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Just to let any RSS subscribers know, most of my soccer content is being switched over to eatsleepsoccer.net. I may still have the occasional music posts, but the soccer content has moved.

The weekend could not have gone any better if you are a Liverpool fan. They scrapped their way to a win putting them in fourth place while the other serious contenders for the fourth spot dropped points. Liverpool have found themselves in some good form as they have 14 points out of 18 in their last six games. Only Manchester United and Chelsea have been better over their last six games. Meanwhile, Tottenham and Aston Villa have suffered inconsistent form recently which has given Liverpool the upper hand.

Heading into the last third of the season, the top four is back to its usual suspects. The race for the coveted last Champions League should be tight and could even draw Arsenal back into the race if they are unable to rebound from their losses. I will take a closer look here at the teams that are in this battle.
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Chelsea went back to the top of the Premier League table after beating Arsenal 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal controlled long periods with their possession and did force Peter Cech into some fine saves, but two first half goals from Didier Drogba finished Arsenal off.

Arsenal started off brightly with Andrei Arshavin especially energetic, but Chelsea took the lead in the 8th minute when Drogba was unmarked at the far post where he put in a flicked on header by John Terry from a corner. Arsenal responded with more pressure and were saved by Peter Cech who made great saves all game. He was especially good when he stuffed Andrei Arshavin with a kick save.

Arsenal looked like they could get the equalizer but they were caught on a counter attack where Drogba cut back in the box and lashed a shot into the net. Arsenal continued to pass the ball around but seemed unable and unwilling to get off a shot to trouble Chelsea. The second half was more of the same and Arsenal came close off of a free kick from Cesc Fabregas but struggled against a Chelsea side that knew they could sit back and defend their two goal lead.
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This game displayed the passion of the Premier League but also showed what can happen when a game gets a bit out of control. The game started off with some hard tackles but Javier Mascherano was the first to get in a late challenge on Marouane Fellaini in the 9th minute. The lack of card on this foul set the tone and the tackles escalated.

Steven Pienaar would be the next culprit when he was fortunate to only receive a yellow card for a high tackle in the 30th minute. However, Jamie Carragher did not do the game any service by looking for retribution less than a minute later with a foolish tackle on Pienaar from behind. This had the teams seething and the game changed in 34th minute when Sotiros Kyrgiakos was ejected for a two-footed lunge at Fellaini’s ankle. Fellaini was unable to continue and was fortunate to not have been ejected as well for stomping on Kyrgiakos’ leg in the same challenge.
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There is not much to say about this game other than Portsmouth were extremely poor. They were slow and bickered amongst each other the entire game and on a performance like this it is hard to see how they can get out of the relegation zone.

United started off brightly pinning Portsmouth in their own box for the opening 10 minutes but could get any real chances. Portsmouth were trying to crowd the box in order to make it difficult for United wing players to pick out a target. As the game went on Portsmouth started to slowly grow in the game and had their best chance when Nadir Belhadj had his shot cleared off the line by Jonny Evans in the 34th minute.

A minute later, United missed their first great chance when Dimitar Berbatov could not get a shot on goal when he had David James at his mercy. However, United would get the breakthrough in the 40th minute when Darren Fletcher put in a great cross that Wayne Rooney headed in from close range. The marking was terrible as despite a crowded box full of Portsmouth defenders nobody picked up the leading scorer in the Premier League.

Things would get worse quickly in the 45th minute when Anthony Vanden Borre deflected a Nani cross into his own net. David James was caught leaning anticipating the cross but he still got a hand on the shot but not enough to keep it out. The two quick goals before halftime pretty killed whatever spirit Portsmouth had.
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I have not watched a lot of the Bundesliga and have not been able to catch much of my favorite team Hertha Berlin. Despite Berlin’s struggles this season, they had gone without a loss in the 3 games since the winter break. However, that streak ended as Werder Bremen got their first win in the league since November. Werder Bremen were the better side but Hertha Berlin put up a valiant effort.

The game was slow at the beginning. The first real chance came in the 20th minute when Claudio Pizarro hit the post off of a free kick. Another chance followed quickly but Drobny punched it clear. The next chance came for Berlin when Theofanis Gekas scored but was wrongfully judged to be offside.

The game did not really pick up until the first goal in the 66th minute. The goal was a bit fortunate as a Mesut Ozil shot was deflected perfectly into Marin’s path. He unleashed a beautiful half-volley to the far post to get a 1-0 lead. Berlin struck back quickly after just 2 minutes off of a free kick. The initial ball was popped up by Pizarro which was not dealt with by Werder Bremen’s keeper Tim Wiese who lost the ball which bounced to Gekas, who finished easily.

The game picked up after the two goals in succession as Werder Bremen started to pressure Hertha Berlin. The pressure paid off as Werder Bremen got their winner in the 81st off of a free kick. Claudio Pizarro controlled a free kick and slotted it past Drobny. Berlin had some close chances but they were difficult overhead kicks that were put over the goal. Werder Bremen were the deserved winners as they did more in attack. Here are some of my observations about the game.

