Underwhelming Madrid need special touch

Soccer Betting Lines

09/06/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When Jose Mourinho left Inter Milan this summer for the bright lights of the Bernabeu, he took a calculated risk. After all, Inter had just come off a season where they won both the domestic league and cup along with the most prestigious competition in all of domestic football, the Champions League.

Mourinho could have easily soaked up all the glory of being the only manager to win the Champions League with two different clubs and stay put with a team that should once again be among the elite in world football.

However, that's never been Mourinho's style. The self-professed "Special One" was hungry for a new challenge and the quest to erase the disappointment of a trophy-less season in Madrid last year was just that.

A spending spree in the summer of 2009 brought Real Madrid the likes of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, but what it didn't bring was success.

Former coach Bernd Schuster was unable to tactically bring the cohesion the club needed and that resulted in humbling defeats throughout the season.

After the departure of Schuster, Mourinho's influence was felt almost immediately at Madrid.

Gone were long-time Madrid veterans Raul and Guti and in came young stalwarts Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Angel Di Maria.

Also making his way into the fold was stalwart defender Ricardo Carvalho, who won domestic championships under Mourinho at FC Porto and Chelsea.

While Madrid possess a roster filled with talent and potential, many of the newcomers failed to live up to the lofty expectations.

Karim Benezma found himself a spectator for much of the season after being usurped by Gonzalo Higuain at forward while Kaka never truly found his form, causing transfer rumors to surface about his possible departure.

One of the glaring weaknesses of the club is the lacking of a true instrumental midfielder capable of creating offensive opportunities.

With arch-rivals Barcelona boasting such players as Xavi and Iniesta, they have found success in breaking down even the toughest of defenses.

In acquiring Mesut Ozil from Werder Bremen, Mourinho hopes he's found a player that could bring the club's offensive game together and open up space for the likes of Di Maria and Ronaldo to work their magic on the wings.

A 0-0 draw against Mallorca to open the season was likely not the result Mourinho was hoping for, but it is indicative of where Real Madrid is at the current moment, a work in progress.

Now that Lassana Diarra and Ronaldo are down with injuries for the next few weeks, the new recruits will get the opportunity to prove they are indeed worthy of putting on the famed Madrid shirt.

The task for the "Special One" will be how to turn a star-studded group of individuals into that of a team. That indeed might have been the biggest factor in getting rid of the likes of Raul and Guti, who were seen to have their share of influence in the Madrid locker room.

Rafael Van Der Vaart became Mourinho's latest victim, having been sent packing to Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League on the final day of the summer transfer market.

Madrid is now indeed Mourinho's team. The brash and arrogant manager has never been one for failure and no one should expect any less from him at Madrid, no matter the bumps and bruises early on.

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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