Heerenveen 1 - 3 AC Milan

AC Milan got their UEFA Cup [联盟杯] Group E adventure off to the best possible start with a comfortable 3-1 win over Dutch side Heerenveen.
An own goal from Heerenveen midfielder Calvin Jong-a-Pin after 19 minutes set them on their way, before goals from Gennaro Gattuso and Filippo Inzaghi completed the tally [记分牌].
Danijel Pranjic added a late consolation goal [安慰球] for the hosts from the penalty spot four minutes from time [终场前4分钟].
Heerenveen started the game brightly, sending a number of crosses into the Milan area. But still they failed to test goalkeeper Dida until Mika Vayrynen tried his luck from all of [十足，不少于] 25 yards with quarter of an hour played.
But just as the hosts appeared to be growing in confidence [逐渐自信] they were rocked by an own goal at the other end. Kaka sent a cross [给出传球] towards the six-yard box [小禁区] and with Inzaghi lurking Jong-a-Pin inadvertently [不注意的] headed the ball into his own net.
Heerenveen failed to pick themselves up [使自己打起精神起来] and four minutes later they were punished again.
Kaka was once more the one to supply the cross into the middle of the penalty area which this time found Gattuso, who scored with a low shot to the right of goalkeeper Brian Vandenbussche.
Slowly the Dutch side came back into the game, as Tarik Elyounossi and Goran Popov had chances before the break [中场休息前] but neither really threatened.
They improved in the second half, however. Pranjic and Gerald Sibon both brought saves out of Dida in the opening 10 minutes.
But as in the first period Milan soaked up the pressure [顶住压力] before finding the net themselves again with 21 minutes to play [全场结束前21分钟].
This time Gattuso played a ball through the Heerenveen defence for Inzaghi to latch onto [得到], and the Italy forward blasted his shot past Vandenbussche.
Alexandre Pato nearly made it four when he forced Vandenbussche to tip a shot [指尖碰出] around the post as the game entered the final 10 minutes, before Heerenveen were finally rewarded with a goal of their own.
Giuseppe Favalli fouled Paulo Henrique in the box, leaving Pranjic to slot home a consolation effort from the penalty spot.

MLS insist Beckham move will only be short term

AC Milan confirmed on Wednesday their desire to sign Beckham in January with initial speculation being that Beckham would head to Italy for six months.
However, in a statement issued late on Wednesday night, MLS said the deal would be restricted to around two to three months to allow Beckham to return to Los Angeles in time for the start of the 2009 MLS season in late March.
"Discussions have taken place between AC Milan and the Los Angeles Galaxy regarding the possibility of a short-term loan agreement that would allow David Beckham to play for AC Milan during the MLS offseason,'' MLS commissioner Don Garber said.
"Those discussions are ongoing. David remains an LA Galaxy player and will be here for the start of the 2009 MLS season.''
The Los Angeles Galaxy have so far declined to comment on any possible deal.
Beckham, 33, wants to remain match fit through the MLS off-season in order to keep alive his chances of playing for England.
Beckham was told by England boss Fabio Capello that he would not be considered for the planned friendly in Spain if he was not playing club football at the time of the match.
A move for two to three months would have obvious benefits for Beckham, who with 107 caps is 18 appearances short of equalling the England record held by Peter Shilton.
Only last week, Capello stressed Beckham has a key role to play for the foreseeable future with England, but that hinges on him playing games, the more competitive the better.
Beckham will be submitting to intense scrutiny if he moves to Milan, given he has spent more than a year in the relatively weak American league, and Capello - who had two spells as boss of the Rossoneri - would pay keen attention to his performances.
Beckham is under contract with the LA Galaxy until 2012 but their season finishes on Sunday.
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said: "We are speaking with his agent but we believe he will arrive for some months on a free loan.
"We shall register him for some months and then he will leave. Beckham has chosen Milan. Our squad is ultra-competitive and it will remain this way, but Beckham is something different and intriguing.''
Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said: "For me it will be a pleasure, Beckham is a serious athlete, a great professional.
"If he is available for four months with us, we will be very happy.''
Former Milan and England striker Luther Blissett believes the move to Italy would pay off for Beckham.
"If he's really going to be part of this England revolution he's got to be playing regular, top-class football with top-class players,'' Blissett told Setanta Sports News.
"I think he'd make a great addition to what they have. And for Beckham to be playing alongside the likes of Kaka and (Clarence) Seedorf in midfield would be great for him as much as it would be for Milan.''
There can be no guarantee of Beckham playing every week, given Milan have Kaka, Seedorf, Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo to select from in midfield.
But a move taking him to Milan possibly until March, allowing him to return to the United States for the start of the MLS campaign, would at least allow him to see some first-team action and remain match fit.
England have a busy start to 2009. They have a probable friendly against Spain lined up for February, plus a home friendly against Slovakia in March, and World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine in April, and Kazakhstan and Andorra in June.
Milan expect Beckham's proposed move to bring more supporters through the San Siro turnstiles.
Galliani told acmilan.com: "Beckham will most likely bring more fans rather than fewer ones to the stadium.''
And sports business expert Professor Simon Chadwick, commenting on behalf of Weber Shandwick Sport, said: "Brand Beckham is still a global phenomenon and even in these difficult economic times, his star appeal in parts of the world such as the Middle East and Asia will see AC Milan netting up to £10million, just for a short stay.
"Many of the world's finest footballers have represented the Rossoneri, but Beckham is in his own league when it comes to global impact.''
Beckham's prospective loan move has been welcomed by Serie A players as a signing that would benefit the league.
"We all know he is a great champion,'' said Udinese's Italy striker Antonio di Natale. "He will have no problem playing in our league, the league will be even better with him playing in it. We look forward to seeing him.''

