Torres departs Liverpool, Suarez Screwed

Suarez: "Hey Torres, I'm looking forward to playing with you!"
Torres: "Haha okay. Actually, I'm just gonna leave and join Chelsea!"

We can presume that this is essentially what would have been said between the two if they actually met before Torres signed a 50 million Euro deal with the Blues. Furthermore, what makes all of this even better is that Torres will face his now former side, Liverpool, on Sunday. I surely can't wait to see what happens. With Torres completely out of form it will be interesting to see whether it's Torres' teammates that were poor or whether he simply can't contribute to the game at this time in his career. Sunday, 11 am ET, Stamford Bridge.
*This is also the fourth biggest transfer, all time. Let's see if Chelsea's investment was even worth anything.

Poster of the post: Stamford Bridge 10x8 Print

Why do you choose your team?

Earlier today, one of my fellow peers and I got into an argument as to how should we really define whether we are true fans of certain clubs or we are simply, "riding the wagon." In context, I am an avid Manchester United fan while my fellow peer is a Liverpool fan. He claimed that I only liked Manchester United because of how good they have always been. Sure, that is a reason to like them, but more importantly, I have a fond "love" for Man U because that was the very first European team my English cousin introduced me when I went to visit England in the new millennium (2000). So I ask, why do you support the team you choose? Is it because your favorite player plays for them? or is it because you have a bond with the club that goes back for many generations? You tell me, I want to hear!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Cleat of the post: PUMA v1.10

Barcelona still undefeated + Chelsea Return to The Top

Today Chelsea moved into first and two points ahead of Manchester United as the held Liverpool to zero goals while Malouda and Anelka put in 1 a piece, both in the second half.
However, more interestingly are the standings in Spain. Altough Real Madrid had acquired Ronaldo and Kaká over the summer, they are still unable to move ahead of always powerful FC Barcelona who just beat Almeria 1-0 yesterday. Real Madrdid on the other hand dropped three points to Sevilla FC today with only Pepe scoring for the away side. Perhaps this can be attested to the fact that Ronaldo has picked up an ankle injury keeping him from playing and perhaps deteriorating the confidence in his team. Hopefully he gets better, however Barcelona are in formidable form so it will be tough to catch them as Messi and Ibrahimovic (seen below) continue to score goals for Barcelona.

Excitement rises as the season winds down

For many of us, yesterday's Liverpool game certainly stirred things up. Not only was Liverpool able to gain the three necessary points against Fulham in a 1-0 win, but they were also able to reclaim their position atop the table. Certainly, this put lots of pressure on Man U to win their game today because if they did not, then even with a tie they would be trailing behind Liverpool, by at best, 1 point.
Fortunately, Man U was able to beat 5th place Villa 2-0 and reclaim 1st. However, they are only 1 point ahead. While Liverpool has continued their fabulous form, Man United has only regained it and once can only hope that things will stay with this. But as always, their are variables in this "equation." Things to keep in mind:
1. there are 8 games remaining which means that there are 24 points up for grabs.
2. Man U will not play Chelsea, Liverpool, or Villa again.
3. The remaining games for Liverpool and Chelsea are fairly easy except for Arsenal - all 3 teams are yet to play their final matches against Wenger's side.
4. All teams in contention are very close in points earned.

As we can see, the road to the League title will be very tough and demanding, but if Man U regains its excellent form and consistency then they will once again win.

Need for some major updates

Sorry to any of my followers for not giving updates.
In the past week or so, Manchester United have fallen in form; they have lost to Liverpool and Fulham, 4-1 and 2-0, respectively. In both these games, Man U has been awarded red cards on behalf of Vidic against Liverpool and Rooney against Fulham. Obviously, the cards have not helped them. Furthermore, because of these two losses, Man U is now only 1 point ahead of now 2nd place Liverpool (65 v 64).

Unlike Man U, Liverpool have recently been doing amazingly well. In their past two games against Man U and Villa, they have scored a total, 9 goals and only given up 1. Congrats got to them and head coach Benitez.

As for Hiddink's Blues, things looked god, at first. On March 15th, they played Man City and gained a much needed win over them. However, this past Saturday was quite bleak for them; they fell 1-0 to the Hotspur's. With only gaining three points in two games this meant that they would not only drop down to third place, but also be three points behind Liverpool and four behind Man U.

With only 9 games remaining for Man U and 8 for Liverpool and Chelsea, one can hope that Man U returns to their prior, excellent form and ride out the season to victory and hopefully a first place finish in the Champions League.

Important Updates in England

Just moments ago, the Liverpool - Man City match just finished. It ended in a 1-1 draw which means that Man U is now 9 points ahead of Liverpool with both teams having played 26 games. Man City opened up the scoring in the second half on behalf of Liverpool defender Arbeloa on an own-goal in the 49th minute. Liverpool was able to tie up the game in the 78th minute with a goal from Holland International forward, Dirk Kuyt. This certainly is not how Liverpool wanted to end the game because now they must work even harder to catch up to Man U to even think about winning the league. There's no doubt in my mind that for the remainder of the season, the importance of every game will continue to rise and hopefully the quality of play will increase. I am looking forward to watching some very great soccer games in the weeks to come.

