Matchday 7: Preview

Breaking News: The new FIFA10 roster update has been released. This means that we should all download and save the NEW rosters. Some of us have made the changes manually (me = Toni) and some haven't (Del Sole = Pandev) but I think it's only fair that we all use the official FIFA10 rosters so that there are no excuses down the road. To download, go to EDIT TEAMS then to DOWNLOAD LATEST SQUADS. After you do that make sure you save your changes by going to MY FIFA !0 > FIFA 10 PROFILE > SAVE/LOAD/DELETE > SAVE > SQUADS

Fiorentina (4-2-0) vs AS Roma (4-1-1)
(Stadio Artemio Franchi)

The second meeting between these two juggernauts will again determine who sits first and who second. Roma is looking to avenge their only defeat this season that saw a controversial intervention from Milan manager Davide Campoli cost Roma a penalty while Fiorentina is looking to remain unbeaten and extend their first place lead to an near untouchable 4 points.

Internazionale (2-2-2) vs Juventus (2-1-3)
(San Siro)

The battle for third sees a Juventus visit a struggling Inter side who has lost their last two games after going unbeaten through their first four. Juve will hope to build on their positive result from last week and leap frog Inter for third spot.

Manchester United (1-0-5) vs AC Milan (2-0-4)
(Old Trafford)

Manchester has much improved since their 2-0 season opening defeat to Milan so the visitors can expect a much tougher match this time around. Wayne Rooney has been on a tear of late, scoring in each of his last 4 matches, while Milan's Ronaldinho has been equally impressive over the same span.

Matchday 6: Results

AC Milan 3 vs Internazionale 1
(San Siro)

AC Milan got revenge against their city rivals by taking the second derby of the year in compelling fashion. The Rossoneri came out determined, taking the play to Inter and being rewarded with a Ronaldinho goal in the 8th minute. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar extended the lead to two in the 21st minute and Ronaldinho added his second shortly after to make the game 3-0 before the 30th minute. After some tactical changes, Inter settled in but the damage had been done. Eto'o's second half strike was merely consolation for the visitors as their hot start to the season has been cooled by two straight losses to bottom table teams.

Juventus 2 vs Fiorentina 2
(Stadio Olimpico di Torino)

Juventus boss Marco Sirianni called his team's 2-2 draw to Fiorentina their "best match of the season." The draw comes at a tough time for the home side who have struggled to find favourable results over the past few weeks. Strong play from key players pushed Juve to an early two goal lead, including a stunning long distance strike from Diego that opened the scoring. Gamberini responded by heading home a Montolivo cross from a corner just before half to offer the league leaders hope heading into the second period. The visitors managed to tie the game but could not capitalize on a number of good chances down the stretch to take the victory. Still, the draw keeps unbeaten Fiorentina in first position at the close of week 6, making them, once again, the team to beat.

Manchester United 2 vs AS Roma 3
(Old Trafford)

Roma managed to squeak out a close 3-2 victory over a tough Manchester side Saturday morning by relying on a hat-trick from star striker Luca Toni. The former Bayern Munich man opened the scoring in the 32nd minute by cooly slotting home a pass from Francesco Totti that put the Italian squad up 1-0 at half time. Toni netted another in the 58th minute to put the Giallorossi in the driver's seat in what looked to be an easy win for the visitors. But a costly mistake by Doni got the home side back into the game when the Roman keeper cleared the ball straight to Owen Hargreaves who put it past a frantic Doni for Manchester's first goal of the match. Toni answered soon after with his 3rd of the game but the momentum was short lived as Wayne Rooney took a nice pass from Dimitar Berbatov and put the home side within one. Manchester continued to press, managing to bend the Roman defence but not break them. The win keeps Roma within striking distance of league leaders Fiorentina while Manchester's loss will keep them bottom of the table for a 7th consecutive week.

Matchday 6: Preview

The second half kicks off this weekend with big games in England and across Italy. We need to talk about whether Rob is allowed to use MURGU since that cheater is no longer on the team.

AC Milan (1-0-4) vs Internazionale (2-2-1)
(San Siro)

The Milan derby goes for the second time this year with two clubs desperate to get back to their winning ways. AC Milan have struggled the last few weeks from some harsh results but are hoping to bounce back after the break while Inter are expecting that the time off will renew their title hopes.

Juventus (2-0-3) vs Fiorentina (4-1-0)
(Stadio Olimpico di Torino)

A struggling Juventus side are running into a powerful Fiorentina team at a very inopportune time. Juve are desperate for a win but it won't come easily against Fiorentina, who top the table at the season's midpoint. A win, however, might be just what Juve need to rejoin the MFL elite.


Manchester United (1-0-4) vs AS Roma (3-1-1)
(Old Trafford)

Expect a very different result from the season opener that saw Roma butt-rape Manchester United 7-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. Since then, Manchester United has impressed with week-to-week improvements under the strict tutelage of Sir Alex, picking up their first win over a stunned Inter in week 5. Both teams will look to extend their winning streaks in what should be an entertaining, back-and-forth, shootout.

