Daily Buzz - August 17

Hello all:

It has been tough for me to post with some regularity as of late because of work commitments...so get over it! One thing I have been able to do though, with all the swiftness in the world I might add, is check Twitter for world football updates...at least every 10 minutes! I've noticed this habit has become sort of an obsession. First step: admitting you have a problem.

I've also noticed Twitter is one of the most reliable news/transfer/gossip tools around. Most times, if a majority of people on your feed (for me, soccer folk) are saying Cesc is going to Barca on Monday...he is (he did). If they say Samir 'don't hate on me' Nasri is in line to join Manchester City today...he probably will. People you can follow on this silly little thing called Twitter are people who often confirm these deals have happened aka professionals in the field. So often times, their sources on transfers, news, etc. is legit.

So, being the oh so awesome blogger that I am, I plan on filtering these news bits and displaying them for you with (hopefully) strict regularity. And here begins the first edition of the Daily Buzz. Name - still debatable.

Tool.

Samir 'I'm a little baby' Nasri finally leaving
Word has it that Nasri is a Manchester City player. The fee is £25m and the ridiculously annoying Frenchman will be earning £200k/week (£10.4m/year) plus a £5m signing bonus. Cha-CHING. Let's sweep this infuriating ego under the rug (Man City ha ha!) and hope Arsenal handle this cash with care...and buy Eden Hazard

Ade or Ruiz?
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is said to have his sights on either a loan deal for the wandering Emmanual Adebayor or a straight up money-buy for Twente hitman Bryan Ruiz (who Redknapp watched score in Twente's CL match last night with Benfica).

Roma Roma Roma: Osvaldo and Kjaer
My beloved Roma continue their assault on the transfer market with the nearing purchases of Daniel Osvaldo from Espanyol and Simon Kjaer from Wolfsburg. It looks to be that Roma have indeed high-jacked Atletico Madrid's deal for Osvaldo, which was said to be all but done, and snuck in a €17m bid for the player. As far as Kjaer stands, his agent both has stated that no contact from Roma has been made, but various sources seem to think this means he is definitely signing with Roma. Don't ask me how or why, I'm just reporting (and crossing my fingers). Sabatini POWER!

Eto'o to...I don't even know how to spell this Russian team's name

Picture of Eto'o waving which new sites like to post because it's like 'goodbye' 

Will Eto'o just leave the Serie A already? The babyman Cameroonian was set to have a medical in Russia with Anzhi Makhachkala (googled it), but they decided to come to Milan and allow him to smell the cash on their bodies, presumably. I heard it's something like a €35m deal and Eto will make €400K/week. Suck it, Nasri!

That is all I feel like divulging on this initial Daily Buzz. Check out Twitter, amici.

Inter: From Riches to Rags

By now, you know about Inter's monumental failure in the Champions League. The holders got smashed by Bundesliga side Schalke 7-3 on aggregate, losing both games in route to their huge embarrassing failure (that's right: I quoted Tommy Boy).

I, for one, am shocked. I picked Inter to win this tie since they were coming off the heels of a gritty performance against Munich and a hot streak that saw them climb to second in the Serie A. Then...it all fell apart. What happened? Inter Coach Leonardo blames fatigue...Good one! How about bad tactics? Bad defense? Bad form? Bad everything. Raul's left foot alone could have defeated Inter in this tie. Reasons behind the collapse:

Milito and Eto'o wonder what could have been - in horrible kits

Tactics
It was clear after the Derby della Madonnina that Leonardo was a bit naive. It was made even clearer after two legs with Schalke. Both Massimiliano Allegri and Schalke Coach Ralf Rangnick figured out the key to defeating Leonardo's Inter: asphyxiating the midfield and running with pace at a weak defense.

Inter's dominating midfield turned hard work into goals last season under Jose Mourinho, often working their way up the field and inevitably allowing Wesley Sneijder to pull the final strings. This year, Sneijder has been in a more advanced role. This has urged opposing teams to isolate Sneijder, effectively cutting off Inter's attack. Rather than controlling the ball in the midfield, the Dutchman has relied on his teammates to give him the ball farther up the field, which has not happened of late and created a mess of Inter's attacking fluidity.

Defense
As a result of losing the battle in the middle of the park, Inter has not controlled play with their usual dominance. With control going to the opposer, the treble winners have allowed teams to run at their weak defense.

Andrea Ranocchia is young, talented, but not quite there yet. Christian Chivu is horrible. He's slow, dirty, gets sent off far too much, and wears a dumb hat. Lucio is not on form at the moment, since he has been injured and missed time in recent weeks. Maicon, as we all know, is a far better going forward than he is defending. Javier Zanetti is wonderful, but caught between the role of a midfielder and defender. He often tries to aid the congested midfield and moreover command his wing, since the team has not had a midfielder present along the lines for quite some time.

I can't fault Leonardo on this one. The defense has been a mess because of lingering injuries to Lucio and the loss of Walter Samuel - who is set to return and take part in the year-end failure. This has led to a back four that changes on a weekly basis and has not bonded as a defensive unit. Plus Chivu is just horrible!

Milan
At the time I was reluctant to admit it (since I was set on believing Inter would go through to the UCL Semis), but the loss to Milan was devastating for the players. It was demoralizing and exhausting. The team fielded their best squad three days before the crucial clash with Schalke because they had to - because it was the Milan derby. The game was brutal and the aftermath shocking. After a blip of good form which was sparked by the hiring of Leonardo, Inter were brought right back down to earth by their bitter rivals.

Raul
Look at this guy! Ageless! Raul has spurred Schalke on, netting five goals in Champions League play and having a hand in countless others. Hell, I even saw him tracking back on defense when Schalke was winning the first leg 4-1. Raul is synonymous with class. I am officially routing for this underdog story of a player and team for the rest of the tournament.

Raul celebrating with the faithful

As a Roma fan, I was joyous after seeing Inter collapse. As a blogger, I was ecstatic since I knew I could write about it!

From treble winner to trophy-less - that's my prediction, anyhow.