Roth Pond Regatta

Bayer Leverkusen managed to get back in the top position of the German Bundesliga after beating Mainz 05 4-2 this last Saturday, on what was the eighteenth date of the German football. A day earlier, in the same round of games, the Leverkusen lost their lead when Bayern Munchen beat Hoffenheim with a score of 2-0. The win gave Munchen another two points of advantage and placed them temporarily at the head of the German league. Affected by Munich’s sudden ascent to the top, the Leverkusen loca

ls began Saturday’s match distracted and uncertain. The visiting team was quick to take advantage, entering its opponent’s area. Once in their rivals’ area, the O-Fives needed only eight minutes, with Tim Hoogland scoring the first goal of the game, to put the scoreboard at 1-0. This score was the spark that ignited the locals, who reacted quickly, developing a strong game plan. The Neverkusen, determined to regain a position of privilege, began a parade of great plays. They acted as a roc

k wall to their opponents, who were unable to make any progress. But Mainz’s joy was short-lived; 15 minutes later, a great header from Czech defender Michal Kadlec put the score at 1-1. Four minutes later, Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta scored the second goal in favor of Bayer. With an advantage in the scoreboard, Leverkusen increased their tempo. Mainz players found it difficult to stop the heavy attacks they suffered from Bayer. Leverkusen looked unstoppable, and their opponents just

couldn’t match their level of play. Bayer’s offense was becoming more effective with every attempt. At minute 30, midfielder Toni Kroos sent in the team’s third goal. The first half finished with Bayer in a clear position of superiority. But their overconfidence held them back at the start of the second half, with the Werkself slowing their rhythm. They devoted themselves to performing simple plays, trying to maintain their advantage on the scoreboard. Aware of the change in atmosphere, the Mainz players were able to create better plays. The team managed to put the score at 3-2, thanks to a goal from defender Niko Bungert at minute 67. The goal shocked the Bayer out of their sluggishness, returning them to their intense level of play from the first half. From that point on, the game became a real challenge; neither of the teams was willing to give up. The intensity made it difficult to score. A few minutes before the end of the match, Leverkusen had another opportunity quickly seized by Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok; he sent the ball into the net at minute 88, bringing the score to 4-2 and guaranteeing the final victory for his team. The win gave Bayer Leverkusen two points and put them at the top of the German Bundesliga flight with 38 points. The team is followed closely by Schalke 04 with 37 and with Bayern Munich in third with 36 points.

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The game has been highly anticipated by both sets of supporters ever since the draw was made last month with City fans desperate to prove that they are now the team to beat in Manchester.

The fact that the game was called off a fortnight ago, thanks to the heavy snow, has only heightened expectation around the city.

With United looking incapable of shrugging off the inconsistency that has blighted their season so far City sense that now is the perfect time to deliver a knock-

out blow to their neighbours.

However, after winning his first four games in charge, City boss Roberto Mancini finally tasted defeat against Everton on Saturday and it remains to be seen how his side react against the champions.

Both sides will be hard pushed to match the 4-3 thriller at Old Trafford earlier in the season when a 96th minute Michael Owen strike won the game for the hosts to maintain United’s position as top dogs.

Both teams have suffered defensive problems in recent weeks, s

o the winner of this battle will be crucial in deciding the outcome of the game. De Jong and Fletcher are key figures in protecting their back four, but Fletcher has more to his game, as his two goals against City last September testify.

City now operate a rigid 4-4-2 system under Roberto Mancini, a formation dismissed as outdated by Sir Alex Ferguson and his former assistant Carlos Queiroz more than five years ago. Ferguson’s preference for 4-3-3 won him the Champions League in 2008, but wit

hout Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tévez, the system now looks flawed.

The Scarf versus The Hairdryer, Bobby Manc versus the Godfather. This could develop into the managerial clash that defines the next five years if Mancini builds on his promising start at Eastlands. Ferguson has seen off numerous rivals, but City’s money will make Mancini a formidable foe.