Beckham set for winter-long AC Milan loan

The former England captain is determined to keep his place in the national team and a spell on loan in Europe during the Major League Soccer close season could be beneficial.
Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani today stated his confidence that Beckham will arrive at the San Siro, however it is understood the 33-year-old has not yet committed to the deal.
Beckham is under contract with the LA Galaxy but their regular season finishes on Sunday.
Galliani had indicated at the weekend that Beckham would be invited to train with Milan during the coming months, however it now seems he could sign a short-term deal in January.
Galliani said this morning, at Milan's Malpensa airport: ''We are speaking with his agent but we believe he will arrive for some months on a free loan.''
He added: ''Beckham has chosen Milan. Our squad is ultra-competitive and it will remain this way, but Beckham is something different and intriguing.''
Beckham had been linked with the Rossoneri before leaving Real Madrid for the United States in 2007.
Milan head coach Carlo Ancelotti has given the blessing for the former Manchester United midfielder to join up with his squad, and provide more competition for places.
Ancelotti is looking forward to working with Beckham, who won his 107th England cap in the World Cup qualifying victory over Belarus last week.
Ancelotti told acmilan.com: ''For me it will be a pleasure, Beckham is a serious athlete, a great professional.
''If he is available for four months with us, we will be very happy.''
England boss Fabio Capello has been pleased with Beckham's contribution this year, although he has recently been a fringe member of the squad.
If Beckham moves to Milan - Capello's former club - then he will have the chance to demonstrate in Serie A that he remains a world-class player. Regular club football would almost certainly help his England prospects.
England have a busy start to 2009. They have a probable friendly against Spain lined up for February, plus a home friendly against Slovakia in March, and World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine in April, and Kazakhstan and Andorra in June.

