photo credit: Kyle May

The Glass is Half Empty

Mexico is renowned for playing in the World Cup and losing it in the second round.  The team is considered the Susan Lucci of the bunch because they are good enough to be considered for the honor, but not talented enough to win!  They have made it past the first round of the tournament each time since 1990, but every year they lose in the first knockout round of the tournament.  The only two times in their existence that they did not lose in this round was when they were the host of the event.  Well guess what Mexico fans.  You are on the road this season and you came in second place in the WCQ to a bunch of Yanks.  That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in beating the biggest squads in the world.  

The Glass is Half Full

Sure Mexico had a mediocre WCQ at best this season, but the club did have one of the strongest finishes of any team in the world this year.  After a dismal start to their WCQ, the club brought back Javier Aguirre to steer the campaign and the coach did exactly that turning around Mexico’s dismal performances into inspiring ones.  By the end of the qualifier, Aguirre had his club earning 13 points in their final 6 matches and the team was the strongest of any in the CONCAF division at the end of the run.  The Mexico club also possess a solid defense with a fairly talented keeper.  Midfielder Blanco will need to be the old, wise Zidane of the group that pushes each player into performing at their highest level.  Wait on second thought maybe Zidane isn’t the best example of how to act in the World Cup.  You know what I mean though.     

Tweet This Post

photo credit: - Nahum -

Mexico

The Keeper

Ochoa will more than likely be the goalie this summer for Mexico and they also have a respectable backup in Corona.  All in all they have to be considered slightly above average in the net and their defensive unit should keep them in most matches.  Who knows though they might end up going with a failry unknown keeper in the net, but the best bet would be Ochoa playing for Mexico. 

Grade: B - 

The Defense

Barcelona’s Rafael Marquez is a leader of this club in the middle of the defense and he has the potential to make the All World Cup team if Mexico can make a strong run this season.  The rest of the defense is a bit suspect though, but Salcido and Magallon aren’t bad either and the unit has decent depth.

Grade: B

The Midfield

Probably the strongest unit of Mexico is their midfield.  Blanco (who kind of plays a version of forward for the club) and Guardado should make a strong tandem upfront.  These guys are the biggest playmakers on this Mexico club and need to push the ball up the field.  Especially Blanco, he has become the team leader and is a vital part of the club.  In fact this will be the star’s last chance at hoisting the Cup.

Grade: B  

The Forwards

Giovanni dos Santos will probably be a starter along with a solid depth of players including Franco, Castillo, and Arsenal’s Vela.  This unit is no Spanish side, but they are pretty strong overall though due to having decent depth.  No superstar players, but they will likely give team headaches anyway.

Grade: B -  

Overall

After a slow start in the WCQ, the club turned it around and was one of the hottest clubs in the CONCAF league by the end of the preliminary round.  They only lost one out of their last eight matches and jumped up the board from fifth to second.  They will need Blanco to produce goals and the defense can not fall asleep out there.  Mexico might be good enough to make it to the final 16 squads this season and considering they have made it the last four times I would bet on that happening.

Grade: B - 

Tweet This Post

Lyon crushed Real Madrid’s dream of reaching the Champions League final at their Santiago Bernabeu home, as Madrid were knocked out of the Round of Sixteen for the sixth consecutive season.

Lyon led 1-0 from the first leg but Real Madrid got back on levels terms when Cristiano Ronaldo scored after only six minutes. Ronaldo raced onto Guti’s left-footed pass from deep to outpace Cris and slide a low shot through the legs of Hugo Lloris for his seventh goal in the competition this season.

Madrid had Lyon on the ropes and it seemed only a matter of time before they would get the second goal that they needed. Kaka and Ronaldo both went close and then Granero set Gonzalo Higuain through on goal with a great pass. Higuain went around the on-rushing Lloris only to shoot against the inside of the post. Minutes later, the goalkeeper produced a splendid one-handed stop to deny Higuaín again and Madrid were forced to go into half time only one up and this tie still delicately balanced.

