Thursday, April 5, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
2012/13 Europa League Contenders - Part 2: Spain, France, Netherlands and Belgium
Spain
Qualification spots: 3 (Two from the league and one from the Cup)If you’ve spent any time hangin’ with the Football hipsters on Twitter then you’ll be right across the exploits of Athletic Club Bilbao and their eccentric coach, Marcelo Bielsa. The Basque club are whipping up a storm in this season’s Europa League after knocking out Manchester United and spanking Bundesliga club, Schalke 04, in the Quarter Finals.
The remaining two places could be filled from the reluctant Valencia (another current quarter finalist) and Malaga who are vying for a Champions League place. Another contender is Levante in sixth place but given their modest European history you imagine that Valencia’s other club would consider Europa League football a significant achievement. From seventh downwards there are a clutch of clubs who would see a top eight place as realistic. These include Europa League holders, Atletico Madrid, Espanyol, Sevilla and Getafe.
France
Qualification spots: 3 (One from the league, one from the French Cup and one from the French League Cup)
However, in fifth pace and level on points with Lyon are Toulouse so nothing is certain. Beneath them is a four point gap to sixth placed Saint Etienne. The French Cup Final is down to its final four with two lower division clubs making up the quartet. Gazelec Ajaccio play in the third tier of French football and face Lyon. Meanwhile, Gazelec’s fellow third division side US Quevilly will play Stade Rennais. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that one of these teams will play in Europe next season. Eat your heart out Birmingham City.
The Netherlands
Qualification spots: 4 (Three from the league and one from the Cup)The 2013 Europa League Final will be hosted in Amsterdam so the participants will be keen to make it a Dutch affair in the Amsterdam ArenA. The Netherlands operate a playoff system for the final remaining Europa League spot. This is a four team competition between fifth, sixth and seventh and eighth places.
With regards to a playoff, it would not be an exaggeration to say that there are clubs, closer to the bottom of the table than the top who are in with a shout of landing a Europa League spot. At the time of writing there are four points between NEC in eighth place and Heracles in thirteenth. Of course, there is a lot of teams to negotiate on the way but it does seem mildly bonkers to think that a team that is sixth from bottom of the league may end up playing in Europe next season but hey, it’s their league and if makes them happy...
Heracles’ best chance of going through is by beating PSV in the KNVB Beker Final (That’s the Dutch Cup to you and me) which takes place on 8th April.
Belgium
Qualification spots: 2 (Two from the league and one from the Cup)I'm trying to work out if the Belgian qualification route to the Europa League is incredibly complicated or, terribly straightforward. Belgium decides is Championship, European and relegation places by an elaborate playoff system (well, elaborate to me anyway).
That means that, as far as I can make out, anyone from Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Gent, Standard Liege, Kortrijk or Genk could win the League, qualify for the Champions League or the Europa League. The winners of Groups A and B of “Playoff 2” will then play the fourth placed team in “Playoff 1” in yet another playoff for the final Europa League spot.Cup winners, Sporting Lokeren have already qualifiers and the only certainty in what appears, from the outside at least, to be a bonkers format. All this effort for two places.
As a famous fictional Frenchman once said, “These Belgians are crazy.”
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Bundesliga 2 round up - Week 28: Squeaky at the bottom
The latest was at home to Dynamo Dresden. 1-0 was the final score and the result proved to be the final straw for coach Friedhelm Funkel who was sacked before the weekend was out. Aachen are second from bottom and form part of a trio of clubs who have been separated from the rest of the league by five points.
Rock bottom are Rostock who managed a rare win and away from home, to boot. Freddy Borg got the only goal at the Allianz Arena against 1860 Munich. They weren't the only winner in the bottom three, however. Karlsruhe beat Union Berlin 2-0 at the Wildparkstadion.
Realistically, all three club's best chance of survival is to nail that third from bottom spot in which the occupier plays the third best team in the third division. There are three points separating Karlsruhe, Aachen and Rostock.
On the other side of that five point gap are Duisberg who drew 1-1 at Ingolstadt. Above them are FSV Frankfurt who also drew with Energie Cottbus.
