White Suburban Punk

Coming off a heartbreaking (and possibly bank breaking) 1-1 tie at Lyon in the Champions League, Liverpool hosted barely-avoiding relegation Birmingham at Anfield Monday. Despite near total domination, the result was a 2-2 tie. Glenn Johnson, Albert Riera, and Steven Gerrard returned from injuries, while Fernando Torres is out again. Gerrard came on late in the first half for an injured (!) Riera. In fact, the injury looked pretty bad (hamstring). I personally don’t like Riera that much, anyway. David Ngog got a brilliant goal to open the scoring, and then Birmingham answered with two, the first off a free kick (Liverpool continues to struggle on set pieces) and the second on an incredible goal off a counter attack late in the first half. Possibly goal of the year. Liverpool poured it on in the second half and finally got awarded a penalty after an Ngog dive in the box. It really wasn’t THAT bad of a dive. Gerrard nailed the penalty, and hit the post with a header a few minutes later. Terrible result, though. And Yossi Benayoun also hurt his hamstring and left the game. Do the trainers on this team suck or is it really possible for a team to have this much bad luck? Anyway, Liverpool remain by far the most entertaining team in the Premiership, and possibly the world. They’re in seventh place and off for two weeks now for the players to join their national teams, and then will come back with Man City and Debrecen in the Champions League.

David Beckham has to miss national team duty for the MLS playoffs. Way to have a real league, MLS. Every other league in the world stops, except yours. And Landon Donovan and Tim Howard will also miss the US/Slovakia game Saturday because of the MLS. The US is currently ranked 11th, Slovakia 33rd (although they won their group and qualified for the World Cup).

Liverpool – Lyon Champions League, Tuesday Oct. 21, 2009 at Anfield

So Liverpool has now lost four games in a row in all competitions, the worst run for the team since 1987. The calls for coach Rafa Benitez’s head unfortunately will continue, and he even got the dreaded vote of confidence from co-owner George Gillett. Rafa went with a couple of youths in the starting lineup for this game, David Ngog playing striker in place of the injured Fernando Torres, and Martin Kelly at right back. Captain Steven Gerrard returned to the starting lineup after being sidelined with a groin strain.

Although Ngog and Kelly acquitted themselves well, Gerrard was forced to the sidelines at 24 minutes due to a recurrence of his injury. His status for the huge Manyoo tilt at Anfield on Sunday is now questionable. Gerrard was replaced by Fabio Aurelio, and he ended up helping supply most of Liverpool’s offense on the day.

Goalie Pepe Reina made a great save early on, but Liverpool essentially dominated possession in the first half.  Dirk Kuyt was denied a goal for a questionable push, and then Yossi Benayoun scored at 41 minutes to put Liverpool on top, on a play set up by Aurelio. Fabio was later robbed on a header just before the half by Lyon goaltender Hugo Lloris, after a sweet cross by Martin Kelly.

Liverpool continued their domination for the first 15 minutes of the second half, but then appeared to get a bit lackadaisical.  Lyon began asserting their will and finally scored the tying goal at 72 minutes off a corner kick.  Reina valiantly saved the first two chances, but Liverpool boxed it around and he could not save the third chance. 

At 85 minutes, Rafa made the baffling decision to replace Benayoun with Andriy Voronin.  Things went downhill from there.  Seemingly happy with a draw, the Reds gave up the game winning goal 30 seconds into extra time on a set up that was ridiculously easy. 

Liverpool now sit in third place in Group E with 3 points, behind Lyon with 9 points and Fiorentina with 6.  With three games left, (at Lyon, at Debrecini, and home to Fiorentina), the team’s backs are against the wall.  Although Torres is hopeful to play against Manyoo Sunday, it appears the lights are growing dim on Liverpool’s season, even though it’s only October.  Of course, as Jamie Carragher reminds us, they beat Manyoo last year without Gerrard and Torres, but can lightning strike twice?  It better.

Home Calls

Three sports, two countries, but there were some extremely questionable/controversial calls favoring home teams on Saturday.  Saturday morning, Liverpool played at Sunderland in the Premiership.  Early in the game, Sunderland’s Darren Bent turned and fired a shot from relatively close.  The ball struck a beach ball and deflected past Liverpool goalie Pepe Reina and into the net.  Surprisingly (at least to me), the announcers on Fox Soccer Channel did not know if there was a rule governing such a situation, and the studio analysts at halftime claimed the goal was “somewhat controversial” and “just desserts” for Liverpool, since replays showed it was actually a Liverpool fan who threw the ball on the field.  However, the Fox Soccer website later quoted a former Premiership official who claimed that the play should have resulted in a drop ball, not a goal, due to “outside interference”.  This former official also claimed that it was a “basic law” and a rule that would be learned on an “initial refereeing course”.  Essentially, anything other than the 22 players and the referee is outside interference, whether it is an object on the pitch or a fan.  Needless to say, the goal counted, and Liverpool lost the game 1-0.

