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Soccer Sunday: Your Running Commentary

Wayne Rooney of Manchester United and Mousa Dembele of Tottenham Hotspur

Photo by Matt West / ISIPhotos.com

By JUSTIN FERGUSON

Manchester United will put their 13-match unbeaten run on the line Sunday when they face Tottenham Hotspur, who are itching to end their bad run of league form.

This busy Soccer Sunday will kick off at White Hart Lane, where hosts Tottenham are looking to rebound from last weekend’s 6-0 loss at Manchester City. Spurs have won just two of their last seven English Premier League matches and have fallen to ninth place in the league table. Their visitors, Manchester United, are on a roll after a slow start to the David Moyes Era and are coming off a 5-0 Champions League victory at Bayer Leverkusen.

The other spotlight EPL match of the day will be at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea sit in third place ahead of a visit from fifth-place Southampton, who are trying to hold onto their high spot in the league during the middle of what has been a tough slate of matches. The Blues will look to bounce back from a Champions League loss at FC Basel with yet another home victory in Jose Mourinho’s impressive unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge.

Elsewhere, Barcelona visit Athletic Bilbao after their mid-week loss to Ajax, the first defeat in Gerardo Martino’s tenure at Camp Nou. Juventus will try to hang onto their new lead in Serie A and put more pressure on former leaders AS Roma in their home match against Udinese.

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):

6:30am – ADO Den Haag vs. Ajax – ESPN Deportes

7am – Tottenham vs. Manchester United – NBC Sports Network

8:30am – Hull City vs. Liverpool – NBC Sports Network

8:30am – Feyenoord vs. PSV Eindhoven – GolTV USA

9am – Atalanta vs. AS Roma – beIN Sport USA

9am – Inter Milan vs. Sampdoria – beIN Sport en Español

11am – Chelsea vs. Southampton – NBC Sports Network

11am – Granada vs. Sevilla – beIN Sport en Español

11:10am – Manchester City vs. Swansea City – NBC Sports Live Extra

11:30am – Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Freiburg – GolTV USA

12:30pm – Juventus vs. Udinese – beIN Sport USA

1pm – Valencia vs. Osasuna – beIN Sport en Español

2pm – Cruzeiro vs. Bahia – GolTV USA

3pm – Athletic Bilbao vs. Barcelona – beIN Sport USA/beIN Sport en Español

4:15pm – Lanus vs. Boca Juniors – GolTV USA

6pm – Club America vs. Tigres UANL – Univision Deportes

9pm – Santos Laguna vs. Queretaro – Univision Deportes

Comments

  1. I know it was only a cameo, but it was great to see Cherundolo on the field again. We’ll know by the March friendly whether he has a realistic shot at Brazil. Is there any chance he shows up to the MLS camp in January? Should be during the bundesliga winter break. Would be nice to see him make up for lost time with the national team.

    Reply
    • Seems unlikely to me. Over the last four years, the earliest camp cupcake game was January 21. Hannover 96’s first game after the break is at Wolfsburg on January 23. But I’m sure Klinsmann’s people will be in touch with Steve frequently between now and March.

      Reply
      • I couldn’t find a link, but I think the camp is longer and earlier this year (so it doesn’t interfere with MLS preseason etc.). The date I have in mind is January 6, which I believe I heard in an interview with Klinsmann a few months ago. Not saying it will happen, but it’s an interesting possibility. Given how much respect he’s earned at the club, I wouldn’t be surprised if they let him go out and do it.

  2. Southampton is really pushing for that second goal. I feel like Chelsea lacks a proper non-attacking midfielder Xabi/Xavi/DeRossi style. I can’t see this game changing until halftime.

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  3. Clever flick at the top of the box by MB past his defender onto a runner in the middle of the penalty area nearly leads to a chance. Follows it up with a great interception and distribution for a good chance.

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  4. Bradley’s goal called off!!

    Clear handball in the box. Missed red card opportunity there.

