He's a Keeper

If you were the long-time head honcho of one of the biggest football clubs in England with a position on the pitch to be filled, what would you do?

It's been, what, 8 months since the departure of previous Manchester United goalkeeping legend Edwin van der Sar (or better known as VDS) and still his position between the posts has yet to be taken. Not because United doesn't have any replacement, rather they are ripped between choices : One being the talented young goalie from out of the country, David De Gea, and the other import being Danish goalkeeper, Anders Lindegaard. Both are young, talented, and proven eager to play for the club, but how do they compare?

Anders Lindegaard

27; Denmark

Date of purchase : November 2010

Transfer fee : only Fergie and his gum knows

Track record before United : capped 4 Internationals with generally clean sheets

Track record after United (this season) : 6 clean sheets out of 7 appearances

David De Gea

21; Spain

Date of purchase : August 2011

Transfer fee : 2nd most expensive goalie after Gianluigi Buffon (wow)

Track record before United : 24 clean sheets out of the last 45 games at Atletico Madrid, International caps with Spain U-21

Track record after United (this season) : 23 goals conceded out of 18 appearances

I'm not going to write their track records in detail because I don't have the time or care, but in general it's easy to see the predicament that hangs over United's Sir. They are both obviously very capable and any one of the two would be an asset to any club, but who should be goalie numero uno?

De Gea hasn't had the easiest time since his debut, and the Mancs haven't exactly been kind to him either everytime he makes a blunder. Considering the act he has to follow that one's a given. But contrary to popular belief among the english football fans that don't keep tabs on La Liga, De Gea was actually a star at Atletico Madrid. In fact, he was probably one of the best which was why I cursed monkeys when I first heard United was going to sign him. He's young but he's very mature pitch-wise, you can see it in his confidence in the goal. A young skilled player that isn't afraid to play with the big boys - that's hard to find. 

I can't say much for Lindegaard though, because I've never paid much attention to him. He's always been in VDS' shadow and apparently he was off for sometime with an injury. But if I had to judge him by his recent shows this season I'd say he's not bad at all. Evidently he has a better United record but he hasn't had the same amount of appearances as De Gea so it wouldn't really be fair to compare them based on that, not to mention the fact that his games have been against slightly easier opponents - Norwich, Sunderland, Villa, Fulham, Wigan - compared to De Gea's who, as of now, is still Fergie's no. 1 choice.

Okay, so these two guys both know how to keep. Both of them are young but De Gea is way more younger than Lindegaard, which could either be his upperhand or downfall in the matter. I mean if United is looking for a long-term goalie then it's best to stick with De Gea. He's of worth and he still has a long future ahead. He's not had much of a hot season but I think people (especially the media) need to give the guy a break. He's just moved to a foreign country without being able to speak a word of english and not only does he have to adjust to the different style of play in the Premier but he also has to do it under the media scrutiny. In that sense he reminds me of Andy Carroll (big bucks has to equal big results!!!), except that Andy will always be an overpaid sloth no matter how you spin it. Anyways, De Gea just needs some time and better motivation. Maybe some food could help. 

It would probably be that simple if United weren't in a sticky situation at the moment. Obviously Lindegaard has had a more consistent run than De Gea, which is what they really need to keep up in the League. Fergie is sticking by his Spainiard's side, but if in the end they decide to go Danish I think De Gea won't have any trouble finding a new home ASAP if he would rather keep off the bench.

x Natasha

A Sweet Reunion

For the past couple of weeks, we've been graced with 2 major comeback stories, and everyone loves a comeback. Whether it be the return of a reigning king that gave up his kingdom to venture a new foreign land, or of an aging guard who just thought it was time to lay his weaponry down, it's always a generally welcomed surprise. 

