May 2010 Archives

The Spanish national team with Vicente Del Bosque was at hand to see their junior counterparts take on England in a losing effort.

The English were able to overcome the Spanish brand of short, sharp passes as the game progressed even after going down a goal. They showed some nice bits of passing themselves and it is all down to the fact that John Peacock, the U17 coach has been consciously changing the England game to resemble more the Spanish one. Short passing game with English qualities of grit and physicality- sounds like a recipe for future success.

The USA's final lap at Philadelphia before departing for SA

Danny Jordaan, the CEO of South Africa's World Cup Committee had a message for the US on their arrival at Oliver Tambo International Airport.

"The USA won the hearts of many South Africans when they made it to the final of the FIFA Confederations Cup last year and we welcome them back to South Africa. With over 136,000 tickets already sold to their fans, the USA will be followed by many passionate fans in the coming weeks," said Jordaan

The US is back to the country where they achieved their greatest international success a year ago. Bob Bradley talks about the advantage of being in familiar surroundings.

As for success, Sir Alex Ferguson is picking the USA to be the second team behind England of course, to progress to the round of 16. He got a look at both Donovan and Dempsey when Everton and Fulham recorded memorable victories against Man Utd.

Meanwhile, each US player when arriving at the hotel in Pretoria got a brightly coloured vuvuzela as a gift. Hope they have enough breath left for their first training session.

The USA meet Slovenia on June 18th in what could be a very crucial match. One of the players to watch out for: Milivoje Novakovic

At 6' 4" the FC Koln striker is a physically imposing striker with undoubted aerial abilities and for a man of his height, exceptionally quick with very good ball control. He is as tall as Peter Crouch with a bit more muscle and better skill.

Novakovic is also one of the better examples of a striker whose club record matches his international output. He has been a mainstay of FC Koln and his 2008 record of 20 goals propelled Christoph Daum's team from the second tier to the Bundesliga 1. He followed that up with 16 goals in the top tier. Following these performances, he was given the sobriquet "Novagol" by adoring fans. Daum promoted him to the captaincy which he subsequently lost after a dispute with new coach Zvonimir Soldo.

2009 also proved productive internationally as Novakovic scored both goals in Slovenia's critical win over Slovakia to keep up their World Cup qualifying momentum. In all he top scored with five goals in 12 qualifiers and proved to be a constant threat in the box as Robert Koren, Valter Birsa, Necj Pecnik, and Andraž Kirm provided him enough service.

Novakovic is somewhat of a late bloomer when it comes to scoring goals and at the age of 31 he might be approaching his peak just in time for the World Cup. Slovenia's greatest moment came when they beat the heavily favoured Russians at Maribor in the playoffs to win a spot the 2010 World Cup. Novakovic along with captain Robert Koren, and goalkeeper Samir Handanovic provide the backbone to this Slovenian squad.

However, as the Slovenians themselves clearly point out, they stress their success to playing as a collective rather than on any individual. Which makes Novakovic all the more dangerous.

Novakovic stats: 37 caps/ 14 goals.

Novakovic scoring for Slovenia against Slovakia >>

Every four years the World Cup provides a forum to condemn a "rogue nation."

In 2006, Senator John McCain introduced a Senate resolution advocating a World Cup ban on Iran, one of the original " Axis of Evil". Fortunately, FIFA held firm in its policy to disregard such politically loaded demands and McCain's resolution went nowhere.

This time it is North Korea, part of the same "Axis of Evil". The North Koreans arrive at the World Cup following accusations by the South Koreans of causing the unprovoked sinking of one of their naval ships that claimed the lives of 46 sailors this March.

The incident has sparked an international crisis with war a real threat between the two neighbours with the North Koreans in possession of an undisclosed arsenal of nuclear weapons in their possession. It has led to a flurry of diplomatic activity with the premiers of China, Japan, and South Korea recently meeting to sort out the best way to deal with the crisis.

South Korea has already cut off most of its trade ties. Japan has also followed suit but it is China, the country with the most sway with the reclusive Kim Jong Il who have refused to commit to condemn or to sanction the North Koreans. Without Chinese intervention, these sanctions have very little actual meaning, other than symbolic ones.

So here come the alternatives. An article in the LA Times by Paul Stares opines that the World Cup is the best forum to publicly rebuke the North Koreans who qualified after 44 years. Millions of viewers will tune in to see their matches in the Group of Death with Brazil, Portugal, and Ivory Coast. Players could be encouraged in those squads to wear the number 46 emblazoned on armbands or wristbands in solidarity with the bereaved South Korean sailors.

Stares mentions that similar symbols of protest were employed by some Iranian players in last years Confederation Cup when they wore green wristbands in support of the Mir Hossein Mousavi, the reformist candidate of the Green movement, who contested the presidential elections against the authoritarian Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.

The rigged election which led to Ahmedinejad retaining his presidency sparked a wave of protests which engulfed Iran for days with the police and the Basij, the para military thugs used by the government resorting to brutal methods to quell the nascent movement to democracy.

The murder of Neda Agha- Soltan captured on camera went viral around the world as millions tuned onto it through the internet and Twitter. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians marched through the streets chanting, "Where is my vote?"

It led to a brief but exhilarating hope that in the face of such populist anger, the hold of the Muslim clerics on every facet of Iranian life would finally yield to the more progressive and reformist vision first initiated by Mohammed Khatami, whose election in 1997 as president of Iran brought a temporary end to the Iranian revolution which brought to power Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the installation of an Islamic Republic.

The Iranian players who wore those green armbands during the Confederations Cup were were forced to retire by the Iranian Football Federation. FIFA on hearing the news wrote a letter to the Federation demanding an explanation which led to denials that the players were punished.

So will such symbols of protest work in the case of North Korea? In Iran's case, beyond these gestures: the pro reform, pro democracy movement is now a nascent aspect of the political landscape in Iran. Such symbols have power only when they signify a broader change in socio-political parameters within the existing hierarchy, or a complete breakaway. The Vietnam peace sign worked because the US public wanted an end to the 20 year war. They had had enough.

The Iranian players wore armbands because they were part of a vanguard heralding that change which the world witnessed through the instant access of social network sites and cell phone cameras. The revolution was televised. Much of the intense interest came from the awareness that a change to a more progressive Iran also impacts viscerally the prospects of Middle East peace, earth's most intractable geopolitical puzzle.

In North Korea's case, the public's feelings towards that country are defined by Dear Leader's quixotic cult of personality. The international ramifications of a dispute between the world's most politically isolated country and its southern neighbour is less well understood or even followed by anyone other than a political junkie. Even South Koreans despite this most grievous provocation are ambivalent in their feelings. They see an enemy but they also see a badly behaved brother.

With this context in mind, armbands with 46 emblazoned or spectators bearing placards will resonate less with a viewing public robbing it of meaning and potency as a way of shaming North Korea. The potential meeting of both countries on the pitch might be the subject of intense political debate but beyond that little else.

The video unfortunately is not in English.Some of the things he said were ...

"I am not an anti-Barcelona plan. I am Real Madrid's coach and I am not worried about Barcelona. What is important to me is building a great Madrid. Barca are a great rival in the Champions League and domestically, but I don't want to think of Barca right now. If I am hated in Barcelona, that is not my problem."
and also

"Football is more than a tactic or a training session. Football is played with a group of men who work together and form a family. The club is our second family. To achieve this, we need to have a lot of empathy and after that they are my players forever."

...etc etc

The Ipswich Town striker was on target as England beat Spain, 2-1 to lift the U17 Euro title through his second half goal. England came back from an own goal on the same day the senior squad benefited from a pair against Japan.

Wickham is already being touted as the next Steven Gerrard with Fabio Capello following his career with great interest as are about half a dozen Premiership coaches.

He also fired England into the finals with a two goal display against the French side in the semi-finals.

This was England's first international success of any magnitude since 1993 when they won the U19 Euro final with Paul Scholes, Sol Campbell, and Robbie Fowler in that squad.

There are huge implications to the development of this U17 side which has been touted as the best group of young footballing talent to come out of England in the last two decades. If all goes to plan, we shall see them peak for the 2018 World Cup which could be held in England, notwithstanding the recent kerfuffle, to revive memories of a 1966 repeat.

