1. Stat of the day
Dortmund became 2nd team to stay undefeated in 30 consecutive Bundesliga matches after HSV set the record of 36 between 1982 and 1983
#bvb— Infostrada Sports (@InfostradaLive) September 1, 2012
2. Gif of the day – Fernando Torres’ reacts to his old team lifting the European Supercup.
3. Photo of the day
Mark Hughes forgot his pudding cup at home.
4. Rant of the day
Too often the old are jettisoned for new. Old shoes? Get new ones. Ancient computer? Set it on fire and destroy the environment – probably not a widespread thing but I saw it once. While Spurs failed to consolidate a lead once again, American keeper Brad Friedel was outstanding. The old man – he’s 41 – made several key stops in the first half, huge in what was then a scoreless game. This week Tottenham secured Hugo Loris in a widely praised move. Loris is the next in line, but don’t forget about Friedel. The Ohio native has the record for most consecutive appearances with 304. He was one of the first Americans to cross the pond and play high quality football – a notion many Euro football snobs dismissed. Liverpool, Rovers, Villa and now Spurs – quite the resume. So enjoy your new car, Spurs supporters. But remember the old beater that took you where you wanted to go. You’ll miss it soon enough.
5. Bold prediction of the day
Arsenal play Liverpool in what should be the fixture of the weekend. Arsenal are scoreless – which is bad – but have yet to concede – which is good! Liverpool supporters are directing their anger at FSG and Brendan Rodgers for allowing Andy Carroll to join the Hammers and missing out on Clint Dempsey. Aside from a few defensive mistakes against City, Liverpool held their own against the reigning champions. Arsenal have dominated possession – breaking news – but lack the quality needed in the final third. Wojciech Szczesny is out but defender Laurent Koscielny is back in the squad. Last year at Anfield the Gunners stole victory in the final minutes thanks to a beautiful Robin van Persie volley. Mind says 2-1 Liverpool. Heart says 3-2 Arsenal. When in doubt go with the heart – says the shameless homer.
Devang, I am liking the new format. Very interesting read and got a few laughs out of it. My heart says 2-1 Arsenal but my mind says 0-0. But like you Devang, I always go with my heart with my club. Even though the board and Wenger haven’t shown any true creativity in the last week of the transfer window…it’s going to be a long 4 months.
Heart says Liverpool but my mind is with you 0:0
Friedel is useless at corners and crosses coming in; infact he is pretty damn cowardly when it comes to coming off of his line (which is probably why he has that incredibly long run of games started at the moment)… you can say he was at least partially responsible for both of the equalizers Spurs suffered in the past two days.
A great shot stopper, yes, but Lloris will marshal the back line much better in set pieces and indirect balls coming from out wide, and he won’t be afraid to put himself on the line to simply block the cross… the sooner he plays the BETTER.