The Big 5 of the Last 2 Weeks and Predictions

Over the last couple weeks, there have been 5 important things worth noting in the futbol world. I will briefly go over all of them.

#1. The English teams are in serious Champions League trouble

While Arsenal were able to scrape a victory and advance to the qualifying stages, Chelsea and the Manchesters weren't as fortunate. Chelsea, a squad severely out of form, must now beat an in form Valencia or draw nil nil to advance. Man U must win or tie Basel away to advance. And Man City must beat Bayern Munich AND have Villarreal take some points of Napoli to advance. Prediction- Chelsea and Man U advance, Man City does not.

#2. Lucas Leiva tears his ACL

The most important injury no one seems to be talking about. After his 3rd consecutive man of the match performance where Liverpool dominated Man City and were unlucky to not come away with all 3 points, the conservation should have been about whether Lucas has cemented himself as the best CDM in the EPL, or in the world. Instead, it was about how severe his injury would be. And unluckily for Liverpool, Lucas has torn his ACL and is out for the season. Being arguably the most underrated player in the world (how a starter for Brazil's national team can be underrated I do not know), this could potentially have serious consequences on Liverpool's Champions League spot hopes. If Gerrard comes back to his form from years past, the blow will soften significantly. If he does not, they are in serious trouble. Prediction- Gerrard can't rediscover his old form and Liverpool ends the season a couple points away from 4th place.

#3. Madrid look unstoppable, Barcelona does not.

Including national teams, these are easily the 2 best teams in the world. On paper, these might be the 2 best teams of all time. Their second string squads would beat almost every other teams first strings. I can go on and on about how good these squads are but while Madrid look to have finally figured out their best formula, counterattacking at a ruthless pace and letting Ronaldo do his thing on the left wing, Barcelona seem to be losing theirs. With Barca losing to Getafe last week, Madrid have a 6 point cushion on them that is huge when you are talking about a team with their quality. Yes it is a little early to come to any conclusion. Yes defensive injuries have essentially forced Barcelona to play a weird 3-4-3 formation. But with such a deficit, Barcelona need to play near perfect to defend their title. Prediction- Barcelona closes the gap on Madrid but does not have what it takes this season to overtake them as Madrid takes the Spanish title.

#4 Gary Speed dies

One of my favorite players of all time, Gary Speed, passed away last week in what looks to be a suicide by self hanging. This has to be one of the most confusing suicides of all time. He was the manager of his home country, Wales, and was loved by everyone he ever met. He was a true hard working professional and was one of the players I grew up idolizing when he was dominating the center of the pitch for Newcastle. He was a good looking lad who had a wife and two sons who seemed to love him dearly. Why he committed suicide will be one of the biggest mysteries of all time. RIP Gary Speed.

#5 Euro '12 draw

For those of you unaware, the Euro '12 draw came out this morning. And o what a draw it is. Group A is Poland, Greece, Czech, and Russia. Group B is Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and Portugal. Group C is Spain, Italy, Ireland, and Croatia. Group D is Ukraine, Sweden, France, and England. It is the only draw in my lifetime where one groups best team (Russia in Group A) is worse then another groups worst team (Denmark in Group B). Group B is the obvious group of death where all 4 teams have the talent to win it all. With there being 3 teams in the tourney head and shoulders above the rest, Spain-Germany-Netherlands, and 2 of them in the same group as the best player of the tourney, Ronaldo, this makes for an interesting group to say the least. Group C is easily the second best group and Group D the third. Yes with Group A being so weak and Group B being so strong, the pot system is severely flawed and unfair, but in sports not everything is fair. Ooo how June 9nth can't come soon enough. Prediction- Way too early to tell but if the tourney started today Germany over Spain in the final.

Villa vs. Spurs Player Ratings

Tottenham

Friedel - 6 - The Premier league's oldest player was scarcely tested by an impotent Villa attack. Claimed what little crosses he had to and might have been expecting better from his former club.

Walker - 7.5 - Another stellar performance from the young right-back, justifying Capello's decision to include him in the England squad and underscoring the depth the three lions have at that position. You have to admire his skill set: a powerful shot, accurate crosses, comfortable going forward, and aerial prowess. Looks to be the total package.

