Video of the Week: Ref knocked unconscious

In Morocco this week, a referee was knocked into a coma after this shot hit him square in the head. He was out cold immediately after being struck, and is currently in a hospital in Casablanca. Rough luck for this guy, best wishes for a quick recovery.

In other news, I regret to say that The Searching Cross is taking a hiatus until the summer. My class load is heavy this semester, so I can't follow the soccer scene as intensely as I'd like. Rather than bore you with uninformed articles, I'll be taking a break from writing until the month before World Cup 2010. However, you may see the occasional Twitter post, so definitely subscribe to the feed. See you all in May!

Soccer & Politics

This past semester, Duke University offered a very interesting class called "World Cup and World Politics". Professor Laurent Dubois taught how international soccer and world politics are often interrelated, and the class studied multiple examples where one has affected or symbolized the other.

Recently the class completed its final projects, exhaustive websites studying a particular country or topic. These informative projects cover the most interesting material of a highly engaging class, so I suggest that you take a look around at least. For the full list of sites and their subjects, click HERE.

The project that I worked on is titled "El Clasico as Spanish History", about the Barcelona-Real Madrid rivalry and its relationship with Spanish politics. Specifically, we tackled the contentious signings of Alfredo di Stefano and Luis Figo, two of the most explosive stories in the history of La Liga. If you're interested, the link is provided via the above link, or you can just click HERE to go there directly.

Finally, the host site itself, Soccer Politics, is also a great blog to follow for stories that extend past the field of play. The whole class contributes to the blog, and anybody can comment on the posts. You can find a feed on the sidebar of this site, or head to http://www.soccerpolitics.com/ to be redirected to the full blog.

Enjoy!

Video of the Week - Figueroa scores from midfield

And you thought only David Beckham did this. On Saturday against Stoke, Wigan's Maynor Figueroa scored a brilliant free-kick from his own half. Figueroa's awareness here was impressive, but the precision of this strike has to be seen to be believed.

Though the wondergoal gave Wigan a 2-1 lead, Ryan Shawcross leveled two minutes later. When Hugo Rodallega had his 90' PK saved, the teams were destined to finish level. Nevertheless, even though Wigan has been forgettable this season at 14th position in the table, this strike is destined to live on in our collective memory for far longer.

How odd.

Going into Tuesday's final Group Stage game against Wolfsburg, Manchester United found themselves in a somewhat odd qualification scenario in Group B. Rarely does United root for teams to challenge their top spot, but faced with the possibility of a loss in Germany, United wanted CSKA to win in Istanbul to set up a three-way tie on 10 points. Such results would have allowed United to still top the group through their better results among the three teams, whereas Wolfsburg would have triumphed on goal differential between just those two teams.

Confused yet? Good. Because events only got weirder once the game began. Much had been made of United's defensive crisis before the game, and still nobody quite expected the announced defense of Patrice Evra, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, and... Ji-Sung Park? The revelation eventually came that Park was actually a part of the 5-man midfield, reducing the number of scratched heads watching Fox Soccer Channel. Yet still fewer expected the remaining 3 defenders to perform so admirably. Though Wolfsburg's striking talents had made them the favorites in the press, Evra's performance was even more imperious than usual. Moreover, Carrick and Fletcher transferred their harrying presences perfectly into central defense, and Carrick's poor marking on Dzeko's goal was the defense's single hiccup. This near-flawlessness was what gave United a thoroughly unexpected but highly useful authority over this match.

Stranger still, as I remarked on my Twitter feed, an injury crisis didn't involve Michael Owen for the first time in recent memory. (It isn't a cheap shot, I swear. If it was, Owen would be out for 4-6 months.) What's more, in blinding contrast to his past 3 seasons, Owen undoubtedly defined the game with his hat-trick. In the absence of today's more established players, the superstar of yesterday provided United with a sorely needed striking instinct. Two of his goals came from a perfectly directed header and a deft chip of the goalie, and on such evidence, Owen still has the pace and skill that made him an English icon in the first place. While the media's overtures for an England recall may still be premature for a man who has struggled with consistency, he is showing that this elusive rhythm is all he currently lacks. Players like Darron Gibson are beginning to get more games and may have a brighter future, but at crucial moments like this, Michael Owen is proving his worth and justifying Sir Alex's continued faith.

United owe the first and third goals to Owen's finishing, but you might as well credit Gabriel Obertan with the winner. The young Frenchmen made about 3 Wolfsburg players look positively silly as he jerked his way through the German defense, before playing an effortless square ball to Owen for the finish. Personally, I can't help but think about Ronaldo when I see Obertan like this. As I've written before, Obertan was seemingly bought as the latest successor to United's #7, and his almost awkward way of jilting defenders positions him to rise to the heights of Best, Cantona, Beckham and Ronaldo in the shirt's history of misdirection. Ronaldo had more searing pace, but that was his trademark, just as Beckham's was his masterful passing, and Cantona's was, well, a unique mixture of traits. At least right now, Obertan is already distinguishing himself similarly, with a dribbling style that echoes Cantona but glides more and overpowers less. Stories such as Nani's teach us that we can't know just how a player will develop, but I will say one thing right now: I already love Gabriel Obertan, and I think he's going to become a world superstar.

