season, having the Carabao Cup would be no solace to poor showings in those three tournaments. For this reason the loss to West Ham is meaningful only in that it frees Spurs up to focus on bigger and better things. So really it's good to have gotten this out of the way now rather than be forced to waste resources on it in additional rounds. Apparently <a href="https://twitter.com/MiguelDelaney/status/923316478174261248">this view is shared</a> by a certain Argentine head coach of the team:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43qr6b7zQNMxbN2LBX25NjYggD7xO7ODCwKzR7VAS_-fnLtVIeAr2MoB8ZpycbcnvctgI1c_ueSgprWNsxjEqGpuMzDbAt-_EJrTJxUY11uYHfYcWRa28SznMSOgZY8BmVa3jrrdLZk0a/s1600/Capture6.PNG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43qr6b7zQNMxbN2LBX25NjYggD7xO7ODCwKzR7VAS_-fnLtVIeAr2MoB8ZpycbcnvctgI1c_ueSgprWNsxjEqGpuMzDbAt-_EJrTJxUY11uYHfYcWRa28SznMSOgZY8BmVa3jrrdLZk0a/s320/Capture6.PNG" width="320" height="115" data-original-width="661" data-original-height="237" /></a><br />
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This Saturday, Tottenham visit Old Trafford with a chance to take sole possession of second place in the Premiership table. A win would also establish Spurs as the main challengers to Man City's title aspirations this season. The mere fact that Spurs can be considered favorites in this game is a testament to how far this club has come under Pochettino. It will go further still. The Carabao Cup has no place in these aspirations. Poch and Co have far bigger fish to fry.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-13222835719413134252017-10-24T01:18:00.001-04:002017-10-24T01:38:20.588-04:00With Koeman gone, Everton stand to benefit. Too much quality in this teamEverton <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/oct/23/ronald-koemans-everton-sacking">fired Ronald Koeman</a> yesterday, cutting ties with the man once seen as the Barcelona manager in waiting. It was widely expected and not much of a surprise in the end. Everton have been a <a href="http://www.espnfc.com/english-premier-league/23/blog/post/3240800/ronald-koeman-exits-everton-due-to-poorly-built-squad-confusing-tactics">shambles all season</a> even after spending $150 million on new players over the summer, <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.com/everton-fc/transfers/verein/29">according to figures </a>compiled by our friends at Transfermarkt.com. There are other statistics that speak to Koeman's ineptitude, with the <a href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2017/10/23/16523912/10-stats-summary-ronald-koeman-everton-career-sacked-monday-reasons-performance-win-loss-record">Royal Blue Mersey blog</a> listing just 10 of them. To <a href="http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm">quote Abraham Lincoln</a>, it was altogether fitting and proper that Koeman was fired.<br />
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Everton have been an embarrassment, especially considering their aspirations from the preseason, but there is reason to believe things will change for the better with a new man in charge. It needs to start with some kind of tactical consistency. Koeman trotted out a different formation almost every game and started players at different positions or not at all, with seemingly little rhyme or reason. Then he was quick to make halftime substitutions, just to add a little more unpredictability to the mix. Picking a formation, sticking to it, and deciding on a "spine" of about six or eight starters at key positions will be a first priority for interim manager David Unsworth. Simply doing that may not produce results itself, but it will put the team in a good position for the undeniable talent in its ranks.<br />
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Much has been said and written about Everton's inability to replace Romelu Lukaku and how the team's ills emanate from it. That's a little simplistic. Lukaku is a prolific goalscorer but it's hard to see how even he would be able to bag goals this season with all the confusion in the lines behind him. Luckily Everton have players who can provide service to a deep-lying forward. The problem is they have too many of them. Morgan Schneiderlin, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Nikola Vlasic, Davy Klaasen, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and that's not counting Wayne Rooney or the injured Ross Barkley or out-on-loan Kieran Dowell. Decide who the creative force is in attacking midfield and then make somebody like Rooney or DCL play at striker. That will undoubtedly leave somebody frustrated for lack of playing time and desperate for a move out of Merseyside during the January transfer window. Fine, let that player leave. Especially if it's an attacking midfielder as Everton have too many already. Once the midfield is able to generate chances (and again there is enough talent for it to do so consistently) then it doesn't really matter who is putting the balls in the net. Even an aged Rooney is good enough.<br />
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Everton's defense is in decent shape already. Go ahead and laugh. Of the 18 league goals conceded this season, 12 were from a combination of Tottenham (<a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-as-of.html#5">the fifth-best team in the world</a>, according to us, 3-0 victors at Goodison Park on Sept. 9), Manchester United (4-nil victors on Sept. 17) and Arsenal (5-2 last weekend). Here too Koeman's mixing and matching did Everton no favors. Nor did his undying devotion to Ashley Williams. Because other than the 33-year old Welshman, the facts again speak to quality players. Jordan Pickford is a superb goalkeeper and future number one for England. Michael Keane, signed from Burnley this summer, was a bright spot until a recent loss of confidence, in no small likelihood manager-related. Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines are perfectly capable, just on the wrong side of 30. Mason Holgate, on the other hand, is not. The 21-year old has only started once at centerback this season, a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth on Sept. 23. He did not play in either of the three lopsided losses mentioned earlier. It might be worth giving him another shot in a back three. If not him then Cuco Martina or Muhamed Besic could be given a shot. The point is, though Everton's defense is thin thanks to injuries to Seamus Coleman and Ramiro Mori, they do have options here as well.<br />
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Managing these options will be Unsworth's jobs for now. Perhaps the 44-year old will be given a chance to win the position on a full-time basis. More likely Everton will target a big-name replacement, somebody like Carlo Ancelotti or <a href="http://www.toffeeweb.com/season/17-18/rumour-mill/35704.html">Thomas Tuchel with whom they have reportedly already made contact</a>. Lack of Champions League football might be a bit of an ask for managers of those reputations, but Everton have the players and the budget to make this a compelling offer. Either way, they will likely be alright by the end of the season. Not top-five, but certainly solidly mid-table.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-10009997624531468842017-10-23T01:47:00.000-04:002017-10-24T09:28:41.303-04:00The world's top five soccer clubs as of Oct. 23, 2017Here it is, the second edition of this season's top five club ranking, reflecting the full slate of weekend games. Check out last week's iteration <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-top-5-soccer-clubs-in-world-201718.html">here</a>. There were some important results with the teams in the #top5 (yes that's going viral) so let's see how that affected things. <b>This list was updated to add a non-European team and "honorable mention" roll of other clubs warranting consideration. Scroll to the bottom to read that section or <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-as-of.html#noneuro">click here</a></b>:<br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="5">5. Tottenham Hotspur</a></h3><b>Last week's spot:</b> None, this is Spurs' first appearance pretty much ever since we've been doing these lists.<br />
<b>Record in all competition:</b> 9-1-3 (nine wins, one loss, three draws)<br />
<b>Notable results:</b> Lost to Chelsea at home (2-1, on Aug. 20), beat Borussia Dortmund at home (3-1, Sept. 13), drew at Real Madrid (1-1, Oct. 17), <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/spurs-beat-up-on-liverpool-making-us.html">beat Liverpool 4-1</a> at home yesterday.<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> It was a superb week for Spurs, starting with the <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/an-inspiring-performance-from-spurs-as.html">impressive performance at the Bernabeu</a>. Then there was the beat-down of Liverpool yesterday. The 4-1 scoreline actually flattered Liverpool, who were a complete mess defensively and don't look to be making any appearances on this list anytime soon, if ever. But at least they still have Jurgen Klopp. Oh wait, <a href="https://twitter.com/richardajkeys/status/922142075012841474">Klopp's record is actually worse</a> than both of his predecessors' after the same number of games played. But this isn't about Klopp or Liverpool -- it's about Tottenham and the fact is Mauricio Pochettino's men belong here in a list of the best teams on the planet. They've been tested against the best (Real Madrid, away) and didn't blink. They've beaten every other quality side they faced except for Chelsea (their one loss) and that was in August. Games played in August are deeply discounted in our model, and not because Harry Kane isn't able to score any goals during that month. Tottenham ooze quality. Their goalkeeper is one of the best shot-stoppers in the game, their three centerbacks match up with any on the planet and then there's Harry Kane. English players are <strike>often</strike> <strike>usually</strike> <strike>almost</strike> always overhyped, often to the point of hyperbole, but with Kane the superlatives simply fit -- and that's <a href="http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/654348/Liverpool-Dejan-Lovren-scared-Harry-Kane-Spurs-defeat-Thierry-Henry">according to people like Thierry Henry</a>, a proven hater. Keep in mind that Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen have not really found their form, that Moussa Dembele and Danny Rose have been injured and that Kyle Walker left during the close season. This team is not just good, it can still get a lot better. Man City and Europe should take notice. These are giddy times for us Spurs supporters.<br />
<b>The road ahead:</b> After a challenging week things don't get any easier. A League Cup match against West Ham is Wednesday, followed by a trip to Old Trafford on Saturday. Man United have seen better days and there are <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/mourinho-calls-out-manu-players.html">indications Jose Mourinho has lost the dressing room</a> already and the team is on for a repeat performance of 2016/17. Still a visit to the Old Trafford is never easy and Spurs have lost or drawn 73 percent of the time these teams have played historically (136 of 186 games, <a href="https://www.11v11.com/teams/tottenham-hotspur/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Manchester%20United/">according to our friends at 11v11.com</a>. The recent record is more in Tottenham's favor though, with the North London side losing just three of the last 10 matchups). The return leg against Real is Nov. 1. The North London derby Nov. 19 followed by the return leg against Borussia Dortmund two days later. Man City, if you're curious, is on the docket for Dec. 16. It's feasible that match could go a long way toward deciding the Premiership title.<br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="4">4. Real Madrid</a></h3><b>Last week:</b> <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-top-5-soccer-clubs-in-world-201718.html#5">Fifth</a><br />
<b>Record in all competition:</b> 8-1-3 (8 wins, 1 loss, 3 ties)<br />