THE ONES THAT HAVE COME BACK

The King
The return of the driving force of old Arsenal when their club was The Invincibles during his reign as captain is definitely seen as terrible news to the other Premier teams. Although Thierry Henry isn't planning on making this return permanent, he's already sketched a hopeful mark on every Gooner's brain during Arsenal's last match against Leeds United weeks ago, contributing the only goal of the match and gaining a win for his team. Henry's always been open about his deep-rooted affection with Arsenal even after his departure and the feeling was obviously mutual. Let's face it, Grandpa Wenger can't always rely on Robin Van Persie to save his team from the pits. As good-looking and amazing as RVP is, he's only human. And what with effective players like Gervinho, Thomas Vermaelen, and Jack Wilshere out for reasons of National duty or over-due injury, Wenger needs someone to help carry the load. Who's betting on Grandpa Wenger trying to make this deal more than just a poor 2 month-loan? Wager, anyone?

The Guardian

It would probably be more appropriate to call the other comeback a "paused retirement" since Paul Scholes had already decided to retire from the pitch before running back again. This certain comeback was understandably interpreted by everyone as desperation. Could it have something to do with Manchester United's ever-dominant neighbor? Not to mention Fergie's luck has the club losing players such as Nemanja Vidic, Tom Cleverly, and Ashley Young to a sudden curse of injuries. It didn't help things also that their young goalie, De Gea, kept messing up when it mattered most. So Fergie beckoned and Scholes answered immediately (I'm not even sure how the deal went down? What are papers when football honor is at stake!). But maybe he should have let the phone ring instead of answering because the man's comeback went from a warm welcome to second thoughts of retirement when during his return debut Scholes made a blatant mistake that cost his team a goal - and during their latest derby against Manchester City, nonetheless. They eventually won 3-2, but City made a marvelous strike back after initially being down 3-0. Fergie claims he has no regrets at all calling back the 37-year-old and says the redhead will be good for the team. Let's just hope he's wrong.

Now let's talk about the 'what if's. Here are the players I'd like to see make a second run at their old club.

THE ONES I'D LIKE TO SEE COME BACK

Xabi Alonso

 i did not choose this pic for its compromising position and allure.
honest.

where is he : Real Madrid FC

come back to : is this question really necessary?

The relentless twitter replies and Anfield hype whenever Xabi gets online or makes the time to watch our game urging him to come back to Liverpool has yet to be fruitful. Emotionally, this come back would be a good thing because, well, everyone loves and misses him okay. Strategically, though, this would also be a very good thing. Our midfield is tight now with Captain Fantastic Stevie G back, but what if in the (likely) event he gets another one of those groin injuries and is benched again for months? We could rely on Lucas, of course - if he wasn't injured himself. We have to be real, Xabi is one of the best in midfield, we need more help to stabilize that area and he obviously is still in love with the club. Heaven couldn't even make a better match than Xabi Alonso and a red jersey (no, not those hideous LFC-copied away kits Real Madrid forces him to wear on occasion ugh). Wishful thinking or not I will never stop wanting him to come back home.

Andriy Shevchenko

where is he : Dynamo Kiev

come back to : AC Milan

I've hinted quite a bit about my past fling with Serie A and AC Milan when I was younger which was mostly caused by Sheva. Brilliant, to say the least. His relationship with Milan was like spaghetti and bolognaise : you could evidently have them separately but they wouldn't be as good as if they were together. True to football karma, his spectacular shining run he had with teammates like Filippo Inzaghi and Kaka at Milan faded into obscurity after he signed a huge deal with Chelsea FC (of course). They eventually let him go back to Milan on loan but that comeback1 was nothing, the damage had already been done. Which is why I would like it if he had the chance to have another comeback to the Italian club - comeback2 - but with all his swag fully intact. Impossible but dream-worthy, even though they don't even need him at the moment.

Miroslav Klose

where is he : S.S. Lazio

come back to : Bayern Munich

If anyone can prove that age ain't nothin' but a numba' then it would be this guy. Most likely one of the best players in Bundesliga history and on the world stage (the only player ever to score more than 4 goals in three different tournaments), wouldn't it be amazing if he reunited with his old club and teamed up with its strong youngens? Not sure why Bayern was dumb enough to let a player like him walk away in the first place but apparently he's been making his mark at S.S. Lazio in Italy. Hopefully he's experienced some home sickness there because it's a bit weird seeing him in the middle of all those Italians being so tall and danty. It would be such a treat to football fans to see Klose link up with the bunch that Bayern Munich is currently holding, although I'm thinking it would pretty much look something like the German NT of the 2010 World Cup.