Next case is Arkansas/Florida, at the Swamp.  After Arkansas goes up in the fourth quarter 20-13 on a 75 yard touchdown on 3rd and 17, Florida benefited from two extremely favorable calls on the ensuing drive, including pass interference in the end zone and a personal foul for unnecessary roughness.  Both calls were awful.  Florida scores, game tied at 20.  Florida later gets away with offensive pass interference in the end zone, and wins 23-20.  Note: the officials have since been suspended by the SEC for the ridiculous unnecessary roughness call.

Case three is USC/Notre Dame, from South Bend.  On Notre Dame’s final drive, the officials bent over backwards to do everything they possibly could to allow the Irish to tie.  Two extremely questionable personal fouls and even putting one second back on the clock for one more chance after time had expired.  Despite all the help, Jimmy Clausen was unable to get the tying score with four plays inside the USC 10 yard line.  Epic fail.  And this is your Heisman candidate?  Are you kidding me?  After his wild fourth down incomplete pass, Clausen looked shocked, not for the loss, but because he wasn’t gifted another ridiculous flag.  Even with all that help, he failed.  His Heisman candidacy should be finished, but of course, it’s the most overrated college football program in the country, and the remaining schedule is BC, Washington State (neutral site), Navy, at Pittsburgh, Uconn, and at Stanford.  In fact, the best scoring defense on the remaining schedule is Uconn, and they give up 19.6 points per game, 30th in the nation.  So we will continue to hear Jimmy Clausen rhetoric for several more weeks.  Really looking forward to it.

Case four is the phantom double play that was not given to the Angels in the bottom of the 10th at Yankee Stadium in Game 2.  Obviously, this didn’t directly result in a run or the Yankee win, but it was yet another extremely questionable call favoring the home team.  A somewhat striking note about these four instances is the fact that they all took place in stadiums with “intimidating” reputations, including the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.  Clearly, the Swamp, South Bend, and Yankee Stadium qualify.  It’s something that as fans we all know we have to live with, but Saturday brought stark examples.

I’m So Bored With The USA

Liverpool’s loss, mentioned earlier, was their fourth loss in nine league games.  They lost only two Premiership games all of last year in finishing in second place, and now sit in eighth, seven points behind Man U, as Sunderland leapfrogged them with the win Saturday.  Predictably, the calls for the sacking of Rafa Benitez have begun again, this time even including Nick Webster from Fox Soccer’s website.

Rafa did prepare for this game in a rather bizarre fashion, starting three center backs.  Should a team of Liverpool’s caliber really be making radical adjustments to match up with a team like Sunderland?  The team was also hindered by injuries to Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, and Javier Mascherano had to come off the bench after international duty.  It all added up to an ugly day for Liverpool.  There was the unbelievable goal allowed off the beach ball (thrown by a Liverpool supporter – how does that happen?  He threw it in front of his own team’s goal!), but the team played extremely uninspired football.  Ryan Babel stunk, as usual, despite his incessant demands for playing time.  Youngster Jay Spearing was in the lineup and didn’t acquit himself all that well.  The team clearly wanted to rely heavily on Yossi Benayoun, but he was largely invisible in the first half and effectively handcuffed in the second.  Glenn Johnson had possession in threatening positions several times, but he would typically wait until the ball was taken away from him.  I believe Liverpool had two legitimate scoring chances all day, but after bringing on Mascherano and Voronin for Spearing and Skrtel, the team did start to show some life, just not enough.  So it’s yet another loss, and now the calls begin again for Rafa’s head.  I’ve really had enough of this.  He didn’t have his two best, world class players.  The goal was a fluke and shouldn’t have counted, anyway.  And Sunderland really isn’t that bad so far this year.  Their goalie is Scotland’s #1, they led Chelsea at the half before losing, and they beat Man U at Old Trafford.  Clearly, the top teams in the Premiership are going drop a lot more points than in previous years.  What surprises me is that world soccer fans seem to be more trigger happy than American sports fans, besides Dan Snyder and the former incarnation of George Steinbrenner.  This is at least the third straight autumn that fans and media have called for Rafa’s job.  In fact, last year, British bookies even took Benitez’s sacking off the books for a time.  They wouldn’t take the bet.  Now, I know Liverpool’s owners are idiots, but I sincerely hope and believe they’re not this stupid.  You can’t get blood from a stone, people.  Tuesday Liverpool plays Lyon at Anfield in the Champions League, and Sunday they get a visit from Man U.  Lyon leads the group with two wins in as many games, and it appears at least Gerrard will be able to play.  It’s obviously a huge week, and I fully expect Rafa to have his charges ready and I certainly expect better results.

