April 2010 Archives

The Academy of Porn: David Gold and David Sullivan

These two should have stuck to making their porn.

At Birmingham, they did nothing but interfere with Steve Bruce's selection choices. Alex McLeish hated their guts. Birmingham is better off without the burlesque.

Now they are going behind Gianfranco Zola's back and making bids on players without his knowledge. Sullivan and Gold have also declared all of West Ham's players are on sale except Steve Parker. Now these really classy moves impress the heck out of coaches.

These jokers don't know that Zola is West Ham's best bet to achieve respectability. Gold maybe the good cop to Sullivan's bad cop but in the end you just end up being a fluffer for these two.

George and the Dragons have come up with this very patriotic paean to England......

Not sure if " Capello's English team" actually rhymes with "Strawberries and cream" though.

Another look at Mourinho's epic celebration.Ferguson hails Mourinho's perfect plan that led to this

A contemplative coach. A hand on the chin is better than a scribbling hand pad.

Rafa will he won't he? If Juve come knocking and make an offer that the Spaniard cannot refuse, there is no reason for Liverpool to despair. They might not have to look too far.

Roy Hodgson has shown that he is more than ready to move to the next level. He took Fulham to the final of a Europa Cup on the day Liverpool lay beaten in that very same endeavour. With a squad half in talent and wages. Sir Alex is spot on by saying Hodgson deserves the coach of the year.

Hodgson has proven more adept at managing his transfer fees with careful choices. Something that Rafa has not proven especially good at. And with Rafa demanding five new players of a debt ridden club, frugality might be the wisest choice.

Albert Riera might have been a bit too honest for saying what a lot of players have been saying about Rafa. However, Hodgson has shown to be a coach for the players. Will the international brigade that came with Rafa have less incentive to stay? Maybe. But players like Fernando Torres and Alberto Aquilani will react positively to a Hodgson, a coach who cultivates the personal aspect equally assiduously.

It has been a virtual shutout for English coaches from the days of Roy Evans at Liverpool, landing a Premiership big four job. Hodgson stands the best chance of breaking that barrier. He deserves a look.

Looks like a few high profile players are being pulled up by their managers.

Carlos Tevez was given a talking to by Roberto Mancini over the issue of training methods. A case of a player being too big for his boots.

Wenger admonishing the outspoken Arshavin to stop dreaming about Barca.

"He looks to be very happy here, so you should ask him where it comes from. We do not, of course, accept that. When you are at Arsenal, you are at Arsenal. When you are somewhere else, you are somewhere else. I believe that your pride makes first that you defend your club."

Here is the rub. Wenger then gives Arshavin an out by saying that he takes all this with a pinch of salt.

"I take with a little bit of distance what comes back translated sometimes with the help of some agents who want to move the players," he said.

Cue Arshavin who agrees with the manager:

"If I talk to the English press, there is no problem, but when I say something in Russia, some special news agency takes it, translates it and sells these quotes."

"During the process of interpretation they translate my words as they see fit."

The only rub. Arshavin was re-iterating an old dream. He was always interested in moving to Barca. In fact, after the Euro 2008, the Spanish club had approached Zenit St Petersburg with an offer.

"My dream is Barça," Arshavin said. "But to say that isn't new. The whole world knows that I have dreamed forever about going to Barça. Messi, Arshavin, Henry? Messi is very, very good and to play with him must be a marvel, and the same goes for Henry. What more can I say? I would love it."

The Barca offer did not work out. But Arshavin or maybe his agent had talked up Arsenal's reputation as kingmakers. A bit of down time with an injury, on the eve of the huge CL semi-final between Inter and Barca, and an old dream comes forth. Good company and a nice bottle has the same effect. Loosens those lips.

Loyalty is over rated in the modern game. And Arshavin at least has had the honesty to admit that he has never 'kissed the badge' of any club. The problem for Arshavin however has been that he has been nowhere near as good for a move to Barca. The Leo Messi vs Andriy Arshavin showdown was all one sided. On a more pragmatic level, if his Barca dream has to materialize, then it would be in his interest to play his very best for Arsenal. But he is no spring chicken. This may very well be his last stop. Reality check.

Wayne Rooney has been voted the 2010 Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers' Association.
He topped the poll of journalists with just over 80% of a record number of votes cast,beating off challenges from Didier Drogba and Carlos Tevez to win.
The others really didn't stand much of a chance looking at the form Rooney has been in.

Good on Roberto Mancini. He essentially tells Tevez to shape up or ship out. If he does not like the coaches training methods he is free to leave.

Tevez had to show up only once for a double dose of training. So he really has no reason to complain.

City have three crucial matches to cement a fourth spot and they face a real test against rivals Aston Villa tomorrow. So this is a real gut check on Mancini's part. He needs to know where his primary goalscorer stands. Tevez has had a quiet couple of games against Man Utd and Arsenal which has not helped their cause.

According to Silvio Berlusconi, AC Milan will have a new coach next season. They are in negotiations to find Leonardo's replacement.

Berlusconi felt that the Brazilian was too stubborn and the team did not respond to him.

Which is a bit mysterious. Who are they in negotiations with? Berlusconi has shown to be particularly clueless when it comes to Milan matters. He was unaware that Thiago Silva had joined the club on a transfer. There are indications that he is willing to disinvest his stake as his children have shown no inclination in taking over the helm.

His statements contradict GM, Adriano Galliani who says he is trying to persuade Leonardo to stay. If he goes it will be because of personal reasons, not performance related ones.

Germany failed to make it two for two in the European finals.

Zoltan Gera, the ex Baggie will be part of the history making Cottagers that ironically returns to Nordbank Arena for the Europa Cup final. Gera's sniper like strike iced a come from behind victory. Can he be the best Hungarian export since Ferenc Puskas?

But Hamburg, the present Arena inhabitants were the ones to go up first from a Mladen Petric free kick which whilst loaded with power and precision could have been dealt with if Mark Schwarzer had shown more alacrity. (video)

It came early which meant Fulham had time to look for an equalizer but the Cottagers lost a struggling Bobby Zamora, aggravating an Achilles heel injury in the second half. Their main weapon gone, Fulham now in desperation pressed on harder. With every passing minute, Hamburg a club undergoing their share of domestic angst looked like it would bequeath caretaker coach Ricardo Moniz, a glorious debut victory.

But Roy Hodgson has made believers out of this Fulham squad and after beating Juventus and Wolfsburg, one can never count them out.

In the 69th minute, Danny Murphy lofts a ball in the direction of Simon Davies, who showed two delectable touches, controlling the ball with his right foot before turning around Guy Demel and as the ball bounces fires it with his left foot past Frank Rost. Craven Cottage erupts (video).

Seven minutes later, it was Gera's heroics that sealed them the win booking them their first ever passage to an European final. Hodgson deserves every kudo for this singular achievement. Congratulations, Cottagers!

Two former Premiership players combined to end Liverpool's Europa Cup hopes.

Ex- Arsenal winger Jose Antonio Reyes showing more quickness than Glen Johnson, headed the ball past the full back and quickly controlling fired a cross to the incoming Diego Forlan. The Man Utd reject sent Liverpool into agony with a superb finish.

The Colchoneros progressed to the Europa Cup finals against Fulham on away goal advantage, ending both legs on a 2-2 aggregate. It was the 101st minute of an absorbing semi-final clash.

The match began with a lively Liverpool showing intent as Kuyt, Benayoun, and Gerrard kept the Atletico defense busy with a number of corners and scoring chances. But Atletico with Simao Sabroso, Sergio Aguero, and Diego Forlan punctuated that dominance with their counterattacking punch.

In the 43rd minute the wily Benayoun loses his marker off a throw in and scampering down the right flank centers the ball which Kuyt at full stretch misses. But Alberto Aquilani, backing up, with a first time shot squeezes the ball past David De Gea. Excellent adjustment, perfect execution. (video)

The match goes to extra time as the teams end 1-1 on aggregate. In the 94th minute, Lucas Leiva spots Benayoun who drifts in from the left and lofts the ball over the Atletico defense. The Israeli midfielder wastes no time as he swings at the arriving ball and puts it past De Gea into the bottom of the right hand corner of goal. (video)Liverpool up 2-1 on aggregate and in the drivers seat as it seems.

But it turned out to be Atletico as they redoubled their efforts to find the equalizing goal. It was Forlan with the final say.

The Colchoneros now meet Fulham, the Premiership's Cinderella team whose come from behind win against Hamburg encapsulates a dream season for the Cottagers.

For Liverpool it was a continuation of a frustrating season. It has been a season of no resolution, in the boardroom and on the field. The club deals with alarming levels of debt, an ownership that remains deeply unpopular, and a manager who has two camps when it comes to his future. In short, a club in suspended animation. Where the club goes from here is as good as anybody's guess. But if this situation continues, Rafa will move to Juventus.

Another accolade in Didier Drogba's cap as he makes the Times 100 most influential persons of 2010.

The African Footballer of the year inspires universal awe as a player but as a person, Drogba is beloved in his native Cote D'Ivoire as the man who furthered the cause of peace in a war torn country. Millions will watch him at this year's World Cup as he carries the hopes of his country and of Africa, as one of its influential and recognizable personalities.

The other sportspersons making the most influential list: Serena Williams, Kim Yu Na, Phil Mickelson, and Sachin Tendulkar. Quite surprised Roger Federer was left out.

Björgólfur Gudmundsson, West Ham's former owner makes the list of Slimy Bastards:

" Former owner and chairman of the Icelandic bank Landsbanki
Iceland's second billionaire ever -- the first was his son, Thor Björgólfsson (in Iceland, your last name is just your dad's first name plus either -sson or -dottir) -- he went from being worth $1.1 billion to $0. And he's being investigated. And he destroyed his country's economy. And Gordon Brown used antiterrorist laws to freeze Landsbanki's U.K. holdings. And he named his bank Landsbanki. The British hate him more than they hate his country's volcanoes."

Look at Mourinho take off. As 52 sprinklers in the Camp Nou are turned on their celebration.

What a wonderful atmosphere as 92,000 fans jammed the Camp Nou as the stadium became a swirl of colour and song. Mein Gott! Brings a lump to the throat. Xavi was given a warm embrace by Samuel Eto'o as the Cameroonian returned to his old home.

As for the game, Guardiola and Joan Laporta might be suffering from buyers remorse with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, an over rated, petulant frat boy. He did little of note but his transfer fee financed about a third of the Inter payers. Pedro looked far more industrious and there is talk that Vincent Del Bosque might be taking him to the World Cup. He has been fulfilled his understudy role admirably and should be hot property on the transfer market.

Thiago Motta's expulsion brought about a sideline reaction directed against Sergio Busquets, an actor, not a player. Busquets is bad news. The uglier, seamier side of Barca and there is no denying there is one.

How did Bojan miss that header? It was all Barca needed because in the 84th minute Pique's superlative goal would have put them through.

And one cannot talk of Inter's historic victory without Julio Cesar. Simply outstanding. He always gets overlooked when we talk about goalkeepers. This evening belonged to him and the Inter defense which put up a Herculean display. For those who decry this as anti-football, we offer this: It is not all about scoring goals. When was the last time defenders got their due? There is beauty in their craft too. As an Arsenal supporter, we could have done with a bit of that defensive intensity.

A spate of injuries might see Ryan Babel up front in the role of a makeshift forward.

Dirk Kuyt and David Ngog have injury concerns. Fernando Torres is already out for the season. Maxi Rodriguez is cup tied and will not be eligible to appear.

The back line is already with Emiliano Insua, Martin Skrtel, and Fabio Aurelio. The Colchoneros are in the front seat, a goal up from the first leg and a draw will suit them fine.

In the future the Reds will get to see Jonjo Shelvey, the 17 year old Charlton Athletic attacking midfielder who is drawing comparisons to Steven Gerrard. Shelvey was signed Tuesday for a fee of £1.7m.

Inter president Massimo Moratti is already comparing Jose Mourinho to Inter legend Helenio Herrera, who ruled supreme in the 1960s and brought iron fisted discipline, motivational techniques, and his version ofcatenaccio to the Italian game.

Herrera also gave us the first personality driven coach. He was the original Mourinho. He insisted on taking credit for team success. During his coaching years the team was referred to as Herrera's Inter and not Facchetti's Inter. A reversal from the player centric fixation of clubs in those days.

Similarities that are well warranted but could also be premature. Mourinho might already be casting his eye towards Real. Which if it happens, should make those Clasicos extra special.

Barca fans have not forgiven Luis Figo when he left Camp Nou for the Bernabeu 10 years ago. Yesterday, he returned with the Inter team at the invitation of president Massimo Moratti. This incident happened before entering the restaurant. Wonder whether they served a pig's head.

Jose Mourinho shows why he is so polarizing. Not for him, the quiet dignified air of triumph but the ugly celebration of jingoism and vanity. Maybe it was aimed at the Italian football establishment who he despises.

Victor Valdes tried to cut short his preening celebrations but he went on undaunted. Kind of sad because Mourinho spent some of his formative years at Barca as an understudy to Sir Bobby Robson when both moved from Porto in 1996.

Motta was stupid but Sergio Busquets is proving to be a piece of work. I have no idea what Pep Guardiola sees in him. As a holding midfielder, he is well below Seydou Keita and Yaya Toure in talent and skill. Maybe a touch of Catalunyan favouritism.

Thirty eight years after Giacinto Facchetti scored the goal to stun Liverpool and march to their second European Cup final on a 4-3 aggregate, it was Jose Mourinho and his men keeping their date with destiny.

In a contemporary twist, the Nerazzurri did that day what Barcelona failed to accomplish today, overcome a 3-1 deficit. There was no away goal advantage, Inter actually had to score three goals to advance. An almost impossible feat was achieved. In the final, they overcame Benfica through the incomparable Jair.

Mourrinho's passage to the Bernabeu was equally thorny. Through the Camp Nou fortress. A task of monumental proportions against a team brimming with firepower and imbued with a fiery ambition of its own, to see them crowned champions in the abode of their arch rivals. It did not start auspiciously for Mourinho as Goran Pandev retired with an injury minutes before kick off. Cristian Chivu was pressed into service.

What unfolded was one of the most extraordinary display of defensive mettle in modern times. It is hard to separate who did what and how many times they did what they had to do but they did what they had to do to get to where they had to go.To the Bernabeu.

Lucio, Walter Samuel, Cristian Chivu, Sneijder, Cambiasso, all threw their bodies behind the ball and turned the area in front of Julio Cesar into a sea of white shirts as Barca desperately tried scaling the ramparts.

To be fair, Motta's ejection in the 26' minute simplified Mourinho's tactics. Till then he had maintained a modicum of counterattack. With Motta gone and Inter down to ten men, it was clear that they had to defend the rest of the game. Inter's full court press began deep in Barca territory as Milito and Sneijder's tireless striving slowed the champions down. Their normally self assured passing game was challenged repeatedly by the scuffling Inter players as Barca increasingly resorted to long distance efforts.

With 75% possession and 45 minutes of ball control it would appear it was a matter of time before Barca would breach Inter. Stunningly enough they only managed four shots at goal. But one of them produced the save of the century. Messi's wickedly curling shot was goalward bound when Julio Cesar lunged full tilt, body horizontal, every sinew stretched and with finger tips changed its course.

A few minutes before, Sergio Busquets adding to his bag of mendacity, went down like a pole axed steer after Thiago Motta in a bone headed display pushed the midfielder on the face. I had predicted that these two would engage in extra-curricular activities and they did not disappoint. Frank De Bleekere punished Motta by producing a red card. A bit harsh. But Motta should have known better.

Pique showed a superb touch in the 84th minute to give Barca hope as the Camp Nou faithful returned to a full throated exhortation of their team to look for that decisive second goal. Pique took control of Xavi's outlet pass after holding the line, faked full back Ivan Cordoba and Julio Cesar by stopping on a dime, swiveled around, and swept the ball into an empty net. It was a goal that Messi would have been proud of. A moment that restored faith in their style and destiny. And it looked like a Chelsea deja vu was on the cards.

Dani Alves had a case for a spot kick when he was held back by Muntari but De Bleekere turned it down. Inter's hearts were in their mouths moments later when Bojan took Yaya Toure's pass and shot the ball past Cesar in what appeared to be that triumphant goal. Luckily, De Bleekere had spotted Toure's handball before the pass and the goal was called back.

Giacinto Facchetti would have applauded this feat. These Nerazzurri are ready to become legends.

Just about a week or so ago Barcelona were in a space of their own.Two words have brought them back to earth.The first word is Jose and the second is Mourinho.Now they need an ad to psyche themselves up. Game on.

Those damn knees, otherwise Ledley King's selection would be a no brainer.

Not just a sentimental choice but his recent performances at the back have been eye catching and timed to perfection. So has Sol Campbell's. At this point none of the front runners inspire confidence. Slow, laboured, and none too assured.

John Terry has been struggling with his form while Rio Ferdinand seems to have aged overnight with his injuries. Matthew Upson has not been West Ham's answer to a porous back line. But Capello is probably going to name them in his 23 man roster. Which means that there is another spot up for grabs.

King will face competition from Phil Jagielka, Joleon Lescott, and team mate Michael Dawson. If I were Capello, Gary Cahill would get serious consideration. He kept Didier Drogba on a tight leash in a recent game against Chelsea.

England has two upcoming friendlies against Mexico and Japan at the end of May. King should get a chance to prove himself along with Campbell.

UEFA slapped a three match ban on Franck Ribery for his foul on Lyon's Lisandro Lopez which means the French winger will miss out on the CL finals.

A very tough loss because Bayern have a task at hand whether they meet Inter or Barca. Hamit Altintop has been good in his appearances but Ribery can bring the spectacular.

The last known photo of Sergio Busquets "vertical"

Xavi, Messi, Pedro, Ibrahimovic will get all the attention but Busquets could be in the thick of things. So could Inter's Thiago Motta. For all the different reasons.

Jose Mourinho, on the eve of the Inter vs Barca once again demonstrates the ruthless qualities that makes him so reviled and yet so admired. The man evokes such a complex range of emotions.

Calling Barca's desire to get to the Bernabeu to contest the CL final an "obsession" is a stroke of Machiavellian genius. Inter on the other hand have a dream. It bathes them in the same high minded aspirations of Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela; a better future for their people after years of struggle under the yoke of discrimination and colonization.

The Bernabeu is a focal point because Mourinho believes nothing will stop Barca from trying to take the title in the abode of their bitterest rivals. Their single minded obsession trivializes the most important trademark of that team; the beautiful game. Can such a nakedly base pursuit live in the same body of a beautiful thing?

Of course, Florentino Perez's astronomical €400 million price tag of his players, reductio ad absurdum, disproves Mourinho's contention. Au contraire, it is the Merengues consumed by an unhealthy obsession with their Catalan counterparts. But who wants to parse that? Naturally, it leads to the issue of gamesmanship.

The uglier aspects of the game will be brought to the fore as Sergio Busquets will dive to gain a penalty, free kick, or better still get someone sent off as Barca have 90 minutes to fulfill that obsession. Mourinho has already given us the casus belli. Barca might win but they will be damaged goods. Perfect.

Brothers in Arms?

Inter's in form striker, Diego Milito might end up meeting his brother, Barca's Gabriel Milito, who could start in place of the suspended Carlos Puyol. Another twist in the Barca vs Inter second leg.

Arjen Robben's entry into his former home of the Santiago Bernabeu on May 22nd will remind Madridistas of what could have been. He became one of the casualties in Florentino Perez's abuse of power when the Real chairman assembled his second version of extravagantly priced global stars.

Robben's return to his old abode is also a moment of vindication because if impact could be measured then he just rubbed the collective noses of all that star power in some serious hog dropping.

His goal against Man Utd in the CL quarter-finals, is just one reason alone why his first season at Bayern is so much more momentous than Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, and Karim Benzema in theirs at Real. And there are many more. His knack for big goals seem effortless when compared to the contrived efforts of Ronaldo. And his protean creativity was Kaka's trademark not so long ago. The Brazilian has been a whisper of himself in his new club.

And it could well be Wesley Sneijder returning to his old stomping grounds, if Inter get to the final. Another Dutchman who in his first season stamped his imprint inextricably on a team held back for a long time without a creative playmaker of calibre. At Real however, Sneijder was overlooked by the autocratic Jorge Valdano.

"They have treated me very badly but I prefer not to talk about it. I'm going to give everything there (Inter). Life and football move on."

Sweet comebacks for a pair of players who were swept away in that mindless, gluttonous deluge.

