Catch Them If You Can! 28-29 Aug. 2010

Where to start?  It’s been a hugely busy week of football, with something happening everywhere you look.

Mascherano, in traveling clothes.

With the transfer deadline just around the corner, the market has suddenly heated up.  Javier Mascherano’s one man work stoppage seems to have had the desired effect, for the player at least, and he is apparently on his way to Barca.  Does that mean Arsene Wenger and the Gunners can breathe a little easier re:  Cesc Fabregas’ future plans?  Don’t you bet on it!

Meanwhile, the Argentine’s action has had effect elsewhere, too, as Tony Pulis and Stoke are heading into Stamford Bridge, possibly without his preferred keeper from miodweek Asmir Begovic.  The keeper, in the second year of a multi-season deal, has decided he is destined for better things and that the future is now.  With the Blues having scored a half dozen goals in each of their first two matches,  rumour has it Pulis has warned reporters that if one more daft bugger mentions that these things tend to come in threes, he’s going to go all James Beattie on their ass.

Elsewhere, the Champions and Europa League group stage qualifiers concluded in mid-week, with one or two surprising entrants and some unexpected absentees.  The draws are set as well, with Harry Redknapp’s Spurs thrown right into the deep end, having drawn both holders Inter and Bundesliga power Werder Bremen.  At the same time, several Premier League sides began their Carling Cup quests, with only newcomers, Blackpool, failing to move on, going toe to toe at MK Dons but succumbing 4-3.

It's never pretty when the Yanks head south of the border.

The CONCACAF CL played its second round of group stage matches on Tuesday and Wednesday.  The surprising success of MLS clubs was cut short as they journeyed into Mexico and met their usual fate.  Although, this time, much of that had to do with a rash of suspect officiating that has the American press in a lather.  Looking on the bright side, it’s a compliment to how far the league has come, that it’s now able to blame it’s international failures on the refs.  Still, as they used to say at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, “We wuz robbed!!“

In the rest of the America’s , the Mexican, Argentine and Brazilian leagues are all sinking their teeth into the meat of their respective Apertura campaigns.  Sadly, in the far reaches of Brazil, at the grassroots level of the game, a senseless tragedy once again reminded us that there’s a dark side to our passion for the game.

That sobering event put the problems with the French national side in perspective, as Laurent Blanc named his squad for the upcoming internationals, striking a balance between the South African participants and new blood.  Although, Blanc was outspoken in his opposition to the suspensions to Patrice Evra (5), Franck Ribery (3) and Jeremy Toulalan (1), none of the trio were called up, which will therefore see Lyon’s Toulalan actually miss two matches.

Saturday and Sunday look to be just as hectic as the week has been, with the Serie A and La Liga at last joining in with the rest of Europe.  We hope you’ve checked out our previews for the two leagues but, in the meantime, the WFC gang is back to lay our picks for the best matches of the week on you.  So, break out the Tivo remote, the Orville Reddenbacher’s and enjoy the action.

Tapesh Patel

Tapesh Patel

Leicester City vs Reading The Championship, Saturday

Both sides are still winless and will need to improve soon, if either is to challenge for promotion, come the final stages of the season. Leicester have had the pressure heaped upon them during the last couple of weeks, with the takeover by the Asian Football Investments Consortium. Reading, meanwhile, will look to kickstart their season after being victims of a League Cup upset, courtesy of Northampton.

Bordeaux vs Marseille Ligue 1, Sunday

The “crème de la crème” is still rising to the top in Ligue 1, as this weekend will see two big teams attempt to work their way up the table. Bordeaux have lost yet another big name this week, with Yoann Gourcuff moving to Lyon. They’re still a good side, though, and will want to show that the midfielder’s departure has not affected them.

The main attraction of the weekend will be Marseille’s front line, entirely different from last season’s due to the loss of first-choice strikers Mamadou Niang and Bakary Koné. Manager Didier Deschamps offset this by signing Andre-Pierre Gignac and Loïc Rémy (from Toulouse and OGC Nice respectively) for a combined fee of €30 million. Rémy will be under particular scrutiny, with doctors assuring us yesterday that his heartstopping play will only be figurative and not literal.  The partnership has been much-hyped in the French media, and has the potential to rival any side.

Eliot Rothwell

Eliot Rothwell

Lokomotiv Moscow v Zenit St. Petersburg Russian Premier League, Sunday 29

Whenever a team from the capital city of the Tsar’s (St Petersburg) faces another from the capital city of Lenin (Moscow), the affairs can be highly contested.  Factor in that Luciano Spalletti’s men are seeking to cement their grasp on the league summit, by extending their four point advantage over Rubin Kazan, and the stakes get even higher.

Lokomotiv meanwhile remain locked in a battle with their own inconsistencies. The hideous banner, referring to newly signed West Brom forward Osaze Odemwingie illustrates the fans discontent with their team. Whilst they have already lost seven games, the Moscow club can still make an assault on the European places, with a mere six point gap between them and fifth placed Rostov. Expect there to be thrills, spills, the occasional display of technical brilliance and no more of cultural ignorance.

Chris Mann

Chris Mann

Huddersfield Town v Charlton Athletic League One, Saturday

This should be an entertaining game at the Galpharm Stadium, between two of the third tier’s most attractive sides. The hosts may have come horribly unstuck against Everton (losing 5-1) in the Carling Cup on Wednesday, but Lee Clark’s side will be keen to bounce back with a strong performance and have more than enough quality to worry a Charlton team that have got off to an excellent start this season. Expect a fast, flowing game with plenty of neat passing and incisive counter-attacking from both parties.