King - 6 - Ledley mostly stayed out of the limelight, but he'll surely face sterner tests than this. Can he stay healthy? Is he first choice when everyone else is fit?

Kaboul - 6 - This was an uncalamitous night for the Algerian. He even showed flashes of composure on the ball. Still this defensive partnership has doubters to convince if Spurs are to stay in the coveted top 4.

Assou-Ekotto - 7.5 - His ridiculous afro couldn't distract from the fact that this is a hugely improved player from seasons of old. Maybe it takes a couple of years to adjust to the Premiership. BAE is a confident and accurate passer and does a nice job of supplying his weapons around him with the ball.

Lennon - 6 - He's capable of creating a goal at any moment, but his decision making can let him down at times. Laid a goal on Adebayor's doorstep which the Togolese promptly squandered.

Parker - 8.5 - He looks much more deserving of the PFA's player of the year award this year than he ever did at West Ham. He's been a revelation in his terrier role that Redknapp has bestowed upon him. I only hope that he doesn't lose his occasional impulse to get forward and give us goals like the above.

Modric - 8 - He almost suffers from the fact that players like Van der Vaart and Bale require so much of the ball. Too often he is sacrificed and not able to influence the game enough for me. As long as they are winning this is tolerable, but you can see why he might want out in January.

Bale - 9 - What a weapon. His speed, combined with his ability have to put him in the conversation as the most sought after players in the world after CR7, and Messi.

Adebayor - 7 - Sure he got his double, but he should have had at least 4 in truth. He was uncharacteristically active, especially tracking back in defense. He is undoubtedly talented, but I think both he and Spurs will need to sustain their play if they are to convince their skeptics.

Van der Vaart - 6.5 - Still looks a tad pudgy for me, i.e. huffing and puffing after 30 minutes. Although his vision and left foot are top class, he can be a defensive liability.

Aston Villa:
Given - 5.5 - He should have done better to collect Bale's cross on the second goal, although Collins didn't do him any favors.

Cuellar - 5.5 - What a way to return to the premiership after what feels like a three year absence. Go and mark Garreth Bale.

Dunne - 5 - Much to everyone's chagrin, he only just missed adding to what has to be the largest and most comical own goal collection of any capped player. Not his best evening.

Collins - 5.5 - Unsighted Given which probably led to the second goal, but won tons of headers on long balls.

Warnock - 6 - Came into the game for Villa's brief flurry of attack early in the second half with a couple of decent crosses.

Hutton - 5 - I do not like him at right back, and I certainly don't like him at right wing. Will have to fight Cuellar for his place.

Herd - 6 - Looks to be a decent young player, but Spurs passing simply wore him out, and he was out of gas halfway through the second period, not unlike most of his team.

Petrov - 4 - The Villa captain is usually a good barometer of their chances in a game, and boy did he sum up their play tonight. He stunk, and so did they, He didn't do the young Herd any favors, allowing Modric, Van Der Vaart, Parker, and whoever else drifted infield entirely too much space.

Agbonlahor - 7 - The only remotely dangerous looking play that Villa mounted came through him and his pace. Did not look like he was enjoying proceedings.

Bent - 6.5 - Had a handful of half chances, and tried to stay as active as he could. But he was horribly starved for service.

Heskey - 5.5 - Another chapter in the illustrious career of Sir Emile Heskey. Just when you thought you'd seen it all, he lines up at left wing. Is there anything this man can't do?

Spurs Verdict - They outclassed their opponents by a long way in this Anglo edition of MNF. Redknapp couldn't have lucked into a better class of midfielders, but they are still suspect up front and at the back for me.

Villa Verdict - Their new manager, (a man who led arch rivals Birmingham straight into the Championship) elected to use a holding striker and a right back as his wingers. Their lack of ambition was evident when they ran out of gas and ideas and essentially threw in the towel around the 70th minute. The end stages of this game were painful to watch as a neutral and felt more like an exhibition than a competitive match. All you need to know is that Mcleish only used two subs, and one was bringing on Fabian Delph, (a defensive midfielder) for Chris Herd in the 88th minute.

