Obviously we’ve been dark for a while, and I hate to reawaken this with such bad news, but Charlie Davies, US and Sochaux forward, was injured in a car accident today. Grant Wahl tweets that he’s likely to require 6-12 months to recover, and that his future in competitive soccer is in doubt. There was a death in the accident - Davies was a passenger - and our thoughts have to be with that victim and her family, as well as Davies and his.

Twitter was overflowing with complaints about the quality of play in the first half of Chelsea vs. Liverpool. After some lackluster results the last few weeks, Chelsea could’ve tightened up in the second and given Liverpool a chance to take control of the game.  Instead, Lampard and company kept their heads, defanged Liverpool with quality tackling, and kept pressing until Anelka put them ahead to stay.  A team this talented can only be beaten by their own mental mistakes, but Chelsea showed championship nerves today in their 2-0 win over the Reds.

Liverpool, meanwhile, answered some questions while raising new ones.  The defense was much tighter—even though Chelsea got in some shots off set pieces, Carragher and Skrtel were making a lot of plays to clear the ball and close off Chelsea attacks.  But the offense completely disappeared under a pile of poor passes, tentative plays in the box, and an inability to force Hilario into a single tough save on the day. 

The loss will be hung on Liverpool’s neck as the weight that sinks their title hopes, but the season is far from over.  They remain 6 back of a team that has yet to face Man U, Arsenal, or Man City. While that negativity may be premature, calling Chelsea the class of the league is not.

Fiorentina 2-0 Liverpool.  The result is hard to think about, much less talk about. 

Given the chance to build their confidence against bad teams the last few weeks, Liverpool did so in style.  Given the chance to capitalize on that confidence against a tough opponent, Liverpool shat themselves.  After the first half, the players managed to wipe themselves off, and they seemed quite pleased after the game that they’d managed to look slightly more respectable in the second.  My first reaction to their reaction was shock, and I chased it with a shot of anger.  How can Liverpool be pleased with a goal-less second half behind 2-0 in a Champs group stage game?

But then I took a deep breath and reminded myself that this team still doesn’t understand what they are.  They used to be a tough-minded counter-attacking team that played 4 strong defenders behind a physical central midfield with excellent long-range passing abilities.  Now they’re a free-wheeling attack that pushes upfield with excellent movement/passing from the wings to set up oodles of scoring that makes up for a slow, leaky defense. 

Liverpool is +12 in goal differential, tops in the EPL.  But that’s because they’ve blasted home a whopping 22 goals—nobody else in the league even has a whiff of 20.  They’ve also conceded 10 goals, almost entirely from set pieces, putting them closer to Wolves and Portsmouth than Chelsea and Man U in the defense department.  It’d be great to expect them to revert to a more stout defensive form, but the pieces don’t seem to be there.  Unless Danny Agger’s the second coming of Franz Beckenbaur, nothing can compensate for Carragher’s lack of pace and Skrtel’s inconsistency.  And while Rafa has kept Glen Johnson back in defense more the last couple games, that 1) doesn’t play to his strengths, especially as he looked like our best player going forward the first few weeks), and 2) hasn’t stopped the bleeding one bit.  While Benayoun is a joy to watch in the attacking half, he’s also a defensive liability that makes Insua’s life on the left very difficult.  Aquilani could be more of the same.  To top it all off, Mascherano looks unfocused and has been mistake-prone—don’t be shocked when he’s transferred in January.

So Liverpool’s top 11 features a ton of firepower, even from the midfield and backfield.  The defense is bad, could be getting worse, and will almost always be giving up a couple of goals per game.  This is not the Liverpool of 2008.  But the 2009 model can score on anybody, and if Benitez and the squad commit to a wide open fast-break mentality, they can also beat anybody.  What they can’t do is keep trying to stuff themselves into the shoes of recent seasons.  Unfortunately, they seem to be the last to realize it.

I can see why everyone’s making a fuss about Prince Faizal bin Fahad bin Abdullah al Said’s visit to Anfield, especially after he claims to be close to injecting a third of a billion pounds into its veins.  It seems that every club in the Premiership bemoans and detests the flood of foreign money into the game.. except and until their team has a chance at the lottery, at which point everyone goes weak in the knees for a sugar daddy. 

Liverpool, it seems, is in dire need of such support, because the Independent reported that the LFC loan documents contained the following revelation:

“Management believes that the normalised long-run level of new net player capital expenditure is £20m.” The accompanying data suggests “long run” means the next five years.

£20m is the annual cap not only for transfers, but also new player contracts. So if Benitez wants to bump up Torres a few mil, management will take that right out of the transfer budget.  That seems like huge news—it basically slams the door on the Reds bringing in a major impact player over the next 5 years.  Sure, the document suggests that the transfer number might rise as TV dollars rise, but as the Independent points out, domestic TV dollars are expected to drop over that time.  So where’s the furor?  I haven’t seen this story picked up on any other major football site, even those running the Saudi Prince stories front and center. 

