On the Premier League: Notes from Opening Day

It was opening day today for the world's best league in football, the English Premier League. There were plenty of things to take away and still plenty more to comment on, so I won't waste any time.

1. Opening match. The first match of the Premier League season pitted Premiership hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City against one another. Though the game ended in a scoreless tie, there were a couple of things to take away from the match.

Mancini is a diluted ass. Roberto Mancini, I'm convinced, is the worst manager in the Premier League. And I mean worst not in the sense that he's bad, which he is, but I mean worst in the sense that he's just a dick. Mancini started some of his recent signings, David Silva, Yaya Toure, and Alexsander Kolorav in this game. All of them were sub par. Admittedly, this is to be expected of players coming from other leagues trying to get used to Premier League speed, but I still expected better.

There was absolutely nothing lethal about City's game, with Tevez most of the time being the only player who was even in the box at all. They played for the scoreless tie throughout the second half, and kicked the ball around in their own area like the poor sports that they are.

Perhaps the most striking thing though, was the news of what Mancini said after the game. After an extremely impressive game from keeper Joe Hart, who made 8 saves and single handedly earned City their point, Mancini said he would refuse to allow Shay Given to leave City. What an asshole. Given is one of the world's best goalkeepers, and it's a complete waste of talent to keep him on the bench. This again shows how little respect Mancini, and the City administration, has for any of their players. Then Mancini said that he fully expectes Stephen Ireland, who didn't even get a chance to play today, to "play his part" in a deal with Aston Villa's James Milner. Which means essentially, he expects Ireland to leave the club that raised him and the club that has defined his life. Can you tell that I hate Manchester City?

Also in this game we saw the full potential of Tottenham Hotspur's leathality. Gareth Bale looked absolutely unstoppable from the left midfield, and Defoe and Crouch also seemed to be well in form, despite their inability to get one to hit the back of the net.

There was also a pretty great performance on display from Michael Dawson, who I think should replace John Terry at the World Cup 2014.

Benoit Assou-Ekoto completely annihilated my expectations with top class service out of the left back position and a great defensive performance. He could be a treasure this season for Spurs.

Moving on from the opening match.

2. Aston Villa: Just fine without O'Neill. So I didn't cover this much, but earlier this week Aston Villa manager O'Neill up and left the club, frustrated with the deal between Milner and City. Everyone thought this, along with a hamstring injury to star forward Gabby Agbonlahor, could spell a flop for Villa this year. But today, Villa proved everyone wrong with a 3-0 thumping of West Ham United.

Villa did everything right in this game, securing 10 corners in the FIRST HALF. Additionally, Ashley Young looks to be in top form in his new role as the right winger for the club. But there were other great performances from the likes of Stewart Downing, who's excellent service into the 18 yard box and first half goal won him Man of the Match. Stiliyan Petrov also scored on a great strike and James Milner got what could be his last goal in a Villa kit to round out the scoring.

Villa are not to be ruled out by any means in the Premier League this season, especially not after this start.

3. Chelsea: Drogba nets hat trick in 6-0 thrashing of West Brom.

Recently promoted from the English Championship, West Bromwich Albion never knew what hit them. A Drogba hat trick and a brace from Florent Malouda, capped by a goal from ever-in-form Frank Lampard made for the ideal day for the Blues.

Drogba's goals couldn't have been better: one from a set piece, one from a defending error following a corner, and one from about 23 yards out. These are his trademark goals, and he netted each one in excellent style, and proved himself to still be in rich form and to still be one of if not the best striker in the world.

Also on display today was central defender Alex, coming in for recently departed Ricardo Carvalho on his way to Real. Alex seemed confident and on the few chances West Brom had, it was more often than not him who steered them off target on their hopeless quest.

Other notes: Another recently promoted team, Blackpool proved today that they cannot be trifled with a 4-0 rout of Wigan Athletic. Tim Howard made a terrible mistake that cost Everton a 0-1 defeat to Blackburn, and apparently left the American goalkeeper in tears. Stoke City's record signing Kenwyne Jones was taken out of their match today against Wolves just 14 minutes into the match. Stoke would lose 2-1.

Upcoming: LIVERPOOL AND ARSENAL ARE PLAYING TOMORROW AT 11 AM. If you are looking for a way to watch it, here you go: http://myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=83711&part=sports

Some of those feeds go offline occassionally, so if you want a more reliable one you might want to download Veetle or Sopcast. Both are media players and are 100 percent virus free I promise. However, if you have Fox Soccer Channel, you can just watch it there.

