Eduardo da Silva breaks leg

Here is video and commentary of the very nasty injury suffered on Saturday, February 23 to Croatian national and Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva. This injury will sideline Eduardo for quite some time. Talk of this injury being career threatening may be a bit rushed, but fears that Eduardo may never recover from such a blow is warranted.

Champion's League 1st Leg Notes

Roma (2) vs. Real Madrid (1): Real Madrid played offense through the middle of the pitch, even after Roma dedicated another mid fielder to defense in front of the center backs. I would have liked to see Real spread the field a bit and use crosses from the wings. Except for a shot of the post late in the game, Van Nistelroy was a non factor. I was surprised Baptista did not start, and even more surprised Schuster brought him on so late in the contest, minute 77. Baptista replaced Robben who played an excellent game. Roma had a few odd man breaks in the second half that they failed to capitalize on. One in particular was awful. 4-2 break, the spacing was too narrow and the passing even worse. I don’t think they got a shot off from this chance. Totti started the game slow, but showed his class in the second half, culminating in a steal from a bad Real pass and then placed a beautiful pass to a cutting Mancini who calmly beat the goalie. Real needs Robinho back. Their offense is not the same without his speed and skill up front.

Olympiacos (0) vs. Chelsea (0): This was one of the more boring matches I have seen in a long time. There was plenty of rain in the air and on the field, so one could surmise a team from England should be able to play in these conditions better than a team from Greece. Wrong, Chelsea lacked movement and pace the entire contest. Drogba had two chances, a strike in the first half that was saved, and then a header late in the second half that he should have done better with, sailing the ball over the bar. Olympiacos settled for counter attacks most of the contest, getting numbers in their favor a few times, but failing to get any thing menacing on net.

Liverpool (2) vs. Inter (0): As much as I hate Matterazzi, he did not deserve either yellow card that led to his dismissal early in the first half. Maybe his reputation preceded him, maybe the ref has a grudge, I do not know, but I am certain that the referee will face questioning after two awful calls that looks to have decided this contest before the return leg to Milan. A matchup of this magnitude is not for the referee to decide, but for the talent of the players on the pitch. After Materazzi’s dismissal , Liverpool controlled tempo but did not have any real chances at net. After half time, Inter seemed to get some momentum and threatened with a few shots and corners. Liverpool regained control at about the 75 minute mark and continued to pepper the Inter defense to no avail until Kuyt’s breakthrough at the 85 minute mark. Gerrard added a second goal a few minutes later. Young Dutch international Ryan Babel had a solid game. Liverpool uses him on the outside, but his physical qualities seem more suited for striker. Babel is fast, tall, has excellent skill with the ball at his feet and a relentless motor.

I have argued against the away goals rule for tie breaks. Let us say Inter beats Liverpool 3-1 in Milan with no dismissals. Under the away goals rule, Liverpool would advance. Is this fair? Why is 2-0 in an 11 on 10 game more impressive that a 3-1 full strength match? Uefa needs to improve the tie break rule. Away goals is garbage. In the event of a tie after two games, the teams should go to two 15-minute halves followed by penalty kicks if necessary.

Celtic (2) vs. Barca (3): Celtic looked lost against Barcelona’s movement and give-and-go passing. I am sure that Celtic do not see an offense with such movement and understanding of space in the Scottish league. Celtic played with a lot of heart but were simply out classed for most of the contest. Henry, in my opinion, is the best pure striker in the world when fit, and had a beautiful goal in the second half. From the corner of the penalty box area, Henry was given about two yards of space by the defender who worried against Henry’s quickness to goal. Henry simply curled a shot around the defense and goalie for the score. Magnificent goal that he made look effortless. Ronaldinho looked motivated and Messi was world class.

Celtic still has a chance and would be wise to go all out on offense. Some coaches would say, “let’s play our normal game and see what happens”. Well, Celtic tried that and should be down 5-2 rather than the 3-2 they are down. Abandon the 4-4-2 and go with more of an attack friendly 4-3-3 or 4-1-2-1-2.

