Europa League Fun, Idiots in Rome, Southampton vs. Liverpool, Tottenham vs. West Ham, Sampdoria vs. Genoa, Winter World Cup 2022

Feyenoord "fans" in Rome...

There goes another one, folks. Snow, frigid temps, ice, all that crap. Makes it easier to watch matches, though, don't it? Sadly, some Feyenoord "supporters" weren't as interested in watching their team face Roma as they were in trashing the Eternal City. Idiots.

Meanwhile, good on Chelsea for responding to what their "fans" did in Paris. It's nice to be able to agree with The Special One every once in a while...

Back to the action on the pitch, though, right? Tottenham vs. Fiorentina was a dandy. End to end stuff with a cracker from Soldado. It finished 1 - 1. James Riach was at White Hart Lane and filed this report. Over at Anfield, Super Mario snatched the ball from Jordan Henderson and converted the penalty kick to give Liverpool the win over Besiktas. Andy Hunter was at Anfield and filed this report. Over in Bern Lukaku grabbed a hat-trick and Everton cruised past Young Boys. We think Mike Whalley was at Stade de Suisse. Regardless, he filed this report. Celtic vs. Inter Milan looked like it was fairly exciting. That finished 3 - 3. Here's a review of all of yesterday's fun.

It all begs the question: Does a run in the Europa League damage a team's chances in the Premier League?

Take a look at this. It would appear that Spurs will be able to build a new stadium now that Archway Sheet Metal Works has had (and lost) its day in court. Will a new ground allow Tottenham to be London's next big power, or will it be West Ham instead? Either way, Jim White thinks Pochettino is the perfect man to lead Spurs into the future.

After a bit of a break on behalf of the FA Cup, the Premier League will resume normal service tomorrow. Here's your prep:

Premier League Spotlight

10 Things To Look Out For

Team News

Joe Prince-Wright's Picks

Paul Merson's Predictions

Lawro's Predictions

We should tackle the other top leagues in Europe while we're at it. Germany? Ja. Italy? Sì. Spain? Sì

This Weekend In Europe

Good Week? Bad Week? Who had which?

And finally...it looks like 2022 in Qatar will be in the winter. That'll be interesting. Enjoy the weekend.

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

Champions League, Europa League, More on the Paris Racism

Good Day! The matches in Europe yesterday were a bit flat. Real Madrid brushed aside Schalke without much fanfare, while Basel and Porto drew 1 - 1. Here's some info on everything Champions League:

Ronaldo, Marcelo guide Real Madrid; Porto has edge
Talking Points

Winners & Losers

Real Madrid 2 - 0 Schalke: Three Points

Adam Bate: Ronaldo's drought over

Basel 1 - 1 Porto: Three Things We Learned

Liverpool have improved of late. Why? John Brewin takes a look.

David Conn's piece hadn't hit the webs when we focused on the behavior of the idiots in Paris yesterday. He's too good a scribe to leave out. Here. And, look! Old SSN Pal Jeff Bradley (yes, Bob's brother) has an article, as well. He's concerned about the growing U.S. supporter culture and hopeful that fans can maintain some perspective. More? Here: Football and racism: An inconvenient truth.

There's more European action today. It's in the form of Europa League matches. We know, we know, but there are a few decent ties out there. Liverpool host Besiktas, Spurs face Fiorentina, Everton and those Young Boys, Celtic vs. Inter... Here's the lowdown on Europe's secondary competition.

Copa Libertadores is underway down in South America. Here's a wrap of what's happened so far.

Back in Europe, what's up with The Zlatan and PSG? Ace scribe Jonathan Wilson claims they are killing each other's buzz.

OK! That's fine for now.

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

Idiots in Paris, Champions League, Scribes

There's really no other place to begin today but in Paris. Some individuals with two legs attempting to pass as human beings proudly displayed their idiocy. Here's the fallout:

Film shows Chelsea fans in Paris Metro incident

Police hunt for Chelsea fans involved in racist Paris incident

Barney Ronay: Racist poison on the Paris Métro: Why Chelsea, and football, must step up

Marina Hyde: It’s high time Sepp Blatter’s gang recognised football’s racist underbelly

Neil Ashton: We foolishly believed this shameful behaviour was a thing of the past

Will Chelsea ever throw off the spectre of fans' racism?

