The Mario Balotelli show. Mario Balotelli, and Italy's defense. The more things change...
This time, Jogi Löw's personnel switches didn't work. Gómez and Podolski returned to the starting
XI, along with Kroos, going with experience and Kroos' extra effort in midfield in an obvious
effort to stifle Pirlo.
Stuff to read while you blame your erratic driving on your spilled beer....... Zola on the field,
great; Zola off the field, gamble. (Guardian Unlimited) Future stars of the Bundesliga.
(SoccerLens) Another suggestion for cautious optimism in England. (Reuters Soccer Blogs) Slaven
Bilic's psychological masterstroke and Capello's countermove.
This doesn't appear to be new, but it's too excellent to be missed out on.
Actually, it might be a bit late. While Citroen has a wonderful idea of mixing football with
ballet to sell a car isn't that the ideal? this is probably several years too late. This commercial
needed to happen six or seven years ago, with Patrick Vieira, Jens Lehmann, Freddie Ljunberg (this
one, not CKFreddie) and of course, Pascal Cygan in the role of trainees.
Always appreciative of attempts to fuse together the beautiful game with fine arts, this spot
for the Citroën DS5 was pretty well-executed. While the location looks like a luxurious room at
Versailles, Arsenal's Alex Song, Wojciech Szczesny, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Bacary Sagna
learn ballet with dancers from the English National Ballet.
The first 45 minutes were pretty different from what I expected. Aston Villa did not close us
down frantically and allowed Arsenal plenty of space. Especially Gervinho and Theo saw plenty of
the ball, as Villa sat deep in the beginning, allowing our wingers to attack them from the
sides.
Either referee Drunko McSkunko is hallucinating again, or Czech side Bohemians 1905 actually did
put on some kind of strange, partially nude ballet during their training session a couple of days
ago...
For those who are now feeling the need to thoroughly wash, ring out and steam-press your
eyeballs, here's the official blurb to help clear everything up:
"A naked artist and players of Bohemians 1905 football team will perform on the field on October
22nd, 2011 at the famous Bohemians 1905 stadium in Prague during the 'Bohemians at Bohemka: What
Happens When an Artist Misses the Ball' event, part of 16th '4+4 Days in Motion' Performing Arts
Festival.
Add Louis van Gaal to the list of men against "PlayStation football", though you probably knew
that after last year's Champions League knockout against Fiorentina.
Bayern beat Bremen 2-1 in the DFB Pokal yesterday, but it could've been very different with a
better look at Sebastian Proedl's disallowed goal.
I put the video up below because it actually plays well if you're a sports fan in general.
I love when people take a stand for what they believe in right or wrong.
Mark Schlereth rants on the NFL calling it the National Hypocrite League in this video and it's
a good one. He makes a one-word reference to soccer around the 30-minute mark, that taken out of
context read, "We're selling videos!
On mlsnet.com, MLS Commissioner Don Garber sort of has a blog called "The Commissioner
Speaks" where he talks directly to MLS fans. I say he sort of has a blog because Garber
has only written 8 posts. In more than a year. In his defense, he appears to be blogging up a storm
lately with three posts going up in a little more than a month.
On Wednesday, we posted a video of Andrei Arshavin's nifty (and very offside) back-heel goal
from the weekend. Apparently the play inspired some others to break out the back-heel tricks, with
two back-heel beauties highlighting Wednesday's UEFA Champions League action.
FC Porto's Radamel Falcao scored this gem:
FC Zurich's Hannu Tihinen delivered this flying, ballet-like game-winning back-heel to knock
off AC Milan:
On Wednesday, we posted a video of Andrei Arshavin's nifty (and very offside) back-heel goal
from the weekend. Apparently the play inspired some others to break out the back-heel tricks, with
two back-heel beauties highlighting Wednesday's UEFA Champions League action.
FC Porto's Radamel Falcao scored this gem:
FC Zurich's Hannu Tihinen delivered this flying, ballet-like game-winning back-heel to knock
off AC Milan:
AAAAHHHHHHHH I AM ARTUR BORUC AND THIS IS A LIST OF THINGS THAT MADE ME ANGRY THIS WEEK:
1. THINKING ABOUT THINGS -- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. ARSENAL PLAYERS DOING BALLET -- SO WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S BEEN SEVERAL YEARS SINCE I
COMBINED BALLET WITH MY OWN BRAND OF MARTIAL ARTS TO CREATE A LETHAL YET ELEGANT DANCE STYLE!
Some of you might argue the classification of this as a "dirty tackle" since the kid in yellow
and green leaps over the attempt at a leg sweep like a grasshopper. But! Even more painful than
that tackle would've been had it connected is the ensuing, body-contorting whiff from the
grasshopper kid.
Good Player Guide #19 Eduardo Vargas is a post from: Just Football
Eduardo Vargas (Universidad de Chile / Chile)
Universidad de Chile have conquered the 2011 Copa Sudamericana in stunning fashion. Undefeated,
with only two goals against in twelve matches, and a delightful style of football that brought back
memories of La U's golden years in the '60s, when they were known as Ballet Azul and won five of
their fourteen league titles.
Everyone is growing more and more worried about concussions in football. In fact, many parents
aren't allowing their children to follow their NFL dreams. However, this ballet fail video proves
that even the most feminine of activities isn't always safe. As you can see in this video, this
ballerina gave herself a concussion without anyone else on the mat.
In what very well might become the most unpopular series in SB Nation history and will threaten
SB Nation's association with this blog, I present "Win This Game For a Chicago Historical
Figure".
It may seem odd to think about football as comedy when it seems to catalyse suffering so
effectively for a great majority of its fans. After all, in what other major sphere of secular
activity do people return repeatedly to have their hearts battered? Why do footballers at least in
La Gazzetta dello Sport speak so readily of suffering and sacrifice, in terms that are
picked up and incorporated into the way fans talk about their experiences?
Well what a magnificent display of football. 'Football' isn't a good word for it, especially in
Australia when it puts the game on a par with Rugby and AFL as an artform, because football at its
most virtuosic is so far superior to any other ball game that it should be considered alongside
ballet or jazz rather than alongside these games.