" OLIC, WIE IST DAS SCHÖN! OLIC, WIE IST DAS SCHÖN! SOLCHE TORE HAT MAN LANGE NICHT GESEHEN. SO SCHÖN, SO SCHÖN! "

Germany celebrates Ivica Olic. Yes, those were beautiful!

Goal-ah-Olic!

Ivica Olic, the Croatian striker scored a perfect hattrick with his right foot, left foot, and a header as Bayern swamped hapless Lyon.

The Bavarian giants have proved time and time again in their CL campaign that they are second to none when it comes to scoring big goals.

Hans Joerg Butt was only tested once in the 60' minute after Sidney Govou cracked one hard at the German goalie who just managed to palm the ball away. A couple of close calls from Michel Bastos and Bafetimbi Gomis, summed up the extent of Lyon's chances.

Lisandro Lopez was invisible once more, starved of the ball. Cesar Delgado, his fellow Argentinian was even more ineffective in making inroads. Perhaps with Jeremy Toulalan and Kim Kallstrom they Lyon midfield could have organized more effectively as the attack transmuted into a series of solo efforts from Bastos and Govou.

In contrast, the Germans recycled the ball constantly as they pushed and probed and switched their points of attack through Robben, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, and Mueller to soften the Lyon defense.

The French team were reduced to ten men in the 58' minute when Cris was ejected after receiving a second yellow for sarcastically applauding Massimo Busacca. He was reacting to his yellow card for a foul committed on Olic, a decision that the Swiss referee clearly got wrong. But truth be told, an insipid and toothelss Lyon team seemed to have given up long before that. Disappointing when you think of their unbeaten home record and a chance of making history.

The Lyon fans were magnificent to the end refusing to leave the Stade Gerland, chanting and cheering on their team, even as the writing was on the wall.

This is Bayern's eighth entry into the finals of European football's most prestigious event. They won it last in 2001 beating Valencia through penalty shootout. In all, the Bavarian giants have won four titles. They now await either Barca or Inter, which should be settled tomorrow.

A hat-trick from Ivica Olic secured a 4-0 aggregate win - the biggest winning margin in a Champions League semi-final since Juventus beat van Gaal's Ajax 6-2 in the 1996-97 competition.Sir Alex's typical germans have gone through to the final in great style.

So is Fernando Torres moving to the Serie?

Rafa Benitez has been linked strongly with a move to Juve and if he goes, indications are that the Liverpool striker presently rehabilitating from knee surgery might accompany him.

Torres recently voiced fears that he might not be able to continue in the Premiership because of its intense physical demands and toll on his health. Concerns that spark rumours like this one and a debate on the merits and demerits of the top European leagues.

In an interview yesterday, Kaka sought to dispel the notion that a recurrence of athletic pubalgia caused his physical suffering and taken a toll on his performances. The former footballer of the year has been a footnote in Real's season with indifferent form and infrequent appearances.

Rather, it is a different injury - a right groin strain, which implicates the adductor muscles.

And contrary to popular belief, he did not sustain it in the Lyon match but the following Saturday when he kicked the ball and felt a groin pain. The injury has kept him out for 40 days. But his goal against Zaragoza signals that he is ready to contribute in a significant way in Real's quest for glory.

He was also at pains to clear the air with Manuel Pellegrini saying he had nothing to do with the embarrassing Twitter that his agent sent out after the Lyon disaster accusing the manager of "cowardice" .

All that song and dance about Sneijder not playing turns out to be just that. He resumed normal training today without any sign of his rectus femoris (RF) strain. However, my earlier post about its rehabilitation stands.

Tomorrow, Inter's artist in residence will take the field against Barca. So don't expect a defensive siege. With Sneijder, Barca will have to protect their goal.

Joe Hart says that there are no chances of him coming back to Man City before the end of the season. While expressing his sympathy for the injured Given, he made it clear that he expected to remain in Birmingham:

''All I can do is wish him a speedy recovery and hope he gets back between the posts as quickly as possible. The loan? As far as I know, that's the way it is. I will be staying here.

''I really enjoy what I'm doing with the boys at Birmingham and in training and just try to repay their efforts with my performances.''

City are in the midst of a goalkeeping crisis with Gunnar Nielsen as their only goalie left in their push for the fourth and final CL spot.

Indications are that Hart might also tire of playing understudy to Given and seek out a starting role elsewhere. Which means that he could end up at Birmingham or go to another club should they make a reasonable offer.

City are now understood to have turned their interest onto Sunderland's Martin Fulop, the backup to Craig Gordon.

Felix Magath stages a coup by prying away the disgruntled Real Madrid central defender starved of first team appearances. He comes on a free transfer. As per Bild.

Magath is looking for insurance as Marcelo Bordon has only one year left on his contract and U-21 prospect Höwedes Benedict is being courted by other clubs and may leave.

The French Federation scheduled no matches for Lyon and the CL semi-finalists spent their weekend relaxing and discussing tactics in the bracing air of Monthieux. It involved some fishing too.

Naturally, it has led to some grumbling from Bayern. But Lyon traveled over 800 km by road to get to Munich for the first leg, so it evens out.

With West Ham's win over Wigan, the Hammers have ensured their survival in the Premiership. It has been a difficult second year for manager Gianfranco Zola, from cracking the top ten in his inaugural year to a must win against Wigan to keep continued representation in top flight.

The Icelandic banking crisis resulted in a ownership vaccuum as Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson gave way to CB Holdings and then onto majority owners David Gold and David Sullivan.

As the histogram shows, West Ham's return to the Premiership since 2005 has been marked with noticeable volatility.

Their best year was the year of their return under Alan Pardew when Danny Gabbidon formed a strong partnership with Anton Ferdinand in central defense and Marlon Harewood had a break out year with his goalscoring. Yossi Benayoun was the creative spark in midfield as the Hammers poured in 52 goals while conceding 55.

The following year, under Alan Curbishley, the Hammers barely dodged relegation with Carlos Tevez's extraordinary output in their last seven games making the difference. The notable feature of that season was how West Ham fared extra-ordinarily well against top teams while getting blown away by lower rated opposition. 35 paltry goals and 59 conceded with 21 losses, the most in the Premiership.

The Hammers have always done well when they have matched their defensive intensity with their goalscoring output. That was the case in Zola's first year. With Carlton Cole, Steve Parker, and Mark Noble they have managed some attacking consistency. The trend continues with the arrival of Alessandro Diamanti and the rise of talents like Jack Collison and Freddy Sears.

However the defense is missing necessary robustness with the departure of stalwarts like Anton Ferdinand, George McCartney, Paul Konchesky, Lucas Neill, and Danny Collins. The present back line have not stepped into the vacuum sufficiently enough. Both Matthew Upson and Jonathan Spector have had disappointing seasons. 62 goals given up is an unflattering statistic.

If Zola has to do better next season, the defense needs to tighten up. David Gold and David Sullivan should make the necessary investments to strengthen the Italian coach's hand. He has the support of the players. For what it is worth, West Ham against Arsenal and Everton this season provided a snapshot into the best and the worst of the club.

The club has been virtually relegated but now faces the threat of administration which would tack on a ten point deduction. To avoid administration, the club has to come up with ways to restructure £35m in debt.

A firesale of players is in the cards to trim the wage bill from £40m to £15m. George Boateng, Geovanni, Stephen Hunt, and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink might be on their way out.

For a club whose climb to the pinnacle of English league football took 104 years, this is a sad tumble. Adam Pearson brought the club back from administration in 2001 and almost a decade later is faced with a similar situation.

Kansas City Wizard striker Kei Kamara makes a total mess plumb in front of goal. To make matters worse he protests his innocence.

But the worst miss of the century?

Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter admitted: "It was one of the most unbelievable things I've seen in soccer."

Rooney bagged the PFA player of the year award and the PFA Young Player of the Year went to James Milner of Aston Villa.

The Big Fabianski practicing Blue Steel on the ball: "Look, Mums- no hands"

Pepe Reina is the latest goalkeeper to be linked with Arsenal.

Reina is one of the few genuine assets Liverpool cannot afford to get rid off. And that to a Premiership rival. Not going to happen.

Rene Adler of Bayer Leverkusen and Hugo Lloris of Lyon are also being mentioned as possible Arsenal targets. At this point, any of them will be an improvement, especially Lloris.

But here is the caveat. I believe Le Professeur from his recent statements is determined to make a success of Lukasz Fabianski.

Wenger is firmly of the belief that Fabianski will be "one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world." Hyperbole you might say. But Wenger goes onto state the causes behind Fabianski's erosion in self confidence:

"Mental consequences, because he is a conscientious guy, very intelligent but, as well, sensitive."

Three things we do not need in a goalkeeper. A conscience, intelligence, and sensitivity. We need hands of steel, brute reflexes, and a look that sends tremors down the legs of opponents. A Darth Vader.

But if we can get past all of that:

"He is a top-class goalkeeper. I repeat that many times and you will see that one day, I am right."

These pronouncements make me believe that Wenger is not in the market for a new goalkeeper.

Instead, Fabianski will become Wenger's special off season project after finishing against Blackburn and Fulham. Videotapes of snarly, mean spirited goalkeepers like Harald Schumacher will be played back while Fabianski works on hand strength, muscle tone, and the Blue Steel. He will be back in the line up next season and hopefully start proving Wenger's Oracle of Delphi like predictions.

Hamburg will play the rest of the season without Bruno Labbadia on the sidelines.

On the eve of the big Europa return leg against Fulham, the club parted company with Labbadia after being routed by Hoffenheim in a 5-1 loss. Ricardo Moniz, the technical trainer at Hamburg takes over as caretaker coach. The Dutchman saw three years at Spurs before joining Hamburg in June 2008.

It has been a torrid year for Bundesliga coaches. Labbadia is the ninth coach to lose his job. Preceding him:

Markus Babbel (VfB Stuttgart), Michael Oenning (FC Nurnberg), Armin Veh (Wolfsburg), Lucien Favre (Hertha Berlin), Marcel Koller (VfL Bochum), Dieter Hecking (Hannover 96), Andreas Bergmann (Hannover 96), Jörn Andersen (Mainz 05).

The Borussia M'gladbach match which resulted in Bayern dropping points in a painful draw also saw Martin Demichelis limp off at half time with a calf strain. Daniel Van Buyten followed suit with a similar injury in the 63rd minute. Both central defenders are uncertain to start the match against Lyon in the return leg tomorrow.

With Demichelis and Van Buyten not in the line up, Lyon's predator in chief Lisandro Lopez, hitherto shackled in the first leg should be free to take the direct route.

To make matters worse, Anatoli Tymoschuk will not be on the flight because of stomach flu.

Franck Ribery and Danijel Pranjic are already out with suspensions. However, Mark Van Bommel will be back.

With Schalke beating Hertha, 1-0, the Bavarian giants are being pushed hard. They have the Bundesliga, the German Cup, and the CL title to play for as their squad is beset with injuries, suspensions, and a sex scandal distracting their chief playmaker. Quite a juggling act for Louis Van Gaal in the waning moments of the season.

Wesley Sneijder, Inter's creative engine was hurt in the Atalanta match and was unable to complete the match. Tests later showed a rectus femoris (RF) strain of the left leg. He is currently undergoing therapy to stretch the muscle out.

The rectus femoris is part of the quadriceps group of muscles in the front of the thigh that helps extend the knee. However, in contrast to the other quadriceps, the RF is a two joint muscle, which also helps in flexing the hip. It also stabilizes the pelvis on weight bearing.

Common causes of injury include when a strong decelerating force is applied at the same time the RF is in maximal contraction, for e.g., such as when two players kick the ball at the same time. Injuries also occur in the acceleration phase of such activities like the sprinting, explosive jumping like the long jump, or kicking. Because it is a two joint muscle and the most superficial of the quadriceps, it is also the most prone to injuries.

Depending on the severity, the injuries are graded in three categories. Grade 1 are mild strains with local tenderness and muscle spasm. Pain is present on hip flexion and knee extension. Grade 2 have more significant symptoms. Grade 3 are classified as tears with a "bunching" of the muscle on contraction and an obvious palpable defect in its anatomy.

Sneijder is probably undergoing a lot of ice therapy accompanied by gradual passive stretching of the RF. As opposed to hamstring rehabilitation which works better with a more aggressive regime, athletes with RF injuries typically go through a more gradual recovery process.

Running is encouraged only when RF function comes back to normal after pain and swelling subside. Initially, the athlete runs short distances at sub-maximal speeds. Enough time is taken off after such activities to rest the muscle. Once he is sprinting at top speeds, only then are the individual elements of skill training like kicking introduced.

Sneijder might be out for a while if this indeed is as serious as it looks and if his rehabilitation proceeds through the normal course of progression. The Dutch will also be worried about a premature return as a re-aggravation of the injury could throw his World Cup participation in jeopardy.

Sneijder's absence might be just what Barca need because without his clever link up with strikers like Milito and Eto'o, this is the Inter of old. Then again, this is Mourinho who has shown time and time again, he is never short of answers. Goran Pandev as the makeshift playmaker. Ten men behind the ball and a counterattack or two. Remember Chelsea kept Barca at bay in their first leg at the Camp Nou last year. This is not mission impossible.

Both teams have had deeply disappointing seasons. Burnley have had two wins and 13 defeats in 16 Premier League matches - the latest being a 4 - 0 loss to Liverpool.They have therefore been cast back into the outer darkness.Liverpool meanwhile kept the slim hope of CL qualification alive...

Kyle Lafferty's 17th minute strike against Hibs was enough to secure Rangers their 53rd domestic success and back to back titles. This comes in the backdrop of uncertain times at the club with ownership and Walter Smith's continued tenure as manager in the balance.

But first, the club savours this moment. And Lafferty, a polarizing figure because of the Charlie Mulgrew send off last season, sipped a cold one. Kind of a lame celebration when you think of some of the more extravagant ones.

Stoke City goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen suffered a dislocated elbow in the collision with Chelsea goalscorer Salomon Kalou.

The good news is that the injury did not need surgical intervention which gives him a good chance that he will make it in time to help the Danish in their World Cup campaign.

Manager Tony Pulis:

"If he had needed an operation, he'd have struggled to make the World Cup, but there is some encouraging news in that it was put back without the need for that," said Pulis.

A wonderful end to end match at the Stadio Olimpico as Sampdoria battled leaders Roma.

The Giallorossi through the triumvirate of Francesco Totti, Jeremy Menez, and Mirko Vucinic kept the Samp defense and Marco Storare busy. And in the 14' minute Vucinic in an incisive 1-2 with Totti opened up the Samp defense with the Montenegrin darting down the left to the edge of the Samp box, as Totti arrived and fed him a precise pass that the Roma captain turned very nicely past Storare into the far left corner.

Roma enjoyed an edge in possession and goalscoring chances with a sharp footed Totti and a rampant Vucinic and Menez. But Samp after the second half resumption turned up the heat and soon struck when Antonio Cassano drifting wide curled in a beautiful cross which Giampaolo Pazzini soaring high nodded past Julio Sergio for the equalizer. Roma sensing a Samp upset poured on the pressure as Menez, Totti, and Pizzarro came close.

Claudio Rainieri brought Luca Toni, as his final ace to the attack and the ex- Bayern Munich striker almost equalized with his header but Storare who was a beast in goal all night kept it out.

Calamity fell on the Giallorossi late in the second half when John Arne Riise was exposed on the wrong side of Pazzini as Daniele Mannini's cross was picked up by the Samp striker and swept past Sergio for the winning goal. The Stadio Olimpico sucked in a giant collective breath of disbelief.

With this defeat Roma fall behind Inter and now their chances depend on derby rivals Lazio who host Jose Mourinho's men next week while they travel to Palermo to meet the Rosanera, who also recorded a memorable win over Milan this weekend. Both Palermo and Sampdoria are turning out to be spoilers while they themselves are in a dogfight for fourth place. Meanwhile Juve has snuck up from behind with their win over Bari. The battle for the Serie title and the last CL spot are going to the wire.

Does anyone find irony in Wenger touting a 35 year old recycled ex- Arsenal defender as the find of the season?

A manager who has bet the house on his 20 year somethings to win the Premiership. What next, the return of the Invincibles?

Chelsea roared back to the top of the table with a 7-0 annihilation of Stoke. Before the match, Tony Pulis was cribbing about how the bigger clubs load the dice with favourable refereeing decisions. But Steve Bennett had no part to play in Stoke's mauling.

It was a sea of Blues swamping the Stoke goal. Salomon Kalou recorded a hat trick, Frank Lampard contributed two, and Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda came up with one apiece.

Didier Drogba was absent from the firing squad but he did just about everything else including provide three assists. Stoke's Tomas Sorensen had to retire hurt with an elbow injury in the 33rd minute after saving Lampard's shot. Asimir Begovic replaced him in goal and his first touch was to fish the ball out of the net following Lampard's spot kick.

Chelsea played without John Terry serving out a suspension but they got back Ashley Cole. They travel to Anfield for a big showdown and a win there will put pressure on Man Utd who travel to Sunderland. It is a race between these two clubs as Arsenal were eliminated from the title race following their draw against Man City.

Jose Mourinho never presided over such comprehensive destruction. Chelsea were known more as defensive dreadnoughts. But they are now close to clocking a century of goals. This was their third match recording seven goals.

Why Roman Abramovich Will Keep Regretting Jose Mourinho's DepartureTM

Just when you thought that we would never seen another article on Roman Abramovich's blunder letting go of Jose Mourinho, Paul Wilson writes yet another.

Conclusive proof that this seminal event has spawned a cottage industry of journos and kept them gainfully employed.

Seriously, it is time to move on. Carlo Ancelotti has been quite effective managing a squad with players a bit long in the tooth. They are pulverizing Stoke right now.

What an unforgivable mistake by Leighton Baines against Fulham.

Showing absolutely no awareness, Baines back passes to Tim Howard, and Erik Nevland, lurking in the background pounces on the ball and chips it over the Everton goalie. The left wingback continues to show questionable defensive qualities while showcasing more impressive attacking credentials.

Fabio Capello is still holding out on Wayne Bridge reconsidering his international retirement. His experience in that position looks even more attractive with these sort of immature mistakes.

Six months after qualifying for South Africa, the England squad looks just as unsettled with question marks in almost every position. Capello is left with huge decisions before releasing his 30 man roster to FIFA two weeks from now.

Not quite the headbutt that rocked the world. But the Hull City vs Sunderland highlights included this exchange between Jozy Altidore and Alan Hutton.

Hutton got off the worst but Altidore will miss the rest of the season and a possible rethink on his mental composure. Then he uses the dreaded Twitter, which has gotten him into trouble before.

"I'm so sorry about yesterday," Altidore said on Twitter Sunday morning. "Made a stupid, immature and costly mistake. I apologize to Hull City and the fans who I let down. I let my emotions get the best of me and lost my composure. Believe it or not this year playing for Hull was to date the best trip I've ever been on."

His appearance may not make a difference to Hull's fortunes as they are set for relegation but a season ending on a personal high note would have been infinitely better. And he does not have Iain Dowie's support.

"Jozy reacted stupidly. I'm not going to defend my player," said Hull's caretaker manager Iain Dowie. "He'll be disciplined because of it. It's not acceptable. In a big, big game, he's let his teammates down.''

According to Steve Bruce: "Hutton's got a cut eye, a smashed nose and a chipped tooth so he's close to having really serious facial injuries. That for me doesn't warrant the same punishment but the letter of the law is if you throw the ball I do believe it's a red card."

Not defending Altidore's actions but Hutton had it coming. He'll think next time before chucking the ball at an opponent. By the way, he really went down easy! If you want to dish it out, be prepared to take it too.

"I can pick up the internet chatter better since getting these cool antennae. Darn those Gunners still hate me!"

Milan falls to Palermo and is now in danger of ceding the third and final automatic CL spot to either Sampdoria or Palermo. The younger and hungrier Rosanero over ran the Rossoneri. Palermo's rivals for the fourth spot bested Milan last weekend. This Milan team is a pale shadow of a team that once boasted Maldini, Tassotti, Baresi, and Costacurta to stop the opposition from scoring.

They have won just three in their last 10 games, with four draws, and three losses. And the coaching job looks unsettled with Leonardo threatening to move back to Brazil for personal reasons.

Palermo might be the surprise fourth placed team and in line for a CL appearance. Their future lies bright and if they can hold onto players like Javier Pastore, slowly making a believer out of Diego Maradona and Uruguay's Edinson Cavani, then Delia Rossi may have a template for continued upper echelon representation.

With Fabrizio Miccoli, the trio forms the fulcrum of Palermo's attack. Miccoli at 30 years old, is having a season of a lifetime, third on the Serie top scorer list with 16 goals. None sweeter than the one against Milan. Will he make Marcelo Lippi's 30 man roster? I hope he does. Because no other Italian striker looks so inspirational.

