Harry Redknapp, who has proved himself time and again with various clubs, has put together something truly special. By bringing in players like Modric, Bale, Van der Vaart and most importantly Scott Parker, he has created a balance that most of the top European teams crave for. If their first choice players stay fit through most of the season, Tottenham will definitely qualify for a Champions League spot. Heck, they might even finish third.

As they sit pretty at second right now, the manager will have the same dilemma he faced before last season ended – To hang on to most of his top players. He can expect bids for Modric and Bale for sure. Maybe Van der Vaart and a few more too. Modric would be a perfect successor to Lampard at Chelsea and Bale has been born to replace Giggs for club and country. Both Manchester United and Barcelona will be monitoring the situation closely.

I never seem to understand, though, why these players would move to a club that is doing worse than them just for a little more money. By playing such beautiful football with a truly gifted team, success will come eventually, which will bring more money and fame to the individual and the club. The player will eventually get to the salary he wants. Teams like Chelsea and Manchester City will not be able to ‘break the bank’ anymore with FIFA’s financial rules being introduced.

Spurs might just need to look for reinforcements to strengthen their squad. A center-back (maybe Cahill) and possibly another forward. Here’s wishing them all the success in this season. I’m glad Manchester United have already played them once and beat them 3-0. Their next meeting at White Hart Lane will be a testing fixture for both sides though.

The following hand has been bothering me since I turned over my cards and won the pot. Yes, I said “won the pot”. A good poker player always has to improve, he/she has no choice. The minute you stop learning, analyzing the hands you play, how you play them, how you could have played them better…. you stop improving. And there’s always room for improvement.

I had a stack of about $200 at the Horseshoe casino in Hammond, IN. I was playing $1/$2 no-limit hold-em. I had been at the table for about 5 hours already with my chip stack going through the regular roller-coaster. The player to my immediate right had about $230 in front of him at the start of the hand.

I was dealt Ks Js in the small-blind position.

The action was raised by a player in middle position to $7. The guy to my right had the button and called and so did I. Everyone else folded. 3-players to the flop.

Flop comes down Jc Kd Kh.

Absolute monster flop for my hand. I flopped the nuts. I checked. I pretty much couldn’t bet here, as I didn’t think either of them would call me if I donk-bet it. To my surprise, the original pre-flop raiser didn’t continuation-bet. He checked, so did the player to my right.

The turn was a 10d.

I checked again, hoping someone would bet. The original raiser bet $15. The pot had around $24 in it, so it was a decent bet. I expected this guy to fire out on the turn anyway.

Now this is where the turning point occurred. The guy to my right raised it up to $45. Perfect scenario for me, I know. Whatever I do here will look very strong. Calling would probably invite the third guy to call too, raising will look super-strong. I began to ask myself what the turn card did for this guy. I was hoping he had made tens-full. He could also have Ace-Queen or a King of some sort which he slow-played (AK, KQ, K9, etc). Outside chance that he had K10 and had Kings-Full too, but not very likely.

I just called the $45. The other guy folded. The pot was now up to around $110.

The river card was a complete blank. 6s.

I bet about half the pot, $55. This is where I think I got it wrong. The guy obviously called me and I turned over the nuts. He kept muttering to himself before he called, “I don’t think I have this fold in me”, “I’ve gotta call you”.

Considering the range of hands I put him on, I SHOULD HAVE CHECKED in that spot. That gives me a much better chance of maximizing it. If I would have checked, any hand in his range would bet about $40-$70. At this point I could have raised all-in ($150 approximately) and he would have muttered the same words and called me. I would have doubled my stack. What he had isn’t really as important as the fact that my read was accurate. He had one of the hands I put him on.

It’s plays like these that haunt me sometimes rather than the AA vs KK hands or bad beats. I want to be in a position where I analyze these situations better in the future. The first step to that is identifying them.

Here’s a look at some of the comical, irritating, and downright infuriating observations a football newbie makes while watching the game, and what you might feel like saying to him/her in response…

1) “Ninety minutes are up, why are they still playing for 3 more minutes”??

That’s just for good luck, no big deal.

2) “What is offside? Anything related to cricket”? 

Oh dear, you said the C-word.

3) “Koi goal kyon nahi maar raha hai?” (Why isn’t anyone scoring?) 