By the way for those following at home, the madness in Group B didn't end even with the final whistle. Reports surfaced in injury time that two CSKA players had tested positive in random drug tests, prompting legitimate suggestions that CSKA could be thrown out of Europe altogether. Wouldn't this have shaken things up: CSKA would have been ejected from the competition immediately after qualifying for the group stage, and in all likelihood Wolfsburg would have been promoted from their Europa League slot to take their place. Hell, Besiktas would have found their way into the Europa League, despite having just blown their astronomically small shot at getting there! Unfortunately, UEFA ruined all my fun by letting CSKA stay in the Champions League. Thanks for nothing Platini, I guess it's back to the real world.

Finally, let me be the first to recognize that The Searching Cross has been barren lately, apart from the occasional tumbleweed. (Which have all originated in Manchester anyway.) Expect regular content to start up again next week, as I tackle a couple important themes of the last 2 months or so. If you check it out, in return I'll try my hardest to leave a certain Premier League champion unmentioned. No promises though.

Video of the Week: Chelsea outclasses Arsenal

Yesterday, Chelsea emphasized their Premier League superiority this season with a 3-0 demolition of Arsenal, and Drogba once again led the way. The Ivorian scored the opener in the 41st with a beautifully angled redirection, before Thomas Vermaelen ended the half with an own goal, producing an odd and unfortunate carbon copy of Drogba's strike. A wonderful Drogba free-kick sealed the game, as Chelsea won by 3 at the Emirates for a second straight season.

Chelsea have now won all 4 of their games thus far against Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Tottenham, scoring 9 times on their main title rivals without conceding a single goal. If they cope well with losing players to January's African Cup of Nations, something will have to change dramatically for Chelsea to lose out on the title.

Video of the Week: Egypt survives at the death

Scenes of ecstatic disbelief exploded all over Egypt on Saturday, as Emad Moteab powered home a header from 8 yards to win 2-0 over Algeria in Cairo. Egypt went into the game needing a 2-goal win in order to avoid being knocked out of the World Cup, and after Amr Zaki's 2' goal, they had to wait until the 5th minute injury time to score the crucial second goal.

Extraordinarily, that goal meant that Egypt and Algeria finish with identical records: 13 points (4W, 1D, 1L), nine goals scored, four goals conceded. The two sides are even tied on head-to-head record, due to Algeria's 3-1 win in the reverse fixture. Almost nothing separates these two sides.

As a result, FIFA has ordered the two teams to play a near-unprecedented one-match playoff, in neutral Sudan on Wednesday. Nothing is ever easy for the Egyptians, so Wednesday's match is surely going to be one hell of a spectacle.

Video of the Mid-Week: Drogba is an immovable object

Kun Aguero's fantastic goals took most of the plaudits in the 2-2 draw between Atletico and Chelsea, but Drogba showed with this goal why Chelsea is so dependent on his form. Bulling through three Atletico defenders, Drogba looked like an unstoppable force as he persisted to score his second goal.

Chelsea have a top-of-the-table clash with Manchester United this Sunday, and if this kind of form is any indication, Chelsea must be considered the favorites in the match, as well as for the title.

"An extraordinary night of football at Old Trafford"

Wednesday afternoon, I avoided all Champions League news until after the FSC replay of Manchester United-CSKA Moscow, and I hope some of you did the same. The match was easily the most refreshing European tie I've seen recently, because any preconceived notion of a "stale" Champions League was thrown out the window from the opening whistle. CSKA ran the show offensively while an under-strength United side struggled to break down a tight defense, yet the Red Devils dominated the end of the game to produce a signature stirring comeback.

You can read a more detailed summary of the game here, but I had four observations that you might not see anywhere else.

**

That 3-1 lead was CSKA's to lose, and make no mistake, they lost it more than United overcame it. Nothing exemplifies this better than one clearance around the 80th minute: the ball fell near 3 CSKA attackers and 3 United defenders at midfield, yet no CSKA player made any pretense of going for the neutral ball. At the time, FSC's commentators lightly mentioned that CSKA refused to go forward for fear of being caught out, and that mentality was exactly what killed them. If you sit back and let an elite team like United take their chances, they will make you pay, as they've demonstrated ad nauseam to the point that "stirring comebacks" have become United's media-hyped habit. As CSKA had demonstrated for the first 75 minutes, the best way to shut United down is to put them on the back foot, and the Russians accomplished that in spades for the majority of the game. But as soon as they abandoned their offense for the last 15 minutes, you could just tell that United would pull it back, and I wasn't particularly flabbergasted when it happened.

