For its last football weekend, March gave us a very April-ish display of the crunch time, suspense included. No matter what they say, or how much they downplay it, at least on this side of the Atlantic, football is still the greatest game of them all (beware of epic sentences like the previous one, they might just hide the fact that the writer is out of ideas, or that The Fourth Official didn’t do much homework this week…)
Serie A
Everyone was waiting for it. It, was the Roma-Inter the top of the Serie A offered in an over packed and boiling Olimpico on Saturday. It’s not everyday you see Inter dominated in the Serie A, so Roma decided to do things well, with eleven yellow cards distributed throughout the game. The first sentence fell at the 17th when De Rossi thanked Julio Cesar for a (rare, we might say) fumble, giving the lead to the home side. After Samuel hit the crossbar at the end of the first half, Milito set the two teams at equal with a tap in from a Snejder cross during the second. Everything seem set for a draw, with Mourinho substituting key players in view of the Champion’s League game on Wednesday (why else would Quaresma be on the field?). But that was without counting on the resurgent Luca Toni, who beat the whole Inter defence with a chesting-then-shot combination he holds the secret to. The stadium erupts; it’s a gala night tonight for Ranieri, who even allowed himself the luxury of putting Totti on at the end of the game, you know, just to entice the tifosi some more. No one will remember Milito’s 93rd minute post (I’m bitter, yes), just the fact that Inter find themselves walking on eggs with only a +1 lead over their opponent of the night, who has aligned 21 successive useful results and a astonishing display of will. The end of the season promises to be of epic proportions. Time to get Balotelli back on the squad? (Even with a Milan jersey?) Behind, Milan missed the golden opportunity to put chances on their side for the title race, by conceading a 1-1 draw at home against a diligent Lazio. Borriello transformed a penalty kick to which Lichtsteiner replied. The lack of attacking power was badly felt for the Rossoneri who aligned a strange Borriello-Inzaghi pair, supported by Seedorf, hence why the best scoring opportunity was for Flamini (and hence why it was still 1-1 at the end). Lazio gain one more point in their relegation evasion. Behind Palermo comforted their fourth place with a “made in Miccoli” (three goals) 3-1 win over Bologna. Will this be the year where the Sicilians finally pull through the rough times to keep their European place?
Everyone was waiting for it. It, was the Roma-Inter the top of the Serie A offered in an over packed and boiling Olimpico on Saturday. It’s not everyday you see Inter dominated in the Serie A, so Roma decided to do things well, with eleven yellow cards distributed throughout the game. The first sentence fell at the 17th when De Rossi thanked Julio Cesar for a (rare, we might say) fumble, giving the lead to the home side. After Samuel hit the crossbar at the end of the first half, Milito set the two teams at equal with a tap in from a Snejder cross during the second. Everything seem set for a draw, with Mourinho substituting key players in view of the Champion’s League game on Wednesday (why else would Quaresma be on the field?). But that was without counting on the resurgent Luca Toni, who beat the whole Inter defence with a chesting-then-shot combination he holds the secret to. The stadium erupts; it’s a gala night tonight for Ranieri, who even allowed himself the luxury of putting Totti on at the end of the game, you know, just to entice the tifosi some more. No one will remember Milito’s 93rd minute post (I’m bitter, yes), just the fact that Inter find themselves walking on eggs with only a +1 lead over their opponent of the night, who has aligned 21 successive useful results and a astonishing display of will. The end of the season promises to be of epic proportions. Time to get Balotelli back on the squad? (Even with a Milan jersey?) Behind, Milan missed the golden opportunity to put chances on their side for the title race, by conceading a 1-1 draw at home against a diligent Lazio. Borriello transformed a penalty kick to which Lichtsteiner replied. The lack of attacking power was badly felt for the Rossoneri who aligned a strange Borriello-Inzaghi pair, supported by Seedorf, hence why the best scoring opportunity was for Flamini (and hence why it was still 1-1 at the end). Lazio gain one more point in their relegation evasion. Behind Palermo comforted their fourth place with a “made in Miccoli” (three goals) 3-1 win over Bologna. Will this be the year where the Sicilians finally pull through the rough times to keep their European place?