4) “Is Ronaldo playing?” 

Yes, he plays for every single team in the whole wide world.

5) “Is Arsenal named after Arsene Wenger?” 

Absolutely. They foresaw his managerial role at the club right from the late 1800s.

6) “Why don’t Manchester United play in the World Cup?” 

Please, don’t make me thump you.

7) “Why did that defender just kick the ball aimlessly out of play into the stands?”

Because he probably saw someone like you sitting there.

8 ) “He scored an own goal? What a horrible footballer!” 

I wish you could imagine an own goal in any other way apart from a man walking the ball into the back of his own net.

9) “The penalty taker hit the ball to the left, so why did the goalkeeper dive to the right?” 

Argh! Probably because he wanted to get out of the way.

10) “There’s no Third Umpire?” 

Just get out of my house.

World-class teams are not only consistent, but they recognize the importance of squad strength, player freshness, team morale, unity and sync. Getting a good start to the season is always good for momentum. In European football, especially around Christmas time, the fixtures are usually thick and fast. Player fatigue becomes an increasingly stronger problem at this time, and the wrong set of results can seriously damage a team’s prospects. Towards the end of the season, the fixtures come and go fast, but they keep getting bigger. This is another period where peaking is considered vital, especially if a team is involved in multiple league and cup competitions.

The graph above (made by me) shows how a world-class team would usually differ from a good and average team. Consistency and peaking at the right time are characteristics that separate them from the rest of the pack. The problem with peaking is, it can’t always be planned for in the easiest of manners. Throughout the course of the season, various unpredictable factors decide the course of a campaign, and the peak factor and timing is one of them.

Try and take a closer look at the August-to-May seasons that successful teams have had. By successful, I mean “at least” won their national leagues and the UEFA Champions League in the same season. Manchester United 1999, all of the recent Barcelona triumphs 2006,2009, Inter Milan 2010, Real Madrid’s domination in the late 90s early 2000s. Their respective journeys, team compositions, fixture management, form slumps are really worth another detailed look.

With the right team balance, strength in squad depth, timeliness of a peak in form and seasonal consistency, a team can not only be close to invincible, but will send a chilling fear down the spine of their opponents.

You’re in a shoe shop, second in the queue for the till. Behind the shop assistant on the till is a pair of shoes which you have seen and which you must have.
The female shopper in front of you has seen them also and is eyeing them with desire.

Both of you have forgotten your purses.

It would be totally rude to push in front of the first woman if you had no money to pay for the shoes.

The shop assistant remains at the till waiting.

Your friend is trying on another pair of shoes at the back of the shop and sees your dilemma.

She prepares to throw her purse to you.

If she does so, you can catch the purse, then walk round the other shopper and buy the shoes.

At a pinch she could throw the purse ahead of the other shopper and, *whilst it is in flight* you could nip around the other shopper, catch the purse and buy the shoes.

Always remembering that until the purse had *actually been thrown* it would be plain wrong to be forward of the other shopper.

Congratulations – You have just learned the offside rule!

The Full Transcript (Courtesy Bleacherreport.com)

This is a a slightly edited version of the transcripts as some irrelevant small-talk and banal chit chat was omitted.

The tape begins with Wenger (in his office) talking on the phone to Sir Alex Ferguson, the Man United manager. The subject matter is one Cesc Fabregas.

CESC FABREGAS: [knocks on the door] Hello, Boss?

ARSENE WENGER: Yes, come in…take a seat.

ALEX FERGUSON: [on the phone] What you need to do is put a ridiculous price tag on him to put them off…Something like £80m; Who knows? They’d probably pay—

ARSENE WENGER: Hmmm…I see…Look, I have to go now because he’s sitting here in front of me as we speak. I’ll ring you back later, OK?

ALEX FERGUSON: No worries, i’ll let you get on with it. Always remember that, if everything fails, you can always take a boot to his face, Arsene [Laughs].

ARSENE WENGER: [Chuckles] Ok, I’ll do that…But only as a last resort.

ALEX FERGUSON: Alright now then, Arsene, Turrah…will talk soon.

ARSENE WENGER: Ok, Alex, take care [hangs up the phone].

WENGER: Sorry about that, i was just having a quick chat with Alex…So how are you doing? Everything fine? How’s the leg?