At the top, Eintracht Frankfurt nudged ahead of Greuther Fürth to take top spot after beating Bochum 3-0 and Furth dropping two points at Erzebirge Aue. Paderborn kept their hopes of promotion alive with a 0-0 draw against Braunschweig but the once tight top five is now covered by ten points with Frankfurt and Greuther Fürth establishing some distance at the very top.
The final game of the weekend was on Monday night between third placed Fortuna Dusseldorf and fourth placed St Pauli. Neither team will be satisfied with the 0-0 result, especially Fortuna as they had a man advantage for seventeen minutes after Carlos Zambrano was sent off for St Pauli. As the Peruvian left the field he was seen to spit as Fortuna's Sascha Rösler. All very unsavoury and with potential consequences should the DFB decide to intervene.
That's it. Results and tables here.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Football Americana Week 4: Henry hat-trick muffles the Impact
Week 4 of the 2012 Major League Soccer season and the teams' form is beginning to take shape. Here's what went down.
The new boys at DC United filled their boots in a thumping victory over FC Dallas, who they beat to the tune of 4-1. United rode their luck early on with Joe Willis earning his keep in goal, but took the lead after nearly half an hour. Maicon Santos' opening goal against his old club was a rasping 25-yarder across Kevin Hartman into the top corner, but Blas Perez quickly punished a United error and swept FCD level.
On the hour mark rookie Nick DeLeon brought the ball down at the far post from a brilliant pass from Santos, and sent an uncompromising volley into the roof of the net for 2-1. Danny Cruz made it three after DeLeon turned provider, his mis-hit tap-in fooling Hartman and bouncing over the stranded goalkeeper. 18 minutes from time it was Santos who headed home from Dwayne DeRosario's cross after a thrilling break. Daniel Hernandez made the evening worse for Dallas by picking up a second yellow card for a stupid foul on DeRosario late on.
A slightly stale first half at Toronto FC came to life after 40 minutes, when Columbus Crew were awarded a penalty but Milos Kocic produced a fine save - albeit one that required he be some way off his line - to deny Milo Mirosevic. Crew's Bernardo Anor finally broke the deadlock in the 56th minute, racing forward and playing a one-two before getting a big stroke of luck and firing into the top of the net. It proved to be the only goal of an unmemorable match.
Bad defending cost New York Red Bulls early in their rollercoaster 5-2 victory against Montreal Impact, Sanna Nyassi benefiting and slotting the ball past Ryan Meara after a little under 20 minutes to give the Impact the lead. Thierry Henry equalised ten minutes later, planting a header low from close range with enough power to render Donovan Ricketts helpless in the Impact goal. Justin Mapp restored the lead another ten minutes on, cutting inside from the left and driving the ball low inside Meara's near post for 2-1.
Sure enough, another ten minutes down and another major incident. RBNY midfielder Dax McCarty went down under a challenge in the box by Matteo Ferrari and the Red Bulls were contoversially awarded a penalty, which Kenny Cooper took and slotted home coolly. Henry's second arrived, inevitably, ten minutes into the second half. Picking up the ball on the edge of the area, he took advantage of the time he had to turn and crash the ball low past Ricketts. 20 minutes from time Henry's wonderful backheel left substitute Mehdi Ballouchy with a simple tap-in for 4-2.
Goal number five came with just over 60 seconds to go. Cooper's low drive was fumbled by Ricketts and Henry was following in to finish for his hat-trick.
Sebastien Le Toux's return to Philadelphia Union with his new club, Vancouver Whitecaps ended 0-0 on Saturday. Carlos Valdes almost put the Union in front at the beginning of the second half, but his effort at the back post hit Joe Cannon's near post - the Union defender should have done better, but it was Cannon who denied Philly a couple of minutes later with a fine save from Brian Carroll. Le Toux did get his chance to bury his old team in the 83rd minute but his clipped effort was just too high.