Behind some more, three teams at 48 points fight for the fifth place and the European dream. The first is Napoli who produced a small 1-0 win over Catania with the help of Paolo Cannavaro (brother of), who, although playing as central defender, procured himself the most chances in this soporific game. The second is Sampdoria who were held back 1-1 by a slightly deluding Cagliari (where have you gone Matri?). The third is Juve. On Wednesday I expressed the joy I inevitably experience every time I see Del Piero take a free kick, and on Sunday, well I was happy to see the emblematic captain convert yet another one against Atalanta (watch it, it’s excellent). Melo also made peace with the fans with a game-winning header. Things seem to be turning for the best in the Bianconera house, that is, until we see the next defeat (and until the fans stop throwing eggs at the players). At the eighth and ninth spot, Fiorentina and Genoa both share the 44 points they acquired. Fiorentina fell upon a transparent Udinese 4-1 to celebrate Vargas’ return, 30 meters direct free kick included. Genoa on the other hand continues to slowly loose grip over their promising start of the season with a bleak 0-0 against Siena. Things look a bit more orderly. Siena, Atalanta and Livorno seem to be the three contenders to the two relegating slots with Lazio and Udinese slowly but surely dodging the catastrophe induced positions.
English Premier League
Football is sometimes strange: it’s not always the goal scorer who is the most important guy on the team, we all know that. Chelsea too, by now. After thrashing Portsmouth 5-0 on Wednesday, the Blues destroyed Aston Villa (broken promises) 7-1 this weekend, with Drogba, the goal scorer, on the bench. The catalyser is here named Petr Cech. The Big Friendly Helmeted Giant helped his team and especially Lampard (four goals) put the pressure on Manchester United. But no can do, Fergie’s boys still know how to handle a season, even during the crucial crunch time. In Rooney’s absence, Nani (2 assists) and Berbatov (2 goals) stepped up to the plate (baseball analogy in a football blog, who would have thought?) and the Red Devils disposed of Bolton 4-0. Way to get in shape before taking a trip to Bayern’s Arena. The duel between the two ogres promises to be a cracker, and the winner (if any, we might say) will take a serious option on the title. Behind the two beasts, the seasons seem to repeat themselves for Arsenal’s Boys Band, who pathetically (see Almunia’s butterfingers on Philips unintentional 250th goal) drew 1-1 at Birmingham city. The title is getting further and further for Arsene Wenger (as usual, we might say), but the Frenchman can be satisfied with Nasri’s top form before the confrontation with Barcelona this week (UCL preview tomorrow!) In fourth position, Tottenham seem well settled with their fourth consecutive victory, this time against Portsmouth. Not really hard, we might say. In fact, Tottenham have yet to face the harder part of the season with a horrible end of season: they still have to face Arsenal, the two Manchesters and Chelsea. Liverpool seems to be getting some dignity back with a 3-0 win over Sunderland. Manchester City is playing tomorrow.
Football is sometimes strange: it’s not always the goal scorer who is the most important guy on the team, we all know that. Chelsea too, by now. After thrashing Portsmouth 5-0 on Wednesday, the Blues destroyed Aston Villa (broken promises) 7-1 this weekend, with Drogba, the goal scorer, on the bench. The catalyser is here named Petr Cech. The Big Friendly Helmeted Giant helped his team and especially Lampard (four goals) put the pressure on Manchester United. But no can do, Fergie’s boys still know how to handle a season, even during the crucial crunch time. In Rooney’s absence, Nani (2 assists) and Berbatov (2 goals) stepped up to the plate (baseball analogy in a football blog, who would have thought?) and the Red Devils disposed of Bolton 4-0. Way to get in shape before taking a trip to Bayern’s Arena. The duel between the two ogres promises to be a cracker, and the winner (if any, we might say) will take a serious option on the title. Behind the two beasts, the seasons seem to repeat themselves for Arsenal’s Boys Band, who pathetically (see Almunia’s butterfingers on Philips unintentional 250th goal) drew 1-1 at Birmingham city. The title is getting further and further for Arsene Wenger (as usual, we might say), but the Frenchman can be satisfied with Nasri’s top form before the confrontation with Barcelona this week (UCL preview tomorrow!) In fourth position, Tottenham seem well settled with their fourth consecutive victory, this time against Portsmouth. Not really hard, we might say. In fact, Tottenham have yet to face the harder part of the season with a horrible end of season: they still have to face Arsenal, the two Manchesters and Chelsea. Liverpool seems to be getting some dignity back with a 3-0 win over Sunderland. Manchester City is playing tomorrow.