<b>Notable results: </b>Won at Dortmund (by 3-1, on Sept. 26), drew Tottenham Hotspur at home (1-1, Oct. 17)<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> Real Madrid move up a spot by virtue of Man United dropping out. Real held serve this weekend, beating SD Eibar by the impressive-sounding score of 3-nil. While Real are just third in La Liga, it is due to points dropped in August (when two of their draws took place) and in their solitary loss to Real Betis on Sept. 20. None of those results speak to any real weakness with this team, though it will be very interesting indeed to see how they do at Wembley in the return leg against Spurs. <br />
<b>The road ahead: </b> The return leg at Tottenham is Nov. 1. The Madrid derby is Nov. 28. A trip to Bilbao looms Dec. 12. The superclasico clash against Barcelona is on Dec. 20.<br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="3">3. Paris Saint Germain</a></h3><b>Last week:</b> <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-top-5-soccer-clubs-in-world-201718.html#2">Second</a><br />
<b>Record in all competition: </b>11-0-2<br />
<b>Notable results:</b> Beat Bayern Munich (3-0, Sept. 27), drew Olympique Marseille (2-2, Oct. 22)<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> PSG came back to draw Olympique Marseille yesterday in thrilling fashion. The highlights are worth watching. Here, check them out:<br />
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Thrilling though the game was, it still exposed some weaknesses in PSG's game, particularly its defense. The ranking committee has taken notice and docked PSG one spot in the #top5. PSG should still win Ligue Un with ease. Beyond that, it's anybody's guess. They likely won't be truly tested until the elimination round of the Champions League, depending on who they draw.<br />
<b>The road ahead:</b> The return leg at Bayern Munich which wraps up the UCL group stage is worth watching. Probably won't matter in the standings but could be a good test as Bayern look resurgent under Jupp Heynckes. That game is Dec. 5. Also visit Monaco (currently second in Ligue Un), Nov. 25.<br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="2">2. FC Barcelona</a></h3><b>Last week:</b> <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-top-5-soccer-clubs-in-world-201718.html#3">Third</a><br />
<b>Record in all competition: </b>11-0-1<br />
<b>Notable results: </b>Beat Juventus (3-0, Sept. 12). Drew at Atletico Madrid (1-1, Oct. 14)<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> Barca move up a spot by virtue of a 2-nil victory over Malaga on Saturday. Their record is now quite simply better than PSG's and they look the better side so far, albeit by a narrow margin.<br />
<b>The road ahead: </b>Visit Athletic Bilbao Saturday. The return leg against Juventus is Nov. 22, though that may not matter at that point.<br />
The clash with Real Madrid is on Wednesday, Dec. 20. At the Bernabeu. Midweek. Should be fun.<br />
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<h3><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1">1. Manchester City</a></h3><b>Last week: </b><a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-top-5-soccer-clubs-in-world-201718.html#1">First</a><br />
<b>Record in all competition: </b>12-0-1<br />
<b>Notable results:</b> Won at Chelsea (1-0, Sept. 30), beat Napoli (2-1, Oct. 17)<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> Man City continue to boss England and Europe alike. Last week they saw off Napoli with ease and had a nice stroll at Burnley yesterday. Their goal difference in the Premiership is 32 for, four against and in the Champions League it's been a similar story: eight scored, one conceded. Their Champions League group may not be a veritable group of death, but it does include a tough visit to Shakhtar Donetsk (already passed, City won 2-nil) and the aforementioned Napoli who currently lead Serie with an unbeaten record (it was unbeaten and untied but Napoli drew Inter Milan on Saturday). It's hard to see exactly where and whether Man City have any weaknesses. Surely the defense is untested and may begin to show signs of rust as the season wears on. But for now, this is the top team in the world, hands down. Oh yeah that one draw was against Everton on the second matchday of the season. Like we said, August. It's hard to imagine City not putting 10 past Everton if that match were played now.<br />
<b>The road ahead:</b> An easy week with Wolverhampton Wanderers in League Cup action on Wednesday, followed by West Bromwich Albion on the weekend. The return leg against Napoli is the following Tuesday. The Manchester derby is the second weekend in December, though with the way things are going Man U don't look like they'll be able to offer up much in the way of competition.<br />
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<h4><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="noneuro">Non European Team of Note: River Plate</a></h4>Unbeaten so far, with a record of six wins, no losses and three draws in all competition (the Soccer Source ranking system counts matches played over two legs as one result). Sit second in the Argentine Superliga, six points behind ancient rivals Boca Juniors who have a perfect start through six games but are not in any continental competition. River Plate is in the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores. The first leg of kicks off tonight against Lanus, who are currently fifth in the Argentine top flight.<br />
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<i><b>Also receiving consideration for top five: </b>Napoli (first place in Serie A, but just third in their Champions League group), Chelsea (first in their CL group where they won at Atletico Madrid, fourth in Premiership), Besiktas (first in their Champions League group after defeats of Monaco, RB Leipzig and FC Porto, but just third in domestic competition).</i><br />
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The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-13466075142083832052017-10-22T13:15:00.000-04:002017-10-24T08:57:48.394-04:00Spurs beat up on Liverpool, making us look like idiotsBut we're glad to be idiots on the day. (For the uninitiated: our <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/sorry-spurs-fans-we-probably-wont-beat.html">official prediction</a> for this game was a scoreless draw, a score which didn't even hold up for five minutes). It was a tremendous performance by Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium. An absolute clinic by the lads in the white shirts who should have rightfully put the game out of sight in the first 25 minutes. As it were, it took a Dele Alli goal on the stroke of halftime to reassert a two-goal advantage and effectively decide things. Spurs will take it. So will their supporters, me included. After almost five years of frustration against Liverpool, a compelling victory that puts Tottenham firmly in the top three in the Premiership table and potentially sets them up as the main title challenger to Manchester City this season.<br />
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We knew before this match that Liverpool's defense was poor. But we didn't quite know the extent. Dejan Lovren had one of the more pathetic performances you'll ever see from a Premiership defender. At times it looked like he was playing for Spurs. It was a joke, except no Liverpool supporters are laughing. Neither was the master of <i>Gegenpressing</i>, Juergen Klopp, who pulled the Croatian defender for Oxlad-Chamberlain midway through the first half. <i>Gegen</i> means against in German so maybe the concept calls for going against your own team. If so, Liverpool executed beautifully.<br />
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Credit Mauricio Pochettino again for rolling the dice with his 'WTF' lineup, same as he did <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/an-inspiring-performance-from-spurs-as.html">in Madrid at midweek</a>. When the starting eleven were announced, nobody even knew where people would line up. Was Aurier on the right or left? Where would Eriksen, Alli and Son play? (The latter hopefully not at left wingback again, as he did rather disastrously on one occasion last season). It took a <a href="https://twitter.com/MC_of_A/status/922111686416519168" target="_blank">deep dive on social media</a> to at least answer the Aurier question.<br />
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It turns out Son was Spurs' most advanced player for most of the early stages of the game. Eriksen was on the right wing, with Alli on the left flanking Harry Winks. Maybe it was Son's positioning that threw off Lovren and the other Liverpool defenders on Tottenham's first goal. Whatever the reason, Lovren looked completely lost, but credit Trippier for a gutsy pass and Harry Kane for persevering until the ball was in the back of the Liverpool net. Less than five minutes were played. Just a few moments later, Spurs got their second goal, effectively achieving what Germans call the <i>Vorentscheidung</i>. Lovren was again at fault, this time whiffing on a header that put Kane and Son in on goal. Punditarena.com has some <a href="http://www.punditarena.com/football/sokeefe/watch-dejan-lovren-horror-show-gifts-spurs-two-early-goals-at-wembley/" target="_blank">excellent analysis of both goals</a>, complete with video.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-27535271286553341032017-10-21T23:16:00.000-04:002017-10-21T23:19:46.756-04:00Mourinho calls out ManU players' attitudes after loss at Huddersfield. Has he already lost the locker room?Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has made absolute no secret of his distaste for the team's attitude leading to its surprising loss to Huddersfield last night. The question is not only why the players had such poor attitudes (wouldn't that be at least partially instilled by the manager?) and if they have already stopped responding to Mourinho's methods. More on that in a bit. It's first worth going to the primary source on this to see exactly what Mourinho did and did not say because a lot has already been written about it and not all of it may capture the context correctly.<br />
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Mourinho's initial reaction below. He first says he doesn't want to be "critic with my players with you." Regarding the mistakes that led to Huddersfield's two goals, Mourinho says "I would be very unfair if I point the finger at the players involved." He concedes the better team won and that "honestly, I think we deserve the punishment of defeat":<br />
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Harsh words perhaps, but so far no mention of attitude. In the postgame press conference, Mourinho begins along the same lines, but mentions the team's attitude for the first time. "They beat us on attitude," he said. "When you lose a match on attitude, that's really bad." Mourinho then mentions an individual player, Ander Herrera by name. "I heard that Ander Herrera in the flash interviews saying the attitude and the desire was poor. Oh my god, when a player says that and when a player feels that, I think they should all go to the press conference and explain why, because I can't explain."<br />
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For the record, below is audio of one Herrera flash interview where he says Huddersfield "played with more passion than us the first 30 minutes." No mention of attitude, though it may be implied. There may be other interviews that Mourinho was referring to. If somebody has a link to one please supply it in the comments.<br />
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Mourinho in the full press conference also says he can't remember a friendly match "where our attitude was so poor." He said he didn't want to anticipate the players' reaction to the loss. "I feel really disappointed and if I was a Manchester United supporter...I would be really disappointed because you can play and lose football matches because the opponent had more quality than you. You cannot lose football matches because the opponent had better attitude than you."<br />
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So there you have it. A manager calling out his player for criticizing the team's attitude, but then agreeing with the player that attitude was at fault for the loss. The manager appealing to the fans and saying this is unacceptable. Who creates a team's attitude? Doesn't the manager set the tone? The players have free will as individuals but if they all, without exception, have the same (poor) attitude, then likely some external force is causing it. Something like their manager.<br />