The goals returned with a vengeance at Portland Timbers, where the home team threw away a late lead to lose 3-2 to Real Salt Lake. The visitors were awarded a penalty in the 38th minute when Rodney Wallace handled just inside the area, and arguably should have been sent off. Alvaro Saborio slid in the spot kick for a half time advantage. The Timbers turned the game around in the second half thanks to a brace from Darlington Nagbe. His first was a low shot into the bottom corner that should probably have been stopped by Nick Rimando, his second a volley that went above Rimando and curled away into the top corner. Again, for all the "brilliant, absolutely brilliant" from pundit Robbie Earle, Rimando will be angry not to have prevented the goal.
But in the 89th minute Salt Lake equalised with a Jonathan Steele finish after some nifty passing around the edge of the box and there was even more to come. Fabian Espindola chipped the ball back to Kyle Beckerman in the 93rd minute and the RSL captain watched the ball right onto his foot and volleyed it low past Troy Perkins to win the game.
There was a surprise away win for San Jose Earthquakes at Seattle Sounders, who will be bitterly disappointed with a 1-0 defeat at CenturyLink Field. The only goal came mid-way through the first half, and came through a penalty in controversial circumstances. Marc Burch was tripped chippy Quakes forward Steven Lenhart off the ball, and Chris Wondolowski made the most of his opportunity from twelve yards.
Jay Heaps' New England Revolution scored two early goals and went on to beat LA Galaxy 3-1, a shock that could have implications for both sides in the long run. Kelyn Rowe scored at the second attempt to get his rookie season off the mark, and Chris Tierney raided the far post to latch onto a low cross from Kevin Alston and make it 2-0 in only the 13th minute. Saer Sene grabbed the third on the hour with a header to effectively put the game to bed. Robbie Keane's composed goal 13 minutes from time won't have been much consolation to the home fans at HDC.
It took two second half goals to see Colorado Rapids past Chicago Fire at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Omar Cummings' shot was too powerful for the goalkeeper after Brian Mullan's drag-back in the 58th minute, and Zombie Nation got an airing again in the dying moments thanks to debutant Kamani Hill's stoppage time finish from a rebound.
One goal was enough for Sporting Kansas City, who defeated Chivas USA. The brilliant CJ Sapong grabbed the goal just after half time, reacting quickest after Graham Zusi reached his own shot after it cannoned off Dan Kennedy's crossbar.
That win takes Kansas City's record to a perfect four wins from four, leaving them with an early six-point lead in the Eastern Conference. In the West, Salt Lake, San Jose and Colorado are level on nine points while LA languish in eighth after their second loss in three matches.
The new boys at DC United filled their boots in a thumping victory over FC Dallas, who they beat to the tune of 4-1. United rode their luck early on with Joe Willis earning his keep in goal, but took the lead after nearly half an hour. Maicon Santos' opening goal against his old club was a rasping 25-yarder across Kevin Hartman into the top corner, but Blas Perez quickly punished a United error and swept FCD level.
On the hour mark rookie Nick DeLeon brought the ball down at the far post from a brilliant pass from Santos, and sent an uncompromising volley into the roof of the net for 2-1. Danny Cruz made it three after DeLeon turned provider, his mis-hit tap-in fooling Hartman and bouncing over the stranded goalkeeper. 18 minutes from time it was Santos who headed home from Dwayne DeRosario's cross after a thrilling break. Daniel Hernandez made the evening worse for Dallas by picking up a second yellow card for a stupid foul on DeRosario late on.
A slightly stale first half at Toronto FC came to life after 40 minutes, when Columbus Crew were awarded a penalty but Milos Kocic produced a fine save - albeit one that required he be some way off his line - to deny Milo Mirosevic. Crew's Bernardo Anor finally broke the deadlock in the 56th minute, racing forward and playing a one-two before getting a big stroke of luck and firing into the top of the net. It proved to be the only goal of an unmemorable match.
Sure enough, another ten minutes down and another major incident. RBNY midfielder Dax McCarty went down under a challenge in the box by Matteo Ferrari and the Red Bulls were contoversially awarded a penalty, which Kenny Cooper took and slotted home coolly. Henry's second arrived, inevitably, ten minutes into the second half. Picking up the ball on the edge of the area, he took advantage of the time he had to turn and crash the ball low past Ricketts. 20 minutes from time Henry's wonderful backheel left substitute Mehdi Ballouchy with a simple tap-in for 4-2.
