Weekend Football Preview

Couple of things that I feel the need to point out: First, the Carling Cup is a more important trophy than the UEFA Cup. This only supports my post from yesterday that the UEFA Cup is a meaningless competition that would take years of white-boarding from the footballing world's finest think takes to reimagine in a meaningful way. Don't agree? Take a look at the lineup Harry Redknapp put out yesterday and tell me he was not terrified of suffering an injury going into Sunday's final against Man United.

I fully expect Man United to thump Spurs on Sunday. Sir Alex Ferguson is seeing his career coming to an end in the next 3-4 seasons. If he wins the league this year and the following year and collects another Champions League trophy during that time - all highly reasonable predictions - he could leave even sooner. So, he wants to collect as many trophies in the coming years and will put out a side well capable of beating a Spurs side that should at this point be more focused on remaining in the Premier League rather than winning the Carling Cup.

Second, Rick Parry is resigning his post at Liverpool Football Club. This is either because the club approached Parry and stated that they will fire him if it means keeping Rafa Benitez so he could save face and resign before it comes to that.

Or Parry actually loves the club so much that he was willing to give up this fight, reflect on his career and accept he has been an abject failure. Either way, I see this as the groundwork - in combination with the win at Madrid - to giving Benitez the control he wants over transfers and the youth system and a contract to keep him at the club for the next 10 seasons. To give Benitez that type of control is a bit dangerous. I don't think he has been correct on enough of his transfers to deserve that much control. But his record in Europe is undeniable. His trophy haul with Liverpool and Valencia this decade is top class.

To be fair, were Liverpool to award him the deal he wants, it could be said it is as forward looking and progressive a contract as President Barack Obama's recently announced budget. Not even joking.

Now, to the weekend's football which is not offering up mouth watering fixtures in England. On Saturday I could see myself tuning into the early match of Everton vs. West Brom. But more than likely I'll choose to only watch the second half. I'll of course tune into relegation battling Middlesbrough taking on Liverpool. Liverpool will know that over the next few days they will gain two games on Man United and can close the gap to a single point. The league leaders will have two games in hand, true, but psychologically they will know they must win those games.

I think the best match in England this weekend is Hull City against Blackburn. I don't believe Blackburn will go down. Not with Sam Allardyce in charge. And I don't believe Hull are as good as their early season form indicated. All three promoted sides will be relegated. I firmly believe that.

And interesting match in Germany this weekend: Bayern Munich vs. Werder Bremen. Both sides had great victories in Europe this week (Bayern Munich scoring 5 away goals against Sporting Lisbon & Bremen knocking out AC Milan in the UEFA Cup).

I don't think Bayern Munich can win the Bundesliga. A league that is the most exciting in Europe this season. When sixth place Wolfsburg are only seven points behind leader Hamburg you know we're set for an exciting finish.

I also find it amazing that the loan of Landon Donovan could lead to the end of Jurgen Klinsmann as manager at Bayern. Donovan hasn't a great deal of minutes but he's gotten enough where it should be proof enough that he just isn't a good enough player for Europe. He's the best player in CONCACAF region. Which means he is maybe good enough to get a game with a mid-table Dutch club or a club in Serie B.

Sunday features Inter Milan vs. Roma in Serie A. I think Roma believe they can get something out of this match. Both clubs had terrible mid-week Champions League performances. The difference being Roma get to play host to Arsenal in the return leg and Inter know they must score at Old Trafford. I don't think either will go through. But what I am saying is that Roma will feel better about the mid-week result and know they need these points more than Inter.

Finally, it will be extremely interesting to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona on Sunday. The reason being Barca have slipped - just slightly - in the league and did not boss Lyon the way many expected in the Champions League. Atletico meanwhile played well enough for a draw against Porto. Lots of pressure on Barca to right the ship this week. Atletico have zero defense. This could get ugly if Barca are in the mood.

UEFA Cup: Should We Care?

Watching the UEFA Cup matches this afternoon with a non-football fan it was asked of me why these matches matter. After all, the importance of the Tuesday and Wednesday Champions League matches far outweighed any significance today's matches carried. This is a common question my non-football fans ask. And while I am not only an extraordinary blogger of football, an immense recreational league talent (were I actually on a recrational side) I am also viewed as a footballing fountain of knowledge. So, it is understood why I would be looked to for an explanation of why the UEFA Cup matters.

I told my friend that this is another competition that the clubs must qualify for. It serves as a goal for mid-table sides to strive for on their way to never becoming financially stable enough to compete for a Champions League spot. The UEFA Cup provides an extra means of generating revenue, fan enthusiasm and exposure for clubs from smaller footballing countries (Belgium, Russia, Scotland, etc.).