Lyon (1) vs. Man United (1): The most entertaining game of the week. Back and forth play, beautiful passes and great defending. Can not fault either team in tactics or spirit. Govou played superbly on the left wing for Lyon and was the impetus for most attacks in the first half. I expect Anderson to sit for Man U in the return leg to give way for Tevez to start and for United to go to their more traditional 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 formation.

Arsenal (0) vs. A.C. Milan (0): Arsenal was the better team and controlled their play through the midfield, a surprise given the experience and class of Milan’s midfield. Arsenal created more chances, 7 shots on goal to only two for Milan, and were unfortunate to have several shots skim just wide of the net. The best chance was an Adebyor header in stoppage time that hit the crossbar. Adebyor has been one of the hottest strikers in the world the past month and had a clear look at net. The missed opportunity will haunt Arsenal if they fail in Milan. Arsenal’s youthful legs wore down Milan and they will certainly try to do the same at the San Siro.

Schalke (1) vs. Porto (0) and Fenerbache (3) vs. Sevilla: These games were not available at The Rover, I did not watch them, so consequently have no comment on these games.

Champion League Knockout Stage, Wednesday Games

Celtic vs. Barcelona: Barca better watch out going into Scotland. For all their offensive firepower, Barca lacks defensive play from their midfielders and forwards. Deco husles back, but one can not expect much defensive presence from Ronaldinho, Messi and especially Henry. Celtic is a tough out in this competition, ask A.C Milan who had a difficult time last season against Celtic in the knockout stage and lost to them this season in Scotland this season during group stage. Celtic will be physical, play smart and with the home crowd, is fully capable of a positive result, a win or draw, heading into the second leg in Spain.

Lyon vs. Manchester United: United is an elite club team. Tevez and Rooney are playing wonderfully together, the midfield is strong led by Ronaldo, Scholes and Hargreaves. I think Vidic is a bit over-rated in the back, but he is helped by talented men around him. Lyon was devastated by injuries earlier in the year. A testament to their fortitude and heart, the 6 time defending French champion has reached Champion’s league knockout stage again, along with their perch atop Ligue 1 in France. Coupet, injured at the season’s start, is back in form. The ever present Juninho, Brazil’s most underrated player, will be the catalyst for an offense that bores defenses into mistakes and goals. Man U is the better team and should advance, especially with the quality of coach as Sir Alex Fergusen. However, the pain of elimination from Europe’s best club tournament has befallen Lyon on a continual basis and those memories will fuel their fight to topple Man U.

Arsenal vs. A.C. Milan: Arsenal is young, flashy and have had great success so far this season. There is no doubt oftheirt ability, but I think their Champion’s League run ends in this round. Milan is battle tested, have class throughout the pitch and know how to win this tournament. For all of Arsenal’a talent at midfield, they may lack the mental toughness to deal with the constant physical play of Gattusso, Ambrosinni and Seedorf. Then you have Pirlo, Kaka and Pato on attack with a bench that includes Inzaghi, Gilardino and youngster Alberto Paloschi. I will be rooting for the Crozillian and Arsenal, but they have their hands full with a Milan team that started the season slow, but has picked up the class of play to their form of last season.

Fenerbache vs. Sevilla: Don’t know much about either team. If I was betting on this matchup , I would bet that Turkish side Fenerbache advances. Why? Because few teams are able to go into Turkey and get a decision. Fenerbache has fought long and hard to make it to the knockout stage after years of group stage frustration and will not let this opportunity go by hastily.

Champion League Knockout Stage, Tuesday Games

FC Schalke vs. FC Porto: One problem with having cable rather than satellite TV is that not many soccer channels are offered on cable. My service offers Fox Soccer Channel, which shows European league matches from only England and Italy. Consequently, I have very little viewing experience of these two teams. I have watched both teams play during group stage matches, but those matches finished over two months ago. So, with that being said, here are my thoughts.

Porto have won 4 of the last 5 Portuguese league titles and currently reside in first place by a comfortable 10 points. Lisandro Lopez is having a fine season with 15 goals through 23 Portuguese and Champion’s League matches. Porto does employ one of my favorite players. Ricardo Quaresma is a Portuguese national team MF/FW who makes good things happen. He is an excellent passer from his natural midfield position and can move to FW when needed. His dribbling skills are awesome and he can take over any game. If he decided to play in Spain or England, his would be a household name.