**

No telling if it swung the game's outcome, but Olégario Benquerença put in a pretty poor officiating performance, for two reasons. First, he seemed to make some calls based on distinct preconceptions of players' styles. Darren Fletcher was the major victim of this policy, as he was booked early in the 2nd half for diving on a clear penalty decision, and later was mystifyingly whistled on a perfect tackle near the touchline. Second, Benquerença's yellow-card bark was never followed up with any real red-card bite. Yevgeny Aldonin abused the practical no-red-card policy as he went unpunished for multiple studs-up knee-high tackles, despite being on a yellow for the game's last 35 minutes. As a result, the game devolved into chippy skirmishes towards its heated conclusion, and when Benquerença finally did send off Deividas Samberas for a relatively benign skirmish with Gabriel Obertan, it was too late to reverse the game's degeneration. Just a very schizophrenic way to officiate a high-profile match.

**

Michael Owen and Gabriel Obertan are exact foils at this point in their careers. Owen contributed a vital goal, an instinctive finish based on years of striking prowess, but otherwise his movement was totally out of synch with the team. Meanwhile, Obertan dazzled with deceptive runs and complete field vision, but he is still learning how to direct that raw ability into a deadly product. The former contributes on the field via his vast experience in the game, while the latter contributes by progressively harnessing his great promise. The important similarity is that both found a way to contribute, and that the team looks most dangerous when everybody contributes in whatever way possible. Many pundits have noted that this United team is characterized by a

worrying dichotomy of young and old players, but judging by the contributions of Owen and Obertan, such a set-up could arguably be United's best way to beat young Arsenal and aging Chelsea to the title.

**

Together with Rubin Kazan's victory over Barcelona last matchday, CSKA's performance cements the Russian Premier League as a viable force on league, club, and individual levels. The League itself is approaching a firework-filled conclusion with Rubin Kazan and Spartak Moscow separated by a single point, a situation that exhibits some parity with traditional powers CSKA and Zenit St. Petersburg. The flagship clubs clearly can succeed in the Champions League, as Rubin and CSKA have earned points at two of the most hallowed grounds in Europe, and both are in control of their European destiny. And as Alan Dzagoev, Milos Krasic, and Igor Akinfeev proved in the CSKA-United game, Andrei Arshavin is far from the last superstar to come through the Russian Premier League. Forget their collective history in the Champions League, the Russian clubs are ready to make waves.

Video of the Week: Barcelona run rampant over Zaragoza

Barcelona put on a show at the Camp Nou on Sunday, beating Real Zaragoza 6-1 as the side beamed with pure class. In one of the finest collections of goals you will ever see, Seydou Keita scored an unlikely hat trick, while Ibrahimovic powered home two goals and Messi brilliantly chipped the keeper for one.

Barcelona looks stronger than ever, as Ibrah's pure strength has added needed muscle to their intuitive passing game. Teams like this are the stuff of legend, so don't sleep on watching the best team in Europe.

Video of the Week: Rene Higuita's famous "scorpion kick"

NOTE: For those having trouble with the embedded video, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCxe4r6SjH0 to watch the clip.

Earlier this week, Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita was honored with a Golden Foot award, given by an independent commission to players whose whole careers have been devoted to excellence and entertainment. Higuita captivated the world with a style as eccentric as it was successful, as he scored 33 goals over his career for club and country.

This video highlights possibly the most famous moment of Higuita's illustrious career, the "scorpion kick" that he executed in a friendly against England in September 1995. I could try and explain it, but just watch the video to see why the name "Higuita" was once synonymous with footballing entertainment.

A tragedy of the unknown

Emotionally, this week saw some of the highest and lowest points in our country's soccer history. On Saturday, a back-and-forth game saw the U.S. clinch qualification for the World Cup, rallying from 1-0 down to beat Honduras 3-2. Barely holding on thanks to Carlos Pavon's errant late PK, the nation celebrated ecstatically after clinching their ticket to South Africa in the most dramatic of ways. I even started writing an article explaining why anything was possible for the U.S. in 2010, from group stage elimination to World Cup champions.

All of that buoyancy disappeared within 3 days, as the news surfaced that Charlie Davies was tragically injured in a car crash on Tuesday. One passenger was killed at the scene of the one-car accident outside of Washington DC, while both Davies and the car's driver needed surgeries for multiple traumas. Davies in particular was in surgery for five hours on Tuesday afternoon, where doctors repaired a lacerated bladder and multiple broken bones, including his left elbow, right tibia, and right femur. As for his recovery, he was responsive in the hospital during Bob Bradley's visit, but the sweeping extent of his injuries leaves a scary degree of the unknown in his future.