Ronaldo 

where is he : somewhere being awesome in his retired glory

come back to : anywhere, just coming back to the footy arena would be so nice

Remember joga bonito? It was Brazil's hakuna matata and Ronaldo was their Timon and Pumba. He spread his Latin American magic like nobody's business alongside some of the most dangerous teammates on a national stage, such as Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, and Roberto Carlos (am I the only one seeing an 'R' trend here?). Brazil was unstoppable in the world, and any club Ronaldo was perched at was the best. The only footballer as of current to have a talent anywhere near the Original Ronaldo would be Messi, which is probably why they are two out of the only three men in existence to win the FIFA Player of the Year award three times (the third man being the great Zinedine Zidane). He made his last appearance for the national team in June last year, 5 years after his last ever match for national duty.  Arguably one of the best footballers in history and appropriately named "El Fenomeno", it would be amazing to have that kind of genius active on the pitch again. It would also be exciting to see Ronaldo and Messi go head to head in a game. Not to mention being able to see him instead as a search result whenever I type 'Ronaldo' rather than the Portuguese Cristiano. I know this is an impossible one reminded his age and health, but I wasn't able to keep myself from mentioning him. Legend.

x Natasha

The Football Oscars - 2012 Ballon d'Or

Was last night really a surprise for everyone when Lionel Messi nabbed his third Ballon d'Or in a row?

The man is a Messiah. If the football world is a chocolate factory then he is the Willy Wonka. Although everyone was happy for his well-deserved win, a lot of people - including myself - were a tad irked that Xavi Hernandez was still denied of the Golden Ball. And I don't think anyone who thought Xavi should win it are saying that Messi doesn't deserve it, it's just that Xavi also equally deserves it. I mean, Messi is young and I know people tend to forget how young he is because of his mature talent but Xavi is not so young and he could retire soon. I just don't want him to hang up his boots without getting his Golden Ball, you know? 2010 was definitely his year and yet he STILL didn't get it (that was Messi's 2nd win). If Xavi couldn't get it that year - the year where he was part of the historic Spain NT that won the last Euros and World Cup, something Messi has yet to accomplish with his own NT - then I really don't know what else there is left for him to do so he can. This is Leonardo DiCaprio and the Oscars all over again, really. At least he wasn't left out of FIFA's XI of the Year or I'd have to fly to Zurich myself and mess shit up.

My annoyance aside, I am happy for Messi and may God bless his humble soul. 

And I'm glad that King Pep Guardiola scored the award for Best Coach of the Year! Honestly, it should have been his from last year but it wouldn't be a proper awards event if the winners were screwed up occasionally, right? He even dedicated the award to his homeboy Tito.

he spoke and it was english
and everyone died

I read that the FIFA Presidential Award was given for services to football, so I guess Sir Alex Ferguson deserves that one since he's been in the game for what seems to be decades. Maybe Pep will follow in his red-faced footsteps. I bet the Mancs are just glad that the awkwardness Sepp Blatter brought onto the stage did not ruin Fergie's moment. Although the interaction between those two when Fergie was mumbling some things to Blatter wasn't really a pleasing passing moment either.

And Japan definitely owned the awards last night with Japan's Women NT coach Norio Sasaki and their captain Homare Sawa snagging awards in regards to Women's football. Sawa and some other teammates came to the event dressed in traditional kimonos which I thought were lovely. Workin' it, girlfriends.
Japan also won the Fair Play Award. Congrats, Japan!

Sawa and Messi, the best of both worlds

It was unfortunate though that the Puskas Award for Best Goal of the Year had to go to some little punk, also known as Neymar. Debates state Wayne Rooney should have won it, and even if he didn't it should have gone to Messi's goal instead rather than the little fetus'. Neymar stans, of course, stand by their teen-dad. To be honest I have to side with the people shouting Rooney for this one. You can judge for yourself. I think if this award was rigged we all know who the culprit is.

