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FC Barcelona – Neymar Left Stranded in Amsterdam
One of the more furious debates this season among European football affectionados is the Barcelona style. Changing, or the same? The 1-2 loss to Ajax that doesn’t really change anything came with the old style: Possession, midfield passing and more possession, but too much of the version from last season, that meant pointless ball movement, spiced with predictability. Neymar was the only one who tried something different, but he alone wasn’t enough.
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AC Milan – Kaka Was Worth the Wait
Few big teams have been playing more poorly than AC Milan have since the beginning of the season. Despite their poor form and the fans beginning to lose their patience, the personnel and talent they have is obviously much better than the results. At some point, it had to start coming together, and the man in charge of a sudden sense of calm and optimism is Kaka, looking more and more like the player who left the club more than four years ago, dragging Mario Balotelli upwards with him.
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Arsenal FC – Jack Wilshere Should Keep Playing in a Wider Position
Maybe Jack Wilshere prefers playing as a central midfielder, a playmaker in the classic sense. But considering the squad Arsenal have and the system Arsene Wenger deploys, time and time again it’s been proven that the English international is a lot more useful when he plays in a wide position, almost as a winger.
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Chelsea FC – Eden Hazard Should Have Come On Sooner
It’s hard to say if it was arrogance that was leading Jose Mourinho when he picked the lineup for his team’s defeat at Basel, or simply the rest and betterment of players. Chelseas struggled for long minutes on both ends of the pitch, and the introduction of Eden Hazard to the match came way too late to turn things around.
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Champions League – Week 5 Predictions (Groups A – D)
A big match for Manchester United travelling to Bayer Leverkusen, that might complicate things in their group even further. Juventus are in a must-win situation at home against FC Copenhagen, hoping the result from the Santiago Bernabeu, where Real Madrid host Galatasaray, will be pleasing to hear as well.
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Champions League – Week 5 Results & Tables (Groups E – H)
A night of surprises and of getting back on track – Basel stunned Chelsea with a 1-0 win, although it won’t stop the Europa League champions from making the next round, while Ajax beat Barcelona 2-1, giving them an excellent prospect to make it into the next round if they manage to beat Milan on the final matchday.
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Most NBA Seasons For One-Team Players
Signing a two-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant has a chance to make it 20 seasons with one NBA team, which will be an NBA record for a player on just one team. There are Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki, both playing over 15 years on the same team as well, the only three among active players, but Bryant has a slight lead over them.
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Kobe Bryant Preventing Los Angeles Lakers From Rebuilding
Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in. Michael Corleone said that in Godfather three. Shaquille O’Neal compared Bryant once to Sonny Corleone, but the one getting pulled back in here are the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead of finally getting rid of a cap-crippling contract, they decided to give a player who will be 36 by the time next season begins a two-year extension that keeps him as the highest player in the NBA.
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Knicks vs Blazers – When Losing and Winning Streaks Collide
One of the three hottest teams in the NBA right now, the Portland Trail Blazers, facing one of the worst, the New York Knicks? Not even a fair fight, as the 102-91 scoreline doesn’t do justice to the winners, led by the usual balanced effort from their starting five and especially Nicolas Batum and Damian Lillard, while Carmelo Anthony was completely alone on the other end, also something we’ve gotten used to seeing.
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Bulls vs Jazz – Derrick Rose Syndrome in Full Effect
No one should be losing to the mess of a team called the Utah Jazz, but the Chicago Bulls, broken and confused about Derrick Rose missing the rest of the season, managed to reach a new low in a situation that might be spiraling out of control, falling 89-83 in overtime against the worst group of players in the NBA.