The accident has shocked the entire soccer nation with its suddenness and severity, and the outpouring of support from the American soccer community has been incredibly noble. For its part, the media has showed a great deal of sympathy for all families involved, and the restraint on World Cup talk implies the dignified sentiment that Davies' health is the most important issue. As the media keeps a respectful distance, the team itself has led the healing process, rallying in strong support for their teammate. They underscored their unbridled emotion during an otherwise unimportant 2-2 draw with Costa Rica, ending their celebration of the late result by unfurling a banner with Davies' #9.

While its importance has been muted by the shocking tragedy of the event, Davies' value to the national team has not been understated anywhere, especially since his injuries have been described as ruling him out of next summer's World Cup. A wincingly tragic sort of irony has therefore arisen, since it was Davies who asserted a week ago that the USA's available personnel could win the World Cup in 2010. That suggestion was regarded lightly even in America, because the U.S. has shown certain not-quite-Rimet-worthy characteristics in recent years: lack of early motivation, mental lapses in defense, and inability to hold a lead.

The win in Honduras reprised those same issues, yet before Tuesday, Davies had a valid point. Despite those glaring flaws, the first team has only been blown out once in the past two years, in Costa Rica in June. That game's lack of mental preparation won't be repeated in a World Cup, and thus while we haven't been able to finish off teams when we're ahead, we've never been totally out of a game either. At the very least, every game

was virtually guaranteed to be a contest, and given the team's extraordinary resilience, that left the door open to anything from a group stage exit to a finals run.

Now, however, the team may struggle to find its identity without one of its leading lights. Davies has been instrumental to the counter-attacking success that makes the U.S. so dangerous, and in the rest of the squad, only Landon Donovan possesses the same rare combination of blazing speed and clinical touch. Landon is thus the best candidate to lead the front line, but as the team adjusts to any change up front (and in midfield if Landon shifts forward), it may experience renewed growing pains in the year leading up to the group stages.

Such discussions are trivial compared to Davies' recovery, and yet they emphasize how irreplaceable he is to this team on multiple levels. As the saying goes, "A team is more than a collection of people", it is a collective unit, and in this case it is also a brotherhood. Parts can't be interchanged with any expectation that the whole will function in the same way, because that's not how human relationships function, on or off the soccer field. As such, the quandary up front is more than tactical, it is symbolic of the emotionally bewildering expectation that the team must move on without Davies. The unknown is a frightening prospect at the moment, both for Charlie Davies and the soccer nation that prays for him.

Video of the Week: Martin Palermo saves Argentina, then applies for AARP

Argentina is quite lucky to be in 4th in CONMEBOL's World Cup Qualifying, judging by the number of times this ball bounced around the box. Receiving his 10th cap less than a month before his 36th birthday, Martin Palermo scored a 94th minute winner to vault Argentina into an automatic qualifying place. To keep that spot, they will have to avoid defeat on Wednesday in a do-or-die match against 5th place Uruguay.

The goal, by the way, was immediately upstaged by coach Diego Maradona's absurd sliding celebration, also shown here.

Video of the Week: Well, this is awkward...

Before United's match against Wolfsburg this past week, Sir Alex Ferguson thought he might play matchmaker by urging Jonny Evans to propose to his girlfriend, who was one of the reporters in the conference room that day.

Fergie's stated before that he wants his players to have stable personal lives, but this is just ridiculous. (And hilarious, for that matter.)

Video of the Week: Individual brilliance in Russia

Rarely does a game showcase three goals of extraordinary individual skill, but it happened today in Moscow, in the 2-1 game between CSKA and Besiktas. Alan Dzagoev and Milos Krasic scored for CSKA, before Ekrem Dag struck a last-minute goal for Besiktas.

These encounters rarely get shown to American and English audiences, because these teams aren't considered very glamorous. It's truly a shame, because the Russian and Turkish styles are so intriguing and distinct from the rest of Europe. Hopefully these three goals will give you some sense of that.

Death, taxes, and sensationalist media

To be honest, I hadn't planned on writing this week, because I've been quite busy lately. Of course, that changed once the Guardian published this story in the wake of the Manchester derby, about Manchester United receiving more stoppage time "when they need it". I'm sure you've guessed, I'm indignant about this deliberately lazy and sensationalist piece of journalism.

I'll start with the misleading accusation that United benefitted from "the referee... allow(ing) almost seven minutes, even though the fourth official had signalled a minimum of four" against Manchester City. In reality, those who read my Twitter feed, or more respectable coverage like that of the BBC, saw the very simple calculation. The official gave 4 minutes minimum stoppage, plus 1 added minute for Bellamy's goal celebration in stoppage, plus 30 seconds for United's substitution in stoppage, all of which equals 5.5 minutes. Michael Owen scored at 95:27, within the appropriate amount. The rest of the "seven minutes" resulted from Owen's extended celebration.

