Inter Milan exit the Coppa Italia today in a loss to Napoli. Cavani scored twice. Milito should have had at least two penalties awarded. In the end, we allowed two goals and did not score our own.

Goals:

Alvarez: 2
Cambiasso: 4
Castaignos: 1
Coutinho: 1
Faraoni: 1
Forlan: 1
Lucio: 2
Maicon: 2
Milito: 9
Motta: 3
Nagatomo: 2
Pazzini: 7
Poli: 1
Ranocchia: 1
Samuel: 1
Sneijder: 2
Zarate: 1
Goals for: 41
Goals Against: 31

Real Madrid exit Copa del Rey after losing 4-3 on aggregate across two legs to Barcelona. Today’s tie was a close match, but finding an equalizer–also a match winner due to away goal tie-breaker–proved to be too much. I didn’t see the game, but it sounded like we kept Barcelona on their heels for much of the match. Sad.

Noteworthy: Ronaldo scored a goal. Sweet form. Messi didn’t. Great. Who is better? Who cares, we still lost. Benzema scored as well. Now, let’s build momentum as we play through La Liga and Champion’s League, and let’s put the finishing touches on Barcelona in the next El Clasico!

Goals:

Alonso: 2
Altintop: 1
Benzema: 18
Callejon: 9
Di Maria: 5
Higuain: 17
Kaká: 4
Khedira: 2
Marcelo: 3
Özil: 3
Pepe: 1
Ramos: 3
Ronaldo: 30
Varane: 1
Goals for: 99
Goals against: 31

Inter 2-1 Lazio: Milito and Pazzini seal comeback go.inter.it/288

—
inter.it (@inter) January 22, 2012

Goals:

Alvarez: 2
Cambiasso: 4
Castaignos: 1
Coutinho: 1
Faraoni: 1
Forlan: 1
Lucio: 2
Maicon: 2
Milito: 9
Motta: 3
Nagatomo: 2
Pazzini: 7
Poli: 1
Ranocchia: 1
Samuel: 1
Sneijder: 2
Zarate: 1
Goals for: 41
Goals Against: 29

Real Madrid 4-1 Athletic Bilbao bit.ly/wOoQgS #realmadrid

—
Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) January 22, 2012

Goals:

Alonso: 2
Altintop: 1
Benzema: 17
Callejon: 9
Di Maria: 5
Higuain: 17
Kaká: 4
Khedira: 2
Marcelo: 3
Özil: 3
Pepe: 1
Ramos: 3
Ronaldo: 29
Varane: 1
Goals for: 97
Goals against: 29

Chelsea gained a point away to Norwich today in a scoreless draw. I have but a few things to say.

First, we kept a clean sheet. Great.

Second, we lacked creativity offensively, but there were a few notable standouts. Bosingwa. His early crosses remain terrible, but when he goes bi-line, he creates problems for the opponents. More please. Malouda. His substitution on for Lampard proved valuable, because he was stellar in the second half. He wasn’t selfish; he worked hard and worked well to create chances. Unfortunately, his goal scoring prowess is minimal at best, so when it came time to take some strikes on goal, he was mostly unthreatening. Still, it was good to see his influence. Lukaku. Monstrous. Subbing on for Torres, who had a decent game but who’s toe-pokes proved incapable of getting into the back of the net, Lukaku used his energy and muscle to run down the sideline and get into the box, beating one defender magnificently. Promising, right?

Finally, and back to Torres, it is in this instance that we greatly miss the Mighty Drogba. But Drogba doesn’t seem like he wants to stay. If he does leave, then we have to settle for Torres. We will have to build our offense around him if we are optimally to extract whatever skill out of him. I almost want to say our current offensive strategy is a cookie-cutter approach, which has not made the most of Torres. He had over 60 goals in 100 games at Liverpool. I don’t see why it can’t happen similarly while he wears Chelsea blue, but it will demand that we cater to his needs on the pitch.

Hats off to Norwich for defensively creating a wall that we simply could not penetrate soundly. We all saw this coming though, right? With Drogba gone, with Sturridge returning from injury, and with Lampard’s inconsistency and Torres’ failure to find goals consistently, we knew we would be lacking offensively. Defensively, we were solid. This draw was seemingly inevitable. Time to move on.

