Snak

Jeg var også ret betaget af Angel, da han var i Villa.

men der kommer vel en ny snart. http://www.youtube.com/w…jE-fCX4I1Vk

Han kan sgu da lidt tricks allerede, den gode Angel jr.

Mjaeh kunne også godt li´ at Victor Ariztizabal ............

Apropos colombiansk fodbold så er der spillet en enkelt kamp i BArranquilla mellem Junior og La Equidad, en udsat kamp - 0-0 og bedgge hold har stadigvæk chancer til at gå videre..

I Panama har der også været spiller bold - nyorykkede Rio Abajo slog ude mestrene fra Tauro - en doblete af Anthony´Basil, Yorman Aguilar og Alfredo Stephens.

Rækkens nr 2 Plaza Amador slog San Francisco på Luis Ernesto ‘Cascarita’ Tapia 1-0 på mål af Angelo Lombardo.

Rækkens nr 3 Arabe Unido spillede 1-1 mod Atletico Chiriquí - Orlando Rodríguez scorede for THE Camel Jockeys mens Victor Asprilla (yeps han er familierelateret til Faustino ) scorede for El Conjunto Chiricano....playoff pladserne besættes i øjeblikket af Rio Abajo, Paza Amador, Arabe Unido og Tauro.

iøvrigt så har Gremio spilleren den kære bolivianer Moreno Martins i medierne indrømmet at han bruger kvinde parfume ........*Tumbleweed*......

Iøvrigt...lige kølig kasse af Neymar i nat...


Paraguayan sensation Caballero nears Porto move

Libertad youngster Maurito Caballero is nearing completion on a move to FC Porto, ending rumoured interest from both Benfica and Chelsea, according to reports in the Paraguayan media.

Caballero, who turned 18 last week, has rejected Libertad’s offer of a professional contract in order to make the move to Europe, with Porto set to complete his signing for a fee of US$4 million.

The son of former Paraguay international Mauro Caballero, Mauro Jr. is a Paraguayan youth international who has so far made 34 senior appearances for his side, scoring nine times.

Should Caballero, whose affairs are managed by his father, complete the transfer to the Portuguese giants, he would follow in the footsteps of fellow Paraguayan (although an Argentina youth international) Juan Manuel Iturbe, 19, who joined Porto from Cerro Porteño just last summer.

The youngster has consistently been linked with a move to Europe for some time, with various European reports linking him to both Chelsea and Benfica in the last twelve months. With Caballero’s contract impasse well documented, though, the current link with Porto appears to be the most substantial to date.

Lyder som en der har læst bloggen her...

Some quick thoughts on Argentina’s World Cup qualifying, and South America more generally

Last Friday and this Tuesday just gone were good days for the Argentine national football team. For the first time in the current World Cup qualifying campaign, they won back-to-back matches (3-0 against Uruguay on Friday, 2-1 away to Chile last night), and now sit on top of the CONMEBOL qualiying table with twenty points, three ahead of nearest challengers Ecuador (although Colombia, just a point further back, have a game in hand). The attack, lead by captain Lionel Messi, is going from strength to strength and already they’re within sight of their points total from the last campaign (under Diego Maradona’s tutelage, they qualified for South Africa 2010 with 28 points.

The reason I’d be most encouraged, if I were Argentine, by these recent results, though, is that Tuesday night’s game was a really tough one for them. On the face of it, an unsteady second half performance away to a Chile side who, with a bit more composure, might have at least drawn the match might seem worrying. I think it was encouraging for another reason, though: it gave the defence a good workout, and one that they did very well in.

We know Argentina’s attack is strong. It features Gonzalo Higuaín and Sergio Agüero, and even so no-one in their right mind would suggest that either of those players are anything like the side’s key component. With Lionel Messi having put in just one drab display (away to Peru last month) in the last year and a bit for Argentina now, it’s clear that the days when some individuals – however misguided – could claim he didn’t match his Barcelona form when playing for his country are long past.

