winter break review- liga sagres

in the last of my season so far reviews, i'm going to take a look at the excellently named liga sagres. for those of you who have never visited portugal, sagres is their main lager, and perhaps the most delicious alcoholic beverage i have ever tasted. anyways, i'm aware that this is probably a lesser-known league to most (well, all) of you, so i'm going to try and assume less knowledge. so this might turn into a more of a lesson than a review, but whatever, education is good for you. here's the table as it stands, after 14 rounds.

1) braga (33 points)

the arsenalistas have been the revelation of the season so far, and if they continue their run of form into 2010, could potentially break a barrier that hasn't been broken in portuguese football since the 2000/1 season, and only twice in the history of the liga. for those of you at the back, that barrier is a team not named sporting, porto or benfica winning the title. previously best known for their gorgeous stadium, braga have based their current success around their rock-solid defence, conceding just 6 goals so far. up front they are less potent (19 in 14), which will probably count against them over 30 games. but more damaging will be the loss of joao pereira to sporting, as the full-back has been crucial. the transfer encapsulates one of the endemic problems in portuguese football, in that no matter how well your current team is doing, a move to one of the big 3 is every player's eventual goal.

2) benfica (33 points)

those of you who took a look at the table before reading this post will have noticed that benfica are 2nd, despite having superior goal difference. that's because in the liga sagres, teams are first separated by their head-to-head record, then goal difference. braga beat benfica 2-0, so there you go. but it has to be said, benfica are superior in every other department. the attack (comprised of oscar cardozo, new signing saviola, winger angel di maria and playmaker aimar) has been on fire (38 goals thus far), and the defence, marshalled by brazilians luisao and david luiz, who i've mentioned in previous posts, has been almost as good, shipping just 9 goals. few would dispute that they've played the best football, but they have also been investing smartly. javi garcia and javier saviola (both real madrid cast-offs) have been superb, and the club have just today wrapped up the purchase of two promising young brazilians. the only question mark is their history of flakiness, which would open the door to...

3) fc porto (29 points)

champions for the last 3 seasons, porto started this campaign looking sluggish, and have yet to fully iron a number of problems. the loss of lisandro lopez and lucho gonzalez to lyon and marseilles respectively was a huge blow for them, and the overall quality of the league. replacements falcao and belluschi have flickered but not found consistency, and the continuing poor form of hulk is a real concern. the midfield also lacks the creativity which lucho previously provided, something that was clear in the recent clasico with benfica. despite all this, porto are still in the hunt, and you recent history suggests they will improve. don't count them out.

4) nacional (24 points)

the above 3 teams are out in front, and the next group of 6 teams is led by nacional. after losing top scorer nene to cagliari, their continuing presence in the top four is a testament to the squad, particularly following the loss of coach manuel machado. combining a europa league campaign (which ended at the group stage) with a domestic challenge is not easy, especially with the limited squad that the madeira side possess, but they have been aided by the good form of a number of key players- ruben micael (who looks set to move on this summer), cleber and edgar have all enjoyed good seasons. with europe no longer a distraction, nacional look well placed to cement a top 5 spot.

5) sporting lisbon (21 points)

after a strong pre-season and a number of (seemingly) promising signings, it didn't take long for things to unravel at the alvalade. all season, sporting have lacked motivation and leadership, and the departure of paulo bento quickly became inevitable. he revealed that he wanted to quit over the summer, but that club president bittencourt persuaded him to stay. his inexperienced replacement carlos carvalhal has done little to reverse the slide, and i wouldn't be surprised if he went within the next month. oh and now liedson, the talismanic number 9, is injured. sporting are a club in need of major change, and there will be a high turnover in players come the summer.

6) uniao leiria (20 points)

leiria provided sporting with perhaps their lowest moment of the season, a 1-0 defeat at the alvalade. it highlighted the commendable progress that the side has made under new coach lito vidigal, following their return (after one season in the second tier) to the liga sagres. after losing manuel fernandes as coach, vidigal was a slightly dangerous choice given his lack of top-flight experience, but he has worked well with the limited resources which are a fact of life for any team in portugal, other than the big 3. brazilian striker carlao has been the main source of goals, and if he stays fit, leiria will remain a top-half side.

7) vitoria guimaraes (19 points)

after a poor 2008/9 season, portugal's 4th team have carried their inconsistency into the new campaign. another new coach (the liga sagres is undoubtedly the most trigger-happy in europe) in paulo brito has been in place since october, and things have undoubtedly improved since then. the veteran jose goncalves has played well, but the side are desperate for goals, and there is no immediately obvious source.