Also upcoming is Manchester United's debut against recently promoted Newcastle United on Monday. Kickoff at 2:55 PM on ESPN 2.

Questions? Comments? Insults? All are welcome.

On Jose Mourinho: What his arrival at Real Madrid means for the club and himself

No manager in football today is as hated, loved, feared, acclaimed, or successful as Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese two-time Champions League winner was ushered into Real Madrid yesterday, and he already has high hopes for the club. Mourinho has said publicly that he wants to become the first manager to win three different league titles in three different countries, and to become the first manager to win the Champions League three times with three different clubs.

Most people would think that's pretty damn cocky, but let's look at what it is about Mourinho that makes these claims legitimate, especially in the context of Real Madrid. There are three aspects of Mourinho's coaching style to examine in this respect:

1. Discipline. This is the first and foremost priority of the teams of Jose Mourinho. Everyone on the team knows their place, and everyone works together as a team. This goes double for Real Madrid, who have a star-studded roster.

It's brightest star is, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo. Mourinho is going to be able to "reign in" Ronaldo quite effectively, for a number of reasons. One of them being the reason listed above, that Mourinho is a manager that won't put up with Ronaldo's antics on and off the field. The other reason that this won't be a difficult task for Mourinho is the intense relationship that the two men already have before he has even arrived. Ronaldo made statements three months ago that he would love to be coached by Mourinho, and that was actually when the buzz started about Mourinho's move there. In addition to that, both men are from Portugal, and have seemingly similar personalities.

2. Personality. This is true of both Mourinho and Mourinho's teams. A large part of Mourinho's goal when coming to a club is to establish one distinct identity about that team. When he was at Chelsea, it was blazing pace and unforgiving score lines. At Inter, it was all about defense and then a razor sharp counter attack led by Wesley Sneijder and Diego Milito. It will be important for Mourinho to establish this identity at Real too, as it is a club full of a lot of great players from a lot of different places.

This is also true of the man himself. Mourinho is a different kind of manager because he's always on the sidelines. He can be extremely animated during matches, screaming at players, refs, or anyone who will listen to him. This is sort of a welcomed sight for me, because usually when they show the manager they are just sitting up in a press box, and it really doesn't even look like they are watching the match.

During one match I was watching, Milito was called offsides. Mourinho immediately walked over to one of the assistants on the sidelines and leaned on the table, trying to get a peek at the camera on instant replay to see if the call was legitimate. The assistant slowly turned the monitor away from Mourinho, and Mourinho frowned and walked away. I have to admit, I laughed. He's definitely a character.

3. Merciless signing of new players. Mourinho likes to have the players he wants, particularly those that are in their early 30s so that he can get two or three more great years out of them. This will especially be true at Real, who are known as, as one of my friends told me: "The Yankees of soccer."

Mourinho already has a wish-list, which he announced two days ago. He wants Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and Ashley Cole. Wow, wow, and wow. I know that when you first read that list, it seems impossible that any of those players would leave, but it's actually just the opposite. Ashley Cole has just undergone an extremely messy divorce from his wife in England, and Mourinho is convinced that he'll want to leave the island. Furthermore, Mourinho was the one who first signed Cole at Chelsea, and they had a great relationship there. As for Lampard, he was basically Mourinho's go-to guy at Chelsea for three years. Even Gerrard almost joined Chelsea in 2004 but at the last moment decided to stay at Liverpool. What this proves is that Mourinho can basically get anyone he wants, especially now that he's at Real. Can you blame any player who joins his side though? It's basically a golden ticket to the Champions League, as history as shown.

Now, this is what we know we can expect from Mourinho. But what does he need to do to get Real Madrid to win the Champions League? Here's what I think:

1. Benzema has to not suck. Karim Benzema last year was the big signing of the year. United, Real, Barca, you name the club, they wanted this young Frenchman to play for them. When Real got him, it was a really big deal. But then Benzema couldn't really deliver, and never got better throughout the season. In fact, his campaign was so disappointing that he wasn't capped for the World Cup this year. Mourinho needs to give this kid some confidence, he needs to devise a game plan that will suit his needs. Benzema could be the best striker of the next decade, and Mourinho has him sitting on his bench right now.