Palermo also boast hardman Antonio Nocerino, who has been compared to Gennaro Gattuso and Daniele De Rossi, a future Azzurri goalie in Salvatore Sirigu, and Abel Hernandez, the 20 year old Uruguayan striker who has scored 6 goals in his last 14 appearances since arriving from Penarol.

Gunnar Nielsen, directing the City defense after Given's injury

The first Faroe Island representation of the Premiership since its inception.

Gunnar Nielsen at 23 years of age and the third string goalkeeper for both City and the Faroe Island national team came on for Shay Given in the 76th minute after the ROI goalkeeper was stretchered off with what is now diagnosed as a dislocation of the left shoulder. Given showed lightning reflexes in saving Abou Diaby's piledriver but landed awkwardly on his shoulder and was immediately in deep trouble.

With Stuart Taylor still a week away from training and Joe Hart on loan at Birmingham, City's remaining season now lies in the hands of a goalkeeper picked up by Mark Hughes on a free transfer in February 2009. Their association dates back to July 2007 when Nielsen, a Faroe Island U-21 was brought to Blackburn from Danish club BK Frem. for a nominal fee. After completing loan spells at Motherwell and Wrexham, Nielsen was brought back to Eastlands at the start of the season.

Nielsen has seen two international caps. He made his debut in the friendly against Iceland on 22 March 2009, which the Faroe Islands won, 2-1 for their first win against Iceland.

A squad with a £400 million price tag relying on a goalkeeper on a free transfer to challenge for a fourth place finish! Delicious irony. Just a day ago, Mancini was reportedly preparing a £50 million offer for the services of Fernando Torres.

With an injury prone Stuart Taylor as the back up and the huge setback to Given, those ambitions should get pegged back. Birmingham and a number of other clubs, including Arsenal might be preparing a bid for Joe Hart. City has a future goalkeeping crisis on their hands. And Mancini's predilection for three holding midfielders showed up against Man Utd and Arsenal, leaving very little creative leverage in the game. It would be smart to shift priorities.

Real Madrid are still locked in a grim struggle with Barcelona .Both teams registered respective victories yesterday.Real Madrid beat Real Zaragoza 2 -1 when Kaka came of the bench to score a late winner.Ronaldo was not among the goals this time.

Barcelona overcame the bottom of the table Xerex 3 -1.Messi did not score any goal in the game mainly because he wasn't playing.Ibrahimovic was the hero of the day as his goal put the victory beyond all doubt.The score was 2 -1 at that stage and Xerex had taken a couple of shots at the Barcelona goal that had been a bit too close for comfort.

MU - TOT 3-1
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Fabio Capello has a real quandary. Who does he take to South Africa as center back?

Ledley King was magnificent, the best Spur on display. A rock at the back, a threat on set pieces. With his recent run on form, King is pushing hard for selection with an out of sorts John Terry and an injured Rio Ferdinand.

The veteran defender kept Spurs in the game. An inert Michael Carrick and a tumbling Rafael provided no resistance to King's header off a Gareth Bale corner.

King was not responsible for the goals that Utd poured on at Old Trafford in the second half. It was Benoit Assou- Ekotto and Wilson Palacios bringing down Patrice Evra and Nani that led to two spot kicks which Ryan Giggs, duly converted. The BBC informs us that goal was the first penalty Giggs ever scored in the Premiership?? Can't quite wrap my head around that stat.

And Nani, the infuriating Nani, who torments and delights Sir Alex at the same time, deciding to have the game of his life as he caught fire in the second half. The second goal was Nani all through, the muscular approach and then the breath taking finishing touch as he scooped it over Gomes. Pure unthinking arrogance.

The first half dissipated into a langourous display with the heat and the slippery condition of the pitch providing the highlights. Players had trouble staying on their feet. Not pretty.

There was no Wayne Rooney and with Berbatov lacking serious pace, for a while it seemed Giggs was trying to catch out the Spurs defense. Spurs themselves riding on the backs of those historic wins against Arsenal and Chelsea, were anonymous with Defoe and Pavlyuchenko doing little of note.

Time for the second half and between the bookended episodes of Evra and Nani's projectile vomiting, United engineered a season changing turnaround. They are now on the doorstep of unprecedented destiny.

A new viral campaign to promote the sports coverage from ESPN being made available via Top Up TV

Emmanuel Adebayor has already been given an advisory from team mate Kolo Toure and now coach, Roberto Mancini weighs in. The message is clear:

Cut down on the jiggery pokery and over the top goal celebrations. At the Eastlands, it led to a five match ban.

The Emirates match should feel like an alumni occasion with Adebayor, Kolo Toure, and Patrick Vieira on the pitch. But the match could be a potential tinderbox as both clubs have huge stakes in a win.

For many Arsenal fans, the return of their former players comes at a time when the club ended their Premiership chances with a mind numbing loss to Wigan last weekend and endured humiliating defeats against Spurs and Barcelona. They face City, now a rival who just ceded ground to Spurs on the all important fourth spot. Nerves could be a bit raw and celebrations might need to be tightly edited.

He may not be top dog if "El Nino" comes to town

Sometimes rumours are timed suspiciously well. And there is nothing that fires up players like the threat of future competition for their spot.

On the eve of the big Arsenal showdown, the news is that Roberto Mancini, City's manager is interested in launching a bid for Fernando Torres this summer. He believes that signing the Spanish striker will help City overcome the hurdle to the top.

One thing is for certain. All future high priced rumours lead to City. With endless money at their disposal, any of these have a whiff of credibility. And there is a good chance that Mancini maybe able to pull it off as the Spaniard has shown impatience with his present club.

Can a team build success through a fleet of strikers? City has not seen a striker it did not like.

In its ranks, they have Adebayor, Tevez, Craig Bellamy, and Roque Santa Cruz. The Paraguayan seems to have gracefully accepted his minor role as Tevez and Adebayor have combined for 35 goals. Add Bellamy and Santa Cruz and you have 44 goals. The most potent combination of strikers in the Premiership. Shooting your way out clearly has its upside.

The midfield however is a bit of a mystery. In a rotating crew of midfielders, three who have holding positions and three wingers leaves Steven Ireland strangely as the only creator. And he has shown that he takes those responsibilities very lightly. When he is on, he helps organize the attack immensely. But he is not world class. This is the area that Mancini should focus on. And there is a real time example to see what a genuine playmaker can accomplish. His old club hired Wesley Sneijder and they are now on the brink of the ultimate prize after years of European doldrums.

Someone like Torres takes away from City's midfield limitations.

Much of City's goalscoring has come through sheer hustle and in Tevez and Bellamy they have two of the best in the business. However, their game was exposed against Utd at Eastlands.

Against Man Utd, with Adebayor up top, Tevez had to drop back to retrieve the ball because of very little link up play. City was forced to try and catch out Utd with long balls as the short passing game suffered. There were clearly moments when all three strikers were not on the same page. Adebayor was a bit more deferential, whereas Bellamy was more indiscriminate, much to Tevez's peeve.

There are other dangers.

When asked who he thought should be on his team, Tevez named Rooney, Messi, and himself to his 4-3-3 dream team. Cristiano Ronaldo was named as an alternative.

"OK ... let me think ... Wayne Rooney is the best in the world. It was a privilege to play with him, I will always feel that way towards him. When we played together with Cristiano, the three of us, this was a great moment in my career."

And he likes Craig Bellamy, who has had his problems with Roberto Mancini:

" Bellamy feels football. It gives me confidence when I see his name is on the City teamsheet. He's a big player for this club. I like his attitude very much."

Feeling the game is a recurrent Tevez theme. I maybe reading too much into it but Tevez may not feel too warmly towards a Torres. On a tactical level, adding a quality striker like Torres gives you the 4-3-3 option, which relegates Santa Cruz and Bellamy to footnotes. But on a more emotive level, it is Tevez and Adebayor who will feel threatened. Like Robinho, who ultimately decided to be the big fish in a small pond. Maybe Wenger does not have to go all the way to Real to wait for their rejects. A shorter distance might net better results.

David Moyes, Jose Mourinho, and all those in the wings will have to wait longer, if they every hope to take over coaching Man Utd.

The red nosed Scotsman is going nowhere. Here are Soccerblog's reasons why he will stay on another three to four seasons.

No previous World Cup hosts have ever failed to progress beyond the first group stage.
Even seriously unfancied teams such as Switzerland in 1954, Chile, Mexico twice and Japan all kept the hope of the home crowds alive by performances that were gritty and beyond the call of duty.Alberto Parreira admits his team have "a mountain to climb" to match up to this bit of World Cup history.

The post-match statistics from Uefa showed that David de Gea, the Atlético goalkeeper, did not have a single shot to save. Diego Forlán's scrambled shot on goal was the matchwinner.The 23½-hour journey to Madrid by rail, road and air is one of the factors for a listless display.There was a bit of refereeing mayhem involved too - wrong offside calls and penalty appeals that were denied.

Pier Luigi Collina; Say it isn't so!

In 2006, Juventus were demoted to Serie B after match fixing scandals rocked the Italian league. The beneficiaries were Inter, who were awarded the Scudetto.

The Calciopoli scandal's ramifications are still being investigated.

Now, in a new twist, it appears Luciano "Lucky" Moggi, former GM of Juve and the main player in Calciopoli is providing phone tap evidence that purportedly show Inter as part of the scandal, gaming the matches by selecting specific referees who would award favourable decisions.

The FIGC has opened up an investigation into the new charges.

One of the referees mentioned is Pier Luigi Collina. If that is so, this is a big blow because the Italian referee is considered a legend when it comes to fair officiating.

It also implicates the late Giacinto Facchetti, Inter's president till the time of his death, as the person who originated the call requesting Collina's selection. That too will be a blow as Facchetti played as clean a game as any in the history of the sport. He was reputed to have been sent off only once in his long and illustrious playing career that spanned 20 years and over 600 games.

The man's career maybe over with his Achilles heel tear but as a money making phenomenon he is as yet unparalleled. Not bad for a player whose money to playing minutes ratio might leave Goldman Sachs in the shade.

No. 1: David Beckham

Earnings: $40 million / 29 million euros / 24 million pounds
Age: 35
Country: U.K.
Club: AC Milan; Los Angeles Galaxy
Major Sponsors: Adidas, Giorgio Armani, Motorola, Coty, Cabo Sao Roque Resort, Go3, Sharpie

In the wings, the next generation - Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka.

Ronaldinho continues to earn the big bucks as he gains pounds and loses speed. And "Handball" Thierry Henry has not lost much with the foul that shook the world since Maradona's in 1986. He is fifth on the rich list. His team mate, little maestro Leo Messi is sixth.

No Arsenal player makes the list but there are plenty of other Premiership players- Frank Lampard, John Terry, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, and Carlos Tevez.

Some notable omissions- Didier Drogba, the African footballer of the year and Fernando "El Nino" Torres. Surely they do not toil in vain?

From Forbes.com

" With a value of $258 million, Man City, despite a succession of foreign owners, is in free fall. Two-thirds of their stadium revenue goes to the city council, which financed the stadium for the 2002 Commonwealth Games."

City posted operating income losses of $56 million, the most in the top 20 clubs.

They club valuation declined 17% from last year.

It remains to be seen how much money, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the owner is willing to lose before he starts clamping down on his blank checks for player transfers and wages. Even an oil rich sheikh cannot ignore such adverse numbers specially if he is controls the Abu Dhabi investment fund.

For the sixth year in a row, Man Utd kept its title as the world's most valuable football club.

The Red Devils despite Tea Party groups like the Gold and the Green, alarmed at the club's burgeoning debt, still reign supreme.

(In millions of dollars)

1. Manchester United 1,835

2. Real Madrid 1,323

3. Arsenal 1,181

4. Barcelona 1,000

5. Bayern Munich 990

6. Liverpool 822

7. AC Milan 800

8. Juventus 656

9. Chelsea 646

10. Inter Milan 413

11. Schalke 384

12. Tottenham Hotspur 372

13. Olympique Lyonnais 333

14. Hamburg SV 329

15. AS Roma 308

16. Werder Bremen 274

17. Olympique Marseille 262

18. Borussia Dortmund 261

19. Manchester City 258

20. Newcastle United 198

However, other than Barcelona, Juventus and Olympique Marseille, all other clubs showed a decline in value, a reflection of the tough recessionary environment. Overall, the top 20 clubs declined in value to an average of $632 million from $691 million.

Not to be confused with the Jabulani which will be used for all matches of the World Cup except the final.The final will be played with the Jo'bulani because it is the final.The gold on the design has been inspired by the fact that the venue for the final,the city of Jo'burg, is called the city of gold.

It can't get clearer than this. Ribery's horrendously premeditated foul as he plants his studs right on top of Lisandro Lopez ankle. Kudos to Roberto Rossetti as he shows courage in taking out the red card. Anything less than that would have been justice denied.

Not quite sure what Bayern is still complaining about.

Some good news for dispirited Gunners.

Andriy Arshavin's rehabilitation is going according to plan and he is now hopeful of making an appearance against City at the Emirates. The stakes are huge. A win and we lock up third place. A loss or a draw and we could be fighting for fourth. So here is hoping the Russian is all fired up and gives us a performance that will be talked about in the Emirates for a long, long time.

Ronaldo dodges the question of Jose Mourinho taking over as Real coach by saying he likes, "people with a winning mentality."

Not really a shining endorsement of Manuel Pellegrini.

"We must have respect for Pellegrini and continue to follow him at Real Madrid, one, two or three years."

Kind of half hearted, don't you think?

Meanwhile, he is very confident that Real can pull of winning the Liga with five games to go.

Le Monde reports the Lolita in question goes by the name Zahia D.,she is blonde, and now aged 18 years. More about her.

A note: It will be extremely difficult to establish whether Franck Ribery knew she was underage. On this technicality alone, the charges won't stick. In all probability, no jail time and just a reprimand. A little more sleaze on his resume but no real damage to his career. Ribery's personal equation with his wife is a different matter.

By the way Zahia D. has consorted with Karim Benzema and Sidney Govou too. Well, I guess this is what happened to Les Bleus when they learned Domenech was to continue as coach.

Arjen Robben's 69th minute blast took a slight deflection of Mueller's head going past and outstretched Hugo Lloris for the game's only goal. Can this man stop scoring game changing goals? No. He cannot help himself.

However Ribery, the other half of the Robbery duo was not there at hand because a stupidly dangerous tackle with his studs on Lisandro Lopez's ankle earned him the red card from Roberto Rosetti. The Italian referee was booed at half time for his decision. But the replays show it was the correct one. Till then the Bayern attack looked slick and sure with some good looks at goal but lost steam after the winger was sent off.

But Bayern once again picked up after the break when Jeremy Toulalan was also sent off after an arguably 50-50 challenge on Schweinsteiger earned him a second booking.

Lyon reduced to 10 men struggled to ward of Schweinsteiger, Mueller, and Lahm allowed to roam the flanks stretching out the Lyon defense with Robben free to foray in that central vacuum.

It was a subdued Lyon display and the normally fiery Lisandro Lopez had an off night. Hans Joerg Butt had little to do except on a few instances.

Robben might be the man of the match but it was Philip Lahm who was the best player on display with his jinking runs, accurate passes, and impeccable tracking. One of the highlights was a marvelous Lahm sortie down the right, the wingback cutting the Lyon defense to ribbons before centering to Tomas Mueller who in a perfect imitation of Nicklas Bendtner, muffed his shot as the ball got caught between his feet.

Bayern will be without Danijel Pranjic who received a second consecutive booking. Ribery will also not be making the trip. Lyon will be minus Toulalan. Can Lyon come from behind to beat Bayern? They will have to show more attacking adventure and stop Bayern's possession game.

Amongst the delirious celebrations following Inter's victory over Barcelona, it is Mario Balotelli's behaviour attracting the most attention.

The fans did not appreciate his efforts on the pitch which bordered on the lackadaisical and they positively hissed when he hoisted a cross to nowhere. It prompted Mourinho to gesticulate wildly with his hands. For Balotelli, an AC Milan fan, it was the last straw and he ended up throwing his jersey in disgust.

As the game ended and he headed down to the tunnel, a few fans at the San Siro tried to attack him. Harsh words were exchanged between Marco Materazzi and Mario Balotelli, the confrontation witnessed by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The temperamental striker's behaviour has come for universal condemnation.

Javier Zanetti, the captain tried defusing the tension by appealing to Balotelli:

"Mario has to think what he does on the field and he cannot afford this type of behavior. He must be intelligent and understand that the fans in a game such as this may be nervous."

Inter's CEO, Ernesto Paolillo: "Balotelli's gesture? Very bad." He promised action.

Jose Mourinho: "Today I wanted to showcase his talent, the world's eyes were on him, and he did this ugly thing."

Dejan Stankovic: "You see what's inside the Balotelli's head, he is like a child."

Even a legend like Roberto Baggio weighed in: "Balotelli is a great talent, but he must change his attitude. Acting in this way will not attract the sympathy of the fans."

Here...

and here..

Roberto Mancini was clear why City lost to Man Utd in the last minute.

"In the final minutes of a game like that you must try to keep the ball and play slowly because the game is finished," he said. "I'm angry and disappointed about this."

He was referring to Craig Bellamy losing possession of the ball while trying an ambitious 60 yard cross field pass. An inevitable draw was turned on its head by that one fatal mistake.

Contrast and compare, Wenger's refusal to single out the many goalkeeping blunders by Lukacz Fabianski as instrumental in Arsenal's losses.

Google up "Wenger Fabianski not to blame" and see how many hits you get.

On one level, it can be construed as nurturing a player with a fragile temperament in the spring of his career. On the other hand, it can be interpreted as a "head in the sand" approach to the game. Either way, Fabianski is blessed he has Wenger as his coach. It also shows when it comes to ruthlessness, Wenger stands at the back of the line. Good for the players, bad for the club.

The road to Atletico Madrid involved a 23 hour journey that took them to London's Euston St by train and then onto St Pancras to board the Eurostar to Paris.

After an overnight stay in the French capital, the Reds boarded a train to Bordeaux. Then onto the airport for the final descent into Madrid's Barajas airport. Train, plane, and automobiles. 60 years ago, a Liverpool squad embarked on a 5000 mile trip to the USA and were hailed as 'great ambassadors for English football'.

The airports are now open and by tomorrow Liverpool fans should get to Madrid to see their team take on the Colchoneros.

Follow Times Online's Tony Barrett as he travels with the Liverpool squad to Madrid.

A much higher than anticipated amount of £119 million is owed by Pompey to a fleet of owners, players and agents.

Andrew Andronikou, Pompey's administrator is floating a document that will settle on a lower amount of debt from the unsecured creditors like the owners and agents. Amongst them Sacha Gaydamak, the previous owner owed to the tune of £30.5 million and Pini Zahavi, the super agent who has £2m in pending fees. In all 15 agents are owed something like £9m in fees alone, an indication of the club's living way beyond its means.

The HMRC is owed about £15m in taxes while Balram Chainrai, the Hong Kong businessman bankrolling the players is not part of the agreement and his debt will be paid in full.

If 75% of these creditors come to an agreement with the administrator, then the club takes a crucial first step towards coming out of bankruptcy. If that happens as planned by early June, then Pompey can apply for a license to play in the Europa.

After their FA Cup heroics, it would be a shame if the players were denied a chance to prove themselves in Europe.

When Franck Ribery was caught having sex with a prostitute he confessed Thierry Henry had a hand in it.

Bayern Munich has kept quiet while the swirling sex scandal involving French national players and underage sex workers has Ribery caught right in its center.

According to investigators the midfielder has admitted to having sex with a prostitute at the Cafe Zaman, a Paris night club but denied knowing she was underage. Ribery is married with two children.

The club has focused instead on the midfielder's injury updates. Assistant coach Andreief Jonker was confident that he will be ready to face Lyon.

"He will be part of the team. His situation is good," he confirmed. "He took part in all training. What he had to do, he did very well.There is no doubt he is fit to play."

Under French law any customer charged with having sex with an underage prostitute could face up to three years of imprisonment and a €45,000 fine.

Other players who have been questioned are Lyon winger Sidney Govou, Marseille striker Hatem Ben Arfa, and Real's Karim Benzema.

Barca's has cause for grave concern: With half an hour to go and a brace of goals down, the Blaugrana imposed a stifling siege of the Inter goal but could make no headway against the stubborn defense put up by Mourinho's men. Truly, the Special One has instilled steel missing in previous Inter squads.

