London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal square off this morning at White Hart Lane in the latest installment of one of England’s biggest rivalries.
Both Spurs and the Gunners have top four aspirations, and will need a win today to stay in that range.
In Italy, Â Juventus take on Lazio in the top match-up of the weekend in Serie A. Juve is coming off suffering their first league defeat in two years and will look to avoid a second straight loss against a dangerous Lazio side fresh off a Rome Derby victory.
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
7am- Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer2Go.com- Aberdeen vs. Celtic
7:45am- ESPN Deportes/ESPN2/ESPN3- Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur
9:30am- GolTV- Nurnberg vs. Bayern Munich
10am- Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer2Go.com- Manchester City vs. Aston Villa
10am- FoxSoccer2Go.com- Liverpool vs. Wigan Athletic
10am- FoxSoccer2Go.com- Newcastle United vs. Swansea City
10am- FoxSoccer2Go.com- Queens Park Rangers vs. Southampton
10am- FoxSoccer2Go.com- Reading vs. Everton
10am- Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Deportes- West Bromwich Albion vs. Chelsea
10am- BeIN Sport en Espanol- Osasuna vs. Malaga
11am- Univision Deportes- PSG vs. Rennes
12pm- BeIN Sport en Espanol- Valencia vs. Espanyol
12pm- BeIN Sport- Juventus vs. Lazio
12:30pm- Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Deportes- Norwich City vs. Manchester United
12:30pm- GolTV- Bayer Leverkusen vs. Schalke 04
12:45pm- ESPN Deportes/ESPN3- ADO Den Haag vs. PSV
2pm- BeIN Sport/BeIN Sport en Espanol- Barcelona vs. Real Zaragoza
2pm- Univision Deportes- Valenciennes vs. Montpellier
4pm- BeIN Sport/BeIN Sport en Espanol- Real Madrid vs. Atletico Bilbao
5:30pm- Univision Deportes- Club America vs. Morelia
6pm- BeIN Sport en Espanol- Napoli vs. AC Milan (Delayed)
8pm- Telemundo- Leon vs. Cruz Azul
8:30pm- BeIN Sport- Napoli vs. AC Milan (Delayed)
8:30pm- BeIN Sport en Espanol- Juventus vs. Lazio (Delayed)
Boyd. Gettin’ it done today!
Said it last week and I’ll say it again.
Tottenham will get rid of Deuce in the transfer window most likely by a player swap.
Clint would be a good purchase for a team in need of goals to avoid relegation
LOL!!!!!!! Yo people need to chill on the “dempsey will be sold come january” madness. clints a quality player and needs time to get fully acclimated to their system and his teammates. He didn’t have a preseason and although he’s had some nice”moments” for the NATS, thats all they were! He still is finding his form, as are tottenham, so let the over the top remarks regarding duece die down now!
Deuce didn’t really do much, in a bad situation. I hate it, but reality is THFC may not be the best fit for him. On the bright side, they are not going to be playing CL ball next season at this rate, so CD might have a better chance going elsewhere to live out that dream.
Clint Dempsey – 5 – Introduced at half time in an attempt to give Defoe an attacking partner, however produced absolutely nothing of note in a terrible 45 minutes, again showing signs that he is finding it extremely difficult to replicate the goal scoring form he showed at Fulham last season and also fit into Tottenham’s ever changing system.
Ouch
Where is THAT from? Not sure they could call his 45 minutes “terrible”. Dempsey did well, made some quality passes and was hardly “terrible”.
I forget which site I pulled it from. Wasn’t goal…..but they constantly rip him as well.
I don’t think he was TERIBLE either, but the longer he goes without producing, the more likely it will be he gets abused and made the whipping boy by those following a struggling team…
yeah I agree. Dempsey is now in the unfortunate situation where he will be the dumping ground for every Hotspur fan complaint about the season. He will be pilloried if he doesn’t score a brace per game.
Once they get Dembele and Parker back, the team will take off. I just hope the scapegoating of Dempsey doesn’t reach a critical level before then, because it’s really unfair and undeserved. Think about their summer:
Out- Modric, van der Vaart, Pienaar, Kranjcar, Corlucka, Dos Santos, Bassong, Nelson.
In- Dembele, Lloris, Vertonghen, Sigurdsson, Dempsey, Adebayor (permanently).
Dembele has been injured, Adebayor and Sigurdsson haven’t contributed anything, Lloris has mostly been 2nd choice and underwhelming. Only Vertonghen has started out well. So Dempsey is really getting the stick for not being able to single handedly replace Modric, van der Vaart, Pienaar, and Kranjcar? Seems crazy…
I have yet to read anyone credible claim that Dempsey was brought in to replace Modric.
