Arsenal

Vijay Narayanan on May 5th, 2009

Arsene Wenger had promised a magnificent performance from his side ahead of the second leg Champions League semifinal tie at home against Manchester United. Instead the Gunners received a master class in counter-attacking football from the Red Devils, especially Cristiano Ronaldo. Video highlights will follow. Of the three goals United scored tonight, my favorite is [...]

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Vijay Narayanan on May 2nd, 2009

El clásico, the Real Madrid – Barcelona derby turned out to be a total humiliation for Real Madrid today, as the hosts were blanked out 6 – 2 by a rampaging Barcelona side that moved ever closer to regaining the Primera Liga. To be honest, I think I’ve used the word rampaging incorrectly, because it [...]

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Vijay Narayanan on December 19th, 2008

Though already a UEFA Cup winner, Jose Mourinho came to be taken seriously across Europe after his FC Porto side knocked Manchester United out of the 2003-04 Champions League. We know the rest of the story. Porto won the Champions League, Mourinho went to Chelsea, won two consecutive league titles and had a solid record [...]

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Vijay Narayanan on November 1st, 2008

When Harry Redknapp took over the reins at Tottenham Hotspur from Portsmouth a week ago, the jury was unsure about the effectiveness of the move. In their first 8 games this season, Spurs, under Juande Ramos, could muster only 2 points. Spurs were in free fall, and below Bolton and even Newcastle (!) in the [...]

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Vijay Narayanan on April 13th, 2008

In cricket, so often we see a shot played when the ball races to the fence, and no one needs to move – not the batsmen, nor the fielders. Often we hear commentators say, “Ah, a stand and deliver shot! No one moved.” In football, one hardly comes across such moments. The game is always [...]

Continue reading about A free-kick, frozen in time and space