As for the report of United getting additional time when they're not winning, it's a true but totally incomplete statistic. Notice anything missing from the Guardian's story? The article provides overall stoppage time figures for the other 'Big Four' teams, but only to cleverly disguise its complete lack of the "winning/not winning" differential for those teams. In other words, despite conducting a thorough "study", the Guardian is conveniently omitting the fact that in all likelihood, this phenomenon happens for every Big Four team.

Without such an anti-United conspiracy theory, the question remains: why do the better teams get more time? Though we can only speculate, we should remember that stoppage time isn't decided in a vacuum, but rather by the events on the field. For instance, the best teams in England play fluid football, with very infrequent fouls.

If these teams play quickly like this, of course there'd be less stoppage time when they're winning. On the other hand, if other teams resort to slow them down with hard tackles and such, then there will be more stoppage time when they're losing. The fact that physical Chelsea leads the 'Big Four' in stoppage time at home supports this theory.

As I said, I'm only speculating, so I'm not claiming to understand the total cause behind the stoppage time disparity. My point is, I noticed the issue's complexity from looking at the basic facts in my free time, so clearly the experts at the Guardian could too. Instead, the Guardian smelled a sensationalist accusation to be printed, and they proceeded to select spotty and misleading evidence in an attempt to legitimize it, while ignoring facts that clearly disproved their potential scoop. They've created an unneeded commotion, not to mention distracted attention from possibly the greatest ever Manchester derby, and I've lost a tremendous amount of respect for the Guardian as a result.

It infuriates me that much soccer media is driven by "flashy stories" such an this, rather than by rational thought and analysis. One of the reasons I write this blog is because I disapprove of this type of laziness and sensationalism, and I think we should strive for a higher quality of talent. In the meantime, we'll have to trust the public to know the difference.

Video of the Week: Messi and Barcelona seem unstoppable

In this week's (very late) video, Lionel Messi goes on one of his mesmerizing signature runs before lacing the ball beautifully into the top corner.

In contrast to big-spending but defensively challenged Real Madrid, Barcelona is steamrolling every opponent without letting up any easy goals. At the moment, they have to be the clear favorites in La Liga.

(Also, apologies for the lack of new material lately, midterms have been crazy the last two weeks. I have a piece going up soon that's been in the works for awhile, so stay tuned.)

Video of the Week: Amazing free-kick in WCQ

This week in World Cup Qualifying, Bosnian midfielder Sejad Salihovic scored a fantastic dipping free-kick to level matters against Group 5 rivals Turkey.

This crucial goal kept Bosnia-Herzegovina comfortably in second place behind already-qualified Spain. Barring a total meltdown, they'll soon clinch the group's playoff spot.

For anyone that's interested, this goal by Samuel Eto'o came in a close second.

As the World Cup nears, the U.S. has to start treating every game seriously.

The World Cup is finally starting to come into focus on nearly every continent. England and Spain have looked dominant throughout European qualifying, but teams like Serbia and Slovakia are now poised to lock down their spots as well. Brazil and Paraguay have dominated most of South American qualifying yet again, with Chile right behind them. The Asian spots were decided before the summer, and the Ivory Coast and Ghana are virtually secure in the African groups. Struggling holdouts like France and Argentina join roaring comebacks from Portugal and Cameroon in providing some 11th hour suspense, but we're finally getting a sense from the qualified teams that yes, South Africa 2010 is very, very close.

Even the CONCACAF hexagonal has somehow sorted itself out, despite looking totally knotted after Saturday. The region has essentially been a tight four-team contest since El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago starting dropping points, but Costa Rica settled the question of who would resort to the playoff with South America when they decided to remake Space Jam. Given that Costa Rican disaster, Honduras is content beating up on the teams below them to stay in 3rd, and Mexico's stunning turn in form since the summer has locked their place in as well.

All of which leaves the U.S., king of the CONCACAF castle and almost certainly headed for South Africa. In getting 6 points this weekend, the U.S. did a credible job in separate themselves from the other contenders. You would think, then, that almost securing a berth with these two wins would provide some relief, but the past week showed that we're nowhere close to being prepared mentally for the World Cup.

Saturday's game against El Salvador highlighted a notable flaw in the team's psyche, that poor refereeing decisions always throw us out of rhythm. No doubt, Jose Pinéda did a terrible job with the game: he afforded us almost no protection while whistling them for every small foul, and he also rescinded a fantastic 59' goal by Jozy Altidore for no discernible reason. However, like against Italy in the Confederations Cup, the U.S. just pouted in protestation, rather than rise to the occasion and defeat all 12 men. Strong teams should be able to fight through such adversity, and we're just not there yet.