If any of the new guys was supposed to do that it would be Dembele.
If Deuce was brought in to replace anyone it was Van De Vaart. Both of them have hot spouses.
From what I’ve read the main people “scapegoating ” Dempsey are you guys at SBI.
The English sites I visit are not anywhere near as negative about him as the Americans are. Which is typical.
When Ade got red the spurs were up a goal. They should have pulled Defoe, added a mid, gone 451 with Bale up top and adjusted to give Naughton help at rb. Instead they gave Arsenal what they have lacked this year: The opportunity to show their offense can actually score goals if the other side would spot them a man.
Huh? You’re up 1-0 and you pull your top striker Defoe for a midfielder? Head scratcher; that makes no sense at all NONE. Adebayor came to Spurs at a higher price and earns triple the weekly wages Dempsey is on. Villas-Boas did not give him a 5million pound signing bonus to sit on the bench. Adebayor will be back, Defoe will start, Dempsey will fight for his position with the midfield players.
Sky gave him a seven, the highest of any Spurs player. As a Fulham fan I’ve been critical of Dempsey’s move, but I think this might have been the best he’s played for Tottenham.
appreciate your balanced perspective Michael, thank you
Robbie Finlay is not a nottingham forest….i thought he was on loan at some second division team, gliingham (?), since september…….didn’t know where else to post this….
Down goes United!
Why on earth would Ives not include AZ Alkmar on the list for today? Anyone know when they play/played?
2:45 in the east per first row sports
Pretty simple really. This list is for games available on TV or via American online channels like ESPN3 and FoxSoccer2Go. We can’t really list every game in the world.
I guess I was surprised to not see a game with the top american striker listed. Also, I didn’t realize you dont list games…not streamed illegally. My frustration came from not being able to find the time listed in my time zone, or tell what time I was looking at on the site i was using, as it was not listed. Turns out it was a game not worth the trouble. Sigh.
Glad to see Reading finally got a win today. I was beginning to think they were just going to go winless and set the EPL record for most draws in a season. I’ve been a Reading fan since they had Convey and Marcus but this season may drive me a little insane. I don’t think they did enough over the offseason to survive the drop. They work hard and there are some nice pieces (fan of le Fondre, karacan, McAnuff and Pog) but not sure it’s enough. The defense makes me nervous.
I agree we need more. I think we should pick up a good midfielder in the window and resolve this Pearce business (Please!). The team has shown a lot of promise this year, but there are definite holes that need to be addressed. I think, over all, we should be able to turn things around and avoid the drop.
Villa are in the relegation zone with a -12 GD and only 2 wins through 12 games.
Villa’s defense just hanging Guzan out to dry.
Lichaj not even on the squad.
Two penalties (though one was bogus), a failed clearance on a corner leaving a shot from 5 yards out, a deflection on a shot and a defender left open on the far post for a tap in.
I’d be punching my own players after that.
In case you’re not watching, that was 5 different goals Villa have given up.
So it’s Villa’s defense that hung Guzan out to dry when they lost 4-1 to Southampton and 5-0 to Man City, but when they lost 3-1 to Everton, oh Shay Given sucks? Make up your mind, it’s the same defense that has been playing since. Its Givens fault when they lose, but the defense when Guzan is in goal? Smh.
I’m a City fan but yeeeesh, Villa get two harsh penalties awarded to City. Currently up 3-0 against Villa. Probably should be 2-0 at most.
I’m also a City supporter, and I don’t get why the linesman feels he had to call the first handball. The referee saw nothing, no appeals from any players. I can see how he missed the call since Weimann had his hand up high before pulling it back, but there’s no pressure on you to affect the game like that — which was already 1-0 City anyway. Why make that call? English football needs an American footballesque challenge system. Still, this game was always City’s once they scored the first goal.
And what makes it really frustrating is that it’ll make it more difficult for me to get righteously indignant when United are inevitably gifted another game-winning penalty later today!
Haha exactly. The match was most likely over, but at least one of those calls was completely unnecessary and wrong.
Anyone with the scoop on how Chandler is doing against Bayern?
That was an orange card for me, but understand the red. Santi was holding his face on the ground during his sales job for Webb. The replay showed no contact to the face. Early reds ruin games – too bad. Dempsey played well, but it was garbage time at that point. Had a few good touches and sent at least one really good pass into the box. Lloris didn’t do anything special. Friedel plays as well or better every week.
Brad allowed 5 goals in the same fixture last season at Emirates after Spurs were up 2-0.