2011-12 EPL Player Rankings

Deyan and I proudly Present...


*Indicates Short-term Injury
#Indicates Long Term Injury

USMNT v France + EURO 1st Legs

(Who wouldn't love an NFL Quiniela, does this exist?)

In case you missed it, our beloved USMNT went down at the Stade de France 1-0 behind Loic Remy's goal in the second half. The John Harkes of the world might like to tell you that this was a heroic effort for our boys to hang in there with the French on their home soil. But anyone who watched the game, and remembers French teams of yore, will tell you that we were poor, and should come away with the one glaring truth from this game: France are still that South African funk, and struggling to find their feet in the post-Zidane era. Klinsmann will no doubt be kicking himself that he couldn't jump start his career with that marquee win over what was a very beatable French side.

The Positives
Jozy Altidore has a nice set of tools, he seems to excel with his back to goal, his finishing will only get better. He is 23. Maurice Edu was our MOTM for me, and I see no reason he can't become our regular CDM. He is 25.

The Negatives
There are obviously plenty of negatives that occurred in this game, most of them are obvious, so I'm not going to dwell on them here. I guess this is as good a time as any to point the finger at little Landon Donovan. He chose to stay at home and prepare for his MLS cup final instead of playing his supposed role as USMNT talisman. This is the same guy who had a chance to permanently move to England, and elevate the profile of our team and hopes of our country along with it. If we keep pinning all our hopes on this guy, we're going to get burned every time.

Europe
Only one big shock from the first leg of the Euro Qualifiers. That being the big fat egg laid by the Turks at home. Maybe they realized that they'll never get into the EU, and they aren't really in Europe in the first place, and didn't want to spoil everyone's fun. That is the only plausible explanation for their defending on that third goal. Shocking.

Montenegro will feel like they have a chance if they get an early goal, but the Czechs experience combined with their stoppage time second goal in the first leg should carry them through. That was a back-breaker in a tie that was never going to yield many goals. Ronaldo throwing a vintage hissy-fit over the bit of the turf that caused the ball to bobble at a critical moment was probably the highlight of the first leg in Bosnia. Portugal will like their chances at home, but you'd be a fool to bet on Portugal. And good for Ireland getting that monkey off their back. But they better be coming with a little better than old man Robbie Keane next summer. He is as washed up as a beached whale. Remember when he signed for Liverpool?

Newcastle 2 v Everton 1 Player Ratings

Newcastle

Tim Krul- 6.5 He made some decently hard saves look easy. Could do nothing with Rodwell's late 1st half header. He is only growing in confidence each game and has become one of the best young goalies in the world.

Danny Simpson- 6.5 Fantastic in the 1st half, decent in the 2nd. His tantalizing, bouncing cross led to Heitingas own goal and he patrolled the right flank throughout.

Steven Taylor- 6.5 A tower in defense, His and Simpson's weak marking was the cause of Rodwell's goal, but besides that, he didn't put a foot wrong.

Fabricio Coloccini (c)- 7 He just seems to be two times smarter then everyone else on the pitch. His positioning and technical skill, as always, were excellent.

Ryan Taylor- 7.5 His son is born and he cements himself as the starting LB with a wonder strike of a goal. Could he become one of those rare players who completely switches positions midway through his pro career and become a way better player? It looks so.

Sylvain Marveaux- 5.5 He looked composed, tenacious, and had-working in his first ever EPL start. However, he did not offer anything special in attack and was forced to come off through injury.

Yohan Cabaye- 5 You can tell how important he is to the squad by watching this game. Before his injury, Newcastle looked the better squad and were up 2-0. After his injury, Everton dominated possession and were unlucky to not grab the draw.

Danny Guthrie- 7 Due to Tiote's injury, he made his second consecutive start, and once again, he played brilliantly. His passing and positioning were intelligent, and he did whatever he could to help his team to victory.

Jonas Gutierrez- 5 Quiet game from the Argentinian International. As always, his work rate and defensive helping were excellent, but he offered very little in attack. His crossing was weak and was never able to get behind Hibbert.