In the second half Lyon were much more dangerous and it was not a surprise when with 15 minutes left a great move from Kallström and Cesar Delgado carved open the Madrid defence and Pjanic blasted the ball past Casillas.

With the win Lyon move into the quarter-finals for the first time since 2006 and Madrid’s Champions League struggles continue.

Post Match Comments
Claude Puel, Lyon coach

“It’s a great achievement, especially considering how the game started. We escaped a disaster in the first half. The early goal lifted Madrid’s confidence and put us on the back foot. That meant the first half was tough, and half-time was too. [Jean-Alain] Boumsong and [Jean II] Makoun had to be substituted with groin injuries, and Lisandro also had a problem but he was able to last the whole game. The substitutes were key, they did a fine job. We changed the system and totally reshuffled the team. Mire [Pjanić] moved up to support Lisandro and that made us more fluid. On top of that, he scored the goal.

The first leg was good and we did the same job in the second leg. We were in trouble as they played quickly from deep, and had a bit of luck when they hit the post. We changed the system in the second half and played ten metres higher as Madrid were tiring having produced lots of effort before the break. We were more fluid, there was more quality in our game. We could play wider and made them run as they enjoy having the ball at their feet. When you look at the second half, we deserved to go through. This squad is writing its own story. We must now go on.”

Manuel Pellegrini, Madrid coach

The first responsibility is mine, but we have to overcome this blow and keep fighting for the Liga title. It is a very big setback. We played well in the first half but had two chances and failed to convert them. After the break the team were growing anxious until the Lyon goal came. It was a dream for all of us to play the final at the Bernabéu. The players are hurt by a painful elimination, but we have to lift our mood and keep working. That’s all I can do; keep working. It’s a big blow but we must look ahead.

We had a great first half and could have scored a second. That would have opened Lyon’s defence and made things easier. In the second half we tried more individual actions but that was because we were concerned about it only being 1-0, and then we began to feel the effort of the first half. The chances we missed in the first half are really to blame. It’s a very strong setback suffered by Madrid for the sixth consecutive season but we have to keep fighting.

 

Tweet This Post

photo credit: Inti

Real Madrid will face Lyon in the second match of their UEFA Champions League match this Wednesday at 2:45 PM Eastern U.S. time.

THE PAST

When you break down Ligue 1 powerhouse Lyon’s past you really don’t have to look further then about ten years ago.  The club has won seven top division titles in their existence and six of those came in a row between the years of 2002 to 2008.  Despite their post-millennium dominance the club has never surpassed the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champion League tournament.  Many of their best players in the last ten years have also joined other clubs including Michael Essien and Florent Malouda of Chelsea and Karim Benzema of Real Madrid of course. 

THE PRESENT

This season Lyon is currently in third place and within two points of first place Bordeaux.  But the club has also played two more matches then the first place club, so they are really more then a single match back in the big picture of things.  Lisandro Lopez is the leading scorer with eleven goals and the club has the most home victories this season in France with 10.  They are well known for their tough defense, but this season the Lyon offense has lacked some of their usual firepower with the loss of Benzema. 

THE PREDICTION

Well Lyon is up 1-0 after the first match against Real Madrid in France, but this week they have to go to Spain and at least tie los galicticos to have a shot of survival.  It is possible that they can lose by a goal too, but they need to lose 2-1 or 3-2 to be assured a pass to the next round.  Madrid is not the team you want to be playing on their own turf right now.  Higuian is one of the best performers of late and Ronaldo is hungry and wants to prove to the world that he is worth all that money.  Before the series began I thought Madrid would win 3-2 and I’m gonna stick to that prediction.  Especially since they only have a one goal deficit entering this critical home match.

Tweet This Post

photo credit: ArchiM

Manuel Pellegrini has both the best and the worst job in the entire world. 

Coaching Real Madrid is the best job in the world because the club’s transfer roster is the ultimate grocery list of superstar players.  But the man also has the worst job in the world because of the great expectations that come with such a stacked deck.  And Pellegrini knows that regardless to what is or not done this season that he might be on his way out of the building. 