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All of which makes it look like Mourinho's methods are not working. Of course, there could be other forces working on the players as a collective whole and causing their poor attitude. Something outside of Mourinho's control. But Mourinho controls a lot at Man United. At this point the question at least deserves to be asked whether he has already lost the dressing room.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-45164401479932934612017-10-20T20:43:00.002-04:002017-10-21T10:19:56.172-04:00Sorry Spurs Fans: We Probably Won't Beat LiverpoolFile this one under posts I will be very happy to be wrong about. But a Tottenham Hotspur victory over Liverpool in Sunday's marquee Premier League matchup is looking very unlikely indeed. So, fellow Spurs fans, it is probably a good idea for us to temper our expectations, as giddy as we might be after this week's <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/an-inspiring-performance-from-spurs-as.html">impressive showing at the Bernabeu</a>. There are a number of reasons for this:<br />
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Start with history. Past performance is not always a reliable indicator of future results, as any investor will tell you. But if there's a pattern, well, then there's a pattern. Historically, Liverpool have won or drawn almost two-thirds of these matches, according to data <a href="https://www.11v11.com/teams/liverpool/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Tottenham%20Hotspur/">compiled by 11v11.com</a>: the tally now reads 80 wins for Liverpool and 47 for Spurs with 41 draws. The recent history has been even more in Liverpool's favor; it's been almost five years since the last time Tottenham won this matchup. You have to go back to the first term of the Obama administration, to Nov. 28, 2012 when Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale scored in a 2-1 victory at White Hart Lane. Since then it has been seven Liverpool victories and three draws. Most recently, in February, Reds <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbSUuFmnnBg">beat us 2-0</a> at Anfield in one of Spurs' worst performances of the entire season.<br />
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Which is the other part of this: Not only do Liverpool play us tough, but we invariably play poorly in these matches. During one three-game stretch in 2013 and 2014, Liverpool won by a combined 12-0 (consecutive victories of 5-nil, 4-nil and 3-nil). Some of that overlapped with the season Liverpool <strike>bottled</strike> competed for the title, but still. And then there's the Wembley factor. While we aren't buying any of this <a href="http://twohundredpercent.net/premier-league-tottenham-hotspur-prophecy/">Wembley hex talk</a>, it is undeniable that, domestically at least, Tottenham simply do not play well at their temporary home. Perhaps it's how the size of the pitch is affecting our pressing game, as <a href="http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11675/11089796/wembley-pitch-size-affects-tottenhams-pressing-game-says-danny-higginbotham">Danny Higginbotham points out here</a>. Whatever the reason, something ain't working. <br />
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Spurs have had the benefit of weak teams visiting Wembley to get off the schneid and impress with an offensive performance to remember: Swansea, Burnley and Bournemouth were the last three opponents and suffice it to say we're still waiting for the goals to flow in any number. (For the record, Swansea was a scoreless draw, Burnley finished 1-1 when we gave up a late equalizer thanks to Kieran Tripper and while Bournemouth was our first ever league victory at Wembley, it was by the narrowest of 1-0 margins. Against a team firmly ensconsed in the relegation zone). The lack of goals is only the most apparent problem. The greater concern is the inability to create bonafide chances. Something is missing in the attacking third of the pitch, a final link in the chain appears to have been removed from Spurs' attacking play at White Hart Lane last season. Dele Alli is trying to do too much, in too many places, at too many times. His connection with Harry Kane, which at times was almost telepathic last year, is nowhere near as fluid. Christian Eriksen, too, has been uninspiring at various points -- nowhere more so than against Real at midweek, where he was the one negative in an otherwise masterful performance by the team.<br />
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Liverpool, of course, are beset by their own problems. Some of them, ironically, may stem from the same cause as Spurs', namely <a href="http://metro.co.uk/2017/10/21/why-liverpool-and-tottenham-have-been-forced-to-tone-down-their-heavy-metal-football-7014433/">being forced to dial back the pressing game</a>. And of course much has been said and written about <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4486132/liverpool-defending-laughable-jurgen-klopp-brendan-rodgers-alan-shearer-column/">Liverpool's poor defense</a>, and justifiably so. Whether this is the <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2017/9/11/16285902/liverpool-jurgen-klopp-defense-virgil-dan-dijk">fault of Juergen Klopp</a> or some other factor is a conversation best left for a different day. But surely Reds' defense is better than Swansea's or Bournemouth's? If Spurs are unable to create real chances against these clubs, can they really be expected to accomplish this task against Liverpool? Maybe this will finally be the week the Tottenham attack finds its groove and shows the prowess it has displayed away from home? But it may not be smart to make that bet. The <a href="https://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/tottenham-v-liverpool/winner">U.K. bookmakers </a>all have Liverpool as strong favorites to win. Oddsmakers can be, and often are wrong of course, but they set their odds for a reason. Set pieces have been Liverpool's downfall but here too Spurs have yet to find their groove. Of the 17 goals scored in league play this season, we can recall just two coming from set pieces (Alli's off of a corner versus Burnley and Eriksen's against West Ham. Please let us know if you recall others). And Liverpool's defense was vastly improved in their last game against Man United. We unfortunately can't see them giving up more than a goal or two to Spurs tomorrow. Not with the way things have been going.<br />
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Okay, so might a draw be in the offing? The bookies have a draw even less likely than a Spurs victory. But Klopp has never won a competitive match at Wembley. Liverpool's attack is as impressive as their defense is underwhelming, but Tottenham have arguably the best backline in the league (maybe even in all of Europe) and good defense typically beats good offense. Plus <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/sadio-mane-injury-liverpool-news-latest-manchester-united-senegal-a7993046.html">Sadio Mane is out injured</a>. Reds beat up on poor Maribor in midweek Champions League action but were unable to break down a stubborn Manchester United defense (and midfield. And, well, everything since Jose Mourinho parked the bus) last weekend. Liverpool have scored more than one goal in a match just once since August -- a stretch of games that included Burnley and Newcastle. Spurs have everybody healthy defensively, probably even Danny Rose (though probably not for the full game). <a href="https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2017/10/20/16510290/tottenham-hotspur-vs-liverpool-f-c-match-preview-projected-lineups-predictions-and-how-to-watch">Cartilage Free Captain expects</a> Heung-Min Son and Dele Alli to start for Spurs with Trippier rotating into Serge Aurier's spot at right wingback, but this is very much an 'A' Spurs squad that will take the pitch. For these reasons a draw may be more likely than oddsmakers are anticipating. We predict Tottenham 0, Liverpool 0.<br />
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<i>Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated Sadio Mane's first name.</i>The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-12853670342384682912017-10-19T22:50:00.001-04:002017-10-23T07:01:28.948-04:00The Top 5 Soccer Clubs in the World, 2017/18 Season, First EditionThis ranking has been updated! Whilst we appreciate you reading this entry, it's worth checking out the updated one too! <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-worlds-top-five-soccer-clubs-as-of.html">Click here</a> for the latest top 5.<br />
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Just in time for the weekend, our inaugural ranking edition for this season. It's obviously early days but here's an early look at how things are shaping up. Reminder that while scientific methods (wins, losses, ties, head-to-head competition, etc.) are used wherever possible, this ranking is by its very nature subjective. In other words, it is intended to inspire, rather than conclude any debate on this topic of what the best teams in the world might be right now. So comments and feedback are encouraged. Just don't expect us to like it. Just kidding, we welcome all of it. But here goes:<br />
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<h3><a name="5">5. Real Madrid</a></h3><b>Record in all competition:</b> 7-1-3 (7 wins, 1 loss, 3 ties)<br />
<b>Notable results: </b>Won at Dortmund (by 3-1, on Sept. 26), drew Tottenham Hotspur at home (1-1, Oct. 17)<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> This was the toughest choice. Others warranting consideration were Chelsea, Napoli and Atletico Madrid. But all of those teams have lost against squads further up in this ranking (and in Chelsea's case, against Crystal Palace, which doomed any chances of their inclusion. Sorry you can't lose against Crystal Palace and make the list of top anything). While Napoli's one loss at Manchester City (more on them in a bit) is certainly forgivable, their listless performance was not. Neither is a loss at Shakthar Donetsk, though a victory over AS Roma and unbeaten, untied record in Serie A did bolster Napoli's case. Atletico lost at home to Chelsea and lacked a marquee victory (draws against Roma and Barcelona weren't enough in the end). That leaves Real Madrid. The 3-1 win at Dortmund was impressive and the draw against Tottenham was an early season highlight for both teams and neutral observers alike. (For more on that, <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2017/10/an-inspiring-performance-from-spurs-as.html">see our write-up</a> from the other day). We're more willing to forgive Real's one loss, a 1-0 defeat at home to Real Betis on Sept. 20, than Atletico's Champions League slip-up versus Chelsea.<br />
<b>The road ahead: </b> The return leg at Tottenham is Nov. 1. Will Tottenham be able to duplicate their surprising performance from the Bernabeu and maybe even best Real, which would certainly knock them off of this ranking? Or will Real reassert themselves. The domestic league campaign has already left little margin for error, with the way Barcelona and second-placed Valencia have started to the season. The Madrid derby is Nov. 28. A trip to Athletic Bilbao looms Dec. 12. The superclasico clash against Barcelona on Dec. 20.<br />
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<h3><a name="4">4. Manchester United</a></h3><b>Record in all competition:</b> 10-0-2<br />
<b>Notable results:</b> Drew Liverpool at Anfield (0-0, Oct. 14)<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> Jose Mourinho's side really haven't been tested. Their Champions League group is a bit of a joke, with CSKA Moscow, FC Basel and Benfica Lisbon. The two toughest challenges, away at Lisbon and Moscow, were already passed with ease. A 2-2 draw at Stoke City on Sept. 9 is the only blemish other than the boring scoreless draw at Anfield last week.<br />
<b>The road ahead:</b> Host Spurs on Oct. 28. That's next weekend. Will Mourinho park the bus at home against one of Europe's most exciting teams? Probably, because Mourinho is a pussy. Visit Chelsea the weekend after that. Host Man City on Dec. 9, another opportunity to park the bus at home.<br />
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<h3><a name="3">3. FC Barcelona</a></h3><b>Record in all competition: </b>10-0-1<br />
