Liffeys FC

The world football blog from one of the most storied traditional soccer pubs in America. Born in New Haven CT in 1997.

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EPL Top Dogs Preview 2015-16

Away we go yet again. This season comes weeks earlier than usual in the Prem, as it feels like last year’s fixtures just ended. Maybe, it seems, soccer in general just never lost it’s momentum - with the Women’s World Cup, Gold Cup, and Guinness ICC holding us over to the point we never lost a step.

The EPL has seen no shortage of off season excitement either. The Raheem Sterling saga finally ended with LFC selling the young ace to Man City for a record fee. Cry not, Reds fans, Liverpool picked up a great many solid to great players, with James Milner, Brazilian stud Firminho, and perhaps, the best striker in the league available in Christian Benteke. Benteke may not have the star power that a Messi or Neymar have, but the man scores. ALOT. And he is a monster in the box that bullies other teams defenders to no end. And after last season’s woes - LFC needs nets any way they can get them, ugly, pretty, or accidental. 

Chelsea didn’t thrill it’s fans with new signings this off-season, but maybe the evil genius José Mourinho knows a thing or two more than the casual fan, and the same side that near dominated the league from fall to spring needed no update. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 

Manchester United has been hot since the close of last year’s season. Streaky form, sometimes brilliant and sometimes empty and lost, the classic side is still finding it’s entity in the Van Gaal era. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay and Matteo Darmian will add plenty (as will a seemingly reborn Luke Shaw), but can Wayne Rooney score the goals? And can a back-four leader step forward? Still questions to be answered. We shall see, Old Trafford, we shall see.

Arsenal seems to be the side most likely to knock Chelsea off it’s perch come May. Wenger seems to have concocted a career revival, and when in form- Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud, and Danny Welbeck are a very, very formidable attack. With new GK Petr Cech minding the net, the defense looks much more solidified. Arsenal will have to score more goals than they allow by a landslide to dethrone the Blues, but it can be done.

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Hooligan Heaven kicks off this weekend, Aug 8/9th at both Liffeys locations in Fairfield and New Haven CT. 

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UCL GROUP B PREVIEW OVERVIEW

Nickname: "Old CL Foes Will Come To Blows, While Upstarts Spin Their Wheels. High scores abound, & Roar With Sound, Defenses On Their Heels" Sides: Real Madrid, Liverpool, FC Basel, Ludigorets Pretty honest rhyme there for the title nickname. Here we go. This group is top heavy as hell. Most agree that Real and LFC go on by a sizable margin, and any time you have a current champ - and a 5 time former champ (currently enjoying a surge and rise to glory -potentially) you have a great story. Real is Real. We know this. The Decima silverware owners somehow got even more stacked and jacked, with the addition of WC star James Rodreguz of Colombia coming aboard the most expensive and talented roster of super star power ever assembled in any sport. CR7, Bale, Benzema, Modz, I mean- alone in attacking players that's like a gazillion euros worth of goals. With Ronaldo's injury nagging, and RMs recent slight lag, the other 3 in GB are hungry. But do not doubt Carlo Ancelloti's tactics - or the depth of Real's talent pool. On paper, an injured CR7 really isn't that big of a deal. RM had more super stars than they can fit in anyway. Presumably for this type of situation. Real is still the favorite to take the GB crown. Then there's the super talented, young, high flying and brash new Liverpool. Under manager Brendan Rogers LFC has enjoyed an epic rebirth. Players like Danny Sturridge, Raheem Sterling, and Jordan Henderson have become national stars in the UK. Sterling looks like the best player in Europe in the past 6 months, and he's been scoring, or almost scoring, like twice a game. The thing LFC had that Real may not- is heart and a sense of brotherhood and fearlessness. They fly all over the field. Sometimes it's not pretty per se, but good Lord are they exciting. They are the Ok City Thunder to Real's Miami Heat. The legendary Steven Gerrard captains the Reds, and brings balance to energetic youth. It's a scary mix, and at home in Anfield- they are scary good. They're the only side in GB that can give Real a run. And watching Pepe Vs Balotelli go to war is gunna be sick. SICK. Basel FC. A great story to watch and root for. Swiss champions five seasons in a row, FC Basel have developed a system of inconvenience for bigger sides in Europe. In 2011-12 they beat Man U to reach the round of 16, and in 2013-14 they beat Chelsea home and away in the group, though they didn't make it any further. However, coach Murat Yakin has left the club, and although they have retained plenty of young stud talent, it's not enough to battle the legacy sides above. Two wins against 'Gorets may give them hope to move on if LFC or RMs aggregates are blown wide, but it's a slim shot really. There are no shootouts in the group stage, and so Ludogorets will not have the chance to repeat their maverick defender-in-goal-for-the-penalty kicks strategy that saw them through to the group stage. It's hard to see anything other than plucky, hard fought L's for the Bulgarian club in the four games against the big two, and they'll be praying the home game against Basel goes well- as it may be the most reasonable chance for 3 points they'll be given. Even more so than Basel FC, 'Gorets lacks the gamesmanship and experience required at the CL. We wish them good luck of course, or at least a wish to make things exciting and entertaining for their fans. This was a very tough break for them.