Geez. Anyway, they actually played two games in the Champions League yesterday. They were both draws. Here's your lot.

Courtois keeps Chelsea, PSG even; Bayern held

PSG 1 - 1 Chelsea: Daniel Taylor at Parc des Princes

PSG 1 - 1 Chelsea: Three Observations

PSG 1 - 1 Chelsea: Five Talking Points

PSG 1 - 1 Chelsea: Five Things We Learned

Gabriele Marcotti: Chelsea showing signs of fatigue at wrong time

Jim White: Chelsea a shadow themselves in Paris - but that's exactly how Jose wanted it

Shakhtar Donetsk 0 - 0 Bayern Munich: Report

Shakhtar Donetsk's 0-0 Bayern Munich: Three Quick Thoughts

European play continues today with Schalke vs. Real Madrid and Basel vs. Porto.

We were closed yesterday and missed Scribes. We know it's already Wednesday, but these guys are too good to pass up.

Where? Spain. Who? Sid Lowe. What? Valencia enjoy late Valentine’s after half-time betrothal lifts spirits

Where? Germany. Who? Andy Brassell. What? Rhine derby ends in chaos as ghosts of seasons past return to haunt Köln

Where? Brazil. Who? Tim Vickery. What? All eyes on Sao Paulo as 2015 Libertadores groups kick off

Where? Italy. Who? Paolo Bandini. What? Unheralded sides make swift response to call to ban them from elite

Where? Italy. Who? James Horncastle. What? Inter's Mancini returning club's sense of historical importance

Falcao. He's been rather shit at United, no? Chris Bevan is wondering if his time is already up. Sticking with United, Wayne Rooney is purported to have apologized for his dive the other night. What a guy.

That'll do. Back on the horse.

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

We're Closed

Unbelievable. We get a dusting of snow, a little ice, and nobody shows up at SSN Headquarters. It's a big day, too! Scribes, the Champions League returns, Rooney dives again, and much more!

Oh, well. We'll try tomorrow.

Onward.

Bayern Hit Eight, Atlético Madrid Lose, FA Cup, The Zlatan Tats, Cologne "Fans"

Happy Monday! No huge upsets in the FA Cup over the weekend. Bradford continued their fine run, but considering the opposition was Sunderland, it's not too surprising. In Spain, Atlético Madrid fell off the pace after a loss at Celta Vigo. City rivals Real were victorious against Deportivo La Coruña, but didn't look particularly impressive. Meanwhile, Messi went nuts again, and Barcelona slotted five past Levante. In Germany, Borussia Dortmund are out of the Drop Zone after a win, and in Italy, well, blah. Juventus and Roma both drew, Milan were poor, you know the scenario. Let's get to it.

FA Cup: Talking Points From the Weekend

10 Things We Learned

Crystal Palace 1 - 2 Liverpool: Three Observations

Derby County 1 - 2 Reading: Richard Rae at the iPro Stadium

Aston Villa 2 - 1 Leicester City: Stuart James at Villa Park

Arsenal 2 - 0 Middlesbrough: Amy Lawrence at the Emirates Stadium

Arsenal 2 - 0 Middlesbrough: Three Observations

We haven't done The Big Interview in a while. Frankly, there haven't been too many subjects of interest. Not so this week. It's everyone's favorite Patrick Stewart look-a-like, Arjen Robben. Sticking with German football, Kirsten Schlewitz has this love letter to the Bundesliga. She likes goals, apparently.

World Football's Monday Morning Hangover

Spain. We need a bit more on that. Here are Three Things about Real Madrid's win, and here are Five Things We Learned in La Liga this weekend. More tomorrow with El Sid.

How weird is this? Bizarre scenes at Borussia Moenchengladbach's stadium. Idiots.

More oddness, this time courtesy of SSN Favorite, The Zlatan. He scored against Caen and removed his shirt to reveal several tattoos. Here's the story.

There's one more FA Cup match this week. It goes down tonight. Preston North End vs. Manchester United. Here's your preview.

That"s your lot to start the week. Scribes and Champions League tomorrow!

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com