For Schalke, this is their first trip into the knockout stage of Champion’s League play. I guess I’ll be rooting for Porto to win simply because I enjoy watching Quaresma play. If I was to throw some money on this matchup, I would go with the underdog, whomever that may be.

Roma vs Real Madrid: I wrote in an earlier post that the Final Four for the Champion’s League was going to be Roma, Real Madrid, Liverpool and either Man U or A.C. Milan. It’s going to break my heart that Roma or Real is going home early. Both teams have a lot of talent. Totti and Mancini will have the bulk of shots for Roma. They will be helped out by Mexes, Pizzarro, the playmaker De Rossi, a steal during the summer transfer window from Marseille Ludovic Giuly, and a favorite of mine, Simone Perrotta who is not getting the playing time he enjoyed last season. The problem I have with Roma this season is that they look too much for the beautiful goal set up by the perfect pass. The idea of shooting to see if something good comes out of it is a foreign idea to Roma. A potential problem for Roma may be fatigue. They are away to Juventus this Saturday in a huge game for second place in Seria A. They will likely play their 1st team for most of the game because second place in Seria A is guaranteed a spot in next season’s Champion’s League group stage.

Real Madrid is one of the hottest teams in the world right now and boasting an impressive group of strikers. Julio “The Beast” Baptista, Robinho, van Nistelrooy, and Raul can start for most any team in Europe and give Real an extremely deep and talented forward group that will keep putting pressure on Roma. MF Arjen Robben is playing well of late and German international MF Wesley Sneijder is the catalyst from the middle. The defense, led by the dominant Fabio Cannavaro, has given up only 18 goals in 23 league games.

Both teams are talented and battle tested, but Real Madrid is on a different class level than most teams in Europe at the moment. I will be rooting for Roma, and will put up a good fight, but in the end Real should move on to the final 8.

** The two above matchups were written on Thursday, Feb 14. Real Madrid MF Wesley Sneider has since suffered a rib injury that will sideline him for both Roma matches. Robinho is also doubtful for the first leg with an abdominal strain.


Olympiacos vs. Chelsea: Olympiacos have won the Greek League title 10 of the past 11 years. Domestic success is great, but energy, hope, money and confidence resides fully in Champion League play. They escaped a tough group with Real Madrid, Werder Bremen and Lazio to make it to the final 16. Most people would rather get the second leg at home, but in this case, I think it works to their advantage to be in Athens for the 1st leg against Chelsea. A friend of mine, Greek in heritage, has tried to get tickets to the match for some time now. He is well off with money, so no doubt would have given over $1000 for a ticket. The fact that he could not get a ticket is testament to the belief that Olympiacos has a team that can give Chelsea all they can handle and ultimately advance. The stadium in Athens will be a zoo at game time. Fireworks, flairs, fires in the stands and constant chanting will make it a tough place for Chelsea to play.

Chelsea has talent, no one can argue with this. My problem with Chelsea is that some of their supposed leaders, namely Lampard and Joe Cole, disappear in big matches. Frank Lampard and Joe Cole, for all their individual talent, fail to be tough or have meaningful presence in high pressure situations the past several years. A big question mark is also the ability of manager Avhaham Grant to lead Chelsea and make tactical adjustments in matches that carry the weight of Champion’s League play.

Chelsea will be put to a major test with this matchup. What Olympiacos lacks in talent will be made up in heart and tough football. Hard Tackles and intimidation will be constant. Chelsea’s best players, Essien, Drogba, Terry and Chech will probably lead Chelsea to the next round, especially if they go back to Stamford Bridge with a positive result from Athens. However, we have seen the Greeks win a Euro Cup through hard play and defense. It would not surprise me if Olympiacos get through with a bit of luck and hard play.