Wickham is looked on as integral to the fortunes of the Tractor Boys as they struggle in the Championship. Roy Keane reportedly turned down a £5 million offer for him from Spurs saying he would get "lynched" if he let Wickham leave. The young striker's idol is Fernando Torres and if he continues this way, England have their own "El Nino" in hand.

Capello looks increasingly like he won't do this to the FA

The odds of Fabio Capello taking over from Jose Mourinho at Inter seem to be growing each passing day. Massimo Moratti has ruled out the return of Roberto Mancini and Rafa Benitez and seems to have targeted the return of Capello to the Serie.

Capello himself did not rule out a life other than England's coach after the World Cup in his press interview before the Japan match.

The FA with the resignations of Lord Triesman, its chairman, and Ian Watmore, the CEO could not have come at a worse time. The sudden departures seems to have left Capello wondering about leadership in England's footballing affairs.

These have been a distracting last few weeks for the normally sure footed England manager with the revelation of the Capello Index, a rating tool that could be used against his own players while lining his pockets, the phone calls to Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher, and now the equivocation to a post World Cup future.

England's squad has proved no less problematic. There are questions in every area of the field. The choice of Rooney's partner is a vexed one - it would be Peter Crouch's purely on statistics, he has scored the most international goals. But Capello has always liked Emile Heskey as seen in that little cameo against Japan.

Michael Carrick could have been part of the midfield but his wheels seem to have come off with the resulting experimentation with James Milner. On right back, Glen Johnson has show such great liabilities that it must outweigh the consideration for his undoubted attacking talent.

The new FA chairman, Sir Dave Roberts is set to meet with the Italian in a signal that the house needs to be in order before the World Cup begins and to cement his future commitment to the national job.

As this article points out, two clauses in Capello's contract are to be reviewed and it is understood that both parties want to remove them. One states that Capello can be sacked after the World Cup for a set compensation and the other allows the England manager to enter into discussions with clubs for future employment.

The dismissals of these clauses were set into motion under Lord Triesman and Capello's anxiety might have been compounded by the change in leadership throwing these agreements into jeopardy. But this does not seem to be the case anymore as Sir Dave Roberts appears eager not to upset the status quo.

Capello also signed on as England's manager while the FA restructured the national team to be run more like a club. He is familiar with the changes sought and his continuation is important to its timely implementation. It is increasingly likely that he will commit to a 2012 deadline and we should see words to that effect before the England team departs for SA.

Japan scored all three goals, unfortunately for them, two happened to be own goals, gifting England an ill deserved victory. This England team is unrecognizable from the self assured version that coasted to World Cup qualification.

Marcus Tulio Tanaka made Glen Johnson look like a rank amateur putting Japan ahead in the first half as early as the 6th minute.

Johnson was terrible and so was Rio Ferdinand who was muscled of the ball by Shinji Okazaki and then complained to the referee. England did very little of note as Japan controlled the ball better and created a number of chances. This despite the Japanese showing enough signs of fragility at the back.

Capello made a number of half time changes taking out David James, Glem Johnson, Theo Walcott, Tom Huddlestone, and Darren Bent. He brought on Joe Hart, Jamie Carragher, Shawn Wright Phillips, Steven Gerrard, and Joe Cole.

Japan almost went up another goal as Keisuke Honda lashed a shot which Hart was just able to tip over. An interesting little spat took place on the sideline as Capello and the normally impassive Japanese manager Takeshi Okada exchanged words.

England improved perceptibly with Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, and Wayne Rooney pushing the England attack. In the 54th minute, Lampard was brought down just beyond the box and in a bizarre event that presaged Japan's self destruction, Honda handballed Lampard's free kick resulting in a spot kick. Japan however escaped as Lampard's weak effort was read correctly by Eiji Kawashima.

Kawashima was called into action again bringing of a spectacular save to deny Rooney. Japan finally pushed the self destruct button in the 72nd minute as Tanaka hurled himself into the path of Joe Cole's cross with the ball sizzling past Kawashima for the first own goal. In the 83rd minute, Ashley Cole gliding down the left cut in and cut out lashing a cross that was deflected into goal by Yuji Nakazawa.

It was eerily reminiscent of an own goal scored by Thomas Vermaelen from one of Ashley Cole's crosses in Arsenal's defeat at the Emirates last season. A great reminder that Cole's crosses can result in unwanted consequences. USA be warned.

England had one more chance of finally scoring a goal of their own as Gerrard's cross came free to Rooney and Heskey in the box with both off by a fraction.

Shane Smeltz scored the winner as NZ scored their most impressive victory in their footballing history by beating Serbia.

Winston Reid floated a long ball which Rory Fallon was able to win over Nemanja Vidic, turning the ball to Smeltz who caused Antonio Rukavina all kinds of trouble before tucking the ball past Anđelko Đuričić in the 22nd minute.

The Serbs ranked 63 places above the All Whites in the recently released FIFA rankings and in their midst were stalwarts of the Premiership, Serie, and the Bundesliga, including recent Birmingham City arrival, Nikola Zigic.

The Serbian performance led to angry fans rioting in the second half bringing the match to a halt. Serbian captain Nemanja Vidic had to appeal for calm before the match resumed.

The result is in keeping with a number of recent performances that have not exactly cast the leading contenders in a good light. Serbia is in a very tough group with Ghana, Germany, and Australia. All the teams in Group D are capable of inflicting the worst possible misery on each other.

Luis Fabiano is ready to embrace ugly football as long as it gets them back the World Cup. The illusion of beautiful Brazilian football is over.

"If it is necessary to play dirty to win, we will do it, what counts at the World Cup is to win," said Fabiano at Brazil's training camp.

The irony of a Brazilian striker talking about winning ugly should not be lost to anyone.

This is true because there are no more new You Tube clips of Ronaldinho dribbling the ball through airports, toilets, and locker rooms. The icons of the new Brazil generation under Dunga are goalies like Julio Cesar, goal scoring defenders like Maicon and Lucio, and tough holding midfielders like Felipe Melo.

It is left to the Argentinians to cling to magic realism. They will live and die through Leo Messi. That makes them beautifully doomed figures in a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel.

Rigobert Song returns to the Cameroon line up 16 years after making his debut in the 1994 World Cup. Paul Le Guen named his 23 man roster and included the veteran journeyman who is now out of contract at Trabzanspor.

Rigobert has always been described as the uncle of Arsenal's Alex Song, who was also selected. More recently, an interview establishes him as Song's cousin. Which sort of better explains the 11 year age gap between the two men.

The uncle's idol is Roger Milla, the man who emblazoned the Indomitable Lions to an unforgettable 1994 World Cup campaign. He was Milla's team mate in that squad. The 42 year old veteran was a role model to the 17 year old at the time. In that same interview, Rigobert named Milla as the best Cameroon player of all time.

It is almost too tempting to believe that Le Guen picked Rigobert Song to motivate Samuel Eto'o to greater effort to claim that mantle. Milla's influence is still overwhelming enough for a recent dust up between him and Eto'o, who threatened to walk out of the squad following criticism by the Cameroonian talisman that he still had to prove himself.

Arsenal target Stephane Mbia, part of L'OM's stingy back four finds himself on the squad. Also selected - Spurs defenders Benoit Assou Ekotto if believed, has no teary eyed illusions about football being a patriotic endeavour, and Sebastian Bassong. Jean Makoun the long distance bomber from Lyon will anchor the midfield with Alex Song.

Cameroon are in Group E with Netherlands as overwhelming favourites to progress. They will fight with Denmark and Japan for that coveted second spot.

Goalkeepers: Hamidou Souleymanou (Kayserispor), Carlos Kameni (Espanyol), Guy Roland Ndy Assembe (Valenciennes)

Defenders: Benoit Assou-Ekotto (Tottenham), Sebastien Bassong (Tottenham), Gaetan Bong (Valenciennes), Aurelien Chedjou (Lille), Geremi (Ankaragucu), Stephane Mbia (Marseille), Nicolas Nkoulou (Monaco), Rigobert Song (Trabzonspor)

Midfielders: Eyong Enoh (Ajax), Jean II Makoun (Lyon), Georges Mandjeck (Kaiserslautern), Joel Matip (Schalke), Landry Nguemo (Celtic), Alexandre Song (Arsenal)

Forwards: Vincent Aboubakar (Coton Sport), Eric Choupo-Moting (Nurnberg), Achille Emana (Real Betis), Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milan), Mohamadou Idrissou (Freiburg), Achille Webo (Mallorca).

