What you missed while jellyfish were invading South Beach…
- UEFA Champions League roundup: Inter Milan 2-1 Chelsea, CSKA Moscow 1-1 Sevilla.
- FA Cup Fifth Round Replay roundup: Stoke City 3-1 Manchester City, Aston Villa 3-1 Crystal Palace, Tottenham 4-0 Bolton, West Brom 2-3 Reading.
- Wayne Bridge has withdrawn from the England squad rather than play with John Terry; after Terry’s performance for Chelsea yesterday, I wonder if Capello should maybe drop him instead.
- In semi-related news, Rio Ferdinand has withdrawn from the England squad that will face Egypt; his issue has less to do with the captain banging his WAG and more to do with the fact that he’s chronically injured.
- Manchester United will be without Anderson for the remainder of the season after the midfielder tore his ACL in Manchester United’s 3-0 win over West Ham. This is expected to be a huge blow for the Manchester United Reserve Team.
- Petr Cech suffered a calf injury – not a torn knee ligament – in Chelsea’s loss to Inter Milan.
- MLS players are worried that a possible labor strike could see them ousted from the World Cup roster.
- Paris Saint-Germain captain Claude Makelele has announced that he’ll be retiring at the end of the season; PSG is expected to be in need of someone to play the “Makelele Role” in their midfield now. When an entire method of play is named after you while you’re still playing, it’s really pretty impressive, no?
- United States 2-1 El Salvador; Brian Ching and Sacha Kljestan scored for the U.S., although it took until stoppage time to score the winning goal. Kljestan should’ve had two; he was set up by blog favorite Conor Casey really nicely in the first half.
- Jermaine Pennant was sent home from training by Real Zaragoza after showing up late three times in the last two weeks.
- The Greeks hate Howard Webb too.
- Shockingly, Portsmouth will face major cuts once they enter administration tomorrow.
- Real Salt Lake have acquired Luis Gil from the Kansas City Wizards.
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I know a lot of people are saying Capello did the right thing by not commenting on this Wayne Bridge thing, but personally, I’m getting to the point where I’d like to hear him come out and say that any more shenanigans like the JT and Ashley Cole stuff will not be tolerated at all, and it could be a spot-costing event if it does happen.
Ashley Cole and John Terry are chronic problem children; both of them have long rap sheets of this kind of behavior that makes neither event really surprising. If he hadn’t laid out any framework for behavior off the pitch (and away from the national team) ahead of time, then he probably won’t start now.
Plus, the English back line is starting to look more and more exploitable. No keeper, Ferdinand probably won’t make the final squad (based on his complete lack of fitness all season, how do you bring him?), Terry’s prone to error, there’s no left back, and your right back was already fuzzy. I can’t see Capello dumping anyone over morality concerns with those kinds selection problems; he needs all the bodies he can get.
Good news for you….it was reported yesterday that he has done just that.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8533433.stm
I had a couple of Makelele Rolls for dinner last night and I am paying for it this morning.
But seriously, great player.
A great player who actually has a position named after him at this point. If I say someone is actually filling the “Claude Makelele role” you know EXACTLY what I mean by it.