OTW: Another Good Day Of Football

It was another good day of football Off the Woodwork. Thanks to television, streams, and ESPN360, today I watched part or all of nearly a dozen games. Only a few early matches kicking off 30 minutes apart cut my time back today from a true 24 hours of football. God Bless America.

My day started rather early with two clashes of some interest. RKC Waalwijk hosted Ajax, while Chrome Dome's Zenit St. Petersburg took on Spartak Moscow in a thriller on one of the worst pitches I have seen this season. If you think Wigan is bad, compared to this, the DW looks like Emirates.

In the Ajax encounter, Ajax fought hard and had a beneficial ref call for the 2nd goal by Suarez, leading to a 5-1 drubbing of Waalwijk. In Russia, Moscow's keeper was a rock, blocking everything they threw at him. Zenit dived and flopped all over looking for calls and eventually got a goal near the death. 1-1.

Next I gave my sole attention to Manchester United vs Liverpool. I could go on and on about my feelings there, but will instead just say 2-1 was a fair result.

I then watched some Milan v Napoli and some Fulham vs Man City. I thought Fulham fought hard but City had too much for them early on and that decided it, a just 2-1. With Milan v Napoli, it was basically what I expected, and the 1-1 seemed written before hand. Both teams leave undamaged, which is more important than winning in a way if you are a neutral looking at the scrum between Inter and Milan, and the fight for Champion's League positions for Palermo, Napoli, and Juve. Serie A has some bumps in the road left before this season is settled.

I then sat in shock while trying to watch a horrific encounter between Wolfsburg and Berlin, worst match of the day for me. I also checked out Blackburn and Chelsea. The 1-1 is fair based on Blackburn effort and spirit, but Chelsea should never have dropped points in this game. It may be that there is deep trouble in the changing room going back to JT and his wicked ways. Add that to a meddling owner, aging legs, and a system of play that doesn't utilize your best midfield talent, and the future for Chelsea becomes uncertain and it has to be now or never for these guys. Let's hope for never huh?

I then watched a little of Club America on Univision. You know it is Sunday when America is on Univision. Not the greatest match, but what I saw was worth a look. And the commentators have passion. I can't tell what they are talking about, but they seem to really find it exciting.

Next came PSV vs FC Twente. (It may have been a Saturday game, but I watched it today.) It really was a basic match of MLS caliber, and was a tale of two halves. The first to PSV. The second to Twente.

Finally I watched Sampdoria vs Juventus. A dire encounter to be sure. 0-0 for the bulk of the match, Sampdoria's late winner put Juve under even more pressure. With a squad that needs an overhaul, they will be lucky to make it in the Europa next season. The scandal may be in the past, but Juve still feel it's effects and so much more. Juve needs to clean house from top to bottom. But will they?

I also watched highlights of all of the other action of the day.

All in all, it was a hell of a day to be a football fan.

Until next time, I will see you Off The Woodwork.