UK-Mississippi State stats comparisons
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Monthly Archives: October 2010
With UK 9th in AP poll, Mitchell talks expectations
With the Kentucky women ninth in today’s pre-season AP poll, good time to show video of Matthew Mitchell talking yesterday at Media Day about expectations.
Too much focus on Kevin Durant on final play takes Charlie Villanueva’s greatest triump as a Piston away from him
Charlie Villanueva can’t catch a break.
Friday’s loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder certainly wasn’t his best game as a Piston, but after establishing himself as a physical presence on the offensive glass, after battling on defense and after getting crunch time minutes — a rarity for him last season — for the second straight game, Villanueva spotted up in the corner, caught a nice feed from Ben Gordon and calmly knocked down what looked like the game-winning three-pointer to put the Pistons up 104-103 with less than 10 seconds left against the Thunder.
Then, for the second straight game, a defensive breakdown cost the Pistons a game. Against New Jersey, it was three players getting beat to a loose ball by Devin Harris that resulted in a game-winning shot. Against OKC, it was Jason Maxiell getting beat off the dribble by Jeff Green while Ben Wallace, who was supposed to be the weakside help on the play, got caught in no-man’s land and was late getting to Green because Wallace was cheating towards Kevin Durant. Green got the basket unscathed and Detroit couldn’t get off a final shot as they had no timeouts remaining.
A lot went right for the Pistons, and I’ll get into those positives below. But my immediate take away was simply feeling bad for Villanueva. I’ve made no secret of my intrigue with Charlie V. I think he’s tougher than he gets credit for and I think he genuinely wants to get better, wants to live up to his contract and wants to be successful in Detroit. He desperately needed a moment like the one he almost had tonight, not that the Pistons losing necessarily erased the positive strides he made in other areas during the game, but we all know that memories from losses tend to fade quickly while game-winning shots tend to hang around all season. Villanueva, through two games, has the appearance of a better, more disciplined player than he was last season and that’s a good thing.
In fact, there were many good things that happened in this game. The Pistons shot a very good 47 percent. They held Oklahoma City to sub-40 percent shooting. The 47-43 rebounding disparity favored the Thunder, but not significantly. And most importantly, for the second straight game the Pistons were fun to watch, played cohesively and showed that there is no reason they can’t compete and have a chance to win games against good teams.
Check back to PistonPowered for more updates on this game.
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Poll: Will Kentucky beat Mississippi State?
Manchester United v Spurs Preview: Three Key Match Ups to Watch
Saturday’s late game features Tottenham’s visit to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in arguably the weekend’s most entertaining contest. Manchester United are coming off a decent enough week which saw them finally win away in the Premier League at Stoke City by the score of 2 goals to 1. Their midweek Carling Cup fourth round tie also witnessed a victory, both matches saved by United new boy Javier Hernandez who is sure to get the start this weekend against Spurs.
Spurs are coming off a hard fought draw at home against Everton. The North London side were obviously slightly hungover from their Champions League loss away in Milan as they had some 48 hours to prepare for the Premier League fixture as the weekend’s first match last Saturday. It’ll be interesting to see how both sides attack in such an important fixture, but a fixture where certain key players will be available, rested and ready come Saturday.
United are currently third in the league table, level on points with both Arsenal and Manchester City with goal difference separating the three. Tottenham are in fifth, behind by only 2 points.
The story on paper before kick off surely has to be dominated by Spurs woeful record against Manchester United in the Premier League over the course of the last 20 years. Manchester United have 18 victories in 22 matches against Spurs and have lost none of their league matches against Tottenham since December, 1989. While football continues to be played out on the pitch, here are 3 key match ups to watch this Saturday when Spurs hope to break their terrible slump against Manchester United.
Author’s Note: Recent news suggests that Harry Redknapp may rest Gareth Bale. These match ups are under the impression that Redknapp will stick with his first choice starting XI.
Gareth Bale v United’s Right Back, Likely John O’Shea – Unlike the position of left back, easily dominated by Patrice Evra, United lack an out and out first choice pick at right back since Gary Neville’s better days. John O’Shea will be a good shout because of his age and experience, but Rafael da Silva’s pace and energy could also be utilized by Sir Alex Ferguson to combat the roaming ways of one Gareth Bale, easily one of the best left sided midfielders in the world on current form.
Bale’s ability to run at and take on defenders is currently unmatched in the Premier League. He recently scored a San Siro silencing hat-trick against European Champions Inter Milan in the Champions League, one in which he used and abused Brazilian right back Maicon (also considered to be one of the best in his position in the world) on multiple occasions.
Gareth Bale boasts great on the ball skills, a fantastic shot and cross, and the ability to hit a perfect ball while standing over a set piece. Watch for Bale to advance Spurs forward position if he finds even the slightest bit of space to either shoot, or send crosses into the box for Peter Crouch to win.
Whether or not United employee a right back that can match pace, skill and industry to keep up with Bale is yet to be seen. If O’Shea encounters problems early on, look for Darren Fletcher to lean towards the right side of midfield to assist in defending Spurs attack.
Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez v William Gallas – Should Sir Alex elect to start Hernandez, look for his darting runs, pace and shooting ability to trouble a Spurs second choice central defense. With Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate still out with long term injuries, former Arsenal bad boy William Gallas and Sebastien Bassong or Younes Kaboul should get the start in central defense.
For United, Chicharito is the in form man of the moment. His brace last weekend secured three points for United while his late substitution during United’s midweek Carling Cup tie provided enough time for the Mexican striker to grab the winner. He’s a solid finisher who’s settling into English football quite quicker than anyone predicted. Look for Hernandez to impress at home on Saturday while partnering Dimitar Berbatov up front for United.
William Gallas may be in the twilight of his career, but he’s definitely still a crafty and experienced defender. Look for Chicharito to try and exploit Gallas’ weaknesses with his pace and movement while not under estimating Gallas’ abilities to man mark Chicharito out of the game.
Attack v Attack, Nani v Rafael van der Vaart – Although the two won’t necessarily meet fact to face much during the match, both players are extremely important as it pertains to their sides attacking shape. Nani is enjoying his best form ever as a United player while van der Vaart made the transition from Real Madrid to the Premier League quite seamlessly.
Nani will start on the right side of midfield for United to add width down the flank. He’ll also cut in quite a bit when looking to shoot. The key to Nani’s play being effective will be his wastefulness, or lack thereof in attack. Nani can be extremely productive going forward (and can track back to defend), but he’s frustrated United fans immensely during his time at Old Trafford for being far too wasteful on certain occasions.
Rafael van der Vaart has been in sensational form for Spurs during his first season in English football. He’s scored 4 league goals for Spurs and has been a positive addition to a Spurs side that wasn’t lacking creative or attacking players before his arrival. Van der Vaart will likely line up slightly behind main target man Peter Crouch but will drift in and out of forward positions and midfield throughout. His passing, skills on the ball and link play with those around him has made him a class player in his day.
Enjoy Saturday’s match football fans and feel free to leave any key match ups you think we should watch for in the comments section.
Related posts:
- TV Ratings For Manchester United v Spurs On ESPN2
- Man United v Spurs: Why Change a Winning Side?
- Arsenal and Man United Match Revealed a Big Difference Between Both Sides
Why Blackpool Needs To Become A Blueprint
It’s safe to say that this year’s promotion class has been a revelation. Newcastle will of course, always be a top-flight side for whom relegation is an aberration, but both West Brom and Blackpool have been a breath of fresh air in the way they’ve consistently played attractive football. It would be a shame if either went down because this should be the way teams outside the big clubs should play. No more long ball, no more breaking legs. Nobody expects them to be Arsenal but if Blackpool can play quality football anybody can.
If you were told of a club that fields a fluid 4-3-3 /4-2-3-1, with a high line and huge amounts of pressing, that gets men into the box and play balls across goal hard and fast you would be forgiven for thinking Chelsea. The way Blackpool have used offense as defense this season has been revolutionary.
Often, smaller teams sit back, with a deep line to prevent opponents getting in behind them with their lightning-fast, superior players. They defend for dear life and hope to nick a goal on the counter, with whatever scraps of possession are given to them. All this does, however, is invite pressure from their opponents, who flood the opposition half and just boss the game with no thought to conceding. Given that most lower tier teams don’t exactly have Lucio shoring up the defense, they lose anyway.
Holloway said it best, “we can’t shut up anybody’s shop, we have no keys”. Some of the goals conceded by Blackpool have been ridiculous. Losing three aerial challenges in a row in their own box to Birmingham, getting undone from a simple free kick taken quickly against Liverpool, failing to mark the tallest person on the pitch. They have no real defensive quality and they know it. They understand their best hope of survival is to be a mini Chelsea, and go hard at the opponent.
It’s not unusual to use a high line and pressing as a defensive tactic, Barcelona do it all the time. Blackpool are obviously not in that class, but it’s the same principle. They can’t score when you have the ball, and if you lose it, try and keep them penned in their own half for as long as possible.
This season, while still not even halfway done, has been remarkable for the fact that so many teams go places and believe they have a chance to score. Sunderland, Blackburn and even Bolton have played some wonderful passing football so far, and this should definitely be the model for the future.
Related posts:
- Can Blackpool Survive In The Premier League?
- Blackpool Away Jersey for 2010-11 Premier League Season
- Blackpool Promoted to Premier League
Jordan Canzeri High School Football Star New York
What is your opinion on this high school football player? Do you think Jordan Canzeri will be a success at the major college level?
In your opinion, do you think Jordan Canzeri has the skills and talent to compete in college?
The college recruiting process is difficult, very challenging and time-consuming. In your opinion, do you think Jordan Canzeri is being recruited by the right college programs or is there more that can be done for Jordan Canzeri in the college recruiting process?
Where do you think Jordan Canzeri ranks in terms of skill level? There are many talented high school football players in this young man’s home state. Do you think he is one of the better players or just another name out there?