Even while losing Maicon, the veteran line of Lucio, Samuel, and Zanetti battled on with Lucio making a crucial save to deny Pique. And when breached, Julio Cesar came up with some timely saves. Chelsea was similarly frustrated at Stamford Bridge and that might be what Barca will face at the Camp Nou.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's return to the Giuseppe Meazza was a rank failure. He was all flailing limbs and petulance. At the other end Samuel Eto'o playing against his former team formed the counterattacking thrust with Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder which allowed Inter to come back. But the game belonged to Diego Milito who along with Sneijder has proved to be Mourinho's most canny signings.

Milito might have been frustrated by his early misses and at Barca's high line which trapped him a number of times but he was at hand to complete some good work by Eto'o down the right.

With minutes to go before the half, Eto'o sent the ball across the edge of Barca's box which was intercepted by Milito with his back turned towards goal. With quick thinking and selflessness he swept it wide to an oncoming Wesley Sneijder who curled the ball past Victor Valdes.

Milito then set up the second goal as he raced down the right and then pulled the ball to Maicon whose composed finishing gave Inter the lead minutes after the resumption of the second half. With that goal Maicon continued Inter's theme of redemption as earlier he failed to mark Maxwell as the Brazilian was allowed to run wide and drag his cross to Pedro for Barca's only goal.

It was Milito who finished off Barca as Eto'o running down the right floated the ball across which led to Sneijder's botched attempt at a header. Luckily the ball bounced straight to the Argentinian striker who looked distinctly offside to nod home. There was no reaction from the linesman and the Inter celebrations began.

Leo Messi was allowed some trademarks lateral cut and a few dangerous looks but by his stratospheric standards he was subdued. Some tight marking by Zanetti, Samuel, and Cambiasso kept him boxed. I also thought that Goran Pandev playing alongside Eto'o and Milito was one of the most peripatetic players tracking back ceaselessly to help the defense.

Barca might feel hard done by Milito's offside goal and a possible penalty call when Dani Alves went down after Sneijder's challenge late in the game. To add insult to injury, Alves got the yellow card for diving. And in what is deja vu, Carlos Puyol is out for the second leg picking up his second yellow card. Inter in the meanwhile will miss out on Dejan Stankovic's services.

Kevin Prince Boateng and Jerome Boateng could be playing against each other

Der Spiegel has a must read article on the Boateng brothers.

Kevin Prince Boateng was one of the heroes in Pompey's David toppling Goliath victory over Spurs in the FA Cup. He smashed his spot kick past Heurelho Gomes sending Pompey over his former club, to the finals. He is also likely to play for Ghana in this year's World Cup after completing some formalities.

A 1000 km away, Jerome Boateng his half brother plays for Hamburg and is considered a top German talent on defense.

The two brothers who share a common father could be on opposite sides of the field when Germany meet Ghana on June 23rd at Johannesburg in a Group D encounter.

Both started their professional careers at Hertha Berlin where Kevin Prince honed his skills as an attacking midfielder and Jerome learned the tricks and trade of a center back. Three years later both brothers departed on a separate trajectory as Kevin Prince made his way into the Premier League after making a number of appearances for the German junior teams. Jerome stayed behind in the Bundesliga.

Somewhere down the line, the brothers decided to represent different countries. Kevin Prince seems to have made the decision to switch to his country of origin, whereas, Jerome was drawn to the country of his birth. In one of life's strange twists, Kevin Prince is related through his mother to Helmut Rahn, the legendary German striker. Rahn, his great uncle scored the "Miracle of Bern" in the 1954 World Cup final against the Mighty Magyars.

The two brothers could not be more different with contrasting playing styles and personalities. Kevin Prince is flashy and flamboyant while Jerome is disciplined and discerning. Kevin Prince developed a reputation as a troublemaker with a short fuse who was shipped out by Harry Redknapp because of his incessant partying and late arrivals at training practice.

Just weeks after joining Pompey, Kevin Prince was fined for £50,000 for thirteen counts of criminal damage in Berlin for smashing up cars after a night out. Meanwhile, brother Jerome kept a low profile spending more time on the pitch as his mother Martina warned him not to look up to Kevin Prince as a role model.

Growing up in the tough environment of Wedding, a Berlin suburb reputed for its high unemployment and crime rates seem to have played a part in Kevin Prince's desire to standout. His older brother, George, also a talented player interviewed by Der Spiegel admits that he was not an ideal role model during Kevin Prince's impressionable years.

If Kevin Prince does get to play for Ghana, he may bring the same anger and desire against Germany, witnessed in the match against Spurs, a club that rejected him. That maybe because on the last training day of the German U21 camp, he found out that he was eliminated from the squad. His brother Jerome was selected.

Matthias Sammer, the sports director of the German Football Association, puts it this way: "A lack of discipline and egotism can be discerned in Kevin-Prince. When it comes to his athletic and mental constitution, Jerome is the stronger player." In other words one brother is a good fit for Germany, while the other is not.

Jerome Boateng too could have played for Ghana but he chose not to. His reason:

"Because it doesn't make any sense. Germany is my home. I like the people here, and the mentality," he says.

Revenge vs Reason. Two contrasting styles and personalities on the field. Two different motivating factors for each brother. Jerome Boateng is clear however, if he is the last player to stop his Kevin Prince from scoring, he will do so without compunction.

10 minivans loaded with players, trainers, and club officials traveled to Stuttgart in the first leg. They then travel in the morning covering the 230 km to Munich.

Cris, Lyon defender :

"That was hard. Some tried to sleep at least an hour or two, but mostly we played cards or watched a movie."

Two big names in French football, Willy Sagnol and Bixente Lizarazu have been in the news recently for suggesting that Bayern should have gone for Lyon's hottest property, Hugo Lloris when they had the chance.

Both were part of the successful Bayern team that last won the CL in 2001 against Valencia in a penalty shootout. Lizarazu was one of the successful penalty takers in Bayern's narrow 5-4 win.

The two have been on German media stating Bayern have nothing to fear except themselves. The duo of Ribery and Robben have the potential to rip any defense to shreds if they so choose.

They are unanimous that the danger man in Lyon is Lisandro Lopez with Miguel Bastos a close second. Lyon's attack is compact and opportunistic and may exploit Bayern's left back position where Holger Badstuber has looked vulnerable.

Very disturbing as Espanyol fans go after Dani Alves with their racial chants and monkey gestures. Really this sort of stuff has no place in this day and age.

Given the fact that Espanyo fans celebrated as if it was a victory, the 2-0 imprint on the video feels less fictional.

One of the most anticipated Champions League matches in years gets underway this week. If there is one person who can stop Barca's juggernaut it should be Jose Mourinho.

However, Guardiola's derby rival Mauricio Pochettino at Espanyol can actually claim that distinction.

Sid Lowe's article describes Espanyol's ambush of Barcelona in their shiny new home, the Cornella-Prat:

"They fought and battled and pushed and ambushed and broke; they were aggressive, mouthy, sneaky and extremely hard-working - every player covering at least 1.5km more than his normal average."

The result was a derby draw that must have warmed the heart of the Madridistas and given Mourinho the belief that Barca can be contained.

Gordon Smith, the Scottish FA chief resigned out of the blue two months shy of completing three years.

It seems a combination of personal reasons and a particularly sticky case of overstepping his authority in the Robbie Winters "diving" case caused him to tender his resignation.

His resignation comes days before a review of the way Scottish football is being run which some say would have been quite critical. There are also indications that Smith was increasingly frustrated by the way FIFA blocked the use of technology in the game.

Smith became known to Arsene Wenger and Arsenal as the man who went after Eduardo after the Croatian was alleged to have dived in the Champions League qualifiers against Celtic. Smith had this to say:

"Eduardo showed disrespect to the game by his actions," he said.

"We have shown courage to use retrospective punishment when it comes to simulation. I'd urge Uefa to do so."

His efforts prompted UEFA to come down heavily against Eduardo charging him with diving. It set off Wenger who accused the Scots of conducting a "witch hunt" against his player.

He said: "There is completely lack of logic in this case. Why? Because people have reacted emotionally.

"This case has been ruled by the media and emotionally by Scotland, by the Scottish FA and by Scottish people working at Uefa."

Eduardo was banned for two matches by UEFA's disciplinary committee but the decision was reversed on further review.

As this article points out, Smith's personal vendetta against simulation seemed at odd with the scarcity of such incidents in the Scottish game. So it is ironic that a "diving" case tripped him up in the end.

Coca Cola launched an ad campaign to promote it's sponsorship of the World Cup ....This ad starring Roger Milla is the first of a three part ad.The second is to be an animated ad, 'Quest', which will follow a young African footballer trying to devise his own goal celebration.The third ad, 'Border crossing', will be used to promote a tour of the World Cup trophy across 83 countries

Ten minutes is what it took Wigan to carve up Arsenal but the squad seem to have thrown in the towel a while back.

The shifting tropes in this Arsenal season has gotten so bent out of shape.

A few weeks before Wenger was singing praises about the squad's mental strength. Of late, he has been bemoaning the lack of cohesion and discipline. We now seem to have the mental fortitude of a kitten given warm milk.

Abou Diaby who was compared to Patrick Vieira by Wenger earlier in the season was particularly abject against Wigan. He looked like he had trouble getting out of the bed for the match. Arseblog calls him out for it.

" I normally try not to single out players but Abou Diaby drove me mental yesterday. Not too long ago he was putting in the kind of dynamic displays that made us all think we'd got a seriously good player on our hands. In recent weeks he's been found wanting and his sloppy, lazy play encapsulated Arsenal's performance. "

He was also equally scathing of Lukacz Fabianski, whose goalkeeping tenure is a highlight of endless gaffes. "The Pole has no business playing at this level right now."

However, Arseblog while having doubts about Wenger, is not in the growing camp of disbelievers calling for his head.

A Cultured Left Foot questions Arsenal's confidence.

"Three goals conceded in the final ten minutes is a clear signal that confidence is gone. That is Arsène's biggest problem and one which is hardest to resolve."

ACLF is a bit more charitable to Fabianski believing that eventually he might turn out to be a good goalkeeper but at this stage he is not ready to be number one.

He does not address Wenger's future directly preferring to see the coach inject the maturity and cohesion needed to end the season on a positive note.

Goodplaya goes beyond the assignment of individual blame or the lack of discipline in the team. He questions Wenger's killer instinct.

" And yet for the first time I harbour genuine doubts about where the winner in Wenger has gone. Where is his killer instinct? "

Goonerholic gets to the bottom of what is troubling this Arsenal squad: They lack belief in hard work. To get the basic parts of the game right and go beyond technical proficiency or being entertainers.

" If a unit is strong most individual mistakes are recoverable. And, frankly, if you're concentrating sufficiently on your responsibilities then they're less likely to happen at all. The problem with this team is that they believe they are the "great entertainers" the press build them up as. But if you don't do the basic work, skill is pointless."

Someone like Sol Campbell who has experience winning the Premiership gives him a unique insight into the hard work put into winning one. I believe Wenger should have also competed harder for Patrick Vieira. He has been good for City.

It does not have to be men with experience.

I saw Jack Wilshere in the Bolton match against Chelsea and the lad was there scrapping with men double his size and age. He was tireless and he dished out some pretty tough tackles and took some too. It's why teams like Bolton are a nightmare. But Wilshere's roll up the sleeves attitude is what Arsenal desperately needs.

The feeling running in my mind is that Arsenal which is always the team that is picked every year to drop out the top four now defines success by proving that wrong. It seems to be the team's subconscious rationalization for not achieving more. Their raison d'etre. Wenger plays into it by his defensive attitude using code words like "discipline", "cohesion", and "cheap goals." But games like Wigan feed that perception of vulnerability. And as one more season comes by, the critics will once again pick Arsenal to drop out. A vicious cycle but now one which might have some future legitimacy with City and Spurs now officially past "barking at the moon."

Barca and Lyon will travel by bus to Inter and Bayern respectively thus undercutting the need to use airspace choked by Iceland's volcanic ash.

UEFA has indicated that the Europa League semi-final matches will also go ahead as planned. Fulham has to travel 450 miles to Hamburg and Liverpool double that to get to Atletico Madrid.

A look at how the volcanic ash has played havoc with sporting fixtures around the globe.

Real through goals by Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo overcame a submissive Valencia team. Lots of shots on goal by Ronaldo who seems to have spurned the artful for a flat and direct approach.

Not their best display but Valencia other than David Silva rarely threatened. Real are now just a point behind league leaders Barca.

There are persistent rumours that Leonardo maybe on his way out of Milan. Much of the rumours are based on the belief that the AC Milan coach is unhappy at Silvio Berlusconi's thrift when it comes to purchasing players.

In fact, it was quite the talk that Leonardo had walked out of the Rossoneri and that Marcelo Lippi was lined up to replace him.

However, Adriano Galliani, Milan's CEO sought to tamp down talk of Leonardo's premature departure.

"Look, Leo didn't have the intention of coaching Milan," Galliani said. "I convinced him last year. And I will convince him to stay this year as well, beyond his two-year contract. I am saying that I will manage it."

However, there is yet another wrinkle. Leonardo has three young sons living in Brazil and has expressed his desire to return to Brazil in the past. He is also being rumoured to take over Dunga's job as the coach of the Selecao once the World Cup is over.

Leonardo is unfazed by these persistent rumours blowing them off by saying his immediate priority is to see Milan do well in the last four games.

Ten injured as fans from both clubs fight each other with knives, stones, bottles, and firecrackers.

Three were stabbed, one in the throat which required life saving emergency surgery. Also attacked was a car carrying a woman and her two children. They escaped but the car was destroyed. Police also discovered a cache of knives and other assortment of weapons in the stadium.

It has been a relatively quiet season so far but these incidents show violence in the Serie is just a stone's throw away.

Tommaso Rocchi gave Lazio an early lead and the derby rivals should have gone ahead further after half time when Aleksandr Kolarov was brought down by Mario Cassatti in a very debatable penalty call. But Sergio Floccari muffed the chance as he shot it straight at Julio Sergio.

However, minutes later it was Kolarov bringing down Simone Taddei in the box and Mirko Vucinic made no mistake with the spotkick. Roma then sealed victory with Vucinic lashing in a free kick for his brace.

The win leaves Roma one point ahead of Inter. AC Milan dropped even further down with their loss against Sampdoria and with it their fading chances at the Scudetto.

It's chilling to know that Dani Alves will be Maicon's understudy in the 2010 World Cup because of moments like this.

With Juve's players looking absolutely befuddled, a visibly moved Maicon and his team mates celebrate possibly the goal of the season.

On the occasion of Raymond Domenech being retained as the French national coach for the 2010 World Cup. Old but still entertaining. Polyprod 3615, the production company behind the parody has some very good ones with the popular "I'm not in the Euro' for Trezeguet (> 1.6 million views) and "In bed with Maradona"

The hand of Thierry and the sex scandal is all part of the L'euipe du sordide.

Sidney Govou: Denies allegations that he is part of a Les Bleus sex scandal

Joining John Terry and Ashley Cole in the badly behaved footballer category are members of the French national team.

Today, Franck Ribery was questioned by French police in the case of French national players allegedly frequenting a Paris night club that is suspected of providing escort services. His lawyer insisted that he was not a target.

A commission set up by an investigating judge revealed that during the course of questioning one of the players also admitted to having a relationship with a prostitute who turned out to be underage. The investigation has taken the statements of two players and now a third is also to be questioned in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile suspicion centers around Sidney Govou, the Lyon winger whose lawyer issued a statement stating:

"My client wishes to assert he is not related in any way to any prostitution network. Sidney Govou has never been particularly known to Zaman Cafe in Paris. For the record, this affair has caused him profound pain and deeply affected his family and their honor. He will not comment on this story."

Last year, the Czech national team's coach Petr Rada, and six players were sacked after a tabloid published pictures of them cavorting with prostitutes. They included ex Aston Villa striker Milan Baros and Atletico Madrid defender Tomas Ujfalusi.

Looks like Les Bleus are arriving in the World Cup with a lot of baggage.

Fernando "El Nino" Torres season comes to an end with the Spanish striker scheduled to undergo knee surgery on a torn cartilage.

It is estimated that he will be out for at least 6 weeks which means that he is likely to be back just in time for Spain's World Cup campaign. But he may not be completely match fit.

For Liverpool, it means that their most potent attacking weapon will be missing for the run in to the end of the Premiership and the Europa Cup semi-final encounters against Atletico Madrid.

April 18th might become a day of mixed emotions for the young lad.

One year ago, the Polish goalkeeper was given a birthday start against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals which turned out to be disaster (video). Today, Wenger gave Fabianski a start and his birthday blues continued against Wigan.

As for Arsenal, the Wigan loss brings up the questions again and again about the goalkeeping quality and the lack of composure on defense. And yet, it looked like a stroll at the JJB before Arsenal turned the Wigan attack into a bunch of thieving sharpshooters. Yes, Titus Bramble was one of them. So typical. (video)

Arsene Wenger:

"Our game lacked cohesion and discipline"

We will have to find enough cohesion and discipline in the remaining matches to keep out Spurs and City. Not easy when confidence is ebbing at a faster rate than an Icelandic economic meltdown. For the first time this season finishing out of the top four is a reality.

Brilliant bit of work by the veteran as he twists his body and head to get to Evra's cross to put the ball past a diving Givens. Sometimes we get to see turning points and this might be the sort when we say, " I remember I was at a downtown bar .........

Players like Scholes, Giggs, and Rio Ferdinand provide Sir Alex with the perfect conundrum. How do you not do without them when they produce such moments and yet as they grow older, when do you finally develop the confidence in the rest of the team to take over the reins? An unprecedented fourth title makes such resolutions harder.

Arjen Robben netted a hat-trick while Ivica Olic and Thomas Muller scored two each as Bayern Munich tore Hannover to pieces last night.

Chelsea were outplayed and down by two goals by half time.Drogba looked lost and out of sorts.Terry will miss the next game against Stoke because of his red card.Will the title return to Stamford Bridge for the first time since 2006? If they keep playing like this they haven't a hope.Not with a charged up Man U on their tail after their great escape. So close and yet so far....

Man Utd alive! Old man Scholes drills a header past Givens from an Evra cross deep into stoppage time. You knew it just had to happen.

The three minutes of stoppage time provided the most exciting moments in a match that was drifting into an anti-climactic end. Tevez looked a pale shadow and Rooney rarely looked threatening.

Gives the Chelsea vs Tottenham match later today an extra edge.

"Is the Spanish league a step down? Of course. I watched Real Madrid and Almeria last night . . . and you want to switch off after half an hour. It's not watchable!"

Wenger's words might be a shot across the bow to Fabregas and La Liga's latest transfer target, Gael Clichy but it also happens to be true.

There is a gulf between Barca and the rest of the Liga. Even Real just a few points behind does not quite measure up looking quite pedestrian at the Bernabeu last week in their Clasico loss.

Sevilla, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Villareal have been thoroughly outpaced by these two clubs. And with unsettled finances, they look distinctly uncompetitive.

In contrast, it is still quite tightly packed at the top in the Premier League with just a month left in the season. Liverpool have fallen off. City and Spurs have closed the gap considerably and Everton's wins against Chelsea and Man Utd mean that no club enjoys a lopsided dominance.

With Chelsea and Man Utd and its crop of older players showing signs of wear and tear and needing replacement, the race for the Premiership might be a wide open affair next season. We might see a record in transfer fees.

Fernando Torres who had an appointment to see a Barcelona knee specialist ahead of the Monday game against West Ham will have to wait a little longer to make a return. He is now expected to start against his former club, Atletico Madrid in the Europa Cup semi-finals.

The UK extended its flight ban for at least a day longer as volcanic ash from Iceland's glaciers continued to drift across the sky.

The ash has ground most of Europe's flights with Norway's Prime Minister stuck in NYC, running his country through his iPad. Volcanologists are warning that the eruptions are intensifying.

Hitler explodes on learning that Man Utd have won at the stroke. Michael Owen proves to be the Trojan Horse. (Video)

Ahead of the most anticipated derby in years which Trojan Horse is Sir Alex about to launch that will retrieve Man Utd's season? Who will be his Danny Rose?

City usurps the lad with "the legs that launched a thousand goals".

United fans are justifying Berbatov's continued existence by brandishing Tevez's newly disclosed £47 million price tag. On the face, Sir Alex has shrugged off Tevez's move as engendering "no regrets." A situation that suits City fans just fine. They are on the upswing and their bitterest bane of existence, on the down low.

Tevez has refused to celebrate goals scored against West Ham but one just knows that this rule will be broken without compunction should he score against Man Utd. He is going to come out as gangbusters.