More worrying was the total lack of sharp play shown at the beginnings of the last three American wins. A total lack of passing and movement characterized the U.S.' starts against Honduras and El Salvador, and in both cases, only an early goal by the opposition took us out of our daze and into Confederations Cup form. Against Trinidad & Tobago however, the opposition just wasn't playing well enough to score, so the team just never woke up. Not even Cornell Glen's chip off the bar did the trick, and truthfully, Ricardo Clark's out-of-nowhere screamer

bailed us out from an embarassing draw. Such a result would have dropped us into dangerous territory in the table, yet the team was inexplicably content to play sub-par soccer, as long as they weren't behind.

Alexi Lalas' postgame consensus was "Who cares if it wasn't convincing, we got 3 points", but this all-too-common outlook totally evades the fact that the current U.S. team is dangerously inconsistent at motivating itself. More specifically, too many players like Clint Dempsey come out firing against "big game" teams like Mexico, Spain, and Brazil, but wait for a reason to snap into world-class form against "lesser" nations like T&T. If you're wondering why that's a dangerous mentality, June's game against Costa Rica should clue you in: we underestimated our opponents, and got promptly overrun. Results like that will get us eliminated from the World Cup.

As much as I love both Dempsey and the U.S. team, this underlying malaise is inexcusable. If the objective is to win, and the game starts even at 0-0, the job is set out in front of you. In other words, nobody deserves a win until they earn it, even against "lesser" teams. The team needs to start treating every game like it's crucial, or we'll soon be left to rue missed opportunities at the worst possible times.

Video of the Week: Kakha Kaladze scores twice... on his own team.

Italy were fortunate to have a double agent playing for Georgia in this week's Video, as Georgian captain Kakha Kaladze scored two own goals to hand Italy a 2-0 victory in World Cup qualifying.

In all seriousness, you have to feel bad for the man. He's just come back from 7 months of knee repair hell, he steps onto the field against players he knows quite well (since he plays for AC Milan), and this happens to him. Terribly unfortunate.

(And apologies for the weird language in the video. Best I could find.)

"My game is more beautiful than yours."

I may be overstating the situation, but Saturday's match between Arsenal and Manchester United had no redeeming value whatsoever. If you saw it, you know what I mean: none of the slick passing both teams are known for, no rhythm, and not even one goal scored without someone else's help. (I'll always maintain that Ben Foster got a hand to Andrei Arshavin's rocket, and should have kept it out.) This wasn't the Arsenal-United semifinal game of last year's Champions League, this was Chelsea-Barcelona.

You can blame most of that on the referee. As every Arsenal fan has pointed out in the last couple days, Mike Dean did a poor job of holding both teams to the same standards of physicality. The disparity in cards was the clearest indication of that, since Arsenal were shown twice as many yellows, despite being whistled for 6 less fouls. The penalty calls were horribly inconsistent as well, as Wayne Rooney received a borderline whistle, even though Arshavin was denied an automatic one earlier. Players usually seek early indications of the referee's standards on such things, but Dean left them in the dark all day.

Until today, I was simply thankful for the 3 points, and otherwise wrote the game off as a poorly officiated performance, as well as an unfortunate missed opportunity for an entertaining match. That, however, was before Arsene Wenger opened his mouth on Monday morning. In a calm press conference, Wenger made unprovoked comments that show the naivety and delusion of "The Professor".

My main reaction to the press conference: who is Arsene to decide what is "anti-football"? Whether or not the strategy was intentional, teams are certainly allowed to use strength to throw their opponents off their rhythm, as long as they aren't fouling players. The referee is the one to control a game's physicality, not the players, but in this case Mike Dean didn't reign it in. Shouldn't that anger be directed at Dean instead of Sir Alex?

No, I think the problem is deeper than that: Wenger has always been unable to admit that his team, or his players, have flaws. Arsenal hasn't succeeded against more physical squads, so he complains every time an opponent doesn't play "beautiful", rather than recognize that they're just tactically exploiting Arsenal's greatest weakness. Wenger is known to amend his perceptions to support his team, and this is just one more attempt to blame somebody else for the fact that his team has a flaw. The differences over time in his stance on diving supports this also. (See: his defense of Eduardo's ridiculous dive.)

I'm inevitably going to get under people's skin here, but this is why I can't stand when Arsenal fans tell me, "We're the best team to root for, because we play the purest football." Yeah, that's probably true, but games aren't won on style points; in the real world, a degree of practicality is necessary. A club might sometimes have to spend money, big money, on experienced imports, because an XI entirely from the academy is often too single-minded and easy to stop. A team might have to play stifling tactical defense, if strength is their only advantage towards winning 3 points. And the result of mixing this practicality with beauty can still be, well, this. Teams shouldn't abandon academies, or only play 5-4-1: the world needs purist beauty in the game. It's just that such purism alone is too easily ruined.

