. . . . . . The Daily Soccer . . . . . .

- What a shocker! Fulham, after a couple of dreadful performances vs. Everton and Liverpool, beat Chelsea for the first time since 1979. What was even more impressive is how Fulham’s midfield outplayed their Chelsea counterparts throughout the game. Mark Pembridge and Michael Brown did a masterful job of controlling the center of the field while Boa Morte and Malbranque gave the Blues fits on the flanks.

Mourinho was so frustrated that he pulled Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips before the 30 minute mark. While some may call this decisive managing, I thought it was a bit rash. When you rotate players as often as JM does with his wingers, you need to have a bit more patience and let players find their rhythm. I’m sure that if SWP knew what he does now, he may not have left Man City this summer as his inactivity at Chelsea has put his spot on the England side in jeopardy.

- At what point does Marco van Basten consider dialing up Sir Alex Ferguson and ask what needs to happen to ensure Ruud van Nistlerooy first team football? Since Louis Saha has entered the line-up, he’s been on a scoring tear which has kept RVN chained to the bench. RVN is very important to the Dutch side, but van Basten has other viable striker options in Dirk Kuijt and Roy Makay so if this continues into April, he might have to go in that direction.

- What the heck has gotten into Craig Bellamy? The talented striker, who always seemed more trouble than he was worth, has suddenly blossomed under Mark Hughes. His recent spectacular form has helped Blackburn continue their push for European football. Hard to believe that Rovers were in a relegation battle only a year ago. This, along with Newcastle’s mini resurgence, just seems like another indictment of Graeham Souness’s managerial ability.

- With the USMNT’s upcoming friendly versus Germany, I really wonder if a good result for the host country will take the heat off of a beleaguered Juergen Klinsmann. Coming off of a 4-1 drubbing from Italy, I’m sure that anything less than a resounding victory over a watered down US squad will be a disappointment for the German fans. I think that the US will be very competitive here which will only make Klinsmann’s life more miserable.