Probable teams:

Manchester City (4-4-2): Given; Garrido, Kompany, Richards, Zabaleta; Petrov, Barry, De Jong, Wright-Phillips; Tévez, Bellamy.
Manchester United (4-3-3): Van der Sar; Evra, Vidic, Evans, Rafael; Giggs, Fletcher, Gibson; Obertan, Rooney, Valenmcia.
Referee: M Dean (Wirral)

Wednesday night was not a good night for Barcelona, who was dismissed from the Copa del Rey tournament by Sevilla. Barca was eliminated on away goals after the series tied 2-2 on the aggregate score. Sevilla won against Barcelona on the first leg, 2-1, and the goal made by Barca in the last seconds of Wednesday’s game was not enough to give the team a chance to move to the quarterfinals of the tournament. With the exit, Barcelona will be unable to repeat last year’s feat, when they set a rec

ord by winning six titles in the season. Their performance last year was unprecedented; this year, however, is a different story. This is the first time since April of 2008 that Barca has been eliminated from a competition; that time they were ousted by Manchester United in the semifinals for the Champions League. Coach Pep Guardiola did not hide his unhappiness at being dismissed from the competition, even though Sevilla is a talented team. The loss, Guardiola said, took his team by surprise, a

nd the defeat deeply affected the players. “We are out and it hurts to be eliminated from this competition,” Guardiola said. “It’s not good news, even if people will say that we can now concentrate on La Liga and the Champions League,” he added. “In sport we are not taught how to lose and this has affected us. With this squad and these players maybe I should have got more out of them in the Cup and not lost in the last 16 and I am sorry that I failed.” The hero of the night was Sevilla

Denis Law from My Football Facts & Stats Legendary Players

Denis Law (born 24 February 1940) enjoyed a long and successful career as a Scottish striker from the 1950s to the 1970s. Law’s career as a football player began at Second Division Huddersfield Town in 1956. After four years at Huddersfield, Manchester City signed him for a transfer fee of £55,000, setting a new British record. Law spent one year there before Torino bought him for £110,000, this time setting a new record fee f

or a transfer between an English and an Italian club. Although he played well in Italy, he found it difficult to settle there and signed for Manchester United in 1962, setting another British record transfer fee of £115,000.

He is best known for the eleven years that he spent at United, where he scored 237 goals in 409 appearances and was nicknamed The King and The Lawman by supporters. He is the only Scottish player in history to have won the prestigious European Footballer of the Year awar

d, doing so in 1964, and helped his club win the First Division in 1965 and 1967. Law left Manchester United in 1973 and returned to Manchester City for a season, then represented Scotland in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Law played for Scotland a total of 55 times and jointly holds the Scottish international record goal tally with 30 goals. Law is also United’s second highest goalscorer behind Bobby Charlton. Law holds a United record for scoring 46 goals in a single season.

In the 1954–55 sea

son, he was spotted by Archie Beattie, a scout for Huddersfield Town, who invited him to go for a trial. When he got there, the manager said, “The boy’s a freak. Never did I see a less likely football prospect — weak, puny and bespectacled.” However, to Law’s surprise, they signed him on 3 April 1955. While he was at Huddersfield, he had an operation to correct his squint, which greatly enhanced his self confidence. Huddersfield’s relegation to what was then the Second Division made it easier for Law to get a game, and he made his debut on 24 December 1956, aged only sixteen, in a 2–0 win over Notts County. Manchester United’s manager Matt Busby shortly offered Huddersfield £10,000 for Law, a substantial amount of money for a footballer at that time, but the club turned the offer down. He was not picked to play for Scotland in the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but scored on his debut against Wales on 18 October 1958 and quickly established himself as a first choice player. Bill Shankly was manager of Huddersfield between 1957 and 1959, and when he left for Liverpool he wanted to take Law with him, but Liverpool were unable to afford him at that time.

In March 1960, Law signed for Manchester City for what was then a British record transfer fee of £55,000, although Law’s share of the fee was “precisely nothing”. Although a First Division side, City had narrowly avoided relegation the previous season, and he genuinely felt that Huddersfield had a better team at the time. Law made his debut on 19 March, scoring in a 4–3 defeat to Leeds United. In April 1961, he scored two goals in a 4–1 win over Aston Villa that ensured City’s survival in Division One Although he had thought about leaving, he was playing well and in 1961 Law scored an incredible six goals in an FA Cup tie against Luton Town. Unfortunately for him, the match was abandoned with twenty minutes to go, so his six goals didn’t count. To make matters worse for him, Luton won the replay 3–1, and City were knocked out of the Cup.

He played but did not score in Scotland’s match against England on 15 April 1961. Scotland lost the match 9–3, and Law described it as his “blackest day”. The following November, Law represented the Football League in a match against the Italian League, losing 4–2. Although he enjoyed his time at City, he wanted to play in a more successful side and was sold to the Italian club Torino in the summer of 1961. Law’s time in Italy did not go according to plan. Another Italian club, Internazionale, tried to prevent him becoming a Torino player as soon as he arrived, claiming he had signed a pre-contract agreement with them, although they dropped this claim before the season started.

Players in the UK were not treated well at the time, and the maximum wage for footballers had only recently been abolished there, so he was pleasantly surprised to find that pre-season training was based in a luxury hotel in the Alps. However, Torino took perform

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