Midseason Odds & Ends

Before anything else, I'd like to extend congratulations to Rob for finishing the first half of the season without a defeat. He'll have to continue playing well if he wants to maintain that undefeated streak because now he has a target on his back. Still, an impressive feat.

Now with premature congratulations aside, I'd like to notify all league members that Alex has taken a small step out of the massive shadow of his older, more impressive brother and made his own PS3 online account. I think he's added everyone but if not send me an email and I'll give you his ID.

Finally, I wanted to let everyone know about the wonderful world of EA Sports Football World. As soon as you make an online account you are also making an EA Sports Account, so we all have one (sign in with your email account). This website is where you can create your avatar (so that you have that little picture in the bottom right corner instead of a blank head), upload videos, and upload screen shots. It also keeps track of your online play (your record and a list of players you've played with the scores). The coolest thing, though, is the FIFA Game Face. The bad news for us Mac/Ubuntu users is that it's only compatible with Windows and Internet Explorer, but it's worth finding an inferior computer to use for about 10mins so that you can create this thing. It looks eerily realistic.

Anway, I've uploaded examples of all three below. The first is a screen shot of Vucinic scoring a scissor kick. The second is the video clip of that same highlight. The third is my Game Face. Check it:

EA Sports: Beşiktaş JK 1 - 1 Roma

EA Sports: Beşiktaş JK 1 - 1 Roma

Matchday 5: Results

Fiorentina 2 vs AC Milan 0
(Stadio Artemio Franchi)

Rob's Review: Fiorentina hosted Milan on Monday night to finish off the first round of games. Fiorentina expected nothing less than three points, anything less would have been a disappointment for the home crowd. Fiorentina came out strong and pinned the Milan defence back in the first 10 minutes. Milan found a way to calm the storm and eventually settle in. As Fiorentina kept pressuring they had difficulty finding the back of the net until Gamberini rose above the Milan defender off a corner to make it 1-0. Fiorentina kept pressuring but Milan was composed in the back and made some strong defensive plays. Just before the end of the half, Pato had a tremendous chance to tie the game at one but he shot wide summing up Milan's evening.

In the second half, Milan made some changes to try and find an offensive spark however the league leaders were motivated and organized on this night. Later on in the half Fiorentina won another corner and Vargas scored to make it 2-0. That would be the final as Milan shut out Fiorentina's explosive offence but ironically had difficulty defending set pieces and stopping the Fiorentina defence. Fiorentina finish the first half of the season in first place and look to hold the top of the table into the spring while Milan will need to start finding results to win that last playoff spot which is still up for grabs. Garnet Exelby is terrible!!


Internazionale 1 vs Manchester United 2
(Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)

Manchester United picked up their first win of the season in a surprise victory away from Old Trafford by beating the second place holders Inter. The visitors have struggled this season to keep balls out of their net but have shown improvement from week to week. It seems United manager Sir Alex Sirianni's rigorous practice sessions have finally payed dividends as goals from Rooney buoyed the Red Devils to a shocking 2 - 1 win.

Inter, on the other hand, failed to finish the first half unbeaten by losing just their first fixture of the year. As the Italian side drop to third behind Roma's victory, it remains to be seen whether this loss will be a mere bump on the road to success or the beginning of the end for the Nerazzurri.


AS Roma 4 vs Juventus 1

(Stadio Olimpico)

Roma reasserted their position as a top MFL team by trouncing a fledgling Juventus squad 4-1 on Monday night. Francesco Totti continued his stellar play this season by opening the scoring just two minutes in and Simone Perrotta made it 2 - 0 before the clock struck 10 minutes. Juve's Mauro Camoranesi cut Roma's lead to one just 8 minutes later but the night was clearly Roma's from the get go. The home side continued to swarm the Juve box in the second half and were rewarded with well-taken goals by Toni and Totti in the 57th and 63rd minutes respectively. The Giallorossi attack seems to have been trying to send a message to the rest of the league by relentlessly firing 22 shots at the Juve net, while the Bianconeri managed only 4 at Doni. The win puts Roma in second place heading into the break with Fiorentina the only team left to catch.

Following the loss, Juventus is clearly in need of a shake up. Coach Marco Sirianni called this his team's worst performance ever and it was clear he was not happy with their play. Following Roma's 4th goal in the 63rd minute, the Juve manager signaled his disapproval by making a rare triple switch where not even superstar goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was safe from substitution. But perhaps the most revealing measure of Juve's frustration came by their six yellow cards - two of which went to Georgio Chiellini - and 10 fouls in total. It is clear that something needs to be done to spark the Bianconeri and with word that Ross Tona is Torino, Sirianni better hope he finds the solution sooner rather than later.

Matchday 5: Preview

Fiorentina (3-1-0) vs AC Milan (1-0-3)
(Stadio Artemio Franchi)

Fiorentina will look remain unbeaten going into the mid-season break with a win against a Milan side who has dropped their last two games in tough one-goal losses. Viola boss Roberto Garisto has hinted that he may give some of his starters a well-deserved weekend off but Milan manager Davide Campoli has vowed to "punish that sausage" if he does so.


