Fiorentina 0 – Inter 0: Recap
October 30, 2008
Yesterday in Florence our Fiorentina held Inter to a nil draw with the Viola’s top two strikers and scoring threats on the bench. Although I would have loved a win (and one was certainly within reach) I’ll take the point and look towards Siena on Sunday.
I don’t have a ton of time today, so I plan on keeping this fairly brief. Overall, I liked very much how the team looked; I think they played very well, and very intelligently, against a very strong club. Obviously the Great Man saw something on tape in his preparations for the match, and the Viola cam out with a clear mandate to attack down the flanks (particularly the right) and cross the ball in the box to the waiting Pazzini and Osvaldo. Pazz in particular ran and hustled all night (he also did a lot of complaining about fouls) and got his head on a remarkable number of balls. Unfortunately, he couldn’t finish, and neither could Osvaldo, although the latter improved mightily in the second half.
If I was giving out grades, I would give both starting full backs (Comotto and Pasqual) A+; they started virtually every attack, distributed smartly, and hustled mightily to contribute on defense. This is what we imagined we’d get, I suppose, from Vargas. Nods of appreciation are also due to Gamberini and Kroldrup, who kept a clean sheep in front of the always great Bassy Frey. And make no mistake, Inter has its share of injuries but is still a potent team, and Fiorentina should be given credit for shutting them down.
Melo was fine in the midfield, even if he got a bit more forward at times than I would prefer. Kuz, in my mind, was the man of the match in the first half and was responsible for many of the best crosses into the box. I found Monto to be disappointingly quiet.
I get on Santana all the time (and was genuinely excited when Jovetic got on the field) but Mario was exactly what the team needed yesterday; he was a calm and collected force on the ball keeping cool for all the kids around him. He played more in the center of the park then he usually does and I liked him there.
So, all in all, it was a good draw by the boys. I don’t think it’s out of line to imagine we might have gotten the three points with Gila and Mutu on the pitch. It’s a distinct possibility they would have finished one of those crosses. Too bad Gila, at least, didn’t play. But hey: if there’s one thing I respect, it’s the governing body of Series A, for all of their common sense and fairness. For instance, Ibrahimovic had an obvious handball yesterday, and he then denied it to the referee. Inter fans might argue that the handball was unintentional, but I looked into the man’s eyes and saw his cheating heart. I’m sure the league’s disciplinarians did as well, and thus I await Ibra’s two-game suspension with baited breath.
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I’ve got a crazy weekend coming up with a birthday, a wedding, taking my son out for Halloween, and a bunch of other family stuff. I may not be able to get a preview of the Siena game up before the match, and may in fact actually miss seeing the game (sob) which would be my first of the year. I will be back at some point with something this weekend, and hope you all are well until we talk again.
Forza Viola.
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MLS’s New Phil Anshutz Trophy! It’s Not About the Galaxy!
October 30, 2008
MLS has a new trophy for the MLS Cup winners. The latest redesign is the new 24 inch, 43 lb. Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, named after the LA Galaxy owner.
But it’s kind of telling that the articles on the new trophy feel a need to point out that LA Galaxy owner Anschutz is “also part-owner of the Houston Dynamo.” Because when you’re going for an isn’t he fabulous retrospective, it’s a lot more fun to point out that you’re 50% owner of the reigning MLS Cup winners than that your 100%-owned “jewel” team just missed the playoffs for the third year in a row.
So it’s probably a good thing AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) are also 50% owners of the Dynamo. It makes people remember that there is a genuine reason for Anshutz to have this award named after him. Because he has done a whole lot more for soccer in America than just bring Beckham to the US.
“We really believed that Phil Anschutz deserved a lasting legacy,” MLSnet.com quoted Garber as saying.
“Phil Anschutz believes in the sport down to its core,” he said. “He attends games almost every weekend with his family. He believes in the American player. He believes that this country has to have a top-flight league that celebrates what he thinks is the best sport in the world.”
He said the Denverite rescued the league financially a few years ago. “In our darkest hour, we went through contraction,” Garber said, according to the MLSnet.com report. “We were really questioning what the future of MLS would be. Phil Anschutz stood up and said, ‘Even if I have to carry this league on my shoulders, I won’t allow Major League Soccer not to continue or grow.’”
I am not the biggest Anschutz fan in the world, but even I have to admit that soccer wouldn’t be where it is in the US today if he hadn’t been a part of it. At one point he owned six teams. And before the league started to become profitable, AEG took some big financial hits to keep it going.
AEG now owns only the Galaxy and half of the Dynamo. This is largely because MLS has become more financially attractive to other owners in the past two years, so one owner doesn’t need to carry the league. And that financial attractiveness is largely because of decisions pushed through by AEG.
One can argue that the whole Beckham-to-LA experiment has been grossly mismanaged. (Alexi Lalas and Ruud Gullit, anyone?) But at the same time, even critics have to admit that it was AEG’s ability to think about creative solutions to the league’s financial issues that made the Designated Player experiment possible. This, in turn, made MLS attractive to foreign talent for the first time. If MLS can figure out how to get some good operating decisions to go with that creativity, the league can one day be a force. I truly believe that.