8) rio ave (19 points)

having drawn half their games, rio ave are a frustrating side. another team who are short of a goalscoring forward, they are often let down by their inability to kill games off. having said that, their saving grace has often been their solid defence, which is well marshalled by veteran jose gaspar. for a club of their size (their stadium holds 12,000) to even be in the liga sagres is a great achievement, and carlos brito looks set to guide them to another season of safety.

9) maritimo (19 points)

another club who have been playing the managerial merry go-round, maritimo took a chance by appointing club legend mitchell van der gaag in september, following the dismissal of carlos carvalhal. the dutchman has calmed the often restless fans of the notoriously working-class madeira club, aided in no small part by the young senegalese striker, baba. he looks a promising player, and continuing good form from him should see maritimo climb further into the top half.

10) naval (15 points)

naval are the leading team in the ongoing scrap for liga sagres survival, and are one of 3 teams who have yet to break into double figures in the goals scored tally. for a club whose attendances struggle to top 1000 for even the biggest games, progress is always going to be difficult, and the chronic lack of funds mean that coach augusto inacio has a real job on his hands keeping them up. but naval have become canny players at the art of scraping survival, and i wouldn't be surprised if they repeat the trick this season.

11) pacos de ferreira (14 points)

it's been a turbulent season for pacos, marked by an unfortunate inability to win a game at home. they finally managed it on december 11th, but the mata real has not been a fun place to be this season, for players or fans. another tiny club (capacity of the mata real is just 5100), pacos have been hit with two problems off the pitch as well. winger cassio effectively went on strike, angling for a move to PAOK Athens, whilst paulo sergio ditched them for guimaraes. new coach morais has got a tough task.

12) academica (13 points)

after a dreadful start which saw them rooted to the bottom, academica have begun to find some form in recent games, and andre villas boas (assistant to a certain jose mourinho at porto) won't have been happy to see the winter break. key victories over relegation rivals leixoes and vitoria setubal have lifted them out of the bottom 2, and they should stay there, largely due to the awfulness of the four teams below them.

13) vitoria setubal (11 points)

after a drastic summer of change, which saw every single player from last season replaced, it was always going to be a chaotic campaign for setubal, who survived on the last day of 2008/9. the lack of cohesion amongst the squad is evident, and new coach manuel fernandes has already started trimming the vast 32-man pool of players. one of the bigger clubs outside the big 3, setubal should stay up, provided the experienced fernandes is given time.

14) leixoes (11 points)

another small club living beyond their means, leixoes are a perennial presence around the wrong end of the table. they haven't won since october, and would be my tip for relegation.

15) sporting olhanense (10 points)

winners of the second division last year, much was expected from this algarve side, who have a number of loanees from fc porto. olhanense were particularly enjoyable to watch early on in the season, as you could often hear british holidaymakers keen for a taste of portuguese football, amongst the small crowd. they are very easy on the eye, with technical skills which belong in the top half, but their lack of finishing ability sees them in the relegation zone. but, as their recent 2-2 draw with benfica shows, there is a spirit within the squad that bodes well for their chances of survival.

16) belenenses (10 points)

the same cannot be said for belenenses, who until today were the home of freddy adu, everyone's favourite cautionary tale of young talent. he only played 81 minutes of football during his loan spell, and if a club as bad as belenenses (lisbon's other team) don't need him, that should indicate how far he has fallen. because belenenses are bad. they've mustered a pathetic 7 goals all season, spread between 5 of their 14 games. their solitary win came on august 24th, and they are going down, down, down.

that concludes my winter break reviews, hopefully they've been mildly interesting. potential upcoming post topics- the return of the monday night wars in wrestling, UFC 108, and some other stuff. happy new year and that.

winter break review- la liga

hope you all had a suitably gluttonous festive period. here's an, ahem, feast of la liga action for you, as i review the season so far. oh, and here's the table.

1) barcelona (39 points)

they aren't hitting the glorious heights of last season, but barcelona are still the best team in spain, by a fairly comfortable distance. that doesn't mean the season has been comfortable, mind. the loss of eto'o has been softened by the arrival of ibra, who despite foolish assertions to the contrary, was always going to score goals in a team this good. barca are rightful favourites to retain their la liga title. but long term, there are a few problems beginning to emerge. principally what to do if guardiola leaves in june...

2) real madrid (37 points)

there are those who would argue that no success will ever justify the vast sums of money which are thrown at real madrid on a seemingly annual basis. on the other hand, they have been doing stuff like this, and have the 2nd best defence in the league. after a shaky start, pellegrini has found a formation which suits most of the players, which is no mean feat. also, they are starting to convince, which is half the battle in the spanish media. they'll still come up short over a season, but this is looking more and more like a team built to win the champions league.

