There will be a lot of scrutiny of Tottenham after their lopsided loss at the Emirates. Pundits will use the result to illustrate Spurs are not ready to break the top four. That’s a view with which I disagree, though it very well [...]]]>

Robin van Persie, in Arsenal's 3-0 derby win over Tottenham

There will be a lot of scrutiny of Tottenham after their lopsided loss at the Emirates. Pundits will use the result to illustrate Spurs are not ready to break the top four. That’s a view with which I disagree, though it very well may be the case. I may be rating Tottenham too highly, thinking they are still a contender to qualify for their first Champions League.

More to the point, as it concerns today’s result in the North London Derby (a terribly unimaginative name):  That line of analysis buries the lead. Today’s story should be Arsenal.

For the rest of the article, you can visit World Soccer Reader.

A better question to ask: Should games involving a team with no stakes exist? Of course, [...]]]>

Do matches only shown over the internet actually exist? More than the implications of this match, that is the story being discussed in the English-language media. How dare they take our footy out of our pubs?

A better question to ask: Should games involving a team with no stakes exist? Of course, given the nature of these tournaments, they should. They have to, but there is an element that runs counter to the nature of sport.

The theory behind competitive sport centers around opposing forces trying to accomplish a goal at the expense of another. Those stakes make for competition.

Can you have that competition when the stakes aren’t the same?

In Saturday’s match, Ukraine gets their chance, via their game-in-hand on second place Croatia, to make up the three points keeping them out of the UEFA playoff spot. Thanks to their goal differential advantage and a tenth round match at Andorra, Ukraine will win the tie-breaker with Croatia.

The only hope for the Croats is England getting a result.

This post is continued at The Kartik Report.

Individual match previews will be on The Kartik Report and Mad About Fútbol. Long form previews will be on World Soccer Reader.

Their row continues over Alex Ferguson’s comments in the wake of the Manchester United manager’s comments after a weekend draw with Sunderland. To briefly recap, Ferguson criticized referee Alan Wiley for poor decisions, bad game [...]]]>

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has shared the spotlight with referee Alan Wiley - exactly as he intended.

Their row continues over Alex Ferguson’s comments in the wake of the Manchester United manager’s comments after a weekend draw with Sunderland. To briefly recap, Ferguson criticized referee Alan Wiley for poor decisions, bad game management, and a lack of physical fitness, all of which affected the result, implied Ferguson. The referees union has taken exception to this. Ferguson has been asked by the FA to explain himself. Punishment seems likely. I’m guessing a two match touchline ban.

There are so many levels of ridiculous in this one that I’m having trouble organizing my thoughts, which is why I’m posting them here and not in a more presentable place (like World Soccer Reader, where this type of content would otherwise be posted). Let’s just start chronologically.

What Happened in the Match

Whether Wiley did something wrong is immaterial. A good manager should prepare his side for a range of possible outcomes. If something falls within a range of expected outcomes, I consider it fair. To take out our microscope and examine how close to ideal a decision or outcome is seems contrary to the inherent variability in sport. What happened this weekend (or the weekend before against Manchester City, for that matter) are well within the range of reasonable possibilities.

Ferguson’s Comments

While I have not looked into the issue in great detail, I suspect Alex Ferguson believes that his weekend comments will influence the behavior of the referees who will be assigned in the future. I’m not suggesting referees will consciously alter decisions (or processes). I’m not even suggesting Ferguson thinks this. More likely, I think Ferguson believes that referees can be influenced such that they unconsciously make different decisions.

Ironically, this may have played a role this weekend, with Ferguson’s behavior toward Wiley the previous weekend, when the referee was the fourth official for the Manchester derby, backfiring against Sunderland.

That said, I’m agnostic toward this line of thought. Although it’s fun to talk about, I don’t know if this kind of influence exists, or (if it does exist) whether you can exercise it in a way that will produce predictable outcomes. As such, I can’t include these kind of effects in most of my analysis.

