A Bit of Insight.

Something has come to the forefront of my consciousness in the last few days. With the resumption of the Champions League this past Tuesday and Wednesday, football has officially stepped up the priority list that is my daily life all the way up to #2 just behind staying alive on a basic level. Some may call it pathetic, but, the way I see it, I am immersing my spirit in the greatest sport on the planet. I found myself telling work to screw off just so I could come home early and watch Liverpool v. Galatasaray. Is this irresponsible behavior? I guess it would depend on what one defines “irresponsible.” Personally, I find that ignoring something you feel passionate about is irresponsible when it comes to addressing what makes you happy. I also find that when a particular activity inspires you to do other activities to enhance your life, why not go in headfirst? Football has inspired me to write again after about 8 years of ignoring the thimbleful of talent I happen to possess. I might even go back to school and study journalism and make it into a career. What I most want to happen is to be able to contribute in some way to a regular footie mag. Unfortunately, this might take quite a lot of time and effort, but I’m willing to make that sacrifice. I realize that I require a lot of work in the area of actual column writing, but I’d like to believe I have the basic tools in which to improve upon. After all, isn’t doing something related to an activity that positively gives you goose bumps somewhat of a dream job? I dare say it is.

Now that I have gotten the personal part of this blog out of the way, it is time to actually talk football. Champions League match day 2 was fantastic as far as I am concerned. The Tuesday matches were a bit rubbish for the most part, to be fair, but Wednesday’s were just pure fun to watch. Liverpool played what I can only describe as one of the best halves of football I have seen all year. 3-nil and 1 absolutely unbelievable goal as a gangly, 11ft. 2in. tall Peter Crouch bicycle kicked a Steve Finnan cross past a stunned Galatasaray keeper. A true “Holy Sh*t!” moment if I ever saw one. The popular consensus might be that a Ronaldinho, or an Eto’o, or even a Robbie Keane (heh) would score goals in this manner and not, for example, a big, red giraffe such as Crouchinho. Yes. Some Liverpool fans have taken to calling him “Crouchinho.” I’d like to think they’re just taking the piss, but they are dead serious.

To their credit, the Turkish side nicked 2 goals in the span of about 6 minutes and caused thousands upon thousands of Reds fans to chew their fingernails clean off over the remaining 25 minutes of the contest. I wasn’t very convinced of the Liverpool defense’s ability over that last third of the game, but they got the result, and that’s all that matters.

The most intense match for me was German side Werder Bremen hosting FC Barcelona. I have become a bit of a Bremen fan after watching them in the Bundesliga over the last year and really felt for them as a moment of calamity cost Werder a famous victory over Juventus and a spot in the quarterfinals of the Champions League last year. I suppose that’s what you get when you wear a bright pink shirt in goal. Just kidding. Heading into this game, he pundits, as well as myself, would have predicted a Barcelona victory. Deep down, I hoped against hope that the Germans would hold back what many in the world consider to be the best football team on the planet. It was a very inspiring performance from Bremen as they took the game straight to the Catalans. Amazingly enough, 2 or 3 clear cut chances within the first 15 minutes gave me confidence that Bremen wouldn’t be run off the pitch. Honestly, Barcelona’s back line looked a bit off and that made me very happy. Bremen’s, on the other hand, was stout and resolute in their defending of a certain World Footballer of the Year. Ronaldinho disappointed many fantasy team owners Wednesday night, as he was extremely non-existent for most of the game. All credit to Werder, as they locked him down save for one breakaway that didn’t even produce a shot on goal. Throughout the first half, and into the second, Bremen was the better team in my humble and borderline uninformed opinion. Then, dreams came true. UEFA Defender of the Year, Carlos Puyol, directed a Bremen cross directly past the keeper to boost the Germans to a 1-nil advantage around the 1-hour mark. I uncontrollably yelled out as if it were Spurs winning the Premiership. (Hey, it could happen one day.) Deep down, however, I realized that it was only a preventative measure as to not get beaten when Barca eventually scored. Sure enough, Messi hammered one home right at the death to rescue a point. As I thought about the game I had just witnessed, I could only have a sense of admiration for Bremen for attacking Barcelona and not just trying to play for a point the entire game. I am of the firm belief that the best defense is a good offense. Good on ya, Bremen.

Since I am not contractually required to review every game from Tuesday and Wednesday, I’ll leave it at that when it comes to the Champions League. If you want write-ups on the other contests, shoot me an e-mail at madk0w_44@yahoo.com and I’ll see if what I can do. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery or 1 to 2 if you are a hot woman and send me nude pictures.

Doom lingers.

Lastly, a blog of mine would not be complete without a Spurs comment or five. As you can see in the picture above, something horrible seems to be parked above White Hart Lane at the moment. It is amazing the amount injuries that currently plague Tottenham. The list would comprise quite a good team in its own right. Defoe, Berbatov, Malbranque, King, Stalteri, Lennon, Davids. Give me a break. It is a damn good thing we kept four strikers during the transfer window or else we’d be up Shit Creek without a paddle. Now, the onus is on Keane and Mido to end our pathetic scoring drought in the Premiership. One positive from the rash of injuries is that we can run out some of the less experienced talent such as Huddlestone, Ghaly, and Ziegler to see what they can do against quality opposition. Thursday’s test of that theory had mixed results at The Lane. While we advanced in the UEFA Jug, Spurs should have done better against the Czech Republic side Slavia Prague. No offence to Prague, but should it ever take 80min to score a goal at home if you are Tottenham? I think we know the answer to that.

Sunday, Portsmouth comes calling to The Lane and we need another loss like we need Jermaine Jenas as striker. It is awfully early in the season to call any game “must win.” This is one of those situations. I honestly think 4th place will be out of reach if Spurs capitulate against Pompey. I indeed fear for the safety of my television set if I am disappointed yet again. So, for my mental safety, and the safety of my Panasonic wide screen, please don’t screw this up guys.

Until next time, remaining as uneasy as a coke addict working on his 10th cup of coffee,

Mike.