3) sevilla (30 points)

silly sevilla. but for some woeful home performances against valladolid, getafe, espanyol and malaga they would be top, and well placed to mount a serious challenge to the barca-madrid duopoly. diego perotti has developed into the best winger in la liga, and fabiano is still scoring, although he is also still talking about leaving. overall, they have much to be pleased about (especially their champions league performance, as clinical a qualification as i can recall), but there is that nagging sense that this season needs a jump-start. atletico madrid away should do nicely.

4) valencia (29 points)

after the financial meltdown of the past 18 months, it's a wonder that valencia are still a going concern. how they have held onto david villa (the best striker in the world, bar none) and david silva is beyond me, but los che are looking good for 3rd place right now. they are still reliant on the aforementioned pair, but pablo and joaquin have been playing well, and the team looks settled under unai emery. much like sevilla they lack consistency, but i would make them favourites to win the first europa league, and secure champions league football for next season.

5) mallorca (27 points)

how the hell did this happen? no seriously, how? mallorca, put simply, are rubbish. they have no fans, no decent players, and a board more interested in siphoning than investing. yet they are 5th. i predicted them for relegation. the only comfort is that cleverer minds are just as baffled. they have had a nice fixture list thus far, but already safety is not far off, and mid-table obscurity looks like an achievable target. which is more than anyone was expecting in august.

6) deportivo la coruna (27 points)

what a horrible football team. la liga is the best league in the world, but it's no thanks to depor. in 15 games they've mustered a pathetic 19 goals, and their biggest home win is 1-0. however, an inability to score from open play hasn't held the boys at the riazor back, and they look a decent bet for some sort of european berth. which, quite frankly, makes me want to cry. so i'll move on.

7) athletic bilbao (26 points)

to athletic, a far more attractive proposition. that anyone could call athletic attractive is quite remarkable, but they are not half bad these days. fernando llorente is a number 9 that most english clubs would benefit from, fran yeste is a tidy playmaker, and young iker muniain (born 19th december 1992, yes you read that correctly) is a 17 year old bundle of energy. i don't want to inflict the bojan curse on him, but he does look rather promising, and has been a key part of their advance into the knockout rounds of the europa league.

8) getafe (24 points)

mallorca apart, getafe are the most overachieving side in la liga. despite the fans hating the majority of the squad, they've been putting together some assured performances, most notably a 2-1 away win at sevilla. key to their success has been roberto soldado, rejected by real (as is the case with many getafe players, the club being in the suburbs of madrid) and booed regularly, he is nevertheless playing well, with 10 goals in 15 games. this despite not actually being very good. the whole success-without-ability formula is symptomatic of the club, and i am clueless as to the cause.

9) villarreal (21 points)

oh dear. 2nd a couple of years ago, villarreal have since struggled to cement their position amongst the la liga elite. their woeful start has been mainly attributed to losing manuel pellegrini after 5 years, but the poor form of signings such as ibagaza and (joseba) llorente has been at least as damaging. ernesto valverde has turned a corner, and the board deserve credit for sticking by him, but the europa league is the best villarreal can hope for this season. sadly, that seems to be the price of being the best run club in spain...

10) sporting gijon (20 points)

another team overachieving in a league full of them. gijon probably should have gone down last year, but their endearing inability to draw (securing 1 in all) and their superb fans made them one of the most entertaining teams in spain. this season, the draws are coming but the goals ain't. their solid defence (only barca, madrid and sevilla have conceded less) is keeping them afloat, but unless bilic and barral start producing, sporting are in for another relegation battle.

11) real valladolid (16 points)

valladolid caught my attention preseason by signing manucho, you know, the one who was on loan from united at hull. not so interesting, you might think. well, at his presentation, manucho pledged to score 40 goals this season. he must have thought he was signing for the other real, because valladolid will do well to muster 40 goals between them over 38 games. relegation looks unlikely, in part they have players who are capable of this, but mainly because there are enough teams worse than them. oh and manucho has managed 2 so far.

12) osasuna (16 points)

another heartbreakingly ugly side, osasuna will kick, spit, and fight their way to safety. but no one outside pamplona will be pleased for them. that they rely on the comically inept walter pandiani for guile up front should tell you everything you need to know.

13) espanyol (16 points)

speaking of heartbreak, save a thought for shunsuke nakamura. the man responsible for some of the loveliest free kicks in recent memory. since his move from celtic, the japanese playmaker has struggled to adapt, to put it mildly. of course, the fact that espanyol are useless hasn't helped much. after finally securing a move to a new ground, they seem to have forgotten how to play, and are once again in danger of going down. rubbish.

14) tenerife (15 points)

nobody likes tenerife. an away game where the round trip runs into the thousands of kilometres is perhaps the only advantage that the small island side possess. whilst the team are capable of some neat football, they will stand or fall by their home form. methinks they will stand.

