Manchester Clubs are Milan Wannabes

No, not football wise. Who would want to be those two? AC Milan got knocked out by Tottenham in the Champions' League and Inter by Schalke. So no. Not football wise. But, it seems like the representatives of the clubs said to their kitmakers, Umbro for City and Nike for United, "See the Milan clubs? Change it up a little and make it our away kit." Don't believe me? Here's Man City's away kit for this year:

Eerily similar to the typical AC Milan kits of recent years. Granted, this year the stripes are more numerous on the Milan shirt, but still recognizable and similar. And City couldn't get a better player to advertise their kit than Edin Dzeko?

United's new away kit, I will admit, is pretty classy. Just a simple blue with black hoops. But again, very similar to the other Milan club, Inter. They basically just rotated the stripes 90 degrees. In this case though both are made by Nike so it's kind of excusable (not really).

And Inter's new kit. What do you think?

Am I the Only One Who Likes Mario Balotelli?

Ok, so in my previous post about Man City's Mario Balotelli, I was actually pretty negative about him. The thing is though, that was before he actually got used to living in England, and before he could do some of the funny things he's done. I mean, the guy gave 1,000 pounds to a homeless guy outside of a casino, and helped a kid confront his bully, and resolved their situation. I think that actually makes him a pretty good guy. Granted, he has done some stupid things, like throw darts at youth players, and drive a car into a women's prison "just to see what it looks like", in his words. But that's what makes him unique. What other footballer would even imagine doing those crazy things. He provides me with off-field entertainment, and that's usually after he scores a beautiful goal during the actual match. See? So you can't judge a book by it's cover. Or a player by the tabloids.

Picture of the Day: Wayne Rooney

Oh the Rooney saga. From cheating on his pregnant wife, to nearly getting a transfer to United's hated rivals Manchester City, Wayne Rooney has done it all. That's why I chose this picture, it wonderfully exemplifies some of the money-hungry football players in today's world. During a turbulent time at the beginning of the season, Rooney asked for 250,000 pounds a week from Manchester United in order for him to stay. In the end, the Red Devils' board caved into his demands, showing just how much power world famous players have.

Dreams Will Come True: An FA Cup Final Preview

It's definitely not the final that everyone expected, or actually wanted. Everyone expected Chelsea, Arsenal, or Manchester United to be in the final. But, it was the underdogs that rose to the occasion. Manchester's "second" team, City, stunningly upset their rivals with a 1-0 victory in the semi-final to give Roberto Mancini hope of getting a trophy for the millions of pounds that he has shelled out on world-class players. Stoke on the other hand crushed a favored Bolton 5-0 in the semis, and gave The Potters hope of winning their first trophy since 1972, when they won the League Cup, now known as the Carling Cup.

In my eyes, Manchester City are the clear favorites. They'll be without their talisman Carlos Tevez, but they have other top class players in David Silva, Yaya Toure, Joe Hart, and Mario Balotelli. I'm not sure about Edin Dzeko. He's looked like a total crap signing. Hasn't done anything for the Mancs at all. But then again, Stoke does play well against the big teams, with their 3-1 win against Arsenal being proof. However, Tony Pulis' side is often, and deservedly, receive criticism for playing a "rugby" style gameplay. "Rugby" in this sense means that they simply boot the ball up the field, hoping to catch defenders by surprise, and then score. They also play American Football, thanks to Laury Delap's throw-ins. Just look it up on Youtube. So stupid.  

So, if you haven't noticed already, I don't like Stoke City at all. But, I would hate for the Citizens to actually win it all. It would give their plastic fans bragging rights against teams like Manchester United and Arsenal, who didn't have to buy a whole new squad on the transfer market to actually achieve success. Chelsea are guilty of this too, with Roman Abramovich single-handedly turning them into champions with the help of his wallet. Man City have spent 340 million British pounds since their takeover by the Abu Dhabi Group. 340 MILLION. The price of Arsenal's total starting 11 is around 40 million pounds! Sadly though, it looks like that these days, that's the kind of spending that is needed to win, er....buy, trophies. The days of Manchester United and Arsenal being the teams who constantly challenge for the titles are numbered if they don't change their ways.

Whoops, got off topic there. So, who do I think is going to win it? Like I said before, Manchester City. Stoke will most likely try to play their ridiculous long balls, but Vincent Kompany will be more than capable of dealing with them. So, 3-2 to the Sky Blues sounds about right. This match will kick off on Saturday, May 14th at 9:00 a.m. Central US Time, and can be seen on Fox Soccer Channel in the US.

My Player of the Week: Yaya Toure

In this new feature on my blog, I'll be stating my favorite player of the week, based on their performances. My first ever pick will be Manchester City's Yaya Toure. Scoring the winning goal against their arch-rivals Manchester United, the midfielder saved Roberto Mancini's job as the manager of the Citizens. Is he my player of the week because he beat the Red Devils? No, of course not.

Ok, yes, it's because of that. The irony of all of my friends, who happen to be United fans, saying "Man S**tty" before the match made my day.

Looking Forward to the Weekend, Weekend

This weekend, there will be a few matches in both La Liga and the Premier League that are sure to entertain. Now, I don't normally cover La Liga, but El Clasico is certainly a great occasion to do so. Let's preview some of these matches, shall we?

