Liverpool and Manchester United will renew their contentious rivalry this morning at Anfield, with the home team searching for a first victory, and the visitors looking to grab first place in the English Premier League.
Liverpool has recorded just two points from four matches, and will be desperate for a win as they welcome Manchester United to a stadium where they have struggled to earn results in recent years.
In Manchester, reigning Premier League champions Manchester City will be taking on an Arsenal side playing well at the moment. The Gunners have enjoyed a surprisingly good defensive start to the new campaign, but that defense will be tested by a City attack that should feature Sergio Aguero and David Silva.
Clint Dempsey will look to build on a good showing for Tottenham in Europa League when Spurs take on London rival Queens Park Rangers.
If you will be watching today's action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Today's TV Schedule is after the jump):
TODAY'S SOCCER ON TV
8:30am- Fox Soccer Channel– Liverpool vs. Manchester United
9am- beIN Sport en Espanol– Inter Milan vs. Siena
9am- bein SPORT– Udinese vs. AC Milan
9:30am- GolTV– Bayer Leverkusen vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach
10am- Fox Soccer 2go– Newcastle United vs. Norwich City
10:30am- ESPN3.com– PSV Eindhoven vs. Feyenoord
11am- Fox Soccer Channel– Manchester City vs. Arsenal
11am- Fox Soccer Plus- Tottenham vs. Queens Park Rangers
11am- beIN Sport– Olympique Marseille vs. Evian TG
11:30am- GolTV– Werder Bremen vs. Stuttgart
Noon- beIN Sport en Espanol– Atletico Madrid vs. Real Valladolid
2:45pm- RAI– Lazio vs. Genoa
3pm- Univision Deportes– Lille vs. Lyon
3:15pm- ESPN3.com– Academica vs. Benfica
3:30pm- beIN Sport– Rayo Vallecano vs. Real Madrid
4pm- MLS Direct Kick– Philadelphia Union vs. Houston Dynamo
7pm- Galavision– D.C. United vs. Chivas USA
7:30pm- MLS Direct Kick– Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Colorado Rapids
That said, I think they could change up the formation a bit and work Sigurdsson in for the mid-week games if they wanted.
So AVB made the right changes at half time, but should have started the match that way.
Even though Dempsey is still not quite in form, I think he started to show why he’s the best option in this formation. With two speeding wingers, they benefit from having a withdrawn-type striker rather than yet another central midfielder (with Dembele and Sandro, you don’t really need Sigurdsson). Dempsey plays well off of Dembele and Defoe.
Anyone know if Boyd scored one of the two goals Rapid Vienna got today?
MOTM.
I’ve also been impressed with Vertonghen today.
I was actually thinking of something like this….
Shea—–Gomez—-Donovan
Torres—Jones/Williams—–Bradley
Or..
———Gomez———
Torres—-Bradley—–Donovan
—-Jones—-Williams——
Though he does look like he’s settling in more – I hope he isn’t removed from the game.
Definitely think this game solidifies the adage of “as Bale goes, Tottenham goes.”
So then you’d put Donovan right behind the striker where Dempsey was playing or go 4-4-2 with Donovan replacing Zusi/Torres? He has to be replaced one way or the other.
You can tell Dempsey is a bit too overeager for the goal – he’s not thinking about all of his options tactically.
Don’t think we’ll even have to replace him. Don’t forget we will get Bradley and Donovan back.
Im with Adrian on this.
It isn’t over reacting to note that Dempsey has been really poor lately. That second match in Columbus was frankly awful.
And we are at a place where an out of form player will only hurt us. Qualifiers aren’t the place to let a player work into form. And he is not even in average form.
If you’re watching the game Spurs fans actually boo’d him. Ouch.
There is training on your own and then there is actual training with a club. Throw in the fact that he’s been with Spurs for 3 weeks and I think it’s a little early to start worrying about his form.
Who would you bring in to replace him with the national team?
Disagree that he was one of the worst players against Jamaica, at least in the return leg. He was calm on the ball and helped keep it moving. Dempsey was vital in taking people on, in maintaining possession and in, frankly, leading the US when Jamaica tried to rough up the game.
