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Soccer Wednesday: Your Running Commentary

IscoRealMadrid1-Xativa (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

A busy cup week continues on Wednesday with a number of competitions across Europe taking place.

The day begins with the fifth-place match in the Club World Cup as CONCACAF champion Monterrey faces African side Al-Ahly, followed by second semifinal match with Raja Casablanca, who upset Monterrey in the quarterfinals, facing South American champions Atletico Mineiro. Both clubs are looking to progress to the final against Bayern Munich.

In the afternoon, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid play the second leg of their Copa Del Rey round of 16 matches, while Tottenham hosts West Ham United and Stoke City host Manchester United in the English League Cup quarterfinals. Real Madrid, who played third-division side Xativa to a scoreless draw in the first leg, will be without stars Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo due to injury and suspension, respectively.

Man United have rebounded from two-straight home defeats with victories against Shakhtar Donetsk and Aston Villa, but a defeat in the League Cup would only hurt manager David Moyes’ case that he is the right man for the job to replace Sir Alex Ferguson.

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):

11:30am – Al Ahly vs. Monterrey – Fox Sports 2/Fox Deportes

1:30pm – Atletico Madrid vs. Sant Andreu – beIN Sport en Español

1:30pm – Real Sociedad vs. Algeciras – beIN Sport Play

2:30pm – Raja Casablanca vs. Atletico Mineiro – Fox Sports 1/Fox Deportes

2:45pm – Stoke City vs. Manchester United – beIN Sport USA

2:45pm – Tottenham vs. West Ham United – beIN Sport Play

2:45pm – Crawley Town vs. Bristol Rovers – Fox Soccer Plus

3:00pm – Juventus vs. Avellino – beIN Sport Play

3:30pm – Real Madrid vs. Xativa – beIN Sport en Español

3:30pm – Sevilla vs. Racing Santander – beIN Sport Play

Comments

    • Those two brothers won’t be on anyone’s radar unless the come to MLS and tear it up or starts to play well for a big club in South America

      Reply
  1. In the Sunderland-Chelsea game yesterday, I saw about the last 25 minutes of regulation and the full 30 of overtime, and I will say Jozy was very good. And before the Jozy haters start hollering, I will say that I am not one of these pitiful Jozy fan-boys who post on SBI and who think Jozy can do no wrong and make excuses when he has bad games.

    Anyway, yes, Jozy again did not score a goal. But I don’t think Sunderland would have beat Chelsea without Jozy. He was a rock of stability for the team and essential in the build up to the tying goal, with some fine dribbling in the box moving from left to right and took a shot that Swarzer made a good save on but could not hold and Borini took the rebound for a goal. In the 30 minutes overtime Sunderland was great, played with heart and out-classed Chelsea and Jozy was in the thick up, always an outlet and excellent hold up play and nice touch and smart passes and on one corner kick he was wide open at the top of the box on a brilliant set play but a stupid defender screwed up, got between Jozy and the ball and Jozy was pi$$ed off.

    You could tell David Luiz was worried about Jozy, trying to stay close and once toward the end of regulation on a goal kick headed for Jozy to chest down it appeared that Luiz gave Jozy him a vicious elbow in the back that had Jozy on the ground in pain.

    Reply
    • “I am not one of these pitiful Jozy fan-boys who post on SBI and who think Jozy can do no wrong and make excuses when he has bad games.”

      Frankly I see very few, if any. There are more people who do the opposite. In any case, thanks for the good write up

      Reply
    • I saw about the same period of the game and noticed the same things about Jozy. He looked very good. Sunderland fans complain about him because he’s not scoring, but nobody else can give them what he does. He worked hard through 120 minutes, too.

      Reply
      • I was listening on Sirius Radio while driving and the announcers (who were British) kept saying how Jozy was making the correct runs and doing everything he could to get in position to score and the wing play of Sunderland was constantly killing chances with over hit crosses or playing the ball behind the runs. They seemed to think that Jozy was the best player for Sunderland.

      • Kevin Phillips – ex-Sunderland striker and now tv commentator – apparently opined at halftime that Sunderland were not correctly using Jozy, and that they needed to get down the wings and send in good crosses to the big man.

        Was Adam Johnson playing?

      • I read two summaries of the game. Both said jozy was involved in the build up to the winning goal – but in different ways. One said Jozy shot and the rebound came to his teammate who scored. The other said Jozy couldn’t control the ball and after a tackle by a Chelsea defender, it bounced to the teammate who scored.

        Any idea on which one was correct?

      • I believe his shot was blocked and the rebound was picked up by his teammate. But I’d have to see the replay to be sure.

      • no, midwest ref, Jozy did not lose control. It was very close quarters as Jozy was dribbling the box and also close to goal and Schwarzer came out to close the gap as Jozy shot so the ball probably traveled less than a foot when it bounced off Schwarzer. No doubt in my mind that Jozy made that goal happen, although it was also a great shot by Borini at a tough angle.

        just to add, Sunderland in the 15-20 minutes I saw before they scored the goal looked lifeless and not very good. But, man, after that they were very good. Hopefully, the win will be the start of good things in league play. But then again, we Wigan dropped after winning the cup final last year against Man City. Mourinho is so overrated.

      • neither in my recollection. Jozy was camped right in the middle of the box with the Chelsea defenders collapsing on him; the pass came to a wide open Ki who was on jozy’s left. He took a touch and slotted into the corner of the net. I’ll need to see a reply again but that is how remember it.

      • that was Sunderland’s second go-ahead goal (and you are right, Jozy was open on that also and Ki took the shot anyway and this time. wow.) anyway, I think others are referring to the equalizing goal.

      • just saw a replay.. Jozy and Borini were in the middle.. pass came to Borini from Larson and Borinin found ki.

    • That’s all and well, but the Fans are right in being worried about Jozy not scoring. It’ll catch up to him eventually if he keeps whiffing the 1 or 2 clear cut opportunities he gets again. Clear cut being the keyword.

      Reply
      • “Fans are right in being worried about Jozy not scoring”

        Being worried is one thing. They should be; but it’s not Jozy’s fault. I seen a fair number of Jozy’s games and, taken overall, he is arguably Sunderland’s most consistently dangerous player. When they played Liverpool Jozy played the target man role admirably.

        I don’t remember him playing that role at AZ so the move to Sunderland may have helped him develop that aspect of his game; good thing for the USMNT.

        “Dangerous” being defined as the guy who is going to give your team the most trouble.

        Back in November Poyet himself said:

        “Sometimes it is hard — it is very easy to look at a player and say: ‘Oh, he doesn’t score goals.’ But sometimes you have to look at how you play, especially if that player has scored in other teams and not in yours.”

        “In a situation like this, I always analyze myself when I used to play,” Poyet said. “What worked for me as a player? Well, I needed crosses, so the worst team I played in was my national team.

        “In my national team in the years that I played, we were a team that played through the middle — we never played the ball out wide. No wingers. That meant we weren’t crossing and that meant I could not score. I was rubbish!

        “So then people would be saying: ‘Why is it that he is scoring so many goals in Europe when he can’t score for the national team?’ And the answer was simple — different teams. The Uruguay team’s style did not suit my game and this is my point at Sunderland. We need to find a style and a system which plays to the strengths of our best players.

        “If you don’t do that for Jozy, then it is going to be difficult for him to score and we will work on that.”

        Apparently they are still working that out. They don’t lack talent. People forget that Sunderland is still basically a new team with a new manager. Still, it may all be too late for Sunderland but, if Jozy stays on this arc, it is certainly good practice for the World Cup and will be a good showcase for future suitors once Sunderland is relegated.

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