Congratulations to everyone else who went home with a prize in their hands!

Other highlights that are of ~real~ importance :

• The Original Ronaldo was there and the 2nd Ronaldo was not! bless the universe.
• Shakira's show-stopping red dress.
• Zidane's perfection.
• Rooney's styled (!!!) roots that had EVERYONE surprised.

Now that that's over, the only thing left to do is judge everyone who is anyone in football on their votes.

x Natasha

If You Like It You Should Put a List on It

It's that time of year where everyone is getting ready for stocking surprises, some eggnog and delightful choco chip cookies, and, for the luckier people living in colder weather, a bit of snow fall.

It's almost Christmas!

And what could be more fun than making a list of things you'd want to find under your tree?

A list of 4 football players from each position you'd want to find under your tree, that's what!

Here are the footballers I'd like to find wrapped up neatly in bows when I wake up, and why.

*GOALKEEPER -------- 

Now, this position is one of the hardest positions to be filled. I could go the Spanish route, staying true to my Spain NT fangirl self and choose from their "finest of the finest" goalie line-up. I could also go English instead, opting for the goalie i like and insist is wearing the wrong shade of kit. Or maybe I should be unpredictable and be nostalgic of the days where I cared about Serie A and decide on one of my longtime favorite goalies ever... 

PUT A BOW ON IT : Pepe Reina

WHY : I'd imagine after I've taken the red bow off his bald head he'd offer to cook me some Xmas churros so we can sit around the fireplace and talk about how awesome Liverpool is, and joke about Iker and his relationship with Facebook and Google Translate.

*DEFENDER --------

So many defenders, so little time. I have so many favorites, how can I possibly decide who I want Santa to bring me? There's my beast of a Scouser, my Giant Wall of Derp, that Brazilian beast, or le delicate Danish flower... kind of intrigued to ask for this guy too, just so I can see if I can make him cry at the Xmas party. Oh my god but there's also Kelldawgs, and etc etc etc etc (I could really go on and on in this category).

PUT A BOW ON IT : Jose Enrique

I don't know what's going on here
but I like it

WHY : Rumor has it he likes to show off his biceps. I'd like to watch him show off in my living room whilst eating smores. After he's done we could make prank calls to Grandpa Del Bosque as revenge for not calling up Enrique for National duty. (Seriously, shame on you, VDB)

*MIDFIELDER --------

I'm so predictable some people I know reading this blog who are aware of my undying love for Xavi will probably think I'm going to ask for him. But I think there's already too much Spanish up in this party and, well, I don't want to get charged by the FA so I might as well make this event racially diverse. Besides, me and Xavi are already soulmates anyway so I guess asking Mr. Claus for him would be kind of moot. So now I have to pick a non-Spanish midfielder? Why is that so ironic. 

PUT A BOW ON IT : Jack Wilshere

WHY : It's 2 for the price of 1! He'd have to bring cute little Archie with him, right? After Archie's had fun opening his own prezzies and fallen asleep, we could get drunk and I could finally check off "touch Jack Wilshere's dimples" off my bucketlist. I know he'll bring the Xmas spirit.

(note : I want to ask for Captain Fantastic but that would mean I'd also have to ask for the Ginger Prince. But if I asked for both of them they'd just pay attention to each other and make their own little world without me, which I can simply not abide to on Christmas.)

*FORWARD --------

Are Spanish and Argentinian too close to each other? Well, screw diversity, man. It's either this or another Spainiard. You have found my weakness.

PUT A BOW ON IT : Sergio Aguero

WHY : Other than the fact that I've been pining over how flawless his kicks are (also, his face), he seems like a nice guy. I really like his hair. Maybe he'll let me touch it and style it whilst he spills his deep feelings about how hard it is to be a player in a generally-hated club over a cup of hot cinnamon cocoa. I'd also like to discuss some other fashion choices for him on the pitch. Baby Benji could keep Baby Archie company, too.