Arsene Wenger has long cemented his status as a genius, a romantic and an idealist who embodies why many people watch the beautiful game. I will always respect him for those qualities. But until he accepts that it's his team that has flaws, rather than the system it plays in, he'll also be forced to accept that being an idealist doesn't necessarily earn you anything.

Video of the Week - Stankovic buries Milan

Unbelievable goal this weekend from Dejan Stankovic. With the game already out of reach for AC Milan, the Serbian threw another dagger into the very corner of the right side.

Inter look like they've rebounded from a poor draw last weekend, while Milan are still struggling this year without Kaka.

Video of the Week: Burnley's wondergoal shocks United

I didn't enjoy this week's video too much, but I at least appreciated it. Robbie Blake sent a laser past Ben Foster on Wednesday to hand United their first loss of the season, 1-0 at Turf Moor. Judging by the subsequent 1-0 win over Everton, Burnley are looking like a tough side to beat at home.

Ready for a crazy Premiership season?

(I wrote this article early last week, in preparation for a busy week moving back in to school. My apologies if some statements seem outdated, since obviously the first week of the Premiership was crazy. I'll be back next week, with updated thoughts on the opening weeks of the season.)

As fun as hearing 20,000 stories about David Villa and Franck Ribery has been all summer, it's about time that the Premiership's opening weekend kicked some life into the soccer world. Every season promises something fresh and exciting, but 2009-10 is multiply intriguing, as both the build-up to a World Cup and the beginning of possible mayhem at the top of the table.

Since Manchester City spent their billions in the off-season, the traditional order in the table is under threat. There are now at least five legitimate threats for the four Champions League spots, so inevitably, one club will be disappointed in the return on their investment. As a result, the threat of losing all that European cash will make the competition much more ruthless at the top of the table. In all likelihood, this competition will trickle down through the rest of the league as well, so it’s bound to be a heated year in the Premiership.

And so, this is my prediction for the final table of the upcoming Premiership season. I’ll be the first to admit that these exercises are long and stupid, since all the upheaval in the offseason makes nothing predictable, plus managers and players get fired and injured unexpectedly during the season. It’s still fun to look back at our perspectives once the season ends though, and if you don’t want to read my blabbering now, you can always skip to the end for a predicted table.

So, in reverse order:

It Was Fun While It Lasted

20. Hull City

They ended last season on the worst run of form I've ever seen that didn't end in relegation. They've lost two players, and brought in two “unproven” replacements, despite the increasingly heated competition at the bottom. And despite those signings, it looks like nobody’s first choice to play for Phil Brown ever since his ridiculous antics at Manchester City. How could they not be the biggest impending disaster in the Premiership?

19. Portsmouth

…However, Portsmouth doesn’t look too far behind in that column. The club has to sell before they buy, and they lost Glen Johnson while only bringing in an aging Steve Finnan and unproven Frenchman Frederic Piquionne. Everything could change if their sale to Sulaiman al-Fahim goes through, but if that doesn’t happen before the end of the transfer period, Portsmouth will have trouble in the first half, and that'll prove fatal.

18. Wolverhampton Wanderers

The last relegation spot looks like it’ll be a dogfight, and I don’t expect Wolves to have enough firepower to carry them through. They’ve added a couple players to a good squad, including Kevin Doyle and Marcus Hahnemann, but they just don’t have enough Premiership experience. Much will depend on the contributions of club fixture Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.

Fighting the Downward Tide

17. Birmingham City

Birmingham could finally end their yo-yo between the Premiership and Championship. Barry Ferguson was a great addition to a team that has narrowly missed staying up before. They’ll still have to fight off a strong challenge from Wolves though.

16. Blackburn Rovers

Last year’s side finished 15th, and despite signing Franco di Santo on a short-term loan, I don’t think they’ve made enough improvements to do any better. Sam Allardyce will struggle to keep this team up.

15. Stoke City

Tony Pulis’ side has lost nobody of huge importance from last year’s strongarm side, and they’ve added experienced midfielder Dean Whitehead. A workmanlike side that frustrated Liverpool and Arsenal last year should continue their relative success in the Premiership.

14. Burnley

Owen Coyle’s Burnley is the perfect example of how to promote a team the right way. He’s placed his faith in young players to get the team up, and new signings Richard Eckersley and David Edgar have the same drive to make a statement in the Premiership. Hard work will make up for whatever gulf in talent they suffer from as a newly promoted side.

Stuck in the Middle:

13. Bolton

Has any coaching change been less beneficial to both parties than Sam Allardyce leaving Bolton in 2007? Since those European days, Allardyce has suffered disaster at Newcastle and now struggles to keep Blackburn afloat, while Bolton is stuck in Premiership purgatory, neither threatened by relegation nor tempted by Europe. They play possibly the least attractive soccer of any team in the Premier League, but as they have proved over the last many years, that’ll probably keep them floating along this year.