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MARK YOUR PLANNERS. OCT 10TH. LANDON'S GOING AWAY PARTY IS IN HARTFORD CT. 

ANNA LIFFEYS PARTY BUS. BE ON IT. More details to come soon.

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9 GOALS. TEAM FIGHTS. EVE V. CFC WAS REAL LIFE FIFA VIDEO GAME MATCH.

Chelsea and Everton served up a nine-goal cracker as Jose Mourinho’s Blues claimed an amazing 6-3 win at Goodison Park.  

After seeing major title rivals Manchester City slip up earlier in the day, Chelsea made a blistering start. Goals from Diego Costa and Branislav Ivanovic had the Blues two to zip inside three wee minutes.

Everton shook off the double blow, and Kevin Mirallas scored just before the interval to give the home side hope.

The scoring continued after the break, with the opposing sides trading goals. Every time Chelsea scored, Everton hit back—until Ramires grabbed the telling fifth goal for Chelsea 13 minutes from time.

Chelsea spent big in the summer, but it appears they also spent wisely. It took summer recruits Cesc Fabregas and Costa 35 seconds to open the scoring.

To say the least, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas have been utterly vicious to teams wearing not Chelsea blue.  

The last 15 minutes of the game were perhaps the wildest seen in broadly recent EPL history. Goal after goal. Strike after strike. Hard tackle after hard tackle and line scuffle after line scuffle. It was dizzying at Goodison Park in Meyerside. 

Here's the post game show with commentary and highlights from the good people at Sky Sports. Ha.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/live-blog/#ooid=d4Nm55bzq-cNM5z46u-G9BPFFZztQEqt

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TIM HOWARD TAKES NO SHIT FROM DIEGO.

American balls at work here.

Watch Timmy Howard rush Chelsea star Diego Costa and yoke him up after Costa talks shit. God bless America. 

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LFC ROLLS ON SPURS, BALOTELLI DEBUT. 

Mario Balotelli got his Liverpool career off to a winning start away at Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon, although the star striker was not directly involved in any of the goals- he provided a preview of things to come with 4 shots on goal, and displayed creativity, strength, and skill for 60 + minutes.

The Reds, who were being managed by Brendan Rodgers for the 100th time, ran out 3-0 winners at White Hart Lane. They dominated play, making streaking runs down the flanks on the counter, and controlling play and pace thru the middle for the full 90. 

The £16m Italian signing had three chances to mark his debut with a goal during the first half, one of which was saved by Hugo Lloris from point blank range in just the third minute. He then headed wide soon after, before seeing an audacious volley from 40 yards out with the Spurs keeper stranded fly well wide. However, the away side did manage to make the most of their domination in the first half thanks to Raheem Sterling, who swooped in at the back post to turn in Jordan Henderson’s low cross with eight minutes on the clock.

With no goals on the tally plate, Balotelli's impact was loud and clear at White Heart Lane. Every time he touched the ball, the stadium electrified, and he flashed all the signs of being in top form. The back line on the day was far more solid than we saw at Man City a week ago, with young addition Alberto Moreno playing the role of the spark plug off the defensive counter.

Halftime saw the score 1-0 Liverppol, but it should have really been more like 4 or 5 - Nil. But 5 minutes into the second half, Tottenham defender Eric Dier pulled down LFC mid Joe Allen in the box, and then rushed Allen, screaming in his face and chest bumping him for "Diving". Replay showed it was not simulation on Allen's part at all, and the PK was given. 

Bang. Captain Steven Gerrard made it 2-zip Reds on a low rocket into the bottom left side on Hugo Lloris. 