One of things that might favour United is that in Tevez's single minded pursuit, he often neglects Adebayor, a phenomenon that surfaced at times against Birmingham and cost them a few more sure goals.

Otherwise his 28 goals makes him almost automatic to punish his old team. Gary Neville? I don't think so. The full back will have his hands full.

Bernd Schuster who guided Real to its last Liga title in 2008 has come out against Jose Mourinho taking over as Real as manager. Inter's gaffer is in all probability taking over next season from Manuel Pellegrini who has worn out his welcome.

"He does not fit Real Madrid's philosophical profile"

Schuster perhaps taking a page out of his tenuous relationship with the imperious Ramon Calderon, is a firm believer that Real should not tamper with the status quo. Instead he counsels patience by keeping Manuel Pellegrini.

"I think Pellegrini has done the right thing because he is the one who knows the team best. Why do you want to sign a new coach? To start from scratch? What the club needs to do is leave his hands free to to improve the team because he has already worked a full year with the team."

Schuster is quite optimistic that Real can still win the Liga as Barca with a tougher schedule of matches can slip up.

C Ron scored a pretty good equaliser against Almeria and has to live with away crowds abusing him more than any other Real Madrid player.

The Premiership is dying. Erin Andrews will bring back the crowds.

In the future you can expect Erin Andrews or more likely her British surrogate, Rebecca Lowe to interview Premiership managers live during the matches and have them explain their tactics at half time.

ESPN's is introducing NFL style broadcasting tactics for this year's FA Cup final. If all goes well, then the Premiership is the next jump.

In NFL games, coaches and players are "miked up" providing a real time glimpse into the bleeped out emotions swirling on the pitch. Presenters are allowed access into the locker rooms where teams tactics and verbal exhortations are then reported back to the viewer as if gospel.

The problem here is that the NFL was made for TV. Every innovation in that sport. Even famously tight lipped managers like Bill Belichik know that their sport is first and foremost a spectacle. Every atom is used to enhance that breathless spectacle.

This era of Truman Show TV brings canned emotions to the game. Do we really need this when we have Joe Kinnear? It was a gem. That man spoke his heart. The likes that will not be seen or tolerated in the NFL. Even Truman found out that danger when he deviated from the script.

Now if we could only get ESPN to "mike up" Lloyd Blankfein and Goldman Sachs, there might be some worth to it. Greece would subscribe to that.

In a recent ESPN Soccernet interview, Peter Hill- Wood, Arsenal's CEO, revealed a private conversation took place in Barcelona's boardroom at the highest levels between both clubs during the CL encounter.

According to Hill- Wood who was not present at the meeting, the Catalan club sought to reassure their guests that they were not interested in pursuing Fabregas.

What happened actually was Barca took to intoning "Si se puede " repeatedly after pitchers of sangria which had the same effect as "Nam myoho renge kyo" lulling the Arsenal members into a sense of peace and self fulfillment.

Next day, Barca comes up with a statement denying any such assurances.

Obviously something got lost in translation.

To make matters worse, in the interview, Peter Hill Wood issues this:

"If you want my opinion, I'm not sure he would even get in their team," he said. "Do they need him? I'm not sure that they do."

Way to go, tiger.

The Mirror reports that the remark has not gone down well with the Spanish midfielder recuperating in Marrakesh. I'm not sure if he has Twitter on or is on the web trawling for every bit of personal news. But a sense of peeve on hearing this will not be out of place.

At this stage after keeping Arsenal so close to the title race with his superlative performances, Fabregas is genuinely entitled to feel he belongs to the crop of top players which includes Xavi and Iniesta.

Maybe, Hill- Wood meant it as a way of helping Fabregas prioritize where he can expect to make a significant contribution.

However, given the fact that Arsenal has sought to tamp down rampant transfer speculation, this sort of remark is exactly what fuels stories of his imminent departure. Hill- Wood should have known to keep his counsel. Mums the word.

Over 500,000 tickets went on sale in SA over the counter in the final phase. Organizers are confronted with the Herculean task of selling these in the next two months or risk seeing sparsely attended matches.

The enthusiastic response of fans who swamped ticker counters resulted in computer malfunctions forcing long and frustrating delays in getting tickets. Many had come hours before the windows opened and coupled with these technical glitches were forced to wait up to 20 hours. Despite the problems, 53,000 tickets were sold in eight hours.

However, if the organizers had done their homework right they would have had a less nerve wracking time selling tickets.

FIFA and the LOC (Local Organizing Committee) turned a blind eye to the fact that many SA fans do not go on the internet to buy their tickets and prefer paying cash. The tedious application process also turned away the few who use the internet. With internet penetration low, FIFA and the LOC should have come up with proactive local marketing solutions earlier in the ticketing process.

Ticket sales have been brisk in the USA, flat in Europe, and in Japan and generally in Asia, they have been disappointing. But there are indications that South Africans themselves are not coming out in droves to buy. The danger are the lower profile matches involving nations like New Zealand, Slovenia, Algeria, and Greece.

The SA government is also resorting to waiving visa fees at the point of entry in a bid to attract more World Cup fans. They are also setting up fast track channels to expedite visa processing.

Timeline:

November 14, 2009: Robin Van Persie sustains an ankle injury against Italy in a friendly.

November 15, 2009: Dutch medical authorities based on a preliminary assessment suggests that Van Persie's injury is not severe and predict a 4-6 week lay off.

November 17, 2009: Arsenal permits Van Persie to fly to Serbia to seek Marijana Kovacevic's placenta treatment for healing his ligament injury.

November 22, 2009: Van Persie returns to Arsenal where the medical team reassesses his MRI scans and concludes that his injury is far more severe. A Dutch specialist concurs with the revised diagnosis.The time out for a full recovery is now stretched to a shocking 5-6 months. Ankle surgery is finally recommended.

November 27, 2009: Van Persie's ankle is put in plaster as he awaits ankle surgery by a Dutch specialist.

December 4, 2009: Van Persie undergoes surgery which Arsene Wenger said went off successfully.

You allow for a week with radiological investigations and the necessary course of action to repair RVP's completely torn ankle ligaments. But it is clear that the Dutch medical authorities probably pressurized into painting an initial rosy picture cost RVP at least two weeks in receiving the correct treatment and a headstart on his rehabilitation.

First of we should be grateful that RVP did not sustain a career ending injury and through a successful ankle surgery is back on the pitch and from the looks of it, raring to go. But if he had undergone ankle surgery in time and spared his Serbian unicorn, he would have been on the field against Barcelona in the second leg and more importantly against Birmingham. A win against them and a tied game against Spurs sounds a lot better than a draw and a loss.

A differential of three points and just a win behind Chelsea. We could have been right in it.

The Spaniards continued presence lies in the balance. Ominously for Rafa fans, he tied it to the club's financial situation. Retaining his services depends on whether the club can restructure its debt, find new investors, and get rid of the American owners.

Otherwise Juventus could land its man. My feeling is he is ready to leave. Rafa is the sort of manager who has engendered two camps.

One camp sees him as a victim of a cash squeeze who has done his best with the available players and squeezed out every ounce of contribution towards such worthy achievements as the CL. The other sees a man with a track record of profligacy, amongst the occasional jewel is the muddied silt of many monumental busts. The Andrea Dossena's abound.

There have been only circumlocutions towards ending a 19 year domestic title drought. Certainly nothing in the future suggests a reconciliation between these two opposing views.

Thomas Vermaelen is out for the next 2-3 weeks with a calf injury. He is now the fifth starter out in this most crucial part of the season.

Which means Mikel Silvestre will partner Sol Campbell and we know where that goes.

On Campbell, Wenger had this to say:

"I think he was outstanding and he has shown what a winner he is and if he won championships, you see why.

"He deserves a lot of credit tonight because he turned up with a real performance."

Men from the boys. Arsenal has always had a problem looking at the bigger picture which comes with experience. They have wilted in big games. Made too many errors. Look at Barca with Carlos Puyol. He is slow, he is old but you can see what he brings to his team. Experience and leadership. I saw Arsenal when it had Vieira and Petit, Adams and Keown. Players who were good at what they did and knew big games when they saw one.

To expect a bunch of talented 21 year olds with a tabula rasa mentality to find you a title is living in la la land. Based on his performance, Campbell deserves a longer and more rewarding contract.

Probably the best value for money signing that Wenger could have made. While Mikael Silvestre is hands down his worst.

The 6' 4" central defender is having quite a season and if this continues an England call up maybe in the cards. He looked very good against Spurs with his physical presence and his threat in the box off set pieces. Yes, he is a bit slower but patience it seems is a virtue. He definitely looks better than Matthew Upson and even Joleon Lescott in the depth chart.

They are singing his name at White Hart Lane. The 19 year old made a stunning debut and his laser like goal will go down in history.

Deportivo succumbed within ten minutes.Bojan Krkic scored the first.The second goal came in the 69th minute - Pedro Rodriguez scoring from about 40 yards out.Yaya Toure put in the finishing touches by scoring another a few minutes later.

...and how many passes is this before Dani Alves tries to score the goal of the season?

It's over. And just as well.

Gives Arsene more time to go back to the drawing board to figure out how to budge Arsenal past the also ran status. If one is fine with third place and a possible CL quarterfinal result then do not tinker with this squad. If however, Wenger thinks the present composition is going to get us a Premiership title then he lives in Pandora.

Again mental lapses cost us the match as Bakary Sagna's dawdling kept Gareth Bale onside for the wingback to score Spurs second goal. It was a killer. Earlier Broadway Danny Rose, became an instant hero when on his debut he lashed an incredible 30 yard volley into goal. Almunia should have done better.

Today it was Arsene's soft tactics that also cost Arsenal the match. Two goals down and the title on the line, he brings on Van Persie with just over 20 minutes left in the game. Walcott was brought on much after halftime. It was a delay that proved to be significant.

Walcott provided much needed pace but when Van Persie came on the attack caught fire. The two combined to give Bendtner his goal and the last 10 minutes were a riveting duel of shots and saves. But that was it, Arsenal's usual second half display of guts and glory was not enough to overcome our lack of smarts. We are not a well disciplined team. But lets give credit where due- Sol Campbell had a great game.

Wenger has never been accused of being hardnosed. But if there was a day when it was warranted, this was it.

Robin Van Persie has recuperated so well after dabbling in offbeat treatment techniques that his return has been expedited forward. He might see action against Spurs today coming on as a substitute.

Wenger talked about the Dutch striker and rued what would have been a season to remember if not for the ankle injury. Flattering comparisons to Messi, Rooney, and Ronaldo were made.

It is true he started in salivating fashion scoring 9 goals in 11 appearances but it also a Van Persie-sque phenomenon that he has never completed a season which renders these comparisons pointless.

However, he has a chance to recapture that form in Arsenal's remaining games. And it will be welcome because the goalscoring has been trending down steadily. Starting against Spurs who have yet to beat the traditional top four teams.

Spurs had a setback with Aaron Lennon not able to overcome his groin problem in training. He won't start. They are also missing Niko Kranjcar and Vedran Corluka because of injury. In midfield Wilson Palacios is out with a two game suspension. Without Palacios's holding capabilities, Arsenal can open up the counterattack even with Fabregas and Arshavin missing. Fabregas performance against Spurs last time had the Emirates rocking.

Gareth Bale is the danger man active down the left flank. Both Bacary Sagna and Theo Walcott/ Emmanuel Eboue will have to double down to push back his forays and stop supply to Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe. Tom Huddlestone is also having a good season and he remains a threat from set pieces and his long range efforts.

Both clubs have huge stakes. Spurs have an outside chance to make it to Europe in the CL bracket while Arsenal are hoping to keep their Premiership title aspirations alive.

Van Persie will be closely watched but so will Sol Campbell who has Harry Redknapp's forehead all furrowed in consternation. The Spurs manager expressed his utter surprise at seeing Campbell return to their rivals.

"I could never see him going back to Arsenal in a million years," said Redknapp, the Tottenham manager. "I never thought he would want to go anywhere near Arsenal again."

He also warned the Arsenal defender to prepare for a hostile reception at White Hart.

Concerns for Campbell's safety have led the match to be classified in the highest risk category by the London Metro police. Campbell has been the target of vicious hate that has followed him since he left Spurs for Arsenal and it followed him down to Pompey. Nine years later, he is still reviled. Spurs have advisories warning against abuse and CCTV monitoring will be used to keep tempers in check.

The number of times Fabregas has been linked with a Barca return has been so internalized that the Spanish media would have us believe that he is already jetting to the Camp Nou. It does come as a shock that he is still at Arsenal.

Yesterday, Wenger put forth his reasons why Fabregas will continue to stay and it centered around player satisfaction, development, length of contract, and the most important one of all, the desire to keep Fabregas at Arsenal.

"Secondly, we want to be a better team next year than we have been this year and that means we always want to keep our best players."

They look ready to price Fabregas out of Barca's reach.

Lets face it, Fabregas best days are yet to come. He is just hitting his stride. From the looks of it Iniesta and Xavi are not going anywhere for sometime. Does he want to spend time on the bench?

Seems like the Daily Mail interview with Carlos Tevez openly questioning at Roberto Mancini's training methods at such an inopportune moment has set the club off in a tizzy.

In the interview, Tevez comes off as a passionate footballer totally committed to the game. You can see it in his tireless striving. But there is also an unsettled feeling. His controversial employment clause and continued relationship with Kia Joorabchian has seen three different Premiership clubs in five years.

With Tevez's glowing performance at City, many are wondering about Sir Alex's wisdom at keeping Dimitar Berbatov at his cost.

Chelsea extend their lead at the top of the table amid talk of Terry's handball and Drogba's volleyball skills...

Indian striker Sunil Chhetri's highly anticipated debut for the Kansas City Wizards was not exactly anything to write home about. Chhetri is the first Indian to play for the MLS.

The Wizards played the Colorado Rapids in the Lamar Hunt Open Cup.

He failed to score and received a yellow card for a reckless tackle on Wells Thompson in the 20th minute. He was subbed off at halftime. After the match Peter Vermes had this to say:

"He was okay," Wizards Manager Peter Vermes said. "He was good in possession, but he wasn't getting close enough to the goal. We've got to figure out different ways to get him closer to the goal."

Chhetri also weighed in on his performance.

"It was disappointing that we lost the match," he said. "I thought I had some good touches, but it's going to take some time, and I'm going to go back to the training field and train hard."

The match was won by the Rapids, 2-1 with Thompson scoring both goals. With this defeat, the Wizards were eliminated from the Cup.

Ex- Arsenal standout and present Villareal squad member is in talks with an undisclosed MLS club to negotiate a contract that will bring him to the MLS probably by this summer.

His contract with Villareal expires this June and he maybe ready to sign a long contract that would see him possibly end his playing career in the USA.

Pires is still a quality player. He will enhance any MLS team that he joins.

Landon Donovan helps out with unitedagainstmalaria.org. Here’s some info:

Malaria kills a child in Africa every 30 seconds and nearly one million people each year

Worldwide, 3.3 billion people are at risk of malaria - that’s half of the world population

91% of malaria deaths occur in Africa; 85% of these are children under 5 years of age

In addition to the death toll, malaria contributes to the cycle of poverty and limits economic development: Malaria costs Africa at least $12 billion in lost productivity every year

40% of African health expenditures are on malaria alone

"All five of Chelsea's Premier League defeats this season have come when Anelka and Drogba have started the match. They have only scored in the same Premier League match on two occasions this season, and not since their 3-3 home draw against Everton on 12 December."

Quite an amazing stat.

A very largel 2010 FIFA World Cup ticket was unveiled by FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke and Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan at Maponya Mall in Soweto on the 9th of April.Pocket sized ones will be available for sale from 15 April onwards..

A detailed study of the evolution of the offside law from it's inception in 1863 to it's latest modification in 2005 and why it's not such a bad idea after all here..

The offside law was introduced as a way of redressing the imbalance between attack and defense. Over the years, the changes in the rule have tried to keep up with football's historical swings between these two extremes, with mixed results. But now after almost a century and a half it maybe as perfect as it gets.

According to Jonathan Wilson, "A modern offside law may be the best thing that's ever happened to football."

Italia 1990 provided the impetus to liberalize the offside law further and further to ease goalscoring and in 2005, a further tweak shifted the onus onto the defense to make plead their case.

The modifications have proven beneficial to the game. It encourages passing and defensive intensity. Skill over physical prowess. In short, the British game has left its shores.

What it has not done is to make refereeing easier. In fact, violations of the earlier iterations of the offside rule were easier to spot. With every refinement, the interpretation has become more and more subjective with far more errors. Murkiness centers around what constitutes active play.

Angst over these decisions may have contributed to the disillusionment and the unappreciated qualities of the changes alluded to by Wilson.

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Goals from four different players helped Marseille coast over Nice. Bakari Koné, Stéphane M'Bia, Mathieu Valbuena, and Souleymane Diawara scored for L'OM while Nice's Emerse Faé prevented the clean sheet.

Marseilles win kept them on top of the table as second placed Auxerre kept pace overcoming Nancy Lorraine. With seven points separating the first six teams at the top, it is a fascinating race to the finish. Lyon in third place lost ground tying Lille as did Montpelier one spot behind who drew Le Mans.

The biggest loser was Bordeaux whose recent stumbles continued, losing to PSG, 1-3.

Indian composers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant have composed and recorded a song called "Africa" for the World Cup closing ceremony.This is them some time back talking about an Emmy Award nomination they won last year for an environment based kid's song that they also composed......................

A goalkeeping flap by Andrea Consigli allows Mirko Vucinic's shot to trickle over the goal line giving Roma the lead. Marco Cassetti makes it two after he nods the ball home from Totti's perfectly placed cross. Simone Tiribocchi pulled one back for the Nerazzurri.

With this win, Roma shoot to the top of the table as Inter tied Palermo. In the three way race, Milan was unable to overcome Catania.

Mourinho will be out of this world if he gets the double but if one takes a pragmatic point of view, he should happily give up on the Scudetto and focus on the real prize, winning the CL. He maybe in his last season as Inter's coach and there would be nothing better if he departs in a blaze of European glory.

With Man Utd's Premier League title in the balance, Sir Alex has resorted to one of his old staples. Belittling the opposition facing Chelsea in the hopes of firing them up.

He dismissed Bolton as an "easy game" for the Blues ahead of their game at Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile Kevin Davies also gets into it talking up the lack of chemistry between Didier Drogba and Nicholas Anelka. He however might have something there.

For the third time. Sold to any investor or consortium who can meet Tom Hicks and Geoge Gillett's asking price of £500 million. Barclays Capital has been hired to find an owner and if all goes smoothly, the Americans may be out of Anfield within the year.

The Rhone Group deal fell through last week because they were unwilling to pay more for their minority stake.

However, the more short term crisis is the continued re-financing of the loans by the banks. So far, it appears RBS might be on board on assurances given by the owners that they are genuinely keen on selling off the club but Wachovia is proving to be more intransigent. The American bank has a 25% share of the loans.

The big disconnect is between the owner valuation and independent valuations that put the club's worth at £300 million. A difference of £200 million is huge and may reflect the hand of Tom Hicks whose reputation as a leveraged buyout specialist precludes him from walking out of a deal that does not give him the desired profit. But who will buy at this price?

Liverpool is running out of games. They have just four left.

Against Fulham they had a number of chances and enjoyed a huge edge in possession but were unable to score. Like Wayne Rooney for Man Utd, Liverpool were without El Nino when needed the most. And in more disturbing news, he might have a longer injury layoff than previously thought.

City currently occupying fourth spot are ahead by six points with a game in hand. Spurs ahead of Liverpool by four points lie in fifth with a two game advantage. An uphill climb just got even steeper.

There remains a very slim chance when you consider the strength of the opposition in the remaining matches distinctly favours Liverpool. West Ham at home, away to Burnley, home against Chelsea, before finishing off at home against Hull. Three home games where they been very good including that huge game against Chelsea.

City on the other hand have the Man Utd derby coming up at home, travel to Arsenal, face Aston Villa and Tottenham at home the next two weeks, and finish off at West Ham.

Spurs face an equally tougher schedule including the top three clubs on the trot. Arsenal this week at home and then Chelsea before traveling to take on Man Utd. They come back to face Bolton and then take on City before finishing away at Burnley.

Liverpool can hope for a maximum of 12 points to bump their total points to 68. For City to surpass that total it needs only 2 wins and a draw. In their present form that appears very doable barring a major implosion. However losses against Utd and Arsenal could put them under tremendous pressure making the Chelsea match at Anfield a pivotal match. The same could be said for Spurs.