Real Madrid v. Barcelona (La Liga): The clash of the Spanish titans. Last time Los Galacticos met the Blaugrana at the Camp Nou, Barcelona completed dominated Jose Mourinho's side with their tiki-taka style of play. However, with this match being at the Bernabeu, things could be a little different. With Barca being 8 points ahead of Real, this could be a pivotal match in the title-race. A win for Barcelona, and they have basically won the league. Unless of course, they have a terrible slump in form. But c'mon, it's Barca. But, a win for Real, and they're only 5 points behind. If that happens, all it takes is a Barca draw or two for Real to be firmly back in it. This will be the first of four matches that these two will play in a matter of 18 days, with the other matches being the Copa Del Rey final and the Champions' League semi-finals. My prediction? A 3-3 draw. I don't think Barca will be able to overcome the atmosphere of the Bernabeu. Heck, they let Arsenal come back at the Emirates. And yes, I did just take that as an opportunity to brag. This game will kick-off at 3 p.m. Central US time on Saturday.

Manchester City v. Manchester United (FA Cup Semi-Final): Anyone remember the gem of a goal above? Of course you do. It's most likely going to be the Premier League goal of the year. And, it was also the winner for the Red Devils the last time they met the Citizens. Did I also mention that Rooney isn't going to be playing. That's right, his ban will keep him out of this match. But, it isn't all bad news for United. City's main man, captain, and goalscorer Carlos Tevez will be out with a hamstring injury. That leaves either Mario Balotelli to start or Edin Dzeko. Balotelli's a little baby and Dzeko's still adjusting to the British style of play. So it looks like a tough choice for Mancini. I just hope that Roberto Mancini doesn't put a defensive-minded squad onto the field, which would ruin what I'm anticipating to be a fantastic match. Hopefully, Mancini will play around with his squad and play both of his center forwards. They'll be looking for a positive result, following their 3-0 defeat at the hands of the rejuvenated Liverpool, who will be facing Arsenal on Sunday. I honestly can't make a prediction for this one. After all, anything can happen in cup matches. This match will kick-off at 11:15 Central US time.

Arsenal v. Liverpool (Premier League): Finally, the third, and final of this weekend's "Clashes of the Giants". With both teams slightly ravaged with injuries, this could be closer than most expect it to be. The players out for Arsenal: defenders Bacary Sagna, Johann Djourou (most likely). But, with Emanuel Eboue having a fantastic match against Blackpool, his presence will be welcomed. What I'm fearing is a Squillaci-Koscielny backline for Arsenal. "Squicielny" as they're affectionately known by the Gooner faithful aren't exactly the best back line in the League. In fact, together, they're pretty terrible. This could be a huge disadvantage for Arsenal, with Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll firing on all cylinders for the Reds. It's kind of a scary situation. But, Liverpool's midfield, atleast in my opinion, pales in comparison to Arsenal's. With Steven Gerrard being out, Lucas, Jay Spearing, and Raul Meireles pitted against the likes of Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, and Jack Wilshere. However, under "King" Kenny Dalglish, the Reds have beaten both Manchester sides by the score of 3-0. But then again, those were home games. Arsenal have looked a bit weak at home lately, but this will be an amazingly crucial game for the Gunners. If they win, they're back in the title race, being only 3 points behind Manchester United. I predict a 3-1 win for Arsenal. I think that the squad will realize that this is the pivotal point of the season, and they'll play their hearts out.

Mario Balotelli: Stupid, Stupid, Stupid

Without a shadow of a doubt, Mario Balotelli is one of the best young players in the world. No question. Some have even said that thanks to his clinical finishing, he could become the next Thierry Henry. But, the fact that he's a bit, what's the word.... stupid, doesn't help him win fans. During his tenure at Inter Milan, he caused controversy many times, particularly with two incidents. First, he stupidly wore a jersey of Inter's arch rivals, AC Milan, on live television to please a reporter. Despite being criticized hugely for that, he didn't learn his lesson. After Inter's victory over Barca, instead of celebrating with his teammates, he rage-quit his shirt, throwing it on the ground in frustration of the Inter fans who booed him throughout the match. I'm guessing that it wasn't a sad sight for the Italian fans to see him go to Manchester City. 

After having earned a reputation as a “bad boy” at Milan, it was the hope of many Man City fans that he would leave that behavior in Italy, and became the favorite of Manchester. To their disappointment, it didn't work out that way. After winning the Golden Boy Award for the best young player in the Premier League, he compared himself to Lionel Messi, and said that he hadn't heard of Arsenal's wonderboy Jack Wilshere, and that he'll rub it in Jack's face the next time they play. Quite ironically, Arsenal dominated the next game, allowing the Citizens no shots on goal. At all. And Balotelli didn't play a single minute, while Wilshere played 81 minutes. I bet he's really regretting saying that now, as Jack has been performing wonderfully this whole season, and I believe that he is truly better than Balotelli. 

And, it didn't even end there. Being down 2-0 on aggregate to Dynamo Kiev, Manchester City had to win 3-0 at home to insure their entrance into the next round of the Europa League. Being on a yellow card, with the game tied 0-0, Mario decided to ninja-kick Goran Popov in the chest, like his teammate Nigel De Jong did in the last World Cup. He got his second yellow card, and got his marching orders, putting the Citizens on 10 man. What was the point of doing that? Who knows. It's like he wanted his team to lose. He wasted a must-score chance from inside the six yard box early on in the game, and then virtually ended City's chance of going on in the cup with his red card. So, what has he shown the world of football? That he can't control himself, whether it be tackles, or showing sportsmanship.

Despite being one of the best young stars in the Premier League, Balotelli lacks what is required of a true superstar. He's still only 20, which gives him many years to become a true wonderful football player. His arrogance of not celebrating his goals shows just how full of himself he is. How can people tell that he loves playing if he doesn't even love scoring. Sorry Mario, you're quite good, but not Thierry Henry good.

But, I do want this pretty cool hat that he has.