Strict Standards: Declaration of Walker_Page::start_lvl() should be compatible with Walker::start_lvl(&$output) in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/classes.php on line 576

Strict Standards: Declaration of Walker_Page::end_lvl() should be compatible with Walker::end_lvl(&$output) in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/classes.php on line 576

Strict Standards: Declaration of Walker_Page::start_el() should be compatible with Walker::start_el(&$output) in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/classes.php on line 576

Strict Standards: Declaration of Walker_Page::end_el() should be compatible with Walker::end_el(&$output) in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/classes.php on line 576

Strict Standards: Declaration of Walker_PageDropdown::start_el() should be compatible with Walker::start_el(&$output) in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/classes.php on line 593

Strict Standards: Declaration of Walker_Category::start_lvl() should be compatible with Walker::start_lvl(&$output) in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/classes.php on line 687

Strict Standards: Declaration of Walker_Category::end_lvl() should be compatible with Walker::end_lvl(&$output) in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/classes.php on line 687

Strict Standards: Declaration of Walker_Category::start_el() should be compatible with Walker::start_el(&$output) in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/classes.php on line 687

Strict Standards: Declaration of Walker_Category::end_el() should be compatible with Walker::end_el(&$output) in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/classes.php on line 687

Strict Standards: Declaration of Walker_CategoryDropdown::start_el() should be compatible with Walker::start_el(&$output) in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/classes.php on line 710

Strict Standards: Redefining already defined constructor for class wpdb in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 58

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/cache.php on line 99

Strict Standards: Redefining already defined constructor for class WP_Object_Cache in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/cache.php on line 404

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/query.php on line 21

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/theme.php on line 576

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/exec-php/exec-php.php on line 22

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/exec-php/includes/manager.php on line 34

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/exec-php/includes/manager.php on line 35

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/exec-php/includes/manager.php on line 36

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/exec-php/includes/admin.php on line 42

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/exec-php/includes/admin.php on line 51

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/exec-php/includes/admin.php on line 52

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/exec-php/includes/admin.php on line 53

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/exec-php/includes/ajax.php on line 63

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/exec-php/includes/cache.php on line 33

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/exec-php/includes/cache.php on line 42

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/classes.php:576) in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/langswitch.php on line 662

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/wp-forum/bbcode.php on line 173

Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/wp-forum/bbcode.php on line 962

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/classes.php:576) in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-content/plugins/wp-forum/cookie.php on line 21

Strict Standards: call_user_func_array() expects parameter 1 to be a valid callback, non-static method GoogleSitemapGeneratorLoader::Enable() should not be called statically in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/plugin.php on line 311
2009 February | El Mundo Sports

Archive for
Strict Standards: mktime(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 19

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 28

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 30

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 32

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 33

Strict Standards: mktime(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 19

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 28

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 30

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 32

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 33
23 February 2009


Strict Standards: mktime(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 19

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 28

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 30

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 32

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 33

Strict Standards: mktime(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 19

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 28

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 30

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 32

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 33

Camp Nou: A Soccer Fans Dream


Strict Standards: mktime(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 19

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 28

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 30

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 32

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 33

Strict Standards: mktime(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 19

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 28

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 30

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 32

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 33
23 February 2009

Many stories have been told of sporting adventures in soccer stadiums around the world and the feeling of seeing hundreds of thousand of screaming fans rooting for their beloved team. With stadiums such as La Bombanera in Argentina, Maracana in Brasil, and Wimbley in England, national and club pride often act seamlessly. The raucous crowds of the Bernabeu in Madrid and prestige of watching a game in Munich at the Allianz Arena have always intrigued me, but I have never experienced it in person.

Until now.

Living in Barcelona, I can’t help but be intrigued by local culture, especially the Catalan language. It’s a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, French and a local flavor. An interesting aspect of Catalan life is the idea of being a separate nation from Spain. Catalonia is its own little world, and the locals love it that way. But, how does the mental solitude, and independent way of thinking, affect local and national sport?

The idea of flying a nations flag next to the club one and sporting both colors shows an interesting parallel in today’s game because there are so many international players in each league. I have seen games where local teams have played in their respective leagues in countries such as Italy, Spain, and Germany, and there always seems to be the national flag flying proudly somewhere in the stands.

Camp Nou was a little different.

The Catalan flag is similar to the Spanish one except for its many stripes, as it gloats the same combination of yellow and red, but without the Spanish Coat of Arms. The interesting thing at Camp Nou was the lack of both flags. I didn’t see very many of either one flying proudly in the stands. This struck me as odd as I knew the level of passion that Catalans had for their country.