With Dempsey’s ability and his me-against-the-world-”he tries stuff” mentality, the US needed to follow someones’s direction and bravado in puffing out their chest. That was Dempsey, though not at his best.
demps took a shot from distance. at least someone’s trying to shoot.
Sorry, not true.
He was one of the worst players against Jamaica. In fact, he might have even been the worst player on the pitch.
Great players can take a nose dive in form. He shouldn’t be called up if this continues.
Good points. I think your talking your argument to far though. I’m not trying to put words in your mouth, but by saying things like “uselessness”, I get the feeling that you think the pursuit of statistical evidence has no place in soccer.
GAA, Sv, Sv% definitely involve the whole defense and quality of chance the keeper faces. These stats may not be perfect, as you’ve pointed out in an intelligent and civil manner, how ever when applied fairly and applied to all keepers they do allow us a better, more unbiased view of a keepers abilty to stop shots. Now if we want to talk decision making, maybe we should start to quantify crosses handled and mishandled, rebounds allowed …
Also, I would need to find out more about how its quantified, but the big chance sv% seems like a very good stat at determining a goalkeepers ability to keep there club in the game.
Your right, American sports are obsessed with stats, and, they keep getting better at baseball has moved from simple stats to much more involved and more perfect for their purpose (i.e. BABIP, tERA, PER). I believe, soccer while tougher to quantify is heading in the same direction.
Hope your enjoying your Sunday.
Great call!
Stop overreacting about Dempsey. Unless he’s injured, he will be called up and he should be. Even out of form he’d be one of our best attackers, even if it just meant starting him on bench.
If you’re not watching Hoffenheim, find a stream and check out the replay…Fabian Johnson just scored a brilliant goal.
I am starting to get very nervous with Andre Villas-Boas at the helm of Tottenham. The team looks lost out there playing with a 4-3-3 formation. Granted Tottenham did not score against Lazio on Thursday with the 4-2-3-1, but they looked strong and at least had numerous scoring opportunities, not to mention three goals called back–two of them on bad referee calls.
Man Spurs look awful and if this form continues Dempsey should not receive a call up to the next set of qualifier games.
I thought he said he had been training on his own? Spurs fans booing him pretty hard after that last turnover.
You have to test the goal at home. You just have to. A weird lineup and seemingly no chemistry plus less heart than the other team equals ugly half for spurs.
Booooooos raining down.
I’d like to see someone else at LB, Bale moved up, Sig out (he has been ok, but doesn’t seem to know where to be on the field) and Dempsey moved central.
this is what happens when too many players are played in spots/situations that don’t suit their talents best.
I don’t think this is a great formation. Bale has to play defense (due to injuries) so they lose that dimension, and they have too many players who like to go central. Dempsey will never be a winger. It just isn’t working and they aren’t passing well or winning balls.
Defoe needs to learn what offsides is. He is killing Spurs right now with mistakes.
I’ve been watching. My honest opinion is I think Dempsey’s been of tottenhams poorer players so far. To be fair no one on Spurs is playing well. They can’t keep possession and haven’t tested goal once yet. Dempsey out of position and giving away silly balls with bad passes. He’s getting MORE into the game as it goes on but he just seems……off.
How’s Dempsey looking?
The uselessness of stats for judging goalkeepers is pretty much the standard conventional wisdom. And while I hate to pull out the tiresome “they don’t do it in other countries” argument, that argument does have merit here.
In countries with leagues that have been playing at a higher level for decades longer, no one has a clue of anyone’s total saves, save percentage, GAA, or “big chance save percentage”. I would argue that is because no one sees the values in numbers that don’t acually pinpoint how a keeper is playing. Meanwhile, US sports fans are famously stats-obsessed, and accordingly the league has decided to load up the website with as many as possible, including many of questionable value.
Assigning, for example, responsibility of a team’s GAA to a goalkeeper is like assigning touchdowns to a middle linebacker in football. Are they both part of the defense? Sure, but they could be the best in their leagues at their positions, and their team defenses could still get shredded giving up loads of touchdowns/goals.