• Marco Marin has potential to be a German star. I liked Marin when he was at Borussia Monchengladbach and he is an exciting young player. He has dynamic movement and has a good range of passing but his touch on the ball is impressive. He seems to be a player destined for great things and I think he could provide Germany with a winger with a more diverse attack from a winger who just whips in crosses like Bastian Schweinsteiger. I think his style could really flourish in Spain, but he still has some developing to do before he should make that move.
• Hertha Berlin were saved by Jaroslav Drobny. Drobny was about the only outstanding performance from Hertha Berlin. Overall, Berlin was not bad and looked solid defensively, but were quite limited in attack. Most of their chances were either shots from far out or came from set pieces. Last year, this team was so dependent on the counter attack in order to score goals. However, without their forwards from last season, they have not been as dangerous on the counter and they have fallen down the table.
• It was the little things that cost Hertha Berlin the game. The difference between these teams was quite small. If a couple bounces had gone their way, Hertha Berlin could have gotten a tie. The goal that was incorrectly ruled offside was bad luck, but they also made some mental mistakes. The second goal was from a free kick that was from a terribly timed lunge. The foul was stupid and it cost them. Some foolish fouls and bad marking added up over the course of the game and eventually Berlin paid for them.

Obviously the big match of the weekend is Chelsea and Arsenal on Sunday, but there are quite a few good games going on in England. Outside of England, there are certainly a couple intriguing matches being shown this weekend but nothing monumental. I am disappointed that the Wolfsburg vs. Bayern Munich game on Saturday is not being shown on TV. However, these are the top 5 games for me this weekend.

1. Chelsea vs. Arsenal (FSC, Sunday 11 am) Both teams will be looking to rebound. Arsenal were defeated by Manchester United last Sunday while Chelsea will look to put up a better performance than the draw against Hull on Tuesday. Arsenal will be in greater need for the win as they try to keep themselves in the title race.
2. Liverpool vs. Everton (ESPN2, Saturday 7:45 am) It’s the Merseyside Derby. Liverpool and Everton have been in some of their best form so far this season so this could be an exciting game. Also from an American point of view, Landon Donovan should be playing which certainly will add some excitement.
3. Fiorentina vs. Roma (FSC< Sunday 2:45 pm) Fiorentina have fallen down the table while Roma have gotten themselves up to a tie with AC Milan for second place. It may seem that Roma are the favorites, but Fiorentina certainly have the talent to win this game.
4. Tottenham vs. Aston Villa (FSC, Saturday 12:30 pm) The race for fourth place in the Premier League is warming up. Liverpool is closing in on the spot as well and Manchester City has a lot of games in hand so they have to be considered serious challengers as well. Tottenham will have to approach this game with more urgency since they are at home. Aston Villa finally got a win in the league but still have not been that impressive. Nonetheless, this should be an entertaining game with two teams that certainly like to attack.
5. Racing Santander vs. Atletico Madrid (GolTV, Sunday 3:00pm) It is always intriguing when a team plays another so many times in quick succession. These teams play 3 times in a week with the other two matches being in the Copa Del Rey. Atletico took the first matchup 4-0 but they will really want to get at least a point in this game to help them move further up the league table.

Let me know what you are looking forward to watching this weekend.

Heading into the late stages of a tied game, teams are faced with a decision. They can push on for a win or just hold on for a tie. This is especially relevant when one of the teams is better than the other such as in the Chelsea-Hull City game this midweek. A friend of mine told me how it gets on his nerves when teams like this do not bring an extra forward for a defender in order to chase the win.

The argument is simply that if the extra attacker increases the chances for scoring it also increases the probability of surrendering a goal. If the probability of scoring the goal is increased by at least half the probability of surrendering a goal then it is a positive expected value to make the move in terms of points. I don’t have the statistics to support this but I don’t think that bringing on an attacker for a defender helps as much as it hurts unless the attacking team is dominating possession.

However, it seems that looking at the table settling for ties does not give you the championship. Last year Liverpool finished second in the league despite only losing two games, but it was their 11 ties in the league that cost them the title. In fact, in Manchester United’s current run of championships, they have never tied more than 6 games and have won each season despite having lost more games than the second place team in the league. It seems that it is their winning and almost cavalier style of going for the win that has given them these titles. United have continued that trend with only two ties this season which has kept them in the title race despite losing five games.
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Bob Bradley named a 23 man training camp for the upcoming friendly against El Salvador on February 24th in Tampa Bay. The squad is composed of only MLS players as the Scandinavian players in the January camp have returned for their preseason. The United States will be looking to rebound after a bad performance against Honduras. The squad is listed below.

Goalkeepers: Troy Perkins (DC United), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Zach Thornton (Chivas USA)

Defenders: Kevin Alston (New England), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles), Chad Marshall (Columbus), Michael Orozco (Philadelphia Union), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Geoff Cameron (Houston), Brad Davis (Houston), Brad Evans (Seattle), Eddie Gaven (Columbus), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Chris Pontius (DC United), Robbie Rogers (Columbus)

Forwards: Conor Casey (Colorado), Brian Ching (Houston), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)
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One of the big stories in the past week has been the John Terry affair with Wayne Bridge’s former fiancee Vanessa Perroncel. This has led to a wave of criticism for Terry and questioning of his position as captain of England. Bridge has come out and said that he does not want to be part of a squad with John Terry involved. Terry has said that he will not resign from the captaincy, but ultimately the decision will rest with Fabio Capello although there are rumors that the FA are suggesting that Terry should be stripped of the captaincy.

If Terry’s problems is not enough, another worrying concern that was brought up by Martin Samuels in his article in the Daily Mail is that there are two other English players who currently have an injunction keeping similar stories out of the press. One of the stories supposedly involves the player and his groupies so perhaps there are more problems coming.
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