Last Week in Las Ligas
An all Spanish UEFA Cup final. Also: Don’t buy Arsenal, Stan, we don’t like you.
By Jake Appleman & Oliver Price
La Liga + UEFA CUP:
Real Madrid 4 Athletic Bilbao 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXjTkJsGbl0
Barcelona 1 Levante 0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqixjV7gOec (An interesting video shot live from the stands.)
Sevilla 3 Espanyol 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlRmqLdTCeI (UEFA CUP FINAL PREVIEW!!!!) But, man, talk about an overdone video. Even so, I was there a month ago, drinking Cruzcampo, so now I’m in tears…Amazing third goal from Chevanton, who scores while on the ground.)
Osasuna 2 Zaragoza 2
Getafe 1 Real Sociedad 0
Racing Santander 0 Deportivo 0
Villareal 3 Nastic 0
Mallorca 3 Celta Vigo 0
Atletico Madrid 0 Betis 0 (damn!)
Valencia 2 Recreativo Huelva 0
UEFA CUP SEMIS FINAL LEGS
Sevilla 2 Osasuna 0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeVwliZV6MI&mode=related&search=
(Sevilla advances.)
Espanyol 2 Werder Bremen 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWxtzxc5HoY&mode=related&search=
(Espanyol advances.)
Break out the ham, the Uefa Cup final is going to be an all Spanish affair.
England and Champs Lge:
Soooo- lots of stuff this week as Chelsea drop a proverbial bollock by drawing with Bolton, basically handing the title to Manchester United who somehow came from two goals down to score four in half an hour to spank the rowdy blue side of Liverpool by four goals to two.
On to the action
Champions League
Manchester United 3-2 AC Milan
Even I was starting to get impressed by Manchester United’s ‘refuse to lose’ week which began here with a glorious second half fight back behind the ‘goal machine’ Wayne Rooney who went from zero to hero over the last few weeks with his impressive performances-
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
Didier Drogba is an absolutely fantastic player- his set up for Joe Cole is a true thing of beauty-
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/chelsea%2Bliverpool/video/x1tf9c_chelsealiverpool-10
Premiership
Portsmouth 2-1 Liverpool
Middlesbrough 2-3 Tottenham
Blackburn 4-1 Charlton
Wigan 0-3 West Ham
Don’t look now but it looks like West Ham may have actually woke up and realised championship football stinks- and supposedly Wigan will use if they go down and West Ham stay up over the Carlos Tevez fiasco (who I might add the Hammers would be down without already)
Man City 0-2 Aston Villa
Everton 2-4 Manchester United
Quite honestly the softest half of football I have ever seen from a top tier team (bare in mind that I have seen West Ham play a few times this season) as Everton lie down and gift the Manc’s a simple win… Goal one, keeper drops it, goal 2, own goal from ex Man U player Phil Neville (where are you with the conspiracy theories Jose) goal 3, awful pass by generic awful Everton defender finds Ronaldo who gives it to Everton’s least favourite player Mr Wayne Rooney to score, Goal 4- maybe the worlds skinniest man runs half the length of the field unchallenged and is basically asked politely to shoot on his right foot despite clearly having no left foot at all…way to go Toffees- that’s a lesson in how to be utterly dismal (Ryan your thoughts please?)
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/everton%2B2-%2B4%2Bmanchester%2Bu/video/x1u5gp_everton-2-4-manchester (sorry about the techno music)
Chelsea 2-2 Bolton
And so it ends here- Mourinho, for reasons only known to himself fields a weakened squad against the giant-killing Bolton…didn’t really pay off in the long term either seeing as Russian Oil FC tumbled out of Europe too…Could this mean Mourinho tumbling out of a job as well?