My friend - who happens to love American football - said, "So it is a second rate competition".

Well sort of. I told him that football has so many layers to it and that going into great detail about each layer so he would no longer ask me questions about such silly things like the UEFA Cup would exert more frustration on my end than would be worth the trouble.

I suggested he imagine the NFL set up another post-season competition where the 6-8 teams that were not good enough to make the playoffs were allowed in. And that in the actual playoff competition, the teams that lose in the "Wild Card Round" were allowed to play back into this second competition. The NFL could give the championship game a title such as the American Bowl or the Almost-Super Bowl.

We both agreed that this would be terribly lame and that no one would give a shit. So, why do people care about the UEFA Cup? I don't know that there is any overhaul this competition could be given that would raise its profile or make anyone outside of the fans of the competing clubs care.

By the looks of the lineup Aston Villa paraded out in their loss to CSKA Moscow not even a team fighting for a top 4 spot in the English Premier league cares.

Would Sevilla trade their back-to-back UEFA Cup trophies for a single Champions League trophy? Of course.

Do the players on St. Entienne and Olympiakos realize this blogger is struggling to continue watching their match because it has no contexual relevance in my life? A life that revolves around following The Beautiful Game? Of course they do.

I ask you dear reader, please tell me why the UEFA Cup - soon to be Europa Cup - matters?

Yossi Good-Bye & I Say Goal

I am glad that Rafa Benitez does not have an ear piece that links him to a direct feed to my soul during matches. Because that would mean during last night's epic triumph in Madrid, he would have heard my soul demanding that Yossi Benayoun be taken off at half-time.

The reason I wanted Benayoun taken off is that I could not endure another poorly weighted pass in the area that killed another Liverpool attack. I was losing a piece of my soul with each Benayoun touch of the ball. And I could not endure much more.

Benayoun would make my Top 3 Least Liked Liverpool Players list right now. I don't believe he is a player that belongs in the squad of a club that has ambitions of winning a league title. I don't believe Benayoun would make the bench on any of the following: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa.

For the record, my Top 3 LLLP are: 1. Ryan Babel 2. Benayoun 3. Andrea Dossena

This list is posted for all to observe at my desk at the Vein of Form offices and I could make a long post backing up my argument for each of these players.

But this post is about last night's victory. And about the genius of Rafa Benitez. Not about Benayoun's 82nd minute header that he drove past Iker Casillas - whom I believe is the best 'keeper in the world.

Yes, Benitez is a genius and a manager with a heart of oak. During his time at Liverpool he has won a Champions League trophy with possibly the worst squad to ever win the Champions League. He has gotten to another CL final and lost in a semi-final that were it not for a John Arne Riise own goal in the first leg would have seen him manage the club in 3 CL finals. In addition, he has won an FA Cup trophy and currently has Liverpool second in the table. They are 7 points behind Manchester United as I write this. They will probably not win the league but are as close to re-claiming that trophy as they have ever been in the past 19 years.

That being said, I cannot get over the disappointment of home draws with Hull, Stoke, Fulham, West Ham and Manchester City. Those results are the reason Liverpool are not going to get their hands on the league trophy.

But Benitez has still managed to overcome off-the-pitch distractions from his no-nothing owners and the How-Do-I-Still-Have-A-Job Rick Parry.

Without him in charge last night Liverpool would have suffered a defeat. I believe this. He was without Steven Gerrard - the best box-to-box player in the world - and Fernando Torres could have come off at half-time as his injured ankle rendered him ineffective (So dangerous is Torres that he was left on because playing on one good ankle makes him better than most strikers in the world).

Benitez got a Man of the Match performance out of Fabio Aurelio, his back line defended like lions (again) and he left Benayoun on the pitch when most would have gotten irritated with his inability to produce the end product: a quality pass or a pre-82nd minute strike.

And now Liverpool will take an away goal lead to Anfield and Real Madrid will know they are up against all odds. Were this Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal or a Mourinho led Inter Milan I would be worried. But this is a staggering Real Madrid side that can claim Arjen Robben as their most gutty player (HA!). Not to mention a manager in Juande Ramos that is merely a caretaker at this point.

Benitez sent a message to the owners: You cannot win this competition without me with this squad.

Benitez sent a message to Real Madrid's board: You cannot beat me so you might as well pay me.

A glorious European night for Liverpool and their manager. A manager that is 2-3 quality players away from returning Liverpool to the top of the English Premier League. Any owners with the slightest football knowledge can see that and will give him the contract and funding he so deserves.

Oh, Knowledeable Owners, where are you?