What's In a Name?

Columnist Ed is on his high horse.  Again:

Champions League......CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.....ChAMpionS LeaguE.....oooh oooh AHHH AHHH!!!  Can't you just here that crazy Champions League anthem tune when you read that?  He wait, does anyone like that anthem ?  I don't.  To me it  sounds like national anthem of one of those countries you've  never heard of that somehow sneaks a gold medal at the Olympics in the three-legged race: “And now, the National Anthem of the Republic of Smerzagrovnia, and a hearty congratulations on their first ever Olympic gold....” 

Here's a suggestion – and don't just say “no” in a knee jerk way – how about going a different direction and trying, say, the theme from Shaft?  Come on, give that hickuppy guitar and playful background keyboard a listen:

Spectacular.

And speaking of spectacular, I don't know what was better, that amazing second goal of Oscar (talk about swerve and dip), or that amazing first touch he took to put the ball behind Pirlo before he spun around him and took the shot.  Wow. 

My only issue with Oscar is the dead horse I've been beating about many footballers playing in Europe, but particularly Brazilian footballers:  What's up with the first name only on the jersey?  It just screams “egomaniac” to me, as in “I am THE Oscar! I'm so fabtacular (look at my hair!) that everyone just knows me by my first name!  I'm just THAT popular!!” 

Well, Oscar, I'm sorry to say it but I find it painful that your dropping your last name when your first name is “Oscar.”  Sorry kid, but it's not exactly lyrical or original or tough.  More muppet garbage dweller to me.  And dude,  you've just started playing!!! 

I think if I owned a soccer team, I'd put an end to that whole thing.  I'd start by appointing Ray Lewis as my Ego Enforcement Officer and instruct him to go all Terry Tate on anyone who gets ahead of himself.

 

"Hey Oscar, baby!! If you don't stitch on your Last, I'm goin' to kick your . . . .!!!  Wooohhh!!!”

Anyhow, Chelsea looked the better team in the game even though they ended up with a draw.  Plus, I'm not sure if the boss man is right that Chelsea isn't that good.  Hazard, Oscar, Ramirez, Lampard – they all looked pretty good to me.  Even Fernan....nah, he looked pretty ordinary, really.

The game that shocked me the most was the Manchester City v. Real Madrid game.  I have never seen such speed as Madrid's.  For most of the game, it seemed like Real was playing with 12 or 13 players and City had 8.  Even Tevez looked pretty pedestrian against Real's fast defense.  As a famous commenter on this site said, only Ya Ya looked fast enough to handle the speed.  He was absolutely in full warp mode when he was taking the ball up the pitch on breaks. 

Holy Cow! Six Things We Learned in a Shock Champions League Draw with FC Basel

photo by gamerscoreblog	via PhotoRee

1. I'm stating the obvious here, but United have some major concerns on defense, at least as long as Nemanja Vidic is sidelined. Sure, Basel may have scored three, and emerged with a draw -- but that was only a symptom of the larger problem last night. This is shocking to say, but three is probably the least number of goals Basel should have scored last night, and the number of opportunities the visitors created has to be extremely unsettling for Sir Alex. Especially when noted that last night was a European night -- you know, the same type of European night in which United conceded only once during the Group Stage last season -- this has to be setting off some major alarm bells for the Scot. It's actually quite shocking as to how open a game United are playing, whether by design or accident -- although I can't imagine its by design. Scoring lots of goals has a way of papering over any cracks in defense, but you can be damn well sure that Sir Alex knows this is a situation that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later if this season is to end in trophies of any kind.

2.  Giggsy's vision is still pretty damn good. He may not have the speed or the moves that he used to have, but as he's slowed down, the game seems to have slowed down for him, as well. And by that I mean that Ryan Giggs seems to be seeing the game in slow motion. Sure, Danny Welbeck scored the first two goals of the game, but they were merely the end product of Giggs' Matrix-like vision -- in which the Welshman seems to slow down time itself while pondering his options, and then land the dagger blow with stunning accuracy. He may not be 17 anymore, but Ryan Giggs at age 37 is the very definition of the complete modern player, and -- if this is possible -- even better than he was several years ago.

3. I'm starting to wonder exactly what the Da Silva twins are made of. Maybe marshmallows, possbly a bit of jello mixed with some gummy bears, but definitely not anything very hard. Or anything that lasts a full 90 minutes. In fact, I'm kind of thinking of them as the anti-Viagra....  I tweeted pre-game that I was concerned Sir Alex had opted for no defensive subtitutions on the bench, and wondered aloud the last time either De Silva had managed to play a full 90 minutes -- with the concern in the back of my mind that there was no way Fabio would last the whole game. And it was right about on 70 minutes that the diminutive Brazilian's carriage turned back into a pumpkin, necessitating the movement of Valencia to right back -- clearly not his best position, as the penalty showed -- and the introduction of Nani into the game. I'm not saying that United didn't need Nani, at that particular juncture, but instead that I hate having to use one of our substitutions every game on a defender whenever one of the Da Silvas is in the starting lineup.

Legendary

photo by My Alternative Photos	via PhotoRee

Tuesday night was a fitting tribute to a legendary servant of the club. Huffing and puffing his way up and down the pitch, Gary Neville -- RedNev, to his legion of fans -- said goodbye to the 42,000 faithful at Old Trafford in an exhibition game played at a leisurely pace against Juventus of Italy. Fittingly, the former England right back was joined on the night by several other "kids" who created Fergie's Golden Generation of players: Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, who seem to be getting younger with each passing year, and David Beckham and Nicky Butt from Manchester United days gone by.


United "lost" the game 2-1, but the final scoreline mattered less than the heart and spirit shown by both sides on the pitch.  Herewith, some further thoughts while watching the game, along with some implications for Saturday's Champions League final:

• What in the world are Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs doing on the pitch five days before the European championship??  I'm sure the Neville Testimonial was scheduled weeks ago, but did the Reds' front office have such little faith in the club's chances of making the final that they scheduled this game for the same week?  I can't imagine an NFL team preparing for the Super Bowl by giving a exhibition runout to two starters and some important bench players (Scholes, and possibly O'Shea, Anderson and Rafael) the week of the final.

Sleepwalking Into the New Year

 This Guy Looks More Awake Than Several United Players Did on Saturday 
photo by istolethetv	via PhotoRee

So, that was an easy three points, as Manchester United leave the Hawthornes with West Brom done and dusted, clutching their 2-1 victory as tightly as a hobo hanging onto a ham sandwich. What looked on paper to be a tough road trip turned out to be that and more, despite United taking the lead just two minutes after the opening whistle. Nevertheless, a win is still a win, especially when it comes from a game not played at Old Trafford this season.

The match opened with a bang for the Red Devils, with Wayne Rooney ending a shocking nine month drought to finally score from open play. Picked out by Patrice Evra's long arching cross, Rooney gently nodded the ball down, and willed it with all his might to finish its journey resting in the netting behind West Brom 'keeper Scott Carson. With their one-time talisman off the mark so quickly, it looked to be only a matter of time before United extended the lead and secured a precious away win. But a funny thing happened on the way to the three points: United were decidedly second best for large portions of the match, fortunate to end the game with 11 men on the pitch, and were a Peter Odemwingie penalty miss away from dropping more points on the road.