No elite footballer costs less than £20m now; even fullbacks are going for that much and more. David Villa and David Silva are priced at £40m+ each.  If it’s true that Liverpool management will not do more than add spare parts every year until at least 2014, that is more devastating to the Reds than the transfer ban is to the Blues. 

Saturday’s match against Wigan was an embarrassment for Chelsea, but Ancelotti was right when he said they deserved to lose.

I’m not going to waste any time protesting Cech’s red card - I think the ref made the correct decision. Rodallega was brought down in the penalty area, and Cech didn’t get anywhere close to the ball. And the subsequent penalty was well taken. The worst part of that whole incident is that Cech will now be banned for the upcoming games against both Liverpool and Villa.

What was most worrying about Saturday’s game was Chelsea’s performance in the first half. They looked lacklustre and let Wigan constantly take the game to them. Bramble’s goal was a defensive disaster. No one was marking him, and he had all the space in the world to score an easy goal. And Wigan were unlucky not to score at least two more that half.

As last weekend’s performance against Spurs showed, Chelsea can play great football when they think they’ve got a challenge ahead of them. But they have a nasty habit of getting complacent whenever they’re playing slightly lesser opposition. Wigan had been beaten 4-0 by Arsenal’s B-team just a few days earlier, and in that context it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking they’re a walkover. But there aren’t any easy games in the premier league anymore. If you only play your best when you’re playing a top 6 side, you won’t win the league.

So far this season, Chelsea have dug out narrow one-goal victories over Hull, Stoke and QPR - teams that they could be beating convincingly if they played their best football. So Man U are back at the top of the league. Looks like we’re in for another tight season. Chelsea still have the better chance of winning if they can hold their nerve. But that’s a big if.

Who needs any transfers before 2011 if you’ve got the following making their debuts/returns?

Debutants:
Yuri Zhirkov - saw him at the Seattle game, not sure if he is worth $18M but it will be fun to find out
Sam Hutchinson - again was at the Seattle Sounders game, this kid is one to watch for the future, he’s 19 and captained the England U18 team in the past
Fabio Borini - another youngster (18), and a striker for the future

Most important.  Who is captaining them tonight?  The return of Joe Cole!  Watch him make the push to regain his England place before the world cup.

You know this means they will lose 2-0 to QPR tonight of course ...

Just thinkin’ ...

• We are currently living in a world where there’s a chance that Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be playing in the World Cup. If that happens, the Mayans were right and you can expect a rapture soon.


• And like him or not, Ronaldo is currently on pace to score about 230 goals this campaign with Real Madrid.


• Good timing: South Africa announces a drop in murder rates. It’s like the whole nation is coming together.


• Man City and Man United was one hell of a game. Here’s the thing tho - City nearly survived away from home without Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz and Robinho. Imagine United doing that without Rooney.


• Early results in the Samuel Eto’o for Zlatan Ibrahimović see an advantage for Barcelona. But there’s a ways to go yet.


• One of these days, I’d like to feel the same excitement that Filippo Inzaghi does after he scores a goal.


• Yes, Brazilian great Romario is a Socialist. But hey, it’s Brazil, you can’t walk down the street without tripping over a communist.


• Geovanni is about to finally get a secure home at Hull City. Yet another former Cruzeiro player thriving in Europe.

--WKW

The Liverpool squad battling Leeds features Argentina’s captain and world class players for Spain and the Netherlands, and that doesn’t include a starter who’s rumored to be very good (Jaimie Carragher).  Yet they are clearly getting outplayed by a League 1 outfit through 55 minutes, particularly in terms of pace.  As I type this, Beckford should have drilled one home for Leeds but for a brilliant dive to his right by Cavalieri.  This season has featured two 4-0 blowouts for the Reds and every other game, win or lose, as featured massive stretches of being dominated.

Nearly every corner kick has given Liverpool fits.  Whether or not zonal marking should work, it’s failing once again, this time with an almost completely different roster than the one that’s bled from set pieces all year.  If Rafa were less stubborn, I’d expect a change eventually, but it’s one of the pillars of his system, and he has yet to give up any of the philosophies that got him to this point. 

Mascherano and Carragher are two of the worst players on the pitch today, and with Philip Degan and David Ngog out there, that’s quite a diss.  But both regulars are struggling with controlling the ball and have been beaten multiple times.  At this point, Carragher is more than a disappointment.  He’s a liability.  This is probably his final year as a regular, and I would prefer that he lose the job immediately upon Agger’s return.  As for Masch, his performances won’t help draw interest from Barca.  And if he isn’t careful, Benitez will play Lucas as the holding midfielder once Aquilani is healthy.