Sure the guy has his club greatly improved from a year ago and they are currently in first place ahead of last season’s first ever La Liga treble winners, but first place is apparently not good enough when Inter’s Jose Mourinho has shown remote interest in fulfilling the duty.  But what will likely be just as important as the finale of the La Liga season will be this Wednesday’s Champions League match against French side Lyon.

Pellegrini’s first match 1-0 loss to the squad had many football critics whispering about the potential coaching vacancy in Madrid, but if the all whites can perform up to their rising standards this week and win by two goals over a tough defensive team then they might briefly silence the critics until next round at least.

But if Pellegrini’s boys look as poor as they did a few weeks back then Mr. Mourinho’s name will begin popping up in the papers again like spam mail.  It is funny how such a long season can go down to such a short amount of time.  And this week the league’s best coach this year might be judged by a period of ninety minutes.

So in other words the job is a little more stressful right now.        

Tweet This Post

photo credit: arepa182

THE PAST

Mexico is historically the most successful club in the CONCAF division of the World Cup and the club rarely has failed to qualify for the event.  In fact this tournament will mark the fifth consecutive time that Mexico has qualified for the Cup and the club was able to advance to the second round of the event each time they made it.  Their two best World Cup appearances were in 1970 and 1986 when the nation hosted the event.  Both times Mexico finished in the final eight teams of the event.  

THE PRESENT

Mexico would like to forget the early stages of their most recent WCQ, but the club did what strong teams do and stepped it up at the end of the qualifier and easily earned their spot in the Cup this season.  Mexico’s coach Javier Aguirre deserves much of the credit for the improvement and in the last six matches in the CONCAF division the club only lost one match and won four.  They didn’t win the division title (a rare feat for Mexico), but the club is in the tournament and they are only ten years removed from winning the Confederations Cup. 

THE PREDICTION

Mexico is one of those squads that gives odds makers fits.  On some sites they claim the club has a 66 to 1 chance of hoisting the Cup and on some other sites the odds escalate all the way up to 150 to 1.  Honestly if you look at Mexico’s recent history it is hard to, first off, think that they will not advance to the second round of the tournament and, secondly, it is hard to think that the club will advance further then that in the tournament.  The club hasn’t won a second round match since 1986 and their squad was considered much better on the global scale back then.  They do have a strong defense though and that can carry a club a long way.  Still I think they will not surpass the last 16 spots though. 

Tweet This Post

photo credit: Arturo J. Paniagua

Here comes Johnny…

Real Madrid swept their way to a comeback win over Sevilla AND tied themselves atop the La Liga table with Barca all in one fell swoop.  Personally, I’m impressed.  I didn’t think they had it in them, but with 62 points apiece these two teams are 16 points up on their next closest contender.  That’s pretty good considering how close they let it get earlier in the season.

Now come the questions:

1.  Can these two teams run with each other through May?

2.  Can these two teams hold themselves together through May?  (Yes, those are different things.)

3.  Will the grind of trying to keep this up kill one or both of them?

I figure it’s like this:

Yes, the two best teams in the league can run with each other for the rest of the season.  They don’t have any competition otherwise so they can just keep their eyes on each other.  They’re at the eye of the storm and no one is bringing them out.

Yes, they can probably hold up for the remainder of the season.  Because they are only competing with each other then it shouldn’t be a huge deal.  Imagine how much time they can give other guys on their squads just because of the 16 point spread on the table and the fact that they only see each other one more time this season.

Can they survive this grind without killing themselves?  I don’t know.

Leo Messi–for me–is the best player AND leader in the game today, but with the World Cup coming up and this pinch at the top of the table…he might have the worst confluence of events possible.  Perhaps it will be too much?  It might be, but you never know.

For Madrid it’s a simple equation:  Too much pressure + too many overpaid superstars = not enough leadership.  You can say that I’ve been wrong up to this point and. “Why should we believe you now?”.  Because at some point this is going to become a problem.  It may have to wait until the Final…but it is bound to happen.