67th minute saw more action for LFC. Then new boy Moreno picked the pocket of Spurs Andros Townsend at midfield, raced untouched down the left wing, and buried a far post zinger on  an off his line GK Lloris to make it 3-0.

Subs came after, with Lazar Markovic and Emre Can providing toughness and stamina for Balo and Allen, both who had fine outings. 

Reds netminder Simon Mingolet had yet another stellar showing in back, blanking the opposition for the first time this season, and making several marvelous saves to keep the sheet clean.

The back line of Sakho and Lovren in the middle, and Manquillo and Moreno on the wings looked sharp, and the 2 spanish flank backs have began to get quite a bit of love from the Scouse faithful so far. 

Brendan Rogers side looks sharp, quick, and unrelenting for 90 minutes, and the record, 2-1-0 with 6 points, a jump from 13th to now 5th place, reflects it. 

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UCL DRAW! Liffeys Thoughts On Group A!

Well the day has passed and everything is now announced. The world was given a full 24 hours to digest the FIFA drawing for 2014-15 UCL and we at Liffeys are no different.

Here is our utterly NSFW, opinionated, frank, blunt and direct thoughts on the upcoming Cup O’Champs- broken down by group with predictions attached.

GROUP A: “Medieval Europe Titans Clash For Colonization Dominance”

SIDES: Athletico Madrid. Juventus. Olympiacos. Malmo.

Romans. Greeks. Spaniards. And then Malmo. We should have said - “Vikings”. Anyhoo.

With GA, we have the obvious highlight of 2 Juve vs Athleti games which most feel will decide who’s 1 or 2 on aggregate. Don’t be fooled by Grecian champs from Mount Olympus however. Sure they may lack the big star power the top 2 dogs have but they are no slouch. They play very well as a team, and cohesive unity in any sport or arena can win big (See NBA; San Antonio Spurs)

Juve and AM however, are the class of this group, as reining champs of La Liga and Series A. Although AM lost star power to Chelsea in the off season, tactical and emotional wiz Diego Simone has already shown and proved since losing Diego “Benedict Arnold” Costa and Belgian national Coutrois- the best goalie on earth.

The fact remains that AM is a cunning side, with a bolted down defense that shows no fear. Playing home town rivals Real Madrid all the time it seems, can’t hurt their game either.

No disrespect intended, but it does not appear that Malmo have the fire power to compete seriously in GA. Sure they are the best side in Sweden, and captain Guillermo Molins is a stalwart- but their depth isn’t world class and they don’t play the level of competition the others face domestically. You never know though, and everyone loves an underdog so Europe will be rooting The Blues on. Here’s to Malmo. Liffeys will put out bowls of Swedish Fish in their honor Instead of bullshit Bar Nuts.

PREDICTION: Athletico Madrid, Juventus go on. In that order. But close on GF/GA and WLD points.

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Welcome to the family Balotelli.

A lot of skeptics around about this signing, go and prove them you’re worthy of the red shirt!

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TRAGIC DAY. CAMEROON STAR PASSES FROM HOOLIGAN ACT.

Issa Hayatou was pronounced dead shortly after his team lost to USM Alger in the Algerian football championship. Fans allegedly threw rocks on the pitch as both teams were heading for the locker rooms after a 2-1 win over JS Kabylie. Ebosse was hit in the head and taken to the hospital in Tizi Ouzou, where he was pronounced dead. He was 24 years old.

In the video below, you can see Ebosse score a penalty and then after his celebration, it cuts to a frenetic shot inside a locker room with what looks to be Ebosse wrapped in cloth before he was taken to the hospital.

The following is a statement from African Futbol Federation President Issa Hayatou.

'African football cannot be the breeding ground for hooliganism whatsoever. We expect exemplary sanctions to be taken against this grave act of violence. Violence has no place in African football in particular and sports in general. We remain resolute and state in the strongest terms our determination to eradicate all forms of violence and unsportsmanlike conduct in stadiums on the continent. "

Story from our friends at Via Screamer.Deadspin 

Fan Violence and hooliganism must end. A young star has passed away. This is where the end of the line is, and FIFA, for all its corrupt ways- must move swiftly and aggressively. 

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Today at 3 PM. LFC New Haven is in the HOUSE.