12. Wigan

Steve Bruce had this club humming along, and most of the same players and system remain. Antonio Valencia’s departure definitely left a hole to fill, but Scott Sinclair coming in on loan surely provides firepower. Bruce’s scouting will eventually be missed, but for now, Wigan seems stable.

11. Sunderland

Thanks to Steve Bruce’s recruiting power, Sunderland have had a hell of an offseason, with Frazier Campbell, Lorik Cana, and Darren Bent providing some big names and needed talent at the Stadium of Light. They’re certainly a club on the rise, but they don’t play as consistently as the teams chasing Europe. Sunderland might still chase those spots though, if Bruce totally transforms this team’s mentality.

The Hunt for Europe:

10. West Ham

Luis Jimenez is a good signing, but as Craig Bellamy, Diego Tristan, and David di Michele leave, West Ham might have trouble scoring goals. The negatives outweigh the positives for the Hammers this offseason, but not enough to knock them too far down the table.

9. Fulham

It seems like Fulham’s offseason was more about holding onto their players than attracting new names, and in that sense, they did well to keep Brede Hangeland and Andrew Johnson. They’re a great squad that will consistently challenge for Europe, but aren’t quite making a push for the Champions League like the teams above them.

8. Aston Villa

Cued by Gareth Barry’s move to Manchester City, big departures and big signings have marked a new era for Aston Villa. Fabian Delph will take time to make his mark on the Premiership, and Stewart Downing will be out until roughly 2010, so this might be considered a transition year of sorts at Villa Park.

7. Everton

Everton’s biggest boost will be a healthy squad, as Jo, Yakubu, and Mikel Arteta return to strengthen a team that finished 5th and runners-up in the FA Cup without them. Their predicted drop in the standings is more a result of the next two teams making huge strides, while Everton continue their consistent progress.

6. Tottenham Hotspur

Harry Redknapp had this team looking deadly by the end of last season, and I only expect Peter Crouch’s partnership with Jermaine Defoe to make the machine run more smoothly. Finally given some relative stability, this talented squad should find its groove and stop underachieving.

5. Manchester City

Given all of their activity, it might be surprising to see them outside the Champions League, but there’s a reason why ‘World XI’ teams often lose against lesser-skilled teams. You can’t just throw good players together and expect results, because they need time to understand each other, to find an identity. City will beat lots of less talented teams, but it’ll take some struggles in close matches for them to finally realize their full potential. By the end of this season, we’ll see the beginnings of a true force.

Nice To See You Again:

4. Arsenal

I don’t understand why Arsene Wenger hasn’t learned his lesson: selling more talent than he buys isn’t getting him anywhere higher in the table. I’d be convinced that City would kick them out of the Champions League spots for that reason, except that Andrei Arshavin is the Premier League’s next superstar, no questions about it. He’ll need more talent around him though, so Wenger should start spending that Adebayor/Toure cash soon.

3. Liverpool

I had them in second until they sold Xabi Alonso, and I honestly think he would have been the difference maker this season. As is, Alberto Aquilani is good, but it’d be a hell of a debut season to be the heartbeat that Alonso was last year. Glen Johnson isn’t the guy that’s going to make up the difference between Liverpool and Manchester United, and it doesn’t seem like Rafa Benitez has made any effort to find that person, even with all the Arbeloa/Alonso cash. Unless Torres and Gerrard somehow find yet another gear to step up to, Liverpool will be exactly where they have been since 1990: looking up the table.

2. Manchester United

A stellar preseason should eliminate any doubts about United’s ability to adapt post-Ronaldo, especially since they should have beaten Chelsea in the Community Shield. Some questions have yet to be answered about Michael Owen, but Antonio Valencia has shattered expectations with electric displays so far, and Wayne Rooney has proved that he can be the go-to guy on this team. As I wrote earlier this summer, Ronaldo’s departure has cleared the way for the team as a whole to flourish, and these are still great days to be a Red Devil.

1.Chelsea

What an effect a coach can have on a team. As a stellar World Football Challenge proved in the preseason, Carlo Ancelotti has Chelsea playing ruthlessly, and he is maximizing all of the traits that have been lacking at times since Jose Mourinho, Once again, nobody is going to beat them at Stamford Bridge, and once again, Drogba is going to score almost at will. Given Ancelotti’s mastery of the Champions League, this could even be their year to conquer Europe, unless Real Madrid has something to say about that. The Blues will be feared as they earn the title this year.

Predicted Table

1.Chelsea

2. Manchester United

3. Liverpool

4. Arsenal

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5. Manchester City

6. Tottenham Hotspur

7. Everton

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8. Aston Villa

9. Fulham

10. West Ham

11. Sunderland

12. Wigan

13. Bolton

14. Burnley

15. Stoke City

16. Blackburn Rovers

17. Birmingham City

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18. Wolverhampton Wanderers

19. Portsmouth

20. Hull City