Waiting for Thursday by...

...uploading graphics and stuff!

A scene from last Saturday's friendly vs Norwegian Stabæk as seen through the fence.

Of course I went to see the home friendly. And of course my inside intelligence - which could completely revolutionize your expectations for Thursday's UEFA Cup clash with Manchester City - is staggering I guarantee you. But I won't bother sharing :-)

Here's another weird thingie for you:

The league standings as I see it through my little helper script. Top teams in green box, bottom in red. Gaps marked by green strokes. (Key: 0 is points now / minimum, X is most likely / finish tendency and 3 is maximum finishing points.)

Before hacking the already messy script for my new ideas I draw them. Such as these boxes that attempt to define the top and bottom. I'm not so sure I'll program this one though.

According to my not-so award winning probability assessment script the chance of a Copenhagen victory is 31%, the probability of a draw 28% and the risk of a loss 41%. Perhaps that is realistic.

Unofficial list of injuries: Manchester City: Shaun Wright-Phillips, Daniel Sturridge, Richard Dunne, Dietmar Hamann, Benjani Mwaruwari, Martin Petrov, Michael Johnson, Valeri Bojinov; FC København: Cesar Santin.

That will be as much copy/pasting I'll bother for this time. In the good old days I'd have dropped the story about Ståle dissing City's buying of many players you see above anyway. And I would have written something nearly artistic. Not so much anymore, folks. I have to admit I'm having fun with other projects.

Friendly: Stabæk home 4-0 win

Your blogger and his buddy defied the February weather and went to see today's friendly vs Norwegian Stabæk, and here is a quick report and a couple of pictures for you.

It was windy, it rained and the pitch was slightly muddy but it was a good day for a game. Stabæk finished 2nd in Norway last season and proved a worthy opponent although clearly not in the shape Copenhagen is in. For most of the game the lower 3rd of the Danish league would have had no business in it. Our defense was quite solid, the offense snappy and everyone hard working. An encouraging experience.


Most of the sun rays of the day are in this picture.

1st half

(Line-ups are approximate as some substitutions were made outside the half time break.)

Ailton - Allbäck

Grønkjær - Kvist - Hutchinson - Silberbauer

Jensen - Zanka - Laursen - Pospěch

Christiansen

Allbäck had scored for 1-0 by the time I arrived which was only a little late. In short we had the ball while Stabæk managed a couple of counters that Jesper Christiansen saved. Ailton Almeida made it 2-0 by hammering a loose ball in the net just before the half-time whistle.

2nd half

Junior - Nordstrand

Grønkjær - Nørregaard – Würtz - Sionko

Wendt - Zanka - Laursen - Pospěch

Christiansen

A more aggressive offense rattled the struggling Norwegians further backwards. Sionko had to leave the game to have his eyebrow stitched back together but for the playing time he got he was on fire. 3-0 by our new striker, José Junior, who played the beginning of 2nd half in an all-Brazilian attack. With 10 minutes to go Zanka made it 4-0 on a corner kick follow up header that made us forget Hangeland.

Man of the match: Mathias 'Zanka' Jørgensen [Wikipedia] - for someone turning 18 in two months this was an outstanding performance. Topped with a goal.

Most reassuring: Ulrik Laursen. Given the captaincy in Michaels Gravgaard's absence and living up to the trust by playing with the confidence and authority of a star player of years of team experience.

Most exciting: The offense in general. Four equally competent yet different strikers, very prolific wingers and Atiba Hutchinson getting back into shape.


Morten Nordstrand battling Christian Keller for the ball.