Penalty Prescience

Who knew Cesc was a regular Miss Cleo?

Built in retirement plan: I see a 900 number in your future.

After having a premonition, in which it was revealed to him that he would give Spain victory in a penalty shootout, Fabregas convinced Vincente del Bosque to allow him to take the fifth spot kick, instead of the second, as originally planned.  A line-up that obviously worked much better for Espana than Paulo Bento’s Portugal.

So, in the overall contest between two somewhat petulant former Arsenal players of average height, Fabregas came out on top, keeping Spain’s hope of a third consecutive finals win alive. 

Why Ronaldo shirked from taking his pen earlier is still unknown.  The player claims that Bento decided the line-up, though somehow I remain skeptical of the line-up being the result of some dictatorial determination from the manager.  If CR7 had wanted to take his penalty earlier, he would’ve been granted the opportunity to do so.  Instead, he wanted to hold out for the last spot, when, in reality, we all know that the first and fourth penalties are the most important.  

Note to Ronaldo: you can only get the glory if you take the pen, or, better yet, take your chance to put it away at the end of 90 as Messi would’ve.

But, while we laud Fabregas and discuss Ronaldo, it has been perhaps overlooked that Sergio Ramos’ cheeky take a la Pirlo was the real clincher for Spain.  Taking the fourth kick, he delivered where Bruno Alves faltered and provided Fabregas with the opportunity to secure it for Spain without having to see Ronaldo step up to the plate as it were.  And, on a lesser debated point, was the change up between Alves and Nani for the third kick an intentional ploy to confuse Casillas or just an inadvertent miscommunication of epic proportions?

In any event, Spain will need a more cutting edge to their tiki-totalitarianism against a quite adventurous and attacking Italian side.  To leave it to penalties again, well, would be a waste. 

If You Don't Have Something Nice to Say...

Or did your mother not teach you that either, Ronnie? 

Following another frustrated display against Denmark, the Portuguese captain responded thusly when asked about the Danish chants of "Messi, Messi" every time he touched the ball.  

Still can't catch me.

"You know where he was at this time [last year]? Do you know? He was being eliminated in the Copa America, in his own country.  I think that's worse, no?"


Insecure much?  And this time it wasn't even the head to toe Gucci that gave it away.


Also, I'm thinking that a semi-final exit in the Copa America is not as bad as losing the European Championship final in your own country.  


Those who throw stones, Ronnie, shouldn't live in a glass house...even if that will cut down on the number of mirror like surfaces in which you can gaze at your own reflection.  

Update: Good, Better, Best

Fans are treated to the spectacular displays in La Liga, particularly when Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi are on form, as they were over the weekend.

So when Ronaldo scores a brilliant free kick in Madrid's bounce-back win over Valladolid, what does Messi do? Something like this, obvi.

The Man Utd and Madrid Merry-Go-Round

The Grass is Always Greener, Eh?

'Tis the stuff the tabloids thrive on: the latest round of player swaps and transfer market speculation concerning these two European titans has Real president, Ramon Calderon, professing the club's "obsession" with signing Wayne Rooney for upwards of 80 million pounds.

Meanwhile, Madrid's other 80 million pound, former Man Utd man does not seem to enjoy heading the Madristas. In what has been a subpar season so far (the recent CL exit to Lyon, coupled with the ignomious defeat fourth division Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey to name but a few low lights), the squad, which was supposed to be invincible following the 250 million pound summer outlay on new personnel (C. Ron, Kaka, Alonso, etc. quickly add up), has been dutifully cut down to size as quickly as they were built up by the Spanish media.

When contrasted with Manchester's recent successes and C. Ron's continued affection for his former colleagues, it is not hard to see why number 9's eye may rove back in the direction of the northwest.

And, not to be outdone, Fergie is playing on the seeds of discontent by asserting that the final chapter of Ronaldo's Red Devils career may not yet be written. In the end, my money's on Sir Alex. Ronaldo, Rooney, Calderon and all the others are just the bit players, where SAF is the star actor/director/producer in world football.

And he will always pull the strings.

Greater Ronaldo

Real Ronaldo?

"With one Ronaldo up and the other down it will be interesting to see which one eventually leaves the greater legacy." That is who will be the greater Ronaldo: Brazil's O Fenomeno (now not-so-affectionately known as "fat") Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima; or Portugal's well-heeled and even more well-oiled Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro?

That's what Dominic Raynor ponders in his most recent Soccernet column, and with news of Ronaldo 1.0's planned retirement at the end of the 2010-2011 season, the great debate is coming into focus.