What’s less impressive is the defence. Javier Mascherano and Fernando Gago are evolving into a superb deep midfield pair, but behind them, Ezequiel Garay and Federico Fernández are at a much earlier stage of their development, both as players and as a partnership. Argentina’s attack has been so impressive throughout 2012 that the defence hasn’t been put under real pressure (an exception might be the July friendly against Brazil in New Jersey, won 4-3 by Argentina, but ‘no such thing as a friendly’ clichés notwithstanding, that match was never going to be treated with the seriousness of a competitive fixture). In Santiago, Chile pressed and harried, and ended up throwing everything including the kitchen sink at Argentina, but couldn’t find a breakthrough until the final minute.

Partly, the pressure came from Pablo Zabaleta being shifted to left back in light of Marcos Rojo’s injury picked up against Uruguay. Zabaleta’s able to play on either side of defence, but Ángel Di María didn’t afford him as much protection on the left as Fernando Gago does on the right of Argentina’s narrow midfield, and Chile right back Mauricio Isla was able to storm forward. Chile ended up with thirteen shots to Argentina’s twelve, and made comfortably more successful passes – Isla, at right back, made more successful passes than anyone in Argentina’s team. And Marcelo Alfonso Díaz, in central midfield, made more than Isla.

Against this resistance, and a Chile side who knew they had to put in a much improved performance after coming in for criticism lately, Argentina’s young defence held firm and they got a win that was perhaps a bit fortunate. They’ll hope for more tests before the next World Cup, but the signs from last night seem to suggest to me that Alejandro Sabella’s plan is working, little by little.

Elsewhere on the continent, I’ve really liked the look of Colombia. The world and his dog can see what a fantastic player Radamel Falcao García is – though whether Harry Redknapp would put him on Gareth Bale’s level I’m not sure – but James ‘Ham-es’ Rodríguez was also really good on Friday when they beat Paraguay 2-0. When Colombia visit Argentina, it’s going to be a cracking match. Ecuador, too, are looking good, and getting results away from the altitude of Quito which are keeping them in with a fantastic chance of qualifying. Everyone else has fallen away a little, and Óscar Washington Tabárez will have some thinking to do between now and March in particular as he tries to stem the bleeding from Uruguay’s recent wounds, but with seven games still to go, the remaining places are anyone’s to win.

@ TR1986 og andre interesserede i argentinsk fodbold.

One blaze too many for the firefighter

The Spanish term “vende humo”, literally a smoke seller, best translates into English as someone who talks a lot of hot air, making promises that they can’t necessarily keep. Perhaps the best proponent of this in Argentinian football is Ricardo Caruso Lombardi, who earlier this week finally lost his job at San Lorenzo with the club once again facing a battle to beat relegation.

One of the most controversial, farcical and thus thoroughly watchable characters in the league, Caruso Lombardi seems just that; a character, a porteño parody of David Brent. From his largely unbuttoned shirt, gold chain and goatee combination to his Redknappian propensity to dish out a tasty soundbite for the media, he often dominates headlines and not always for the right reasons. The crowning moment came in May last season when film crews caught him fighting on the street with Fabián García, the assistant of San Lorenzo’s former boss Leonardo Madelón.

Nevertheless, Caruso Lombardi has forged a reputation as a something of a “bombero del descenso” or relegation firefighter, brought in to rally the troops and save them from the drop against the odds. After winning the Primera B Metropolitana (the third division) with Sportivo Italiano in 1996 and then with Tigre in 2005, he got his shot at the big time with Argentinos Juniors at the beginning of 2007. He ensured they finished outside of the promedios – the relegation system based on a three year point average – only to leave five games into the Apertura later that year.

It was at his next job that his stock really began to rise. Taking over a Newell’s side who in 2007 were in danger of direct relegation, Caruso Lombardi managed to avoid not just automatic relegation but even the Promoción play-off too, ending the season 14th in the promedios. In February 2009 he moved again, this time to Racing who were in a similarly perilous position. La Academia won 30 points from 16 games, finishing 5th in the table and dodged being dragged into a relegation scrap.