I can’t help but wonder if Ferguson would have been better served to highlight his own player’s failings rather than shift focus to Wiley. Manchester United is a group of experienced, accomplished, and proud players. I wonder what response they would have had if Ferguson said, “The boys need to get to where they can play without Giggsy.

“I can’t dress him every match. We’re going to play 60, 70 matches this year. Nobody dresses every match. Two times Giggsy’s been given the day. Two times we’ve come up short.

“I need to find out which boys can keep up with a 37-year-old.”

A picture you know was not taken this weekend.

The Reaction, From the Press

Part of the reason Ferguson does these things is because he knows the reaction he’ll get from the press. While he has come under a lot of criticism over the last three days, Ferguson has also started a debate. He’s started an examination of a referee that has been quite embarrassing to his target. How many unflattering pictures of Wiley’s midsection have we seen this week?

This is where those unconscious effects come into play. Referees will strive for fairness, but if they have the option of being very strict with the time or letting an attack play out (something Wiley did not do this weekend), they might unconsciously decide their life would be easier if they didn’t look at their watch.

I can’t help but wonder why we aren’t hearing any indignation from the British press. They are handling Ferguson with an undo level of respect. If these comments had been made by Arsène Wenger or Rafa Benitez, they would be roasted as sore losers, managers envious of recent trophy-winners, et cetera. Ferguson, while being lightly criticized, has a bunch of media members more intent on maintaining favor with the legend than being consistent in their vigor.

It’s part of Ferguson’s greatness. Over the course of his career, he’s cultivated his ability to do these things. You see a similar cultivation of the media happen with Mourinho. It’s something Wenger and Benitez have not been as diligent about maintaining.

The Reaction, From the Referees

The referees union is protecting their own, a reaction that’s probably policy. I question that practice.

Part of the juice in this story is the adversary’s reaction. If the referees, instead of pursuing punishment, reacted in kind – pointing out Ferguson’s shortcomings in the match – the focus would be shifted away from Wiley and towards Ferguson and his comments.

“Mr. Wiley’s decisions were all spot-on, to the letter of the rules, and the Referees Union can not help but feel Sir Alex Ferguson would have less problems with Mr. Wiley’s performance had he selected a full team against Sunderland.”

Is it appropriate for a referee’s union to be making such comments? No. Is it less appropriate than Ferguson’s post-match comments? No. Could it be as effective, strategically? I think so. The British press would prefer covering an all-out fight rather than Ferguson picking on Wiley.

Another alternative would be for the referees to pursue action against Ferguson while not providing public fuel to the fire. It seems they feel the need to defend Wiley’s public image. I’m not sure why. Their defense seems to have kept the story above the fold, and inherent to this story is an embarrassing, personal examination of Wiley. I do not think they thought this strategy out; rather, they just reacted by rule.

How Else Could This Have Played Out?

Ideally, Ferguson would be able to make these comments, we can judge them just as we do all other post-match comments, and by Tuesday we’d be talking about World Cup Qualifiers. But the Brits love a barney, even if it’s the press promoting the event. The referees need to realize that, realize most people don’t care the Ferguson’s implicitly manipulating the press, and not engage in this battle. The cycle for this news would have been shorter; or, at a minimum, the referees would have been able to rise above it.

Without any of Ferguson, the media, or the referees trying to get above the story, it got ridiculous.  We’re now drowning in analysis of what should have been nothing more than a bitter manager firing off steam at the end of a frustrating loss.  But since this is Alex Ferguson commenting on a referee controversy involving Manchester United, this is front-and-center.

Another reason I’m missing the mid-week Champions League matches.

I understand why most fans I know think that La Liga is two super teams and not much else, particularly compared to England, which has a big four and now has emerging clubs in Tottenham and Manchester City. Of course, elsewhere [...]]]>

Do you know me? You might, but do you follow my squad?

