Stoke bring on three strikers, I didn't know they had three on their roster.

Sissoko ain't crap.

Michael Owen punched Corloza after a clean but hard tackle.

Everton tied it up

Oh, Villa.

Everton with 93rd minute goal to tie! Wigan with a 95th minute goal to tie!

Of course I stopped watching both. I am jinxing every game I am watching.

And Chelsea nearly drew even.

Crotch save for Newcastle seals the deal.

Crotch save for Newcastle seals the deal.

Sometimes, you gotta take one for the team.

I like how Krul pulled him up after the crotch ball even though he was clearly about to hurl.

I am pretty much the archetypal football hipster.

Napoli is my Italian team, Dortmund is my favorite German club, I thought Spain were boring before they weren't, I buy retro shirts off the Internet, I like Marcelo Bielsa. I am probably going to Hamburg with a friend to take in a Sankt-Pauli game in the next year or two, I listen to Football Weekly and Football Ramble and I subscribe to the Blizzard (and went to a Q&A a couple weeks ago with Jonathan Wilson). I bigged up Lewandowski for the Golden Boot. I think Maradona is the best player ever. I love Ajax and Arsene Wenger and Dennis Bergkamp (dreamboat). I am massively f*cking arrogant about offensive football (while having a mancrush on 80s/early 90s Serie A) and I like lots of European leagues.

About the only things that don't fit into the mold are that I don't have a tactics blog, although I pitched an article to a Dutch football magazine about how tiki-taka is a subconscious reliving of the 20 minutes after Johan Neeskens scored in the 1974 World Cup final when the Dutch were rampant but opted to toy with the Germans rather than go for the second goal that probably would have killed off the game. I also don't like Barcelona very much, primarily due to their masturbatory philosophy that is basically a straight rip-off of Ajax's principles.

I shall now sit in my 1996 Ajax shirt and twirl my mustache.

Hey hipsters, Bafana Bafana and Mali are heading to the second period of extra time, even at 1-1.

Damn it Villa, we've already decided you're going down. Knock it off!

You needn't have worried. Team defense was as bad as ever today, even with Vlaar back and the two midfielders nominally most capable of controlling play (Westwood, El Ahmadi) on the field. Villa's marking was horrific, their set-piece defense was atrocious, and if it weren't for Brad Guzan this would have been three points dropped late instead of two.

Reading wins again. There's something about the turning of the new year that just kicks this team into gear, I guess.

Wish we could have gotten Gylfi back. Spurs doesn't seem to be using him, and the offer sounds like it was around $10 million. What would the Spurs Think Factory crowd have thought about the deal had it gone down?

Definitely opposed. I guess in theory if the money could have been turned into a new striker at a fair price, it would be worth it, but any sale is good if you go on to spend the money better.

For this year, Spurs need every bit of goal threat on this roster. One of these times, his beautiful 87th minute strike is going to get past the keeper. (He's been used as a sub 15 times this year in the league, and he could easily have 2-4 goals already.) For the future, Gylfi is still quite young, and if he can just add a little more muscle and improve his possession game, he'll be at least a regular contributor at the top level.

At least Fulham didn't embarrass themselves today. They could easily have had 3, but in fairness, Utd. could just as easily have had 4.

Madrid lose at Granada, their fourth loss in four league matches in Andalusia this season.

I'm sure that FPH is chuffed, but how the heck did Schalke lose at home to Fuerth?

And the answer to where Sassuolo will play if they are promoted in almost certainly Modena, which is just down the road.

I'm sure that FPH is chuffed, but how the heck did Schalke lose at home to Fuerth?

No Holtby!

-Atletico host Betis tomorrow, so they have a chance to extend their 2nd place lead to seven points again.

-And Napoli's win puts them just three points off the top in Serie A.

Reading wins again. There's something about the turning of the new year that just kicks this team into gear, I guess.

Well, it helps when they score 11 goals on their last 17 shots on target. It's as if the entire team has become early season Michu.

Got time for one game -- Ghana v Cape Verde or SA v Mali?

I haven't been too impressed with this year's Africa Cup of Nations from the games I've watched. The teams seem to have very little attacking skill.

This will sound a lot more arrogant hipster-ish than I intend it to, but...

Just so you know, that lack of attacking skill isn't exactly a feature of African football that's unique to this year's tournament. Not that African national teams are alone in that regard, of course. Genuine class in the final third is, as far as I can tell, the last piece of the puzzle to fall into place for pretty well any club or nation anywhere ever.

Got time for one game -- Ghana v Cape Verde or SA v Mali?

Probably too late at this point, but I would say only the second half of Ghana - Cape Verde is really worth watching.