<b>Notable results: </b>Beat Juventus (3-0, Sept. 12). Drew at Atletico Madrid (1-1, Oct. 14)<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> Were dominant in all but three matches. In the first, Barca came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to beat Getafe on Sept. 16. Then they needed a late own-goal to win at Sporting Lisbon on Sept. 27. The third resulted in the draw at Atletico Madrid. All other wins came by two goals or more.<br />
<b>The road ahead: </b>Visit Athletic Bilbao a week from Saturday. The return leg against Juventus is Nov. 22, though that may not matter at that point.<br />
The clash with Real Madrid is on Wednesday, Dec. 20. At the Bernabeu. Midweek. Should be fun.<br />
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<h3><a name="2">2. Paris Saint Germain</a></h3><b>Record in all competition: </b>11-0-1<br />
<b>Notable results:</b> Beat Bayern Munich (3-0, Sept. 27)<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> PSG are already bossing the French ligue as might be expected, though they somehow were held to a scoreless draw at home against Montpellier on Sept. 23. That's the only blemish in an otherwise impressive campaign so far. The Champions League hasn't been a challenge either. Bayern Munich have been a bit of a mess and already changed managers. Celtic and Anderlecht are several levels below PSG. So is just about anybody. It will take the elimination round of the Champions League for this team to be tested. We like them more than Barcelona so far.<br />
<b>The road ahead:</b> Actually, the return leg at Bayern Munich which wraps up the UCL group stage is worth watching. Probably won't matter in the standings but could be a good test as Bayern look resurgent under Jupp Heynckes. That game is Dec. 5. Also visit Monaco, Nov. 25.<br />
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<h3><a name="1">1. Manchester City</a></h3><b>Record in all competition: </b>11-0-1<br />
<b>Notable results:</b> Won at Chelsea (1-0, Sept. 30), beat Napoli (2-1, Oct. 17)<br />
<b>Discussion:</b> The only blemish against Pep Guardiola's side is a 1-1 draw against Everton back on Aug. 21. August results really shouldn't count, nor should results against Liverpool clubs which is why we aren't mentioning a 5-0 drubbing of the Reds on Sept. 9. But this has been a truly impressive run of results by Man City. <br />
<b>The road ahead:</b> It's mostly smooth sailing the next couple of weeks. They host Burnley this weekend. The return leg against Napoli is Nov. 1. The clash with Man United will be the one to watch, the second weekend in December.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-26649204200989082002017-10-18T21:02:00.000-04:002017-10-18T21:02:16.294-04:00Hazard Heroics Keep Premiership Clubs Unbeaten in Champions LeagueEden Hazard's late equalizer <a href="http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2018/matches/round=2000881/match=2021632/index.html">against AS Roma</a> last night salvaged a remarkable run by Premier League teams that now has them unbeaten in three matchdays in the UEFA Champions League. As far as can be immediately determined, this is an unprecedented run of success for English clubs in European competition. It follows several years underwhelming (or worse) performance by Premiership sides in the Champions League and may (may!) just be the start of a new era of dominance. For that to happen obviously English teams are going to need to advance deep into the knockout stages and do what Chelsea last accomplished in 2012, which is win the whole darned thing. It's early days, but the record does speak to a renaissance of English club football on Europe's grandest stage.<br />
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Eleven wins, four draws, no losses. Forty-four goals scored, 11 conceded. That is the record of Premier League teams in the Champions League so far this season. The five English teams lead their respective groups (in the case of Tottenham Hotspur the lead is shared with Real Madrid, but still). One could argue that the competition has been substandard, that Premiership teams have been spared teams like Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich of Paris Saint Germain. But this would be unfair. Chelsea won at Atletico Madrid. Tottenham dominated Borussia Dortmund on a ground, Wembley Stadium, where Spurs are supposed to be jinxed. More recently Tottenham proved themselves every bit Real Madrid's equal at the <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2009/11/ranking-worlds-soccer-meccas-no-6.html#6">Estadio Bernabeu</a>. Worth noting that Real is unbeaten in its last eight Champions League home games.<br />
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But Tottenham are not England's best team (sorry fellow Spurs supporters. We're good but we're not that good). Nor are Chelsea (sorry not sorry Chelski fans), who blew a two-goal lead at Stamford Bridge last night before Hazard's second goal won them the point against Roma. This year the two Manchester clubs are head and shoulders above the rest and will in all likelihood decide the title between them. Man City have been the more impressive of the two. Pep Guardiola's side are unbeaten in all competition, with a home draw to Everton on Aug. 21 the lone blemish. Since Sept. 1 they have reeled off nine wins in a row by a combined score of 34-4. On Tuesday night they made short work of Napoli, who currently top Italy's Serie A table.<br />
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All of which speaks to a resurgence of English clubs in continental competition. A sorely needed one because since Chelsea's triumph in 2012 Premiership teams have managed just two semifinal appearances in the Champions League, losing both. The last time multiple English teams made the semis? In 2009, when three did (back then Arsenal were even good enough for the task. How times have changed. Nowadays Gunners don't seem capable of making the Europa League semifinals, or much of anything else for that matter). It's been a long drought but indications are it may be nearing its end.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-89490777592981574782017-10-17T22:42:00.002-04:002017-10-17T23:28:54.141-04:00An Inspiring Performance From Spurs as English Clubs Boss EuropeTottenham Hotspur's inspiring <a href="http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2018/matches/round=2000881/match=2021626/index.html">1-1 draw at Real Madrid</a> last night demonstrates Mauricio Pochettino's men deserve to be included with the elite clubs of Europe. With Liverpool <a href="http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2018/matches/round=2000881/match=2021620/index.html">beating up</a> on poor Maribor and Manchester City <a href="http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2018/matches/round=2000881/match=2021621/index.html">defeating Napoli</a>, it was an impressive night for Premiership clubs in the UEFA Champions League and one that may underlie a resurgence of English teams on the continent. More on that later.<br />
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But first to the events of the Bernabeu. Here were Spurs, fresh off a listless 1-0 victory over Bournemouth on the weekend, showing themselves every bit the equal to the reigning European champions. Yes, Hugo Lloris needed every bit of his athletic reflexes to salvage the draw and sure, there was a bit of good fortune in Kerim Benzema's squandered opportunities in front of the Tottenham goal. Still, make no mistake: Spurs belonged here and could have even nicked the victory with a bit more good fortune. Also, Spurs were robbed of a penalty in the first half when the Polish referee decided that a blatant trip on Fernando Llorente was, for reasons yet obscure, not worthy of his whistle. So while the result was just it would not have been unfair for Tottenham to make off with all three points. And yes, this demonstrates Spurs can compete with absolutely anybody, as <a href="http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11675/11086181/tottenham-have-showed-they-can-compete-with-europes-elite-says-boss-mauricio-pochettino">Pochettino made clear</a> in his postgame comments.<br />
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You have to credit the Spurs manager for being creative with his formation. Nobody could have predicted the 4-2-3-1 he trotted out. While the Llorente experiment didn't exactly come off (few touches for the Spaniard), Moussa Sissoko did wonders with the extra space provided to him in midfield and Harry Winks again looked like a seasoned pro. Jan Vertonghen was steady at left back and Davinson Sanchez very solid throughout. Only Serge Aurier, ostensibly in the game for attacking purposes, was a defensive liability. His clumsy foul cost Spurs the penalty that led to the equalizer (though even the most dedicated Kieran Trippier fanboy would claim the English wingback would have been a better option than Aurier. I mean seriously, Tripper has proven himself as a defensive liability. The Bernabeu is no place for a player like that). Christian Eriksen, normally one of Spurs' best players, had an uncharacteristic poor game in the attacking end. If he had done a little more Spurs surely would have been superior to Real on the night.<br />
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With the point, and Borussia Dortmund's <a href="http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2018/matches/round=2000881/match=2021625/index.html">surprise draw</a> at APOEL, Spurs are all but assured passage to the knockout stage of the tournament. Who could have predicted that when the groups were drawn?!? But all Tottenham have to do is keep Real and Dortmund close in their next two games before beating the Cypriots on the final matchday and the elimination round is theirs. They could even win the group depending on how things play out.<br />
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<b>Premiership Resurgence<br />
</b>Take a look at the Champions League tables. English clubs are unbeaten, and sit either first or second in their groups. Man City is looking all but unbeatable and will certainly warrant consideration as the top team in the world when the next rankings are released (after the next set of Champions League games, promise). English teams' records so far: Ten wins, three draws, no losses. If that doesn't speak to a European resurgence for the Premiership teams then it's hard to say what would. Some of these victories have been truly impressive: Spurs' dismantling of Dortmund, Chelsea's win at Atletico Madrid. In today's matchups, Manchester United (at Benfica Lisbon) and Chelsea (home to Roma) have an opportunity to drive the point home, that English clubs are back and that the continent should take notice. It will take advancing into the deeper rounds of the knockout stage to prove this point of course, but the early signs are very encouraging. The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-23969669742444951892017-04-17T09:40:00.000-04:002017-10-19T22:54:46.100-04:00The Top 5 Soccer Clubs in the WorldJust for fun, and because a top 25 is way too ambitious. And of course this could just be called "European clubs" since teams from other continents are some ways off of their quality. A note on methodology: This ranking is subjective and meant to capture (or intend to capture) the status on a seasonal basis. So this is not a ranking of form, but of the team's body of work throughout the season. Wherever possible, objective measures are weighed in the rankings: wins, losses, head-to-head, etc. Also weighing heavily is whether a team is still alive in continental competition, primarily the UEFA Champions League, now halfway through its quarterfinal fixtures. Oh yeah, for our purposes matches played over two legs count as one victory or loss. So let's get to it:<br />
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5. AS Monaco</b><br />
Record in all competitions: 37 wins, 7 draws, 5 losses (76% winning percentage)<br />
Notable victories: Tottenham Hotspur (twice), Paris Saint Germain, Manchester City<br />