Jose Mourinho has a clause in his four year Real Madrid contract that gives him a free hand to talk to any club after two years.

Naturally, that gets every speculation primed for a Premiership return, this time to Man Utd.

Gives all those stories of draining Premiership talent some context. With Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, and Ashley Cole ensconced in the Bernabeu, the Premiership title will be a walkover. Clever Jose, thinking long term.

England's unconvincing win over Mexico was partly put down to the absence of the Chelsea trio of Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, and John Terry.

They return in the friendly against Japan and we get to test that hypothesis. Fabio Capello also includes Tom Huddlestone and Darren Bent.

The Portuguese Soccer Federation have released this photograph showing C Ron covered with warpaint doing what looks like a pretty good Rambo impersonation.

However the glum look he is sporting cannot be because he has to head off to Vietnam armed with a collection of lethal free kicks.It must be something else that is making him look so gloomy.The warpaint was just part of a special training session given by the Portuguese Air Force in Covilha, central Portugal, Friday. The Portuguese team is training in the Estrela mountains in preparation for the World Cup soccer tournament taking place in June and July in South Africa.
More pics here..

It took 91 minutes for Spain to find the winning goal. Fernando Llorente struck that late goal to help them eke out a 3-2 victory over Saudi Arabia in the first of their three pre-World Cup friendlies in Innsbruck on Saturday evening.
They also had to come from behind - conceding the first goal.Not a good omen if you believe in omens.

By now the US needed shock therapy. Bradley brought in Steve Cherundolo, Oguchi Onyewu, Jose Torres, and Robbie Findley on resumption of the second half. Out went Spector, Goodson, Clark, and Benny Feilhaber. The moribund attack received an instant lift.

46 minutes +: Michael Bradley almost gave the USA the equalizer on the onset as Bocanegra floats in a long cross into the box, nicely controlled by Donovan, who cuts the ball back but Bradley has his shot blocked by Servet Cetin in the nick of time.

Findley was a revelation as he showed serious attacking purpose. Altidore by now had dropped back deep into ball retrieval mode.

54 minutes+: Altidore lays a pass to Findley who curls his shot with his left foot just wide of the goalpost.

57 minutes +:The breakthrough came in breathtaking fashion in the 57th minute. Jay De Merit punts a ball down the field finding Findley who controls it nicely, turns, and cheekily chips it over to a streaking Donovan who swipes it past Volkan Demirel at the first touch and cuts the ball across goalmouth. Altidore is at hand to guide it into goal. The 55,000 fans at Financial Field erupt in joy.

58 minutes+ :Findley a minute later after contributing to the goal, combines with Donovan again, to run the ball on the right but his curling cross goes just wide.

61 minutes +: A goalmouth scramble finds Emre whose drilled shot is saved by a diving Onyewu to save a likely goal. A defensive gem.

67 minutes+: Donovan shows some great pace to outhustle the Turkish defense but his grounder just flashes wide off the goal.

74 minutes+: The Turkish citadel falls as Deuce latches onto a pass by Donovan and using his strength fights off Sabri Sarioglu's challenge while maintaining his balance to slip the ball underneath the outstretched hands of Demirel. The USA are up finally.

The Turks mount a furious campaign to find a equalizer but the US weather the storm well.

86th minutes+: Stuart Holden finds Michael Bradley surging into the box. Instead of taking the shot at goal, the midfielder cuts to the ball to Dempsey. The Fulham striker's effort goes wide to the left.

88th minute+: Torres free kick curls and strikes the side netting taking everybody by surprise.

Torres improved the midfield controlling the ball, showing flashes of creativity, while Findley combined well with Donovan down the wing to shake things up with his speed. Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundolo provided good service into the danger area. Clint Dempsey kept his reputation as a big time scorer intact.

Jozy Altidore in a great bit of improvisation and sacrifice dropped down. The Hull City forward showed some neat touches while assisting on attack. The US created a good deal of unpredictability with no obvious target man in the second half. There was a much better flow to the US game.

Tim Howard looked ready to burst into flames as his defense crumbled at the slightest hint of pressure.

2 minutes +: Benny Feilhaber in a momentary lapse of reason plays a perfect cross to Semih Senturk with the game barely 2 minutes old. Senturk flashes a beautiful cross that Howard manages with fingertips to keep away from Tuncay Sanli.

4 minutes +: The US defense backpedals as Tuncay gets the ball in midfield and the Stoke City forward has acres of space to lay a pass to Senturk. The winger lurking on the left runs forward and then passes the ball across the goalmouth to the arriving Tuncay in perfect position to score but he is off by inches.

9 minutes +: Hamit Altintop gets the ball from Tuncay's backheel as the US defense backpedals again allowing the Bayern Munich midfielder to come to the edge of the box, as five US defenders close down on him. Altintop tries to finesse a shot past Howard which to the relief of every US supporter flashes wide.

With every defender drawn to him like flies Altintop went for a low percentage shot as Tuncay and Kazim Kazim were open because no one was left to mark them. Howard went ballistic and rightly so. It was shambolic.

13 minutes +: The indefatigable Tuncay, now a many headed Hydra receives a short pass from Emre and then threads a beautiful pass past Jonathan Spector to Arda Turan who cuts in as Spector tries to recover. Turan's shot flashes over Howard. Another close call.

25 minutes +: Jonathan Spector is the beneficiary of a Turkish mishit into midfield. The West Ham defender takes off Emmanuel Eboue fashion pushing the ball deeper into Turkish territory as the US pour in men. He gets picked off the ball at the edge of the box and the Turks mount a counterattack.

The US are caught in disarray with virtually no one in the backfield as Turan gets the ball. Spector smelling danger chugs back almost 70 yards in vain with Bradley in tow. Turan, quick as a flash positions himself before the two players converge on him and slides the ball past Howard to give Turkey the lead. The four actors have differing emotions. Turan's face festooned with joy, Spector looking nonplussed, Michael Bradley tight lipped, and Howard shaking his head in disbelief.

38 minutes +: Spector whiffs on a long ball with Turan once again getting better of the US right back and cutting in. Luckily, there is no one to latch onto his cross. The Turks are now smelling blood and Spector is offal.

39 minutes +: Tuncay the magnificent fronts Bradley and takes off on the right with the coach's son trailing him and then lays a shot which gets a tiny deflection of a diving Goodson. The ball looks dangerously like going in before ballooning over to the roof of the goal.

42 minutes +: The US has its best chance as Altidore picks up the ball on the right flank and in a nifty display of ball skill and spatial awareness lays a cross that is just beyond the reach of the sliding Dempsey.

44 minutes +: The Turks in a familiar routine by now attack through Altintop as the backpedaling US get caught again. Turan goes for glory but shoots straight to Howard.

Spector was woeful. Bocanegra was a non factor. Michael Bradley had a granite visage and nothing else. It was a forgettable display. One wishes there was a Men in Black erasure of memory.

The USA will face Guus Hiddink and his men at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia today at 2 PM. The final match before the squad departs for the World Cup.

A chance to experiment with the new faces in the squad or does Bob Bradley stick to the familiar figures. Oguchi Onyewu's performance will be keenly watched to see whether the AC Milan central defender's return to match fitness is going as planned.

Does Bob Bradley put in Edson Buddle as partner to Jozy Altidore?

Clint Dempsey plays down the right, Landon Donovan on the left with Ricardo Clark and Michael Bradley occupying the central midfield positions.

Carlos Bocanegra occupies left back with Oguchi Onyewu and Jay De Merit at center and Steve Cherundolo at right.

Or he could get more experimental and put in Jose Francisco Torres and Maurice Edu in central midfield. Replace Cherundolo with Jonathan Spector and pair Herculez Gomez with Altidore up top. Dempsey could also move to the top if Bradley wants to play DaMarcus Beasley/ Stuart Holden to the left and shift Donovan to the right.

The sight of Bocanegra at left back might be a bit jarring. He's been employed in that position at Rennes but he does not fit the wingback prototype, in comparison to the opposition in Group C- Nadir Belhadj and Ashley Cole are relatively short and quick. They are known for their attacking forays and crosses.