Just so you know, that lack of attacking skill isn't exactly a feature of African football that's unique to this year's tournament. Not that African national teams are alone in that regard, of course. Genuine class in the final third is, as far as I can tell, the last piece of the puzzle to fall into place for pretty well any club or nation anywhere ever.

Fair enough. I feel like there were more goals in tournaments past, though. Which, admittedly, doesn't necessarily mean there was any more attacking skill.

Wish we could have gotten Gylfi back. Spurs doesn't seem to be using him, and the offer sounds like it was around $10 million. What would the Spurs Think Factory crowd have thought about the deal had it gone down?

The SPURS THINK FACTORY klaxon went off here at my house, but I was preparing dinner for my folks and haven't had time to respond until now!

Like MCoA, I would have been firmly opposed to the sale of Sigurdsson. He is the equivalent of a bit of BABIP luck away from a major breakthrough, I feel. He's had a tough go of it results-wise thusfar, but it's greatly to his credit that he's never let his head drop. He's kept working hard every time he's featured; not blessed with superior pace but really busts his hump in the pressing game. He continues to make great runs--and is constantly let down by a lack of vision from his teammates on that score. I am hopeful he'll get some time on the pitch with Holtby, who looks like the sort of player who will spot those runs (ditto Adebayor). Sigurdsson often looks to play teammates in for an easier chance when he's in the danger area instead of automatically taking the shot, which is kinda nice. *cough*Defoe*cough* *cough*Bale*cough*

I think Sigurdsson's quality will shine through before too long. He's a subtle sort of player with truly excellent instincts. Tottenham's success this season has mostly come from the team's ability to counterattack and be very direct with pace and power. That's not Sigurdsson's cup of cake, but I think he will flourish if he's afforded the opportunity to play with other "football smart" players like Adebayor and Holtby (and, increasingly, Aaron Lennon!).

Probably too late at this point, but I would say only the second half of Ghana - Cape Verde is really worth watching.

Thanks anyway, picked that one and it was definitely worth the first half (actually worth it just for that closeup shot of the Ghanan goalkeeper at the end), even if the result didn't add up.

Fair enough. I feel like there were more goals in tournaments past, though. Which, admittedly, doesn't necessarily mean there was any more attacking skill.

What's your take on the defending in this tournament? I haven't been able to watch more than a couple of the games, but I felt that in years past much of the attacking play was a result of disorganized defending*. That's slowly begun to improve in the last couple cycles. My hypothesis is that, for clubs/teams that have yet to reach the upper echelons of their league or the biggest international tourneys, defending evolves/improves a lot more rapidly than attacking and technical skill. I suspect that's the main reason for fewer goals this time around (if your perception is indeed correct - I haven't checked the numbers myself). ACN games could/can be extremely exciting, but more often than not that's due to some really poor play by the defense, rather than really good play by the attack, generating a scoring opportunity.

* Historically, I think Egypt's ability to maintain a sound shape without the ball has been the biggest single factor in their dominance of the ACN. It really set them apart from just about every other African national side.

I suspect that's the main reason for fewer goals this time around (if your perception is indeed correct - I haven't checked the numbers myself).

2013: 2.04 goals/match
2012: 2.38 goals/match
2010: 2.45 goals/match

It's nice when a perception is correct since they're so often misleading. Your point about goals in the past being due to disorganized defending is well-taken, though.

Hey Mattbert, looks like AVB is playing Bale up top today - I think he's got Adebayor's job, something like a support / linking striker. With Dempsey playing more on the left wing and Benny providing width.

That one goes to 11 on the stupid scale. Wowzers.

Well that was incredibly stupid. I was goings say that while Tottenam had the run of play Lukaku had made several threatening runs and if he popped one West Brom had a chance to win. Now this has to be three points for Spurs.

Just out of curiosity: I thought it was true that as tournaments progress, goals tend to go up (as there's more incentive to score, while in the early rounds of a tournament, teams just don't want to concede). I haven't been watching the ACON, but could that be a contributing factor to the low number of goals scored this year, or is what I remember totally incorrect?

Spurs just cannot break teams down. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends nil-nil.

I'm sure that FPH is chuffed, but how the heck did Schalke lose at home to Fuerth?

Fürth's winner in the 92nd minute was well offside. Not that I am complaining.

Or, if you can't break a team down, just have a freak of nature on your team.

Or, if you can't break a team down, just have a freak of nature on your team.

Indeed. It would be nice if they didn't have to rely on him, but it sure doesn't hurt to have him.

Not exactly a spectacle, but it keeps the pressure on Chelsea as Everton and Arsenal are creeping up on them as well. Let's find out if Rafa can handle the pressure.