If their sweep of Spurs in the Champions League group stage didn't convince English fans of Monaco's quality, then the memorable victory over Man City certainly did the job. This is an exciting team with exciting players which rightfully deserves to be mentioned with Europe's elite. Everybody knows Kylian Mbappe's name by now, but the club from the principality have <a href="http://www.squawka.com/news/the-5-monaco-players-who-look-set-top-become-world-class-players/899603#v5UY2ZOAHqV6y5r6.97">no fewer than five players</a> who could become bonafide superstars (probably not at Monaco but that's another story). Leonardo Jardim's men started the season rather slowly, with a tough Champions League qualification victory against Fenerbahce Istanbul and draw at home against Guingamp. Yes exactly, Guingamp. It's been smooth sailing since. One of the season's five losses came against Bayer Leverkusen on the final day of their Champions League group stage after Monaco had already won the group (which realistically shouldn't be counted as a loss but we'll let it stand for purely technical reasons). One blemish is a recent loss to PSG in the French league cup finale. <i>Les Monegasques</i> have a three point lead over their Parisian rivals with five matchdays remaining, having not lost a Ligue Un match since December. They also carry a 3-2 lead into their CL quarter final return leg against a Borussia Dortmund team that has had (much) better seasons. If Monaco blow this they'll make us look like clueless a-holes. We don't like being made to look like clueless a-holes.<br />
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<b>4. Bayern Munich</b><br />
Record in all competitions: 30 wins, 6 draws, 4 losses (75% winning percentage)<br />
Notable victories: Arsenal, Atletico Madrid (x2), RB Leipzig, Dortmund<br />
Notable losses: Dortmund (away), Hoffenheim (away)<br />
The German <i>Rekordmeister</i> (it means they've won more Bundesliga titles than anybody else. One of those compound German words that needs an entire sentence to be explained. Kind of like <i>Schadenfreude</i>) are alive in all competitions though kind of hanging by a thread in the Champions League thanks to a weak home loss to Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarterfinal match up. You get the sense the Germans were not properly tested yet this season before that game. Certainly not by an Arsenal in turmoil, whom they easily dispatched in the round of 16, and not by their Bundesliga competitors. How bad is the German top flight this year? RB Leipzig, a promoted team, are Bayern's closest competitors for the league title (another promoted club, SC Freiburg, are sixth). A club with the name TSG Hoffenheim sit third. That bad. In fact, you could make the point that it's a bit of a farce. <br />
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<b>3. Barcelona</b><br />
Record in all competitions: 32 wins, 6 draws, 5 losses (74% winning percentage)<br />
Notable victories: That comeback win over Paris Saint Germain<br />
Other notable results: Drew Real Madrid 1-1 at home in December<br />
Barca trail their rivals from Spain's capital city by just three points in La Liga, while boasting a better goal difference (+61 to Real's +49), so everything to play for there. Recent losses at La Coruna and Malaga have been costly but the return leg against Real looms April 23. The blaugrana split their Champions League series with Manchester City, with a 4-0 beatdown at Camp Nou followed by a 3-1 loss at the Etihad. The Champions League group stage was otherwise forgettable, with easy victories over hopelessly overmatched Celtic and slightly less overmatched Borussia Moenchengladbach. Unforgettable on the other hand was that ridiculous comeback against PSG, though it may have masked some deeper flaws with the club. With Barca that is. PSG's flaws, a choke-artistry that can only be described as uniquely French, were readily apparent.<br />
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<b>2. Real Madrid</b><br />
Record in all competitions: 29 wins, 9 draws, 3 losses (71% winning percentage)<br />
Notable achievements: Eliminated Napoli in CL Round of 16, drew Barcelona at Camp Nou, won 3-0 at Atletico Madrid<br />
There are a couple of blemishes on Real's record: a loss to Celta Vigo over two legs in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals was certainly the major disappointment of the season so far, and their performance in a relatively weak Champions League group (finishing second behind Borussia Dortmund) also left a little bit to be desired. Other than that this club seems to have everything. While Cristiano Ronaldo certainly isn't getting any younger, with former Tottenham players like Gareth Bale and Luca Modric feeding him the ball that doesn't really matter all that much now, does it?<br />
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<b>1. Juventus</b><br />
Record in all competition: 34 wins, 4 draws, 4 losses (81% winning percentage)<br />
Notable victories: At Sevilla in Champions League group stage, Roma<br />
Notable losses: Inter, AC Milan, Genoa, Fiorentina (all away)<br />
Masimiliano Allegri's men boast the best winning percentage of the clubs tracked here. Fresh off a 3-0 dismantling of Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal, the old lady of Italian football is firing on all cylinders. Their eight point lead atop the Serie A standings should be safe with six matchdays remaining, though a visit to second-placed Roma looms on May 14. Speaking of safe, that three-goal cushion over Barca should be sufficient as well, since, well, Juventus are not Paris Saint Germain. Paulo Dybala is looking like the next Argentine superstar.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-12873007616924594402014-07-13T21:17:00.002-04:002014-07-14T06:22:16.461-04:00Germany 2014 = Spain 2008In 2008, Spain triumphed at the European championships with a core of players, nearly all of them from domestic clubs, who were rounding into their prime. Spain were widely viewed as the best team at Euro 2008 and won the tournament with a clean slate, sweeping their three group stage matches before advancing through the elimination round with minimal difficulty. It was the start of a golden era in Spanish soccer, as la roja went on to win the World Cup in 2010 and another euro championship, in 2012, with the same core of players.<br />
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Now in 2014, Germany have triumphed at the World Cup, winning with a core of players, nearly all of them from domestic clubs, who are rounding into their prime. Few would argue that Germany were not the best team at this tournament. Yes, Argentina certainly had their chances tonight (then again, so did Germany) but in the end it was Joachim Loew's side, specifically one Mario Goetze, who capitalized on theirs. In the end the better team triumphed <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2008/06/better-team-won.html">by a 1-0 margin, much like it did in Vienna six years ago</a>.<br />
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Now, like then, we can expect the winning national team to dominate competition for at least the next two major tournaments. Except, this German team may even be better than Spain was in 2008, as these German players are more battle-tested, despite their relative youth. The core of the team, including its coach, saw semifinal action in 2010 and 2012, and a few (Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Klose) even figured in the 2008 squad (bad example on Klose, as he has figured in every German national side since what, 1966?). Spain, by contrast, kind of came out of nowhere in 2008. At the time the story was still about how Spain produced terrific club sides but couldn't translate this to success on the national team level (sound familiar, England fans? Different situation though, as England still doesn't have any future as a national team. Sorry folks). Spain didn't make it past the round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup and didn't even make it out of the group stage at the euro 2004 tournament. This after generations of futility. We shouldn't have to remind you about German "muscle memory" when it comes to success in international soccer tournaments.<br />
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Looking at the roster of German players you have a roster with few weaknesses, the main spine of which will be in place for at least the next World Cup cycle. On defense, only the 30-year old Lahm will need to be replaced: Manuel Neuer is 28, Benedikt Hoewedes 26 and Matt Hummels 25. Bastian Schweinsteiger, aged 29, is the only midfielder one can expect to be cycled out by 2018. Don't forget 25-year old Marco Reus, arguably one of the most talented members of this generation of German players, missed the entire tournament with an injury. Then you've got guys like Julian Draxler (not yet 21), Matthias Ginter (20) and Erik Durm (22), who made the team for Brazil but didn't play much or at all. Among forwards, Miroslav Klose will likely not play much longer for the national team beyond perhaps a well-deserved sendoff game, but if anybody can fill his shoes it is Goetze, whose class was on full display in the winning goal. Andre Schuerrle is top-notch as well, as Chelsea fans can attest. And of course don't forget that Thomas Mueller, who turns 25 in September, led German goalscorers in Brazil and has a legitimate shot at breaking Klose's record of 16 World Cup goals if he stays healthy. Just in case the Germans needed additional help, there are forwards like Kevin Volland, who turns 22 this year and scored 11 goals for Hoffenheim last season, or Philipp Hofmann, a 21-year old in the employ of FC Kaiserslautern who stands 6'5 and scored 13 goals in 26 appearances for German youth national teams, <a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp_Hofmann">according to his Wikipedia page</a>. While we're on the topic of budding German stars, it bears noting that <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27705630">Liverpool just signed 20-year old Emre Can</a>, a midfield product of Bayern Munich's youth sides who started for Bayer Leverkusen last season. And we'd be remiss not to mention Leon Goretzka, the 19-year old Schalke midfielder, who has already been capped at the senior level and is said to model his game after Toni Kroos.<br />
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Of course a lot can still go wrong to derail the German machine on its path to generational dominance. The last time Germany won a World Cup, in 1990, no less a figure than <a href="http://www.zehn.de/franz-beckenbauer-217674-4">Franz Beckenbauer predicted they would be unbeatable for a decade</a>. We all know how that turned out (Spoiler alert! Germany were hardly unbeatable and in fact succumbed in the quarterfinals at the next two World Cups, though they did win the Euro 96). Still, it would take a brave man to bet against Germany, at the very least in the euro 2016 tournament in France. The only European team that was at all impressive this World Cup, the Netherlands, rely on two players (Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder) already in the tail end of their careers. The others looked weak or worse. It's hard to see how Germany will have any serious European competition by 2016. After that it's just as questionable if anybody will emerge on the world stage: Brazil has been plunged into an existential crisis that will take at least a few cycles to recover from. Argentina will have to rebuild around somebody other than Lionel Messi, who anyway isn't all that great as we now know. Maybe Colombia can mount a challenge? Maybe Italy or France or Spain will be able to reload? Or maybe the challenger will come from somewhere else, entirely unexpected. The point is this: the top of the world soccer pyramid is now firmly occupied by the German national team. It will take a lot to wrest it away from them.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-25411642159103315142014-06-29T15:15:00.001-04:002014-06-29T15:34:37.118-04:00Arjen Robben, Rafa Marquez and the politics of makeup callsLet's get one thing out of the way first: Arjen Robben blatantly took a dive in the 92nd minute of today's round of 16 matchup between Mexico and the Netherlands. The dive was rewarded with a penalty, which Klaus Jan Huntelaar coverted, and Mexico lost the game as a result.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_6d_khakic30sSad3iz8nV2uQpfaF92Tmt8cAwxOGxwhROL8E_JiYy5pkn9WgBarDQlbkhrwf-3BD-HA8krJZ6aNg3Wf0bV7hslqJ7ARRacCkS5AhLWjGBSy-QdybC9Y9GC8mGZlwc5y/s640/blogger-image--1353838517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_6d_khakic30sSad3iz8nV2uQpfaF92Tmt8cAwxOGxwhROL8E_JiYy5pkn9WgBarDQlbkhrwf-3BD-HA8krJZ6aNg3Wf0bV7hslqJ7ARRacCkS5AhLWjGBSy-QdybC9Y9GC8mGZlwc5y/s640/blogger-image--1353838517.jpg"></a></div><br />