Goal number five came with just over 60 seconds to go. Cooper's low drive was fumbled by Ricketts and Henry was following in to finish for his hat-trick.
Sebastien Le Toux's return to Philadelphia Union with his new club, Vancouver Whitecaps ended 0-0 on Saturday. Carlos Valdes almost put the Union in front at the beginning of the second half, but his effort at the back post hit Joe Cannon's near post - the Union defender should have done better, but it was Cannon who denied Philly a couple of minutes later with a fine save from Brian Carroll. Le Toux did get his chance to bury his old team in the 83rd minute but his clipped effort was just too high.
The goals returned with a vengeance at Portland Timbers, where the home team threw away a late lead to lose 3-2 to Real Salt Lake. The visitors were awarded a penalty in the 38th minute when Rodney Wallace handled just inside the area, and arguably should have been sent off. Alvaro Saborio slid in the spot kick for a half time advantage. The Timbers turned the game around in the second half thanks to a brace from Darlington Nagbe. His first was a low shot into the bottom corner that should probably have been stopped by Nick Rimando, his second a volley that went above Rimando and curled away into the top corner. Again, for all the "brilliant, absolutely brilliant" from pundit Robbie Earle, Rimando will be angry not to have prevented the goal.
But in the 89th minute Salt Lake equalised with a Jonathan Steele finish after some nifty passing around the edge of the box and there was even more to come. Fabian Espindola chipped the ball back to Kyle Beckerman in the 93rd minute and the RSL captain watched the ball right onto his foot and volleyed it low past Troy Perkins to win the game.
There was a surprise away win for San Jose Earthquakes at Seattle Sounders, who will be bitterly disappointed with a 1-0 defeat at CenturyLink Field. The only goal came mid-way through the first half, and came through a penalty in controversial circumstances. Marc Burch was tripped chippy Quakes forward Steven Lenhart off the ball, and Chris Wondolowski made the most of his opportunity from twelve yards.
Jay Heaps' New England Revolution scored two early goals and went on to beat LA Galaxy 3-1, a shock that could have implications for both sides in the long run. Kelyn Rowe scored at the second attempt to get his rookie season off the mark, and Chris Tierney raided the far post to latch onto a low cross from Kevin Alston and make it 2-0 in only the 13th minute. Saer Sene grabbed the third on the hour with a header to effectively put the game to bed. Robbie Keane's composed goal 13 minutes from time won't have been much consolation to the home fans at HDC.
It took two second half goals to see Colorado Rapids past Chicago Fire at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Omar Cummings' shot was too powerful for the goalkeeper after Brian Mullan's drag-back in the 58th minute, and Zombie Nation got an airing again in the dying moments thanks to debutant Kamani Hill's stoppage time finish from a rebound.
One goal was enough for Sporting Kansas City, who defeated Chivas USA. The brilliant CJ Sapong grabbed the goal just after half time, reacting quickest after Graham Zusi reached his own shot after it cannoned off Dan Kennedy's crossbar.
That win takes Kansas City's record to a perfect four wins from four, leaving them with an early six-point lead in the Eastern Conference. In the West, Salt Lake, San Jose and Colorado are level on nine points while LA languish in eighth after their second loss in three matches.
Football and The Falklands
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands. Events are being held in the UK and in Argentina to commemorate the conflict that lasted 73 days and claimed the lives of over 900 military personnel in total from both sides.
From a football point of view, it's easy to forget that the conflict began just two months before the start of the 1982 World Cup, a competition featuring England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and, of course, Argentina. The ongoing events in the Falklands would cast a shadow over the preparations being made by all four countries, and this is highlighted in a back page article from the Daily Mirror on 6 May 1982.
The main headline shouted 'We Won't Go!' with the sub-headline 'Brooking says he would back a World Cup walk-out.' Yes, England's modern-day Wizard of Dribble and Gentleman of The Beautiful Game appeared to be leading the call for his fellow team-mates to drop out of the Finals, at the time only 38 days away. A look at the text that followed, however, shows that the West Ham star had probably been picked out randomly for his opinion in order to generate a little sensationalism.