The SPURS THINK FACTORY klaxon

Oh man, that's way better than the ARSENAL THINK FACTORY signal, which is like the Bat Signal but it's a silhouette of a puffy jacket.

Hey Mattbert, looks like AVB is playing Bale up top today - I think he's got Adebayor's job, something like a support / linking striker. With Dempsey playing more on the left wing and Benny providing width.

That was nice to see. I thought the starting team looked pretty decent with Bale in "trequartista" role behind Defoe and Dempsey out left. It was less effective when Defoe had to come off because Dempsey doesn't scare anyone with his pace so the West Brom back four were able to push up and compress the space that Holtby wanted to work in because Dempsey was dropping in there as well.

Once they got themselves sorted out and Bale, Holtby, and Dempsey were more or less running a classic midfield triangle at the top of Spurs' shape instead of in the middle, that opened things up because when Bale and Holtby were taking their turns as the furthest forward player they are quick enough to get in behind and cause problems so West Brom had to drop deeper.

Popov's sending off didn't hurt either, although I was disappointed Spurs didn't attack him more often after Lennon skinned him effortlessly a couple times early on.

THTF...

I really liked seeing Bale dominating the center of the pitch. Dempsey was useless. Once Ade is back, I'd like to see the same 1st half formation, but with Adebayor as the #9 and Holtby as a wide creative midfielder in the Silva/Mata role.

Starting Carragher against City seems like a bad idea.

And Ivory Coast once again fails to win the Africa Cup of Nations.

Agger clearly fouled Dzeko on the lead up to Pool's goal but that's on the ref, not Liverpool. A great strike from Sturridge. What has happened with Skrtel? He was on both the Shooty and the Zonal Marking All PL 11 last year and now he's benched for Carragher? What's the inside story there?

A classic from Gerard there. Add it to the highlight reel.

City have taken off Silva and out on...Maicon. And Skrtel on for Enrique.

What a crazy game. All the spectacle you didn't get from WBA-Spurs. Aguero with a hell of a goal into an empty net but from a tough angle. Kind of a howler from Reina, though.

Liverpool looked like a top 4 team today. It's just a matter of if they have time to make a run. I will add the caveat that City didn't have Kompany or Yaya Toure today and they really missed both, particularly Toure.

Liverpool looked like a top 4 team today. It's just a matter of if they have time to make a run

Liverpool are exactly as far back of a Champions League place as Man City are of a league title. Which road is harder? United are a lot less likely to drop points than Chelsea/Spurs/Everton/Arsenal, but there's only one United and there are a couple clubs between Liverpool at a top four position.

Liverpool's recent form suggests something of a triumph for the advanced metrics. They are playing like the top club that their underlying stats suggested they were a month or two ago.

Random sports-language discussion at a Tottenham Hotspur forum I found kind of fascinating. Someone said Gareth Bale was on a torrid run of form, someone else pointed out that meant playing badly, there was disagreement, and around it goes. Leading to this post explaining it:

The phrase “torrid run of form” is not used in America to talk about any sports except for soccer. Because it’s not really a very sports journalismy kind of word. It seems like it’s very common in British media talking about soccer, however. And like so many Americans when talking about soccer, we naturally just adopt Britishisms and our journalism is peppered with phrases that we’ve borrowed from the way the Brits report on soccer.

But with torrid, we appear to use it to mean the exact opposite thing the Brits do. If you google the phrase “torrid run of form” you get British results like:

“Lambert, whose side are just one point above the Premier League relegation zone after a torrid run of form”

and American results like:

Los Angeles enters this final on a torrid run of form with all three of its Designated Players firing at the same time.

I think the American version makes more sense, since torrid means really hot, and we use “hot” when players are performing well. But it’s completely baffling, because it looks like we stole the phrase from England, and then deliberately changed what it meant.

There have been a few nice ATTACKING MOVES in Burkina Faso - Togo but the finishing has been awful.

I think the American version makes more sense, since torrid means really hot, and we use “hot” when players are performing well. But it’s completely baffling, because it looks like we stole the phrase from England, and then deliberately changed what it meant.

Kind of like the phrase football.

And torrid, more than simply hot is more associated with arid, scorched, lifeless, and fruitless. Which supports the use similar to that of a drought imo.

This is another British/American difference in sense. "Torrid" in American English tends more toward the good steamy, fun type of hot - a "torrid affair" and the like.

Neither is exactly wrong, since the word has a quite different sense depending on which form of English you're speaking. But it's funny that the phrase got imported without any changes except that it had its meaning totally inverted.