Real Mallorca v Real Madrid La Liga, Sunday

Jose Mourinho’s first league game in charge of Madrid will doubtless draw a lot of attention and, with a number of new signings having been brought to the Bernabeu over the summer, it will be fascinating to see the eleven the Portuguese selects for the trip to Mallorca. The memories of the excellent campaign the hosts enjoyed last season have recently evaporated in a cloud of financial difficulties and, despite finishing fifth in 2009/10, Michael Laudrup’s will be huge underdogs on Sunday night. This is a game between two teams at opposite ends of the financial spectrum and Los Blancos will be expected to march to a comfortable victory.

Martin Palazzotto

Martin Palazzotto

Cruz Azul v UANL Tigres Mexican Apertura, Sunday

Halfway through the competition, Cruz Azul sit atop Group 3, of three, in the Apertura standings and will be riding the emotions of their massive fightback, on Tuesday against MLS side Real Salt Lake.  In a driving rain, they scored 3 goals in the final 15 minutes to steal all 3 points from the American champions, with the officials apparently adjusting their umbrellas at critical times.  Meanwhile, Tigres are sitting third in the Group 1 standings but are clinging to the final at large spot for entry into the playoff.  The journey back to Nuevo Leon, from the capital, will be a long one for UANL, if they cannot secure a result.

Toronto FC v Real Salt Lake MLS, Sunday

TFC also made a long fruitless trip, mid week to Panama, losing to Arabe Unido, although in less dramatic style than RSL’s collapse in Mexico City.  Both clubs enter the match with sour tastes in their mouths and not from a bad batch of Labatts, either.  Having also had their home winning streak snapped, last weekend, by the Red Bulls, the home side need to get back into a positive mode, before their promising first season under Preki becomes irrelevant.

Geoff Edwards

Geoff Edwards

St. Pauli v Hoffenheim Bundesliga, Saturday

Saturday in the Bundesliga sees every German neutral’s second team, St Pauli, go up against Hoffenheim, the club many love to hate, at St Pauli’s Millerntor stadium. Both sides will be coming off highly encouraging opening day wins, away to Freiburg and at home to Werder Bremen respectively. Among their ranks, the squads will boast promising young German strikers of African descent, Peniel Mlapa (Hoffenheim) and Richard Sukuta-Pasu (St Pauli, on loan from Bayer Leverkusen), who each made the scoresheet on opening day and could one day be a part of the multicultural national team. There should be a fantastic atmosphere generated by Pauli’s ‘alternative’ fans, and it will hopefully be a great game.

Fab Presilli

Fab Presilli

Internacional v Botafogo Brazilian Apertura, Saturday

Fresh from the Libertadores title, Inter must host the red hot Botafogo, the latter looking for their sixth consecutive win. This should be a real test, to see if Inter is still celebrating its victory and if Botafogo is a contender or just another early season fluke. Botafogo’s Caio is maybe the best young player of the season so far, and his North American heritage has led to an as yet unanswered invitation to play for the US team.

Fluminense v São Paulo Brazilian Apertura, Saturday

The leaders face a struggling São Paulo that desperately needs a win, to calm their supporters. It’s also the first opportunity for forward Washington to face his former team, having played in São Paulo until a month ago.

Boca Juniors v Velez Sarsfield Argentine Apertura, Sunday

After an unexpected loss to minnows All Boys, last week, Boca can get back in the race, in style, if they manage to take all three points hosting leaders Velez. It will be tough, with Juan Roman Riquelme likely sitting this one out, as he’s not fit yet to play for Boca, after knee surgery in the (South American) winter.

Matt Dalton

Matt Dalton

The Scouser Report

I have to be completely honest, looking at the line up for this weekend’s Premier League games has hardly inspired me! Maybe it’s due to the fact that it’s so early on in the season, I just don’t know.  The lower table clashes just don’t have the tension at this time of the season, that they will have come May, and there are no juicy games involving the predicted top six.

There are, however, a couple of interesting games coming up this weekend, given recent events.

One can’t help but feel that if Liverpool fail to get a resounding victory at home to West Brom on Sunday afternoon, then the Kopp may start to get a little twitchy, even at such an early stage. There was plenty of optimism at the beginning of August but a dreadful performance against Manchester City has brought the tension back to the fore.  Perhaps, the actions of Javier Mascherano, in securing his escape from Anfield, will draw Woy some sympathy.

Aston Villa hosting Everton, again on Sunday, is another game with an interesting angle to it. Everton have started a little slowly, something you’d think they’d have been desperate to repeat after such a good end to the previous season. However, Aston Villa will certainly not be laying down for them this weekend after a couple of  embarrassing results in the last week, 6-0 away to Newcastle and then being dumped out of the Europa League by Rapid Vienna. Whatever happens, it will be a feisty match with both sides fighting for everything.

Well, even if you agree with Matt, that there’s nothing much going on in the Premier League, there’s plenty of other footy on tap just about everywhere you look.  So don’t go getting any silly thoughts of getting out and enjoying the summer sun, whilst it lasts.  It seems pleasant, yes, but it’s harmful to your skin and there’s all sorts of dangers out there.  You’re much better off settled comfortably in front of the telly.  Just ask Sky Germany’s footy presenter, Jessica Kastrop, who decided to get out of the studio and enjoy the sights and sounds of Stadion am Bruchweg in Mainz.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ9ge5t27cs

See you on Monday!