Maybe no one cares about the Carling Cup, but I’d hate to lose to Leeds.  I’d like to take this chance to pray to whatever gods favor Albert Riera and Ryan Babel for mercy and a goal.  No one wants to say they were the team that gave Leeds the confidence to climb all the way back to the Premiership.

Quick thoughts on the Manchester derby:

--United’s midfield dominated the second half.  After a lackluster first period, Anderson and Fletcher were possessed in the second.  They alternated between providing needed steel on defense and keeping the offensive pressure on City’s defense.  For the first 20 minutes of the second half, it seemed that the ball never left City’s half as either Fletch or Anderson retained possession every time City attempted to clear.

--Shay Given was tremendous.  Normally, four in the net does not yield compliments for the keeper.  But Given kept City in the match with two point blank saves on Berbatov and a third on a classic Giggs volley from the top of the area.  Given probably should have come out on Fletcher’s second header, but he had no chance on Rooney’s opener or on Fletcher’s unmarked first and second headers.

--Ben Foster was the opposite of tremendous.  Although he had no chance to save Bellamy’s wonder-strike, Foster was at fault for City’s first goal and he should have stood up longer and cut the angle on Bellamy’s break-away.  In fact, I don’t know that Foster made a single save in the match. 

--City missed Adebayor more than Robinho.  Without Adebayor, City had no aerial presence and were unable to hold at the top.  Bellamy --even aside from his two goals—ably provided Robinho’s pace and creativity. 

--City are a top 4 team. 

--Welcome to the derby, Michael Owen. 

By my count, there have been only three draws in the Premier League so far this season, out of approximately 47 matches.

On the topic of Liverpool’s (lack of?) defensive prowess:  Rafa continues to defend his zone marking scheme on set pieces. 

Considering that Liverpool is a weak aerial defensive team, wouldn’t man marking make more sense?  In man marking defenders can make up for their lack of height by bodying up to attackers.  By playing zone, Liverpool is forced to play the ball rather than the man.

On Saturday, Adebayor face-stomped Robin van Persie.  That was the first bush-league move from Manchester City all season… unless you count Adebayor’s celebratory slide in front of Arsenal’s grumpy fans.  Other than the antics of the Premier League’s version of Terrell Owens, though, City has looked every bit the part of a contending team.  They counter-attacked with surgical precision against Arsenal, so much so that I would say they may possess the best counter-attack in the entire league.  That alone makes them incredibly dangerous. 

Spurs were on bye this week.  At least, that must be what they told the players, because I have no other explanation for the total lack of energy and emotion from a Tottenham side that had every reason in the world to want to put the boot in the neck of a Manchester United side that whups them every season.  But let’s call that game a fluke.  As Ape Man pointed out during our live chat of the game, the Spurs defense is always pretty decent.  Now that they have 4 potent strikers and midfielders like Lennon, the injured Modric, and Palacios, they’re stacked in every aspect of the game. 

It would be a surprise if any one of Arsenal, Liverpool, Man U, or Chelsea didn’t make the top 4, but can’t you say the same about City and Spurs now, too?  Are their rosters any worse?  Are their resources any less?  At this point, why should there be any distinction between the big four of the last several years and the upstarts this year? 

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Amid all the glitz, glamour and endless tabloid coverage of every miniscule detail of the Premier League, how come stories such as this http://tinyurl.com/n2dz3s don’t get flagged more? Just reading it through makes me mildly ashamed to be so easily swept along watching the top flight.

Sure, there are some examples of excellent behaviour by more famous clubs and players, and many have given the proceeds from their 10-years-of-service testimonial matches to charities (a trend I believe Sunderland’s Niall Quinn started, though notably Shearer, Solskjaer, and goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen have all done the same). But testimonials date back to the era when players were not well paid, and were a way of rewarding loyal service. These days players retire with a healthy-enough nest egg in any case.

And yes, Premiership clubs have adopted charities of their own, and no doubt hand out a careful percentage of their turnover to local good causes, but I’m afraid after reading about Baker and Stockport, that sort of organised PR stunt leaves a rather ash-like taste in my mouth.

I will count myself an admirer of The Hatters from this day onward. Although that will be suspended if they draw Bristol City in the FA Cup.

Notwithstanding the new guy’s jumping the gun, this is the real liveblog for the Spurs-United match. [A] is Auguste, and [AM] is Ape Man, our new Spurs supporter. Except when we forget to label ourselves, and then you’ll just have to use context.

Solid write-up on each group here.

Soccernet’s predicted results of the group stage:
A: Juve and Munich
B: Man U and Wolfsburg
C: Milan and Madrid
D: Chelsea and Atletico Madrid
E: Liverpool and Olympique Lyonnais
F: Barca and Inter
G: Sevilla and Stuttgart
H: Arsenal and Olympiakos

Matches begin next week!