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Soccer Thursday: Your Running Commentary

Friedel (Getty Images)

There are only a handful of games across the soccer world on Thursday, but a pretty crucial one is taking place at White Hart Lane, where Chelsea and Tottenham do battle in a London derby (3 p.m., ESPN2/ESPN3.com/ESPN Deportes).

Tottenham sits in third place in the Premier League, two points ahead of the Blues with a game in hand. Brad Friedel will be aiming for his third clean sheet in four matches, and his side will be boosted by the return of a fit Gareth Bale to the lineup. Manager Andre Villas-Boas has left Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres on the bench yet again for Chelsea, but John Terry is in the starting lineup a day after being handed a criminal charge for racial abuse.

Elsewhere, Barcelona returns to action for the first time since capturing the FIFA Club World Cup title as the champions look to get by Segunda B side L'Hospitalet in the second leg of their Copa del Rey tie (4 p.m., GOLTV). Barcelona holds a 1-0 aggregate advantage heading into the match at Camp Nou. 

If you will be watching any of Thursday's action, please feel free to share any thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below. Enjoy the action.

Comments

  1. It was a red card. A late scissor take-down BEHIND the player after the ball is away is a red card in any league. I am astonished that Coward Webb missed/just didn’t call that the way it should have been. Ramieres should have been off for multiple infractions before then anyhow. Cashley Cole goes down with a strong breeze too. To be fair though, Ade could have seen a second yellow for a few things he pulled. Oh, and he was onside for his second goal–should have finished with a 2-1 win.

    And with regards to the Chav’s goal…..I could see it being a non-card for ‘incidental contact’, but there’s no way the play should have continued with that CLEAR of an advantage based off of contact with a players hand/arm. That being said, the Spurs defense was so late to the party on coverage as the play was allowed to continue, that it is almost as much to blame for the goal happening as the reffing (non)call was.

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  2. I seem to remember you commenting on how the commentators loved Man City when they were playing Chelsea a week or two back. Maybe they have certain biases but for the most part they call something how they see it on the tape.

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  3. Eh I’m Spanish and Dutch so I like total ball in general and lucky enough to have Barcelona play it. I’m also a Madrid fan having lived and studied there… but I hate Mourihno and what he does to the game.

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  4. Well i gather you’re a barca fan so i’m amused at your conspiracy theories regarding chelsea. Given barca’s just-barely-shy-of-suspicious champions league result against them a few years back and all.

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  5. The question is who do you start him over, he could certainly play in the midfield and not look out of place, but I doubt he starts. Same problem Gio and Krancjar(sp) have.

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  6. I was referring to last year, when he was down Vermaellen and everyone was saying “Wenger needs a center back.” They failed to get one and it cost them in the cup final against Birmingham.

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  7. How does that escape a red card?!? A blatant late take down of Bale with studs showing and a follow through kick?

    Jesus Chelsea just keeps getting breaks.

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  8. This is quite the odd comment. He only added two defenders in the Summer and has already said he’s looking for another fullback in January.

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  9. Arsene Wenger put an American in his goal? Are you mad?

    That’s like asking him to add a defender in January when he’s try to win the Carling Cup and his defensive line is more crippled than a Korean War M.A.S.H. unit

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  10. OMG McBanana is a clown. How can you possibly say it’s not a handball? Who cares whether or not it’s intentional, his arm was in the air and the ball played directly off his fist into a CLEAR advantage for Chelsea.

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  11. Dude Friedel is a beast. How is it that he was never snatched up by Arsenal back in 07-09 when they had loads of GK problems. If you ask me he’s the greatest PL GK after Schmeichel, Reina and Van Der Sar.

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  12. What the hell?!?!?

    Howard Webb is terrible. How do you play on when the Chelsea player punched the ball forward to himself? What the hell was that it was so blatant…. wow Spurs got screwed.

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  13. Wow ESPN commentators are f’ing mad. Who cares if it was unintentional? His arm was in an unnatural position and punched the ball forward to himself!

    These F’ing idiots love Chelsea it’s sickening.

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