Blues batter Boro

Luiz Felipe Scolari gained an insight into just how good his injury-hit squad are after seeing them rip Middlesbrough apart.
Despite missing the likes of Petr Cech, Didier Drogba and Ashley and Joe Cole, the Blues were in rampant form at the Riverside Stadium to condemn Boro to the heaviest defeat of Gareth Southgate's reign.
Salomon Kalou fired the visitors ahead with 14 minutes gone, and although Chelsea took the game by the scruff of the neck, they had to wait until six minutes after the break for Juliano Belletti to increase their lead with a stunning 35-yard strike.
Kalou made sure of the points with a deflected 53rd-minute third, and Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda completed the rout on a day when Nicolas Anelka had a goal disallowed, hit the post and was denied by keeper Ross Turnbull.
The visitors arrived on Teesside having not lost a league game in 10 months, but with concerns their injury problems might make an extension of that record difficult.
But they need not have worried as Boro proved compliant hosts in front of a crowd that numbered 29,221 at kick-off, but significantly fewer by the time the final whistle brought a welcome end to their misery.
Scolari could have been forgiven for bemoaning his luck as he was forced to name a side shorn of players worth in excess of £100million, with Cech, the Coles, Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien and Drogba all unavailable to him.
Opposite number Southgate, however, might have reminded him, had he asked, he was still able to call upon a formidable squad, and the former England defender would have taken little pleasure in being proved absolutely correct in his assessment by half-time.
Despite their lack of big names, the visitors were utterly dominant before the break and not only that, they played a brand of expansive, penetrative football that left Boro gasping for air.
The only concern for Scolari will have been that as they went in at the break, they were only a goal to the good, Kalou pouncing on a loose ball to fire past Turnbull after Andrew Taylor had blocked the impressive Belletti's 14th-minute shot.
But for the slightest of touches from right-back Jonathan Grounds, Lampard would have doubled the lead from Malouda's cross 10 minutes later.
The Frenchman should have done better when he found himself in on goal with 31 minutes gone, only to fire wide of Turnbull's far post with Boro hanging on for dear life.
Southgate's side did not muster a single credible attempt on goal in the opening 45 minutes with Cech's deputy Carlo Cudicini a virtual spectator.
Their fortunes were summed up seconds before Malouda's miss when Adam Johnson picked out Stewart Downing with a set-play from a corner, only to see the England international thrash at fresh air.
Indeed, the most pressure returning England skipper John Terry found himself under was in injury-time when central defensive partner Alex tried to be a little too clever and left him stretching to clear his lines.
That earned the apologetic Brazilian a stern rebuke from his captain, who otherwise had few problems handling Egypt striker Mido.
Southgate may have been happy to get his players back into the dressing room with the scoreline at only 1-0, but the game was over within eight minutes of the restart.
Turnbull at least stood up to the challenge when, within four minutes of the restart, Malouda waltzed past Grounds and, having opted not to hand Anelka a tap-in, was denied by the keeper.
But the youngster could do nothing two minutes later to keep Belletti's stinging 35-yard piledriver out of his top corner as Chelsea flexed their muscles once again.
The third goal arrived with 37 minutes still to play when Kalou claimed his second with the help of a wicked deflection off David Wheater, although Boro's misery was far from complete.
Kalou and Anelka combined down the right with 63 minutes gone for the midfielder to send in an inviting cross for Lampard, whose diving header gave Turnbull no chance.
The Boro keeper's afternoon took a further turn for the worse with 66 minutes gone when he allowed Anelka's shot to squirm from his grasp, with the post serving a fifth up on a plate for the vigilant Malouda.
Anelka saw a sixth goal rightly ruled out for offside with the Teessiders in tatters, and was then denied by a fine save from Turnbull with 14 minutes remaining, although the job had been completed long before.

Lampard hails superb performance

Frank Lampard believes Chelsea's 5-0 victory at Middlesbrough is their best performance since Luiz Felipe Scolari became manager at Stamford Bridge.
Lampard told Sky Sports 1: "Our football, our movement, our passing - that's the best we've played (under Scolari).
"At the moment we are full of confidence.
"We came here after an international break and some people might have expected us to be a bit dodgy with an early kick-off but we played fantastic.
"If we keep up the way we played today over the season we've got a great chance.''

Scolari calm amid injury crisis

Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is facing an injury crisis ahead of tomorrow's clash with Middlesbrough.