Liverpool vs. Inter Milan: Two heavyweights in club football get to beat up on one another. Inter is playing better heading into these games. This past weekend saw Liverpool fall out of the FA Cup with a disastrous home loss to second division Barnsley at Anfield. Liverpool is built for Champion’s League play, deep and with the ability to switch styles to exploit opponent weaknesses. Rafa Benitez is a fantastic manager who knows how to get his teams further along in tournaments. Inter is a solid team. Two time defending Seria A champions, they have given up only 13 goals in league play this season from 23 matches, while scoring 48. I picked Liverpool to win the Champion’s League this season, so I will be rooting for them, but my confidence is not very high.

A note on the away goal tie break rule. The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in football when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise tied. I hate this rule simply because two games are never equal. If Liverpool and Inter play to a 2-1 Liverpool win in Anfield and then a 1-0 Inter win in Milan, Inter would advance on “away goals”. Nonsense! What if the officiating was bad in one game and not the other? What if there was rain in one game and not the other? There are a myriad of reasons for two games to not be equal. In the event of a total goals tie after the second leg, the game should go to extra time for 30 minutes and then to penalty kicks.

Super Bowl XLII Notes

You have to question why Belichick did not go for the 48 yard FG on 4th and 13 on the first drive of the second half. One of the announcers said that he was not surprised the Patriots were going for it because it was a habit of theirs through out the season. True, they did go for it on 4th down a lot this year, but how many of those attempts were from 13 yards? Get Gastowski out on the field for the attempt! He has never kicked a FG in a Super Bowl so why not give him a shot? Did Belichick really want Gastowski’s first Super Bowl FG attempt to be of the game winning variety? Gastowski was 3-5 during the regular season on FG beyond 40 yards with a long of 45. With the adrenalin, the atmosphere, the pressure of the Super Bowl, it would have been nice to see if the kid had a big kick in him.


The Giants had the benefit of two non calls. The first was when Toomer pushed off of the CB's helmet on a 38 yard completion in the 2nd Q. It was a beautiful sideline catch, but one that should have been called back. The drive ended in an INT off of Smith's hands. The second non call was on the Giant winning drive, when Manning escaped 4 Pats defenders and threw the pass that Tyree caught against his helmet. As Manning escaped pressure, there was a blatant hold on a Patriot defender trying to get at Manning for a second time.


The Giant defensive line dominated the best O-line in football and won the game for the Giants. Why did the patriots not give Brady a bit more support. There were times this season I remember the Patriots keeping a TE and a RB in pass support, block and flare out if need be, to assure Brady would not get touched and have an outlet if the downfield receivers were covered. That did not happen this game. The Pats trusted their O-line to a fault, reminiscent of the Giant-Eagle game from early in the year when the Giants registered double digit sacks.

Brady missed receivers. This never happens to him on the big stage, a clear testament to the pounding the Giants administered to Brady. He missed Moss on a seam route early in the 4th Q on 2nd and 7 from the NE 31 that looked like a TD if completed. He missed Moss on an easy 6 yard out for a TD. Brady threw high, short and wide of receivers, never getting into a rhythm.

The Giants deserved to win this game, no one can deny it, but on the game winning Giant drive, the Patriot defense dropped two interceptions. Asante Samuel did not look up in time on a sideline out route. The ball went over the receiver’s head and Samuel got both hands on the pass after jumping a second late. Rodney Harrison dropped an INT on the same drive when Manning threw into double coverage. The Patriot defense played well, but in the past would have come up with a game changing play, especially in the 4th Q of a big game.

I do not think Manning was the MVP of the game. He played well, true, but the award was most deserved by a defensive player. Justin Tuck ended the game with 5 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble. He lined up at DE, DT and LB and was constantly in the backfield putting pressure on Brady.