Where the massive stadium made up for it was with its Barcelona FC flags and the use of Catalan over thebotifarra (sausage)PA system to announce the players. Crazed fans sang chants in Catalan and screamed words I can’t repeat at the referee in this foreign language.

The typical Spanish lifestyle was in full affect as the concessions served café con leche, bocadillos (sandwiches with ham and cheese), and botifarra (sandwiches with sausage). Older gentlemen could be seen smoking their cigars and the younger crowd puffin on a cigarillo. In an interesting twist, my friends and I tried to order a beer, but the only one that was served was without alcohol. As we entered the stadium and took our seats, I quickly realized why. A group of rowdy fans were trying to sit closer to the pitch, and were giving the guard a hard time, yelling obscenities and chanting their Catalan song. No wonder the cerveza was sin alcohol (without alcohol).

As the players entered the field, the stadium absolutely woke up from the dead. The hair on my arms stood at full attention and a true fan of the game couldn’t help but be excited. With the likes of Thierry Henry,Henry in actionSamuel Eto’o, Lionel Messi, and Rafael Marquez running onto the field, I felt like a youngster again. My friend Cristy looked like a kid in a candy store, and that’s when it hit me. I was actually at Camp Nou, watching one of the most historic teams in the history of the sport.

It’s easy to get lost in a moment like that, and sharing it with new friends made it all the more exciting. Barcelona dominated the first half as Messi ran rampant on the right side using Danny Alves to cross the ball into the middle. Thierry Henry set up Samuel Eto’o several times, but his shots kept going wide. Henry missed a few great chances in front of goal himself, and wasn’t helped by the acrobatic Espanyol keeper, Kameni. The first half was also marred by a bit of Spanish theater from the Espanyol players, which seemed to drop like flies every time a Barcelona player came near. The referee was baited into the antics and sent off Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita for a rough tackle.

The teams went into halftime with the score 0-0.

At the start of the second half, Espanyol stiker Ivan de la Pena scored a header from a perfect cross, as Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes was helpless. Four minutes later, Valdes was put under pressure and passed the ball straight to de la Pena, who quickly lobbed it over the Barça keeper to make the score 2-0. The Barça fans were shocked, as they were 2 goals down before really getting the second half started.

Yaya Toure pounced on a loose ball and pulled a goal back, but Barça could do nothing else but misfire and went down in flames to only their second defeat of the season. Barcelona fans cheered their team even though they lost in a good show of sportsmanship.

My friends and I left the game feeling revamped and excited to have seen such a great game between 2 local rivals. We couldn’t talk about anything else, and I found great joy in sharing an experience like that with others who share my passion for this great game.

Thanks for the experience guys.

Share/Save


Strict Standards: mktime(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 19

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 28

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 30

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 32

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 33

Strict Standards: mktime(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 19

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 28

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 30

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 32

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 33

El Niño Strikes Again…Twice


Strict Standards: mktime(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 19

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 28

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 30

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 32

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 33

Strict Standards: mktime(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 19

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 28

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 30

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 32

Strict Standards: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /homepages/45/d96268876/htdocs/elmundo/wp-includes/functions.php on line 33
1 February 2009

Fernando Torres was the savior for Liverpool against an undermanned Chelsea side. Chelsea probably went down a man unfairly, when Frank Lampard tackled Xavi Alonso. It seemed as if both players went for the ball, and Lampard might even have gotten to the ball first, but the referee didn’t see it that way. That’s when the game swung in Liverpool’s favor. That’s when “El Nino” stepped in.

I’m not sure there’s a better pure striker in the world than Torres. He can be a poacher when following up a shot, he can out pace a defender to get to a lose ball, he can shoot from distance, he can dribble around a defender at will, he can create space for himself to get a shot off, he creates for other players with neat little flicks, and most importantly he can score against anyone, anywhere.

Torres’ slick run allowed him to step in front of a defender and head the ball home past Petr Cech, who had no chance. Liverpool put so much pressure on Chelsea’s defense, that it didn’t allow for the Blue’s offense to get going. The Reds dominated all aspects of the game, including the midfield and creating chances. The score could have easily been 4 or 5 to 0, if it weren’t for defensive stops or good saves from Cech.

So, what does this mean for Chelsea? They are in real trouble. Manchester United dominated the Blues and now Liverpool beat them soundly. It’s back to the drawing board for Scolari’s men.

As for Liverpool, is seems they are back on track after dropping several points this past month with a few ties they should have won. With El Niño back at his best, Steven Gerrard creating chances, and Xavi Alonso spraying the ball all over the field, Liverpool are gearing up for a title race with Man U.

Now, if Rafa Benitez can keep his head on straight, maybe the Reds can make it their first title since the inception of the Premier League.

Share/Save