Comments on: Another Lost Weekend

By: ursus arctos

ursus arctos — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:06:52 +0000

Sky Italia gave Pato Man of the Match, but recognised that it was a bit over the top. Their commentary was also reasonably balanced, given the pre-match hype.

La Gazzetta gave Pato a 7.5, and Ronaldo an 8.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:48:02 +0000

That’s good to know, A. I was watching in English, and there were times when the commentary verged on: “…and Ronaldo tucks the ball into the net. *yawn* WAIT! PATO IS CELEBRATING! LOOK AT THIS! LOOK AT PATO! THIS EXTRAORDINARY YOUNGSTER CELEBRATING HIS TEAMMATE’S GOAL! WHAT A HUG FROM PATO!”

I’m glad RAI had more perspective.

By: A.

A. — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:46:50 +0000

“the only story anyone cared about was the potential superstar scoring one”

Well not entirely true. I watched the game on RAI international and though I don’t understand much Italian I can tell you with certainty that the commentator was waxing lyrical about Ronaldo. His final assessment of the Phenomenon as he was taken off was as “la gran protagonista”.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:29:15 +0000

Martha, I know what you mean. It’s incredibly strange that on a night when an actual superstar returned from a long absence and triumphantly scored two goals, the only story anyone cared about was the potential superstar scoring one. I mean, Pato will be lucky to become even half the player Ronaldo was/is. But I loved seeing them do so well in tandem.

I got a kick out of the news that Forestieri had scored because I’ve seen him turn into an absolute monster (not for my team, unfortunately) in a long game of Football Manager. Though I worry that next year he’ll be the most gifted 18-year-old in all of Serie B.

By: Martha

Martha — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:14:27 +0000

I’ve made a resolution never to watch another broadcast of Milan in a language I can understand. I had to turn it off after about an hour yesterday, so deep was the ZOMG PATO! coming out of my TV. God save him from the hype. (Also, anyone see the 17 year old score for Siena? Jeez, they gotta build themselves a media machine. Right after they beat the drop, I mean.)

By: Brian

Brian — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 21:46:00 +0000

What a game from the San Siro today. I started with a sentimental leaning toward Napoli, but the multi-generational family saga of Milan was a lovely thing to watch. There was Ronaldo, playing like his old self (although visibly slower) and scoring a brace in just his second match back; there was Kaka, in his confident prime, coolly slotting one in after a really nice back-flick from Seedorf; and there was Pato, giving every football writer the headline he wanted by scoring (and scoring well) in his first start for the side. I hadn’t seen Pato play at any level and really enjoyed his enthusiasm and his relentlessness. It’s odd to say that an 18-year-old drove his side forward, maybe, but he seemed so determined to make a mark in his first game, and was so heedlessly energetic from start to finish, that he did seem to pull the old guys along, almost like a kid with his parents at the zoo. “There’s a goal over there, Dad! Hurry!”

Seedorf also played a good match, and Pirlo’s soft stab to Ronaldo to set up the first goal may have quietly been my favorite moment of the match. It’s worth noting that Napoli hadn’t won at the San Siro for nearly 22 years—almost as long as it’s been since Milan won there.

Ursus, I’m sorry for your son’s sake, but I hope the Ibrahimovic show today will take most of the sting out of it.

Speaking of which, you’re right, his goal was better than Torres’s.

By: A.

A. — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:57:04 +0000

“Torres is starting to show what he can do for Liverpool, but the one Ibrahimovic just scored for Inter at Siena is better.”

Wow, what a game. Ibrahimovic and Locatelli were putting on a clinic. I would love to see Brian’s prose bear on Zlatan’s qualities sometime.

By: ursus arctos

ursus arctos — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:09:44 +0000

Torres is starting to show what he can do for Liverpool, but the one Ibrahimovic just scored for Inter at Siena is better.

By: Brian

Brian — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:36:19 +0000

Dainty stuff from everyone’s favorite socialist revolutionaries. I realize I’m not exactly breaking new ground by saying this, but that Bojan kid gives me high hopes.

I didn’t see Man Utd’s 80s-lit-professor-like deconstruction of Newcastle, but I wonder why it is that so many clubs that want to sack their coaches choose to do so right before the game at Old Trafford. First Chelsea, now Newcastle. If I were Arsenal, I would not be happy about this.

UPDATE: Also, it’s not going to make Liverpool fans feel any better after drawing with Middlesbrough, but did you see what Fernando Torres did? Save me, Jebus.

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:57:17 +0000

The Spurs game was painful to watch, not only because Spurs are my favourite PL team.

Chelsea’s just such a suffocating team to watch; if Abramovich really wanted champagne football, shouldn’t he have paid more attention to Avram Grant’s dress-sense when he appointed him? He looked like a men sent home from a funeral for looking too dour.

I too will be peeking in on Pato tomorrow, and Barca are playing some pretty football as we speak, presumably to Eto’o's chagrin.