in this country, our football pundits are afflicted by a crippling disease, which, through a combination of stupidity and advertising constraints, stops them from making any points which actually stand up to any form of scrutiny. exhibit a- 'this is a league that no one wants to win.' no, no it isn't. it clearly isn't. such wilful idiocy is usually enough to raise my blood pressure somewhere beyond healthy levels, but, as i ponder matters from a rainy oxford circus, i find myself beginning to, and i say this with trepidation, empathise.
put yourself into the shoes of an ex-pro, blinded by the piercing spotlights of television, and faced with a baffling concoction of numbers and names. er..they aren't winning..and..er..neither are they..no one wants to win! that's it! it's a league, that no one, wants, to win. brilliant.
it might be because i've had a particularly long week (apologies, once again, for the lack of posts), and the fact that it's intensely warm and soporific in this office, but i'm feeling charitable today, so if i occasionally slip into cliche during the following previews, please, forgive me. from next monday, i'll be a student again, with nothing to distract me from the endless machinations of men playing with balls. yep, that's right.
roma v internazionale, 5pm saturday.
our first example of a league that no one wants to win hails from the boot of europe, italy. consider this, if you will: since 2006, no team other than inter has been top of serie a after christmas. make no mistake, this has more to do with the ineptitude of others than the supremacy of inter, but, as our chums on the telly are fond of saying, that's a telling statistic.
it appeared, for a while, that inter would finally be toppled. but following milan's 1-1 home draw with napoli on sunday, and a weak, weak away defeat to parma last night, there is but one team left to challenge the power of the stats. luckily, they've come to party. with or without totti. roma have been the only team capable of challenging inter this season, and whilst their football has rarely been truly excellent, they've endured in a league which, more than most i would venture, rewards consistency. indeed, were it not an unexpected draw earlier in the month against livorno, a victory against inter would have put roma top. as it is, they'd still be a point behind, but with inter's heads undoubtedly turned by their champions league exploits, there is optimism (and an appetite for change) amongst fans; despite a continuing backdrop of rising debt and inefficient ownership. a roma win on sunday would be good for the azioariato populare, and undoubtedly for serie a.
benfica v sporting braga, 8.15pm saturday.
of course, any moaning from the major european leagues about a lack of competition can be looked upon with contempt by fans of portuguese clubs not called benfica, fc porto, or sporting lisbon. not that there are many of them, but still. this is the main reason why i am hoping and praying for a braga victory on saturday night in the estadio da luz (pictured, isn't it lovely). if the title were to leave the big 3 for the first time since 2001 (and for only the 3rd time ever), it would, at the risk of stating the obvious, be a very big deal.
braga are a team of journeymen for the most part, but have based their title challenge around an excellent defence (just 14 goals conceded in 23 games), and a simple tactical philosophy which has been drilled into them by domingos paciencia. however, braga have been hurt by the suspension of their captain vandinho, which began in february and ends on the last game of the season. his offence? violent conduct. braga's opponents in the match? benfica. just saying.
defence will be the key here, as benfica have scored an average of 2.6 goals per game this season, and, despite juggling 4 competitions, are yet to stutter. all indications point to a benfica victory, but...
as standings in the liga sagres are decided on a head-to-head rather than goal difference basis (an indisputably superior system if you ask me, but i digress), this game is of paramount importance. neither side has a particularly tricky run-in, and i would expect benfica in particular to take maximum points from their final 6 matches. braga beat them 2-0 at the estadio axa earlier in the season, so in a sense (cliche alert) their fate is in their own hands- win, and keep winning, and they'll take the title. lose, and it's most probably all over.
only 2 picks this weekend, because on sunday night, it's The Biggest Show On Earth, aka Wrestlemania 26! Which, I'm sure you'll agree, merits a preview all of its own. look for that in the next couple of days.
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