I’d be shocked if it happened any other way.

Tweet This Post

With all the unbelievable technological advancements in the last twenty years, it will be amazing to see what future stadiums look like as the 2000’s progress.  Take the Dallas Cowboys brand new billion dollar stadium with an eighty foot long jumbotron hovering ninety feet over the field.  Will La Liga ever have such a monstrosity diverting the fans from the most beautiful game?

Hopefully not, but one stadium proposal that is constantly coming up is a remodeling design of Camp Nou.  As you can see from the picture, the design would be completely original and authentic with millions of multi-colored shingles that reflect light that would make up the roof top.  It is in my opinion the most beautiful stadium ever conceived by an architect and if the plans are ever carried out to go ahead with this design; it would give people all over the word a reason to visit Camp Nou even if they were not diehard football fans.

The design is not the only area that would make the venue flawless.  With all the modern day luxuries inside the grounds, fans could be pampered and comfortable as they watch their favorite team.  Escalators, luxuries boxes, dressing rooms, press rooms, vendors, and other facilities all make the trip to the stadium that more enjoyable for everyone involved. 

But most impressive is probably the fact that the stadium would hold around 150,000 people making it truly a Mecca for modern football.  They have the best squad in all of the world, so why not have the best stadium too? 

Lets take a look at some of the stadiums around the league.

Tweet This Post

photo credit: CLF

Starting next week we will begin our World Cup Preview on the LLTO, SATO, and PLTO. 

The series will run just about up to the first matches played in June and throughout the next few months we will feature every squad, rate every roster unit, and even debate where the club will finish at the end of the tournament.  It will be our first in-depth look at the stars that will play in South Africa and the past teams success compared to the nation’s modern day roster.

League football is wonderful, but World Cup football is truly the most beautiful game being played on the biggest stage in front of the entire world.  When it comes to sports nothing surpasses the World Cup.  So follow us each week as we go through the brackets and try to figure out where each team will finish the tournament. 

Mondays we will dedicate as an overview to the squad.  We will look at what they have done in past Cups and compare that to how well they did this WCQ.  Then we will look at their odds of winning the Cup and try and decide if that is an accurate measure of how good or bad each team is.  On Tuesdays we will soley breakdown the rosters and give each respected unit a particular grade for how strong or weak they are.  Finally we will debate whether or not the club has a legitimate shot of taking home the World Cup. 

The time has come football fans.  We are within 100 days of the Cup and before you know it will have passed us by.  

So lets begin the World Cup Preview:  

Tweet This Post

photo credit: avinashkunnath

Real Madrid-Sevilla

Real Madrid is the hottest club in the league right now and the last two weeks they have scored a combined 11 goals.  Higuian is red hot, Ronaldo is a penalty making machine, and Kaka is the guy that makes it all happen from the center midfield position.  This week though los galicticos get the tough challenge of facing one of the few clubs that have beaten them this season.  Well at least this time Ronaldo will be present and at full health so I do think the match favors the red hot club.  Madrid should keep the pace going this weekend.

Final Prediction: Real Madrid 3-2

Almeria-Barcelona

Middle of the pack Almeria gets the treat of facing the best club in the world this weekend and with the pressure heating up in Barca look for the club to answer the critics with an impressive performance.  Almeria does have a knack for keeping the match low scoring, but this weekend should be a different story with Messi coming to town.  Never bet against Barcelona even if they are away.

Final Prediction: Barcelona 3-0

Valencia-Racing Santander

Third place Valencia took a major hit in the standings last week as they were embarrassed by Diego Forlan’s Atletico side  4-1.  This week they play a much more beatable club in Racing, but the big V proved that they have some serious defensive problems with that shabby performance.  Will they hold down that third seed or will the club buckle under the pressure?  I like them to step up this weekend.

Final Prediction: Valencia 2-1   

Tweet This Post