Not So Fast My Friend

Ah, yes; Derby Day in North London. There's nothing like a game between historic enemies Arsenal and Tottenham to get the juices flowing.

Tottenham striker Robbie Keane's pre-game statement saying that Spurs had closed the talent gap on Arsenal was put to the test Saturday afternoon at the Emirates Stadium. At the start of the match, Spurs sat level with the Gunners in the table, each with 19 points.

After 90 minutes and numerous bungled Spurs chances, Arsenal proved that Spurs still have a way to go.



The 3-0 victory for the Gunners pushes Tottenham's losing streak at Arsenal's home ground to 17 years. The first half was tightly contested and Arsenal didn't break through until a Robin Van Persie goal three minutes before the break. It was the goal from Cesc Fabregas 11 seconds after Van Persie's that made it 2-0 at halftime and saw Spurs' hopes go down the drain.

Tottenham needs to show a lot more composure if the top four is to ever be within their grasp. The verdict on Arsenal is that this young squad has the pieces to win the league, yet there are still worries at the back. Arsene Wenger needs to make sure his squad organizes themselves in a better fashion.

The next derby at White Hart Lane should allow Spurs a chance to display more resolve than they did today.

Beckham, Galaxy In Top Form

In this blog I have focused more on European news and results rather than what has been transpiring stateside. Lost in all this has been the surprisingly good performance of the David Beckham-led Los Angeles Galaxy and their rise to the top of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer.

When Beckham arrived back on U.S. soil in July, the media was buzzing about the reception he would receive from MLS. Certainly fans were rubbed the wrong way after his AC Milan loan fiasco. Beckham handled it all wrong in my opinion, openly stating his desire to stay over in Europe.

With the boos and taunts came an unwinding of Beckham's judgments.

In his first appearance back at Los Angeles' Home Depot Center, Beckham called out a fan for taunting and almost hopped a barricade to get to the instigator.

Another incident occurred where the Englishman openly acknowledged another fan in Kansas City. This one contained less venom but still showed how much the jeers had got to him.

Fast forward three months. The Galaxy have qualified for the playoffs and sit in first place in the Western Conference. After the club's last regular season home game, Beckham was given a standing ovation by his own fans after being substituted in the game's late stages.

First-year manager Bruce Arena has dramatically improved the Galaxy organization and helped to stave off any late-season collapse. Since his return, Beckham has been able to provide support as a central playmaker who feeds superstar Landon Donovan.

It has been an interesting turnaround that has gone relatively unnoticed by U.S. sports media. I guess it just proves that old saying true that winning does solve everything.

While the tensions between Beckham and the fans seem to have scabbed over, it will be interesting to see if he can lead the Galaxy to the MLS Cup. Beckham just may be able to leave the league in peace if he captures the title.

The Galaxy open the MLS Playoffs against Chivas USA on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Madrid Shocked By Third-Tier Club

Alcorcon, a Spanish club from the country's third division, defeated Real Madrid 4-0 in the King's Cup on Tuesday night.

The small Spanish side have a transfer budget more than 400 times smaller than Los Blancos!

Even though Madrid were missing Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, this loss is still humiliating. There's no reason why Alcorcon should even be on the same field as Madrid. What a dream game for everyone involved at Alcorcon, as I'm sure this one will go down in history.

Results like this are fun to see, as long as its not your favorite team doing the losing.

Liverpool Make Statement

Sunday at Anfield, Liverpool broke their four-game losing streak by defeating Manchester United 2-0.

Fernando Torres returned from injury and put in 80 solid minutes on the pitch. Before being substituted, he scored a goal that put momentum in the Merseyside club's favor. David Ngog added an insurance goal in injury time.



Despite not having influential midfielder Steven Gerrard, Rafa Benitez was able to defeat his most hated rival and dramatically improve the club's recent from. Liverpool was already reeling from a midweek defeat in the Champions League to Lyon. But Sunday's result versus the Red Devils has given the club a much-needed boost in confidence.

Liverpool now sit fifth in the FA Premier League while Manchester United are in second place, two points adrift of Chelsea.

Which Signing Has Paid Off?

Now that the 2009/10 English Premier League is more than two months old, it's time to see which club got their money's worth over the summer.

With the global economic crisis reaching over to the world of sport, clubs this summer had less money to spend. There were exceptions though: Real Madrid and Manchester City both could have fielded entirely new squads and then some with the extravagant amounts splashed on certain players.

So far, this year's best signing has turned out to be Sunderland striker Darren Bent.

After a disastrous spell at Tottenham Hotspur, in which manager Harry Redknapp once said that Bent missed a chance which his, "grandmother could score," Bent was on the precipice of derailing a once promising career.

When the summer window opened for business, Bent was deemed surplus to requirements at White Hart Lane. New Sunderland manager Steve Bruce opted to sign the English international for a modest $16.3 million.

So far, Bent has proven to be worth every penny.

Not only does Bent lead the Premier League with eight goals, but he has Sunderland sitting seventh in the league after eight games played. In recent years, Sunderland has spent much time on the bottom half of the table.

Bent was also involved in what was arguably the most controversial goal of the year last week against Liverpool. Check it out:

The Hilarious Balloon Goal - Sunderland Vs Liverpool - More amazing videos are a click away

Capitalizing on his time at Sunderland, Bent has parlayed his new form into a possible spot on the England national team for the 2010 World Cup. England manager Fabio Capello certainly has the striker on his radar.

Rubin Kazan Make History

Russian club Rubin Kazan pulled off one of the biggest upsets in European history last night, defeating Barcelona 2-1 in the Champions League group stage.

Here are the highlights:



Despite holding the ball for only 25 percent of the time, the Russian minnows produced the shock result of first round play.

"These things happen," said Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola. "It's not the first time and I doubt it will be the last," he said at his news conference. "I didn't feel like we played a bad match. They had a very well-structured defense and all the teams (in the group) are very good. They are all professionals."

Still, nothing can take the sting out of this one for the Blaugrana. What an absolutely disappointing display. A lot of credit should also goe to the Kazan keeper who made many a miraculous save, including one second half point-blank stop of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The defending champions of the Champions League learned a valuable lesson in overconfidence last night, while Rubin Kazan continue their incredible form in the tournament.

Reader Comments

I have been doing this thing for over a month now, and I know that there is a small readership that follows my blog.

I just want to know: what would you like to see more of? Should I focus on more feature pieces? Or should I continue with more personal perspective on soccer news?

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Thanks.