Bocanegra's relative inertness might be beneficial for defensive reasons but the winger whether it is DaMarcus Beasley, Holden or Donovan will have to cover a wide swath of territory.

The left back position marred by poor performances and the central spots with injury concerns are areas that the Turkish attack will look to exploit. They are a relentless team with a fine record in international competition. The 2008 Euro campaign still rings loud.

Bayern Munich's Hamit Altintop recently seen taking over Franck Ribery's position down the left in the Champions League final. He can play on either flank. Veteran Emre Belozoglu, of Toon fame- the Maradona of the Bosporus is the creative trust. Up top the Turks have a trio of fine strikers. Workhorse Tuncay Sanli of Stoke City, Besiktas's Nihat Kahveci, and pint sized Semih Senturk of Fenerbahce.

Hiddink just took over Turkish duties so it will be too early to judge whether his tactics are in place but these players have enough international experience and knowledge to know what it takes to control the ball and score when needed. They are a very good gauge of USA's readiness for the World Cup.

Peter Shilton and Graeme Le Saux go head-to-head 200ft. above London to shoot start the biggest single prize in sports betting history - $100 million.

The All Blacks fearsome Ka Mate turns opposition legs to jelly

How about Ryan Nelsen and the All Whites coming with their version of the Ka Mate, the ritualistic dance that the All Blacks do before every rugby game.

A spectacle complete with intimidatory thigh slapping, chest puffing, foot stomping, bending the hips and knees, while the team exhorts itself with an ever building crescendo of fierce chants and staring down the opponents. Never fails to set off butterflies in the stomach. The Ka Mate adds to the mythic status of the All Blacks as the most powerful rugby team on the planet.

Fancy some Slovakian legs turning a bit wobbly with an All White version of the Ka Mate. Giorgio Chiellini thinking twice about a tackle. Oscar Cardozo giving up on a header. Hey, any edge that New Zealand gets will be a bonus. Maybe the All Blacks help their football brethren by bringing their act on the pitch before kick off?

Here is a video of the Ka Mate accompanied with the explanation of the words >>

Jogi Low announced that Bayern right back Phillipp Lahm would take over as German captain with Bayern team mate Bastian Schweinsteiger his deputy.

Low explained his decision to choose Lahm over Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose. He went with Lahm's more cerebral demeanour.

"He expresses his opinion clearly and precisely to his circle in the team. And even outside of the field. He is a player who thinks about the composition of the team. For me, Philipp Lahm is an important partner. I know that his feedback is always open and honest."

Michael Neuer was also chosen as the number one goalkeeper over Tim Weise and Hans Jorg Butt.

Philipp Lahm is the first full back to be honored as German captain and arguably the first defender too as Franz Beckenbauer technically speaking was a 'sweeper', a position created from midfield to patrol the field behind the man marking back four.

German captains since 1954:

Michael Ballack (2006), Oliver Kahn (2002), Jürgen Klinsmann (1998), Lothar Matthäus (1990,1994), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1982, 1986), Berti Vogts (1978), Franz Beckenbauer (1974), Uwe Seeler (1966, 1970), Hans Schäfer (1958, 1962), Fritz Walter (1954).

The good old style leather ball: safe and predictable

Brazil's goalkeeper joins the chorus of Jabulani critics calling it something that you would find in a "grocery store."

Cesar also called the Adidas ball "horrible" and "terrible."

Looks like the goalkeepers in the World Cup will be subjected to '"fastballs", "sliders", "change ups", "reverse swingers", "googlies", "knuckleballs" and all manner of trickery from the Jabulani. Makes one wonder how Lev Yashin would have fared.

Faouzi Chaouchi, the Algerian goalkeeper was woeful.

Check out the first goal where Chaouchi was late coming out to challenge Philip Green who bravely headed the ball down for Ireland's first goal and got kicked in the act. He had to leave to the pitch to receive medical attention.

The second goal was even more of a blunder as Chaouchi weakly punches Damien Duff's cross straight to Robbie Keane who makes no mistake curling the ball over the stranded goalkeeper.

Ireland added a third when Djamel Mesbah brought down Keane in the 83rd minute, which looked like a clean tackle missed by the referee. The upshot of it was Keane converting the resulting spot kick.

Rabah Saadane rested some of his stars like Majid Bougherra, Hassan Yebda, Antar Yahia and Karim Matmour because of injury concerns.

On display was highly rated Adlene Guediora recently signed on by Wolverhampton on a three year contract after impressing Mick McCarthy in his role holding midfielder. Ryad Boudebouz, Mbolhi Rais Wahab, Habib Bellaid, Djamel Mesbah, and Kadir Fouad also earned their debuts.

Chaouchi's goalkeeping and the defensive effort of the back four will be of grave concern to Saadane if Algeria wants to stop the likes of Wayne Rooney, Jozy Altidore, and Milivoje Novakovič. He maybe better off starting the more experienced Lounès Gaouaoui in goal.

Franco Baldini, one of the assistants to Fabio Capello was there to witness the match and must have seen enough for England to fancy their chances.

They beat Turkey by one vote. Can't blame the Turks if they feel unwanted in Europe.

Technical glitches forced SA to put about half a million tickets on hold initially when they were put on sale in April. Police had to be called to quell angry crowds who had come from all over SA to buy tickets in person.

The same glitches cropped up when the last batch of 160,000 tickets were released. Of these 90,000 were additional tickets, including seats for both semifinals and more than 800 for the July 11 final, were added to the main batch.

FIFA said ticket service provider Match was experiencing "significant delays" due to technical problems across all sales channels, which include FIFA's own ticket centers as well as local bank branches.

No tickets were sold on Friday, two hours after ticket sales opened.

The Socceroos became the first team to arrive in SA, signaling the World Cup is on. They will train at Johannesburg before taking on Germany on June 13th, in their first match.

Pim Verbeek was not very impressed by Tim Cahill and Vince Grella's tackles that forced Leo Bertos out of the pitch in a recent friendly with the All Whites. They were chewed out by the tough talking Dutch coach. He also has injury concerns with Harry Kewell not a 100% fit which could mean an opportunity for Ukrainian born Nikita Rukavytsya to take over.

Colombia not only lost the match but players had money stolen from the rooms of the Johannesburg's Hyde Park Southern Sun Hotel where they were staying.

Two female housekeepers were arrested for stealing 21,000 rand ($2,767).

Amidst the hum of the ever incessant vuvuzelas, Bafana Bafana was able to overcome Colombia through Katlego Mphela's 58' minute penalty.

That was actually how the match played out, three controversial decisions and three penalties. Check them out. In each case, the referee Langat Samwel might have got it wrong.

Tiko Modise's first penalty was saved by David Ospina but it was retaken because the Colombian goalie was adjudged to have moved before the shot. Mario Yepes and Ospina protesting the decision vociferously.

This time Modise did not miss. Colombia equalized when Gustavo Ramos was brought down in the box and Giovanni Moreno converted the resulting spot kick. Bafana Bafana went ahead for good with Mphela's penalty. Then they saw out a Colombian comeback through some good goalkeeping by Moneeb Joseph.

Steven Pienaar and Benni McCarthy, the Premiership big stars made their appearances to raucous applause from the 70,000 strong crowd.

France beat the Ticos, 2-1 in a friendly that saw flowing, attacking football.

Les Bleus looked sharp with Franck Ribery providing most of the attacking thrust down the left, cutting in with speed and foot skills. Jeremy Toulalan anchored the midfield with his holding duties while setting free Yoann Gourcuff who is looking to take over Zidane's creative role, peppering the Ticos with his set pieces and long distance bombs.

The defense looked like a mini subset of Arsenal with Bakar Sagna and William Gallas. The Arsenal central defender sought to allay injury concerns as Raymond Domenech played him for a half before replacing him with Sebastian Squillaci.

Costa Rica took the lead as Carlos Hernandez struck a rasping shot across goal that beat Steve Mandanda in the 11'. France struck back with Toulalan taking possession of the ball before releasing the fleet footed Ribery who was able to beat a very game Keylor Navas.

Bryan Ruiz, the FC Twente sensation then tested Mandanda with a fiercely struck left footed drive that the L'OM custodian was just able to tip over. France had a series of good chances through Gourcuff, Squillaci, and Henry but Navas was able to see them off.