Agree totally about it being an orange card, but at the Emirates, up 1-0, Adebayor on Cazorla, Webb refereeing, there was little doubt what color he would produce. Just unbelievably moronic from Ade.
Game over, 5 – 2 the final. Dempsey looked food overall.
Food or good, one of the two
Looked for twinkies, couldn’t find any.
5 for Arsenal, a sloppy pass gets picked by Oxlaide-Chamberlain who goes in 2 on 1 with Walcott for the goal, Walcott with the finish.
Dempsey has had a few nice touches since coming on. It’s hard to judge a performance given the unusual circumstances (down a man and several goals), but I haven’t seen any mistakes by him.
And just as I type that Dempsey gives the ball away in the eighty-ninth minute when Spurs were threatening. Not an egregious error, though.
Dempsey seeing a decent amount of the ball, making some nice passes going forward
Bale makes it 4 – 2, not much of a build up, don’t think the Arsenal defender was expecting Bale to take the shot with his right foot. Well placed shot.
I thin it was Deuce who won that ball to start the sequence. He’s been winnin balls like crazy. He can be excellent in that department when it’s his focus.
Almost 5 almost immediately
4 – 1 Arsenal, Cazorla off a three quick passes following a goal kick
Explain to me how Lloris is a better keeper than Friedel? the french league is weaker than the PL?
Well, he’s younger and he also might have softer hands and quicker reflexes. What Friedel has is he plays huge — he has the wingspan of a condor. He reaches balls others don’t and he forces opponents to the corners. He’s very flexible and he usually very decisive..
But why is he so rated as a top GK. World class they say
I have a very hard time rating keepers unless they’re messing up or making spectacular reflex saves. They get so few real chances per game. So much isositioning, focus, and evenmanaging your defenders. There’s a ton of subtle stuff that make t hard to judge.
TomG: I’d say reflex saves are one the most deceptive things when it comes to rating goalkeepers. On that basis, Nick Ramondo would be the best keeper in US history. To me it is more about positioning, decision making (come out or not to come out) and command. Kasey Keller (still the best US keeper in my opinion, although I am happy to hear arguments) rarely made spectacular saves. He was just always in the right place at the right time. You are right about commanding the defenders, though. That is a huge, huge part of it. Unfortunately 95% of this stuff is not shown on television.
Faster hands, otherwise Friedel is better
Deuce very active, drawing a number of fouls
Deuce got the ball in a dangerous spot there with back to goal and came so close to turning and either shooting or setting up Defoe. Defender just got a toe in there.
Huddleston putting on a clinic in how to waste set pieces
+1
Dempsey fresh energy from the bench
Lennon sometimes gets the ball and starts dribbling aimlessly backwards.
Sort of like the computer AI in FIFA 12
PleSs lord let Dempsey score a brace
Tottenham trying hard to pressure Arsenal and not let them play out of thigh back, interesting strategy down a man, we’ll see if they have the legs to keep it up
For anyone who watches Liga MX, the Liguilla (playoffs) continue tonight, not sure why they’re not on this list:
5:30 PM: America vs Morelia (Univision Deportes) (Kickoff itself I believe is at 6)
8 PM: Leon vs Cruz Azul (Telemundo)
Also, the two Ligue 1 games listed as being on Univision are actually on Univision Deportes. (11 AM: PSG v Stade Rennes and 2 PM: Valenciannes vs Montpellier)
Dempsey on at half
How weird is it to be a USA soccer fan. Arsenal is my favorite EPL team if no US players are involved, but Spurs are my faves since they signed Deuce. So I’m rooting for Spurs then Deuce is on the benchmark so I switch allegiance to the gunners, then Adebayor scores so I’m REALLY pulling for the gunners to score so Deuce has to come in to save the day. Now Adebayor gets sent off and Wenger’s boys score 3, Deuce comes on and I’m pulling like mad for Spurs again!!!
Benchmark? Really autocorrect? You change bench to benchmark? Groan.
Well, at least you have some real investment for the match, even though you are bouncing back and forth like a tennis ball. The question is whether at the end of the game you will feel like you lost or won.
Yes, better too much interest (albeit of the schizophrenic kind) than none.
hahaha I felt the same way, I was rooting for the gunners and then Dempsey comes in, I was rooting for spurs and if Arsenal scored, I was hoping it was off of easy goals that if Friedel was in, he could’ve stopped.
So what you’re saying is you are just a fake plastic fan..
What I’m saying is that I support any nat playing overseas, I dont go for any other team but my hometown team of Houston. What you’re saying is that you’re a eurosnob I bet?