And so, Phil Anshutz, stand up and take a bow and admire the trophy that’s been named after you.
(Just don’t try to heft it yourself. You might get a hernia.)
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Sceptical Pele wishes Maradona well
October 30, 2008
"I hope that everything goes well for him and that he’ll be able to overcome what’s happened in the past and that he’ll know how to manage the Argentine players well," Pele, making reference to Maradona’s past problems with drugs and health, said.
According to Pele if Maradona is to succeed he must listen to his director of football Carlos Bilardo who led the Maradona-inspired Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title.
"He has at his side an experienced manager who knows football really well.
"If Maradona listens to Bilardo he can go far. He can learn a lot if he wants to.
"But often a great player doens’t become a great coach. And sometimes players who weren’t very good footballer like (Wanderlei) Luxemburgo (former Real Madrid and Brazil manager) become good managers."
Maradona, who turns 48 on Thursday, was named as a surprise successor to Alfio Basile who stood down after Argentina’s 1-0 World Cup qualifier loss to Chile a fortnight ago.
That left the south American giants in third place after ten matches, seven points adrift of leaders Paraguay.
Maradona’s first match in charge is the February 2009 friendly with France in Marseille.
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Dawson escapes with FA warning
October 30, 2008
LONDON (AFP) - Tottenham Hotspur defender Michael Dawson was warned by the Football Association (FA) as to his future conduct here Thursday following the way he reacted to his sending-off at Stoke earlier this month.
The decision means Dawson, a 24-year-old centre-half, will not receive any further ban in addition to the three games he was forced to miss after seeing red for a dangerous challenge on Mamady Sidibe during the defeat against Stoke on October 19.
After being ordered off by referee Lee Mason in stoppage time, Dawson reacted with a barrage of angry words in the direction of the official and Stoke players. His protest could have seen him banned for two more games.
Tottenham, who sacked former manager Juande Ramos last weekend, are still bottom of the Premier League despite collecting four points from two matches under new boss Harry Redknapp, including one from Wednesday’s spectacular 4-4 draw away to north London rivals Arsenal.
Written by: AFP
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Bayern bosses dark on Podolski
October 30, 2008
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MUNICH, Germany (AFP) - Germany striker Lukas Podolski faces another stint on Bayern Munich’s bench after a further ticking off from manager Uli Hoeness and his departure from the German giants looks increasingly likely.
With Italy striker Luca Toni injured, Podolski played in the last two league games against Wolfsburg and Frankfurt, but poor performances means he can expect to be back on the bench against Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday.
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City have both expressed interest in signing Podolski and the player himself has hinted at a return to former club Cologne when the transfer window opens in January.
After Bayern’s 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday, Munich manager Hoeness again criticised Podolski and the chances of seeing out his contract, which runs until June 2010, look slim.
"He had two chances and did not use them," fumed Hoeness, who told the 23-year-old to "stop whining" earlier this season when Podolski complained about being left on the bench for a second consecutive season.
Bayern’s bosses are frustrated Podolski seems to have no problems scoring for Germany - he has netted 31 times for die Mannschaft in 59 games - yet has hit only 11 goals in 57 appearances since joining Bayern in 2006.
"He plays at 80 per cent against teams such as Liechtenstein or San Marino," said Hoeness. "The problem is he scores two goals against Liechtenstein and is jubilant."
Podolski scored the first goal in the 2-1 win over Russia earlier this month in a World Cup qualifier, but while he goes from strength to strength with Germany his position at Bayern grows precariously weak.
"It would be easier for him to bring forward arguments to support his case with a couple of good performances," said Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann. And his Bayern team-mate Miroslav Klose also criticised him.
"If he needs someone to cuddle and support him, perhaps he should buy a cat," said the striker in a thinly-veiled assertion patience is running out.
And Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently questioned Podolski’s motivation.
"I do not understand what he wants. I require of him that he does everything he can for Bayern Munich and shows commitment to the cause," he said.
Written by: AFP
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UEFA to consider Atletico appeal on Friday
October 30, 2008
PARIS (AFP) - UEFA will hear Atletico Madrid’s appeal against its ground ban following incidents at a Champions League match on Friday.
UEFA ordered Atletico to play their next two European matches at a stadium at least 300 kilometres (200 miles) from Madrid as punishment for crowd disturbances and racist insults against Marseille players during the October 1 match.
UEFA postponed the two-match stadium ban to allow last week’s game against Liverpool to go ahead at Atletico’s Vicente Calderon stadium due to "the organisational and logistical difficulties related to relocating."
The Spanish government has pressed for a lifting of the sanctions, which also include a 150,000-euro fine and a two-match ban for its coach, Javier Aguirre, for allegedly insulting a Marseille player.
Written by: AFP
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Gillett quiet on Liverpool sale reports
October 30, 2008
LONDON (AFP) - George Gillett has refused to comment on speculation that he and Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks have put the club up for sale.
Reports have suggested Gillett and Hicks were set to sell their stake at Anfield with the investment bank Merrill Lynch believed to have been contacted to find a buyer for the club.