On the one hand, while C. Ron's indisputable talent looks limitless in this point in time, O Fenomeno was a once in a lifetime striker. Indeed, as Raynor reminds us, during his 2003 debut, C. Ron was taunted with chants of "you're not the real Ronaldo".

Zidane Weighs In: Messi or Ronaldo?

The French midfield master was willing to share his insight into the current and former FIFA World Players of the Year.

On Ronaldo: "He fascinates me as a player...I feel that is a special player, because with his belief, he has infected the rest of the team. It is almost inconceivable all that Cristiano has achieved already."

On Messi: "Messi is special, there is only one. When he gets the ball, everyone knows what is sure to happen: the ball will finish in the opponents' goal."

Hmm, kind words all around, but there can be "only one" per Zidane.

In other news, after seven months on the job shadowing Florentino Perez, Zizou revealed his "dream" to someday manage Madrid, as well as his World Cup prediction: Viva Espana, y'all.

Abysmal Play? It Has to Be Serie A!

At the Christmas break, Inter pretty much have the league wrapped up. This despite only scoring one goal in each of the last four games (resulting in two wins, one loss, and one tie). So not only is the league title a forgone conclusion, but the most dominant team in that league, the defending champions of Serie A, have struggled to produce substantial offensive output. It also seems as though Samuel Eto'o is suffering from the same, predictable Serie A malaise as Kaka once did..

Need a further indictment of the level of play/players in the Italian top flight? Just look to FIFA's World XI. Soccer's governing body went with a 4-3-3 formation with Iker Casillas in goal (Real Madrid/Spain), Dani Alves (Barcelona/Brazil), Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd/Serbia), John Terry (Chelsea/England), and Patrice Evra (Man Utd/France) across the back.

Headlining midfielders include Steven Gerrard (Liverpool/England) and Xavi and Iniesta (both of Barcelona/Spain).

Finally, up front Puskas Award winner Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal) is joined by Fernando Torres (Liverpool/Spain) and, of course, FIFA World Player of the Year Leo Messi (Barcelona/Argentina).

Which is a round-about way of saying that not one of the World XI is from Italy or playing for an Italian team.

P [dot] S The preponderance of English and Spanish clubs is understandable, given those players' success in competitions for club and country. Nevertheless, it does seem curious that Ligue Un's Player of the Year Yoann Gourcuff was left off this list (maybe in the place of Stevie G?).

Gourcuff was a true master of the midfield last season, producing the kind of displays that earned him a (justified) comparison to the great Zidane and earned Bordeaux their first title in a decade. Actually, come to think of it, Gourcuff's resurgence coincided with his Italian escape. And that pretty much sums up my point.

Miserable Man Utd

In the past, Femme-Football has been cautiously optimistic about Man Utd's future without Cristiano Ronaldo. SAF obvi has this whole Premier League management thing pretty much down. But just as the Reds are suffering from not having found an adequate replacement for Alonso, so are United in regards to their former talisman.

But it's more than that, if Saturday's game at Craven Cottage showed anything, it was Manchester's stunning lack of depth at the back. Because of injuries, Sir Alex had to switch to his less-preferred 3-5-2 line-up and the results were disastrous. Moreover, even at full fitness, the partnership between Ferdinand and Vidic, which, in title-winning years past, has been solid, seems to be suffering under the weight of Rio's declining form (bad news for both England and Man Utd).

Speaking of declining form, it seems time that Paul "I Never Met a Tackle I Didn't Like" Scholes hang up his professional boots. Actually, it's long overdue. While Ryan Giggs relishes in adjusting his play to the reality of his potential, and has been justly rewarded another Old Trafford extension, the pace of the game has just gotten away from Scholesy, and he doesn't seem willing or able to remodel his pugnacious play based on his physical limitations. Which wouldn't be so bad, if his errors didn't often lead to wide open opposition scoring opportunities deep in the United half (witness Danny Murphy's goal in Fulham's win).

So This is What a World Record Transfer Fee Buys You....

After sitting out the last two months owing to an ankle injury or a curse or some combination thereof, Cristiano Ronaldo has now featured in the last two Real Madrid CL matches against FC Zurich (as a sub) and Marseille (as the scorer of a brace) in addition to playing in El Clasico. He is currently the leading scorer in the Champions League and added what was probably one of the best strikes of the competition to his haul this week.

All this, and there's the fact that he's still "not 100%."

