Vedad Ibisevic has left his mark on the German Bundesliga this season.
Player statistics for the English, Spanish, Italian & German leagues as of March 17th 2009
Like so many others, I love to keep tabs on the latest statistics in basically every league around. Players can talk all they like about how great they are but in the end the talking has to be done on the pitch and the facts divide the pretenders from the champions.
In the table above are the latest goals, assist and games played stats from England, Spain, Germany and Italy.
ENGLAND
In England Anelka leads the pack with 15 goals after hitting his first ten goals in Premier League record time. He's slowed down quite a bit of late though, just before the sacking of coach Phil Scolari and during Drogba's renaissance now. It's also interesting to see that though Anelka is top scorer he hasn't provided his teammates with any assists.
The other recognisable big names are up there with Ronaldo in second position with 13 goals and 5 assists whilst Gerrard and Lampard are both slotted in at fifth position with 10 goals and 6 assists a piece; Gerrard having played three games less though.
Personally I'm most impressed with the exploits of Kevin Davies (3rd) and Robinho (Equal 3rd). Kevin Davies is an Englishman who has always scored goals in the Premiership for Bolton over the past 4 or 5 seasons yet he has never won a cap for England. He thinks it may be because he doesn't look as 'flamboyant' as his counterparts and I'd attest to that.
When Robinho arrivied in England I really doubted he'd be effective against Premier League defenders because of how slight he is but he's proved me wrong. He's so nimble and quick it doesn't matter how lightweight he is and his 11 goals and 4 assists are proof of that. Manchester City fans must love him.
SPAIN
La Liga has got to have two of the world's best strikers and a football prodigy like no other. Samuel Eto'o tops the goal ranking with 23 in 25 games. I'm terrible at math but that's a 92% chance of Eto'o scoring in a La Liga game.
Then there's David Villa in 2nd position with 19 goals in 23 games and and Forlan with a better 18 goals in 21 games.
For a player who is still only 21 Messi just blows my mind away. In 23 games he has 18 goals playing from his right flank position and an incredible 10 assists. The Barca team are definitely a much better side when he is on the pitch (obviously Eto'o would back that up) and no other player in world football is playing on his level right now.
ITALY
In Serie A former Juve man Marco Di Vaio is proving experience is invaluable with 19 goals in 28 games.
In second place Zlatan Ibrahimovich hasn't lived up to manager Jose Mourinho's description as the "best player in world football" but you cant doubt his excellence nevertheless. 15 goals in 25 games and a contribution of 6 assists is pretty good compared to other strikers.
Other than the surprising amount of players with a name beginning with the letter "A" filling up the other slots in Serie A's top goal scorers I think Adrian Mutu and Alexandre Pato are worth special mentions.
Mutu has come a long way since his drug incident back at Chelsea. It's nice to see a great player pick himself up and get back to where he used to be. 12 goals in only 17 games is a very wealthy return for his club Fiorentina.
12 goals in 26 games plus a contribution of 5 assists from Alexandre Pato. He's got a lot of pressure on his back leading the line for Milan but he's doing alright for a 19 year old and better than others older than him.
GERMANY
In Germany well traveled Brazilian striker Grafite is scoring freely for VfL Wolfsburg with an incredible 18 strikes in 17 games. But I have to save the best for last.
24 year old Bosnian striker Vedad Ibisevic has rocked the Bundesliga like no other player. Ibisevic played much of his youth football in the United States college football system and a small portion in the MLS for Chicago Fire (Played 3 games in which he scored 3 goals).
After leading the league for a short time his club TSG Hoffenheim currently sit in 5th place in the Bundesliga; Not a bad position for a side which was promoted only this season and playing 3rd division football only two years ago.
Much of TSG Hoffenheim's good fortune is a result of Ibisevic's fine form in which he has scored an incredible 18 times in 17 games, racking up a hefty 6 assists along the way as well. Sadly there is little chance for Ibisevic to hit the 20 goal mark after he injured ligaments way back in January. Regardless I'm sure he has a bright future ahead of him be it in the Bundesliga or elsewhere.
Jose Bosingwa makes me sick. Referee Mike Riley makes me sicker. The FA? They just make me laugh a lot! They are a joke!
This week in the dying minutes of Liverpool v Chelsea, Mr. Mono Brow (That's Jose Bosingwa) decided to kick Yossi Benayoun in the back whilst the Liverpool player killed the games seconds holding up the ball in the corner.
O.k fair enough he was frustrated because his team was losing and Gerrard did rip a piledriver of a shot into his crown jewels earlier in the match (couldn't find this on You Tube unfortunately...Haha) but that does not justify his actions.