Super Bowl XLII

Regular Season 114 – 116 – 9
Post Season 6 – 4 – 0


Patriots (-11.5) Giants

Giants offense vs Patriot defense: The Giants want to continue the same offensive strategy they have used the last four games, run the ball and have most/all of Manning’s passes travel less than 20 yards in the air. This approach is predicated on the Giant offensive line effectiveness against the Patriot front seven. New York’s O-line has played above expectations this season and has dominated defenses the past month. The Patriots have an experienced, talented and versatile front seven. Wilfork is a load at DT, a true run stuffer needed by all defenses to be effective, more so in the 3-4 scheme run by the Patriots. Richard Seymour may have lost a step after injury, but has the ability to take a game over with his combination of pass rushing and run stopping. He is also adept in pass coverage when the Pats zone blitz. The LB corps is where the Giants can attack with their passing game. Bruschi, Seau,Vrabel and Thomas are technically sound, sure tacklers and very smart, but aside from Thomas, are beatable in the passing game due to their lack of speed. Look for the Giants to exploit situations when Patriot LBs match up on slot receivers and RBs out of the back field. TE Kevin Boss has emerged after Shockey’s injury as a legit pass catcher and can be a factor in the passing attack if the Giants can establish the run. Plaxico Burress is a mismatch for most CBs in the league. Ellis Hobbs and Asante Samuel are both good CBs, but if Plax is healthy and playing with emotion as he should be for the Super Bowl, he can continually beat the Patriot secondary. Amani Toomer is a viable target, as consistent a WR as the Giants have ever had, and Steve Smith has made a handful of big plays this post season. New York will move the ball on the Patriots, the key will be to score TDs . Apparent from the divisional round and conference championship games, FGs will not beat the Patriots.


Patriot offense vs. Giant defense: Warm weather bodes well for Brady and the passing attack, but how much will they throw? Will they go back to the offensive strategy of bombs away that was so awe inspiring the first half of the year, or stay with the more balanced, more conservative approach spearheaded by a very talented Laurence Maroney? The past month or so has seen the Patriots shift to more of a running game. Was it to keep Brady, Moss and Welker healthy, to keep passing plays off of film for analysis, to help move the ball in adverse weather, to help out a veteran defense by controlling clock? Not sure why Belichick changed offensive tempo, but if the Pats are planning to go pass happy for the Super Bowl, it will be tougher than people think to simply turn up the dial and revert to offensive tempo from the first half of the season. Regardless what game-plan the Patriots hope to employ, the fate of their offensive success and the balance of this game will fall on the match up between the Patriot offensive line and the Giant front seven. As a unit, the Patriot offensive line is the best in the NFL. They are smart, athletic, always moving and most importantly, they play hard until the whistle sounds. This last point has raised questions about the Patriot O-line playing dirty and administering cheap shots. The Giants boast an impressive pass rush without the need for blitzing. The Giant front four is very capable of getting to the QB. If the D-line fails to get pressure, then the Giants will have to start blitzing in order to pressure Brady, but against Brady, blitzes usually fail to work because he is the best in the NFL at picking up the hot route on blitz packages. The Giant secondary is not a very strong unit and if Brady gets time, will destroy them.

Special Teams: The Giants will need a few big special team plays if they are to beat the Pats, but more importantly, must not give up anything big. The Giants must avoid giving the Pats a short field. In regards to place kickers, I see the Giants with an advantage. New England’s Gastkowski has yet to kick a FG with all the pressure of the game on his shoulders and the Super Bowl is not the setting ideal for testing a kicker’s mettle. Tynes had his glory kick happen in the championship game. It is my feeling that the distance actually helped him hit the FG. After missing two makeable FGs in regulation, the 47 yard attempt in overtime was a no pressure attempt. He could go out and give it his best because with the conditions, who really thought he was going to make that kick? If the attempt was from 35, I think he misses again.

Prediction: I have been going back and forth with who I like this game against the spread. The Patriots are fully capable of blowing the Giants out on Sunday. If the Giants running game falters and the game falls on Manning’s shoulders, the Patriots win by 25. Mannning is playing well of late, but has yet to show he can win a game on his own. However, I do see the Giants moving the ball with a balanced attack. New York would love to see Jacobs and Bradshaw get 35 carries between them and Manning finish with 20 pass attempts. That scenario is recipe for Giant victory, but improbable. So what do I see happening? A competitive game for three quarters before the talent and experience of the Patriots takes over. Final score, Patriots 31 Giants 17.
Pick: Patriots (-11.5)