In other Champions League news, top spots went to: Bordeaux, which eeked out a 1-0 win against lowly Maccabi Haifa; Man Utd, with Michael Owen's hat trick capping an otherwise lackadaisical performance; Chelsea, which drew with Apoel Nicosia 2-2, but lost Michael Essien for at least a month; Fiorentina, which effectively ruined Steven Gerrard's 500th appearance for Liverpool.

There was also Barcelona, with Messi ensuring first place on a night when all four teams had a chance at the top two; Sevilla, which finally put Rangers out of their CL misery with a 1-0 win; and, Arsenal, which still managed to top the group despite losing 0-1 to an enterprising Olympiakos side.

Second place (in order of groups [A-H]) is as follows: Bayern Munich; CSKA Moscow; AC Milan; FC Porto; Lyon; Internazionale; VfB Stuttgart; and Olympiakos.

The draw for the Round of 16 matches will take place on December 18th and matches will begin on February 16th and 17th.

Legend Status

Ronaldinho was named World Soccer's Player of the Decade today.

First and foremost: !Congratulations 'Dinho!

We always had faith (and kept it in spite of the off field extracurriculars). In fact, we still think there is much more greatness left in those golden boots, and we look forward to many, many more goofy smiles and slightly awkward surfer hand gestures on the pitch in years to come.

What about you? Who's you're top footballer from the past decade? We just want to put it out there now: in ten more years, the honor will go to [drumroll please] Cristiano Ronaldo.

But to celebrate this decade's greatest, we have compiled Femme Football's Top Ten Ronaldinho Moments from the past ten years. Enjoy!

1. The Made to Look Easy Goal against Villareal. Seriously. Ridiculously. Amazing.


2. The Mind Boggling Free Kick against England. No list would be complete without it.


3. The Brilliant One. There are no other words.


4. The Genius Juggling against Milan. Where does anyone get off doing that in a game?


5. The Fine Finish at PSG. Divine in its simplicity.


6. The Brazilian Ping Pong. Thank you, Nike.


7. The Superb Strike against Sparta Braga. It's almost not fair.


8. The Free Kick that Confounded Kahn. Really how many other players could do that?


9. The Freestyle. Because that is what makes Gaucho so fun to watch.


10. The Fantastic Footwork at Milan...and all that is yet to come!

Top of the Table Show-downs

La Liga: Barcelona v. Real Madrid (a.k.a. El Clasico)

Finally, an El Clasico that began to live up to its hype. In the past few years especially it has devolved into a one-sided affair, despite the considerable hoopla in the run-up. And while both sides missed chances (looking at you Ronaldo and Messi) on the night, it was actually an entertianing match that came down to the cool calm of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his 56th minute winner.

Did you know that Figo was once pelted with a pig's head after crossing the divide from Barca to Madrid? Here's some more info on El Clasico, if you just can't get enough fun facts about the rivalry.

EPL: Chelsea v. Arsenal

A competitive contest until the last three minutes of the first half. Wenger's wonder kids failed to capitalize on their early dominance, and it was left to the always dynamic Didier Drogba to take it early and finish it late, as he seized the initiative and the win from the young Gunners (with a little help from Thomas Vermaelen, of course). The win at the Emirates solidified Chelsea's hold of the top spot, while Arsenal relinquished third place to on-form Tottenham.

Messi Wins the Ballon d'Or

Lionel Messi is officially the best player in the world. Messi became the first Argentinian player to win the award and the sixth Barcelona player to receive the prestigious Ballon d'Or. Just rewards for his record-breaking treble season with Barca triumphing in the Champions League, La Liga, and in the Copa del Rey.

The 96 France Football voters gave Messi a near perfect 473 points out of a possible 480 points, putting him far ahead of other competitors for the honor. Ronaldo garnered 233 votes to put him in second place (the only non-Barca player in the top four); he was followed by Xavi (170), Andres Iniesta (149), and Samuel Eto'o (75).

Great Goals of the Decade

The Guardian just published a list of the top six goals from the last decade.

1. Leo Messi, Barcelona v. Getafe, La Liga, April 2007



2. Esteban Cambiasso, Argentina v. Serbia, World Cup Group Stage, June 2006



3. Wayne Rooney, Everton v. Arsenal, Premier League, October 2002



4. Rivaldo, Barcelona v. Valencia, La Liga, June 2001



5. Andres Vasquez, Gothenburg v. Orebro, May 2007



6. Paul Peschisolido, Sheffield Utd v. Nottingham Forest, May 2003
   
   

We might suggest one of Ronaldo's wonder strikes or Ronaldinho's juggling wonder. Thoughts? Other suggestions?