15) atletico madrid (14 points)

oh god, where to start. atleti's ability to conjure crisis from serenity is legendary, but this season they have outdone themselves. rioting fans, a pair of owners who use the club as a weapon in their long-running war, no defence, no midfield to speak of, a golden boot winner who can't get any service, an argentine wonder kid who can't wait to leave, 9 coaches in 6 years, a club where the ultras are allowed into training sessions, over £271m in debt. atleti are a shambles, an utter, utter shambles.

16) racing santander (13 points)

santander are a strange team. in their last 6 games, they have beaten espanyol 4-0 away, then gone and lost 1-0 at home to depor. having sacked the talented juan ramon lopez muniz after last season ended, the team has slipped if anything, and look resigned for a relegation fight. the one bright spot is sergio canales, a talented midfielder in the mould of andres iniesta. if racing can just survive this season, the cash they will make from him this summer will allow them to rebuild.

17) almeria (13 points)

there's always one. in fact in spain there's usually more than one. a board who lets a manager lose his best players, provides no funds for replacements, and then sacks him when the results don't come. in the case of almeria, the loss of alvaro negredo and his goal tally were always going to do for hugo sanchez, and the only surprise is that it's taken this long.

18) malaga (12 points)

after stunning everyone by finishing in the top half in 2008/9, malaga looked well placed to at least consolidate, after welcoming back juan ramon lopez muniz as coach. however, the loss of eliseu (thus far a flop at lazio) has been a tough one to adapt to, whilst players such as duda and apono have struggled to replicate the form of last season. despite that, i feel that there is sufficient quality remaining to get out of their current predicament, but then i think that duda should start at left-back for portugal. what can i say, he takes a good free-kick.

19) real zaragoza (12 points)

bloody rubbish. were it not for the efforts of atletico, zaragoza would be this season's comically inefficient spanish club story. not to say that they've flown under the radar. the fans are in no doubt as to where the blame for the current state of the club lies, clue: it ain't the players or the coach. any manager who begins his pre-match press conference by saying that he feels "sentenced" is managing a club with problems. question is, can zaragoza pull it together in time to stay up? on paper, they have the squad, but then they had the squad in 2007/8, and look what happened then.

20) xerez (7 points)

good god. having finished 14th in 2007/8, somehow xerez managed to get promoted from la segunda last season, despite a trigger-happy (literally, scroll down) chairman. as it stands, they are on course to be the worst side la liga has seen since, shudder, levante. 15 games, 6 for, 28 against. xerez are the reason that the bottom half of la liga still feels optimistic about survival.

i'd like to thank sid lowe for his unwitting, but nevertheless crucial, help in the production of this mid-season review. seriously though, his weekly roundup is superb, as is la liga loca. along with my musings, they form your go-to trio for all things la liga.

winter break review- serie a

over the next week or so, i'm going to take a look at where serie a, la primera liga, and the liga sagres are as they enter their winter breaks. i'll run down the tables, and say a few things about how the season is going for each of the teams. here's the italian edition...

serie a (17/16 rounds played of 38)

1) inter (39 points)

same as it ever was for inter. they couldn't lose the title if they tried, and are currently 9 points clear of their city rivals. however, the same fundamental problems from the last couple of seasons remain- there is no established left back (chivu is a centre back, i refuse to accept otherwise), there is not much of a link (when sneijder is injured) between midfield and attack, whilst quaresma and mancini have continued their woeful form. these issues are rarely damaging in domestic competition, but they will do for mourinho in europe.

2) ac milan (31 points)

after a terrible, terrible start, milan have (that awful home defeat to palermo apart), been playing much better. leonardo is no tactical genius, but he has accomplished something ancelotti couldn't- he's revitalised ronaldinho, and found a 4-3-3 system which allows the erratic brazilian to express himself. thiago silva has been a success at the back, and even dida hasn't been that bad. they're still aging, and will produce shocking performances from time to time, but are progressing.

3) juventus (30 points)

juve have had the ac milan season in reverse. they started well, and big summer signings diego and felipe melo looked settled. in the last month, however, juve have, well, regressed. the team plays with no width and no fluidity, and both brazilians look unhappy at their deployment within the (oft-changing) formation. the low point came on sunday with a pathetic 2-1 home defeat to catania, preceded by ultras pelting the team bus with eggs. at the moment it looks as if internal changes are afoot, but i'd be surprised if ciro ferrara lasted the season.

4) roma (28 points)

after a turbulent start which saw the departure of luciano spalletti, and an on-off takeover situation, claudio ranieri has steadied the roma ship somewhat. victory in the rome derby, as well as smooth-ish progression into the knockout stages of the europa league have ensured the fans have been (mostly) transformed from the baying mob of earlier in the season. totti, when fit, is playing well, and although the financial problems remain, roma look well placed for a return to the champions league places. which would, of course, aid the financial situation.

