He'll be back and Madrid are looking good for the first time in years in the Champions league which the 'chosen one' is a great tactician of. And they're only two points behind Barca so it isn't over. As for Barcelona, this team under Guardiola must be considered as one of the greatest in the history of the game. They put on another breathtaking performance against Villareal a couple of weeks ago that's worth seeking out.
Torres I can (sorta) see but Carrol :huh I just goddam despair of Liverpool these past few years. They pay way way too much for players who bring so much bloody baggage with them, be it injury or an attitude. I really thought John Henry was smarter than that.
It is a bizarre buy. We might all be praising Dalglish when Carrol starts banging in the goals though Liverpool have started to win again but they still look fragile, don't have that swagger we expect. Is Wenger the only sane man in top level football? When was the last time Arsenal bet the bank? And their youth system appears to actually work (Wilshire) unlike Chelsea's. p.s. Real Madrid lost on Sunday (woo hoo).
All top-tier European teams have to be careful from now on - the new UEFA rules for finances come into effect from 2012, and cover the previous three years, IIRC. Chelski made a loss of £71m last year - and they've spent £70m on Torres and Ruiz. The new rules say that clubs have to stay very close to break-even at the least, or risk disqualification from the Champion's League or other sanctions. The cost of a player like Torres can amortized over the length of the agreed contract though.
Just found out that Carroll is injured so Liverpool have, once again, bought a twofer (attitude AND injured).... The other new guy scored the other day so he's got off to a great start. I totally agree about the swagger - you have to go into a game expecting to win. Man U are (sadly....) masters of it. Chelsea used to have it earlier this season but have lost it - Man City have yet to find it. Wenger is a cock....but he sure does know his shit, I'll give him that.
Rooney's (overated) overhead kick got a lot of publicity but this, imo, is superior in every way. It's just not the finish but the setup and Oscar taking two players out looks intentional to me. Breathtaking. <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RZ_am-1NPqc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
