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FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi & Andres Iniesta Show Who’s Best
Business as usual at the Camp Nou; Barcelona reaching 40 from 42 possible points with the best start in the history of the La Liga; Lionel Messi being as clinical in front of goal as ever, now needing only two goals to set a new scoring record; and Andres Iniesta, showing with everything but goals why he is in the award consideration.
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Manchester United – Wayne Rooney Shines in Tactical Mayhem
Tactics? What are tactics? Alex Ferguson continues to let his players go gung-ho in their attempts to erase all of their defensive mistakes. That is just fine with Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, thriving in the tactical mayhem that has become the breeding ground for these Manchester United comebacks.
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Liverpool FC – The Return of Lucas Leiva
When a win over a relegation bound team gets people at Liverpool so pleased with their match and the result, you know the expectations and descriptions of success at Anfield have changed. When Lucas Leiva is the defensive midfielder everyone has been waiting for, what should that mean and say about Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard?
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Arsenal FC – Lukas Podolski is Another Striking Failure
It doesn’t matter what excuses Arsene Wenger uses this time about his direction, finances and ability to make Arsenal a big club again, it’ll all sound like lies. Santi Cazorla isn’t as influential, Jack Wilshere, healthy or not, isn’t the man to change everything and Wenger’s latest experiment at striker, this time with Lukas Podolski, was a miserable failure.
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Chelsea FC – Fernando Torres Forgets How to Score
During the earlier stages of the season, the fact that Chelsea, an unbalanced, talented yet soft squad, had only Fernando Torres to call upon at the striker position was hidden with the brilliance of Eden Hazard and Juan Mata. Seven win-less matches later, and all the talent in the world can’t hide a forward how can’t put the ball in the net.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Dwight Howard Makes it Work
Some would say that for the first time this season, the Los Angeles Lakers looked like the team they sought out to be during a busy off-season. Surprisingly or not, Kobe Bryant was the least involved player in their big, three point filled win, while Dwight Howard starred alongside Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks.
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Minnesota Timberwolves – Sick Kevin Love Better Than Nothing
Somehow, the Minnesota Timberwolves keep winning. At first they were missing both Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, but now Love is back. Andrei Kirilenko is injured, Brandon Roy is facing retirement again. Not stability whatsoever, but the Timberwolves are in a good place, rebounding from a long losing streak, waiting for the return of their prodigal point guard.
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Stanford Cardinal – Kevin Hogan More Than Just a Freshman
Making the big plays in the big games, that’s what greatness is about. Beyond numbers and stats. Kevin Hogan, a freshman quarterback who took over the starting role midway through the 2012 season for Stanford, was also the man who won them the game, the Pac-12 Championship and a rare berth to the Rose Bowl.
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ACC Championship – Florida State vs Georgia Tech Predictions
If you wanna talk about a conference championship game with a huge gulf between the teams, this is it. The Florida State Seminoles weren’t that far from competing for the national title; the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, on the other hand, didn’t even win their division.
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Big Ten Championship – Nebraska vs Wisconsin Predictions
For the second year in a row, the Wisconsin Badgers make the conference championship game, but this time as underdogs. Nebraska (10-2) finished the season in excellent form, and are looking to book their first trip to the Rose Bowl since becoming a member of the Big Ten.