I understand why most fans I know think that La Liga is two super teams and not much else, particularly compared to England, which has a big four and now has emerging clubs in Tottenham and Manchester City. Of course, elsewhere in Europe they are saying similar things about England, with Liverpool and Arsenal showing pronounced weaknesses, leaving Chelsea and Manchester United as the strongest of the top two. Even amongst that pair, you can say, like Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga, there is one team that appears markedly stronger than the other.

Below the top two in La Liga, you have Sevilla, Valencia, and Atlético Madrid, all with varying talents and faults. What you stack these teams up player-for-player with their English counterparts (say, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City), you see similarities. Two teams from each league are offensively adept but still suspect in defense. The other is a more well-rounded team, a major threat to the league’s top two, but dependent on big seasons from a few players to continue their ability to get results beyond their talent.

The next level of teams are solid though limited squads. I include Tottenham in here, though they could exceed expectations, though the same could be said for Villareal, who are in Europa League, have some notably players, and are only one season removed from a second place finish. From England, you can also include Aston Villa and Everton at this level – teams that have finished in the top six each of the last two seasons – but last year’s Copa del Rey finalists Athletic Bilbao coupled with Deportivo La Coruña – who almost stole a point at Real Madrid on Matchday 1 – are comparable squads.

As you go down the tables, you can continue to draw these parallels, provided you know the squads. Very few do, however. We all have our favorite leagues, and there are very few people who stay up all hours of the day thinking about these types of questions. As somebody that has spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about this question over the last three months, I am convinced Spain’s top league is at least as deep as England’s top flight.

And though I can’t articulate it well enough to base unqualified conclusions on it, my gut tells me that Spain’s teams in the lower half of the table are superior to their English counterparts.

But I will let that sit until I have given it more thought. If I go into it now, that will end up being this post’s take home message. Instead, I want to throw out my completely unoriginal explanation as to why these perceptions exist. Beyond the elite clubs from Spain, people who get their football news from English-language sources know very little about Spanish clubs. How Unai Emery’s adjusting to the loss of Raúl Albiol is not likely to be discussed on Match of the Day.

And it’s the same for people who don’t follow the U.K. press, only in reverse. People in Milan don’t care about Sunderland. Nor should they. There is, however, a logical step between not knowing about a league and assuming it’s inferior. I’m not above such assumptions. I’ve never seen an A-League match, yet I assume its quality of play is not up to La Liga’s standards. But I don’t feel comfortable comparing the A-League to MLS, and that seems the better analogy for the England-Spain comparison.

England’s women’s national team win the unofficial World Cups in 1978 and 1984, but since they have had an ignominious string of failures at major international tournaments. They’ve only qualified for two of the five official World Cups, never advancing beyond the quarterfinals. [...]]]>

Everton's Emily Westwood and teammates after the final of Euro 2009

England’s women’s national team win the unofficial World Cups in 1978 and 1984, but since they have had an ignominious string of failures at major international tournaments. They’ve only qualified for two of the five official World Cups, never advancing beyond the quarterfinals. They made it to the semifinals of the 1995 European Championships, but before this year, that was the last time England had gotten beyond group stage.

Despite a lopsided loss in the final, England posted its best finished in a major international two weeks ago in Helsinki, finishing runner-up to a juggernaut Germany squad despite barely making it out of their group. It was an accomplishment to rejoice – a potential turning point for the program. Unfortunately, it is unclear the English media feels the same way.

In all fairness, I’m basing that conclusion on one “photo essay” the Guardian published today. The slideshow, this week’s addition of The Gallery, is introduced by with “Gazza gets breasts and Robbie Savage undergoes a sex change in this week’s slightly small – and definitely deformed – collection of efforts.”

The ensuing six photographs, doctored by users, start innocently enough – Arsène Wenger and two women’s national team players evoking the Eduardo incident – but quickly descends to Robbie Savage’s face in the team photo, Paul Gascoigne with breasts “speaking” on a football panel, and John Terry with makeup.