Despite failing to live up to his firefighter tag at Quilmes when los Cerveceros were relegated in 2011, Caruso Lombardi was called into action once more when San Lorenzo came knocking midway through the Clausura earlier this year. Quilmes were well placed in the B Nacional, chasing promotion with two thirds of the season gone, while San Lorenzo were in disarray, sitting just above the direct relegation places with a resurgent Tigre breathing down their necks and in serious danger of suffering the same fate that befell River the year before. Furthermore, spates of violence ranging from barra brava members threatening captain Jonathan Bottinelli at training the season before to a youth player being stabbed in February made taking over Los Cuervos a far from enticing proposition. But the temptation of a challenge was too strong for Caurso Lombardi to resist.

However, thanks to the dreadful form of Banfield (who surrendered a 21 point advantage over Tigre), some inspired performances from Julio Buffarini and the sorcery of a certain ginger ball boy, el Ciclón were able to give themselves a chance of salvation via the Promoción play-off. They still had to overcome an impressive Instituto side but a 2-0 triumph in Córdoba and a 1-1 draw in the Nuevo Gasómetro was enough to save them by the skin of their teeth.

Despite having survived the chop Caruso Lombardi’s men were not out of the woods coming into the new season and duly set about arming a formidable looking squad. Denis ‘Stracq Attack’ Stracqualursi of brief Everton fame and Franco Jara bolstered their front line significantly and Martín Rolle from Olimpo, Ignacio Piatti on loan from Lecce, Luis Aguiar from Penarol and Juan Mercier from Al Wasl were also brought in to provide the ammunition. Even with an unfortunate injury to Leandro Romagnoli, San Lorenzo boasted a very strong side on paper that looked more than capable of steering themselves clear of trouble.

Behind the scenes, though, the instability has remained. The victory of Matías Lammens and media mogul Marcelo Tinelli (a Simon Cowell like figure who hosts, among other things, Showmatch – Argentina’s ranchier version of Strictly Come Dancing) in the club’s presidential elections in September saw a desire for a new direction. Coupled with just two wins from ten games, early optimism quickly faded away and even celebrity fan Viggo Mortensen waded in to criticise Caruso Lombardi.

Things finally came to a head on Tuesday evening when Caruso Lombardi grudgingly left his post to be swiftly replaced by Juan Antonio Pizzi. It was originally considered that the next game against Godoy Cruz would be decisive but it proved that this was one inferno too large even for the firefighter. The San Lorenzo show will go on without him but there is still plenty more drama to come as they battle to escape a Dantescan descent to the second tier.

Though Caruso Lombardi has proven effective in saving clubs against the odds, he has largely struggled when trying to take them forward and his extravagant outspokenness has riled players, chairmen and fans alike. Nevertheless, the crippling short-termism rife in the Argentinian game means that this paradoxical figure of the smokeseller and firefighter is likely to return in some guise. After all, there’s no smoke without fire.

Og så skal vi snart i gang igen med Copa Sul/Sud Americana...

Copa Sudamericana 2012: Can Ecuadorians emulate Liga?

Question: In which competition this season can you see both Liverpool and Barcelona? Answer: the Copa Sudamericana. Yes, it may well be their Uruguayan and Ecuadorian counterparts but nevertheless South American’s second biggest continental competition is already underway and as ever bound to be packed full of excitement.

The competition, now in its 10th year, began back at the tail end of July with four sides each from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela battling it out in the 1st round. They were joined in the 2nd round by 6 sides from Argentina and 8 from Brazil who went head to head, whittling them down to 3 and 4 teams apiece. Now at the Round of 16 stage the true competition is beginning to take form as the remaining participants compete for a place in the final come mid-December.

The aforementioned Barcelona Sporting Club from Guayaquil are just one of the entire complement of Ecuadorian sides still left in the competition, making them (along with Brazil) the most represented nation in the tournament. Considering they have half the berths and have played twice as many games to reach this stage it marks a minor achievement of sorts.

Ecuador has pedigree in the tournament too. After becoming the first Ecuadorian side to win the Libertadores in 2008, Liga de Quito went on to win the Sudamericana in 2009, were semi-finalists in 2010 and runners up last year. Liga don’t feature this time around but Emelec, Deportivo Quito, LDU Loja and Barcelona will be hoping they can keep up the recent tradition of strong Ecuadorian performances.