In the article by Kevin Moseley, Brooking says: "I shall be supporting the nation – the lads who are out fighting for us. I feel strongly about it. I support the principle that people should be against acts of aggression like Argentina's in the Falkland Islands." He went on: "I know it's only my view, but I am sure I speak for most footballers. It's my last chance to appear in a World Cup, but I would give it up if it was morally and politically right."
Moseley pondered on the possibility that a withdrawal by England could theoretically lead to Scotland and Northern Ireland doing the same. "So it now seems unlikely that the World Cup in its present form, will go ahead" said Moseley. "FIFA may have to choose between the banning of Argentina or a walk-out by the three home countries."
To make matters worse, the Daily Mirror journalist speculated further: "The competition could be completely ruined if Brazil and the other South American countries came out against any ban on Argentina."
Hindsight obviously tells us that no such course of action came to pass as all four countries participated in the World Cup in 1982. Quite what the repercussions might be if the same thing were to happen in the modern era is something for further discussion. Could a World Cup be postponed outright if the competing nations took sides with the warring parties? Let's hope we never find out.
From a football point of view, it's easy to forget that the conflict began just two months before the start of the 1982 World Cup, a competition featuring England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and, of course, Argentina. The ongoing events in the Falklands would cast a shadow over the preparations being made by all four countries, and this is highlighted in a back page article from the Daily Mirror on 6 May 1982.
In the article by Kevin Moseley, Brooking says: "I shall be supporting the nation – the lads who are out fighting for us. I feel strongly about it. I support the principle that people should be against acts of aggression like Argentina's in the Falkland Islands." He went on: "I know it's only my view, but I am sure I speak for most footballers. It's my last chance to appear in a World Cup, but I would give it up if it was morally and politically right."
Moseley pondered on the possibility that a withdrawal by England could theoretically lead to Scotland and Northern Ireland doing the same. "So it now seems unlikely that the World Cup in its present form, will go ahead" said Moseley. "FIFA may have to choose between the banning of Argentina or a walk-out by the three home countries."
To make matters worse, the Daily Mirror journalist speculated further: "The competition could be completely ruined if Brazil and the other South American countries came out against any ban on Argentina."
Hindsight obviously tells us that no such course of action came to pass as all four countries participated in the World Cup in 1982. Quite what the repercussions might be if the same thing were to happen in the modern era is something for further discussion. Could a World Cup be postponed outright if the competing nations took sides with the warring parties? Let's hope we never find out.
Midweek TV Preview: 2 - 5 April 2012
Monday 2 April
20.00 Blackburn Rovers v Manchester United, Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
With Manchester City dropping two points at Sunderland - and it could easily have been worse - rivals United have a golden opportunity to turn the screw in the title race. But they won't have it all their own way, because at Ewood Park this evening they face a Blackburn Rovers side that is fighting for its life and has already caused them huge problems this season.Tuesday 3 April
19.45 Barcelona v AC Milan, UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg, Sky Sports 2/HD2
The first leg of this tie was an engrossing affair, with Milan's defence standing firm against a Barcelona front-line that can be accused of over-engineering some of its opportunities at San Siro. The Rossoneri's task is even bigger on Tuesday and the home team have to be favourites, but would you bet against Milan getting a score draw?19.45 Bayern Munich v Marseille, UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg, Sky Sports 4/HD4
Goals from Mario Gomez and Arjen Robben take FC Bayern back to Germany with an enormous advantage over Marseille, who slumped to a 2-0 defeat in their home leg. A likely semi-final against Real Madrid looms, and what a clash that could be.Wednesday 4 April
19.45 Chelsea v Benfica, UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg, ITV1/ITV1 HD
Roberto di Matteo and Chelsea head back to London with the slenderest of advantages over Benfica after a one-goal win in Lisbon. Salomon Kalou grabbed the goal from a lovely cross by Fernando Torres, and the Blues could do with their Spanish forward stepping up to finish off this tie once and for all.19.45 Real Madrid v APOEL Nicosia, UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg, Sky Sports 2/HD2
