Thanks for coming back to another week! For those of you who thought this wouldn’t actually be a regular thing, you’re wrong (for now at least).
Gonna start this week by saying how sad it was to wake up yesterday morning to the news of Fiorentina Captain and Italian national, Davide Astori being found dead in his hotel room before their match. Once again I’m not breaking news so if you want more info on that, search Google. I cannot begin to imagine how that feels for everyone around him, so thoughts to everyone affected. Because of this, all Italian Serie A games were cancelled yesterday, Sunday 3/4.
Going off cancelled matches and into ones that were played, this one maybe could have been called off or stopped early or something, but Spurs absolutely turned it on to third-division Rochdale in the 5th round FA Cup replay, it was snowing so hard I could barely see the 6 goals that Spurs put in, go in.
After the embarrassment to City, laying a 3-0 egg on Sunday, maybe Arsenal bounce back against a team that’s facing a tough Chelsea squad on Sunday, right? WRONG. How Arsenal is it to lose 3-0 in a cup final, and then less than a week later, do it again but AT HOME. 2 straight 3-0 L’s to Man City carried them with just perfect momentum to lose at Brighton… If I’m being honest, as much as I like to troll Arsenal and my friends who are all fans of the club for some odd reason, I love the way they ball when they ball, so I’ve always been about Wenger for his style of play but it’s time bud. Let the club move on and start with someone else now, save your pride and resign! I don’t want these last few months, maybe even years to tarnish his legacy, though, he’s done some great things, but yea it’s just time.
Alright now that we time-traveled from Friday to Sunday, let’s go back to Saturday. Remember I said last week how all of the games were so boring I would sleep in and probably watch MLS when I woke up? Yea I was wrong. For some reason I set my alarm for 7:30am and woke up to watch what actually ended up being a decently exciting game between Burnley and Everton…I said exciting not good play don’t get ahead of yourselves. The tree of Burnley Chris Wood got subbed on and did what else but escape Ashley Williams’ and his ball-watching on a corner to head home in the 80′ for the winner. Williams also got a red card 6 minutes later just thought I’d throw that in there to rub some salt in the wound, sorry Ashley.
The Villa game, along with a few other Championship games were postponed due to weather, so televised in the States, I had 2 options: Stoke vs Southampton snooze-fest or Tottenham toying with Huddersfield. I played Fortnite for the first half instead. Turning Stoke on second half, and when I called Wood a tree, I kinda meant a big stocky guy, cause there’s no one longer than the legend, Peter Crouch. Coulda sworn he was gonna head home the winner too, but that game ended 0-0, what a surprise. The best part of that game, actually, was when the final whistle blew and they switched over to added time of the Leicester game, where the blonde Algerian magician, absolutely BANGED a free kick in the 97′ to rescue a point against Bournemouth. I’ll give that to you, Mahrez and Algeria, but the G.O.A.T Landon Donovan still has your number (happy belated btw LD10).
Spanish league was pretty straightforward Saturday, and Ronaldo got his 300th La Liga goal, along with number 301, in a return to their winning form with a 3-1 W over Getafe.
Bundesliga was decent, my game of the day was Dortmund vs Red Bull Leipzig and this 1-1 battle did not disappoint with both teams having chances throughout the game until the very end. Reus keeps his back-in-action form up as he nets a goal, and it could be the perfect timing for this form, as the German’s look to defend their World Cup title in a few months. I love that Reus is balling, I just hope this doesn’t affect Pulisic who was benched, maybe for rest, maybe for Marco.
Liverpool dominated again in the late game of the day on TV, with Salah and Mane scoring yet again. That counter attack is so dangerous, and now it kinda looks like their defense might be figured out, team on the rise??
Sunday, no Serie A as I said due to the tragedy of Astori, but over to Spain again, King Leo went King Leo and scored another free kick banger, his 600th for club and country (anything you can do I can do better). They win over the second-placed Madrid, Atleticó. Normal Sunday in Germany, Bayern scored 4 and shut out Freiburg, and oh yea look at that, back in the U.K., another Man City W as Arsenal lose.