5) parma (28 points)

it's good to have parma back. by far the best of the promoted sides, their return to the upper reaches of the league has been unsurprising to those in the know. a combination of veterans (christian panucci and nicola amoruso have been particularly impactful) and young talent (most notably playmaker danielle galloppa) has put them in the hunt for europa league qualification. it's a far cry from the days of crespo and thuram, but parma have been the story of the season so far.

6) napoli (27 points)

having spent big in the summer, napoli president and film mogul aurelio de laurentiis endured two months of poor performances from his team, before replacing roberto donadoni with walter mazzarri, who he probably should have gone after in the first place. napoli remain inconsistent, but mazzarri's main accomplishment has been to allow players such as lavezzi and hamsik to express themselves. they'll do well to hold onto those two beyond june, but napoli should be able to consolidate their top-six position.

7) palermo (26 points)

perhaps the most trigger-happy owner in serie a, maurizio zamparini only gave walter zenga 13 games to gel his team before firing the much-travelled bald one, and bringing in ex-lazio boss delio rossi. it's a thankless task in truth, as palermo are probably not much better than 7th place, and much-hyped argentine javier pastore has thus far failed to live up to his tag as 'the new kaka'. sigh. expect zamparini to continue his managerial musical chairs come seasons end, when palermo fail to qualify for europe and superb young defender simone kjaer is sold.

8) sampdoria (25 points)

samp were rolling back the years at the start of the season, winning 5 of their first 6 matches, and sparking (foolish) talk of a return to the days of vialli and mancini. but they've only taken 5 points from the last 8 rounds, antonio cassano is telling the fans to eat shit, and coach del neri has just received the dreaded vote of confidence. that's more like the sampdoria we know and love. after an overachieving start, mid-table is a truer reflection of their abilities.

9) bari (24 points)

another promoted side rising above expectations. after parting company with antonio conte, the man who guided them to an emphatic serie b title, most (myself included) expected bari to struggle. but no. they are comfortably mid-table, and possess a fearsome defence, second only in goals conceded to inter. loanees andrea ranocchia and sergio almiron has also impressed, with the former surely heading to a big team come summer. but for now, bari can look forward to with securing safety sooner than anticipated.

10) fiorentina (24 points)

they might have beaten liverpool home and away in qualifying for the last 16 of the champions league, but mounting a european campaign has come at the expense of league form for fiorentina. they're only 4 points off the top 4, but have been lacked consistency, something admittedly down in large part to injuries. i expect them to be eliminated at the quarter-final stage, and then mount a charge to secure champions league football once again.

11) genoa (24 points)

the success story of last season, genoa have also been affected by a european challenge, having been eliminated from the group stages of the europa league. however, the main problem for them has undoubtedly been the loss of diego milito and thiago motta to inter, and the failure of replacements floccari and zapater to settle. having said that, the high turnover of players has meant that genoa have yet to hit their stride, and, like fiorentina, i expect a top-six finish.

12) chievo verona (24 points)

buoyed by survival last season, the flying donkeys have made a good start to their campaign. pellissier has again been key, and the bentegodi is fast becoming a tough place to get a result, evidenced by the recent 2-1 win over fiorentina. whilst they're in no danger of going down, it's hard to see how domenico di carlo can push his team much further up the table. but then that's what they said back in 2001.

13) cagliari (23 points)

massimo allegri continues to mark himself out, in my opinion, as of the finest young italian managers. having lost his main goalscoring threat in roberto acquafresca, he has nonetheless continued to guide his team towards mid-table security, and perhaps something more. alessandro matri has begun to mature into a solid forward, whilst summer signing nene is already attracting attention from the likes of bordeaux. for a club which, by size and attendance levels, should be in serie b, the prospect of european football is giddying, yet realistic.

14) udinese (18 points)

the over-reliance on antonio di natale has finally begun to be reflected in the performances at the stadio friuli. just 5 wins, and 19 goals scored, has resulted in pasquale marino losing his job, but it's hard to see how gianni di biasi can reverse the fortunes of an ailing team. as long as di natale and outstanding young winger alexis sanchez remain fit, relegation is unlikely, but mid-table is the best udinese can hope for.

15) livorno (18 points)

by far the weakest of the promoted sides, i expected livorno to be bottom at christmas. but an impressive 3-1 win over sampdoria has lifted them out of the relegation zone, and given their excellently left-wing fans something to cheer about. their main asset, antonio candreva, is a talented playmaker who has already made his debut for the national side, but even with his ability, i'd be surprised if livorno survived. which is a shame, because serie a needs fans like theirs.