Goals:

• Anelka: 1
• Bosingwa: 1
• David Luiz: 1
• Drogba: 6
• Ivanovich: 1
• Kalou: 3
• Lampard: 11
• Malouda: 1
• Mata: 6
• Meireles: 2
• Sturridge: 10
• Ramires: 8
• Terry: 4
• Torres: 4
• Goals for: 58
• Goals against: 32

I saw this phrase on the mirror in V for Vendetta. Whatever you think about the phrase in English, I like the way it sounds in the original language.

Yesterday, I mentioned another quote from the movie that I liked. I find this movie to be really cool from a vocabulary perspective.

Are there any quotes from V for Vendetta that you favor? Independently, are there any Latin phrases that you like?

Inter Genoa to make it to the Coppa Italia quarterfinals with 2 goals to 1. Maicon scored first followed by Poli. Genoa pulled one back but could not find an equalizer.

Forza Inter!

Goals:

• Alvarez: 2
• Cambiasso: 4
• Castaignos: 1
• Coutinho: 1
• Faraoni: 1
• Forlan: 1
• Lucio: 2
• Maicon: 2
• Milito: 8
• Motta: 3
• Nagatomo: 2
• Pazzini: 6
• Poli: 1
• Ranocchia: 1
• Samuel: 1
• Sneijder: 2
• Zarate: 1
• Goals for: 39
• Goals Against: 28

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. [laughs] Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honour to meet you and you may call me “V”. (V for Vendetta (film) – Wikiquote)

I love the movie V for Vendetta. I want the graphic novel for my library, not merely for the art, but also for the clever vocabulary. Case in point: V’s self-introduction. Quoted above from Wikiquote, I realize it is pregnant in meaning, and I would like to build my own vocabulary, so I will now go through this introduction and determine what it is saying. I will be relying on the Oxford English Dictionary.

Sentences 1, 2

“Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate.”

Definitions:

1. Voilà: an exclamation, meaning, “There it is,” or “There you are”
2. View: a sight or prospect as taken in by the eye
3. Vaudevillian: one involved in a trivial stage play interspersed with songs
4. Veteran: a person with long experience in a particular field
5. Vicariously: acting as a substitute
6. Victim: a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event or action
7. Villain: a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot
8. Vicissitudes: a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant

Paraphrase:

“And there it is! In view, a low yet experienced stage play actor cast as a substitute for both victim and villain by the undesired changes in circumstances by Fate.”

Sentence 3

“This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished.”

Definitions:

1. Visage: a person’s face
2. Veneer: an attractive appearance that covers or disguises someone’s true nature
3. Vanity: excessive pride in or admiration of one’s own appearance or achievements
4. Vestige: a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists
5. Vox Populi: Latin, “The people’s voice,” meaning the opinions or beliefs of the majority
6. Vacant: having or showing no intelligence or interest
7. Vanished: disappeared suddenly and completely

Paraphrase:

“This face, no mere vain disguise covering, is a trace of the people’s voice, now showing no interest, disappeared completely.”

Sentence 4

“However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition!”

Definitions:

1. Valorous: a great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle
2. Visitation: a formal visit
3. Vexation: the state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried
4. Vivified: enliven or animate
5. Vowed: solemnly promise to do specified thing
6. Vanquish: defeat thoroughly
7. Venal: showing or motivated by susceptibility to bribery
8. Virulent: bitterly hostile
9. Vermin: people perceived as despicable and as causing problems for the rest of society
10. Vanguarding: (not technically a word; it is a noun, but here appears as a verb) to lead the way, to be at the forefront of new developments or ideas
11. Vice: immoral or wicked behavior
12. Vouchsafing: warrant the secure conferment
13. Violently: using or involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something
14. Vicious: deliberately cruel or violent
15. Voracious: having a very eager approach to an activity
16. Violation: the action of violating someone or something
17. Volition: the faculty or power of using one’s will

Paraphrase:

“However, this courageous yet formal visit of a state of being worried from an earlier time stands enlivened and has solemnly promised to utterly defeat these despicable and problematic people who are susceptible to bribery and bitterly hostile, leading the way in immoral behavior and securing those who are deliberately violent and who eagerly violate the conscience!”

Sentence 5

“The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.”