The Brazilian coach has captain John Terry fit again to face Gareth Southgate's side at the Riverside but has drafted in a host of youngsters for the trip north.
Among them is England under-21 defender Michael Mancienne and winger Scott Sinclair.
But Scolari is without regulars Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Michael Ballack, Joe Cole, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Ricardo Carvalho with doubts over Jose Bosingwa and Alex.
Scolari declared: ''Nineteen players I have to train. Nineteen are with me today. And all of those are in good condition. John Terry has recovered to play tomorrow.
''Joe Cole will not go with us. Some other players won't go with us because they are injured.
''But I have a team, I have players who will play against Middlesbrough and it's not a problem for me if we have one, two, three or four injuries.''
The latest addition to Scolari's mounting injury toll is German captain Michael Ballack.
Scolari confirmed Ballack is expected to be out for up to three weeks even though he played against Wales in Germany's 1-0 victory in midweek.
Ballack was already carrying a calf injury when he reported for international duty and that was further aggravated against Wales.
However, Scolari insists he is not angry over the loss of the midfielder.
''Ballack is out for maybe two or three weeks,'' admitted Scolari. ''I'm not angry. I'm happy because it's a test for me that I'm a good coach.
''I need to change it, to improve, I need to put other players in, I need to motivate other players.
''It's good for my job, it's good for my work. It's not difficult for me.
''For me it's normal, I need to build every week, one different team.
''Many clubs have injuries from the national games because they are strong games. In football it's normal.
''I worked yesterday, Thursday, with only 11 players. Today I worked with 17. It's better! Maybe Saturday I have 19.
''Against Roma in the Champions League next week, maybe I will have 20 or 21. This is the life for the coach, you need to understand we have different games and I need to understand that national teams want and need the players.
''I'm a coach, I need to build my team with the players that I have.
''The coaches for national teams don't want injuries for his players, he wants what we want - to win.
''It's not only one club that loses when national teams play. All the clubs. One time my club loses players, one time Liverpool, one time Man United. We need to accept this. If you don't accept this it's impossible.
''If you are injured at Chelsea you don't play, if you are injured in the national team you don't play. I don't see any time in my life when one coach put a player on the pitch if he is injured.''

胡敏读故事记单词 - 六级 (1)

abbreviation n.缩写, 缩写词
abide vt. 容忍
abide by遵守，履行
abnormala.反常的，异常的
abolishvt. 废止, 废除(法律、制度、习俗等)
abortionn. 流产, 堕胎
abound vi. 1. 大量存在2.（in,with） 充满 ,富于
abreastad. 并列，并排
keep abreast of与……齐头并进，了解……的最新情况
abrupta. 1. 突然的,意外的2.（举止、言谈等）唐突的，鲁莽的
abstain vi. 1.弃权2.（from）戒除
absurd a. 荒谬的，荒唐的
abundancen. 大量，丰富，充足
in abundance 充足，丰富
accessory n. 1.附件，零件，配件2.[常pl.]（妇女手提包之类的）装饰品3.同谋，帮凶，包庇犯acclaimvt. 向……欢呼，为……喝彩n. 称赞，欢迎
accommodatevt. 1.容纳2.向……提供住处（或膳宿）3.使适应，顺应
accomplicen. 共犯，从犯
accountablea. 负有责任的
acen. 1.（纸牌等中的）幺点，“A”牌2.（网球等比赛中）发球得分3.（在某方面的）佼佼者a. 第一流的，杰出的
acoustica. 1.听觉的，声音的2.（乐器）原声的
acquaintvt. （with）使认识，使了解，使熟悉
acquitvt. 1.宣判……无罪2.（oneself）使（自己）作出某种表现
activatevt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

Accommodating a Pregnancy
Xiaomin never thought abortion was a big deal. As he became acquainted with American politics , however , he realized you have to work hard to keep abreast of changing values to truly understand how absurdly controversial this issue has become. He found out from his American friends that opinions are in abundance of how to teach people to be accountable for their actions, how to make people abide by Family Planning laws, and even how to teach people just to abstain from sex. The significance of this issue became abruptly clear when Xiaomin's best friend, Jeff, got his girlfriend pregnant.
Jeff was an acclaimed graduate student who was living an abnormal life from other Americans just by attending a Chinese university to get his Ph.D.(Ph.D. is an abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy, the highest degree available in a university). Jeff was also an ace soccer player and acoustic guitar player. There was also alway an abundance of women around him. This is how he met Sarah.
When Sarah became pregnant with Jeff, his friends suddenly treated him as if he was an accessory to murder. Jeff also felt as if he needed to be acquitted of some crime. But he decided in the end that he and his accomplice, Sarah, would keep the baby. According to Jeff and Sarah, the life of their child was more important than their career. Xiaomin was amazed. Keeping the child would abolish any chance of a successful career for Jeff. And in Xiaomin's eyes, one could activate the process for an abortion with a simple visit to the doctor even though there might be lines, three people abreast.
But Jeff and Sarah were firm in their decision and Xiaomin had to abide his friends' decision. Life abounded in surprises. Now Jeff and Sarah were leaving school and returning to the United States. They would do everying they could to accommodate themselves to their new situation.