FABREGAS: Everything is fine boss…I’m cool, the leg is fine—I started training with the ball last week so everything is going to plan.

WENGER: Now you know why I called this meeting…

FABREGAS: Yes, but first i need to explain some—

WENGER: What’s all this nonsense I’m hearing with you wanting to discuss future? I thought we already discussed this last year…

FABREGAS: I know, but let me just explai—

WENGER: And what’s this talk about clarifying your future before the World Cup? There’s nothing to clarify; you have a contract with us for five more years.

FABREGAS: I did not say that I wanted to leave, boss. All I said was, “If ever left Arsenal..It’d be for Barcelona.” Everything else was just tabloid fabrication.

WENGER:  What did I say last time before you left?

FABREGAS: Yes, I know what you said, but—

WENGER: I said, “Be careful what you say and who you talk to. Think about every word and sentence…Be economical and diplomatic with your answers.”

FABREGAS: But, boss, you know how journalists act; they will make something out of nothing…I never said I wanted to leave Arsenal, never.

WENGER: And you didn’t say that you want to discuss your future?

FABREGAS: Well, yeah…No, not exactly. My precise words were, “When I get back to Arsenal, I’ll have to talk to the boss about my future and what’s actually happening.”

Wenger: [Wenger raises his voice] Future?! What does that actually mean? I have to say, this is completely unacceptable.

FABREGAS: But, I was told that Arsenal were willing to sell, which shocked me a little…I was confused. You told Barca last summer that I was not for sale at any price, I mean what’s changed? I had to come down here and speak to you to clear things up…That’s what I meant when I referred to “my future.”

You have to understand that I was hearing different things from different people. And to add to this, the media just making up quotes and stories ; I can’t stop that.

WENGER : First of all, we never told Barcelona or anybody else that you’re up for sale. Who told you this? Where did you hear it from?

FABREGAS: My dad got a call from Laporta and said that you were willing to let me go.

WENGER : That’s absolute nonsense. A blatant lie…And why is your dad even talking to Joan? See, that’s the problem right there; we talked about this issue before—

FABREGAS: I never gave him permission to speak to him, you have to believe me. We had a big row over this after he told me—

WENGER: Cesc, we’ve discussed this before, you’re a man now. You can’t let family members speak for you about your business. It’s always best to separate the two. I know he’s your father and that the two of you are close, but you have to get this under control.

He is even giving full-length interviews now ; it’s not right. Its clear that Joan is using him to get to you…You have to put a stop to this.

FABREGAS: I know, I know…I already banned him from speaking to any one. He didn’t take it so well. Actually, he took it very badly.

[10 seconds of silence]

WENGER: Anyway, how is the family back home? By the way, is it true that Ibrahimovic and Pique are in love?

FABREGAS: [Guffaws] Who told you that? Oh, you’re talking about that picture, right?

WENGER: What picture? I had a meeting with Fran [Merida] and he told me that they were filmed kissing in public. It was big news in Spain…He also said that they’ll get married soon.

FABREGAS: [Laughs out loud] Nah, not exactly…let me explain.

This picture turned up on the Internet, which showed Zlatan and Gerard holding hands. Nobody knows if it’s fake or not; but, the Italian website Corriera.it , who first ran the story, say that the picture was taken by a Barcelona fan outside Camp Nou.

I wouldn’t jump to conclusions though. It can be easily taken out of context…But, it was funny nonetheless, especially when Ibra released a public statement that he was not gay.

WENGER: So they are not a couple then? [both laugh]

FABREGAS: No, they are most definitely not.

WENGER: Phew, I’m glad we cleared this up…I was about to send flowers.

[More laughter]

FABREGAS: Anyway, What are you gonna say to Laporta?

Wenger: Don’t worry, leave Joan to me. I know exactly what to say to him. Now, all I need from you is to concentrate on the World Cup and leave the rest to me.

FABREGAS: Ok, boss, that’s fine with me.

WENGER: Good…I’ll see you when you get back from Africa.
[Wenger calls Joan Laporta shortly after Fabregas leaves the office]
LAPORTA: [phone] Hey, Arsene, how are—

WENGER: Listen, Joan…Fabregas is not for sale…

LAPORTA: Que?