16) lazio (16 points)

oh dear. the summer for lazio was marred by contract disputes between eccentric president lotito and 3 key players, and has yet to be fully resolved. on the field, lazio have been dreadful. dreadful. the loss of de silvestri, ledesma and pandev has been acutely felt, and the poor form of zarate has only augmented the problems for davide ballardini, who has somehow avoided the sack. lazio have the squad to turn it around, but lotito, and the fans, must have already written this season off.

17) bologna (16 points)

as expected, bologna have struggled after surviving on the final day last season. the goals have dried for marco di vaio, and it's hard to see how they will avoid relegation without the vital contribution of the veteran, despite the recent addition of the talented steven appiah. that is, unless the three teams below them continue their current form...

18) atalanta (13 points)

despite the additions of antonio conte in the dugout, and acquafresca up front, atalanta have scored just 15 goals in 16 games, the worst record in serie a. to be fair, the loss of luca cigarini cannot be overstated in terms of impact, but a team that finished 11th last season should be playing better, especially as the goal threat has improved. it's a disappointing first effort in serie a for conte, but he'll go on to greater things. i'm not sure the same can be said for his current club.

19) catania (12 points)

the twin losses of walter zenga and the form of giuseppe mascara have meant that catania are almost certain to be relegated. in retrospect, it's hard to see how zenga managed to keep his team up, especially given their woeful defence, which has shipped 26 goals thus far. if they don't go down, it'll be because they managed to harness the spirit of the win at juventus on sunday. however, i reckon a more potent spirit is that which saw them fall 1-0 at home to livorno.

20) siena (12 points)

poor siena. despite playing at the loveliest stadium in serie a, the football on show this season has been anything but. to be fair, losing the dynamic simone kharja and juan zuniga, without any replacements, doomed them from the beginning. massimo maccarone continues to plough a lonely furrow up front, but his goals won't stop the artemio franchi from hosting serie b football next season. which is a shame, because it really is lovely.

phew. once my fingers have recovered, i'll do the same for la liga and the liga sagres.

looking at my weekend picks

i tried to get to university to return some library books today, but the snow had other ideas. god damn that snow. but it's not just me who's been affected by the weather, as my weekend picks show...

1) er, well, this one got snowed off didn't it. along with 3 other games, fiorentina v milan will now be played on january 27th. apparently the pitches were fine, but the creaking terraces (a feature which is particularly present in a lot of ancient serie a stadiums), were way too icey for the ultras to run up and down on.

2) no snow in new orleans, and boy was this game worth the 4.50am bedtime. i said it could be a stormer, and (cue tooting of own horn), it really was. the cowboys completely dominated the 1st half, tony romo played a career game as the americans say (it means he was really, really, really good), and it set up a fantastic 4th quarter, where the saints attempted to chase down the deficit. but the cowboys held on, and put themselves in prime position for a playoff spot. for new orleans, the defeat wasn't as bad as it might have been, as their main rivals for home advantage in the playoffs (minnesota) also lost this weekend. here's the nfl standings after this weekend. the nfc looks pretty sewn up, but the afc is crazy tight, with 8 teams gunning for the 2 wildcard spots.

3) weather also hit the clasico, with the estadio da luz resembling a swamp by the end of the game. the result was a very 'english' match, played at a high speed, with a lot of questionable tackles and a lower technical level than both teams are capable of. that said, benfica will be ecstatic with the win, as it aids their head-to-head record against porto, which could be crucial later on (standings in the table are decided by head-to-head, not goal difference). david luiz, their young brazilian centre-back, was outstanding, and i wouldn't be surprised to see big offers coming in for him next summer. porto were uninspiring and played pretty negatively for much of the game, and hulk was again substituted. he's talked up a lot over here, but has yet to perform this season.

with italy, spain and portugal taking winter breaks, i thought i'd go through the current standings for each league, and take a look at how the teams have been doing so far. there was also a TNA PPV last night, so expect a blog on that this week as well.

3 events for this weekend

i know i said i was going to blog on WWE TLC, but a combination of laziness, travel, and the fact that it wasn't that great a PPV have put paid to that. sorry. there is a TNA PPV this weekend, and i'll do my best to blog on that. knowing TNA, they'll probably do something ridiculous, so no doubt fingers will be stirred into action. if you're wanting quality pro wrestling comment and opinion, this site does it better than i could ever hope to, and far more reliably. scroll down for the various weekly segments.

anyway, onto my 3 picks for this weekend. it's football of one kind or another this week, but whaddayawanfromme, at least the 3 events are actually on at different times this week.