2. He needs to get Casillas on his side. Iker Casillas is Real Madrid. He's been at the club since he was 7 years old, in fact, he's been basically the only constant at Real for the past decade. He's the revered best goalkeeper in the world. He has signed a contract for life with the club, with the buyout clause saying it all: 182 million dollars. He's the captain, he's the fan favorite, and he's Mourinho's key to getting this team to the Champions League. Mourinho needs to have a strong following amongst these star players, and they're going to be looking at Casillas to judge him.

3. Solidify the defense. Real's back four, other than Sergio Ramos, has been a cavalcade of players with no real connection to the fans or to the club itself. Mourinho needs to get a solid back four going, as that is the key to success in any major tournament. He's already making strides there though, as apparently Maicon wants to come with Mourinho from Inter. We've already seen how good Mourinho can make clubs defensively at Inter, but he's got work to do at Real.

This is my profile of what Jose Mourinho means to Real and what it means to him. Like this/have questions/think I'm wrong? Comment!

On United States vs. England: What needs to happen for the U.S. to win.

For those who don't know, the United States is playing their opening game of the 2010 Fifa World Cup against England. Some might say, well that sucks. I'm here to tell you what needs to happen for the United States, who aren't as big of underdogs as one might think, to win that game. Before I start though, I want to say that England is my team other than the U.S. I feel the opposite of what Sir Alex Ferguson said, who said that he wishes the United States luck, after they play England. I wish England luck, after they play the U.S.

1. Score early. This is an old addage in all of sports. If you're the underdog, you need to come out with a fire lit under your ass and take it to the house. Whether it's Altidore doing one of his little jukey run things, Donovan getting an open shot at goal, or anyone else, they need to get in a position to have a chance early and they need to take it.

2. Get physical. England are a bunch of big boys. A lot of them are established bullies. But the U.S. has got big boys of their own, and they need to get out there and take it to them. They've done it before, Clint Dempsey once broke John Terry's jaw in a friendly match. I want to see Dempsey and Bradley going after English key players Garreth Barry and Aaron Lennon. Jermaine Defoe is a tiny little guy, give him a whack or two whenever he tries to get in the box. Even Rooney, who is an absolute hell-hound on the ball, needs to be reigned in. If this game is going to the United States, they need to take the fight to England hard. I want to see the American Revolution, Part Two, with the same victor. Hoo-ah.

3. Take advantage of injured English roster. Don't get me wrong, the United States has injury problems of their own, but those are all old news. The injuries that England are dealing with happened VERY recently, and those players need to be taken advantage of. In defense, Rio Ferdinand is just coming back from a broken leg. In midfield, Garreth Barry messed up his ankle and could have been out for SIX WEEKS, and that happened two weeks ago. Up top, Rooney messed up his ankle, came into a game too early and exasperated it last week. These are players that are surely not one hundred percent, and we need to capitalize on that.

On the same note, England has players all over the pitch that are just out of form. John Terry, following the scandal of him SLEEPING WITH TEAMMATE WAYNE BRIDGE'S WIFE was stripped of his captainship, and caused Bridge to bow out of the team. And then he started playing like crap, and he really hasn't gotten better since. Steven Gerrard (whom I love) is just not playing his best football right now, and his wicked shot was one of the biggest fears of the U.S. going into the tournament. Don't even get me started in England's forwards, who I've already mentioned in this blog have basically been absent except Rooney. And finally, Frank Lampard. I know, he had a great season, an exceptional one (22 goals in league play). But, Lampard's last shot he took was a penalty in the FA Cup final against Portsmouth which he MISSED. This is Frank Lampard, who, despite Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba, is supposed to be the best penalty taker in the world. That will not sit well with him, and I think he'll come out spooked.

4. Play as a team. One of the biggest advantages that the United States has is that they are a team of friends. Whereas on teams like Spain or Argentina, most of the guys from the U.S. have known each other for years. On those other big teams, a bunch of superstars are coming together, most of which play on seperate land masses, and trying to put together a team. England is no different. This is a team who is, quite literally, sleeping around on each other. They've been bitter rivals for their entire career, and the United States needs to frustrate them enough to let that come out. The United States doesn't have these problems. When they have the ball, they need to play relaxed, clean football. Knock the ball around a little to start off the game, just get a nice flow going. And then take it to the house before the tenth minute.

These are my keys for the U.S. winning against England. Have your own/think these are wrong? Comment!