    Question: Do they play advantage on a situation like that or should the automatic red be given leading to a penalty kick? Which way does that go?

    Reply
    • From what I have seen in many years of watching the game, a penalty may be overlooked if the ball goes in anyway, but I have seen the score waved off in favor of a penalty kick plus a card. Of course earlier this season Jozy scored and the goal was waved off in favor of a foul outside of the box, thus taking a goal away.

      Reply
  5. Roma look sluggish, suffering some midseason blues. Keeper with an absolute howler. Macon sleepwalking through this one. Bradley probably has the best energy on the side. Pjanic in now. That should help

    Reply
    • I checked in at the half…Bradley looks poor. Passed the ball to the opposite team at the top of the box about three-five minutes ago and just lost possession on Roma’s flank.

      I thought he was playing well.

      Reply
  6. MB just got pa$$ed the ball with two guys all over him and somehow flicked it behind himself right to his teammate in a half dumm, half leaping flick. Then he just made a leaping, karate kick, bottom of the foot pass, continuing his run for the lovely give and go, getting the ball into Gervinho in the danger area. Gorgeous stuff.

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  7. MB starting! Looks good. Had a great near assist to Gervinho. Ouch! DeRossi just got sterilized by a toe poke as he was sliding in.

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  8. Has anyone noticed how inept the English are in their understanding of football (soccer)? They truly seem to have zero understanding of the game.

    The commentators make the strangest comments and show very poor understanding of the subtleties of the game. As well, when I go to Sunderland boards, they seem to have ZERO football intelligence. They make the strangest claims and have the oddest stances.

    As well, why is everyone claiming that Giaccherini screwed up yesterday? Yes, he should have put the ball in the back of the net, but he was CLEARLY offsides. I mean, look at the video. It’s not even close. IMHO, it was a horrible mistake the AR point for not raising the flag. So, no harm no foul from where I stand.

    Reply
    • Have you ever listened to Shep Messing? John Harkes? There are good and bad commentators in every country. Some are hard working while others mail in their effort.

      Reply
      • I actually don’t know the commentators by name.

        I have noticed the ridiculous things that come out of their mouths.

    • There are plenty of people with zero understanding of the game everywhere, including this site. Usually they are the ones who scream the loudest about others having zero understanding of the game.

      Reply
      • I see what you did there…subtle.

        And I wasn’t screaming, just pointing it out. Can one even “scream” on a board such as this? As far as I can tell, one can only read words, not hear them through this medium.

        I don’t claim to know everything but I do think I have a decent understanding of that the game. And my point was that just because it’s an English game by origin, doesn’t confer understanding of it unto the English people.

        Hostility much? Or maybe you are just showing your dislike of my pointing out reality? Whatever it is, get over yourself man. I just want to share ideas and opinions, not get attacked.

      • You made broad generalizations about all English folks based on some crappy commentators or, even worse, people on message boards! Can you imagine what an English person that’s into the NFL would say listening to some of the meatheads they have on the Sunday NFL shows?!

        I think you need to get over making sweeping generalizations based on your narrow “observations”.

    • Can’t remember who said this where, about a month or two ago, after another dismal performance by an English team either in the CL or by the national team, but an English footballer was complaining about his training growing up in England. He said that basically they were trained to hit and hope, or make long kicks up field and hope a teammate runs on to it. He bemoaned the fact that English players were woefully deficient in skill and tactics when compared to players such as the Spanish, Italians and even Germans. I think this judgment is a bit too harsh, but does contain some truth and it may be carried over to the fans and commentators.

      Reply
  9. Good morning lads!!

    Hull holding their own today.

    They were up one but Liverpool scores as I write this. Despite that, Hull is playing well defensively and using their opportunities well.

    Silly mistakes can cost a team though.

    Let’s see what Hull has for us today.

    And how about Jozy on the bench yesterday? Time to panic? I think so…let’s discuss it. Again! hahahaha

    Reply

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