Arsenal v Olympiakos 10/3/11

After the defeat to Chelsea, I couldn't help but be cautious about the fixture at home against the Greeks. Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny looked shaky versus Chelsea's attack and I wondered if they were gonna put up another dubious performance here. The first half definitely solidified my view here, as right after Gervinho's goal (which was taken brilliantly I might add), the center halves could not close down Mitroglou on a header as he put it past Vito Mannone to make the score 1-1. Entering halftime, Steve Bould must have been furious as Arsenal were scored on again in the air. The duo were not inspiring the confidence they needed to, and Arsenal's offense was middling at best. Bould's talk seemed just what Arsenal needed as in the second half, they came out flying. The Olympiakos defense were pressed well, and Lukas Podolski scored that all important second goal off of Gervinho's slick moves. After that though, it was a game of tug-of-war between the Olympiakos' attack and Arsenal's counterattacks. Both had little success trying to control the game, and Arsenal looked as even though they weren't going to concede an equalizer, they weren't going to score the insurance goal either. At the end however, Olivier Giroud's deft flick towards Aaron Ramsey provided the space Ramsey needed to score a clinical third. Giroud hasn't been banging them in, but he has been making fine contributions to the team in his substitute appearances. Overall, a decent performance from the Gunners, after a miserly first half. The Greeks did everything the could, but didn't have the quality Arsenal had, even though it wasn't a vintage Arsenal. And 3-1 isn't so bad in a mid-week game.

1/9/11

Today was a highly eventful day for sports. A champion is decided in college football, a legend returned to his former club, and one very special player is crowned.

The Rematch
Tonight, in the Louisiana Superdome, is the rematch between the Louisiana State University Tigers and the Alabama University Crimson Tide. After the Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide earlier in the season 9-6 in the Superdome, the Crimson Tide will be looking for revenge on the grandest of stages, the BCS Championship Game. This game will feature some of college football brightest talents, including LSU cornerbacks Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu and Morris Claiborne, and Alabama running back Trent Richardson. The game is set to air on ESPN at 7:30.

The Comeback
As Leeds United took on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, the focus shone on one player. Thierry Henry. The Arsenal legend had recently returned to the club due to a need of strikers for Arsene Wenger's side, and sat on the bench during the FA Cup tie against Leeds. But the striker's substitution paid off after he scored the winning goal in the 73rd minute from a through ball passed by Alex Song. The fairytale goal was what Arsenal needed after a lackluster performance most of the match. Henry will most likely be featured again against Swansea City on Sunday.

The Crowning
The Ballon D'Or winner was announced today. It's recipient? None other than Lionel Messi. The 24-year old FC Barcelona winger was named the top player in the world for the 3rd time in a row. This equals current UEFA President Michel Platini's record and surpasses greats like Fabio Cannavaro, Zinedine Zidane, and Pavel Nedved. The other nominees were his Barcelona teammate Xavi Hernandez, and Real Madrid rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.

That does it for January 9, 2012. Good night everybody.