Brett — Nice job. Let us know how it goes in the Champions League.

Amare — Those technical stats are tremendous for a player who can use both feet. I wouldn’t even worry too much about the positioning since his Off The Ball is okay. Great find.

And also, USA USA USA! Get into the knockout stages finally.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24363666@N00/3601190888/

Additionally, he is also my (real) namesake.

Subject: Unhappy Players

Body: In regards to Ibrahimovic, I’ve been dealing with a similar situation with both Gourcuff and Balotelli in the past two years. (They are 2/3rds of the backbone of the Liverpool team now that Steven Gerrard is 36, thankfully Mahamadou Sakho, the premier CB in the world, loves Liverpool and is angling for the Captaincy).

Balotelli and Gourcuff both wanted to move on to a new challenge, because they felt they’d accomplished all they could at the club. I was understandably resistant, but gave in to both their demands. I transfer listed Gourcuff at the end of last season, and the moment I transfer listed him, he realized he didn’t have the heart to leave his teammates and the club he loves.

This year, the exact same thing happened with Balotelli. I could probably have gotten 40 million for Gourcuff and 60 for Balotelli (He’s a two time runner up WPOY and only 26), but everyone on the team lists one of the two as “Vital,” and selling either of them would devastate team chemistry.

I acceded to Balotelli as well, and transfer listed him. The moment I did, he came to the same realization that Yoann did–that he could never leave his teammates and the club he loves.

The moral of the story: Once you call their bluff and put them out there all alone, they realize the enormity of moving from a club they’re an integral part of to a completely foreign one.

Speaking of 36 year old Steven Gerrard and how this game can mirror life uncannily: At the advanced point that he’s at in his career, he can barely stay on the field for more than fifty minutes a game, and it’s unwise to play him more than once a week.

But in the first leg of the Champions League Quarterfinal, he blasted a 40 yard rocket past Casillas at the Bernabeau to steal a 1-0 win. We hammered them at Anfield to advance on aggregate 5-1. The same thing happened in the semi-final against Barcelona (not nearly as imposing in 2016 as you’d be inclined to think, although Bojan won WPOY this year). He hit another 40 yard rocket past Valdes (not nearly as impressive a feat), and that opened the floodgates as he had one of the worst games of his career. We were up 4-0 by the 25th minute.

In the final, we played Manchester City, our biggest non-Real-Madrid Rival (Madrid has beat us in the Final once and the Semi Finals twice, and we’ve beaten them in the Final once as well as the aforementioned QF win). We win 1-0, and how? A 35 yard Cracker from an exhausted Gerrard in the 53rd minute.

This brings me to a question: Jamie Carragher (now 38 and playing Sami Hyppia’s role this season) is still Vice-Captain. Steven Gerrard is still the captain despite his decline in fitness and inability to stay on the field day to day. When do I pass the torch?

My friends and I actually play soccetball – basically racquetball with a soccer ball – quite frequently, although a 3 touch limit is usually necessary.

How did you arrange the “Silvio Piola Cup?” Is this optional for all sides or is this a privilege you received as a result of one of your championship runs?