In extra time, Wilson lofts the ball into the box towards Boateng but it is Bassong who heads it down towards goal. Frederic Piquinonne hovering between Michael Dawson and Tom Huddlestone, pounces on the ball as Dawson loses his footing and Tom Huddlestone remains frozen. As Dawson tumbles to the ground, Gomes stops his forward progress and Piquionne puts the ball into the net.

Aruna Dindane goes down to ground after being fairly tackled by Wilson Palacios in the box. Alan Wiley blows for a penalty. Kevin Prince Boateng steps forward and makes no mistake.

No matter. Never has a wrong decision felt so right. In fact, Wiley made a number of them.

Pompey 2 Tottenham 0. Wembley turns into a sea of blue as fans erupt in celebration. A match for the ages. A match that Pompey fans will be telling their children in the years to come. Surely, a film script is already being written up by an ardent Portsmouth fan that will immortalize this season.

"From administration, to relegation, to cup jubilation."

Remember their names. David James, Ricardo Rocha, Michael Brown, Steve Finnan, Frederic Piquionne, Kevin Prince Boateng, Marc Wilson, Hayden Mullins, Aaron Mokoena, Hassan Yebda, John Utaka, Papa Bouba Diop.

Remember Jamie O' Hara who could not play because he was on loan from Spurs and is to return there at the end of the season. He made it clear where his heart lay.

"I want Spurs fans to know how much I feel for the club but I've got to be professional. I'm playing for Portsmouth and I want Portsmouth to win and get to the final because that's the club I'm at."

He has been the motor that keeps the midfield going. And on May 15th he will face Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

Remember veteran defender Hermann Hreidarsson, whose career could be over with an Achilles tendon tear suffered against Tottenham on March 29th. A fierce competitor who played hard and tackled harder. A player who Harry Redknapp knows well. He would have loved to have been there.

Remember Nwankwo Kanu. As an Arsenal supporter, I remember how he burst on the scene in 1999 making a number of memorable goals. His Pompey career has been remarkable for his selflessness. And he has provided them with some big moments, the goal that kept them up in the Premiership in the 2008-2009 season and the winning goal in their 2008 FA Cup victory.

Remember Harry Redknapp. Two years before, he led Pompey to the 2008 FA Cup final. A few months later he was gone spurning the fans for the headier climes of London and Spurs and with him came Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch. Yesterday, they never looked like they wanted to win.

Remember Avram Grant. Derided at Chelsea but finding a new home at Pompey.

"This achievement belongs to the fans and the players. The players didn't give up. The fans showed how fans need to behave. They were behind the club despite everything. They are so great they deserve it. This club, this year, I will not forget it all my life."

Yes, remember the fans. Simply the best. Pompey's fans never stopped believing in the club, even as crook after crook, brought it inexorably towards financial ruin. We shall see them again in the final and if there is any chance that a ball can be willed across the goal line by sheer dint of belief, they will find it.

Here is a longer look at the celebrations that break out after Boateng's goal >>

Frederick Piquionne puts Pompey ahead

Full marks to David James.

His shocking pink jersey attracted the white shirted Spurs like moths to a flame but they ended up shooting blanks at goal.

Harry Redknapp's semi-final FA Cup party against his former club was spoiled as Pompey forced Spurs to extra time. But surely, this would be the end of the road for the relegated Premiership team?

In extra time, Frederick Piquionne took advantage of a Michael Dawson slip on a greasy Wembley pitch to put them ahead and then Kevin Prince Boateng's penalty shut the door on Spurs to put Pompey into the FA Cup final in a shocker.

Avram Grant meets his old boss and club in the FA Cup final on May 15th.

Give a bow to the thousands of Pompey fans who never gave up on their team believing in them against impossible odds. Relegated on Saturday, in the FA Cup final on Sunday. Surely somewhere in this is the triumph of the human spirit.

Two thumbs down to a horrible Wembley pitch. After spending almost a billion pounds on the new stadium, is this what you get? The grounds people have to do a better job for the final otherwise teams might start refusing Wembley as a venue.

There is also no chance of Portsmouth playing in the Europa Cup next season as they cannot apply for a UEFA club license because they are in administration and are unable to file their accounts.

Sir Alex Feguson's decision to bring Wayne Rooney into the CL quarterfinal against Bayern came back to haunt him. His best player aggravated his ankle injury and was ruled out against Blackburn.

Rooney's energy, passion, and innovation could not be channeled into laconic Dimitar Berbatov and super sub Frederico Macheda, who got his first start. Berbatov who is on his way to becoming an epic flop was off his shot making from the get go. Berbaflop. Nani also chose this game to remind why he is no Cristiano Ronaldo. The one bright spot was Antonio Valencia who kept Utd's attack going but his finishing let him down terribly.

Blackburn have only been beaten twice at home conceding just 14 goals, a number only bettered by Liverpool and Aston Villa. So it was never going to be easy scoring goals. One would have been enough. With a -15 goal differential there was little chance of Blackburn coming back. Valencia had one great chance to put them ahead and he blew it

It has been a frustrating week for Sir Alex with losses to Chelsea, a CL exit at the hands of Bayern, and now a disappointingly pallid draw against Blackburn.

Sir Alex referenced his team's diminishing chances:

"It is going to be very difficult to win this league. It has slipped away from us today. We have a lifeline if Chelsea blow it.

There is now a sense of vulnerability creeping into the team's outlook for the future. Questions of an aging midfield and tightened purse strings are becoming the topic du jour rather than the season itself. Sir Alex has spent this week on the back foot defending his "typical Germans" remark.

The Blackburn result sets up the potential for an ill tempered derby against surging City who swamped Birmingham, 5-1 today. Carlos Tevez would relish nothing better than rubbing it in the face of his old manager and fans who spurned his overtures. A loss would finish off Utd's chances for good.

The scoreline does not reflect a good Villa team that came out to play against the team which had annihilated them a fortnight ago. They were also denied a clear penalty when Agbonlahor by John Obi Mikel in the box. Another moment was the horrific studs up tackle on James Milner by John Terry which should have been an instant red card.

Howard Webb continues to lose his mind slowly but surely after being included in the list of World Cup referees. He is going to make Graham Poll look like an angel.

For the first hour or more there was nothing to suggest the scoreline other than a few half chances. But it all changed quickly after that.

Richard Dunne's terrible clearance of a Malouda cross falls right at the feet of John Terry. Watch Ashley Young and Stilyan Petrov, given the task of protecting the goal come off the line exposing Brad Friedel to Drogba who receives the pass from Terry and has the simple task of turning it into goal.

Carlos Cuellar completely misses Florent Malouda at the far post as Michael Ballack's cross comes through as French winger goes unmarked to tap home Chelsea's second goal (video)

At the stroke Frank Lampard scores Chelsea's third goal (video)as he comes out of nowhere after Zhirkov initiates a counterattack which takes the legs out off a tiring Villa defense.

Here is the (video) showing the foul on Agbanlahor by Obi Mikel with Webb in clear view of the incident. Clear penalty. Shame on Howard Webb. Last weekend it was Man Utd who were setback by a clearly offside goal by Drogba. The Blues have been the beneficiary of some inept refereeing.

Chelsea's early CL exit has freed up their priorities and they are finishing the season on a very high note with a double looking well within sight.

It turns out that the "typical germans" that Sir Alex was feeling so strongly about were coached by a Dutchman, captained by a Dutchman and featured two more Dutchmen, a Belgian, an Argentinian, a Frenchman, two Croats and a Turk. Furthermore, according to Louis van Gaal , a native Amsterdammer, "the Germans" were inspired by the spirit of the 44th President of the United States. "At half-time I gave a speech, 'Yes we can,' like Obama," he said
From an article by Simon Turnbull here
Ferguson himself has now turned his ire away from the germans and onto the press because they reported what he said.

Barcelona claimed El Clasico 2 - 0 . Lionel Messi was not to be denied.The same cannot be said of C Ronaldo unfortunately.He was pretty much denied alright.He came close with one of his trademark free kicks but that was as close as he got.Then all that remained was the trademark sulk.Messi on the other hand scored his 40th goal of the season off a brilliantly lobbed pass from Xavi.

Xavi was also the architect of the second goal- Pedro scoring off a pass from him.

A 39-year old Serbian soccer fan started trekking to South Africa on Tuesday and plans to reach the country in time for his nation's opening World Cup Group D match against Ghana in Pretoria on June 13. This is Serbia's first major soccer tournament as an independent nation.
Sasa Jovic set off on foot from the Balkan country's central city of Cacak with just a back-pack and a world map in his bid to cover 16,000 kilometres by road and sea via Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and Botswana.

Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.It's not clear which direction Messi had to look in to be converted into a statue made of chocolate.
A pastry shop in the town of Lleida in Spain is displaying a lifesize sculpture of Messi made entirely of chocolate. At 254 pounds, the concoction weighs 72% more than the FC Barcelona soccer star.

The Clasico showdown between these two: Fire vs air, drums vs strings, directness vs angles

There is but a sliver of light between Barca from Real as both are even on points and just a goal separates them. El Clasico today has the look and feel of a Cup final. The Bernabeu is already a hotbed of arriving fans from Spain and elsewhere. Tickets are going at 1000 euros and even upto 3000 euros.

This season is now just about two teams, a exposing a chasm between them and the rest of the Liga.

At the Camp Nou, Ibrahimovic's goal served up delectably by Dani Alves won them the first round. He is not going to be there for the return but Messi's performance against Arsenal made sure that he might not be missed at all.

In many ways, this is Real's match to lose. Their exit from the Copa and the Champions League has left Pellegrini with a simple equation. Win the Liga. A loss at the Bernabeu and he walks into a cul de sac. A win against Barca can be the fog lifter. It will be massive.

"I do not fear Barcelona", reiterates Pellegrini, "the same way saying we are champions in the event of a victory would be a big mistake. The league does not end today. I predict a very open game."

Barca has given up just 19 goals given up, the best in the league so far. It should not come as a surprise given their natural born right to retaining the ball.

Pellegrini's options for stopping Messi could include giving more defensive heft including Marcelo and sacrificing Esteban Granero at central midfield. Pep Guardiola is missing Eric Abidal but the free ranging Maxwell down the left could run into Sergio Ramos, back from suspension. Pellegrini is missing Kaka with a calf injury but Xabi Alonso returns to provide his glue as holding midfielder.

Real's attack will rely on its counterattacking strength and set pieces to break Barca's midfield advantage. About 80% of Barca's attack goes through Messi but Ronaldo remains more efficient with his possession and has more shots on goal. Unlike Barca who have had to do with Henry and Pedro at various occasions, Gonzalo Higuain provides the Portugese with the steadiness up front and with his 24 goals proves to be the perfect strike partner.

The Bernabeu has been a fortress and Real has won 15 games in a row. The Blaugrana have never won two games in a row against Real. However, given the stratospheric transfer fees on their star cast and just the one title to look forward to, all the pressure is on the Merengues. This what Florentino Perez assembled his present version of the Galacticos: to deliver on such momentous occasions. So far they have failed to do so.

Wanted: A European title for this smartly turned out gentleman

With the Serie turning into a dogfight between Inter, Roma, and Milan for the title, this season has been no walkover for the Nerrazzuri. The last four years have won them the Scudetto in such emphatic fashion that their rivals have been turned into Mourinho's running gag of zero tituli. Sticking it to them is cathartic, a reason why he remains, while simultaneously proclaiming his hate for the Italian game.

A string of uneven performance in the last 10 matches show a fading Inter squad. With five draws, two losses, and three wins, the club cannot be said to be finishing strong.

With Roma on the rise with seven wins and no losses in the last 10 matches, including a brilliant win against Inter and outscoring their opponents 22 to 10, the Giallorossi are in the process of engineering a memorable sweep the carpet from under their feet title win.

Compounding the problem for Mourinho is his next two opponents are, Fiorentina away and Juventus at home whereas Roma play bottom dwellers Atalanta and Lazio. A loss or draw could bring the team under tremendous pressure for the remaining games.

At this point Mourinho has nothing to prove domestically. He is untouchable. His target should be the CL and he lies on the brink of doing so after four years of failure. Barca remains in his way. His energies should be devoted to the Himalayan task of finding a way to overcome them.

Jonathan Wilson's brilliant article shines a light on the pressing nature of Barca's game. To break that chokehold requires a physicality of a scale that has not yet been seen, nor proven successful. To even have a remote chance of doing that Mourinho needs a squad at full strength and ready to play undistracted.

Inter needs to gamble and go to man to man marking on Lionel Messi. Thiago Motta was delegated with that task against Didier Drogba and his hatchet job was so effective it resulted in the Cote D'Ivioirian's ejection at Stamford Bridge. Drogba's ineffectiveness sealed Inter's passage into the quarterfinals.

Mourinho also has to shadow Xavi, whose precise passing and vision is the engine on which Barca motors on. One way to do this is to selectively press Xavi. The players closest to him with the best chances of disruption collapse around him every time he gets the ball. It is a factor of spatial closeness, circumstances, and information.

Isolating Xavi from the rest of the players provides less interconnectivity, disrupting the compact Barca game. The onus of providing the ball is forced onto someone less sure or more one dimensional. The end result of this exercise is to make Barca predictable. it requires a precise game plan and a singular purpose. Mourinho would be well advised to consciously spurn the demands of the domestic season to focus on the bigger prize: European supremacy.

Clearly, he has to make a decision. Should he channel all that physicality and effort for another pointless domestic silverware or strive for European supremacy. He was called onto doing just that by Massimo Moratti and he needs to deliver. Pull the plug, send in your second squad for the Serie fixtures at hand

Here's hoping the new kit brings better luck to them than the former one.The inspiration for their new strip apparently comes from the shirt worn by Kenny Dalglish's side in the 1989-90 campaign - the last occasion Liverpool won the title. Adidas have included a 'laser cut woven crest' and 'cutting edge TechFit technology' into the design.The goalkeeper's outfit is supposed to have an "beach ball early detection warning system" built into it as well.This is good news.

This dude won't be seen in training at Old Trafford

Man Utd should be happy to get their new striker, Javier Hernández from Chivas because they do not have the money to spend on David Villa.

Either that or the Guardian is desirous of a Green and Gold insurrection on the Glazers. But there was no evidence of a bid actually launched for Villa. It was more like because the debt stinks to high heavens, we may not be able to afford Villa, so here have Javier Hernandez instead.

The more plausible reason is the age cap that David Gill introduced which prohibits large sums of money for players who are over 26 years of age with little resale value at the end of their contract. The only exception and the last one in Gill's words was Dimitar Berbatov and look how well that turned out. Villa is approaching his 30th birthday.

Man Utd wants to replicate the Ronaldo model with a huge payoff at the end. There is no way they would do a Villa deal because it makes poor economic sense. Not because of the debt. That seems to have become every person's favourite bogeyman.

Some good news for the injury stricken Gunners. RVP is coming along nicely and is set on resuming full training immediately.

He scould be available for squad duty as early as the April 24th game against City. Some more optimistic sources say he could take the pitch against Spurs in a shock return.

Both Kieran Gibbs and Johan Djorou are doing well and could also resume training in the next two weeks. Gibbs has been out since November with a fractured metatarsal sustained against Standard Liege. Johan Djorou underwent surgery in September for a knee cartilage problem that has kept him out for almost six months.

Very heartening news for Ramsey and Arsenal.

Aaron Ramsey is also making rapid progress and has started weight bearing which will promote further healing of the fractured tibia. He is expected to make a full recovery. At the rate he is progressing, he could be ready in time for the start of next season.

Cesc Fabregas is expected to be ready in time for Spain. However, Andriy Arshavin's season seems all but over, as he has two muscle tears, in the calf muscle and the adductors.

No 'Devilish Wolfsburg" moments here. Roy Hodgson had no occasion to utter "Typical Germans" either. Fulham continue their dream march to European glory as they beat Wolfsburg, 1-0 at the Volkswagen Arena.

Bobby Zamora kept the pressure on for an England call up with a superbly executed goal inside of the first 30 seconds. Man, have we seen some nifty back heels in the last week!

Kudos to Zoltan Gera - the ex- Baggie striker set up the goal nicely.

Edin Dzeko and Grafite, the Wolfsburg duo did not provide the necessary firepower till very late when Dzeko's volley was turned away a fraction by Mark Schwarzer, the ball hitting the post. Grafite's follow up was cleared off the line by Brede Hangeland.

Before that Simon Davies had a golden opportunity to add to Fulham's tally but some superb goal keeping by Diego Benaglia denied him.

Fulham's victims include defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk and Italian giants Juventus. Their attack has been extremely effective but behind them are an extremely disciplined defense and Mark Schwarzer in goal. Barring the Alexander Madlung away strike, there have been no "cheap goals" given up by the Cottagers.

Liverpool driven by Benayoun gets goals from Kuyt, Lucas, and a brace from El Nino to put them ahead. Benfica pays a price for their high line as Torres destroys them with his pace and finish. Oscar Cardoso embellishes his free taking prowess for Benfica's only goal.

Liverpool with a 5-3 aggregate will meet Torres's old club Atletico Madrid in the first semi-final.

A note: A lot of the frothing over Rafa Benitez seems to have dried up. He has acknowledged making big mistakes over the years which for a man who is commonly accused of being an aloof and expedient personality, is nothing short of a confessional.

The German media toasted birthday boy Franck Ribery, whose powerful closing arguments got Rafael thrown out. The critical moment turned the match in their favour.

Ribery is as slippery as an eel and he also has a forked tongue. He and Robben are the best things that have happened to Bayern for a long, long time. I remember watching Bayern and their boring, unimaginative football on FSC when they had Michael Ballack. It was quite a turn off.

With Ribbery and Robbery, it seems to be a fun club to follow.

Suspended for five games for throwing a drink bottle at a fan after the match between Hannover and Hamburg ended in a draw. The full bottle is supposed to have struck the fan's shoulder.

Fans started jeering when the Hamburg striker began walking off the field when the incident occurred.

In addition he got slapped with a $26,700 fines by the German federation and an undisclosed club record fine. He is also supposed to meet with the fan and apologize. To be fair the fan also needs a bit of attitude adjustment.

Last week, it was Kevin McDonald of Burnley who exited Turf Moor at half time to go to a nearby pub. City by halftime had hammered in 5 goals, so there needs to be some context to his momentary lapse of reason. He was fined and has since then apologized. Brian Laws also confirmed that McDonald would be included in the Hull City away game.

Theo Walcott isn't just being lambasted for not having a "footballing brain" he is being targeted by the "pink shoes" mafia.

Walcott's lonely vigil and footwear choice at the Camp Nou was not appreciated by a certain Mr Richard Keys of Sky Sports. Keys is a sort of legend when it comes to off camera gaffes.

You can listen to the audio >>

"He's at a select level, being the best in the world and a star at Barcelona. Leo is playing kick-about with Jesus.There are moments when you are invaded by loneliness, but you have to be strong so you don't end up doing things one did.I told him I'd done my thing, now he has to make his career and at the end we'll see who was the greatest of all time. But he's on the right path. I saw that he's mature and full of will.How could I not be happy for Messi to win the World Cup. The Maradona and Pele polemics will end and the best thing is that Messi is Argentine."
More..

Ferguson's end of the game match analysis.

This is who Fergie needs in his side to beat the germans for sure the next time around.

Bari's Leonardo Bonucci is attracting Arsenal's attention

Let the centerback rumour mill kick into overdrive.

One process is to look at all the potential Arsenal departures which could include Mikel Silvestre, Sol Campbell, and William Gallas. So who partners Thomas Vermaelen? The next is to plumb a squad for a 17 to a 22 year old "starlet" with a £10 million price tag or less and voila - we hit the jackpot.

Borussia Dortmund's Neven Subotic and Hamburg's Jerome Boateng are reportedly on the Arsenal radar and Bari defender Leonardo Bonucci, pushing for an Italian national spot is also a target.

As a club Arsenal gets linked with probably anybody and everybody about that age. Strangely, we still have 23 men on the roster.

In Brazil they are inventing different ways to perform the paradinha, literally "the little stop", an unexpected pause just before a penalty is struck that throws goalkeepers out of position with dramatic results. Street style soccer showboating. The paradinha has a long tradition in Brazil first brought to prominence by Pele and continued down the years in the Brazilian league.

However outside of Brazil, few practice it. Cristiano Ronaldo tried it against Petr Cech in the 2008 CL final and failed miserably against the unflappable Czech. Most see it as unsporting behaviour and an unfair advantage to the penalty taker. The issue seems to be vending its way into the upper echelons of FIFA with Sepp Blatter coming out against it.