Internazionale (2-2-0) vs Manchester United (0-0-4)
(Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)

Surprise second place holders Inter will expect to remain unbeaten by picking up 3 points against a winless United. The Manchester side has struggled this term but will yet again hope improve upon an impressive showing last week by snatching a win away from an over confident home side.


AS Roma (2-1-1) vs Juventus (2-0-2)

(Stadio Olimpico)

Two underachieving sides will hope to prove themselves in this crucial meeting between the two mid-table teams. Both squads entered the season with high hopes but respective bench bosses Daniel Campoli and Marco Sirianni have failed to meet their supporters' expectations. Continuing rumors of a managerial change at Juventus seemed to spur the club on to victory in last week's match up against United, but the Torino side will need to continue picking up points if Sirianni expects to remain at the bianconeri post.

Matchday 4: Results

Fuck this week:

AS Roma 2 vs Fiorentina 3
(Stadio Olimpico)

Rob's bullshit review of this bullshit win: The first fixture of Matchday 4 was much anticipated as first place was on the line. Roma hosted Fiorentina in what proved to be a wonderful display of football in the eternal city. Fiorentina came out the victors 3-2 as they played what manager Garisto coined "the perfect road game". The majority of the action came in the first half as Jovetic put Fiorentina ahead in the 9th minute with a classy finish inside the near post. Soon after, Francesco Totti responded with a brilliant finish from outside the box to tie the game, 1-1. Fiorentina again responded with a goal by Gilardino but Francesco Totti again found a way to even the game up, 2-2. Fiorentina couldn't find a way to stop Totti, he had the crowd on their feet every time he had possession of the ball. Then finally, controversy. As Fiorentina counter-attack, Murgu threads a ball into Gilardino who makes a run behind the Roma defence, as he gains control of the ball he is taken down and the referee decides to POINT TO THE SPOT! Murgu steps up, puts it home to make it a 3-2 game. Manager Campoli had this to say about the penalty decision, "My fuckin brother is knocking on the door and I hit mute to listen for the door, I look up and Gilardino is on a breakaway. The penalty was a bullshit call!". Expect sanctions by the Maple Fifa League Commissioners against the Roma manager after his vulgar post game comments. Meanwhile, Garisto stated "it was the correct call". Amid the controversy, Fiorentina went into half-time leading 3-2.

After half-time, Roma made an adjustment by bringing in Vucinic on the wing for an ineffective Menez. Roma piled on the pressure, Fiorentina fouled as often as they could but Fiorentina seemed to have the upper-hand on this sunny afternoon. Luca Toni had numerous opportunities but could not find the back of the net. Campoli responded to Toni's inability to finish by stating "he is on the bench next week for sure". Totti also had some opportunities but Sebastian Frey was determined not to be beat. Fiorentina followed their game-plan and when the final whistle was blown, Fiorentina found themselves at the top of the table while Roma were disappointed and waited on results later in the matchday to determine their fate at the end of Matchday 4. Coach Garisto had this to say after the game, "Im proud of my boys and we look forward to a tricky test next week against Milan; possibly an opportunity for me to give my young talent and reserves a look. I guaranteed 3 points to our supporters and delivered, I can safely say we have one hand on the trophy."

Editor's note: Gilardino's penalty recalled this doozie when he was a member of the Rossoneri:


Internazionale 2 vs AC Milan 1
(Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)

Del Sole's highlights:
- Very large crowd on hand, almost filled to capacity
- Starting Formation - Milan: 4-3-1-2, Inter: 4-4-2
- Lazy midfield play for the first 10 minutes or so, not what these teams are used to.
- Milan striker Huntelaar drilled a perfect shot from just outside of the box prompting the commentator to comment "he'll never have a better shot than that". A deflated Inter bunch were not too pleased he decided to show up this game.
- The rest of the first half was dominated by Inter which benefited by switching to an aggressive formation, turning the tides. Shot after shot, rush after rush, but nothing to show for it.
- In the 37th, Eto'o took a nice pass in the box and tapped it calmly into the bottom corner. 1-1.
- Second half went much the same as the first. Inter carried play and possession with Milan getting chances once every 15 minutes or so. In the 76th, Milito took a pass from Eto'o from outside the box, curled his way around the defense and calmly put the ball in the net. 2-1 Inter.
- Play went back and forth for the next 15 minutes once Milan subbed in Flamini to push forward with the attack but it was Inter coming close on several occasions. In the dying moments, the game was surely tied, when Inter's defense collapsed allowing Ronaldinho to have a sure fire goal, but his momentum away from goal and the pressure of the situation caused him to miss barely wide.

Manchester United 1 vs Juventus 2

(Old Trafford)

Juve picks up a much needed win and United falls to four straight losses in a game that I doubt was even played. It seems that Manchester is improving with each fixture so a win is bound to come, probably against an out of form Roma, but it's likely they'll be stuck in the cellar for the rest of the season. Juve, on the other hand, needs to pick up points against Roma next week to jump back into the race for first.