In the 83' minute, Abou Diaby dazzled with some very nifty footwork before laying of a pass to substitute Mathie Valbuena, making his French debut. The L'OM midfielder who has had one of his most successful domestic seasons, made a dream start by finishing off emphatically.

Raymond Domenech employed an attacking 4-3-3 which yielded impressive dividends on attack but there are questions at the back. France are in Group A with Mexico, Uruguay, and hosts South Africa. Their biggest rivals are the Celeste brimming with firepower with Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez, the Eredivisie's top scorer by a mile. Mexico has an outside chance while SA has made some positive impact with a series of impressive results and will be counting on home support to spring a shock.

Maybe that should have read Obama and Bill Clinton wish the US Team.Protocol is everything when it comes to getting a presidential sendoff...

"I just want to say how incredibly proud we are of the team. Everybody's going to be rooting for you. And although sometimes we don't remember it here in the United States, this is going to be the biggest world stage there is. And you're going to be representing all of us... We're going to be proud of what you do when you get to South Africa, and you will have somebody in the Oval Office who's going to be watching ESPN to make sure that things are going OK." - President Barack Obama.

UEFA today announced sweeping reforms that ensure clubs fiscal prudence and financial parity. Michel Platini after these resolutions were adopted unanimously:

"This approval today is the start of an important journey for European football's club finances as we begin to put stability and economic common sense back into football. I thank all the stakeholders who have supported this along the way."

Most of these measures are built around stopping rich owners from underwriting losses by "bailing out" the club with borrowed money. Since these are not frontloaded transfer or salary caps, UEFA has introduced 'carrot and stick' measures- strict auditing and financial transparency requirements which they hope will rein in bloated transfer fees and salaries.

Clubs who pass these financial litmus tests will be rewarded with participation in the lucrative Champions League. Those who do not pass muster, will be disbarred.

• Break-even requirement - clubs must not spend more than they generate over a period of time.

• No overdues payable during the season - towards other clubs, employees and/or social/tax authorities.

• Provision of future financial information - to ensure clubs can meet their future obligations.

UEFA wants to gradually wean the clubs away from owner underwritten debt. In hard numbers:

• Owners will be allowed to cover losses of up to a maximum of $55 million over an initial three-year period starting in 2012.

• In the three years from 2015, just $37 million in losses can be covered.

• The bailouts would only be allowed with "committed funds" of capital and not by borrowing.

• Clubs without a wealthy patron would be allowed $6.1 million in losses over three years.

• Clubs should aim to spend no more than 75 percent of revenue on player costs.

The writing is clear for clubs like Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and even Barcelona. This year should see record setting amounts paid out in transfers as these clubs scramble to beat the deadline before the plug on unchecked spending is pulled.

Michael Essien, the rock of Ghana's midfield will not make it to South Africa.

He has been unable to recover sufficiently from a tear to his medial collateral ligament sustained in January while training for the Africa Cup of Nations.

How big will his loss be? He is an undoubted star but there are positive signs that he may not be indispensable. In this year's ACN both Essien and Sulley Muntari were unavailable. The former because of his knee injury, the latter dropped for disciplinary issues.

In their absence a trio of 20 year old midfielders, Kwadwo Asamoah, André Ayew, and Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu stepped up admirably to guide them to the ACN finals, losing narrowly to Egypt, 1-0.

Chelsea were also able to win the Premiership without Essien's presence mainly because of the steady influence of John Obi Mikel in the holding role and Frank Lampard coming alive in the second half of the season.

Much will depend on Sulley Muntari who has had a long standing contentious relationship with the Ghana national team over disciplinary issues. He was dropped by Milan Rajovac for the ACN but was reinstated in the national squad after he apologized.

Muntari is one player who can match Essien in the spectacular shot department plus he brings a tough tackling presence to the midfield.

Essien is a tough loss but Ghana has shown that it can weather his absence. So which Chelsea midfielder will be missed more in the Group D encounter between Ghana and Germany? Essien or Michael Ballack? Another interesting sub plot in a match already full of them.

A few more lines and wrinkles since he joined Real

Florentino Perez had written off Manuel Pellegrini a long time ago.

Pellegrini opened up about his relationship with the imperious Real Madrid president, revealing that the only contact he had with Florentino Perez was in August. It was a conversation of no great significance.

Before the season began Pellegrini had significant differences with Perez's decision to offload players, especially Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder. He said, "He was wrong in many ways to let them go."

Pellegrini felt that their fortunes would have been enhanced by the presence of Robben.

"The winger would have improved the scoring in a major way. With him this season we would have won 19 games at the Bernabeu and scored 120 goals. Without the winger we scored 102 ..... "

He also confessed he felt undervalued and unappreciated, often overlooked in meetings about football matters where his opinion as the coach would have mattered. In fact, his input was altogether brief.

Real Madrid in the Ramon Calderon and Florention Perez era have always been brutal to successful coaches who have given them glory but lacked star power. Vicente Del Bosque and Bernd Schuster come to mind. Pellegrini channels history when he feels he would have been sacked even if they had won the Liga. Despite the coaching staff and the players who were behind him every step of the way.

The Champions League loss to Lyon and the Copa Del Rey crash and burn to Alcorcon were frustrating and Pellegrini accepted full responsibility for the losses. There was no justification, no excuses, especially when it came to Alcorcon.

In the end one feels sympathy for a very good coach and an introspective soul out of depth and insufficiently ruthless for the giant vampire squid of the football world. He was let down by a number of players who never showed up. Kaka, Karim Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo were hugely disappointing in matches that really mattered. But even if they did, it would not have been enough to save Pellegrini. He was an interruption to their real goal: getting Mourinho.

Florentino Perez called a press conference yesterday to announce the termination of Manuel Pellegrini and the hiring of Jose Mourinho.

Mou was supposed to be presented at the Bernabeu tomorrow but it is not happening.

There is a small problem of €16 million Inter is demanding for his release. Oops!

The clause was actually inserted by Mourinho last year when he renewed his contract with Inter and Massimo Moratti, extending it to 2012. Mourinho for all the fanfare of leaving the San Siro, is still an employee of Inter and bound by its contractual obligations.

The funny part is that Mourinho believed that Inter was going to waive that payment of his release clause in gratitude for winning the Champions League. Oops again!

In fact, both clubs seem to have dug their heels on this issue.

"We won't be paying any part of the release clause, it has nothing to do with us," Perez said. "There's not much we can do, it's down to Mourinho and Inter to work things out."

The two clubs conducted meetings all day long between Jorge Mendez, Mourinho's agent; Jose Angel Sanchez, Real's representative; Rinaldo Ghelfi, Inter's VP of financial affairs; and Marco Branca, Inter's sporting director but they proved unsuccessful.

Branca was of the opinion that these negotiations between all concerned parties were going to drag on.

"Inter are in no hurry" and that his club "will not yield on the payment of the clause."

Mourinho will either show up at the Bernabeu €16 million lighter unless he gets Real to pay off his release or Inter relents. That coronation at the Bernabeu will have to wait. But add one more story to the tone deaf Perez era.

Rafa Benitez made a surprise guest appearance during a performance of One Night In Istanbul at the Liverpool Empire.

Mexico's midfield is impressive with its ball control- it is superior to the USA but their composure in front of goal is what lets them down. A depleted Dutch team took on El Tri and on the strength of a Van Persie brace emerged victors.

By the way, Telemundo credited the first goal to a Rafael Van Persie, an obvious tip to his Mexican roots.

The experiment of bringing Cesc Fabregas to Barca to complete Joan Laporta's Catalunyan legacy seems to have taken another twist.

The Spanish midfield maestro has his version of "In Wenger we trust" after meeting with Arsenal's gaffer.

"He told me to concentrate on my football, he told me to concentrate on the World Cup, and he told me to leave it in his hands: [that] he will deal with whatever happens in my future. That's what I am doing - just concentrating on football."

The more wishy washy statement is a far cry from a more definitive, " I am packing my bags to return home and no one can stop me" situation that was prevalent two weeks ago. What did Wenger say to him to drop the hardball? It was the greatest meeting according to Fabregas which could not have helped Laporta's blood pressure.

Spanish clubs like Barca and Real Madrid operate on elections which are legacy driven. Eveyone wants to outdo Joan Gamper or Alfredo Di Stefano. Every time this happens, it leads to the unseemly sort of rows as witnessed between Man Utd and Real Madrid over Ronaldo, and now Arsenal over Fabregas.

