On the Eve of the new Season...

[vansmack]

I should also point out that the champions league matches are available on ESPN360 for some ISP's (like my work ISP) and you can now start the games from the beginning even before they are archived.

It used to be that you had to watch live or wait until the game finished, but you can now choose to watch a game live and then drag the bar back to the start of the match to watch from the beginning.  I'm ten minutes into Liverpool/Real at my desk even though in real time it's nearing the end. 

[godsshoeshine]

so you only had about 20 minutes left before it ended

i should have recorded juve/chelski too. made sure i got both the roma/arse and inter/manu matches today

[vansmack]

so you only had about 20 minutes left before it ended

as I told venerable when he asked me which games we could discuss in the afternoon:

I just switched to Juve vs Chelsea - I watched about 45 minutes too many of the Liverpool match, and the second half just started.  What an embarrassment that was for Real...sure Lisbon lost 12-1 on aggregate, but I think 5-0 to Liverpool for such a big club is far more embarrassing. 

Line your players up, because this can only mean that they are going to overspend like mad in the off season!   I'll take £90 Million plus Schneider for Ronaldo, and then buy Ribéry and a right back and be much better next year than this years already scary good team.

[godsshoeshine]

it looked like liverpool was playing real salt lake to be honest. no ability to break up or hold possession. couldnt even get it out wide very well, i watched until the second goal and then fast forwarded to the other three

if the story that this was rafa's audition for the real job are true, guess he passed with flying colors

[vansmack]

if the story that this was rafa's audition for the real job are true, guess he passed with flying colors

He will quickly be brought back down to earth on Saturday....but yeah, I'm sure the Madrid fans were not happy seeing Torres, Alonso and Mascherano tear apart the Madrid midfield and back four like that.  They probably want Rafi and those three.

[godsshoeshine]

true, but for them its all about the cl and rafa is a cup manager. the league, not so much

man, this week is the season for man u. inter could be the most dangerous team for them and beating 'pool will end their domestic title hopes. good luck, but i like your chances

[vansmack]

This week is HUGE (although I still think Barca is the team to challenge United in the CL)...Jose needing to score one goal and then sit back on a lead in England....[sarcasm]never seen that before.[/sarcasm]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Inter doesn't score a goal today (assuming Rio starts).  Now, if we can avoid PK's, I'll be less worried this afternoon.

As for Liverpool, a lot of what happens on Saturday will depend on how high United's shoulders are after today.

I will be watching live on ESPN 360 with my office door shut.

[vansmack]

Rio is starting, with Vidic, O'Shea and Evra.

Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, and Ronaldo.

Berbatov and Rooney.

Sir Alex is definitely not interested in going to Penalties...
 

[godsshoeshine]

woah

[Barcelona]

Barcelona can beat Manchester United, but Barcelona can also lose badly to Man. United. Also, Liverpool and Chelsea seem to be in decent form, at least in the Champions League. I would say it will be between these four teams.

I love Liverpool for what they did with Real Madrid!

[vansmack]

If only this could translate into international football:

'English nightmare' haunts Serie A
12 March 2009, 15:40

Following the elimination of all three Italian sides at the hands of Premier League clubs, newspapers in the Belpaese were left to lament on "l'incubo inglese" ? "the English nightmare". For the first time in seven years there will be no Italian team in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

'Disappointing quality'
ACF Fiorentina were first out, failing to get beyond the group stage, before Juventus, FC Internazionale Milano and AS Roma fell to Chelsea FC, Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC in the last 16. "Maledizione!" ("Damn it!") screamed the headline of La Gazzetta dello Sport, with La Repubblica stating: "Our league has a disappointing quality, the average attendance at the stadiums is constantly decreasing and the results in Europe are unsatisfactory."

Tough times
For the world's top players, Serie A is no longer the league of choice. Where once Diego Maradona and Zinédine Zidane entertained Italian fans, now the world's stars flock to the Premier League or the Spanish Liga. The Bundesliga and Ligue 1 now boast some of the country's top stars. Italy won the FIFA World Cup in 2006, but since then results for both clubs and country on the international stage have been disappointing. The sporting fraud scandal in the summer of 2006 hit Italian football hard, but that is not the only problem. Italian clubs simply do not have the same financial clout as their English rivals.

Old problems
Inter, who are poised to win their fourth Scudetto in a row, turned to José Mourinho in the summer in a bid to bring their domestic dominance to bear in Europe, but just like last season the Nerazzurri were eliminated in the Round of 16 by an English side. Turin sports daily Tuttosport said: "Just like under Roberto Mancini the Nerazzurri don't go far in Europe ? nothing has changed with Mourinho."

'Yes we can'
The fact Inter, the best Italian side in recent years, failed to reach the quarter-finals for the second season in a row has set alarm bells ringing among Serie A teams. In addition, of the five Italian outfits that qualified for the UEFA Cup only Udinese Calcio remain. The clubs know change is needed, but it is not easy to find a solution. Kaká's decision to spurn Manchester City FC's audacious overtures in January at least struck a moral blow for Serie A and the fevered support for Juventus on Tuesday suggests the passion is undimmed. Juve fans displayed a banner that read 'Yes we can' before the return leg against Chelsea. It is from that kind of support and optimism that change will come.

[godsshoeshine]

i cant see italy being a favorite for the wc next year. all of their best players are ancient

as far as club football goes, these things are always cyclical, right?

[vansmack]

as far as club football goes, these things are always cyclical, right?

Are you saying the fall of the pound is going to have a negative effect on English football?

Of course they are and taking out the quarter-finals country protection rule will likely keep two English teams from making the final again, which is probably a good thing for football.

Nonetheless, I will still revel in this.

[godsshoeshine]

fall of the pound, foreign investors running out of english teams to buy, the financial trouble the la liga sides are facing...what have you

then again theres always the european SUPER league that the bloggers like to talk about

[vansmack]

Saturday, March 14

8:40am Manchester United vs Liverpool (Set)

I guess I should mention these other games too...

10:40am Arsenal vs Blackburn (Set)
11:00am  Everton vs Stoke City (FSC)
5:30pm Hull City   vs Newcastle (FSC)
7:30pm Bolton vs Fulham (FSC)
7:45pm Sunderland vs Wigan (Set)
9:30pm Middlesbrough vs Portsmouth (Set)


Sunday, March 15

9:00am Chelsea vs Manchester City (Set)
12:00pm Aston Villa vs Tottenham    (FSC)


Monday, March 16

4:00pm West Ham vs West Brom (Set)