How is it snobby to like good quality soccer? It’s like getting mad at a Seattle fan for liking to watch an NBA game when all they have is WNBA in that city. And yes that is almost a fair comparison
nope, but that fans can follow players as much as clubs, especially in today’s world where allegiances between club and player have disappeared and movement is so prevalent
What makes you think US fans are the only ones with problems over shifting club allegiances?
Straight red a three match ban? Not sure how the appeals process works?
I believe that is correct.
And mercifully for Tottenham it’s halftime
3-1 Giroud. Lloris looked a tad slow to react.
3 – 1, Giroud from Cazorla
All Arsenal right now, Dempsey warming up
Henry at the game today
2 – 1 Arsenal, a bit of a lucky bounce, but Tottenham was under siege
Giroud is looking better every week.
If only he didn’t have that allergy to the back of the net.
And with that, he scores. Perhaps he took an antihistamine!
That is his 7th goal so far.
He HAS been scoring lately, so perhaps my timing was poor. He was missing bushels of chances early in the season and I got very down on him.
Giroud’s set piece defending is fantastic.
Mertesacker at fault for first goal and scores second while Adebayor scores first goal and the root cause for the second. I love it when brilliance and idiocy wrap themselves up so neatly together.
” I love it when brilliance and idiocy wrap themselves up so neatly together.”
That’s what makes Andre Hainualt so fun to watch.
Lol. Especially last week!
Since he’s been coming off the bench for Houston (as opposed to starting last year and earlier this season), I cringe every time.
Especially after the 1-8 loss to Honduras and the 1st leg against DCU.
Tottenham have barely gotten a touch since the red card
And quickly it’s 1 all
Wow!! Adebayor sent off (fairly) for a completely unecessary studs way up late challenge in the middle of the pitch in the 18th minute. This after giving Spurs a 1 nil lead….I guess that means no Dempsey…
Ha! Yikes and divers watched the same play and drew completely opposite conclusions. That is funny. I would say both scenarios are possible, depending on the scoreline in the 60th minute. If Spurs need a goal, Deuce should come on.
Good call TomG. What was I thinking. Now that Spurs are getting waxed!!
Maybe at the half!
A few folks last week got criticized for asserting Deuce would likely be benched. I don’t follow Tottenham so am *not* claiming anything about his body of work so far this season but his play last week was lackluster (no – not saying he did anything wrong). Even with a midfield that didn’t really look for him, IMHO he didn’t really look to assert himself. And now Adebayor with red card so not sure what his chances are to get in the match.
Me. I said he would be benched and should look to leave in January.
I was right.
Dude, it’s one game… It’s not like benching your starting QB in football or something. Not starting a (few) game(s) doesn’t mean you’re terrible and they’re gonna get rid of you. Chill out with the hyperbole, Dempsey isn’t leaving in January.
It’s not one game. Deuce has been pretty not-good for a month now. He flat out doesn’t fit in their squad.
Other than Defoe, name me one Spurs player who has been good for the last month. It’s not a Clint problem, it’s a Spurs problem. They got rid of Modric, van der Vaart, Pienaar, and Kranjcar and replaced them with Dempsey and Sigurdsson. Of the 2, Dempsey has been the better player. Even if they do buy in January, there is no chance they get rid of Clint. That is just being dramatic and silly.
their defense sucks…sucks. and without Dembele their midfield is inept.
looks like Dempsey will be playing today
May not play today, but is probably secured a spot on the squad next match thanks to Ade’s Red.
Adebayor sent off in the 18th min, straight red for a high tackle on Cazorla. Could have been a yellow in my opinion, but I can understand the red I guess.
Studs up. No choice for referee.
I’ll accept that
LOL ADE RED
Trademark that now and you might be able to get an easy check from Adidas in a few years to use Ade Red in marketing.
Demps better get comfortable on that bench.
The Adebeyor goal was a Dempsey special – a cross/shot deflected by the keeper into the middle of the penalty area where the forward/midfielder puts in the deflection. The team result was good, but had very little to do with Adebeyor vis a vis Dempsey. And Dempsey doesn’t get sent off very often.
i made that comment before the red. besides the goal Tottenham were playing very well. very smoothly. Demps will get time next game and maybe today too.
How quickly things change. Especially when Emmanuel Adebayor is involved!
You are right that the spurs were looking good in the first 10 minutes. I was just unable to see how it – the movement – was because Dempsey wasn’t on the pitch. Bale, Lennon and Dafoe were playing great. I didn’t hear a peep about the other side of Tottenham’s midfield.
it goes without saying that I am an abject homer for US players. For instance, Friedel would have been able to stop 2 of the 3 goals.
Friedel and Dempsey on the bench. Adebayor scores in 5th min