Badgers

Ouch.  That one’s going to leave a mark.  Again.  WSP was very confident in the Badgers coming into this game.  After essentially dominating Ohio State at the horseshoe last week, I figured Bielema’s boys would return to Madison and play “Wisconsin football” and handle Iowa rather easily.  Iowa has pretty much done it with smoke and mirrors so far this year, and that continued Saturday.  What exactly is that team even good at?  They don’t pressure the passer, they’re not that great against the run, they hardly have an explosive offense, and they don’t run the ball all that well, either (1 100 yard rusher this season).  Bielema was 15-0 in 11 am games in Madison and Wisconsin was 34-3 at home in the last five years.  Kirk Ferentz was just 5-5 vs. the Badgers.  The first half was essentially all Wisconsin, yet they only led 10-3.  The dominated in total yards, 172-79, first downs 11-3, plays of 10+ yards 7-2, and had caused five negative Iowa rushing plays, to just one for Wisconsin.  Neither team had turned it over, and Wisconsin had survived what at first appeared to be a devastating knee injury to John Clay.  Montee Ball replaced him and got his first career touchdown to cap an excellent 92 yard drive. 

But the second half was all Iowa.  UW quarterback Scott Tolzien threw a terrible pass for an interception on UW’s first possession, which Ricky Stanzi turned into an Iowa TD with a 25 yard pass play while on the run on 3rd and 7.  Clay had returned, but looked tentative the rest of the day.  Wisconsin managed to get a turnover on a strip sack of Stanzi, but Wisconsin couldn’t get anything.  Tolzien was nearly picked on 2nd down, and Nick Toon dropped a pass in good coverage on 3rd down.  Philip Welch then missed a 38 yard field goal attempt.  Iowa responded with a quick drive for a TD and a 17-10 lead.  That was pretty much it.  Wisconsin couldn’t run at all in the second half, as Iowa kept eight men in the box.  Tolzien threw two more interceptions, giving him six in the last three games, and Wisconsin has scored one offensive touchdown in the last two games.  After a promising start to the season, Tolzien has been exposed, and it’s eerily similar to last year’s quarterback debacle with Allan Evridge and Dustin Sherer.  These guys just aren’t that good.  Wisconsin goes into a bye next week, and calls have started for redshirt freshman Curt Phillips to run the show.  But can Bielema really bail on his starting quarterback for the second year in a row?  I doubt he will.  Next up, Purdue in Madison on Halloween.

Upsets

Purdue at Ohio State (-13)

Colorado (home) Kansas (-9)

Kentucky at Auburn (-13)

Texas Tech at Nebraska (-6)

Close Calls

I picked Arkansas to beat Florida, banking on a major hangover for the Gators after last week’s rousing win at LSU and the return of the Chosen One.  With major help from the officials (see above), Florida managed to escape.  Watching the fourth quarter of Arkansas/Florida and USC/Notre Dame, I think I tied my record for saying “what the “&%$#” for the most times in one hour since Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS.

Patriots

Wow.  Just wow.  Was it the snow that got Brady to focus more?  Whatever it was, dial it up.  He looked absolutely vintage 2007.  Maroney even looked great for once and all the offensive weapons were clicking.  The interesting story was on the defense, where Adalius Thomas was a healthy scratch and Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden didn’t start.  Result?  Shutout.  That Belichick guy is really going to make it in this league.

Charissa Thompson

WSP fave and Big Ten Network sideline reporter extraordinaire Charissa Thompson will be, uh, sidelined, with a broken foot and ankle and will be on crutches until at least November 1.  We at WSP will miss her terribly, especially after reading this interview and the following quote:

You host a show called Big Ten’s Best.  What would you say is the Big Ten’s best city to travel to, best fight song, best gameday environment, and best fan base?

Thompson: I hope no one gets offended, but my favorite school to visit and do a game at is Wisconsin.  The town, Camp Randall, the fans…all of it.  I love Badger football games.

God bless her and here’s to a speedy recovery.