They will, however, have to overcome what looks to be a tricky draw. Barcelona and LDU Loja have both been pitted against Brazilian giants Gremio and Sao Paulo while Emelec face reigning champions Universidad de Chile and Deportivo Quito are up against Clausura runners up Tigre of Argentina.

Having disposed of Deportivo Tachira and Cobreloa so far – the latter in a seven goal thriller - Barcelona have their hands full against Gremio. They possess a decent squad with Argentine duo Martin Oyola and Damian Diaz in midfield alongside the likes of Michael Arroyo and wonderfully named Michael Jackson Quinonez but, after losing the first leg 1-0, they need a result in Porto Alegre. Gremio, currently sitting in third in the Brasileirão, are not short of big names. The experienced Tricolor squad contains familiar faces such as Elano, Gilberto Silva and Ze Roberto, while up front they also have ex-Wigan striker Marcelo Moreno, who got the vital late away goal against Coritiba that put them through. A tall order away from home but a one goal deficit gives them a fighting chance.

In their first international tournament, LDU Loja go head to head against one of the favourites; Sao Paulo. The Brazilians boast one of the fiercest forward lines in the tournament with Luis Fabiano, PSG-bound Lucas Moura and exciting teen starlet Ademilson. If that wasn’t enough they’ve recently been joined by Ganso who, though currently injured, has just joined from Santos and will form an equally formidable partnership with Casemiro and Jadson in midfield. Loja will be hoping that their very own Brazilian Fabio Renato, who has five goals in the tournament already, will cause an unlikely upset against his compatriots. A 1-1 draw in the first leg will give La Garra del Oso (The Bear Claw) a great chance for an upset in the return fixture.

Best positioned of all the Ecuadorian sides is Deportivo Quito, who lead Tigre 2-0 after the first match. Despite some shocking domestic form – they currently sit bottom of the table on four points from nine games and are yet to win – they are meeting a Tigre side who are a shadow of the team that last year staged a great escape to beat relegation and simultaneously almost win the Clausura. Having also not registered a league win this term, they have been hit hard by the loss of key players Carlos Luna, Roman Martinez and Diego Cachete Morales. Quito have also lost personnel after Fidel Martinez moved to Tijuana but with Julio Bevacqua in good form and the likes of Luis Saritama and Alex Bolaños in midfield they should make it through.

Emelec are up against the side that Deportivo Quito almost knocked out of the Libertadores; Universidad de Chile. La U steamrollered their way to the title twelve months ago in breath-taking style, scoring for fun and only conceding two, capturing the attention of many around the globe. They followed this with a fine run to the semi-finals of the Libertadores as well as the domestic double. On paper there may seem to be only one logical outcome but La U’s success has been costly with many of that Sudamericana-winning squad now departed, particularly Marcelo Diaz, and they don’t quite look the same for it.

If there is a good time to play La U, then perhaps this is it. At the time of writing Sampaoli’s men are on a winless streak of five games and sit third in the Chilean league. Below par for a side like La U. Meanwhile Emelec are doing well in the league and have looked defensively solid in their Sudamericana games so far, conceding just one in four games. A youthful side with prospects such as Fernando Gaibor, Marlon de Jesus and Eddy Corozo, while up front Argentine pair Luciano Figueroa and Marcos Mondiani will pose a threat. It’ll be a big ask against La U but in the Chileans first games of the competition, Emelec could catch them cold.

Of the other ties in the round, Cerro Porteño versus Colón looks to be one of the most intriguing. The sole remaining Paraguayan side have plenty of goals in them with the likes of Santiago Salcedo, Roberto Nanni and recently nationalised Johnny Fabbro. They come up against the strongest looking of the Argentine sides Colon with talented young playmaker Lucas Mugni one to watch.

Argentina’s other representative, Independiente, leads Uruguayan side Liverpool 2-1 after the first leg. Independiente have been shocking in the league so far this season but have enough good players capable of going on a cup run. A late away goal from the impressive Carlos Nuñez will be priceless and ensure a tight second leg game in Montevideo.