Ferdinand: Deduct points to punish racists

England vice-captain Rio Ferdinand has called on FIFA to end its practice of handing out paltry fines for teams whose supporters chant racial or homophobic abuse at players and suggested that the world governing body start deducting points from them instead.

Empics
Rio Ferdinand celebrates with goal-getter Theo Walcott in Zagreb last month.
Ferdinand was furious that the Croatian FA was only fined £15,000 for the behaviour of their fans during last month's 4-1 World Cup qualifier defeat to England in Zagreb when Emile Heskey was subjected to racist chanting.
Ferdinand feels that fines, particularly such meagre fines do not match the zero tolerance hyperbole of football's administrators and has called for tough new measures to be brought in.
''The football authorities need to look at themselves,'' the England vice-captain told BBC Radio Five Live. ''Sepp Blatter [FIFA president] likes to speak up about things that are good for FIFA's image. I would love to see them stand up and dish out the right punishments for these incidents.
''They make a lot of comments about what they are going to do but they never back up the words with actions. Croatia were fined a few thousand quid. What good is that going to do?
''That is not going to stop people shouting racist or homophobic abuse. If things like this keep happening you have to take points off them. Then the punters will realise the team is going to be punished.''
Illustrating Ferdinand's point that fines are not acting as effective deterrents earlier this year the Croatian FA were fined a similarly meagre amount for the racist behaviour of its fans during Croatia's Euro 2008 quarter-final against Turkey.
England players were similarly outraged in 2004 the Spanish FA were handed a £47,000 fine after a month-long investigation for the racist chanting by fans directed at Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips which marred England's friendly in Madrid.
Ferdinand and his team-mates should not be side-tracked by such matters on Saturday when they anticipate the support of a sell-out 90,000 crowd at Wembley for the World Cup encounter with Group Six underdogs Kazakhstan.
The Manchester United man does not share Fabio Capello's belief that the Three Lions find life easier away from their own ground as the high expectation levels sometimes stifle the England players.
However, the 30-year-old suggests the noise levels and sheer passion for their team is something English fans can learn from their Croatian counterparts, if not the unsavoury aspects of their support.
''I love playing at Wembley,'' said Ferdinand. ''But maybe the fans do get a bit agitated if we don't score inside the first 20 minutes. I would just ask them to get behind us and sing their hearts out. If it is a real cauldron, like it is in Zagreb, that helps. No-one enjoys facing 90,000.''
Ferdinand is keen to stress that the improvement England have made since Capello succeeded Steve McClaren is gradual rather than spectacular.
Although some members of the Italian's squad are relishing their opportunities, Theo Walcott being an obvious example, Ferdinand prefers to take a lot of small steps as opposed to one gigantic leap which could end in disaster.
''It is too much if people think of us as a completely different team to the one we were six months ago,'' said Ferdinand. ''Hopefully we can maintain the steady rise we are on at the moment. We have to qualify first and hopefully, by the time we are in the tournament, we will be ready to go.''
Given the shambolic attempt to reach Euro 2008, it could be argued merely getting to South Africa in two years' time would be an achievement.
Ferdinand accepts the misery of missing out has helped provide the spark which Capello has managed to ignite.
''The lads were hurt not getting to the Euros,'' he said. ''But it is a bit of both because the management is different as well. Fabio has a winning mentality. He has proved that. And for us to do what he wants, we have to concentrate at every moment of the game.
''We are very focussed and hopefully that can be the difference in this qualifying campaign.''