The video clip shows a too clever by half paradinha that completely fails. The interesting thing is that the penalty taker after spinning around actually commits himself to taking the shot. Perhaps if he had put a paradinha within a paradinha before shooting, it would have yielded better results.

From Brooks Peck " Dirty Tackle" >>

Marouane Chamakh's goal brought Bordeaux tantalizingly close to clinching a CL spot but the all important second goal proved elusive. Bordeaux were cheated out of a penalty as Chamakh brought down in the box by Cris by a clear push to his back.

The outstanding Hugo Lloris made a spectacular save right at the end managing to keep Wendel's powerful header out to deny Bordeaux.

For the first time since 2003, the Premier League will not have a team in the CL semi-finals.

It was a blistering start at Old Trafford by Man Utd who battered a shell shocked Bayern defense into pitiful submission. That is what Wayne Rooney brings just by his presence on the field. Passion, energy, and innovation.

In the 3rd minute, Rafael turns Ribery around and swings a pass across the pitch to Rooney who lays if off for Darren Gibson. The Man Utd striker expecting an entry pass runs ahead but Gibson sends in a scorching shot which leaves Hans Joerg Butt and the Bayern defense rooted to the spot.

Hardly had the shock of such an early goal worn off when Antonio Valencia toying with Holger Badstuber let off a cross which was turned into goal exquisitely by Nani's back heel. We have been privileged to see some beautiful goals by that part of the body. Over the weekend, Joe Cole punishing Utd with the same. Within 6 minutes Man Utd were two up and Van Gaal's boys looked dazed and confused.

In the 40th minute, Valencia took advantage of some shockingly shoddy defending by Martin Demichelis and laid a long pass that ran the length of the Bayern goal straight to an unmarked Nani who belted the ball past Butt. It was looking like Roma all over again.

However, Ivica Olic who should now be given the official sobriquet of the Hardest Working Forward Known To Mankind managed to pull Bayern back from the brink with a goal before half time. Mueller nodded a ball into the box as Carrick and Olic went after it in pursuit, colliding in the process. As the Man Utd holding midfielder went sprawling to the turf, the Croatian stayed on his feet, turned his body around and shot the ball past Van Der Saar from a very acute angle.

The Bayern celebration was relatively muted and Van Gaal did not even react as they still had the business of scoring another goal to bring the aggregate to par.

Minutes into the second half, Rooney aggravated his ankle injury and was forced off. The match turned against Man Utd in the 49th minute as Rafael fouled Ribery. Nicola Rizzoli was immediately swamped by a group of protesting Bayern players led by Ribery. It took some seconds but he fished out a yellow card, Rafael' second having fouled Mark Van Bommel earlier. It was curtains for the Brazilian.

The expulsion proved critical because Arjen Robben teed up for an absolute unbelievable volley from a Ribery corner and the ball flew past Van Der Saar into the far corner. A Rafael on the line might have saved the goal.

The right back position proved to be the Achilles heel for Man Utd as in the first leg, Ribery kept getting the better of Gary Neville. This time it was Rafael's inexperience making them pay.

The match ended with Utd winning 3-2 but with the aggregate tied 4-4, it was Bayern's better away goal record that saw them through. A great comeback just when it looked like Man Utd was going to make it a long night for them.

The match was an engrossing affair. All the goals had a stunning quality to them. Seemingly manufactured out of thin air. However, it took Sir Alex to bring us back to the classier side of the game.

"He's (Rafael) a young boy and showed inexperience, but they got him sent off. They all rushed towards the referee. Typical Germans. You can't dispute that," said Ferguson.

Nice touch. What next? The Spanish Inquisition?

Lightning Rodwell

David Hytner in an article mentions that Arsene Wenger has been monitoring Jack Rodwell, the Everton midfield talent. He seems to suggest that if Cesc Fabregas does leave for Barca as rumoured then Rodwell can step into fill those shoes. Silly season has not even begun! Can Aaron Ramsey take another sickening dose of despondency?

Rodwell is a talent, no doubt but at this point he is just about breaking into Everton's starting squad. Under David Moyes he has had 16 starts this season. Which means he has a steep learning curve ahead of him.

He would be fine as a complement to Fabregas and not as a direct replacement. If Fabregas leaves then Arsenal would have to go and buy someone who can match him. It would make more sense if Rodwell's team mate Mikel Arteta was mentioned. He at least is a finished product.

Fabregas himself was brought to Arsenal as a precocious talent to support an already established group in Vieira, Edu, and Gilberto in the midfield. Injuries and transfers led to his elevated status within two years. However, our present midfield is barely settled. Bringing Rodwell compounds the unsettled look.

The article also mentions that there could be an exodus at center back with Silvestre, Sol Campbell, and Gallas all leaving this summer. Wenger is apparently still keen on bringing Brede Hangeland and Borussia Dortmund's Neven Subotic. And what would transfer gossip be without a mention of Marouane Chamakh, whose locker is getting prepared for his arrival. Or so we've been told.

Disclaimer: I am extremely skeptical that Fabregas will leave for Barca. With Xavi and Iniesta still running the show, it is difficult to see him as anything but a substitute at Camp Nou.

Zesh Rehman against Liverpool: The first British Asian to debut in the Premiership

Ex- Fulham and now Bradford City defender, Zesh Rehman is launching a foundation to bring the game to the large British Asian community. The focus is on developing kids to take up football as a profession and beyond that to contribute to the game in its various capacities.

Rehman was the first Asian to play for a Premiership club when he turned out for Fulham against Liverpool in April 2004. He was also picked up for England's U20 squad but as opportunities for the national team faded, he decided to represent Pakistan, the country of his origins.

Football seems to have bypassed the community at large. Michael Chopra is another name that crops up but these names are few and far in between.

Walsall's Netan Sansara plays for England's U18 and he talks about the difficulties of an Asian playing a sport that seems to suffer from problems ranging from racial stereotypes to little parental support.

Jas Bains, a sports academic wrote scathingly on the lack of British Asian representation in 1996 and a decade later in his follow up dossier he sees little change. Less than 1% of the hundreds of children in Premier League academies are Asians. The original report was ironically titled "Why Asian's Can't Play Football."

In Daniel Burdsley's British Asians and Football: Culture, Identity, Exclusion, the author talks about the opportunities the game provides for forging a British Asian identity. However there are potential pitfalls.

"The central paradox is that the game of football is a key social arena for intercultural dialogue and exchange, and an arena for British Asians to articulate their identities, but it is also a social space that is met with some of the most severe forms of discrimination."

One has to move the subject of participation from the realm of social anthropology to where it really matters: On the pitch. That is why Rehman's work needs to be encouraged. You can visit his site to learn more about him and his work.

"We are at a stage where we're developing players," Wenger said. "[Theo] Walcott is 22; [Nicklas] Bendtner is 22; [Samir] Nasri, [Abou] Diaby and Denílson are 22 or 23. They've shown some great qualities and they'll get stronger every year. We have to add something, for sure, but we have some time to think about that."

I am sure every Gunner fan has some idea of what to add. But Wenger has shown himself to be a contrarian so don't get our hopes up. What I think he did well was to try and bolster team spirit. We still have the Premiership title to play for and next week we meet Spurs, in a crucial derby. A win and Chelsea and Man Utd dropping points and we are right back in the swing.

Tim Vickery highlights how Messi sets up a decoy for other players. Even when not scoring goals at his usual stratospheric standards, Messi brings enough to the game to change the dynamics. He is like Argentina's coach.

"It was superb individual talent placed at the service of the collective - and that is the mark of the truly great player."

The second leg at Old Trafford: 2002-2003 quarterfinals vs Real Madrid

Man Utd meet Bayern with a tiny possibility that Wayne Rooney might play off the bench. The Bundesliga giants get back lightning rod Arjen Robben. They are up 2-1 from their first leg.

For the first time since the 2002-2003 Champions League, there is the real prospect of no Premiership team in the final four.

That year Man Utd were beaten 6-5 on aggregate against Real Madrid in the quarterfinals. In the first leg, Raul's brace with Figo adding a third put Madrid ahead. Van Nistelrooy scored the only goal for the visitors as United lost at the Bernabeu, 3-1.

The return leg saw a pulsating encounter at Old Trafford. Van Nistelrooy's score, a brilliant Beckham free kick and two own goals by Helguera and Hierro were not enough as El Fenomeno's magnificent hat trick puts the Merengues through.

Dimitar Berbatov's classical signs of passivity were on display against Chelsea. He gets another chance at redemption today. Franck Ribery goes up against Gary Neville again with the veteran right back found wanting in the first leg.

Wesley Sneijder's free kick goes through an ill disciplined CSKA Moscow defense and past Igor Akinfeev for an early goal. Countless attempts later it proves to be the winner. Inter wins on a 2-0 aggregate.

It sets up an intriguing semi-final encounter with Barca as Samuel Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic cross paths and their former teams. We know which club got the better monetary deal. But which player made more of a difference to their team's chances? That can be settled with these matches.

A real chuckle. Chris Kamara's genuine surprise at finding out he has missed Anthony Vanden Borre's red card and the mirth that follows.

Barcelona 4 Arsenal 1

Messi shoots down the Gunners

Remember Wenger talking about Arsenal's mental strength as our last refuge? It never showed up as we capitulated to Barca. Remember Theo Walcott and his pre match bombast. The winger and the ball rarely acquainted themselves at the Camp Nou. Remember Emmanuel Petit saying "I've never seen them outplayed like that before" after the first leg. Well, that was just a warm up.

In truth, we do not have to go to Davy Jones locker to unearth a reason. The cold splash of reality is we were a collection of players of varying and motley talent thrown together with just a thread of composure playing against a well oiled system. A system that threw up tentacles around the ball and held onto it in a stifling display of possession. A system that danced a breathtaking waltz as Arsenal tried breaking into it country cousin style. A system for all its big name talent did the blue collar work reminiscent of an English club. A system that is built on a time honoured tradition of the cantera, of Catalan pride, of blood brothers. We have nothing remotely like it and the one player we have, they want too.

What we had was a rorschach- a sea of blue and gray that rapidly compressed and expanded as the Barca players immediately crowded an Arsenal player when he did get hold of the ball forcing him off and began a wave of rolling possession that crashed repeatedly on the shores of Arsenal's goal through Leo Messi who was due again for a big game. This time he got four. Yes, if Argentina does not win the World Cup then it really is Diego Maradona's fault. And Mikel Silvestre did get the assist on that equalizer.

Yet, we come back to the question. Would you want Nicklas Bendtner as your ballroom partner? Heavy footed and leaden headed. Abou Diaby sends in a perfect entry pass and the Danish striker makes a meal of it as his feet get tangle up. Clichy lays the only perfect cross of the game and Bendtner with the whole goal at disposal heads the ball into the post. Saved by an offside flag. It was a wincing display. These were the opportunities that one should have buried given our lack of possession. One more goal would have gotten our tails up.

Even Arsenal's only goal was a touch and go affair with an empty goal Bendtner hit his shot into Valdes but the ball fortuitously rebounded back for a second attempt.

Arsenal's game plan also called for Bendtner taking on the underutilized Rafa Marquez and Gabriel Milito through service provided from the flanks but for that one exception, the crosses from Clichy and Sagna never arrived. The Barca chokehold also meant that Bendtner got pushed back deeper into ball retrieval duty. Rarely was he in position.

The other was Theo using his blistering speed but again except for the first goal, he was shackled quite effectively by Abidal and Busquets and later Maxwell. One can also fault him for not trying much harder to break free. He was a non-entity in the second half.

Tomas Rosicky had a terrible match. His usual assured touch deserted him and he muffed a clear goalscoring opportunity that could have brought Arsenal back. Samir Nasri's role was not quite clear, he played a very high line almost as second striker which meant less creation. As holding midfielder, Diaby showed a couple of nice touches - his pass set Walcott racing upfield for Bendtner's goal but he was guilty of the wrong choice a few minutes later as he sought out Bendtner and not Walcott. He was however no Song in his defensive capabilities. Tackling tentatively and easily dispossessed. He did little to disrupt Barca's game. Clearly there was little composure in midfield and in attack.

Silvestre provided Messi a nice clean pass for the first goal. Other than that he was not the complete disaster. A case of marking Messi better could be made for his second and fourth goals but the little Argentinian was at his mercurial best. Leaving a swath of scrambling defenders in his wake. In general, the defense under great pressure played quite cohesively. Almunia had his nervous moments but he was not the reason Arsenal lost.

Our focus should now be on trying to maximize our slim chances of winning the Premiership. But this loss brings clearly to focus - if we are the Premiership best at keeping the ball then we are left with the horrifying prospect of English teams not winning the CL for a long time.

They are bandying about speeds of the speeds of various footballers and Walcott's impressive afterburner display against Maxwell has them agog.

Walcott has been timed at 10:37 seconds in the 100 meters. Usain Bolt the world record holder ran it in 9:58 seconds, so Walcott's performance is very commendable.

For where Walcott would have stood in history with his timing, we would have to go back to 1932 when Ralph Metcalf and Eddie Tolan clocked 10:3. Jesse Owens ran a 10:2 in 1934. The 10 second barrier was broken by Jim Hines at the 1968 Mexico Olympics when he won the gold medal in 9:95 seconds.

Good news for Stuart Holden and US soccer fans. The Bolton winger will be back to full training two weeks from now and available for the last two Premiership games. Plenty of time to get up to speed for the World Cup.

Holden fractured his right fibula after Nigel De Jong's came thundering in with a studs up tackle in a friendly against Holland on March 3rd.

Holden on the World Cup:

"The World Cup is the bigger goal in mind. It's been a dream of mine to play in a World Cup so now that the opportunity is so close I'm going to do every little thing that I can control to put myself in the best possible position."

Apparently it will be.....

Watch More Football Highlights at MySoccerPlace.net

Congratulations to Chris Hughton and the Toons as they return to the Premiership after a year. Their entry was sealed as Nottingham Forest could only manage a goalless draw at home to Cardiff City in the afternoon.

Later on Monday evening they beat Sheffield United through a Peter Lovenkrands penalty and Kevin Nolan's stunning scissor kick after Richard Creswell put the visiting team ahead.

The ups and downs that the Toons faced with relegation, an unpopular owner in Mike Ashley, enduring the loss of Sir Bobby Robson, a beloved figure, and suffering the ignominy of St James Park being named Sportsdirect.com @ St James' Park Stadium for mercenary reasons. But they are heading back to the pinnacle of the English league and financially solvent unlike Pompey.

They got goals from practically everyone - Kevin Nolan, Andy Carroll, Peter Lovenkrands, Shola Ameobi, and even defenders like Ryan Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini. A magnificent team effort. Nolan was magnificent picking up the Championship player of the year award as he scored 14 goals and created scoring opportunities for many more. That scissor kick was the cherry on pie.

Congratulations to the Toon army!

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be missing in the game against Arsenal which means that Dani Alves and Xavi will miss out on the big target man.

Of course, this does not mean a thing and an undersized Messi was able to nod a picture perfect Xavi cross against Man Utd in last year's CL final for Barca's second goal. However it means that Alves will have less of an outlet which means policing him becomes easier. Clichy has to pen him back with his forays forward keeping him honest.

Three areas in which Barca's remains vulnerable:

Goalkeeping: Victor Valdes

Barca's goalkeeper is much improved but he is a bit like Manuel Almunia. He does not have exceptional athletic ability and remains susceptible to lapses in concentration. In all reality he should have stopped Walcott's first goal but he was caught out of position and reacted too late.

A few snapshots could test him and Arsenal should be encouraged to have a go at goal without overindulging their passing game.

Central defense: A more direct approach

With Barca missing out on their usual center pairing of Gerard Pique and Carlos Puyol, the onus lies on Rafa Marquez and Gabriel Milito who have seen only minimal exposure this season.

This offers Arsenal considerable opportunity through the air and a more direct route. Sagna's cross saw Bendtner score that last gasp goal against Wolves which should provide a template for more of the same with Clichy and Sagna providing the big Danish striker with service. Bendtner did get close on a couple of occasions at the Emirates in the first leg.

Nasri and Rosicky's quickness could pressure Marquez and Milito into fouls giving set piece opportunities.

Left back: Walcott's speed and going wide

Maxwell was turned inside out by Theo Walcott's speed in the first leg. There is a chance that Eric Abidal might start in that position. But the end result is that Walcott's speed poses problems no matter who Guardiola plays in that position. His pace poses problems not just for the Barca defense but for Arsenal their dilemma is to keep pace and get players into the forward positions for Walcott to turn provider. What Walcott's needs is to make better decisions in a game.

Wenger might prefer to start Eboue and introduce Walcott as shock therapy in the second half.

What Arsenal needs to do to its game:

Doing more with less possession:

Against Barca, The Gunners suffered a huge possession disadvantage. 62% to 38% and in the passing game Barca enjoyed a 2:1 edge completing a mindboggling 533 passes to Arsenal's 265 passes. However, for all the adverse statistics the match tied 2-2.

In a strange way, the first leg introduced a relatively foreign concept into Arsenal's game- a relatively higher efficiency rate given the paucity of possession. We scored two goals off six shots on goal. This is much better than our domestic league performance when we run up the possession stats with less to show for. Given the fact that Barca's possession superiority is reality, this will need to continue.

Physicality and strategic confinement:

What Arsenal needs to do better is to limit the Barca possession to more neutral territory. Which means taking care of Xavi and Busquets, holding midfielders who control the tempo and possession of the game before they become dangerous, and boxing out Messi from his mesmerizing inside lateral shifts. Closing down space, disrupting the passing lanes, and smart tackles. It was a relatively quiet night for the Argentinian maestro at the Emirates but you know he is due for a big one. The Gunners have to up the physicality ante and force Barca into lots of garbage possession. Call it strategic containment.

Lapses in concentration and cheap goals:

These are not mutually exclusive concepts. In fact, Arsenal's strength of character comes now exclusively from its reputation that it is a second half team, actually make that the last third of the match.

True grit is very English but it is not going to win you games against a team like Barca. It is a highly overrated concept. Playing smart is far better. That means maintaining consistent levels of attention at the outset, at the end of halves, and pretty much throughout the match. The goals scored against Arsenal came not from known threats, it came from mental lapses, as players got caught out of position or failed to mark their man.

In social psychology, Arsenal is a team that thrives on external attributes to motivate themselves, a sign of a young team. Going behind brings out a reactive mode as we saw against Man Utd, Chelsea, and Barca but it is hard to come out ahead against such good teams. Far more efficient would be to eliminate the chances of such adversity coming to pass. Arsenal has to take the initiative.

Also read Emmanuel Petit for his look into how to deal with Barca >>

Without Song we don't have a prayer.

Well, not quite but close. He was the one player in Barca's feverish swamp that remained busy trying to disrupt their attack. At their back trying to peck the ball away with his long legs. He reminded me of a trapping basketballer trying to stop Kobe Bryant off the dribble. When Gallas was injured he relocated to the center back position with Abou Diaby moving up to holding midfielder.

Diaby and Denilson will most likely be pressed into service to center of midfield with both having doubtful holding qualities. It is remarkable how Diaby gets easily dispossessed of the ball. He was a step slower and his passing was awry. Denilson is no passer either but he did have a decent game against Barca. This is the part of the midfield where we should at least try and fight to get 40% of the possession which would be a boon because with Barca they will get their usual 60% or more.

To make matters worse, Sol Campbell is doubtful too. Which means that Mikael Silvestre might make the trip. The Barca attack just got a nice big center channel to goal. Messi and Xavi should be able to impose their will. The other area is down the right flank with Dani Alves roaming at will against Clichy.

A 4-2-3-1 with Nasri behind Bendtner and Rosicky to his left and Walcott on the right. I do hope Sol is cleared and he will pair Vermaelen at center with Sagna on his usual right and Clichy to the left.

Indications are that there are feverish preparations afoot to get Wayne Rooney out on the pitch in time for visiting Bayern. Against Chelsea, the Man Utd squad without Rooney lacked any serious goal threat. The 17th April estimated arrival has been pushed forward.

Another rushed injury recovery and Fabio Capello could have a war of words with Sir Alex. With every passing day, the window of time to recuperate between now and the World Cup becomes smaller and tensions rise.

In other news. Rooney's injury is being used by Gordon Brown as analogy for England's economic recovery. Labour's election agenda include giving back control of the clubs to their supporters and in Rooney's case use their concern about a national hero's condition as another way of reconnecting with voters.

Joining Karl Henry in the moaning after is Raymond Domenech, a man whose squad selection is determined on arbitrary factors like astrological signs. He also relies on sleight of hand for France to qualify for the World Cup.