</div><div>Robben is a cheater who was rewarded for his deceit. Rafa Marquez was punished for a crime he did not commit. On the surface, this is a gross injustice. But let's look at the bigger picture:</div><div><br />
</div><div>1. At the end of the first half, a blatant penalty to Holland was not rewarded. This penalty can be seen as a makeup call.</div><div>2. Rafa Marquez is a notorious hothead and dirty player who as a result of his past conduct deserves to be viewed with close scrutiny by referees. If he is the victim of a bad call he only has himself to blame at this stage of his career.</div><div>3. The game was already tied and headed for extra time, thanks to a super strike by Wesley Sneijder that left no chance even for Mexico's superb goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. Mexico's record in extra time is poor. Their record in penalty shootouts is downright miserable.</div><div>4. Mexico really shouldn't be at this World Cup to begin with. They finished fourth in the six-team Hexagonal playoff and that only by virtue of a last minute goal by Graham Zusi to tie Panama in the U.S.'s last match, which dropped Panama to fourth and allowed El Tri to qualify via a play-in against New Zealand.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So yeah, Mexico deserve our sympathy. But only to a point.</div>The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-60590151306072403992014-06-27T15:11:00.002-04:002014-06-27T15:11:55.172-04:00Five things we learned from the Group Stage of the 2014 World CupThe 2014 World Cup is about to get real. Really real. Knockout stage, single elimination real. No margin for error real. The seeds are set, the brackets are drawn up. Who will win it all? Who the hell knows! For now we're sticking with our pick of Brazil over Argentina in the grand finale on July 13 at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium (the <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2012/09/ranking-worlds-soccer-meccas-no-2.html">number two ranked soccer Mecca in the world, according to our ranking</a>). First, let's take a step back and look at the things we learned from the group stages and see how these might affect matters in the elimination round:<br />
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1. For all Juergen Klinsmann's talk and bluster about ushering in a new era of attacking football, the U.S. Men's National Team is playing an awful lot like it were still coached by Bob Bradley. That is, drop 10 men behind the ball, let the opposition control possession and hope your superior physicality wins out to carry the day. This was all on display against Germany in the final group stage game yesterday. It didn't work, as Germany deservedly won the match. The Yanks still got through to the round of 16 thanks to Portugal beating Ghana, which in the end is a superb result for the U.S. and for Klinsmann. But the whole thing should dampen the enthusiasm of those who think the U.S. have turned the corner to become a first rate soccer power. The bottom line is that this team still lacks playmaking creativity in the midfield and there are few signs that U.S. development academies are able to produce players with this skillset. The one creative engine in the American midfield this World Cup, the first two games at least, was 32-year old Jermaine Jones, who grew up in Germany. And we saw what happened when he had a bad game in the group stage finale. The team was flat and uninspiring. If the Yanks are to have any chance against Belgium, Jones must bring his A game. As for who might supply Klinsmann with this spark in 2018 and beyond? There are no obvious candidates and therein lies the problem. Not Michael Bradley, as this was never really his position to begin with.<br />
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2. Uruguay are only as good as Luis Suarez, and with the mad biter of Montevideo suspended for the team's round of 16 match against Colombia, well, you do the math. It turns out we were wrong about <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2014/06/things-we-learned-from-first-round-of.html">Uruguay, one of the teams we thought were "done"</a> after watching them play once in the group stage.<br />
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3. France are untested as a result of being drawn into the weakest group in the tournament. Switzerland barely put up a fight against <i>les bleus</i> in what was arguably the most one-sided match of the entire World Cup. This is the same Swiss team that finished second and will <strike>lose to</strike> play Argentina in the round of 16. This means Ecuador and Honduras were really, really bad. It also means France probably aren't that good. If Nigeria don't beat them, Germany most certainly will in the quarterfinals.<br />
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4. Mexico may have peaked. <i>El Tri</i> reaped a massive confidence boost from their opening match against Cameroon, when they outplayed the African side by a far greater margin than the 1-0 victory would suggest (and indeed were robbed of two perfectly good goals by the referee). Mexico next played Brazil to the letter in a scoreless draw before finishing out group play with an impressive win over Croatia. But Mexico always play well against Brazil and Croatia is not the Netherlands, Mexico's opponent in the round of 16. Only once in World Cup history have Mexico advanced past the round to 16 and that was when they hosted the tournament in 1986. There's no real reason to believe history won't repeat itself at Estadio Castelao Fortaleza on June 29. <br />
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5. Lionel Messi is the likely star of this World Cup. The Argentine captain has scored in all of his team's matches, twice supplying the winning goal. After the <i>albiceleste</i> turn the Swiss defense to, well, Swiss cheese, they likely face Belgium in the quarterfinals and probably the Netherlands or Costa Rica in the semis. Those are mild roadblocks for the best player in the world who is at the peak of his powers. The 2014 World Cup will go down as Messi's tournament just like the 1986 World Cup belongs to Maradona. Messi may yet be crowned a world champion next month. It's going to be close, but in the end we think Brazil's home field advantage will prove to be the difference.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-47467794075798326072014-06-17T21:35:00.001-04:002014-06-18T05:48:14.134-04:00Things we learned from the first round of World Cup gamesHard to believe the first round of games of the 2014 World Cup are already over. But each team has played once, and that gives us an excellent opportunity to draw a number of way too premature conclusions, way too early. Take these with a grain of salt, remembering that the road to World Cup irrelevance is paved with the carcasses of teams that shone brightly in their opening match and were never heard from again (remember the Soviet Union side from 1986? No? After trouncing Hungary 6-0 in their opening game they were the early favorites to hoist the cup in Mexico. Didn't quite happen that way). But hey, how much fun is drawing conclusions if you can't draw wrong ones? So here goes (in no particular order):<div><br />
1. CONCACAF teams not named Honduras can play with just about anybody. For Exhibit A, consider today's scoreless draw between Mexico and Brazil. Yeah, this isn't your uncle's Brazil, much less your father's <i>Selecao</i>, but it's still Brazil and they're still playing at home. And Mexico still outplayed them for long stretches of today's match.<div><br />
2. Spain are done. We know, we know: In 2010 Spain lost the opening game of the World Cup and a month later they were hoisting the trophy. This time is different. For one thing, this wasn't a 1-0 fluke loss, it was a 5-1 beatdown that exposed massive flaws in Spain's game. The era of the <i>tiki taki </i>is drawing to a close. Enjoy its dying moments.</div><br />
<div>3. Portugal are done. <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2013/12/yes-us-can-advance-from-its-world-cup.html">We told you they weren't that good</a>. You didn't listen. The team showed little cohesion against Germany and went to pieces once it found itself down a goal. At one point late in the match, Nani even tackled one of his teammates. Portugal has good players, including arguably the second-best in the world, but good players do not a good team make. Beset by infighting, this squad will play out the string of group matches and take the next flight back to Lisbon.</div><br />
<div>4. Uruguay are done. They looked terrible against Costa Rica, an interesting little team that actually plays like one and should create all kinds of problems for England if not Italy. The <i>Celeste</i> are old and slow and out of ideas. Diego Forlan is a solid decade past his prime. Their best player is coming off surgery and is not going to be 100 percent fit for at least another week or two, by which time it will be too late. And their problems cannot be solved even by a fit Luis Suarez. Uruguay shocked the world in 2010, advancing to the semifinals. This time around we were actually expecting something. In vain. They may steal a point off England just because England are inefficient like that, but have no chance against Italy and will be on the first flight back to Montevideo.<br />
</div><br />
<div>5. England's attack is interesting, even exciting. The Three Lions had Italy, an excellent defensive side, reeling for stretches of Saturday's game. Unfortunately Wayne Rooney blew a chance from point blank range and his teammates fared no better at converting the chances they created for themselves. But with Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling, Roy Hodgson has a trio of excellent young attackers at his disposal for years to come. Too bad England's defense is so shoddy, and a shame that Gary Cahill, usually the team's best defender, let Mario Balotelli get free to head in the winning goal. Still, there are many positives in England's game. When was the last time you heard anybody say that? The mid-90s?</div></div><br />
<div>6. For all the talk about Juergen Klinsmann ushering in a new paradigm of attacking football, the U.S. still beat Ghana with Bob Bradley's tried and true method of bunkering. Or "parking the bus," as it's now known. And lest we forget, the winning goal came on a set piece, which is how they all seemed to come in the Bradley era. Here's the difference though: Unlike Bradley, Klinsmann had the magic touch with his substitutions, as second half subs Graham Zusi and John Brooks combined for the winning goal. And it's impossible to say if the Yanks had parked their proverbial bus as early as they did if they hadn't lost Jozy Altidore to injury. Don't forget that minutes before being stretchered off, Altidore missed a sitter right in front of the Ghana goal that really should have doubled the U.S. lead. Plus this was arguably the worst performance of Michael Bradley's career. If he had been a little more effective in holding and distributing the ball (for the U.S., not Ghana), things might have been very different.</div><br />
<div>7. Don't count Brazil out. Luiz Scolari's men have been far from impressive so far. They were gifted the three points against Croatia and looked only marginally better against Mexico. Still, with four points from two games and a very weak Cameroon up next, Brazil are in the driver's seat to win the group. Once that happens they will likely face Chile in the round of 16. Chile looked great for about 15 minutes against Australia. Soccer games last 90 minutes. By then Brazil could be hitting their stride. With a little help from the home crowd and the referees, the hosts will still be the team to beat.</div><br />