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/chelsea%2B2-2%2Bbolton/video/x1vbo3_chelseabolton-22
Arsenal 3-1 Fulham
No surprise here as the Gunners lay a whipping on one of the weakest teams in the league- Wenger, after the game, addressed an issue I have long bemoaned in my beloved Gunners- how we create a silly amount of chances but barely convert any… So Arsene what are you going to do about it? (hint-SPEND SPEND SPEND)-
Reading 1-0 Newcastle
Michael Owen returns!! Not that it makes much difference to the usual Toon score
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/arsenal%2B3-1%2Bfulham/video/x1ve4u_arsenal-3-fulham-1
Champions League
Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea (‘Pool win 4-1 on penalties)
A truly dismal game of football decided in the worst possible way-I’m sure I wont speak for everyone when I say Liverpool may win games in Europe but boy they don’t half make it look bad
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/liverpool%2Bchelsea/video/x1vmvo_liverpool-chelsea-10 (the game)
AC Milan 3-0 Manchester United (Milan win 5-3 on aggregate)
Yikes! And there I was blowing the Manc’s trumpet.. Shows what I know- everything seemed against ManU from the start as they were blown away by the teamwork of Milan- Fergie was tactically outclassed in this one as Milan whupped the Premiership pace setters to set up a 2005 Euro final rematch against the red half of the Scouse-
In other news Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke (the dude that brought AI to Denver) may be considering a ‘hostile’ takeover attempt of Arsenal- As I have said before- the guy knows nothing of football and just wants to make a profit. In the words of the ‘immortal’ Peter Hill- Wood ‘we don’t want his type’ keep your money Stan- we’ll do just fine without you.- anyone who loves Arsenal who wants to pump money in however, is welcome
And yet more West Ham have been fined 11 million dollars for the illegal signing of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano- BUT have not been docked any points- something Wigan are up in arms about and threatening to sue!
38 Responses to “Last Week in Las Ligas”
May.5 at 3:45 pm
Waters1981 says:
Thanks for the heads up on techno. Maybe if Stan buys Arsenal I would be able to afford a ticket, wait I still doubt that.
May.5 at 4:41 pm
Jack says:
Hey. Owen will make a difference soon! Although not today, as we lost to Blackburn 2-0 at home.
May.5 at 5:18 pm
oliver says:
waters- i remembered ur disgust last time awful music was involved so i was sure to make sure u were aware this time- glad it helped
May.5 at 6:59 pm
Andre says:
Payback time! Milan-Liverpool UCL final.
May.5 at 7:03 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I’ll take Stan Kroenke if he can convince AI to take up football.
May.5 at 8:34 pm
oliver says:
ha ha- yeah i might be onboard if that happens-russ your a gunner right?
May.5 at 9:02 pm
Waters1981 says:
I just got done watching the U-17 Euro between France & Spain, and wow Spain has some nice players. France on the other hand…some okay players and some with flair, but not much in terms of a team. Anybody else finding the U-17s online and watching?
May.5 at 10:35 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Yes indeed, Oliver. I’ve always thought Iverson would be amazing in pretty much any sport.
May.6 at 8:09 am
oliver says:
waters is Bojan playing for the Spanish? hes a barcelona player and is supposed to be pretty good-
And Russ i cant argue with you on that- hes is pretty much my fave athlete in any sport-
Any idea who the actual best soccer playing NBA star is? i heard Nash? but surely Barbosa and some of the euros should be pretty decent?
May.6 at 9:08 am
Waters1981 says:
Yeah, he is on the U-17 team and every time he touched the ball something exciting happened. France had a few players who were impressive, but they could not get any control in midfield, and their finishing was atrocious, although in fairness, Spain’s was not the best either, they could have scored at least 4.
May.6 at 9:10 am
Waters1981 says:
I’d say kirilenko in goal would be the best nba player. I think nash travels with an all star team in the summer and plays.
May.6 at 12:23 pm
Waters1981 says:
Hey Oliver, any truth to the report about Man U and Everton having a deal to not play Tim Howard? If so Man U could have points taken away and Chelsea might luck into the title. Would that mean Mourinho gets to keep his J O B?