Other scores:
Fulham 2 - 0 WBA
Newcastle 0 - 0 Everton (currently at half time)

Espanyol Upsets Barcelona and more...

In the Barcelon, Espanyol derby match at Camp Nou, a major upset took place. First place Barcelona lost to 18th place Espanyol, 2-1. Iván De la Peña would score two for the visitors and Toure would respond to the two 50th minute goals with one for himself in the 60th. Although Barcelona may have lost to a much weaker team, they are still able to remain in first place, but they are now only 7 points ahead of Real Madrid. As for Espanyol, not much really changed for them besides their pride and happiness for being able to defeat an extremely talented team with superstars in just about every position.

Today, Man U further extended their lead with a win over the Rovers. At half-time, the score was level at 1, but at the 60th minute a penalty was given up by the Rovers and resulted in Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the pk. If Man U continues to just barely get wins, it is going to be disastrous fr them later on in the season and could possibly lead to Liverpool wining the league which I know, I don't want to happen.

Today, Hiddink had his first game as Chelsea manager which in fact proved to be nicely for him. Although the team may not have played the most beautiful soccer, they got what they really needed to keep themselves in the race for the title; a win. Not only did they get the win, but they also ended Aston Villa's 13 game undefeated streak. Anelka was the one to be congratulated for scoring about 20 minutes into the game. Hopefully, we will see a change in Chelsea's performances and possible success for them and new manager Hiddink. (Chelsea 1 - 0 Aston Villa)

Other scores in England - no matter what the result, everyone stayed in the same position in the table:
Bolton 2 - 1 West Ham
Middlesbrough 0 - 0 Wigan
Stoke 2 - 2 Portsmouth
Arsenal 0 - 0 Sunderland

An Update on Man U and Arsenal

In the Man U, West Ham clash, it was a game that looked as if neither side would be able to come away with three points. Just after an hour of play, Ryan Giggs was able to put away a nice shot past West Ham keeper, Robert Green. However, Giggs' shot was not the only one from Ferguson's side. The 20 total shots (with a pathetic 3 on target) cam from Red Devils veteran, Paul Scholes as well as midfield sensation, Cristiano Ronaldo. All in all, probably not the most exciting game to watch, but for Man U and their fans alike, an excellent result on the day; 3 points to go 2 points clear ahead of Rivals Liverpool. These two rivals will be meeting at Old Trafford on March 14th - definitely a game to be watched!

Also today Arsenal battled it out at White Heart Lane against Tottenham. In a first half that ended sorely for Arsenal, with a red card handed out by referee Mike Dean to midfielder Eboue, Arsenal was forced to hold off Tottenham for another 45 minutes. Although Tottenham may have had the upper hand in this match with the extra man, they were unable to capitalize on any chances just as Arsenal was reduced to few and futile chances. With these games completed, the standings are still not finalized in any way.

Man U - 56 points
Liverpool - 54 points
Aston Villa - 51 points
Chelsea - 49 points
Arsenal - 44 points

Things in Europe (and especially England) are changing. Good or Bad?

Let's just say that Man U is no longer at the top of the Premiership. With three key games played today, the top four in the premier league seems to constantly be shifting. Just keep on reading to learn more about what has been going on!

Today, Liverpool was able to just barely beat Portsmouth to go ahead of Man U in the league by one point. In a game that was 2-2 up until stoppage time was still yet to be decided. With only moments left, Rafael Benitez's side, Liverpool, was able to create a chance for striker, Fernando Torres, to score on Portsmouth. After only being on the pitch for 14 minutes, it really goes to show that a pair of fresh legs can really make a difference in the game. Personally, with nothing against Liverpool striker Babel, had Torres never come one then maybe the game would have ended in a tie and things would be entirely different. With that said, such can be seen of the Blues.

In Chelsea's second match against Hull this season, Chelsea really did not play well. With Hull truly playing with their hearts, the were able to hold Luis Scolari's side to a draw. There really is nothing more to be said; Hull played well, but were unable to score and Chelsea simply did neither of those. In fact, their fans let them know that as they booed their own side at the end of the game.

The third and final major match of today was between Aston Villa and the Blackburn Rovers. Some of you may be wondering why I acknowledge such a game. First off, Aston Villa is one of the more surprising sides this year. They have actually been very successful on the road his year with a second place record for away games; 9W - OD - 3L. Clearly, a very potent record. Furthermore, with their win over Blackburn, they were able to slip into 3rd overall in the league and push the Blues down to 4th. For Aston Villa, the goals during the game are accredited to Milner (27th minute) and Agbonlahor (90th minute).


For those who have been following Italian soccer, you are probably hearing about Beckham's hopes to stay at AC Milan. I felt as if this is good topic for me to post my personal opinion on such. Personally, I am totally against Beckham doing this. Yes, he may still be a very good player, but I thought he originally came to the USA to get away from European soccer since he was too old to keep up with it? What happened there? Secondly, when he signed with the LA Galaxy, he forced the club to make him captain and give up so much more just so that they could acquire him. Now he feels like he has the right to simply turn his back upon them.