I hope Santa and his reindeer don't deliver my order to the wrong house because not getting these presents would be the worst Xmas ever.

x Natasha

POST INSPIRATION

An Identity Crisis (or a marketing scheme - wait, what for though?)

What do Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea have in common?

The answer : a visit from a little blond Canadian boy that likes to make tween girls scream and cry in their sleep.

Not sure what teen idol, Justin Bieber, is doing at Stamford Bridge, or any other famous footy stadium for that matter, but I heard from the great vines of the interweb that he gave the Blues a visit to look into a job position - Fernando Torres' job position.

Juuuuust kidding.

Wouldn't you believe it though? Annoying as he is, the kid has got some moves with the ball, not gonna lie.

Not that people would actually believe in this rumor has anything to do with the freckled striker's terrible shows and skills since his arrival at Stamford Bridge. He's been doing grrrrreat.

Punk-Ass Friend/Entourage : "Yo JB, where you at, homie?"

JB : "Just chilled with my boys Lamps and Fer at the Bridge. It was tight, yo."

Not a Chelsea lover, but his experiences meeting - and TRAINING - with top footballers all around the world is really making me eat jell-o.

As if it's not enough I have to see his face everywhere there's a potential tween market, now he has to stalk me into football territory. Football territory is my safe house. If I'm not even safe from the Biebs in the football world, nowhere is safe anymore!!!

Who does this kid think he is, going from one club to another and wearing their freakin' kits, Michael Owen?

first publicly recorded existence of a Blue Culedrista
anything is possible, people!

Blame Canada.

Next stop....... Emirates Stadium? (for the love of God let it be Emirates instead of Anfield)

x Natasha

What Is An Orderly Fashion

Poor Luis Suarez. With the media publicity from his most recent stint still lingering very strongly in the air, he has to accept FA's charges against him. By all means, it certainly is fair, of course, if he did indeed give Fulham fans a piece of Uruguay to remember. 

I'm certain after all this time the Football Association (FA) has already had experience in dealing with such acts of indecency. They are professionals! Obviously they have proper conduct to deal with issues of inappropriate behavior from a footballer.

Like when Gary Neville and Carlos Tevez were at each other like dumb high-school boys on the parking lot of a Seven-Eleven, trying to out-punk each other. Tevez gestured to Neville after his goal against his former club in a January 2010 match, being upset about Neville's comments surrounding the Argentinian's Manchester City pay. As a thank you, Neville gave him the finger. This nonsense was certainly not to be tolerated at all in the professional field of football sport! So FA took action after sending Neville a note warning him of the serious consequences he'd face for that rude hand gesture to a fellow footballer during an official match. They charged Neville with a- Umm, wait, hold on. Ah yes! They charged Neville for his improper hand behavior by- Err, by what exactly I'm not sure. Even though I didn't find any official report or statement regarding his charge, I'm sure the highly responsible FA charged him with something.

Okay, here's a better example of FA's intolerance against "fan abuse", which I think is a very important matter indeed! When Ashley Cole made those V-signs at Arsenal fans back in 2007, the FA did not take it lightly. After the incident, Cole was charged with a fine of- Umm, he was charged with... Hold on, there has GOT to be a charge here somewhere... Hmm, that's odd. There aren't any charges to be found over that one. I don't think he was even disciplined for that shooting incident either. Maybe FA was just too busy with other things. They do have a lot of business to take care of, you know, they can't just see to everything. Geez.

Mind you, I have another example that will surely prove that the FA's charge on Suarez is nothing but reasonable and has been done many times before. Remember that time Wayne Rooney made V-signs towards Chelsea fans during a match at Old Trafford in May 2011? After that incident, Rooney was heavily charged with- Wait, what was Rooney charged with? Hmm.. uh, he was charged with.. well, the referee of the match, Howard Webb, didn't report it anyway, so it's not important. Atleast they took care of Rooney's F-word camera shouting with 2 match-bans. No charges, just bans. I think that's alright.