What's worse is how referee Mike Riley failed to spot the incident. The referee is supposed to watch the match and who's in possession of the ball... Yossi Benayoun had possession of the ball... Jose Bosingwa raised his foot above waist height (Dangerous play in football and other mainstream sports) and kicked Yossi Benayoun in the back... How is that not a foul? How do you miss that? Was he checking out some bird in the stands or what?!
Should I start with the FA now? I'm a bit tired. Such a lost cause. I believe they looked for an excuse to shoo the incident away because they were anticipating a busy final day in the transfer window. Anyway they released this statement on the matter...
The FA has confirmed that no disciplinary action will be taken against Chelsea defender Jose Bosingwa. Bosingwa was involved in an incident with Liverpool's Yossi Benayoun during the Premier League match at Anfield on 1 February. Referee Mike Riley has informed The FA that, while he did not see the incident himself, it was seen by his assistant Mo Matadar. No action was taken against Bosingwa by the officials. Under the FIFA Laws of the Game, The FA is prohibited from taking disciplinary action when incidents are seen at the time by the match officials.
Alright. I could attack Mike Riley's assistant 'Mo Matadar' but I believe he is new and inexperienced and besides as match referee Riley is ultimately responsible for no action being taken against Bosingwa. Why inform the FA that the incident was seen by your 'inexperienced' assistant when you know (I hope) under FIFA law that such an action would leave the incident nonpunishable?! He has also inadvertently put pressure on Mo Matadar in future matches. I think both of them will have it tough next time they visit Anfield.
The short version of this post is, I think Jose Bosingwa is pathetic. I think Mike Riley is pathetic. And I think the FA is pathetic.
So the next time you watch the Premier League and an opposition player tries to kill the game by running the ball into the corner flag remember its totally o.k if a member of your team goes over and kicks him in the back as long as the assistant sees you! *wink*
I'd have thought Fernando Torres was immune to hair commercials unlike our spin king legend Shane Warne... I was so, so wrong... I don't understand Spanish but I do understand cheesy and I think this is a little cheesy. Maybe I just think all hair commercials are... Torres does have great hair though and besides... The girls are cute!
Gerrard scores the second of his two goals for Liverpool versus Newcastle United.
Steven Gerrard has been arrested on a night that should have been remembered more fondly as a celebration of Liverpool's success in finishing 2008 as Barclays Premier League leaders rather than one which has ended in the captain spending the night in a prison cell.
So not long before England face off against Germany (In a friendly that may have made more headlines before it's even started) I have been fumbling through the nostalgia, looking up some of the great players of English football who made their names when I was too young to remember my own. Guys like John Barnes and Paul Gascoigne.
Stoke City's Rory Delap has provided his teammates with long powerful throw ins that lead to goals.
Promoted Stoke City unsurprisingly sit in the Barclays Premier League bottom three after six games but to say they have done so without making a statement of intent would be way off the mark.
Xabi Alonso's Liverpool future was anything but certain during the Gareth Barry transfer saga.
Liverpool's pursuit of Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry in the summer transfer window was a saga which hoarded most news surrounding the club at the time. It was a saga which unfortunately affected not just one player but two.
Up until twenty-four hours or so a go I was convinced Liverpool would face off with Manchester United at Anfield tomorrow minus the club's two most influential individuals but a day is a long time in football and I'm absolutely delighted to learn that they are both fit for this mouth watering clash.
It just wouldn't be the same without them would it?
Wright-Phillips back to business not long before Abu Dhabi United complete some of their own.
On Monday Abu Dhabi United group completed the purchase of Manchester City which sent a tremble of fear through every side in the league, the Big Four included. Not least because of their newly acquired asset but the incredible wealth they have to back that asset up with. The intent with which they arrived also had the butterflies flying in the stomachs of many a prominent men and certainly made Manchester City deadline day's main attraction.
The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship is remembered fondly for showcasing the talents of players of such caliber as the former Arsenal youngster Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Ryan Babel, David Silva and let's not forget the two other stars who really stole the show... John Obi Mikel who displayed to the football world an incredibly lethal attacking midfield know how and a successful side of his game which he's struggled to replicate at Chelsea so far, and the other of course being the one and only Lionel Messi who continues to push on to greater heights that footballers in any age bracket aspire for.
One of the places they attacked was Leopold's Cafe. If anyone has read Australian writer Gregory David Robert's book 'Shantaram' they will know this place... It's a favourite of Mumbai's foreign occupants...
This is really sad and devastating, my thoughts are with Mumbai too...
I sure hope this comes true! Elano is such a class player i'm surprised he isn't getting much time at City, Liverpool could use another attacker like him and he's so versatile in midfield just the way Rafa likes his players
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Comment by Javeer
on Terriorists attacked in INDIA 80 dead over 250 injured
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This is really sad and devastating, my thoughts are with Mumbai too...