May.6 at 1:10 pm
Tuplajuusto says:
Bojan Krkic.. give him a couple of years, should be good. Makes Messi look big-boned, though.. That “amazing” goal by Chevanton.. handball! Sorry Jake, just being a pest when it comes to him.
May.6 at 1:43 pm
oliver says:
Supposedly- there is truth to this rumour…But i cant see how either Manchester United or Everton would readily admit to it-
And i also cant see how the FA could possibly dock points for it-
As far as im aware Tim Howard is now officially a Everton player- which means he can legally play any game he is selcted for- what seems to have happened is that Fergie has agreed with Moyes to sell him only if he was not allowed to play in this one particular game- I presume this was something of a gentlemans agreement, rather than one set in stone- as Everton wanted to get a signature on the keeper before any other club came sniffing around and the Manc’s saw an opportunity to gain an advantage- even if its unfairly…
I doubt there is any documented proof for it- but we will see-
as from now congrats to the Red’s on their title- it is deserved……i begrudgingly admit that-
nxt yr its the gooners turn tho (always optimistic)
May.6 at 2:22 pm
Waters1981 says:
Well I thought Howard was on loan and part of the agreement was he can’t play in the man u - everton game. Hech, goltv and the guardian are reporting the Everton boss said something about it last week.
May.6 at 2:23 pm
oliver says:
oh yeah sevilla v Madrid is at 8 my time….which is 3 eastern- should be good
On sopcast for anyone who wants it- or maybe downloadable from the channel waters linked to last column
this game could decide the Spanish title
May.6 at 2:25 pm
oliver says:
I dont think anyone is sure- im fairly sure what has caused the big fuss is that Everton now legally have bought Howard from Man U- i welcome anyone who knows more than me tho- i dont have time to do toooo much research im writin an essay on the peasants revolt of 1381…nice- (and ill be watchin the Real game as well)
May.6 at 5:26 pm
Waters1981 says:
I would say Real outclassed Seville for most of the game. Real’s teamwork and interplay is gorgeous, the shielding of the ball on the last goal to allow the space for through ball was something special. I am not a huge Real fan, but they play a nice game, granted I was about 4 deep and arguing with some jackass about NASCAR not being on the TV, so maybe I only saw the good parts.
May.7 at 8:27 am
Oliver says:
ha- Real are starting to finally play the football the squad they have should-
about time- still close at the top of the Spanish league, will it be barca or real?
May.7 at 8:34 am
Ryan Jones says:
Oliver, given its Monday, May 7, and we’ve all but wrapped up a UEFA Cup spot next season, I’m feeling pretty good right now — good enough that memories of that collapse against ManUre won’t get me down. Undoubtedly they’re the better side, but that was fluke piled upon fluke…
The backup keeper who’s only playing because of the lingering Tim Howard loan agreement — which, I read this weekend, should NOT have kept him out after all, leaving Everton to have to pretend they just wanted to play their third-string keeper against the league’s most potent scoring side for the hell of it… yeah — bobbles a ball I could’ve caught. Then Neville OG’s against his old team. Then the route was on. It was just one of those brutal momentum shift games that happen sometimes. Regardless, 3-0 over Pompey this weekend, and we can lose like 8-0 at Stamford Bridge next week and still make Europe. Thanks for caling us top-tier, though. Warmed my heart.
May.7 at 10:55 am
Jake Appleman says:
Tupla, you should be a pest when it comes to Chevanton.
May.7 at 11:10 am
Oliver says:
must have been a typo
May.7 at 1:12 pm
Oliver says:
Also it is worth noting how well guti played when he came on last night…he may shag men (utterly hilarious), but he cant half play football when he wants too
May.7 at 6:15 pm
Bruno says:
Payback time??? Liverpool-Milan UCL final… I don’t think so. liverpool with gerrard and cia. will be taking the cup for the 2nd time in 3 years
May.8 at 9:22 am
Ryan Jones says:
Yes, Liverpool, champions of Europe again. Awfully impressive for a team that dropped five points to Everton this season…
May.8 at 10:43 am
mike_01 says:
The words of a true bitter blue, Ryan. I won’t rise to them - just happy to enjoy another cup final - im certain Rafa will have a plan to stifle Kaka, if we can do that we’ve got a chance. And, for Everton’s sake, I really hope you guys don’t sign Barton. He’s a scumbag - any team is better off without him.