Definitions:

1. Verdict: an opinion or judgment
2. Vengeance: punishment inflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong
3. Vendetta: (from Italian for the Latin of “vengeance”) a prolonged bitter quarrel with or campaign against someone
4. Votive: an object offered in this way, such as a candle used as a vigil light
5. Vain: without success or a result
6. Value: the importance, worth, or usefulness of something
7. Veracity: accuracy, truthfulness
8. Vindicate: show or prove to be right, reasonable, or justified
9. Vigilant: keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties
10. Virtuous: having or showing high moral standards

Paraphrase:

“The only judgment is punishment for wrong doing; vengeance held as a vigil candle, not without success, for the importance and truthfulness of such shall one day prove the careful watchers and morally upright to be right.”

Sentence 6

“Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honour to meet you and you may call me ‘V’.”

Definitions:

1. Verily: truly; certainly
2. Vichyssoise: a cold soup with potatoes, leeks, and cream
3. Verbiage: speech or writing that uses too many words or excessively technical expressions
4. Veers: to change direction (especially of the wind); here it seems simply to be used as “is becoming”
5. Verbose: using or expressed in more words than are needed
6. Very: (emphatic) to a high degree

Paraphrase:

“Truly, this soup of excessive words is becoming most unneeded, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honour to meet you and you may call me “V”.

Fun Facts:

• 48 words starting with the letter “V”
• 126 words in paragraph
• 38% of paragraph are words starting with “V”
• Words starting with “V” occur on average 8 times per sentence

Disgusting.

See what others are saying at the Real Madrid Offside Blog.

Real Madrid lost the first leg of the quarterfinal matchup against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey today. Ronaldo scored the only first half goal, coming in the 11th minute, courtesy of a beautiful pass from Benzema. Early in the second half, Puyol equalized. Later in the second half, Messi assisted Abidal for the winner. Swell. Now Barca have the major upper hand in the next match. In fact, it is pretty much one sided now: Barca have home field advantage; they have the W; they have 2 valuable away goals. Realistically, it’s fair to say that we are out of the Copa del Rey now.

And what gives with all the cheap shots? Both Pepe and Coentrao should be punished for their blatant disregard, disrespect, and discreditable behavior towards Messi. Pepe stomped on Messi’s hand–a red card worthy offense–while Coentrao shoved Messi’s head–at least a yellow card worthy offense. Please, can we play like men? Please, can we show class? Please, can we be quality sportsman? Dispense with the un-sportsman-like conduct, as it is unbecoming of professional, world-class footballers. The club should punish them. Don’t wait for the league board take action. Fabregas too should be punished by his own club for his stud-strike on Pepe, but we must leave it to them to take action. We must lead by example.

Shameful.

Anyway, it was good to see Ronaldo score. He was very influential in the first half, but he seemed to forget there are two halves in the game and didn’t show up for the latter half. Now that he has finally scored against Barcelona, maybe he will boost his confidence through this weekend and take some momentum with him to Nou Camp next week. We will need it. And since he scored and Messi didn’t, perhaps his confidence will further bolster itself, showing that he has an upper hand in their feud, if one can call it that.

What will it take to beat Barcelona? Control our defense, flood the midfield, and play the counter attack. Don’t press. That’s what I think.

Casillas
Arbeloa – Pepe – Sergio Ramos – Marcelo
Khedira – Alonzo
Di Maria – Ozil – Ronaldo
Benzema

With Khedira and Alonzo flooding the midfield defensively, we can allow Ozil to distribute offensively, and countering with Ronaldo on the left and Di Maria on the right, feeding and feeding off of Benzema along the way seems to me the right method.

Goals:

• Alonso: 2
• Altintop: 1
• Benzema: 17
• Callejon: 8
• Di Maria: 5
• Higuain: 17
• Kaká: 4
• Khedira: 2
• Marcelo: 2
• Özil: 3
• Pepe: 1
• Ramos: 3
• Ronaldo: 27
• Varane: 1
• Goals for: 93
• Goals against: 28

I obtained all three of these in high resolution format from Wallpapers HD Lite, an application from the Mac App Store. I love them. Why? Blue. It is my favorite color. The first one of the Golden Gate Bridge is really cool, being that I am from California. The second looks like it is from Tahiti, and my wife really wants to go there. The third, is that Chicago? Well, I like the blue lights in the dark setting. Pretty.

What is your desktop wallpaper right now?