1) fiorentina v milan, serie a, saturday 7.45pm.

two teams that lost last weekend, and two teams in varying degrees of need for a winning end to the year. fiorentina are ravaged by injuries, so going down 2-1 away to chievo is no disgrace, but milan have no excuses. 2-0 at home to palermo? please. two attacking teams should produce a decent match, and keep an eye on alberto gilardino- he'll be going all out to stick it to milan, who treated him so poorly in his time at the san siro. espn/bet365.com.

2) dallas cowboys at new orleans saints, NFL, sunday 1.20am.

the 13-0 saints have been stumbling a little in recent weeks, despite coach sean payton stating that he's aiming for that perfect season record (16-0 for those that don't know). but the cowboys have got to keep winning if they want to secure one of two wildcard spots in the NFC. despite the december curse of recent times, they have reasons to be optimistic in this one. could be a stormer. sky sports 3.

3) benfica v porto, portuguese liga, sunday 8.15pm.

this one sees benfica, who have undoubtedly been playing the best football in portugal this season, up against porto, who have quietly been assembling the sort of form which has won them the last 3 titles. benfica have been hit by injuries, but if pablo aimar plays, they'll have a chance. the winner could well be top at christmas, so expect a fiery encounter. bet365.com.

***update***- braga won 1-0 away to pacos tonight, so only benfica could go top with a victory, and even then it would only be on goal difference. check the table on the link above.

enjoy, i know i will. also, the champions league and europa league draws were made today, and i'll be thinking (a lot, probably too much) about the ties this weekend, with a view to blogging early next week.

UFC 107

Well, I managed to catch UFC 107 (or the main card anyway) in the early hours of this morning, and, not surprisingly, at least in my mind, Frank Mir stole the show. in the co-main event with Cheick Kongo, Mir showed why he's the best healthy heavyweight in the world. don't get me wrong, i was pretty sure he would win, but not so quickly and emphatically. my prediction was a close points victory...but Mir has bulked up, he's worked hard to come back from his accident, and his ground work (always exemplary) now looks even better alongside his lethal striking. to down a fighter like Kongo, who has a granite chin, in the first minute, is something special. once he got the frenchman in a choke it was only a matter of time, but the speed and power with which he did it...wow. UFC have to seriously think about Mir as the next champion...Lesnar or no Lesnar. we all want Brock to be well, but there is a thriving division below him, and Mir is right at the top.

someone else at the top of their division is lightweight champion BJ Penn. his 5th round stoppage of Diego Sanchez was also surprising, in that no one, myself included, thought Sanchez would make it to the championship rounds. the fact that he did speaks volumes for his heart, but the cold fact is that he was outclassed by a guy at the peak of his powers, a guy who is rapidly running out of challengers. BJ was unstoppable, and never looked troubled in this one.

the person i'd really like to see take him on is Kenny Florian, who was pretty impressive in his 2nd round stoppage of everyone's favourite underdog, Clay Guida. how can you not like a guy that comes out singing his (awesome) entrance song (the taste of ink by the used) at the top of his lungs? if only he had the striking to go with his heart and mat skills. sigh. k-flo had him bloodied up in the 1st, with a wicked elbow to the head, and took him down with a sweet right hand and a choke in the 2nd. Florian has really improved his work since his last loss to BJ, and would be a plucky challenger, if nothing else.

elsewhere on the card, Jon Fitch defeated Mike Pierce in a forgettable welterweight bout which had gone through at least 3 incarnations in the run-up to event. i don't really blame the two fighters, as there was nothing between them, and the crowd was flat after seeing Guida beaten so quickly.

making his debut on PPV was the young dutch heavyweight Stefan Struve, who had a nice points win over the returning Paul Buentello. the latter got in his usual flurry of punches, but was worn down by a body triangle which lasted for most of the 1st, and a series of unanswered thigh kicks throughout the 3rd. i'll be keeping an eye on the winner, if he can do some more filling out and add a few more weapons, he'll be a contender. at 6"11, and with an 83 inch reach, he's got most of them already.

i should be watching WWE TLC tonight, and a blog on that will conclude the fighting writing for this week.

looking at my weekend picks

in what I can see becoming a lazy monday tradition, I'm going to take a look at my weekend picks. don't worry, there will be more stimulating blogging later in the week, once I get out from under work.

1) I'm pretty happy with this pick. I wasn't so sure after the first session, which Higgins won 6-2, but the evening produced one of the best 3-4 hours of snooker I've ever seen. o'sullivan eventually lost, but his performance from 2-8 down to even the score was better than most of his career victories. he won't be happy, but he should be- him and higgins produced a match which far outstripped yesterdays' final, which higgins eventually lost to ding. not surprised, he must have been shattered.

