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Soccer Wednesday: Your Running Commentary

Mesut Ozil of Arsenal

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By DAN KARELL

After suffering a gut-punch defeat to Liverpool, Arsenal have a chance to gather themselves up and move into first place in the English Premier League on Wednesday when they host Manchester United.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has backed his players to forget about the harsh loss last Saturday and pick themselves off the ground. Mesut Özil in particular, who drew criticism from the press, is expected to provide more for Arsenal against the Red Devils, who counter with a lineup consisting of Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata, and former Arsenal forward Robin Van Persie.

In addition to Arsenal-Man United, Fulham host Liverpool, Swansea City visit Stoke City, and Newcastle host Tottenham in a mid-table clash.

Other games to watch for on Wednesday include a Coppa Italia clash between AS Roma and Napoli, Real Sociedad facing Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey, and Hamburg hosting high-flying Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal. In the evening, the Copa Libertadores continues with four matches, highlighted by Mexico’s Club Leon hosting Brazilian club Flamengo.

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 schedule is after the jump):

2:30pm – Hamburg vs. Bayern Munich – ESPN3/Univision Deportes

2:45pm – Arsenal vs. Manchester United – NBCSN

2:45pm – Stoke City vs. Swansea City – Premier League Extra Time/NBC Sports Live Extra

2:45pm – Newcastle vs. Tottenham – Premier League Extra Time/NBC Sports Live Extra

2:45pm – Napoli vs. AS Roma – beIN Sports Play

2:55pm – Nice vs. AS Monaco – ESPN3/Univision Deportes 2

4pm – Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona – beIN Sports USA

7pm – Club Leon vs. Flamengo – Fox Deportes

9:30pm – Deportivo Cali vs. Cerro Porteño – Fox Deportes

Comments

  1. Sturridge dove on that penalty, it was a dumb and rash tackle so I can see why it was given but he goes down before even being touched. Harsh for Fulham.

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    • I’ve only seen two angles of it though, if anyone can give a different one I’d be interested. Really looked like he falls on the defender when he sees the tackle come in

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      • im just commentating on the game being played in my head, you have to believe before you can achieve….. mental forsight

      • touché, but just wait, he’ll hit a perfect bicycle before the game’s over…. just watch, He’s owning Kompany this match

      • And Altidore comes through with a miraculous bicycle kick to complete his hat trick, he rips off his kit revealing an undershirt reading “suck on that ACIDBURN”!!! Sunderland 3 Man City 0! what a match!

  2. It’s like, Dempsey lost all of his passion after it didn’t go well at Tottenham. Forget form, he doesn’t even try to will through the game with the grit and grind he used to do it with. It’s like he’s been coasting just going along for the ride since things went south at Spurs. He just goes along keeps the ball and try’s to earn fouls, but doesn’t try daring passes and moves like he once did when he has so much fire in his belly in the latter years at Fulham

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  3. Dempsey, just come home. looks like FJ unused again. would like to know if this is still hand related or if he will no longer start from here on out. which would be AWFUL for us.

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  4. Well, there goes my theory that Demspey was rested against Man U after 120 minutes a few days earlier in order to be rested for Liverpool. I can find no news that Dempsey has been injured. If no injury, then only three possible explanations. 1) a bust-up in the locker room or 2) Meulensteen doesn’t rate Clint or 3) Clint said enough and pulled up stakes in London and is headed back early to Seattle.

    I guess there is a 4) Lewis Holtby is bad luck for Clint.

    Would be nice if SBI would make phone call to someone in the know and do a news story.

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      • what would you do if your rented mule can’t carry a darn thing? would you keep beating it or get another that can carry some? would you ask for your money back? probably not because the owner woudl say…”well, you rented the wrong mule, not my problem”.

    • I assumed it was with Holtby in and Dempsey around for only another month Rene decided to go with guys that would be around longer. If Clint had lit it up he’d have kept starting, but he was just okay. It was going to be hard for him to hit the ground running.

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    • The day is never complete without a biff conspiracy theory. How about 5) He didn’t make an impact when he had a chance and now the manager needs to worry about gelling new players who are staying at the club the full season as they fight relegation.

      It doesn’t take an SBI reporter to read between the lines.

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      • You’re not very smart, are you, Javier? Calling someone a conspiracy theorist and then in the next sentence claiming to be able to know the facts by reading between the lines. How did you learn how to do that? Care to explain that to us? Oh, and by the way, your Explanation 5 is basically the same as his Explanation 2. You should take reading lessons. You could try vitamins also. They might help.

    • Dempsey can play on a wing or up top, he’s not a one trick pony. You find a way to get him on the field, they’re not that talented even if he has to be wedged in with Holtby. The new coach was supposed to fix their issues but they just look like they’ve stalled. I took a little stick for saying Fulham blew 2 points against Man U but this is another point down the trash chute. This is the quick road to relegation.

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    • This is disappointing, but remember Fulham brought in 4 new players in the last couple of days of the transfer window that includes Holtby, another midfielder from Man U and an attacker from Greece. He probably wants to integrate them into the team as quickly as possible. Also, let’s not forget that every single manager, except maybe Jol who came on after Dempsey had a very good year, has underestimated and under valued Dempsey at the beginning of his season. Off the top of my head, I think Hodgson, Columbus, and Mark Hughes (and his first coach whose name I can’t recall, remember he was Irish) all started Dempsey on the bench at the beginning of the season and after a month or so he was a regular starter in each case. Remember the current coach took over for Jol who appreciated Dempsey and admitted last year that they really missed him last season.

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      • It’s a nightmare. What will be the point of having watching him play if he’s just going to try for the foul each and every time he sees the opportunity. Is this going to be the Dempsey we see at the WC. Strip him of the armband soon if he doesn’t produce in MLS in the nxt month tbh

      • Or its the fact that he only has a few more weeks left on loan, him and Holtby offer very similar roles, and the coach would rather let the team going forward mesh.

        Granted, if he was playing at his top level, he’d be forcing his way onto the field, but its not uncommon to have someone leaving soon not be on the field

    • Can’t even watch Bundesliga matches involving Bayern Munich. There so do dominant, it’s not even fun. Best fixtures in German Football are games involving Wolfsburg, Leverkusen, Schalke or Dortmund

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