Save percentage? A good team defense will give up fewer point blank shots than a bad one. Nothing the keeper can do about that.
Total saves? No matter how good a keeper is he’s not getting many of these if his defense shuts down the opponent.
Stats don’t capture decision making, and at the highest levels goal keeping is ALL about quick decision making.
Hamid has the tools to go to Europe some day. You’ll get no argument from me there. But he’s very young for a keeper and that day is still a ways off.
AHHHH gervinho! AHHHH
Wish I could watch the Dolo-Fabian Johnson battle today. Williams also starting.
Sorry, gotta disagree again, stats are not meaningless. You can’t just say something like that and not back it up with any further explanation.
Furthermore, he’s had his shaky moments (I agree) but he would not lead the league (IMO, caveat – we don’t have any meaningful statistical data here to back up our arguments, that said I’ve watched every game he’s played this year and he’s single handedly earned us three points in a couple games this year).
Hamid definitely has work to do as a young goalkeeper if he wants to keep improving and I agree with you that he’s not ready to head to Europe yet. He has to work on his handling of crosses, leadership out of the back, overall soccer IQ. But I believe he has the work ethic, raw physical tools, and talent necessary to exceed on any level in this wonderful sport.
MLS.com in there 24 under 24 just had another interesting stat, of goalkeepers under 24, Bill Hamid has the best big chance sv% (47 percent).
I guess we don’t see eye to eye on this one players ceiling, still glad to be having this argument about an american player and glad were slowly but surely growing the overall talent pool (although it could be said we’ve had a long line of good goalies).
Cheers.
For sure. Hamid had a very nerve wracking performance on Thursday. He almost gifted Philly a goal at least once. His decision making, at times, is still a work in progress.
How are you watching this? Didn’t see any streams available on my site.
should be fun to watch – glad Demps gets the start.
Also, thank god Bale is ok after that cleating he took mid-week.
Deuce starting for Spurs per Sky.
Looks like one hell of an attacking lineup with Bale going to left back and Deuce/Lennon/Dembele/Sig all in the side.
Goalkeeper stats are really meaningless.
That said if there was such a thing as a “shaky moment” stat he’d be among the league leaders this year.
Jozya being keyed on today, constantly being fouled and surrounded by severaly defenders. AZ sliding him deeper and bringing in midfielders up to compensate, but it’s taking Jozy out of the offense and he’s not joining the counter quickly enough. He had one really impressive chance, holding off a defender draped all over him while he blasted a shot from close range too hot for the keeper to handle, diving after the rebound and just missing a header. He just slipped on the rain soaked pitch to miss a chance at a cross.
Guzan is definitely the no. 2. That said, I disagree with your statement that Hamid needs to focus on holding his starting job. I can confidently say that job is his. Stats for 2012.
Sv%: 78
Sv: 74
GAA: 1.1
in 19 Games Played
And right now I think Guzan is more likley to challenge Howard for no. 1 than he is to be challeged for no. 2.
Not that I see that happening, but point is there’s a bigger gap now between Guzan and no. 3 than there is between Howard and Guzan.
Really can’t imagine Hamid playing at a level higher than MLS right now. He needs to focus on maintaining his starting job at DC United.
Glad I set the morning alarm to watch the second half of Liverpool v ManPoo and that the first sequence I saw was Gerrard’s goal. Not glad about Rafael’s (very nicely taken) equalizer. Should be a lively 35 mins. Really wish we had a target forward to put a noggin onto crosses from Johnson and Sterling.
Also, found this on Twitter. Must be shared.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sONRDHy6UAo
Not sure if Bradley was going to return, but Roma’s game today is off after Cagliari’s president refused orders to play behind closed doors.
Hope Mikey gets a couple of games before 10/12.
Anybody else shedding any tears during the pregame?
Above poster, I’m more curious when might Sean Johnson or Bill Hamid move to Europe. Guzan needs competition for that 2nd spot.
Ibrahimovic scored a brace yesterday, That dude is totally bossing Ligue One.
O/T but when is Wondo heading to Europe?I feel that he would do great in the Scandinavian leagues but could dream a bit higher. Perhaps Belgian or Turkish league?