This is what I hate about some professional athletes. For example, Plexico Burres and the shooting incident as well as Michael Phelp's and the pictures. Seriously, just because you are a superstar doesn't mean you can break the law and turn your back on people who have done so much for you.

Final scores from today:
Liverpool 3-2 Portsmouth
Aston Villa 2-0 Blackburn
Manchester City 1-0 Middlesbrough
Everton 3-0 Bolton
Sunderland 2-0 Stoke
Newcastle 3-2 WBA
Chelsea 0-0 Hull

Sunday Feb. 8th (Home vs. Away):
Tottenham vs. Arsenal 8:30 EST - Look to possibly see new signing, Andrei, on the field.

West Ham vs. Man U 11:00 EST - Hopefully Man U will regain their number 1 spot in the league by going two points ahead of Liverpool with a win against West Ham.

Ferguson getting picked on

For those of you who have been following the news lately, you may have heard that Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has made statements (which seem to be supported by former refs as well) that Ferguson seems to be able to get away with anything he says to refs. I agree that this may be true and that the FA needs to be doing something about it, but I ask, why has it taken this long for someone to finally speak out about this? If it was such a big deal then why didn't anyone say anythig earlier? I feel that there is definately something more to this than just anger at a double standard.

Macnhester United Lose UEFA semi, but win Premiership title

Although on Wednesday, Manchester United lost to Ac Milan in the second leg match (AC Milan wins with a 5-3 agg. score - AC Milan will go on to play Liverpool; a repeat match of the 2005 UEFA Cup) Man U was able to secure their title as this years Premiership winners. After winning their match against Man City, 1-0, yesterday and Chelsea tied Arsenal today, 1-1. Simply put, what an amazing champioship run for the Red Devils this season as they stopped Chelsea from winning another title. Congrats to the Squad and manager Alex Ferguson.

Interesting Fact -
Because Manchester United won the tile, Ryan Giggs is the only player to have won/lead the league in nine champioships. Well done Giggs. Also, as of Saturday, Ronaldo has accumulated 31 goals just in the premiership. Well Done!

Red Devils all the way - again!

Manchester United or Chelsea?

This year, who is the team that is looking like they are going to win the premiership this year? Manchester United? or Chelsea? or even Arsenal? or possibly Liverpool? Who knows!

Just this past week, Manchester United was six points ahead of Chelsea and looked to extend their lead, but fell short in their 2 to 1 loss to Arsenal. As for Chelsea, it was not surprising to seem them loose 2 to 0 to Liverpool. Each of these top four teams have the potential to win the premiership this year. The team that will win will be the team that wants it the most; the team that works their behind of the most. So, what does Manchester United have to do to win the premiership?

Manchester United - Possesing one of the top offenses in the league, they are a tough team to beat. Having the second top goalscorer on the left wing - Cristiano Ronaldo- is the chalenge for every defense; can they stop him? NO! Although Manchester United has a strong offense, their defense is not as tough as let's say, Chelsea. With Ferdinand being their main back, they lack protection on the wings; the place where every offense wants to go so that they can cross the ball in. On the other hand, Manchester United's midfield is not the best, yet not the worst. For Manchester United to be able to continue to stay in first and win the premiership, they will need to continue to play they are as well as "weave together" more as a team. Thus, they will have higher potential than they have had in recent years.

Man U recover quickly and face tough competition

Luckily for Man U, they beat the Hotspurs 2-1 yesterday after tieng last week against Sunderland. Rooney scored both goals for Man U and led them to another victory.


Next week on April 29th, Man U will play the Premiership's leaders, Chelsea. For Chelsea, if they win their next game it is almost guaranteed that they wilol win the league for the second year straight. Let's see if Liverpool can hold them off.

Arsenal Lose Once Again!

Yes, no surprise. Arsenal loose to Liverpool 1-0. Henry needs to move to a different team for a better future. He has already broken a goal scoring record on Arsenal. Maybe he should have gone to Barcelona earlier in the season. As for Arsenal as a whole, they have excellent players not playing to their potential. Even though Arsenal has many good individuals, it does not seem like they are working as a team. For example, Chelsea: they have good players and work well together => they win games= 1st place. Or maybe, Arsenal players just don't work well together. Well, it looks like Arsene Wenger has a lot of work to do!

Yes, it's also true that Gerrard missed a PK! How can he miss a shot like that!? Also, Garcia scored in the 87th minute.


If Arsenal could hold up for 86 minutes, you would think they would give 110% but, they didn't. They let up and this is exactly what happens when you let up.

Reina gets red

During Liverpool's game against Chelsea, goalkeeper Reina got a red card in the 81st minute for a brawl with Robben (at Stamford Bridge). This forces Liverpool to use backup keeper Jerzy Dudek who touched the ball for Liverpool for the first time in 2006 ; yesterday. Their next game is at 13th place Charlton.
I feel they are going to loose given that backup keeper Dudek in for the first time (considering that he will probably play the whole game.)
Reina is pictured below to the left and Dudek is pictured to the right.