Leon Best- 5 He was a thorn in Everton's defense but couldn't do much with what he was given. His hold up play is fantastic, but he needs to create more if he wants to keep his starting spot from King Arfa.

Demba Ba- 6 He kept running, and running, and running. For a striker, his work rate today was phenomenal and that was all that was needed to get the full three points.

Subs-

Gosling- 5 Came on early for the injured Cabaye and did what was needed. However, he still looks a step slow from his past injury and is at least a year away from fighting for a starting midfield position. He was extremely lucky to have not given up a penalty with his hand ball in the box off Saha's shot.

Sammy Amoebi- 5.5 Didn't show the speed I was hoping for when he almost had the step on his man for the break. His left footed deliveries were brilliant and looks to have an excellent cross on him.

Ben Arfa- 5 He was unable to show the class he possesses in his brief cameo.

Everton

Tim Howard- 5.5 He could do nothing with either goal and didn't have much else to do today as Everton held control of the game.

Tony Hibbert- 6 He was solid throughout and didn't offer Jonas any room to operate.

John Heitinga- 3.5 He started the game with a horrible own goal and ended the game playing out of position due to Neville's injury. Not a day he will want to remember as he couldn't put a foot right today.

Phil Jagielka- 6.5 Started the game averagely but got better and better as the game wore on. Once Saha came on, it looked like nothing was ever going to get through their rock solid central defense partnership.

Leighton Baines- 5.5 He was solid defensively but never delivered his usual picture perfect left footed crosses.

Seamus Coleman- 4 He wasted a fantastic scoring opportunity in the beginning and could not get anything going for him all day. He gave the ball away too cheaply and must improve to keep his starting spot.

Leon Osman- 5.5 He worked hard but offered little. Nothing much to note of him today.

Jack Rodwell- 7 He worked his socks off and helped wrestle control of the game with his overall play. His header for Everton's lone goal was nice as well.

Phil Neville (c)- 5 He is getting to be a liability for Everton. He adds experience and grit to the squad but Moyes has to have a selection problem because Neville isn't fast enough to keep starting in the EPL. Came off hobbling in the 2nd so will probably sit out a couple games anyhow.

Royston Drenthe- 7 He was easily both squad's most entertaining and dangerous attacking player. If he is able to keep his head right, he will be an absolute bargain of a loan for the Everton squad and possess the last bit of quality they need to get back in the top 10.

Louis Saha- 5 He was able to create himself a lot of opportunities but was unable to finish any of them. He was extremely unlucky with his pop shot that hit the post but was even more disappointing in his other shots off target.

Subs

Distin- 7 Everton became a better team when he came on. He was unbeatable in the air and on the ground. It will be a shock if he isn't starting next game and for the rest of the season.

Cahill- 5 A weak cameo for the Australian. He was brought in to get the tie and was unable to deliver. He should be back to full fitness and starting at forward by the time they take on Wolves in two weeks time.

Mcfadden- 4.5 No impact worth noting.

Ref- 5 He got every call correct besides one huge miss. Gosling clearly handed the ball in the box and that was the difference in the game as he completely missed it.

It's a mee MARIO

Lyon v Real 11/2 Champions League

Lyon

Hugo Lloris - 8 - The French Number 1 made a flurry of saves to keep his team in the contest in the first half, and was outstanding throughout.

Dejan Lovren - Inc. - The Croat had started well by saving his teams skin on two occasions early on. He was unlucky to go off with an injury in the first half.

Bakari Kone -6.5 - Did an admirable job filling in for Lovren and looks young and useful.

Cris - 6.5- Used every bit of his experience to minimize the havoc that Real's three headed monster was wreaking in Lyon's half. Things got easier as the game progressed.

Mouhamadou Dabo - 6 - He did an admirable job playing left back, (assuming that he is indeed right footed). Extremely unlucky to see a penalty given against him when it appeared Ronaldo had already lost control of the ball.

Anthony Reveillere - 5 - Tidied up his play in the second half, but was caught out on a number of occasions throughout the evening. Benzema had plenty of space to roam down the left hand side, and he was embarrassingly nutmegged on two occasions.