It’s all harmless, except implicit in the slideshow is the idea that women’s soccer should always be portrayed in a certain light, at least compared to men’s football. Men’s footy is the real business, while the women’s game is a lark.

It’s too bad. England had a great tournament in Finland. Perhaps there have been features on the players and staff, but this slideshow is what came through my RSS feed.

The match’s drama started even [...]]]> We’re going to test my typing and multi-tasking skills as I try to get my thoughts on the Manchester United-Arsenal match down while I watch the start of the second Galacticos era. I’m so distracted that I’m too lazy to properly spell Galacticos (there should be an accent in there).

The match’s drama started even before kickoff, as both managers deployed shocking squads.

Arsenal’s was borderline inexplicable. They started for defensive-minded midfielders: Emmanuel Eboue, Denilson, Alexandre Song, and Abu Diaby. Then we see the formation, and it’s a 4-5-1, with Arshavin on the left and Diaby in the middle (playing more advanced than Denilson and Song). If you’re going to play four defensive midfielders (including on our have to put on the right), shouldn’t you be able to play Arshavin in an advanced role.

Manchester United’s seem to make more sense, though it was equally surprising. When you saw that neither Dimitar Berbatov nor Michael Owen was starting, you couldn’t help but wonder what Alex Ferguson had up his sleeve this time. It’s gotten to where his sometimes shocking lineup choices beg us to ask how, not if, they will work. With only Wayne Rooney up top, United went to a 4-5-1/4-2-3-1 formation, with Nani-Ryan Giggs-Antonio Valenica behind Rooney (Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher protecting the back, which included Wes Brown partnered with Nemaja Vidic).

The early moments of the match were pure plodding and congestion, with both five man midfields bogging things down. Then United started to show life on counters and in a stretch of possession held in and around the Arsenal area that culminated with a big chance for Fletcher.

That continued for a while, but then The Russian Prince struck. Moments after Darren Fletcher risked a penalty in sliding through ball and Arshavin at twelve meters out, the best player on the pitch put a 25 metes shot over Ben Foster’s right shoulder. Foster could have done better. Manchester United’s two holding midfielders were nowhere to be found, but Arshavin was also being typical, dramatic, brilliant Arshavin.

It was a memorable goal, but it was slightly overshadowed by the last. After a Wayne Rooney penalty kick (drawn after a beautiful ball from Ryan Giggs) evened the match, Abu Diaby adroitly beat Manuel Alumnia off a Giggs cross. Why, it was almost as if Alumnia never expected Diaby’s shot. It was a well taken goal by Diaby.

And as you’ve figured, it was an own goal. United would win 2-1.

What we learn from this match entirely contradicts the final score. First, Arsenal is a definitely a contender. Going to Old Trafford and performing this admirably is not easy, as the Gunners were reminded last Champions League. No, they did not play stellar, and aside from a great ten minute stretch to start the second half, this was an even match. Arsenal did have the only dominant stretch in the match, but they didn’t “control” anything. The biggest difference between these two sides: Arsenal clearly has the best (attacking) player on either club.

For United, it’s a well earned three points, as they did do enough to win, even if their quality probably was not as good as Arsenal’s. However, if these two teams were to line-up again, you’d have to think Arsenal would be better than even money to win this match. United is a decent club right now. Only decent. They are not in that top tear of the league which now includes Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham, who United plays next. They will find out soon whether they or Manchester City are the next in line.

In the big picture, this isn’t a bad place for United to be. They have nine points in four matches while not playing that well. Still, Ferguson and fans had to know there would be an adjustment period. To be only three points behind Chelsea and Spurs despite struggling bodes well for them, should they get their act together.

And I think they will. They showed signs today, but that’s for another time. Real Madrid is on (very entertaining so far) and we’ve got the Milan and La Plata derbies coming up.