What angered the Arsenal management were the tactics used by Barca, putting the media up first as a front for the Fabregas return without the courtesy of a direct approach.

In fact, there has been no contact between the two clubs. Meanwhile, all the stories are how this transfer should be wrapped up before the World Cup and the Barcelona elections so that Laporta can have his Barca Hall of Fame moment. Fabregas is a pawn in all these electoral manipulations. Some more reality based commentators are already telling Barca to layoff the Arsenal player - to let him concentrate on the World Cup. They need his mind and legs, distraction free.

Is a talisman bigger than a club? One would say, never. But in Arsenal's case it is not so simple. You only become talismanic if you stay long enough.

The battle will be resumed over the summer after the World Cup is over. I think at this point Arsenal have the upper hand. An exorbitant price tag on Fabregas and Barca will balk. The calm calculus of reason takes over as critics point to the full deck of players in the club's possession. It seems more likely that Arsenal will retain the services of Fabregas at least for another season.

I have said it repeatedly, Fabregas gives the impression of a grim faced lone ranger on the pitch doing battle in Arsenal colours. Bring back his joy by giving him a crew that believes in the club.

In case you have not already seen the video clip showing the Special One has feelings - here it is. I am surprised Materazzi did not headbutt him.

Warning: The content is extremely graphic and could alter your opinions about him for ever.

Fabio Capello said his focus was on England.

"I have a contract with the Football Association and the only way it will finish is if they decide to sack me."

With Roberto Mancini out of the running. Rafa Benitez whose unsettled status at Anfield led to rumours of an UAE job, could be the next in line.

Quite a shocker. The CW was that Ching would partner Jozy Altidore. Every pundit in the land predicted that the Houston Dynamo forward would make the final 23.

Ching suffered a hamstring injury on April 1 in the Dynamo's opener but he had recovered by the time he was called to training camp.

In his place Bradley picked Robbie Findley, who has not scored a goal in 4 national appearances.

In fact between Buddle, Findley, and Gomez the trio have managed 9 caps and 1 goal. Compare that to Ching's 45 caps and 11 goals.

Adding Altidore's contribution, the duo have 69 caps and 19 goals.

Bradley's selection of forwards show a thin resume in relation to their World Cup opposition. All other teams in Group C have far more experience.

Wayne Rooney and Peter Crouch lead the way with 95 caps and 45 goals. Algeria's Rafik Saifi and Rafik Djebbour have combined for 72 appearances and 21 goals. Slovenia's Milivoje Novakovič and Zlatan Ljubijankič add 53 caps and 18 goals. Altidore and Ching's record is quite comparable to the Algerian and Slovenian forwards.

However it is not just Ching's experience, it is the way he plays the game. Clearly his strength is with his back to the goal. He is like Mark Viduka in that respect. Holds the ball well, good on the turn, and a nice finisher of crosses. You know where Ching is on the field. He is a tireless worker.

Findley's speed makes him better suited for a wide game as a winger on the right. But he also tends to disappear in matches. Which is a bit worrying because we also have Donovan and Dempsey who share that trait. Too many X factors on attack is not good for the mind and soul of US fans.

Bradley's explanation for Ching's exclusion:

" Brian has been such an important player but it's tough when you have an injury at an inopportune time."

"It was extremely hard with the respect that we all have for Brian. As a person, for the way he plays on the field, his commitment to the team--it's always hard whenever you make these types of decisions, but it's particularly difficult when it's a player that has contributed so much to the national team over the years."

Bradley's thinking is Ching's hamstring injury took him out of the running and it worked to the advantage of Buddle and Gomez. But it does not explain Findley who has remained healthy and done very little in the MLS season. One goal and one assist so far.

Here he is on Findley:

"What he's shown is that his movement along the front line is good, his speed, his ability to try to get behind the defense. Now in those situations he needs the ability to make those count a little bit more. Part of that is confidence, and now when he gives himself a little advantage, he needs to be the type of player that defenders worry about and who can ultimately take his chances and start to make a little more happen in those moments."

The World Cup really should not be a place for such experiments. I can see Buddle make his case, he is a player brimming with confidence right now with his MLS exploits. Gomez just finished a great season with Puebla and gave a great boost of the bench against the Czech Republic.

Ching is really a hard luck story because he made it to the last World Cup but Bruce Arena never played him. This World Cup, he was completely overlooked and the mystery is why.

Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan (2010), Marcus Hahnemann (2006, 2010), Tim Howard (2006, 2010)

Defenders (7): Carlos Bocanegra (2006, 2010), Jonathan Bornstein (2010), Steve Cherundolo (2002, 2006, 2010), Jay DeMerit (2010), Clarence Goodson (2010), Oguchi Onyewu (2006, 2010), Jonathan Spector (2010)

Midfielders (9): DaMarcus Beasley (2002, 2006, 2010), Michael Bradley (2010), Ricardo Clark (2010), Clint Dempsey (2006, 2010), Landon Donovan (2002, 2006, 2010), Maurice Edu (2010), Benny Feilhaber (2010), Stuart Holden (2010), José Torres (2010)

Forwards (4): Jozy Altidore (2010), Edson Buddle (2010), Robbie Findley (2010), Herculez Gomez (2010)

The new World Cup ball has been given the traditional vote of no confidence by goalies.
U.S. backup goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann had the following discouraging things to say about it.
"It's horse[crap]," he said. "It's the worst soccer ball I've ever played with because it's plastic and feels like [crap] when it comes off your foot. It moves like crazy. Like a cross. You go up and jump to catch it and then it drops like three feet. You're not going to see any headed goals, probably. Forwards are going to get deceived as well. It's just ridiculous. There has to be a standard of what the ball should be like. Imagine baseball all of sudden you came out, 'Oh, we're playing at this place now and a new ball.' The pitches would look totally different. You can't do it. There's no standard."
When asked how to cope with the new ball, he replied, "Just train as much as you can. Everyone has to deal with it. It's not making the game any better. It's making the game worse.These things, you try to bend them, they don't bend, they go straight. It's like those little kids' plastic balls you play with at the beach. You go to bend them and they go the wrong way. They bend exactly opposite. That's exactly what these things do. You can't tell what it's going to do."

French keeper Hugo Lloris added the following despairing comments..

"This ball is a disaster. We played with it in the Coupe de France this winter. We must get used to it.All goalkeepers will be well under pressure. We will each share of madness. In fact, I don't ask myself this question. I just know that with this kind of ball they can score from anywhere.What is strange is that these balls, when they are in the air, may very well never come down, or they could descend very quickly.Goalkeepers must be constantly alert, constantly analyzing. This position requires it, but we will have to be even more concentrated.Prior to the late 1990s, the balls were very heavy and goalkeepers could block them. Now, we can only be as effective as possible, be in opposition, because they are too fast and are constantly changing direction."

And finally the opinions of Oguchi Onyewu, Jozy Altidore, Stuart Holden, and Tim Howard on the new World Cup ball.

Herculez Gomez should be on that plane

U.S. head coach Bob Bradley will announce the 23-man U.S. World Cup roster today live on ESPN during SportsCenter's 1 p.m. ET hour.

I fully anticipate that Herculez Gomez will be on that final list. His 66th minute goal showed his usefulness as a super sub. DaMarcus Beasley had a good game and so did Alejandro Bedoya. Heath Pearce was as poor as Jonathan Bornstein.

Strikers: Edson Buddle and Gomez will join Jozy Altidore and Brian Ching.

Midfielders: Jose Francisco Torres and DaMarcus Beasley should make the cut. Alejando Bedoya or Robbie Rogers should pick up the final spot joining Landon Donovan, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, and Benny Feilhaber.

Defenders: Clarence Goodson will be selected. In my reckoning Goodson should be higher on the depth chart than Onyewu. Jonathan Bornstein will also retain his spot despite reassuring no one. Steve Cherundolo, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit make up the rest of the defensive brigade.

Muller fell from a mountain bike as part of the team's training and was left with a cut knee and a gash on his chin, the German Football Federation confirmed...

Clarence Goodson over Oguchi Onyewu: Look at this man's elevation

On the face of it, an unthinkable proposition. Gooch has been part of the US team for nigh on four years and with over 50 caps is one of it's most experienced players.