Universidad Catolica will fancy their chances against Atletico GO – bottom of the Brazilian league – despite losing talisman Felipe Gutierrez and right back to Stefano Magnasco to the Eredivisie and Colombian league leaders Millonarios will hope they do better against Palmeiras (another Brazilian struggling for domestic form) than they did against Real Madrid last week. If they can shackle Hernan Barcos, who recently received a call up to the Argentine national side, they might stand a chance of progressing but will nevertheless start as underdogs.

It remains a distinct possibility that all four Ecuadorian sides could well go out given their tough draw but if they all remain in with a shout and could cause some upsets. Though Universidad de Chile and Sao Paulo are among the favourites to lift the trophy in December, anything can happen and, although unlikely, we may well see an Ecuadorian side follow in the footsteps of Liga de Quito.

Så er e lange knive fremme i peru - hvem ryger først Markarián Borghi eller Tabarez....

El técnico uruguayo criticó el nivel de algunos jugadores

Markarián asume responsabilidad por derrota peruana

Lima. Octubre 17 de 2012 – Luego de obtener un punto de seis posibles y de haber caído ante Paraguay, con la nómina titular, en la décima fecha de eliminatorias, Sergio Markarián, seleccionador de Perú puso el pecho a los medios y aceptó su culpa en los resultados.

"Este equipo tenía que hacer su trabajo, no voy a dudar de la estrategia, fue acertada. Al sacar un punto en Bolivia teníamos que ganar hoy, no hicimos lo correcto y soy el responsable. Algunos rendimientos no estuvieron acordes a lo que uno espera" afirmó el entrenador uruguayo.

Y es que el ciclo de preparación de Perú dividió el grupo en dos, uno que empató en la altura de La Paz frente a Bolivia y el otro, con las estrellas internacionales, que debía sacar un buen resultado ante una débil selección paraguaya.

"Hay que reconocer que jugamos muy mal a partir de la falta de esfuerzo. Más motivación que la que había hoy, con todas las posibilidades de quedar a un punto de los de arriba, no hay. Paraguay nos ganó porque metió más y es increíble que el equipo haya estado tan insulto, pero yo soy el responsable" expresó Markarián, quien se le notó disgustado por el nivel de algunos de sus jugadores, aunque no dio nombres.

Perú se sitúa, luego de diez fechas disputadas, en la octava posición con ocho unidades, a cuatro puntos del quinto lugar, el del repechaje, que ostenta Uruguay. En las próximas fechas Perú recibirá en Lima a Chile y tendrá descanso en al duodécima jornada, en marzo del próximo año.

Decepción en Perú por derrota en Asunción

Lima. Octubre 17 de 2012 - La derrota de la selección peruana de fútbol ante su similar de Paraguay por las eliminatorias rumbo al Mundial de Brasil 2014, causó una amarga decepción en la prensa en Lima.

"El peor Perú", tituló el suplemento deportivo del diario El Comercio porque la derrota de visita llegó "justo cuando necesitaba jugar su mejor partido", con un equipo en el que alinearon todas sus estrellas internacionales.

"Duele mucho porque caímos ante un equipo moribundo, con limitaciones técnicas y sin el apoyo de su afición. Fue el mejor once que tiene (el técnico Sergio) Markarián, los mejores hombres que tiene nuestro balompié. Y no respondieron", se quejó el matutino en su crónica del partido jugado en Asunción.

Agregó que "Paraguay vivía su peor momento en treinta años, y con un once armado con retazos fue más guerrero y jugó 90 minutos con cara de perro".

El diario La República tituló "Paraguay nos cortó la ilusión" debido a que el resultado prácticamente eliminó a Perú de ir al mundial de fútbol.

"No saque la calculadora, seguro que los números dirán que no estamos eliminados, pero la realidad es que tendríamos que ganar todos los partidos de local y robar puntos de visitante para tener esperanzas", indicó La República.

"Golpe a la ilusión" y "La blaquirroja nos decepcionó en Paraguay" fueron los encabezados de los periódicos El Peruano y Publimetro sobre el partido que dejó a Perú penúltimo en la tabla sudamericana con ocho puntos