WENGER: We will not even enter negotiations or discussions of any kind, you’re wasting your time. Cesc Fabregas is not for sale at any price. And another thing, don’t bother contacting us again…Its getting boring now.

LAPORTA: But I have a good offer this time: How about £40m plus Toure and—

WENGER: Bye bye, Joan. [hangs up phone]

LAPORTA: Just let me finish…Allo! Arsene, allo!…Gilipolles.

END OF TAPE.

When Manchester United were 3-1 ahead when the clock struck 90′ and the 4th official signaled 4 minute of added time, I was happy we had kept pace with Arsenal and Chelsea, who weren’t going to lose later that evening. But the next 4 minutes resulted in me banging away onto my laptop with anger and fury as I write this. 2 goals conceded in the 4 added minutes is absolutely ridiculous. No disrespect to Everton, they are a class-act who are just having a bad start to this season, but they were outplayed and outclassed today.

Berbatov was brilliant. His performance totally justified the 30-something million paid for him when he was bought. The team without Rooney was doing fine, they were playing the way they play with him. No player is bigger than the club at Man Utd, and that’s the beauty of it. But most people will be quick to point out that the draw was a result of his absence. That is total rubbish!!

What I am most concerned about is that we dropped points which will be crucial when people look back at the end of the season. After controlling the game, being 2 goals in front, dropping 2 points is a major slip-up. What’s worse is that I don’t see Chelsea or Arsenal slipping up. They might, after 3-4 months, but they aren’t right now. It’s important to learn from this, but you have to beat yourself with a hammer till it registers that “This is the English Premier League” – one of the best in the world.

The game is 25c/50c No limit Hold Em. I have about $30 in front of me while my counterpart (Joe) has about $40. He raised to $1.75 from middle-position and I called with As 10s with the dealer (button). The pot is around $4. Flop is Qd 10h 7s. Joe bets $2.50, I call. At this point I knew Joe is going to bet any two cards to see where he stands and my Ace high could be good. Pot $9. Turn card is a 2c. A complete blank. We both know that none of our hands have improved or even been affected. Joe bets $4. After thinking for a while I called. Here, I know I am beat. The only reason I would call is to spike an Ace on the river or to bluff. Even if an Ace shows up, I could be beat if he had AJ or AQ or even AK. I put him on something weaker like KQ, QJ. Something like this he can fold. At this point I am going to either fold to a big bet on the river or raise if I’m bluffing. Basically, when I called on the turn I knew what I’m going to do on the river. Pot is around $17. The river is a 8s. Pretty harmless. No major draw has gotten there. I was sure his hand hasn’t changed. He bets $6. Now this bet isn’t really big considering the pot size. I thought to myself, “Whatever he has, you can get him off it.. This is a good spot”. After a little more thought, I raised it to $16 (raise by $10). He puts his hands over his head. Starts pondering about what I could be playing. He starts getting pretty vocal. “You know, Ashwin, I don’t know what I can beat.” At this point I know, he won’t re-raise me for sure. He is either calling or folding. I was hoping to pick up the $39 pot though. He continued, “I do have good odds to call”. In my head, I’m thinking, “Oops. I should have raised more. With $39 in the pot and only $10 to call he is getting 4 to 1 on a call which is decent.” At this point, I thought he would call. Then Joe goes on to say, “You know, Ashwin, I don’t think you have the balls to bluff this much here, I can’t beat two pair, AQ, hell, I can’t beat KQ”. Bingo! He was on QJ. I read was fair enough. Now, will he make the call, was the question. He kept mumbling, “If you are bluff and don’t show me, then I’m not going to be able to sleep for a week man”. Having said this he threw his hand into the muck face up. I saw the QJ and smiled. Turning over the hand I bluffed with, I felt the astonishment of everyone on the table. Joe started shaking his head while I heard a few people say “Good bluff” and “Well played”. Joe kept shaking his head for almost the entire night after that in disbelief as he narrated to me after every few minutes how close he was to calling and what he thought I was playing.

This is one of those plays that require judgment based on the opponent, cards, pot-size and situation. Its a story, a tale. There can be no loopholes in the way you narrate it. It must be flawless and flowing. For a tight player like me, it pays off at times. More importantly, I felt I read the hand, the situation well and went with my gut instinct.