2) yeah, the less said about this fight the better. johnson did well to go the distance, but he offered nothing beyond survival tactics, and vitali offered nothing beyond the occasional head shot. i watched this in the pub, and the general consensus afterwards was that the heavyweight division needs david haye...nothing we didn't know already. adam booth reckons he can beat vitali, and after saturday, so do I.

3) well, they haven't sacked quique yet, but after last night, it can't be far off. it wasn't his fault, but that's how they do at the calderon. atletico were rubbish, rubbish. apparently cerezo was in the dressing room demanding answers after they threw away a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1, but he should have been looking in the boardroom, as well as in the mirror. but of course, that's not how they do at the calderon. villarreal continue to show the rest of spain how their clubs should be run.

and my honourable mention should perhaps have been something more. valencia v real madrid was brilliant, and more proof, if it were needed, that at the top four level, la liga beats the premier league hands down for excitement and technical ability. the win for madrid will have been overshadowed by the injury to pepe, who apparently will be out for 6 months. that's one of their 3 key players down (the other 2 being alonso and higuain), and while his replacement (garay) scored the winner, he isn't much cop at the back.

this weekend also had UFC 107 (saturday) and WWE TLC (sunday) taking place. the next two posts will look at those. should be sometime later in the week. i also quite fancy writing a post about what parma are doing in serie a, so we'll see about that as well.

3 events for this weekend

I was going to write a massive preview of this weekend, because there's quite a lot of cool stuff happening, but I only woke up about twenty minutes ago, having stayed awake till 4am for the world football phone in on 5 live. So no preview, but I have had an idea for what will become a weekly post: 3 events to watch this weekend. It's going to be quite tough for me to narrow it down to 3, but I understand you're all very busy. Well, busier than me anyway. So, here goes:

1) Ronnie O'Sullivan v John Higgins, UK Championship Snooker Semi-Final

This really should be the final. The two best players in the world haven't met for a while, and when they do it's usually awesome. Ronnie is starting to knock in the long pots, and Higgins is his usual clinical self, it could be a classic. First session is 1.30 today, then 7.00 tonight. BBC.

2) Vitali Klitschko v Kevin Johnson, WBC Heavyweight Title defence

Alright, he might be slow, and he might be about as charismatic as a piece of stale bread, but Vitali is still the man in heavyweight boxing. 38 wins, 37 by KO. Ouch. Vitali knows he's going to have to fight Haye eventually, but until then, Kevin Johnson might, and I emphasise the might, be a tricky test. Haye will be watching, you should too. Sky Sports 1, from 8pm tonight.

3) Atletico Madrid v Villareal, La Liga

Two teams who have had shocking starts (Atleti in particular), and who really really should be higher in the table. Atleti are always worth watching, if only for Kun and Forlan, but Villarreal are starting to purr, and if they win, it could be bye bye Quique. Sky Sports, 7pm Sunday.

And the honourable mention goes to:

If boxing and snooker ain't your thing, then you should check Valencia v Real Madrid, 9pm tonight on Sky Sports. Can Valencia stake their claim as title contenders? Can Real cope with David Villa? Can Cristiano actually celebrate a goal he didn't score?

Enjoy your weekend.

Welcome

This is a little blog about the big world(s) of sport.

Recently, OK maybe not that recently, I've noticed the social restrictions that being obsessed with sports can put upon you. This might sound strange, seeing as fandom is such a collective experience, but there it is. I've come to the conclusion that there are shades of fandom. There's the person who follows, say, the Premier League, or watches the Tour de France, and will tape the Super Bowl. They have, as a functioning human being, have managed to compartmentalise their fandom so that it doesn't place that many restrictions on the rest of their life. They talk about sport, but they don't let it consume their conversation, for the most part. They catch Match of the Day if they're in, but don't really give a shit about the second division in Brazil.

Then there's my breed. I'll give you an example. On Thursday evening, I was heading out to see Plastician with friends. Having got a buzz on, we were sitting around, shooting the shit, talking about...well I can't really recall, but just hanging out. But I find my attention slipping and before I know it I'm on my friends' laptop, watching a video I've watched many, many times before. So here I am, a little hungover still, and I've come to the conclusion that perhaps I need an outlet beyond my poor, poor girlfriend.

I blogged earlier in the year, but my laziness, and, now that I think about it, the large amount of time I spend watching sport, put paid to it. So I don't know how long this will last, but I think I need to stop consciously steering my everyday conversations towards something that I know for a fact no one is as bothered as me about. People are weird though man, like why isn't this the most visited site on the internet?

So, if you're interested in football (the Italian, Brazilian, Spanish and Portuguese are the leagues I hearts the most), road cycling, boxing, a bit of UFC, pro wrestling (Vince McMahon calls it sports entertainment, it's a fucking sport yeah), snooker and the NFL, then welcome. If not, why not?