As France's national coach, Domenech was incensed by Wenger's decision to play William Gallas so soon after his injury and called it "outrageous and irresponsible". Gallas re-aggravated his calf injury against Barca and maybe out for 5 weeks. He might just be ready in time for the World Cup.

Can we do with a little less hyperbole?

Wenger makes a good point. Gallas personally declared himself fit and the medical staff also cleared him- so for all practical purposes it was believed that he was ready to play.

Watching the Barca blitzkreig one also saw players stretched to their limits to provide defensive cover. The match led to a number players suffering some form of injury. Gallas is already out, so is Fabregas and Arshavin. But even Clichy had to miss the Wolves match.

A nice sedate stroll in the park without Gallas's re-injuring himself would have delayed the inevitable longer layoff. Domenech should actually be thankful that the Barca match brought Gallas to the end of his season. He gets longer to recuperate as the Arsenal staff get him ready for World Cup duty.

However, just maybe and with Domenech anything is possible, he is already preparing grounds for France's failure in the World Cup. After losing to Spain, Domenech dismissive, "There's nothing to worry about" should tell you volumes about the bubble he lives in.

The clincher is that Gallas gets paid by the club. Wenger is well within his rights to play him as he sees fit.

Our goalscoring swoon continues but a win is a win and at this stage we will take them no matter how they come. Arsenal are the kardiac kids of the Premiership and the supporters are down to their last fingernail.

Eduardo is not the same player. The fox in the box is gone- in his place we have a player still carrying the scars, psychic and physical, of that horrific injury suffered two years ago. There were two chances that he should have put away with ease but his finishing and composure let him down badly. But that quality was lacking in general in the rest of the team as a number of simple chances were flubbed by Rosicky and Walcott. 13 attempts on goal and only one to show for it.

The main point is the team soldiered on and Bendtner for all the brickbats he receives, reminds us once again that he can score absolute clutch goals.

We are now only a point behind Man Utd and a win separates us and Chelsea. The gaffer spoke after the match:

"To win after the Champions League game that we had is always satisfying.

"When Nicklas pushed himself he is always a dangerous striker and I believe he is maturing."

Meanwhile, Karl Henry whose red card meant that Wolves played 10 man for the last 20 minutes has been caught moaning. Bad practice before his club's appeal. He won't get any points for it. Making a boneheaded tackle like that should get you punished.

Araujo Ilan pulled of a brilliant diving header with about 3 minutes left on the clock to give West Ham a desperately needed point in their struggle to avoid relegation.

Barcelona demolish Athletic Bilbao 4 -1 to go ahead of Real Madrid in the rankings..

6 goals against a Burnley defence that seemed to be in sleepwalking mode.

Arsenal keep their hopes alive with a late show from Bendtner..

Simon Banks will be remembered for this match for a particularly egregious oversight. Didier Drogba's goal which was the difference between a tie and a win was clearly offside.

United was clearly not in the game in the first half. On the other hand Chelsea were calm, composed, and efficient. Florent Malouda who has become about as important as Didier Drogba to Chelsea's title aspirations provided a typically muscular move down the left flank batting aside the Utd defense as he laid a pass across goal which was finished off sweetly by Joe Cole's clever backheel.

It was not till the 60th minute that Man Utd started buzzing swamping Chelsea with crosses and entry passes that came tantalizingly close but not unable to close the deal. It took Nani and Kiko Macheda to break the logjam. A hint of a handball but the Italian continues to burnish his credentials as the next Ole Gunnar Soljskaer. Game on.

The game was heading to a nerve wracking finish with Man Utd supporters exhibiting various modes of acting out but Chelsea introduced Michael Ballack, the grim reaper to close down shop. They did so effectively as they saw the last 10 minutes out in relative comfort.

Big blow to both Man Utd and Arsenal's chances to now win the Premiership title. They are not yet out but it has become a lot more difficult. Hopes rest on a crucial match at Anfield when the Blues come visiting.

Wayne Rooney was sorely missed. In his place, Dimitar Berbatov who continues to exasperate. He was there but as his wont, not quite there. With two slot strikers, the Man Utd attack kept drifting back with no one filling the void up front. Service was not an issue. A particularly defining moment was when Ryan Giggs cleverly lofted a pass late in the game. Clearly, a striker of Rooney's directness would have belted the volley past Cech but Berbatov tamely surrendered to the Chelsea goalkeeper. He was the most disappointing player on display. I don't see Man Utd holding onto him much longer.

Old Trafford has been a veritable fortress and Man Utd surprisingly for all of Rooney's magnificent contribution have shown that they really do not need him when he is absent.

They have won the last nine games that he has missed. A streak that goes back to December 2008. However Carlo Ancelotti does not see that way as he believes that Rooney's absence favours Chelsea. .

"Everyone knows how Wayne Rooney is important for this team, he is a fantastic player," said Ancelotti. "He has had a fantastic season but his injury could be an advantage for us."

Ancelotti will be well cautioned that Utd are not just Rooney. I suspect he already knows this because his team have also done well without their talisman, Didier Drogba in the last two matches.

Drogba does gets back. But his return is a mixed blessing because in his presence the other attackers have turned in subterranean performances, chiefly Nicholas Anelka and Frank Lampard. The 7-1 drubbing of Villa saw the best of Malouda, Anelka, and especially Lampard as a roving destroyer while Drogba was out recuperating from an injury.

Man Utd's attacking responsibilities lie on the narrow shoulders of Dimitar Berbatov whose talent while unquestionable, the same thing cannot be said of his application. Park Ji Sung and Antonio Valencia will be Man Utd's main counterattacking threats. An advantage they enjoy over the slower more deliberate Chelsea midfield.

The Utd game is also much wider which favours a lot of crossing into the box opening up scoring opportunities. The Chelsea attack predicates itself around set pieces and an attack that sweeps from the left to the center, so if Gary Neville and Antoni Valencia tracking back can keep Malouda from supplying Drogba then there is a good chance of a win.

As an Arsenal fan, a tied game would be desirable and coupled with a Wolves win, the Gunners could be just two points from pole position. So lets keep our fingers crossed.

Vitoria Guimarães will feel unjustly done by this loss. Check out the foul which led to Braga's second penalty which Meyong converts to give them the lead. Renteria, the Braga striker is fouled by Valdomiro 10 yards from the box but there is no whistle and so play continues till he is well into the box and when he misses the goal, a penalty is called.

The winning penalty was similar in that Renteria makes incidental contact with Andrezinho, manages to stay on his feet and goes around the Guimarães player but then loses his footing and goes to ground. There is no contact or foul. Again a penalty is called. Meyong wins it for Braga on the stroke.

Awful refereeing. I hope he is suspended. As for Braga, they close to within three points of Benfica and might have just bagged a surprise second CL spot.

After their 7-1 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea, the naysayers are really piling on Aston Villa. From John Terry to ex- Villa defender, Gary Cahill now at Bolton, the club that they face this weekend.

So I say, Villa go ahead and prove the critics wrong. You have the talent and a manager that is taking the club in the right direction. You still have an outside chance of making it to fourth.

More reason for the refs to get faster..

There is no way a player with an already broken leg could have played an entire game like Cesc Fabregas did against Barca.

He broke it in the Carlos Puyol tackle and his heroics stand but to speculate that he was sent to the pitch because the Arsenal medical staff were trying to hoodwink Wenger into believing his fitness is quite irresponsible.

This is not to say that preceding injuries have no part to play in his cracked fibula- injuries accumulate and with Craig Gardner's mistimed tackle and Puyol's collision occurring on the same area of the leg, and/or the impact of the penalty (he really whacked the ball), all could have contributed to the fracture. A very unfortunate sequence of events indeed.

Wenger on Cesc's injury:

"We have two independent doctors with x-rays who clarified that situation, that the bone was perfectly okay -- a bruised bone, but not broken before the game."

It would be a reversal of roles with Wenger usually quick to condemn national coaches for exposing players to injury. But Spain is also surely watching with some degree of anxiety and the blame game can go both ways. I don't think Arsenal with its stable of international players, many who are going to the World Cup are willing to risk their reputation.

RSC Anderlecht's Romelu Lukaku at the age of 16 years and 10 months becomes the Belgian league's top scorer with 15 goals in 24 games. He started in 15 of them because his father wants him to complete school and Anderlecht's coach Aerial Jacobs mindful of that desire, uses him sparingly.

He is already inviting comparisons to Didier Drogba, in his blazing speed, spatial awareness, and towering physicality. At 6' 4" and 196 lbs he is quite a handful. The clip above showcases these attributes quite emphatically. He will go far under the right manager.

For the record Chelsea have already come knocking and offered the Belgian club £10m for Lukaku's services. No April Fool's joke. Paul Doyle's article has a bit of an interview which reveals a player who has not gotten ahead of himself.

For those clubs who miss out on him, his younger brother, Jordan, in Anderlecht's youth ranks is also creating waves. So look out for those Lukaku brothers.

Something you don't see very often. Avispa Fukuoka's Jun Suzuki scores this wonder goal direct from a corner in J-League 2 .

Football authorities have been secretly testing the Segways which will finally help refs to keep up with players like Theo Walcott, Gabby Agbonlahor and Aaron Lennon who generally manage to run a good bit faster than them.( Faster than the refs that is,not the football authorities)Almost everyone can run faster than the football authorites,except perhaps very old ladies.
Anyway it will no longer be said that the referee was nowhere near the incident because, with this,he will be.....!
Really.

Pim Verbeek needs help with the Socceroos and the FFA tapped crocked David Beckham to be his assistant.

Listen to Beckham's interview with ABC.

Quite a good little impersonation.

Inter's bad boy blinks first and issues a statement of contrition.

"I apologise for the situation that has been created in recent times."

"I am the first to suffer because I adore playing football and I would like to play."

Jose Mourinho had demanded an apology and last month brought Inter to Stamford Bridge minus Balotelli which set off media speculation over the striker's future at the club.

The forgotten club of Portugal in recent years taken over by Porto and Sporting Clube has been having a great season sitting on top of the league. They last won the title in 2005.

Oscar Cardozo (a big physical striker, Arsene?) has torched the opposition with 19 goals scored and the tall Paraguayan has been backed admirably by Javier Saviola's 11. Benfica's midfield has the quality of Pablo Aimar , Angel Di Maria, and Ramires. 61 goals scored in 24 matches with Porto a distant second with 50 goals scored. In defense the Brazilian pairing of Luisao and David Luiz has given up only 12 goals for a gaudy differential of + 49. Contrast this with second placed Braga's +19 for a indication of their dominance.

All that talent on the pitch were hard pressed by an energized Liverpool squad. The Reds went ahead through a delectable Daniel Agger flick of a Steven Gerrard free kick. The match turned around when Ryan Babel was ejected after getting into a spat with Luisao in which he pushed the Brazilian's face. The Dutchman was reacting to Luisao's foul on Torres.

For the next hour Liverpool played with 10 men. Benfica began exerting control over the match as the quality of Aimar, Di Maria, and Cardozo came through. Di Maria especially with his crosses and shot making kept Reina busy.

The breakthrough came when Cardozo's powerful free kick smacked the upright and came back to Aimar who was brought down by Insua. Cardozo smashed the PK past Reina. Di Maria's work down the left was rewarded minutes later as his cross caught Carragher on the hand and Jonas Eriksson had no hesitation pointing to the penalty spot. Cardozo duly completed his penalty double.

Rafa Benitez can be pleased with the result. Liverpool get an important away goal. A great position to be in for the second leg at home next week.

Roy Hodgson and Fulham's fulsome season continue as goals scored by Bobby Zamora and Damien Duff ensure victory over Wolfsburg. Fabio Capello's radar should by now include Zamora, the ex- West Ham striker who has come alive with a flurry of goals. He also set up Duff's goal holding the ball nicely and then passing to the incoming Irishman to blast home.

Wolfsburg for their part should be pleased with the away goal as Alexander Madlung nodded in a Zvjezdan Misimović cross past Mark Schwarzer.

A small crack in the right fibula will keep Arsenal's captain out for 6 weeks effectively ending his season.

He should however be ready in time for Spain's World Cup campaign.

An accumulation of trauma to the same leg initiated with Craig Gardner's tackle in the Birmingham match and then colliding with Carlos Puyol which led to the penalty.

It is very possible that Cesc took the penalty on an already cracked fibula- the adrenaline pumping at that huge moment must have masked the pain.

"When I took the penalty, I was quite strong, but after when I went to get the ball, I could not walk any more," said Fabregas after the match.

This is a big blow not just because of what Cesc brings to the game, it is now more of who he is to the game. His skills are transparent but he has grown as a leader right before our eyes. Arsenal's captains have provided diffident or temperamental leadership under Thierry Henry and William Gallas. With Cesc, there is an unflustered lead by example quality. An attractive brand sorely needed in the helter skelter end to this season.

We are also missing other key players in various parts of the field.

William Gallas's calf problem will keep him out for three weeks - a shorter time than previously thought. Arshavin faces a similar amount of time away from the pitch.

"William had a recurrence of his calf strain. That is at least three weeks," said Wenger. "I took a gamble that didn't pay off. Yes I regret that now. Arshavin has also done his calf. Three weeks."

With these injuries - Arsenal's season is on the bubble. Does Wenger try and continue his quest for European glory or devote his attention to the slim chances of a Premiership title? A depleted roster of players makes both very difficult.

We have upcoming fixtures against teams jostling for fourth position with an away game at Spurs and home for City. Those are going to be physically and emotionally draining matches. And our final encounter is with Fulham who are having quite a season. We need to have a core of players who can continue functioning and functioning at peak before all the madness ends.

On the bright side, we have the potential for a fully functioning midfield even with these losses.

In Cesc's place, Samir Nasri will have to step up. To be fair, Nasri has shown signs of already doing that when the Arsenal captain was injured earlier in the season. He showed his attacking flair in the Porto match and against Barca, his tandem with Bendtner led to the Walcott goal. As for Walcott, the goal which was observed by Fabio Capello, should give him a boost in self confidence. Wenger has been very sparing with Walcott and this is the time to give him more minutes. The same should be expected from Tomas Rosicky.

On the defensive end. Alexander Song was the only consistently disruptive force in that Barca siege- so he needs to continue his form both against Barca and the rest of the Premiership.

Sol Campbell's lack of speed against the speed of Messi and Xavi would have been a liability but now Wenger will have no choice but to include him as Thomas Vermaelen's partner on central defense.

More Arsenal players added to the 'doubtful' list of starters for the Wolves game.

Denilson who had a solid game against Barca has a groin strain and Gael Clichy seems to have re-aggravated his back problem. Having to chase Dani Alves can do that. They may not make the cut.

In a silver lining, Robin Van Persie might see some action before the season is over. His rehabilitation seems to be going very well. We could do with some sorely needed firepower. He was on a tear with 7 goals before being stricken down.

Wenger after the Barca match:

" The regret I have tonight is, and I don't deny we did play against a great side, but we gave away two cheap goals. I believe the way we gave the ball away today is beyond understanding. "

Could pretty much be said for both Chelsea and Man Utd matches. Giving away cheap goals is now an Arsenal staple so is there a plan B in mind? Otherwise this is just a drive by statement.

More bad news for the Gunners as three key players are out for lengthy periods of time.

Cesc Fabregas is feared out for the rest of the season while Andriy Arshavin is out for three weeks. William Gallas season is over.

Fabregas would not have made the Barca second leg picking up his second card but the results of bone scan will be available later today to confirm, if indeed he has a fractured fibula. Which might mean a 6-8 week stay away from the pitch.

Gallas was recovering from a partial tear of the calf muscle with intramuscular bleeding. Wenger took a gamble with his return and it did not pan out as planned.

This has implications for Gallas beyond this season and his frequent injuries may tempt Wenger into not re-negotiating more than a year on his contract. If this proves unacceptable then the Frenchman might be gone.

Arshavin picked up a calf injury that has compounded what can only be called a frustrating season for the Russian playmaker.

Brilliant in patches but with moments of sauntering casualness that are at odds with the English game. Perhaps it is a learning curve but Arshavin as a famously free spirit has to come to some sort of self realization because I don't see him taking too kindly to Wenger putting a fatherly arm around him and saying, " Son, it's not just Liverpool in the league."

Choosing a headline is a tricky task. In Arsenal's case one that reads "Arsenal rally magnificently to level score" or "Cesc heartbreaker: Camp Nou return out for Arsenal's talisman" or "Almunia's heroics keep the Gunners in contention" would be equally applicable.

But even the most subjective partisan Arsenal fan would concede that Barca were the superior team in almost every aspect. Statistics rarely lie.

Barcelona enjoyed almost two- thirds of the possession and outshot the Gunners 17-6. The first 20 minutes were a siege on Almunia who was absolutely heroic saving about a half dozen sure goals. And rarely did the ball stray over to the Barca side as the unnerved Gunners forgot even the most rudimentary tenets of ball possession. The sight of Carlos Puyol outsprinting Bendtner brought groans from the most cynical of fans. We were Sunderland to their Arsenal. Minus Rory Delap.

Dani Alves was given the keys to London and thundered up the Emirates stadium unchecked pushing the ball without a Gunner in sight to challenge him. Even to the most casual observer, it was obvious that the Barca attack was emanating down the right flank. Yet Clichy and Samir Nasri were seemingly powerless to stop him.

The first serious intention was Nasri breaking free down the left and curling a ball just beyond the far post to relieve the pressure. But the reprieve proved Pyrrhic as first Arshavin and then Gallas left because of injury. Wenger was forced into making two injury substitutions bringing on Denilson and Emmanuel Eboue. The most serious blow was Fabregas picking up his second card after a clean foul on Busquets which ruled him out of the second leg. The Arsenal captain squatting on his haunches looked devastated. He so fiercely wanted this- a homecoming to his proud Catalan roots.

Arsenal is at its most vulnerable in the initial minutes and the waning minutes of the halves. To escape without a goal scored in the first half was to understate that relief.

Did I mention that we are most vulnerable in the opening minutes?

In the first minute of the second half- Zlatan Ibrahimovic, that over rated, costly boondoggle of a striker was allowed to sneak away from the defenders after Pique thumped a long ball and Almunia reverting to type allowed a really cheap goal. I was just about getting my beer when the Barca crowd erupted at the Central Bar. Quite stunning. The second goal was equally cheap as Xavi caught out a dawdling defense again with Ibrahimovic thumping his second goal over hapless Almunia.

Joan Laporta must have been relieved because paying this much money for Ibrahimovic could become an election issue. In between the two goals the much maligned Bendtner whose aerial flicks were much of his contribution so far was able to put in a stinging header straight into the hands of Victor Valdes. But that constituted the extent of the Arsenal threat.

Just when it was all looking very bleak for the Gunners, Wenger introduced Theo Walcott - the man with "no footballing brain". With his speed he waltzed by Maxwell and though he did make some nowhere passes, for the first time Barca looked discomfited. The breakthrough came three minutes after his introduction when Nasri and Bendtner's slick combination found Walcott free on the right and the winger slid home a shot under Victor Valdes. The Emirates faithful had reason to believe. And the goal provided the Gunners with alacrity and momentum.

Thierry Henry came onto the field to a very generous reception but fortunately Arsenal's record goalscorer did little of note. It was left to Cesc to pluck himself out of the shadows of Xavi for one crucial moment as he was brought down by Puyol in the box. The referee had no hesitation. Up stepped Fabregas on adrenaline and a broken leg and thumped the ball past Valdes as the Emirates erupted in relief.

Brave, brave Fabregas almost Derek Redmond like saw out the remaining minutes hobbling in pain on a suspected fractured fibula that will keep him out for the rest of the season.

Three key players missing for the Barca leg is a huge blow but there are two things that should buoy Arsenal. The second leg is not a dead rubber as feared and Barca are without Puyol and Pique. It might mean heavens forbid, the potential for Bendtner doing a number. A 1-0 win and we are through. Do we dare dream?

SA has found a cosmetic quick fix to the problem of poverty and homelessness."Thousands of homeless people are being forced off the streets of South Africa to hide the scale of poverty there from World Cup fans.More than 800 tramps, beggars and street children have already been removed from Johannesburg and sent to remote settlements hundreds of miles away.And in Cape Town, where England face Algeria on June 18, up to 300 have been moved to Blikkiesdorp camp where 1,450 families are crammed in a settlement of tin huts designed for just 650 people."
It is quite unlikely that any of the revenue generated by tourism,ticket sales,advertising etc is ever going to find it's way to these who need it the most.

Barca ran rings around Arsenal for most of the game - all sublime passing and ball possession.A lesser man than Wenger would have been driven to drink.That the final scoreline read 2 all is mostly due to a good bit of luck and a dodgy penalty decision.