Regardless of this all, I assure anyone reading my blog that the FA is in their rights to the charge of Luis Suarez for middle fingering those Fulham fans. Yes, I know, they were spouting hateful chants at him - calling him a cheater and such - but that does not mean his fingering the football fans is acceptable. As I've explained already throughout this post, the FA charges every player guilty of the same misconduct with the same charges.

one of the many faces of
football fair play

The FA charges everyone equally, regardless of their nationality. They are professionals, of course!

I can't prove it, but I'm sure of it.

Also, for charging Liverpool FC on the grounds of "failing to ensure their players conduct themselves in an orderly fashion" from Jay Spearing's Fulham game Red card. Orderly fashion, indeed! 

The FA is truly hands on dealing with the issues that matter the most.

x Natasha

***yes, this post was full-on sarcasm

****d' uur

Blue and Red at Stamford Bridge

One of the best things about the Premier League is that nothing is set in stone. First you'll be thinking this, but then in reality it will turn out like that. EPL is, if not the top, one of the most competitive Leagues in the world, especially when there's a big team game on both sides. 

THE ANTICIPATION

Last Sunday on the 20th of November, Chelsea FC had the opportunity to host Liverpool at their home at Stamford Bridge. The magnitude of the game was not only caused by the big rivalry between the two teams, but also for other more sentimental reasons. 

Chelsea, of course, had the upper-hand being the home team. But Liverpool, who have been perfecting their team and play with each game, was definitely not going to be an easy opponent. Not with a starting line-up for the match as so :

the kind of line-up dreams are made of

With a balance in strength, there was no predicting how this game would turn out, although fans from each team obviously predicted the win to go to their beloved. 

THE ACTION

As was thought, the match started evenly. Both teams opened with pace and determination. But mere minutes into it, the first row was present when Dirk Kuyt and David Luiz collided into each other trying to chase the ball before it went out. The two players were tugging at each other for balance, Luiz more than Kuyt, shoving him roughly away after the struggle. Dirk took offence and the ref gave warning to the curly one. Speaking of curly, Luiz looked undoubtedly bothered and unfocused through out the first half and seemed to give in to his emotions more than he should've. Guess the intensity was too much to handle.

There was definitely a lot of bickering on the pitch. I'm just going to go out and say it : the Blues were not very gracious hosts and the Reds did not take crudity lightly. Things got even more intense when Daniel Agger laid a rather harsh challenge on Didier Drogba, leaving the ref to grant a Free Kick that was just inches too wide and ran behind the net. It caused a stir because the FK hit the net as such so it seemed a goal had been made but wasn't. It was tight. The Reds made more chances than the AVB boys though, which finally led to a pass from Charlie Adam to Craig Bellamy, doing a one-two with Maxi Rodriguez resulting in a beautifully executed opening goal. Hopefully that goal didn't give Roman Abramovich any ideas for January.

After 3 Free Kicks, a lot of arguing, and 1 yellow booked Uruguayan later, the game was ours at half time with a 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately, Liverpool was being Liverpool and lost the consistent momentum come 2nd half. AVB must have given a pretty decent pep talk since the Chelsea lads slowly started to dominate the game. Defensive errors in the back led to a conceded goal made by Daniel Sturridge, who did a funny dance after even-ing the game. Good thing is after this poor display, the Red boys at Back quickly pulled their selves together, especially Martin Skrtel and Pepe Reina, who repeatedly made important saves. Not the same for the midfield and up front, though. We were just getting by when fast luck by the name Glen Johnson struck, giving Liverpool a lead once more at the 87th minute. Score stayed the same until the end and so Liverpool had successfully brought down the Bridge.

Happy as I am for the boys (was so happy I would have kissed a fish and hugged an octopus), we still have a lot to fix if we want to keep moving forward. More polished finishes and a resistant mentality should do the trick. Our Back was quite decent for a change. That's probably the Jose Enrique effect.

Man of the Match 

the dynamite defender, GlenJo!

Not just for his winning goal, but for his overall consistent performance during the whole match. Liverpool without a doubt have few of the best defenders in the Premier League at the moment, one of them being Glen. Hope all that talk of a possible sale for him is pure rubbish.

x Natasha