Maple Lions

The Beeb gives the lowdown on the draw for the next phase of the Champions League.

Paul Canniff

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Today Old Trafford witnessed a classic turnaround by the Red Devils while Porto and la Légion Étrangère were locked in an epic paint-drying battle. All English clubs finished at the top of their respective groups to advance to the knockout stage.

Here the final stats from the group stage:

1. Liverpool: 13 pts., GD +6
2. Chelsea: 13 pts., GD +6
3. Manchester United: 12 pts., GD +5
4. Arsenal: 11 pts., GD +4

The Scouse just edge out the Blues for top spot by scoring 11 goals versus Chelsea’s 10. Liverpool was the fourth-highest scoring team in the entire group stage, behind Real Madrid, Lyon and Valencia.

Thus far, Didier Drogba remains the CL’s top-ranked individual scorer with five goals, with Lurch and Louis Saha just behind him with four goals in fourth and seventh position.

Your polling feedback was a tad at variance with reality, but then the wonder of football lies in its capacity to surprise.

Paul Canniff

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Here’s how the English sides stand today:

• Liverpool: 13 pts., GD+7
• Chelsea: 10 pts., GD+4
• Arsenal: 10 pts., GD+4
• Manchester United: 9 pts., GD+1

Some points to ponder as the dust settles:

1. While the Scouse are holding their heads high in Europe, is it Raffa’s rotation strategy that is leaving them laid low back home?
2. Has the Special One’s estimation of his audience’s intelligence sunk so low that he actually believed we might pay heed to his latest pre-match puffery? Yup, he was playing for keeps today.
3. The two luckiest men today: Gordon Strachan and Fergie’s bartender.

Paul Canniff 

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Manchester United and Chelsea respectively hold the first and third slots in the latest ESPN World Club 25 rankings; in contrast, Barça and Real Madrid hold down sixth and tenth.

Back in the Champions League, here’s how the English sides are faring as we come up to matchday 5:

1. Chelsea: 10 pts., GD +5
2. Liverpool: 10 pts., GD +5
3. Manchester United: 9 pts., GD +4
4. Arsenal: 7 pts., GD +2

Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are at the top of their groups, while Arsenal holds second place.

Among the top eight scorers in CL action are Didier Drogba in first, followed by Peter Crouch in fourth and Luis Garcia in eighth.

Paul Canniff

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Mid-way through the group stage, here is how the English sides rank, first on points and then goal difference:

1. Chelsea (6 pts., GD +4)
2. Arsenal (6 pts., GD +3)
3. Manchester United (6 pts., GD +2)
4. Liverpool (4 pts., GD +1)

Interestingly, all of the English clubs are top of their respective groups.

Paul Canniff 

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1. UEFA has stated that anyone proven guilty of taking illegal transfer payments should receive a life ban from football:

   “People who behave in an unsporting fashion should be excluded from the game,” Uefa director of communications William Gaillard told BBC Five Live.

   “They have no place in the game. This is what most fans of football want.”

2. Big Sam protests his innocence but Martin Samuel of The Times believes it can only get worse for Big Sam. Meanwhile, Liverpool FC considers legal action against the Beeb.
   
   
3. Graham Bean, a former compliance officer with the FA makes the case for Panorama to present a convincing body of evidence. Guardian columnnist Paul Wilson takes a much harsher view of the Beeb’s investigative journalism.

4. The Guardian notes that the upcoming Stevens Report will identify fifty suspect Premiership transfers requiring further investigation.
   

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It’s almost too early in the season for a big derby game, as far as I’m concerned. I’m not sure my nerves are quite ready. Oh well, not much to do but watch and enjoy!

It’s the early game on Saturday and is therefore being aired on Sportsnet in Canada. I was dreading them not showing this one. Everton will have to keep its discipline if it hopes to be able to show its new-found form, particularly on the heels of March’s loss in a card-filled affair. Perhaps Mr. Poll will adopt his three-yellows-and-you’re-out policy to compensate.

Carragher and Riise appear to be out for the Reds, with Stubbs and McFadden out for Everton. I would not have expected the Everton scratches to start any way. There are rumours of Gary Naysmith playing as a winger following Kilbane’s departure to Wigan. Hmm, not sure if we’ll see him, but you know Moyes and his Scottish players.

A big question mark for the Toffees is Andy Van der Meyde. Will he start or play? With all his recent problems and seeing red in the last derby, one wonders if Moyes will start him. Will we see Davies as well? Some underperforming acquisitions that should be itching to get out there. Hibbo-Yobo-Lescott-Valente across the back would be nice.

Pip-Leon-Timmate-OurTater would be my guess across the mid field with Beattie and AJ up front. I’d like to see young Victor Anichebe sub for Beattie at some point as well.

What about Liverpool? The Kuyt and Bellamy pairing did look dangerous against West Ham, accounting for an offside goal which was not counted. It was Liverpool’s old boys that worked up Crouchie’s goal. We can probably expect a Crouch-Bellamy start though.

Whatever - we can expect a rip-roaring affair and I hope the ‘06/’07 Everton side shows up and not the ‘05/’06 one.

Looking forward to ManU and Spurs which is also on tv tomorrow; we’ll see if Jol can get his boys reorganized.  Tough match to try to get the accomplished, though.

Mikel C.

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Liverpool’s city council has given its approval to the construction of a new football stadium at Stanley Park; it’s now up to LFC to pull the funding package together by month’s end.

The new pitch will accommodate 15,000 more supporters, putting Liverpool into the seating ranks of Arsenal and Manchester United, and is but 300 yards from Anfield. Let’s pray that the Reds do not succumb to the easiest offer for naming rights. Who wants to hear matches called from the ‘historic’ X-Box 360 Stadium?

Paul Canniff

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TSN is one tough school of TV love. Winning the Premiership two times in a row and making the CL semis and group of sixteen in the same period just isn’t enough to merit getting on the schedule. Another English team gets that privilege without even approaching those benchmarks in the EPL and the Champions League.

Thank you, TSN and CRTC: how ever could we survive without you?

Paul Canniff

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The Scion Kop at Anfield is not England’s only kop, but it certainly is *The* Kop.  So, here’s a Maple Lions cheer for The Kop’s 100th anniversary.

I know Paul and Damian have attended a match at Anfield, so I’ll invite them and anyone else to comment on the stand, its life and legacy.

Mike C.

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