Is this match destined to be a goalfest? With Real 3-0 up from the first leg, APOEL's fairytale Champions League run has finally come to an end, and a hiding at the Bernabeu could be on the cards against their free-scoring hosts. Karim Benzema, who scored two in the first leg, is in brutal form in front of goal.00.50 Internacional v Santos, Copa Libertadores, Premier Sports
Group 1's two Brazilian sides meet with the top spot at stake. Santos have won three out of four matches in the group so far, while Internacional are in second with seven points from their four games. They beat Inter 3-1 in their home match on March 7th, and a similar result could put Bolivia's The Strongest into second if they beat Juan Aurich.Thursday 5 April
20.05 Athletic Bilbao v Schalke 04, Europa League Quarter Final Second Leg, Channel 5/5HD
Undoubtedly the match of the European week last time out, the first leg in Gelsenkirchen saw Athletic come from behind with a scintillating late rally to win 4-2, overshadowing a brace from the evergreen Raul. Schalke will need a similar mountaineering effort to overcome the odds on Thursday.20.05 Valencia v AZ Alkmaar, Europa League Quarter Final Second Leg, ITV4/ITV4 HD
Goals from the brilliantly monikered Maarten Martens and Aston Villa-bound Brett Holman gave AZ a slim advantage after their first leg against Valencia, but this is as finely balanced a tie as one could hope for. And they say there's no advantage to being drawn at home in the second leg!Sunday, April 1, 2012
2012/13 Europa League Contenders - Part 1
Germany
Qualification spots: 3 (Fifth and sixth from the Bundesliga and one for the German Cup winner)
There is a right old scrap taking place in the Bundesliga as five clubs compete for a probable three places into the competition via the league. The German Cup final will be between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich who are almost certain to qualify for the Champions League. This means that the Europa League slot awarded to the cup winners will be applied to the seventh place team in the Bundesliga.Hannover 96 currently have the upper hand in the league as they are in fifth place on 41 points after beating fourth placed Borussia Monchengladbach. It is not out of the question that ‘Gladbach, currently in a Champions League slot could get dragged into the Europa League equation but the gap is ten points.
Directly under Hannover are four clubs on 40 points: Stuttgart (who draw 4-4 with Champions Dortmund last Friday), Bayer Leverkusen (who lost to lowly Freiburg and sacked their coach Robin Dutt as a consequence), Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg.
England
Qualification spots: 3 (Fifth in the Premier League, one for the FA Cup winner and one for the League Cup winner)
As we all know, the Europa League is a much maligned competition in England with a number of high profile club coaches complaining about the scheduling of the competition. The English fans chant of “Thursday night on Channel 5” (to be changed to “ITV4” from next season) is meant as a derogatory term to imply that Europa League participants are somewhat small time. Consequently, qualification is seen as something as a poisoned chalice to some Premier League clubs with lofty ambitions.
Newcastle United in sixth can definitely qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League. The Magpies have 53 points (the same as Chelsea) after beating Liverpool at the weekend. Liverpool are the first confirmed qualifiers for the Europa League after winning the League Cup in February. The final spot goes to the FA Cup winner which is at the semi-final stage. The final four teams are Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham and Chelsea. If the winner qualifies for the Champions League then the Europa League spot goes to the runner up. If the runner up has also qualified for the Champions League then the Europa League spot goes to the sixth placed team in the league.
Italy
Qualification spots: 4 (Fourth and fifth place in Serie A, one for the Coppa Italia winner)
The top two teams in the Italian top flight are pretty much over the horizon so any team from third down to eighth are in contention for the four Europa League spots. Historically, like the English, some of the bigger Serie A clubs generally tend not to take the competition very seriously.
Also in the mix, somewhat, are eighth place Catania who have only lost three times in 2012 in the league. The Sicilian club have never finished higher the eighth in Serie A so face a mighty task to overcome the big beast of Italian football above them. The prospect of a maiden season in Europe is not out of the question, however.
The Coppa Italia Final will be contested between Juventus and Napoli. If Juve win then Napoli will be awarded the Europa League spot that comes with winning the Cup. If Napoli qualify for Europe via their position in Serie A then, in all likelihood, that slot will be awarded to whoever finishes sixth.
In Part 2 we look at Spain, France, Holland and Belgium.
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