But he is struggling to overcome an injury that destroyed his patellar tendon. Seven months off the field - post reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation, and there are moments like the one witnessed against the Czech Republic which surely worry Bob Bradley. A purer gauge of where Onyewu lies in his progression to full match fitness would be difficult to find.

Without the elevation and the reaction time up to par, he will be a defensive liability. These assets also play a big part in Gooch's threat on set pieces. The US can ill afford a drop of at both ends.

With Carlos Bocanegra having injury concerns too - torn muscle fibers stitched together is not reassuring, a healthy, fully functioning central partnership will be essential in a group that has its share of big crossers and big bodies in the box. Aaron Lennon to Peter Crouch, Nadir Belhadj to Rafik Djebbour, Andraz Kirm to Milivoje Novakovič. Not to mention the set piece abilities of Steven Gerrard, Karim Ziani, and Robert Koren that need to be dealt with.

At this point Clarence Goodson looks far more assured. He might have a few question marks on his marking - he was taken to the cleaners by Martin Fenin and then failed to deal with Libor Sionko's pass effectively but there are no illusions when it comes to his set piece threat. He is the real deal. Both goals against the Czechs were due to his goalmouth hustle, especially the second one. He will more than offset the occasional defensive deficiency with his giant abilities in the box.

There were a number of glaring defensive breakdowns:

As a group: (77')

77th minute, a slashing Libor Sionko gets past an over committed Heath Pearce and lays a cross past the goal mouth which Clarence Goodson fails to deal with effectively. The US defenders are caught ball watching.

Tomas Necid's first touch is not the best but in the scramble his shot comes off Bedoya and springs free to the unmarked Martin Fenin who hits a clanger. There was no one culprit in that complete breakdown in defense beginning with the amount of ground ceded to Sionko to Fenin's finish.

The USA was also let down on the one on one situations.

Oguchi Onyewu: (44')

Does Bradley risk taking Oguchi Onyewu to SA? Seven months of injury time off can lead to situations like in the 44' minute when the AC Milan defender on a one on one with Tomas Sivok, completely failed to elevate to head off Jaroslav Plaisil's free kick, leaving Sivok unimpeded to score the Czech Republic's second goal.

Two factors go into successfully clearing a cross like that - reaction time and an explosive standing jump.

Gooch lacked both which shows that he is yet to attain complete match fitness. Peter Crouch will be relishing his prospects. Ditto Antar Yahia. Ditto Milivoje Novakovič.

Maurice Edu: (90+2')

The Rangers right back was guilty of misjudging a long ball in stoppage time which Tomas Necid was able to get to as the ball bounced of Edu's back. The Czech striker took off with Edu and Cherundolo giving up the pursuit.

If Bob Bradley was looking for some closure on his SA hopefuls on the defensive end, he was in for a letdown.

A report on how FIFA has outsourced most of the World Cup paraphernalia to places like China,and on how local businesses and small traders are being bullied...

The shock of conceding the Turkish Super Lig to Bursaspor, not exactly a powerhouse proved too much for Fenerbahce supporters. This is a week old but the message never gets old.

We have passion but in Turkey, football is life and death.

For the record Bursaspor won the Lig for the first time. In all, it was the first time in 26 years that a club outside of Istanbul had won the title. The last club to do so was Trabzonspor.

The current champions were a point above Bursaspor when they went into the final week. Ironically, it was Trabzonspor holding Fenerbahce to a 1-1 draw while Bursaspor won against Besiktas 2-1 to make history.

For 5 minutes Fener fans erroneously believed that they had won the title as the stadium announcer reported that Besiktas had equalized sending the stadium into a delirium of joy. But once the correction was made, the five stages of grief emerged quickly.

For Bursaspor's manager Ertugul Salam, it was dream debut and a club living on a fraction of a budget of the big three had defied the odds like they had done throughout the season before faltering. Leaving the last week for their true heroics. We leave also with a thought for Trabzonspor. They too have a big share in this historical season.

Makes sense. According to the Sun we are.

The only central defender who is a lock is Thomas Vermaelen.

We have William Gallas, in the throes of a contract wrangle, Mikel Silvestre, who ... ummmm..... errr.... is Mikel Silvestre, Johan Djorou who has been incapacitated for over a year and in the midst of a tentative comeback, Phillipe Senderos, caught in a strange career limbo, and Sol Campbell, an admirable return to the Premiership but limited to off the bench.

Young. 24 years of age. Check.
Fair bit of height at 6' 2" . Check.
Possesses outstanding tackling abilities. Check.
Shows true mental grit. I saw him take on Drogba and frustrate him to the point of tantrum. Check.
Can score the odd goal when needed. 5 in 29 appearances. Check.
Has not broken any Arsenal bones. Check.

Cahill pushed his national claims quite hard with his performance. It was touch and go with Capello.

He is Owen Coyle's poster boy on defense and that is frankly the best endorsement. We need the best of British steel, not another import. He is also ready to move on. And Coyle is resigned to losing him.

"If a big team wanted me to come and play for them, then you have got to be realistic and look at the fact it may be a right decision for both sides."

Can we pry £14 million from Arsenal's treasury? It might be worth it.

Rooney and 31 other portraits of World Cup footballers will be
on display at the Offside Gallery, Islington

Illustrator Eliott Quince has created 32 portraits of footballers representing each national team in the 2010 World Cup. He takes playground stickers or panini, supersizes them, and paints them onto a canvas.

The result is eye catching portraits of iconic football figures like Wayne Rooney, Michael Essien, Kaka, Roque Santa Cruz, Shunsuke Nakamura, Tim Cahill, Karim Ziani, and Landon Donovan, embodying the hopes of their nations in the World Cup. The list of footballers is available on his website.

Eliott will be adding a new portrait each day to his website till launch night on June 12th, when the whole collection will be on display at the Offside Gallery, Islington. The exhibit will be on till the end of the World Cup. So if you happen to be in that neck of the woods, please check it out.

The proceeds from the sale of these portraits go to the very worthy cause of helping the babies at Luton and Dunstable Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. There is a very personal note to Eliott's appeal.

Go to Eliott's website: Got, got, got, need! to learn more details on why, which, when and where, and how to buy these portraits.

A good read by Piers Edwards on the Algerian team, in the same group as USA, England, and Slovenia.

Algeria regularly provided exceptional players to France before the independence struggle began in the 1950s. That was when many of the Algerians like Monaco's Mustapha Zitouni and St Etienne's Rachid Mekloufi, considered sure prospects for the 1958 World Cup gave up playing for France to join the FLN, (Front de Liberation National) immortalized in Gilles Pontecorvo's classic "The Battle of Algiers".

More recently, a number of Algerians having risen up through the youth ranks in French clubs have returned to their country of origin with Raymond Domenech filling his squad with players from French overseas territories and West African Francophone countries.

Madjid Bougherra, Nadir Belhadj, Mourad Meghni and Hassan Yebda have strengthened Les Fennecs with Yebda and Meghni even winning the U17 World Cup title representing France.

Antar Yahia, the central defender who was Algeria's hero in the tense battle against Egypt at Khartoum by scoring the only goal became the first beneficiary of FIFA's rule change allowing a player with dual nationality and under the age of 21 years to switch his national allegiance. Yahia a former U18 French international was able to play for Algeria in the 2004 Olympics and scored a goal for a 1-0 win over Ghana.

With Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema, and Hatem Ben Arfa being left out, the nationalists would say that there will be no divided loyalties and no more embarrassing moments when Les Marseillaise is played. However, when opportunities close, others open up elsewhere. Les Fennecs are benefiting from these reverse migrations.

Will Buddle make the final 23 to the World Cup?

23 will be dressed for the match against Czech Republic tomorrow.

The absentees might be the ones with injury concerns like Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu, who are a lock for the World Cup, so those who don't suit up are not necessarily in danger of losing their place. But those healthy and not named in the 23 could be in danger.

In particular, the strikers are going to be a big story. Jozy Altidore is already a shoo in. Brian Ching is going to be his strike partner.

There are two other spots that need to be filled and they are being contested by LA Galaxy's Edson Buddle, who leads the MLS in most scoring statistics including goals scored and shots on goal, RSL's Robbie Findley, an impressive speed merchant who seems to have fallen of the pace from last season, Eddie Johnson nursing a strained hamstring now in the Greek league with Aris Thessaloniki, and Hercules Gomez who scored 10 goals for Puebla in the Mexican Clausura, the most by a US player.