May.8 at 12:57 pm
oliver says:
I think maybe Rafa went after Mascherano just in case Kaka came up- hes about as good a player in the prem if u were talking about guys who could shut down a attacking middie- who plays in front of the defence- He and Mike’s boy sissoko can both do the job- i genuinely tip Liverpool to win- they are too organised and deep lying for Milan to break them down-
we’ll see i guess -but thats what i’m thinking (although of course that means the opposite will undoubtedly happen) i cant see a team better equipped to beat the flair teams of europe than the ‘Pool-
May.8 at 1:43 pm
Ryan Jones says:
I gotta get my shots in where I can, mike — you must know how much I loved hearing Reina repeatedly referred to as the best keeper in the world last week, memories of his clownish performance in our 3-0 derby win early in the season still ripe in my mind.
Anyway, as much as obviously I don’t like ‘em, I agree the reds have a great shot — that team is so much more well-suited to Europe than to England, as the past few years have made abundantly clear.
And I really hope we don’t sign Barton, too. If we’re gonna have thugs in the side, I much prefer them in the Duncan Disorderly mold.
May.8 at 1:43 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Also, this is a fun read:
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2074386,00.html
May.9 at 3:32 am
mike_01 says:
Masch has been superb. He’s made for Rafa’s style of football; breaking up play and trying to control the tempo from centre midfield. A world away from the player who the usual sun reading idiots branded a west ham ‘flop’. On the subject I also think Tevez would be great signing this summer - fingers crossed on that one! Reina obviously isnt the best keeper in the world altho he maybe the best shootout keeper in the world. On the Valdano thing - my spanish isnt great but I’m pretty sure the translation of “putting a sh*t on a stick in the middle of a football field and calling it art” is “Galactico”.
May.9 at 9:18 am
oliver says:
valid points galore mike- Tevez would be great for just about any team in the league, personally i wouldn’t mind him on the gunners sittin behind Henry or Adebayor and making things happen. We cant compete for cash with the pool, the mancs or Chelski though so i guess its me dreaming
May.9 at 9:50 am
mike_01 says:
I think tevez is liverpool or chelsea bound. For me he is too similar to Rooney, for Man Utd to justify the price tag, and Arsenal already have a lot of forwards. Henry, Adebayor, Baptista/Reyes, Walcott, RVP, Bendtner (sp?). The fit I see at liverpool is that tevez is a hybrid of bellamy(on his way hopefully)/kuyt/the incredible hulk but better. At Chelsea, so much depends on who the is manager next season, if we can do our business early on it may take advantage of any uncertainty at the Bridge. Also the usual European cubs will be interested so who knows. Liverpool is a great fit for him tho!
May.9 at 11:01 am
oliver says:
agreed- Dont let the fact that we have a load of forwards blind you though- If wenger sees a good one available he will throw some cash about- I think he’ll end upa t chelsea or the ‘ppol but- i wouldn’t be shocked if we went to Arsenal
May.9 at 12:37 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Tevez just signed for Portsmouth.
May.9 at 2:05 pm
oliver says:
im not even gonna bother checkin that….
May.9 at 2:26 pm
Ryan Jones says:
But you were tempted, oliver, however briefly.
May.9 at 11:31 pm
oliver says:
yeah maybe for a second- but only a second
May.15 at 7:00 am
Tuplajuusto says:
yes, no point in trying to be a smart-ass, if you can’t write correctly.. although, maybe there’s a point after all, judging by the fact that I did manage to draw a response when i probably didn’t deserve one..?