Juve hand backing to under pressure Ranieri

Juventus [尤文图斯] president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has given coach Claudio Ranieri [克劳迪奥•拉涅利] a vote of confidence despite his team failing to win in their last four games.
Sunday's 2-1 defeat against Palermo [巴勒莫] brought to an end [bring to an end-结束] Juve's unbeaten run [不败] this campaign and saw them drop to 11th in the standings, four points behind the Serie A lead.
"It's a difficult time for us," admitted Cobolli Gigli. "But I am confident that soon we will come out of this situation.
"As for Ranieri, we have no doubts in our minds regarding his job."
The Turin [都灵] giants have failed to impress this campaign, with a lack of goalscoring having hindered the Bianconeri, whose biggest margin of victory so far has been 1-0.
After domestic draws against Catania, Sampdoria and Bate Borisov in the Champions League, Ranieri had hoped for a better outcome at Turin's Stadio Olimpico but it was not to be.
Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero had cancelled out [抵偿] Fabrizio Miccoli's opener.
The Bianconeri then suffered a setback [挫折] after Mohamed Sissoko was given his marching orders [逐客令] before the interval leaving Juve to play a man light [少一人应战] for the entire second half.
Palermo took advantage with Levan Mchedlidze scoring the winner nine minutes from time.
"This defeat at home is a blow [打击]," admitted Ranieri. "We really wanted the victory after three consecutive draws [三连平] but it became an uphill battle.
"I don't want to give any excuses but to play with 10 men is not easy and I think my players did the best they could."
Ranieri will be under pressure to win at Napoli [那不勒斯]on October 19 when Serie A resumes after the international break.

Gunners come up short

Anyone who predicted Hull City's victory at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday can congratulate themselves on their foresight, safe in the knowledge few others thought such an upset was possible. Yet there is a way of defeating Arsenal, and from that perspective Daniel Cousin's winner, headed in from a corner, was predictable. Sometimes the result can surprise, but the manner of it is all too obvious.

The Gunners' previous defeat this season occurred when Fulham's Brede Hangeland headed in a corner. They trailed, albeit briefly, at Bolton Wanderers when Kevin Davies headed in a corner. And as each of the three scorers was marked, not overly well, by William Gallas, the similarities continue.
Arsene Wenger promised changes and, obstinate as ever, duly removed some forcefulness from his side against Porto as Samir Nasri replaced Emmanuel Eboue. Others would remove Gallas, if not from the team then certainly from the captaincy.
Leadership does not require a physical presence, though it did Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira no harm, but Gallas appears better suited to the lieutenant's role, rather than that of the general. Responsibility sits particularly uneasily on his shoulders when the ball is directed towards Arsenal's six-yard box.
Whether the reserve centre-backs, Mikael Silvestre and Johan Djourou, would prove more diligent markers at set-pieces is a moot point, but both have the advantage of added inches. Arsenal, a team known for their athleticism, are short of height. Amidst a blur of sprinters, slow players, as Dennis Bergkamp was, have been very much a rarity, accepted for great technical gifts. Since Sol Campbell and Martin Keown left, however, such exemptions have not been made for taller but more limited footballers. And while Wenger's men have brought an element of track and field to the football pitch, they seem to have neglected the high jump, at least in their own penalty box.
It was said of Sir Alex Ferguson's first great Manchester United side that they could out-fight teams as well as out-play them. Arsenal, it appears, can out-pace them but not out-jump them. When strikers Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor are the two tallest players, that hardly aids the defence.
The problem can be psychological as well as physical. Kolo Toure, half of probably the Premier League's smallest central-defensive duo, admitted he was afraid of Hull.
Not for the first time, the unflashy attributes of the departed Gilberto Silva are missed. So, too, is Abou Diaby, whose resemblance to Vieira extends beyond his appearance. Denilson, Cesc Fabregas' Mini-Me, is excellent in possession, but ineffectual in his own box; a microcosm of Arsenal. They appear unwilling to sacrifice fluency for size, and that seems unlikely to change.
The next generation - Nasri, Theo Walcott, Carlos Vela, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere - all conform to the short, skilful type. While there is not a direct correlation between height and aerial ability, even some of the taller players in Arsenal's recent past - such as Thierry Henry - hardly relished defending corners.
Others compromise. Jose Mourinho, always the organiser, wanted at least four tall players on the pitch. Now, arguably, five defensive headers are required in the Premier League. Hull, for example, could send Cousin, Marlon King, Ian Ashbee, Kamil Zayette and Michael Turner forward at set-pieces and they are the rule, rather than the exception.