<div>8. Germany are quality. Joachim Loew's side played beautifully against Portugal. Well before <i>die Mannschaft</i> scored their first goal, we tweeted about them <a href="https://twitter.com/soccersource/status/478568959839461376">finding gaps in the Portuguese defense and cautioned that it could be a long day for Cristiano Ronaldo and his mates</a>. And just think if they hadn't lost Marco Reus to injury in the last warmup game! <i>Die Nationalelf</i> are once again at the top of their game and the top of the sport, only now it's by playing a fast, attacking, entertaining style. If there's any justice in the soccer universe, this should take Germany far, perhaps even all the way to the Maracana on July 13. Alas, as past generations of German footballers remind us (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UnMBH3EGWM&feature=kp">hello Toni Schumacher</a>), there is little justice in this sport. In the end it's often the bad guys hoisting Jules Rimet or his anonymous successor. This year, the bad guys appear to be Brazilian.</div>The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-85810051247553466552014-06-12T08:18:00.002-04:002014-06-12T08:49:42.254-04:00It doesn't matter if Klinsmann is right; his attitude is un-American. And it sucksAs you may have heard, Juergen Klinsmann has been in the news for reasons other than cutting Landon Donovan from the U.S. Men's National Team World Cup roster. (<a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2014/05/time-will-vindicate-klinsmanns-decision.html">A decision we supported</a>, by the way). We are referring here to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/magazine/how-jurgen-klinsmann-plans-to-make-us-soccer-better-and-less-american.html?_r=3">comments made by <i>der Nationalcoach</i> to the New York Times, that the U.S. can't win the World Cup this year</a>. "We cannot win this World Cup because we are not at that level yet," the Times quoted Klinsmann as saying.<br />
<br />
Let's ignore for a moment that Klinsmann's comments were likely taken out of context. After all, the very next quote is how the U.S. would have to "play the game of our lives seven times to win the tournament," an admission that we can, in fact, win the World Cup this year. Let's also cast aside any theories that it might have just been some sort of reverse psychology motivational ploy. In other words: let's just take the comment at face value.<br />
<br />
In the realm of pure reason (yes that was a Kant reference. Deal with it) Klinsmann is, sadly, absolutely correct. The World Cup has only been won by eight countries, each with far more ingrained soccer institutions than the U.S. Two of these teams (England and France) were only able to win as hosts, and depending on who you ask may have only won <i>because</i> they were hosts. Another, Uruguay, last won the tournament in 1950, well before the modern era of television and internet and even before there were panini stickers. That leaves five World Cup winning nations in the past half-century: Brazil, Argentina, (West) Germany, Italy and Spain. Needless to say, the U.S. is a class or two removed from this level. Other than our goalie, Tim Howard, no American player would even come close to seeing playing time with these teams. It's unlikely that anybody with a U.S. passport (excluding maybe Klinsmann himself. He does have a U.S. passport, right?) would have ever made a World Cup-winning roster as an outfield player. So our players aren't good enough, probably because youth coaching and development remains substandard in this country. Whatever the reason, if you don't have world class players you aren't going to have a world class team. If you don't have a world class team, you aren't going to win a tournament like the World Cup. Or very much of anything else, for that matter. So realistically, as Klinsmann said in the Times piece, "it is not possible."<br />
<br />
And that's exactly why we have to believe that it is.<br />
<br />
Because if we accept that it is not possible, it will never become possible. Not this year, not in 2018, not ever. This attitude, "realistically, it is not possible," is not just nihilistic and self-defeating. It is a detriment to any team and any person who has ever been an underdog or faced "impossible" odds, in any situation. It is anathema to hope. It is enemy to progress. It is poison to the American soul. It runs counter to the ideals this country was founded on and which have instilled it with progress the last 200-plus years. Yes, I'm getting patriotic on all your asses right now. Somebody has to.<br />
<br />
Remember that us was "realistically" not possible to expect the U.S. hockey team to beat the Soviet Union and win the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics. The U.S. realistically had no chance against England at the 1950 World Cup either. Jesse Owens realistically wasn't expected to compete against Aryan superathletes. For that matter, a bunch of colonists realistically had no prospects of forming their own government, least of all one based on the outlandish belief that all men were created equal and could elect their own leaders! World (and sports) history would look quite a bit different if Juergen Klinsmann had been at the reins, wouldn't it? And not for the better.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2007/10/lets-settle-this-no-soccer-is-not-un.html">One of the very first missives on this blog almost seven years ago was an attempt to dispute, in definitive terms, the notion that soccer is un-American</a>. We listed the litany of usual complaints and then went to great lengths to debunk them all. Strangely enough, there has not been any talk of soccer's un-American-ness (yet) this World Cup cycle. (Come to think of it there wasn't much in 2010 either). We'd like to think we're at least partially responsible for that. We probably aren't, but that's neither here not there. The point is that while soccer has clearly taken over the American mainstream this past decade, so too have some of the more annoying traits of soccer punditry from the other side of the Atlantic. Yeah, we've been accused of doing that too in this space. Guilty as charged, we do sometimes find ourselves siding with eurosnobs, especially when it comes to <strike>critiquing</strike> being realistic about Major League Soccer.<br />
<br />
Realistic. That word again. But let's make a clear distinction: being realistic about the present-day qualities (or lack thereof) of MLS is an assessment, based on fact. Extrapolating from this to make a prediction, even for the short term, is conjecture that can be demoralizing or depressing. No, the U.S. in 2014 does not have the players that Brazil or Argentina or Spain do. That does not mean we, as American sports fans, should accept Klinsmann's statement that we should forget about competing for the World Cup! The fact that so many have, while others have gone as far as to praise him for it, may indicate that the pendulum has swung a bit far into the "European punditry" camp and needs to be reeled back.<br />
<br />
Because seriously? If the perfectly realistic thing happened every time, would any of us even watch sports? Hells no. The fact that any team, with the right amount of gumption and drive and good fortune, can beat any other (or will damn near kill itself trying) on any given day is one of the primary spectacles of our time. It's what makes sports so great to watch. Yeah in the end the Germans usually win. But oftentimes they don't. And that's what we're all watching for.<br />
The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-78679857032796537442014-06-09T07:14:00.001-04:002014-06-09T22:21:21.213-04:00Can the 2014 World Cup break the following patterns?Patterns are made to be broken. It wasn't that long ago that anybody but old white guys with Anglican or Scotch-Irish names could become president of the United States. Tech stocks were supposed to go up forever, until they didn't. Then real estate was, until it didn't. Americans would never watch soccer, until they did. The U.S. would never be competitive at soccer, until they were. The U.S. would never win a World Cup until, oh wait. Well, patterns are made to be broken. No less an authority than <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/magazine/how-jurgen-klinsmann-plans-to-make-us-soccer-better-and-less-american.html?_r=2">Juergen Klinsmann says the U.S. won't win it this year</a>. So maybe that one's not ready to break yet (not that it can anyway with that vote of confidence. Thanks, Juergen). But there are other, more plausible scenarios, that stand to be broken at the 2014 World Cup. Let's take a look:<br />
<br />
1. No European team has won the World Cup when it was held in the Americas.<br />
Until 2010 this sentence could read "no European team has won the World Cup when it was held outside Europe," except then both finalists in South Africa were European and Spain ended up winning (another first).<br />
<br />
2. Only Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay have won World Cups played in the Americas.<br />
Granted, Uruguay's last triumph came in 1950, when most teams still traveled to the tournament by steamship. And European teams have come dangerously close before, with Italy losing the 1994 final to Brazil on penalties and Holland taking Argentina to extra time in 1978. Still...<br />
<br />
3. Brazil, as host nation, will do well.<br />
France and England won their only World Cups as hosts. (West) Germany and Argentina also prevailed when the tournament was held in their countries. Germany in 2006 was a young team in transition that was not supposed to get very far but finished third. South Korea in 2002 and Italy in 1990 made the semifinals of those respective tournaments. The U.S. in 1994 advanced to the elimination round against all expectations. Sweden (yes, really) made the final when they hosted the 1958 tournament. Mexico's only quarterfinal berth came as hosts in 1986. There are few exceptions, but ultimately <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/its-brazils-world-cup-to-lose/">Nate Silver may be right: this is Brazil's World Cup to lose</a>.<br />
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4. A combination of the following teams will face each other in the final: Brazil, Argentina, Spain, France, Holland, Italy, Germany, Uruguay.<br />
They, along with England (whom we haven't included for reasons that will be explained later), are the only teams at the World Cup who have played in a final before. There are three other nations that have played in finals, none of which qualified for Brazil and one of which, Czechoslovakia, isn't even a country anymore (the others are Hungary, who lost to West Germany in 1954, and Sweden, who lost to Brazil in 1958).<br />
<br />
5. No African team has made it past the quarterfinal.<br />
Only two teams from Africa have made it as far as the quarterfinals in World Cup history: Cameroon in 1990 and Ghana in 2010. This one looks like it will persist as this year's crop of African clubs appear to be mostly inferior to their counterparts from four years ago: Nigeria and Ivory Coast are shadows of their former selves, Algeria are promising but unproven, <a href="http://news.sky.com/story/1278484/cameroon-world-cup-squad-strike-over-pay">Cameroon's players already held one strike</a> and Ghana, perhaps the best African team on paper, are in the group of death. Don't be surprised to see all of the above exit in the first round.<br />
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6. England will disappoint their legions of fans.<br />
Only twice have the three lions progressed as far as the semifinals: in 1966, when they won as hosts, and 1990. So why do England fans continue to expect the nearly impossible? Because they're England fans, that's why! They simply do not learn from past failures. It would be funny if it weren't so sad and if England fans didn't become legitimately upset every time it happened. But it's still pretty funny.<br />
<br />
7. The U.S. will spring a major upset.<br />
Twice before the U.S. has participated in World Cups in South America. The first time, in 1930, the Yanks won their group and a berth in the semifinal (it's true. Look it up). The second time, in 1950, the U.S. shocked England 1-0 in what is still rightly viewed as the biggest upset in World Cup history.<br />
<br />
8. The final will go to extra time or penalties.<br />