[foxsoccer]

Black cat invades Camp Nou pitch during Barcelona's La Liga opener

The Blaugrana will be hoping the furry pitch invader in their La Liga home opener isn’t a sign of things to come this season.

Just as their match against Elche kicked off, a rather adorable black cat ran rampant on the pitch for a good few minutes, sprinting the length of the pitch before it was eventually wrangled by a steward.

If Barcelona has some kind of disastrous or unlucky or ‘cat’-astrophic season, we all know who the Camp Nou faithful will blame.

Image: Josep Lago, Getty Images

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BALOTELLI TO LIVERPOOL JUST NOW, BBC REPORTS. We Told You, Kids.

Liverpool have agreed a £16m fee with AC Milan to sign former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers wants the Italy international, 24, to strengthen his attack after last season's top scorer Luis Suarez joined Barcelona.

Balotelli moved to Milan for £19m from City last year and has scored 30 goals in 54 games for the Serie A club.

Liverpool travel to Etihad Stadium in their next Premier League match on Monday.

Negotiations are still taking place to agree terms with the player, but Balotelli has already said his farewells in Italy.

Milan said in a statement on their website: "Mario Balotelli left Milanello's sporting centre at 13:30 local time, after saying goodbye to his team-mates.

"Before leaving the premises, the striker has said goodbye to members of Milan's press office."

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BREAKING NEWS: Argentine star fullback to Man United for 17 Mil.

Van Gaal wasted no time in getting Man U's shit together in the back.

And also raised the Red Devil's stock as the team with the most players with snazzy haircuts. 

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ASSCLOWN FAN RUNS OUT ON PITCH, TAKES FREE KICK DURING TOTTENHAM/WEST HAM GAME AND IT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD. 

Sure, fat security guards in the same silly vests as highway pavers and crossing guards tried to stop him, but this guy is an ace.

The shot was actually well taken. The real kicker here is the fact that there's like 4 MLS teams that should offer this drunk stud a contract asap.

Shouts to our homies at Screamer (Deadspin.com's soccer blog) for this drop. Cheers, mates.

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CHELSEA WRECKS BURNLEY'S EPL INTRO. 3-1 But Never That Close.

Chelsea FC rolled like everyone expected. In England's primetime version of our "Monday Night Football"- the Blues handed the league newcomers Burnley an arse-wolloping.

3 goals in the first half. If they tried the second half, it would have been higher. Costa looks like a very dangerous man thus far, and Spanish star Cesc Fabregas looked like a younger, sharper version of Italian maestro Pirlo in the role of visionary playmaker/Steve Nash/John Stockton/NBA classic white guys.

So, we go on...

There's 2 ways to look at this:

However, before we start to hand the Blues the trophy already, let's remember that it was Burnley, the team that benefitted for Fulham's relegation to come up to the big show, who was flattened. Oh yeah, they allowed Burnley to score early. Ha.

Ask fans in the UK to name 3 players on Burnley FC. They can't. If CFC came on and spanked Arsenal, City, LFC, United, hell, even Tottenham or Everton- we would be singing their praised a tad louder. 

but a W is a W these days in the hardest league on earth.

Way 2:

Shut the fuck up, anyone who isn't fully sold on the Blues. They're scary. They're lead by a scary, dangerous, chess playing wizard in Jose Mourinho, and they went out and loaded up on top tier talent. 

Diego Costa's sad sack show in Brazil is so far gone, it could be a Drake mixtape. Febregas has gotten even sharper and his touches are sublime. Ivanovic as defensive anchor is a threat from box to box, and plays with no fear at all, which gives their high powered offense even more time to pick you apart. And if you think you can make a case for their bench being maybe not as deep as the other big boys in the EPL, just remember they re-signed African footablling legend Drogba, and even in his twilight years, is good for 10 goals a season and a hell of alot of experience. 

So as in everything in life, it is a matter of perspective, and the people shall see soon. But if we were betting men here at Liffeys, we'd say the Blues are for real, and beyond.

Watch all the highlights here from our friends at The Roar. 

http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/08/19/burnley-vs-chelsea-english-premier-league-live-scores-blog/

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SERGIO RAMOS DOES IT FOR THE VINE.

Sergio Ramos punches Athletico's Mario Mandzukic in the face, only gets a yellow card for his MMA antics, and then smirks cuz he dodged a bullet and still got to punch a rival in the mouth.

Real Madrid. Athletico. The most bitter rivalry in club soccer keeps growing.