Ten Things I Think I Think

One of the best sports columns in the U.S. is Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback piece on the NFL that appears weekly (you can guess when...) on CNNSI.com. King has a segment in it called "Ten Things I Think I Think" and even though we can't do half as good a job as the original author, we can try to come close (plus, we won't mention you-know-who - hint: he's completely insane & loves painkillers). So, after a week off from this website, here's what I think:

1. That it's time for concern at Inter. Just last week we were chalking the Nerazzurri's loss to Sporting Lisbon down to an off day and applauding their impressive away win over Roma, but after Wednesday's 2-0 home loss to Bayern Munich, a third game in which Inter finished with fewer than 11 men (this time it was nine after Ibrahimovic & Grosso saw red), we're not so confident in Inter's prospects. Mancini was very confident after the game that Inter would win their next four Champions League group stage games and advance, but that's no small feat. They still have to go to Moscow to face Spartak & that is never an easy trip, plus the away match against Bayern won't be a cakewalk either. Inter still looks like the team to beat in the Serie A, but there is ample cause for concern. A month into the season, they've still yet to find a consistent style of play (4-3-1-2, 4-4-2, etc), they're playing guys out of position (Zanetti at left mid?), and they've got to get their discipline issues under control. If they don't find the solutions to these problems soon, it could get real ugly in Milan.

2. That I'm already counting down the days to the upcoming River-Boca clasico down in Buenos Aires. 10 days until October 8 and the kick-off of the best derby in the world. Can't wait!

3. That Friday's Dortmund-Hannover matinee was one of the most entertaining games I've seen all year. In front of a capacity crowd at Dortmund's phenomenal stadium (best in Germany hands down), the two teams battled back & forth for all 90 minutes. The hosts went ahead early, but were hanging on for dear life before a frenetic 4-minute stretch starting in minute 73. Hannover equalized, but Dortmund re-gained the lead with a second Smolarek goal, and then, to everyone's surprise, Hannover snatched a draw just seconds later. It was end-to-end stuff for the full 90, played before an outstanding group of fans, and a real treat for any footie fan. Hope you guys got to see some of it.

4. That Didier Drogba is about 1000 times better than Andriy Shevchenko right now. Same with Hernan Crespo.

5. That last weekend's Riquelme-Aimar match-up in the Villareal-Zaragoza game was yet another reason why the Primera Liga is the best in the world. Two brilliant playmakers, two attack-minded teams, a see-saw game that had a bit of everything: controversial refereeing decisions, brilliant goals, and a stirring second-half comeback. Now that Riquelme has retired from international play, can Aimar replace him and lead the Albiceleste to the top of the soccer world? If Basile gives him the chance, here's one vote that says yes, he can. And if that was the pick of the games in Spain last weekend, then this weekend's Madrid derby should be even better.

6. That it's about damn time that Scott Parker got called up to the England squad. He's just what that team needs: a tenacious defensive mid to free up Gerrard and Lampard to push forward. Everyone saw the improvements in the team when Eriksson finally inserted Hargreaves in that role. Well, for my money Parker is even better than the Bayern man. He has been a massive signing for the Geordies and there is no reason to think that he won't be just as good for the Three Lions.

7. That Barca will really miss Etoo, simply because he's one of the the top three strikers in the world right now, but they'll still be first in la Liga when he comes back in March. No thanks to Txiki Begiristain, Barca's director who wanted to sell Saviola this year and even threatened to make him sit out the year if he didn't accept a transfer, but the excellent Argentine striker could be a natural replacement for the Cameroon hit-man. The Blaugrana don't have any other natural #9 - new boy Gudjohnsen is not an out-and-out striker (he's better as a reserved forward) - so Saviola could be key for them in the upcoming months. And there is just way way too much talent at the Camp Nou to have the season unravel just because Etoo is out.

8. That the Homeless World Cup is taking place right now in South Africa. Actually, I don't think that - I know that. I just don't know what I think of that. Insert joke here.

9. That all of us should spare a thought for Uruguayan striker Dario Silva. Speeding along a Montevideo street on Saturday, Silva was involved in a horrific accident. He was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from his truck. When Silva came out of a medically-induced coma a few days later, he awoke to the news that his right leg had been amputated below the knee. While he is clearly lucky to be alive, for anyone to lose a leg must be absolutely devastating and even more so for a soccer player. Animo, Dario, animo!

10. That Luis Aragones made the right decision leaving Raul out of the latest Spain squad. If anything, he should have left him out a few months ago. Don't forget that Spain looked way better in the World Cup with Luis Garcia playing in the 'mediapunta' spot behind Torres & Villa than they looked with Raul there. When Raul started against France, the attack just wasn't the same. Of course, France has a way better back-line than the likes of the Ukraine or Tunisia, but still. Raul has gotten by for the last three years because he is Raul. He has done absolutely nothing on the pitch to justify his inclusion in the starting line-ups of Spain or Real Madrid. I have always been a big fan of him, following him ever since I donned his #7 jersey to attend Real's games at the Bernabeu when I lived there in '98. I'll never forget a Real-AC Milan Champions League game in 2003 when Raul scored two super goals to propel los Blancos into the next round. The next morning, the headlines of the Madrid sports daily read "Gracias a Dios que tenemos a Raul" ("Thank God we've got Raul") and "Que bueno eres, Raul!" ("You are so good, Raul!"). Unfortunately, times have changed. Sure, injuries have played a part in his decline, but after over a decade at the top level, he just doesn't have the speed or power that he once did. People say that Raul isn't even 30 yet, so how can he already be on the decline? But it's like a car: what makes a car go doesn't have nearly as much to do with the year the car was made as it has to do with the miles on the odometer. Would you rather drive a 2002 car with 150,000 miles or a 1999 model with 60,000? In recent years, Raul has been given a spot in the line-up because of his name, not because his performances warranted it. His supporters - and there are many - claim that it's not all about scoring goals, that Raul does so many other important things, such as running hard and leading the line and playing unselfishly and being an emblematic player for the team, that he deserves to play. Well, sacreligious though it might be to say, just because a guy runs a lot and sacrifices himself for the team doesn't mean that he should be guaranteed a spot. Now if Raul were a defensive mid, that's one thing - then those qualities would justify his selection, but as a striker, he's there to score goals. And the fact is, Raul hasn't been scoring. He finally found the back of the net (twice) against Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday, but that's not good enough. Since he hasn't been scoring, some coaches have played him in a more withdrawn role, but he doesn't have the passing skills or the vision to warrant selection over players with the quality of Guti, Robinho or Cassano at Real or Garcia, Xavi, or Iniesta in la Seleccion. This is not to say that he should retire (Brett Favre should, but Raul shouldn't), but it is to say that his best days are behind him. I will be the first to say that Raul is everything that a soccer star should hope to be: humble, unselfish, devoted to club and country, a role model on & off the pitch...but he is no longer the Raul we all knew and loved a few years ago. That's how sports works: your time comes, you get your shot, and then someone comes along to take your place, and your time is up. Right now, Guti and Garcia are simply better than he is and, simply put, the fact that their jerseys don't say "Raul" on the back doesn't mean that they shouldn't be playing instead of him. One of the things that has always made Raul great is that for him, it's never been about the name on the back, but rather the crest on the front. It's time for his coaches, his fans, and his teammates to recognize that.