Pep and City’s class broke down Conte and Chelsea’s bus in front of the net, and got the goal they needed, right after halftime. The game may have been 1-0 so Chelsea hung in the game, but I think it’s safe to say the 71% possession and 13 shots City had, to Chelsea’s no chances on target are really what describes the game
Ending the overseas week with Manchester United taking on Crystal Palace, a pretty straightforward game for United, so we’d think. I was debating finishing up writing and posting this before/during the game, but I decided to wait, and thank god I did. After a dreadful 50-55ish minutes to start the game, United flipped the game on its head as Chris Smalling scores his second goal of the campaign to give them hope. In the early minutes after this happened I, along with probably 95% of the people watching, could sense the equalizer coming. It came. Big Rom, yet again, nets a goal to bring United level! With 14 minutes left, to note.
Immediately after the ensuing kickoff, future world #1 (after Neuer retires), David de Gea, stretches out to deny the former Villan savior, Christian Benteke of another signature headed go-ahead goal. 90+ minutes go by, who else other than… Nemanja Matic? I mean if I’m a United fan I’m loving it but from a neutral point of view I’m still scratching my head about how Matic scores a world class goal like that, minutes after having a chance cleared off the line. 3-2 United final to wrap up a solid week of football overseas
Finally, in my time zone, soccer is played in the afternoon. That’s right, you read that right, MLS IS BACK. I was so excited to see this ever-so changing league, with a brand new team in LA with celebrity owners, this could affect the sport in this country so much (if only we had the US this summer to look forward to). The day was very strange all in all, but my main headline and ranting point is over VAR.
This system was put in to make the sport better and clearer, to eliminate obvious mistakes…that’s just not what it’s doing. Okay so now this is the end of my recaps, so if you don’t want to hear my tirade on VAR, I hope you come back and read again next week, but I think you’ll like this rant to really understand the new horrible system.
Video Assistant Referees are implemented into some leagues now, as trials, in order to perfect the already perfect game, with catching and being able to change mistakes that no referees should make. Instead, what it is doing, is going back and reviewing any controversial call, which could be called either way. This is the referee’s job to decide in live play, and like I said, should only be used when 10/10 times the referee should call it the other way.
I was watching the DC United-Orlando City game (Vamos United) and in about the 30′, a DCU player got clocked and a head injury. Didn’t seem like much but an incidental arm in live time, but the ref decided to go look at the video review. After about a minute and a half, he comes back and gives the Orlando player a red… seriously? I’m all for my favorite team playing 11v10 but if that happens in the first game of the season, it’s bound to happen not in my favor at some point or another and you’ll hear about that when it happens I’m sure.
The last games I watched over the weekend before today’s Man U game were Sporting KC vs NYCFC, and the old LA team, LA Galaxy, are trying to flip last year’s script of lowest point total, as they beat Portland, who had the most points in the West last season.
Now, the Sporting KC game got out of hand, despite being down the whole game, down by 2 the last 30ish. A penalty was awarded for SKC, to make the game 2-1 with 10 mins left to play, until the ref trotted alllll the way over to his screen at the midfield sideline, and determined that it wasn’t a penalty, but also did not award a yellow card for diving/simulation. Even after watching the replay, it should’ve been awarded a penalty, so I have no idea what the VAR could be helping if its a decision like that. Six minutes later, SKC is through on a breakaway when they’re fouled for what seems to be a penalty, no call…initially. The ref goes to VAR ONCE AGAIN and changes his mind, gives a red card to the NYCFC player who made the challenge, but it was right outside of the box as shown in video. Both cases could have been called either way, neither should have blatantly been called the other way, which is what VAR is supposed to be for.
One of the reasons I am so concerned over this is because it was just announced that it will be used at this summer’s World Cup… You can’t even get it right in the MLS, imagine the reactions for the biggest event in the world. Good luck corrupt FIFA
Thanks for reading my rant/recaps! Feel free to share/contact me and hope you read again next week!
"Soccer" State of Mind 