Kim Kallstrom - 5 - For a man that is famous for his left foot, he hardly was able to showcase it because he rarely found the ball at his feet. His delivery on set pieces was spotty as well.

Maxime Gonalons - 5.5- Showed a willingness to tackle, but was gotten the better of by Ozil among others on several occasions. He will be eager to get back to standard Ligue 1 opposition.

Bafetimbi Gomis - 6 - Cast in his familiar, lone European figure, Gomis was predictably starved for service and struggled to make the most of what precious little he was given.

Yoann Gourcuff - 5.5 - Woeful in the first half, looked well off the pace of the game and a shadow of the player he was at AC Milan. He started to come into his own as the game got into its later stages, but couldn't convert Lyon's best chance of the game.


Honorato Campos Ederson - 5 - Never looked like he would get the better of Lasanna Diarra, and confirmed as much when he reverted to some shameless Latin tactics to try and win a penalty. He will also be looking forward to getting back to Ligue 1.

Jimmy Briand - 7.5 - Easily Lyon's most lively player in an attacking sense. He seems comfortable on both sides of the pitch and must have made Real and Pepe nervous at times. Couldn't direct his header away from Casillas or it would have made for an interesting final 10 minutes.

Real Madrid

Iker Casillas 6 - Not the most convincing display from Iker, but he extended his record long shut-out streak and still looks to be one of the best in the world.

Sergio Ramos - 7 - If anyone lets him play right back again, they ought to be committed to an insane asylum. The proverbial shackles and responsibility that playing central defender impose on Ramos make him twice the player and half the liability he was at right back.

Pepe - 5.5 - Didn't have much to do on this evening, but isn't always the most convincing with his unorthodox style of defending. His positioning is suspect and he is asking for trouble at times.

Fábio Coentrão - 6.5 - Couldn't tell if he injured himself, and too bad if he did, because he looks like a hell of a left back. Apparently he can play elsewhere, but that has to be his best position. Showed a great sense of spacing and seemed to have a good understanding with Ronaldo down the left.

Lassana Diarra - 9 - I seem to recall him playing a bit of right back in his Chelsea days, (presumably under Mourinho). If this was his audition he stole the scene, providing just about everything you could want from a right back and then some. Oh, and switched over to left back after Coentrao went off like it wasn't no thing.

Xabi Alonso - 7 - Not his most memorable night, but you can see why he's so important to them. He is shockingly accurate with his long balls and is probably the key to Real's success.

Sami Khedira - 4 - It isn't entirely clear what his role in the team is supposed to be, and that was reflected in his play. He is supposedly supposed to be a defensive midfielder although he doesn't really strike me as a robust tackler. He picked up his play in the second half, but looked to be the chink in Real's armor in the first.

Ángel Di María - 5 - I like what Di Maria brings, but he was atrociously wasteful and responsible for the implosion of about six promising counter attacks. He is entirely too predictable in trying to get the ball onto his left foot and everyone knows it.

Mesut Özil - 8 - His first half was incredible, passing like he has eyes in the back of his head. There may not be a better CAM in the world right now apart from David Silva. The only part of his game that needs work is his finishing as he showed with a laughably tame effort on Lloris.

Karim Benzema - 8.5 - I thought he was outstanding and he rewarded the managers faith in him with a solid performance. Might have scored with his left foot if not for Lloris, but you like to see him playing with this kind of confidence.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 8.5 - He really can amaze you like no body else. I can't remember a free kick making a louder sound hitting the back of the net than his first half screamer. He could have been awarded a ten if he had maintained his energy and eagerness throughout the ninety, but he went missing for long stretches in the second.

Lyon verdict - Tony Parker and Zidane won't be that impressed with the French display on this evening. It wasn't that long ago that Real would dread the visit to Lyon, but the gulf in the team's abilities was more than evident on this occasion. I'm sure they are a different team domestically, but they looked outclassed on this evening.

Real verdict - I'm not sure if Mourinho knows what his best 11 is, but this has to be close. The reliability of Coentrao and Diarra at fullbacks gives Real an edge that their going to need in La Liga. As much as I hate to say it, I don't see a team more poised for champions league glory this year than Real.