The last two did. So did three of the last five.The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-38385823116532569582014-06-02T00:07:00.001-04:002017-10-24T09:51:24.346-04:00How to Speak Soccer Football: A Public Service AnnouncementEnamored by the game of soccer? Looking forward to the World Cup? Want to make friends and influence people at pubs and viewing parties, while not sounding like a complete novice? Then this post is for you. Bookmark it, e-mail it to yourself, print it out, memorize it. Just make sure you don't leave home without it. Because this is how you speak soccer.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Soccer? First things first. Most of the world, including the nation that invented the modern game, call the sport football. This makes sense seeing how it's played mostly with your feet, while what Americans call football is played with many other body parts including, it would appear, one's skull. That aside, if you want to sound like you're really in the know, or European, or both, you should consider referring to it as football. You can even call if futbol (pronounced the Spanish way) if you like, though this might take some practice as well as at least limited knowledge of the Spanish language.</div><div><br />
</div><div>On the surface, soccer/football is a simple sport. You have 11 players on each team. In the end the Germans win. Make that reference to your English fans! They will laugh and think you're really clever, even though it's become a complete cliche in the U.K. But back to soccer, er, football: each team has 11 players who aim to put the ball in the opposing team's goal. But underneath it is a world of nuance, starting with the terms that are used.</div><div><br />
</div><div>For this reason it is perhaps easiest to simply list them; the American term known to casual sports fans in the U.S., followed by the soccer/football equivalent, as fans of the beautiful game know it (by the way, only call it the that when you're being ironic). Here goes. Happy studying!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Soccer<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> --></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">football</span></div><div>Field --> pitch</div><div>Team <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">--> side</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Road team --> visitors</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Fans --> spectators </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tie --> draw</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Shutout --> clean sheet</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Offense --> attack</span></div><div>Stadium<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> --> ground (or grounds)</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Stands --> terraces </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Locker room --> dressing room</span></div><div>Uniform<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> --> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">kit</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cleats</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> --> boots</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fans</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">--> supporters</span></div><div>Coach<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> --> manager ("gaffer" if it's the head coach)</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Practice --> training</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Official --> referee </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Overtime --> extra time </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Sideline</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> --> touchline or byline</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Period --> half</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Schedule --> fixture</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">To guard</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> --> mark </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">To center (a ball) --> cross</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Backup --> substitute</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ejected --> sent off</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hurt --> injured</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In shape --> match fit </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Speed --> pace</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Fast break --> counter</span><br />
MLS --> The MLS<br />
The Spurs --> Spurs</div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Other useful terms include "brace" for somebody who scores two goals along with of course "hat trick" for three. Note to our Canadian readers: under no circumstances should defenders be called "defensemen" or goalies "goaltenders." That's hockey only! There are also some terms that, while acceptable to soccer aficionados, have a more advanced equivalent that will prove you're really in the know. Examples include "intermission" for halftime (yes, like a play), "linesman" for assistant referee, "fullback" for defender and "spot kick" for penalty kick. Speaking of penalty kick, don't say "PK" as that acronym is used by Americans only.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Then there are words that are surprisingly interchangeable with their equivalent from U.S. sports: dribble means moving with the ball just like it does in basketball (no traveling violation in soccer though, natch). A foul is a foul. Intercepting a pass is intercepting a pass, as long as you don't call it a "turnover." To score is to score, though in soccer sometimes you also "net" a goal or "put a bulge in the ol' onion bag."</span></div>The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5639474280933569691.post-22800394068783975502014-05-24T15:01:00.000-04:002014-05-24T15:11:16.715-04:00Time Will Vindicate Klinsmann's Decision to Omit Donovan from World Cup RosterJuergen Klinsmann sent shockwaves through the world of U.S. soccer this week by deciding to exclude Landon Donovan from the <a href="http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2014/05/22/16/35/140522-mnt-roster">team's roster for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil</a>. The ramifications have been felt far and wide, on social and traditional media, water coolers and elsewhere, making the U.S. look like a real, honest-to-goodness soccer nation and leading at least one pontificator <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/268ui3/jurgen_klinsmann_names_the_world_cup_roster/">to take to Reddit </a>and suggest the whole thing had been staged. (Reddit is great by the way. And you know the sport is being taken seriously when you have people suggesting conspiracy theories).<br />
<br />
Many pundits have taken Klinsmann to task for omitting the Yanks' most seasoned and celebrated World Cup player. <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/marcus-thompson/ci_25818006/thompson-why-landon-donovan-should-be-world-cup">Some of these critiques were fair enoug</a>h: Donovan has experience on this, the sport's grandest stage, he has been the team's best outfield player for the better part of a decade, he can mentor the younger players, etc. etc. <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_spot/2014/05/23/landon_donovan_j_rgen_klinsmann_why_the_u_s_coach_never_trusted_america.html">Others were less plausible</a>. Then you had <a href="http://www.phillysoccerpage.net/2014/05/23/donovan-left-out-klinsmann-gives-up-on-2014/comment-page-1/?replytocom=282704">one that was downright laughable</a>: Klinsmann was criticized (criticized!) for having the gall to select the team with an eye to 2018. That's right, people are outraged that a U.S. national team coach actually plan for the long term. Many of these people are the same ones who lament the lack of long-term vision by U.S. soccer and cite that as a reason why the USMNT will never challenge for a World Cup.<br />
<br />
First off, if anybody deserves the benefit of the doubt when it comes to long-term visions, it's Klinsmann. His methods were mocked and criticized at first, his personnel decisions questioned, and when the U.S. got off to a slow start in World Cup qualifying those voices intensified. <a href="http://soccer-source.blogspot.com/2012/09/why-failing-to-qualify-for-2014-would.html">One idiot even said it would be a good thing if the U.S. failed to qualify for Brazil</a>! But Klinsmann stuck to his guns and sure enough, things started to gell. The team started to play the more entertaining, attacking style espoused by its head coach. Players who had literally been the butt of fans' jokes (see Beckerman, Kyle) took to their specific roles envisioned by Klinsmann and made the team better as a result. The Yanks steamrolled the rest of their qualifying competition, accomplishing something that had only been achieved once before in World Cup qualifying (a draw at the Estadio Azteca) and finished in first place in the Hex.<br />
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In the midst of this, Landon Donovan decided to take a sabbatical. This was well within his rights of course, just like it's well within anybody else's rights to question his commitment to the team. He previously said playing in the 2014 World Cup wasn't a priority. Then he changed his mind and came back to the team. Again, fair enough. People change their minds all the time. Sometimes even pundits and bloggers do. But Klinsmann didn't have to take Donovan back at all. When he did, the results were suspect. Donovan was visibly slower than before. More importantly, he no longer had a clear role in Klinsmann's carefully-engineered system (or Konzept, as the German's call it. A term that means concept, blueprint, vision and user manual all in one). This, more than anything, was likely what doomed Donovan's chances of making the U.S. squad.<br />
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There may have very well been other factors, particularly personal ones, that led to Klinsmann's decision to omit Donovan. But ultimately it is justified when the bigger picture is taken into view. That bigger picture is Klinsmann's vision of how to make the U.S. a world soccer power. Donovan simply does not fit into that picture anymore. Thus the only arguments in favor of including him become sentimental/emotional ones. Do we really need to remind you of the priority of such factors in the German decision-making process? Can there now be any doubt why Donovan wasn't named to the team?<br />
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In Brazil, the U.S. faces a "group of death" where it will be difficult to get results. The team has several promising young players but only one or two (Bradley, Howard) in the prime of their careers. It is moving from a system where it relied heavily on one player (Donovan) to one that stresses a more collective whole. This system (or <i>Gesamtkonzept</i>, to get all German on you again) needs to be given air, light and breathing space to develop and ultimately reach fruition. Eventually the idea is for it to become something that players are matched to, rather than the other way around. We have seen this idea fulfilled with great success in the Spanish national team and at Barcelona and Bayern Munich (and to a certain extent with the German national team). This is Klinsmann's vision for the U.S. as well and one he should be applauded for taking. In Brazil, we will see the next stage of its evolution. Maybe the U.S. will manage to get results and even qualify for the elimination round. More likely, the team will finish third or fourth. At this stage of his career Donovan will not have been able to change that. Better then, to go with the blueprint for the future and leave sentimentality at home. Yeah Donovan was a great World Cup player for the U.S. But that's in the past. Klinsmann is moving this team to the future.<br />
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In 2010, Vicente del Bosque famously omitted Raul from Spain's World Cup squad. Raul was the country's most seasoned and historically successful striker. It worked out all right in the end as Spain hoisted its first World Cup trophy. Soccer, particularly the brand practiced by del Bosque and Klinsmann, is a team sport where a unifying system trumps individuality. By hiring Klinsmann to be its head coach (and then extending his contract), U.S. soccer has bought in to this vision. It's showed great promise so far. Let's give it a chance to blossom.<br />
The Soccer Sourcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13874664836520462410noreply@blogger.com2