The two tycoons need to restructure their 350 million pound (442m euros) loan with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which expires in January.
But the bank, at present under public ownership because of the global credit crunch, has adopted a policy of restructuring loans only in extremely favourable conditions which prompted talk of the pair looking to sell.
Asked directly about the rumours Gillett said on Thursday: "The stories feed on themselves and some are made up.
"With regard to what we’re doing we would not have any comment on that - there has already been enough speculation on that."
Gillett is confident Liverpool - and Premier League clubs overall - are in a good financial position despite large debts they have to survive in testing economic times.
"I don’t know all of the facts. What I read is not in the newspapers because it is an unreliable source - what I am looking at are other financial filings which I think are more reliable," Gillett said.
"There are certain sports which have felt the impact. It’s a good time to be cautious but it’s a bit early to write the obituary of professional sports."
Gillett also admitted that plans for a new stadium have not been shelved permanently and revealed his relationship with the fans has improved.
"There are some of things which have happened which have upset the fans and got them mad at Tom and myself," Gillett told Toronto Sport’s Radio.
"At this point, based on the media that we are seeing and an awful lot of the fan communication, I think they are at a point now where they are allowing the boys to demonstrate their skill.
"And also to allow Rafael Benitez - who is one of the great coaches - to do his thing and we just want to leave it that way and we will operate behind the scenes and let the club do the talking."
On the stadium Gillet added: "We put it off on a temporary basis and we continued to invest substantial money every month in both engineering, architecture, planning, approving and zoning.
"All of the various measures you go through so there is still a substantial effort going on but the current situation in the financial world has made it prudent to delay it for an immediate period of time until the money market eases up.
"Tom and I talking and we are working together. They seem to have a measure over in England as to how well you getting along as friends by whether use first names to each or other or not.
"And the answer to that is that we are talking to each other on a first-name basis.
"Things are good. Tom is a great guy and he is smart as hell. We got off on the wrong basis and I think we are a little embarrassed by that."
Written by: AFP
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Beckham lawyers due in Milan
October 30, 2008
ROME (AFP) - Former England captain David Beckham’s lawyers were due in Milan on Thursday to thrash out a deal with AC Milan over the midfielder’s proposed loan signing.
Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani revealed at a press conference in the city that the meeting would take place and also said Beckham could join as early as next week.
"For the moment it seems that he should arrive next week, however Beckham’s lawyers will be in Milan today," he said.
"We will start the negotiations. I don’t know if they will conclude positively or not but I hope and believe they will."
Milan have back-tracked a little on last week’s claims that the Beckham signing was a done deal.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star is expected to join on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy for a few months during the off season in the American MLS.
Written by: AFP
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Ancelotti plays down significance of passing Inter
October 30, 2008
ROME (AFP) - AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti refused to acknowledge any significance in his side overtaking city rivals Inter Milan in the Serie A table following their 2-1 win over Siena.
Milan have not been ahead of Inter at a significant stage of the season since the 2005-06 campaign.
But while the champions were held 0-0 at Fiorentina, Milan won at home and moved up to third in the table, one point and one place above the blue-and-black half of their city.
The victory was somewhat fortuitous, though, as it was earnt with a dodgy penalty awarded when Filippo Inzaghi went crashing down to the ground in the penalty box under minimal contact with Daniele Portanova.
Ancelotti, though, is satisfied with the way this campaign is panning out.
"The team did what it needed to, starting slowly and then growing. I don’t care about being ahead of Inter because our aim is to be first at the end of the season," he said.
"Sunday we have a big opportunity against a team that like Udinese is ahead and can go the whole way."
Milan entertain Napoli on Sunday knowing that victory would move them up at least to second.
The seven-time European champions are just one point below the top two and could even finish the week looking down on everyone else.
Inzaghi, though, admits the Italian giants are still far from their best but said that the points they are winning are vital.
The 2-1 home victory against Siena came hot on the heels of a narrow 1-0 success at Atalanta, which Ancelotti had admitted was not merited.
"I’m happy because I’m healthy and for Milan these points make the difference," said Inzaghi. "Like those won in Bergamo (against Atalanta), because even not playing well we’ve got lots of points."
The big difference this season from last for Milan is that this time around, despite losing their first two matches, they have started well.
Last year they reached the Christmas break more than 20 points behind Inter and any hopes of putting up a title fight had disappeared.
"I’m really happy because it’s a long time since we’ve started a season well like this year," added Inzaghi.
Written by: AFP
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Ballack set to resign as Germany captain, report claims
October 30, 2008
MUNICH, Germany (AFP) - Chelsea star Michael Ballack is set to stand down as Germany captain to be replaced as skipper by Philipp Lahm, according to Munich newspaper Abendzeitung here on Thursday.
Ballack, 32, apologised to Germany coach Joachim Loew last weekend for critising him in a German newspaper and the pair are set to meet face to face to discuss the situation.
The Abendzeitung claims Ballack will stand down as captain as a compromise to keep his place in the team, but the article cites no source.
The German Football Federation (DFB) have not commented.
Written by: AFP