Primera Division
The duel between Real and Barca continues (as always, we might say). On Saturday the Blaugrana travelled to a solid Majorca side to record a small but precious 1-0 victory. Here again, the effects of the upcoming Champion’s League game were felt: Pique, Messi and Xavi started on the bench. It wasn’t until the two latter ones came on that Ibrahimovic put away his 15th of the season. The real drama came from the Madrid derby at the Bernabeu. Literally abused for about an hour by a strong Atletico side, the Madrilenes were pushy in finding the equalizer. At the 50th minute, Xabi Alonso headed in the response to Reyes’ 10th minute goal. After that though, the game went all over the place: four goals in twenty minutes. Arbeloa and Higuain were quick to extend Real’s lead (55th and 61th) but the White House still suffered some cold sweat when Forlan brought the score line to 3-2 after the same Xabi Alonso conceeded a (stupid, we might say) penalty. It usually is the most important game in the Primera Division, but this year the Clasico will have some serious stakes in determining the Spanish League’s winner. Exciting indeed! Valencia were blown away by an impressive Zaragoza: 3-0 and no David Villa. Atypical, but no worries, who in fact, is more suited than the Valencians to be eternal third of the Primera Division? Villareal continued their hike up the ranks with a 3-0 win over Sevilla. For Sevilla, the road seems long to recovery. After firing Jimenez and hiring Alvarez, the club is facing a serious identity crisis: try to stay an underground alternative to the big Spanish names or outsource and play devil’s advocate?
The duel between Real and Barca continues (as always, we might say). On Saturday the Blaugrana travelled to a solid Majorca side to record a small but precious 1-0 victory. Here again, the effects of the upcoming Champion’s League game were felt: Pique, Messi and Xavi started on the bench. It wasn’t until the two latter ones came on that Ibrahimovic put away his 15th of the season. The real drama came from the Madrid derby at the Bernabeu. Literally abused for about an hour by a strong Atletico side, the Madrilenes were pushy in finding the equalizer. At the 50th minute, Xabi Alonso headed in the response to Reyes’ 10th minute goal. After that though, the game went all over the place: four goals in twenty minutes. Arbeloa and Higuain were quick to extend Real’s lead (55th and 61th) but the White House still suffered some cold sweat when Forlan brought the score line to 3-2 after the same Xabi Alonso conceeded a (stupid, we might say) penalty. It usually is the most important game in the Primera Division, but this year the Clasico will have some serious stakes in determining the Spanish League’s winner. Exciting indeed! Valencia were blown away by an impressive Zaragoza: 3-0 and no David Villa. Atypical, but no worries, who in fact, is more suited than the Valencians to be eternal third of the Primera Division? Villareal continued their hike up the ranks with a 3-0 win over Sevilla. For Sevilla, the road seems long to recovery. After firing Jimenez and hiring Alvarez, the club is facing a serious identity crisis: try to stay an underground alternative to the big Spanish names or outsource and play devil’s advocate?
Bundesliga
It seemed destined to be their comeback season, with wings of fire, a newfound solidity and a coach finally worthy of its name, Bayern were on the right track to dominate the Bundesliga again. The fact that they lost to Stuttgart 2-1 this weekend might not be surprising, considering the big appointment they took with their old Devilish friends in the Champion’s League, but it is Robben’s injury that has stayed in mind most. The man with knees of glass (finally, we might say) pulled a hamstring and is set to miss out the European quarterfinal. Even more annoying is Schalke’s rupture with its ‘loosery’ past. They finally won an important game by beating third Leverkusen thanks to Kuranyi. The fate seems to be changing, or are they gonna loose the title ten seconds before the end of the championship again? Apparently, there are also some other teams in the German Bundersliga, but we will know all about them once Germany gets four places to the Champion’s League (when I told you I didn’t do my homework, I wasn’t lying, you might say).
TFO
It seemed destined to be their comeback season, with wings of fire, a newfound solidity and a coach finally worthy of its name, Bayern were on the right track to dominate the Bundesliga again. The fact that they lost to Stuttgart 2-1 this weekend might not be surprising, considering the big appointment they took with their old Devilish friends in the Champion’s League, but it is Robben’s injury that has stayed in mind most. The man with knees of glass (finally, we might say) pulled a hamstring and is set to miss out the European quarterfinal. Even more annoying is Schalke’s rupture with its ‘loosery’ past. They finally won an important game by beating third Leverkusen thanks to Kuranyi. The fate seems to be changing, or are they gonna loose the title ten seconds before the end of the championship again? Apparently, there are also some other teams in the German Bundersliga, but we will know all about them once Germany gets four places to the Champion’s League (when I told you I didn’t do my homework, I wasn’t lying, you might say).
TFO
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