Man Utd in Trouble?

In happier, title winning times.

Maybe not trouble, but a Nathan Lowe article points to some troubling personnel problems.

Nani is no Beckham, Berbatov is no Van Nistelrooy, and no one is the next Ronaldo, who, Lowe points out, is "the difference between United's last three winning seasons and now."

While Fletcher and Carrick endeavor admirably, Scholes and Giggs have slowed understandably and there has been no midfield player sufficiently skilled to drive play in their places.

United lacks an irresistable attacking force. Actually, to be honest, they lack anything that resembles attacking fluidity and tend to rely on capitalizing on chances that they luck into, which can work for a while with players like Rooney and Vidic, but will do little in the ways of guaranteeing hardware at the end of the season. Add to that defensive frailties and a retiring number one keeper and major titles next season look even less likely.

So, while Ferguson has ruled out big signings in the January window, the question is: can he afford to do so over the summer signing period? Or will Valencia and Obertan et al have to develop alongside a new big name?

Champions League Round-Up

Ronnie returns.

• Higuain is scoring, Kaka is clicking and Ronaldo is returning. All is well for Madrid and just in time for El Clasico.
• As for their Clasico rivals, Barcelona seized initiative in their crucial match against Inter Milan, but advancement is still very much up in the air.
• Bordeaux took firm control of their group, leaving Juventus and Bayern to fight it out for second place.
• Chelsea and Arsenal pulled out wins against Porto and Standard Lige respectively, while Man Utd stumbled against Besiktas at home and Liverpool crashed out. But Rafa got a vote of confidence, well, um, until this...

• In the great tradition of Scouser/Manconian rivalry, Gary Neville then decided to rub salt into the Kop's open fleshy wound.

UEFA's Final World Cup Spots Go To....

Make love not war.

Well, we don't actually know yet. But, in the interim, we're going to give out our midterm report cards. Final exams will be given this Wednesday, November 18th.

Russia = B-; Slovenia = C. Russia looked like its in the drivers seat going 2-0 up, but Nejc Pecnik's late goal could be crucial for the second-leg at home.

Portugal = C +; Bosnia = C-. Portugal breathed a sigh of relief, after pulling out a 1-0 win at home, without Ronaldo and without any player able to exert influence in the midfield.

Greece = D-; Ukraine = D+. Greece looked impotent, and Ukraine was intent on matching them ineptitude for ineptitude. At the very least though, Ukraine can look to the positive of having the second-leg at home, while the Greeks have to figure out a way to keep from firing blanks.

France = B-; Republic of Ireland = C+. And, finally, France looked lucky after a fortuitous 1-0 away win. Although, Lass Diarra may want to watch out for Keith Andrews and any other hard-charging Irish players looking to work out their issues on the pitch.

Needless to say there is significant room for improvement....

Madrid's Already Looking For Salvation

He can save us any day.

And it's just October.

In a press conference, after their recent Copa del Rey defeat, Cristiano Ronaldo insisted he wasn't Madrid's "savior."

But here are the facts:

Los Blancos' record with C. Ron: 7-0-0
Los Blancos' record without C. Ron: 1-3-1

And, in those seven games, CR9 scored a total of nine goals. While Madrid, as a team, could only manage a total of seven goals in their last five matches.

If that doesn't put C. Ron somewhere close to the footie god qualification, we're not quite sure what does.

Regardless, after their humiliating 4-0 loss to third division side Alcorcon in the first-leg of their fourth round Copa del Rey match, Madrid is certainly in need of an on-pitch resurrection of some sort.

About that "disastrous" match, Ronaldo went on to say:

"We lost, nobody's happy about this but we have to raise our heads - the world is not going to end because of that. We have to learn our lesson and in the next matches make sure we don't underestimate any teams. We're conscious that we need to play better."

Couldn't have said it better ourselves, Ronnie. And because Guti, Iker, Kaka, et. al only seem to have eyes for you, you're the perfect person to carry the message to the team, that is, until you can actually carry the team again.

P dot S We wonder what Johan Cruyff has to say now.

Turning Tricks: "Oh, no he didn't!"

Kaka's influence already seems to be rubbing off on him.

Skill Spotlight: Cristiano Ronaldo

Click above for a little video montage just in case you need to be reminded why you hated to love/loved to hate Ronnie. And, why Moneybags Madrid shelled out a world-record 80 million pounds (circa $135 mil) for him.

P.S. Did you fully appreciate the music? It is a most appropriate homage to C. Ron's (likely) musical preferences.