GettyImages
Little and large: Arsenal's Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner
With apologies to those who favour metric measurements, it is no coincidence that in England, given the imperial system, the six-footers exert a hold on the imagination. The modern-day Wimbledon, Stoke, fielded 10 six-footers at times last season; Liam Lawrence, the comparative dwarf, was half an inch short and, in any case, took the free kicks and corners. A newcomer could be forgiven for thinking that the Potteries was a land of giants Gulliver discovered on his travels. There has long been a theory a promoted team would overcome Arsenal, but that side was expected to be Stoke.
And it is Arsenal's misfortune that possessing a contingent of players who experience high altitude every time they jump matters more in the Premier League than elsewhere. Barcelona's technical wizardry is evident whenever they have the ball, but they have been able to field footballers of the stature of Deco, Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta - plus such reluctant headers as Ronaldinho - in recent seasons.
England, in contrast, has a set-piece fixation. Arsenal, through Gallas and Adebayor, have even scored from several themselves, but that doesn't necessarily equip them to defend them. Wenger has said that he believes his current generation of technicians and speedsters have the potential to better the Invincibles of 2003/04. In terms of inventive, attacking football, marked by passing of both incision and imagination, he may be correct.
But the criteria are broader. The Invincibles contained giants such as Campbell and Vieira, men who could repel opponents whichever way they chose. The beatables could do with a fully-fit Diaby, as a midfield destroyer and a giant figure in his own box, and they could benefit from detailing someone other than Gallas with halting their opponents' finest header.
Arsenal swept Porto aside imperiously, but we can only say they have turned the corner when they are not panicked by corners. Because while it may be irrelevant for the purists, the moral of recent games is one pragmatists would endorse: size matters.

Futbal Club Barcelona's new poster

Is is funny? The one on top is me.

FEED YOUR MIND

Since the pre-historic times, man has had an urge to satisfy his needs. Be it hunger, shelter or search for a mate, he has always manipulated the circumstances to the best of his advantages. Probably this might be the reason why we human are the most developed of all living species on the earth, and probably also in the universe. As we climbed the steps of evolution with giant leaps, we somehow left behind common sense and logical thinking — we forgot that we have stopped thinking ahead of time.
If you are hungry, what do you do? Grab a piece of your favorite meal and stay quiet after that? Just like your stomach, even your mind is hungry. But it never lets you know, because you keep it busy thinking about your dream lover, favorite star and many such absurd things. So it silently began to heed [留意] to your needs and never let itself grow. When mind looses its freedom to grow, creativity gets a full stop. This might be the reason why we all sometimes think "What happens next?", "Why can't I think?", "Why am I always given the difficult problems?" Well this is the aftermath [结果，后果] of our own karma [因果报应] of using our brain for thinking of not-so-worthy things.
Hunger of the mind can be actually satiated through extensive reading. Now why reading and not watching TV? Because reading has been the most educative [教育的] tool used by us right from the childhood. Just like that to develop other aspects of our life, we have to take help of reading. You have innumerable number of books in this world which will answer all your “How to?” questions. Once you read a book, you jumst don't run your eyes through the lines, but even your mind decodes it and explains it to you. The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed. Now this seed is unknowingly [不知不觉地] used by you in your future to develop new ideas. The same seed if used many times, can help you link and relate a lot of things, of which you would have never thought of in your wildest dreams! This is nothing but creativity. More the number of books you read, your mind will open up like never before. Also this improves your oratory [演讲术] skills to a large extent and also makes a significant contribution to your vocabulary. Within no time you start speaking English or any language fluently with your friends or other people and you never seem to run out of [用完] the right words at the right time.
Actually, I had a problem in speaking English fluently, but as I read, I could improve significantly. I am still on the path of improvement to quench [舒缓] my thirst for satisfaction. So guys do join me and give food for your thoughts by reading, reading and more reading. Now what are you waiting for? Go, grab a book, and let me know!