My first thought this morning was : Barcelona’s defence isn’t that good.
My second was: OK, but they won 3-1 in the league.
December 10 : Real Madrid 1 Barcelona 3.
I’m up for this one.
Copa del Rey,first leg, from 9pm on Sky.
Sure, we know that after this game it’s only half-time.
But I’m really up for it.
I love a football match with an edge, a match that means something, that both teams really want to win
I don’t want to see foul play or controversy but I always want to see big players pulling out all the stops.
Messi and Fabregas and Xavi are among the world’s biggest players.
Before Xmas I flagged up Alexis Sanchez as a certain starter and he might be a key man again tonight.
Using a total rotation system, without a normal centre forward, Barcelona have Fabregas scoring from centre forward positions, Messi doing that, and Xavi doing that too.
Plus Alexis firing shots from the edge of the box, as he did to make it 3-2 against Betis. The keeper should have saved that low drive, and I imagine that Casillas will save the same shot tonight, if it comes.
Alexis is fast, bold, inventive and very determined. You can never have too many players like him. He’s more likely to do the business than Cristiano Ronaldo, who tries too hard and rarely scores against the arch enemy
Yes, I’m preparing to endure yet another boring bombardment of Messi v Ronaldo stats.
A friend who was in Mallorca at the weekend says the referee won that game for the league leaders.
Transfer window? What transfer window?
The recession impacts football and every other industry except those that cater to the super-rich.
Three weeks ago I was told that Gary Cahill asked for 90 and Chelsea offered 50.
That deal eventually happened and he’ll play at Norwich in Saturday’s lunchtime game. I like Cahill a lot, even though he drops a few clangers. Better to make his debut in an away game. He knows John Terry and Ashey Cole very well, so that helps him.
ARSHAVIN to Lazio for £6m?
Would he be happy there? No. But he wouldn’t be happy anywhere. He’s not finished. I think he can sparkle somewhere. He’ll probably be sold at five to midnight on January 31st.
Senegal striker Papiss Cisse, 26, signed a five-and-a half year contract with Newcastle and can’t wait to play with Demba Ba. He was at Freiburg in the Bundesliga.
Not having seen even one clip, or any YouTube footage of Papiss Cisse, I know nothing about him. But my gut feeling says: Yes!
Why? Because of Newcastle’s scouting record. Cabaye and Tiote were good signings and superb value for money. They’ve tracked Cisse for two years.
Alan Pardew says, “I’m extremely pleased. We’ve secured a fantastic player.”
PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti says Torres is inhibited by Drogba.
I’ve been saying that for six months or more. When Shevchenko came, Drogba improved by 100% to keep him out.
Didier Drogba, who is 34 in March, is a huge and popular character as well as a match-winning centre forward who, in his prime, scored in the biggest games.
While Fernando Torres is an introverted lad who married his childhood sweetheart and lives a quiet life.
It’s obvious Torres would never blossom while a Drogba-scale hero was still at Chelsea.
CARLOS TEVEZ to Paris?
Maybe for six months or a year.
Then he’ll go somewhere real.