The front runners are Buddle, with his scoring consistency and familiarity with Donovan on attack. Gomez has given good minutes off the bench and could be looked on as a super sub should the US need a goal.

The midfield with 12 right now need to be pruned down to eight or nine. Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Stuart Holden, Benny Feilhaber are sureties.

Jose Francisco Torres, Sacha Kljestan, DaMarcus Beasley, Alejandro Bedoya, and Robbie Rogers are the five midfielders in the mix for what should be one to two more spots.

Out of the group, Torres stands head above shoulders in talent level. He is a genuine creator with an eye for a pass and dazzling technical skills. He gives a different look to the US midfield and part of the transition has been integrating that different style.

If Torres is selected, then Bedoya and Kljestan are redundant. Bradley might choose to play someone on the wings having completed his complement of central midfielders. Beasley's lack of playing time at Rangers might go against him. Robbie Rogers is versatile and can play down either flank which might give him the nod.

In defense who will join Oguchi Onyewu, Jay DeMerit, Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Spector, Steve Cherundolo and Jonathan Bornstein?

The defense sports the most injury concerns with Onyewu, DeMerit and Bocanegra all coming back from time off. Bocanegra recently underwent a surgery to repair some torn muscle fibers in the front of the thigh which were restricting knee movement. Gooch is just coming back from a patellar tendon tear that kept him out for seven months. De Merit has an abdominal strain and prior to that a scratched cornea that has kept him away from the pitch.

The choices are Chad Marshall and Clarence Goodson. Both have been impressive on set pieces with Goodson edging out Marshall in his effectiveness. Heath Pearce is the other question mark.

The goalkeepers have little to worry about with Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, and Marcus Hahnemann taking the three spots.

The match against the Czech Republic should evoke some unhappy memories as the USA crashed to a 3-0 loss against them in their first group match in the 2006 World Cup. Many of their stalwarts like Jan Koller, Pavel Nedved, and Karel Poborsky have retired but the present team still boasts Petr Cech, Bordeaux's Jaroslav Plaisil and two dangerous forwards in Martin Fenin and Tomas Necid. An improved performance against them will be a good gauge of World Cup readiness.

Juve's horrible Serie season did not end there. They were humiliated by a Red Bulls side which is playing decent football after a long time.

Jeremy Hall, Conor Chinn and Juan Pablo Angel all scored in the second half with Amauri pulling one back for the visitors. The Old Lady controlled the first half through the efforts of Diego but was unable to score.

An important point: The attendances have picked up and are averaging about 14,000 which is about 60%- 70% of capacity. Wins against giants like Juventus will improve attendances further. Results like these also change perception of the MLS amongst players in leagues like the Serie when they are contemplating options.

Real Mallorca who did so well in the Liga almost qualifying for the Champions League are heading to bankruptcy. The club has run up debt amounting to 60-70 million euros and are struggling to pay the tax bill and the salaries of the players and the coaching staff.

Mallorca's owner Mateo Alemany, is confident that this is a temporary situation and called voluntary administration, a solution not a problem.

Other clubs who are in danger are Valencia and Villareal who are offloading their most expensive players in order to reduce the wage bill and pay off the debt. Valencia sold David Villa to Barcelona for 42 million euros and David Silva maybe the next to go to Real. Villareal may get rid of Giuseppe Rossi and Diego Lopez.

In the 63 minute Fabio Coentrao sends in a cross and CR7 engineers a blatant "Hand of God" look alike. The Real Madrid striker's ruse earned him a yellow card and plenty of sheepish looks.

The match is not what you would call a morale booster. The number 3 FIFA ranked team taking on 117th ranked Cape Verde in a friendly and failing to score a goal.

The match was dogged by the familiar sight of CR7 doing too much, trying to take on everybody, and generally trying to smash the goal down. Some good approach work by Nani on the right and a very accomplished Coentrao down the left was undone by poor finishing. Carlos Quieroz also had injury concerns with Tiago Mendes to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of his knee injury.

Aerial superiority and a great bit of individual skill by Glen Johnson were the highlights of England's 3-1 win over Mexico in a friendly. A World Cup curtain raiser which was also an opportunity for some players to state their case for selection in the final 23.

Fabio Capello might be relieved by Robert Green's performance but the defense looked ragged with Guillermo Franco turning Ledley King inside out creating an opportunity to score. King did better on the attacking end nodding the ball past Perez in goal to open the scoring after Spurs team mate Peter Crouch had headed the ball across the goalmouth.

But El Tri took possession of the game thereafter. England survived two very good attempts. Robert Green denying Carlos Vela after a neat pass from Dos Santos found the Arsenal forward and then a few minutes later Salcido's curling shot luckily struck the upright after beating the West Ham custodian. England went ahead against the run of play when another set piece let to Rooney's header striking the crossbar and off the rebound Crouch elongating his body deflected the ball into goal in what appeared to be an offside position.

England's defense then let them down, Leighton Baines making a meal out of a simple clearance and Franco pounced to pull one back for Mexico. The stage was set for Glen Johnson's spectacular bit of individualistic skill. Rooney was somewhat subdued but showed no ill effects of the groin and ankle injury that saw him take time off in the last part of the season.

Mexico faded in the second half but there are still questions for Fabio Capello before he submits his final 23. He has the Japan game to come to a decision.

The England line up was missing the Chelsea faction of Terry, Cole, and Lampard but the presence of Milner and Carrick failed to get the midfield going. Theo Walcott did little of note. Ledley King played all 90 minutes but it was not an assured defensive performance. Jamie Carragher played his first international in three years but did not have much to do. Leighton Baines showed he is not quite ready.

It is becoming clear that England need to keep their first XI healthy because their bench strength particularly on central defense does not look up to the mark. In midfield, Michael Carrick might have just ended his chances. Scott Parker in central midfield looks like a better option.

On the day Inter won the top European title, 45 years after its last win, the Tangerines were creating their bit of history at Wembley as they beat Cardiff, 3-2 with all the goals scored in the first half. Their Championship playoff win ensured passage into the Premiership as they finally return to the top echelon after 39 years. They defied overwhelming conventional wisdom doing so.

Brett Ormerod scored the all important winner. The veteran forward if he returns to Blackpool next season will have played in all four leagues with the club since he began his career 13 years ago.

Michael Chopra got the Bluebirds of to a brilliant start but it was Charlie Adams with a free kick that had class stamped all over it to restore parity. It was end to end stuff as in 6 breathless minutes, three goals were struck. For Cardiff, Joe Ledley ran a fine one- two with Peter Whittington, to get Cardiff's pulse racing when he smacked his shot past Matthew Gilks.

Three minutes later, a frantic goalmouth scramble which had everything including a goalmouth save results in Gary Taylor -Fletcher heading the ball, almost getting decapitated in the process to bring the Tangerine back on level terms.

While the temperature soared to 41 C, there was no let up as exactly three minutes later, Ormerod taking advantage of some mind numbingly bad defending to toe poke a goal past David Marshall. The Bluebirds must have had at least three occasions to clear the ball with DJ Campbell attracting all the traffic, in the end slipping but still managing to push the ball out to Ormerod.

The second half saw Cardiff pushing hard to get back into the game with Chopra again coming close, in one instance the shot smacking the upright but Blackpool held on for a memorable Wembley Saturday afternoon. Blackpool was the lowest placed of the playoff teams, overcoming Nottingham Forest, the top placed team over two legs and then taking on Cardiff with two of the top goalscorers in Peter Whittingham and Chopra.

We shall get to see Joe Holloway, the colourful Blackpool coach who has his own book of oddball quotes. He will be on a larger stage and we can hope to add some more to the list of Ollie'isms.

Here is his classic describing an ugly win over QPR:

"To put it in gentleman's terms if you've been out for a night and you're looking for a young lady and you pull one, some weeks they're good looking and some weeks they're not the best. Our performance today would have been not the best looking bird but at least we got her in the taxi. She weren't the best looking lady we ended up taking home but she was very pleasant and very nice, so thanks very much, let's have a coffee."

Lady Nina Bracewell's Smith's 16% stake in Arsenal up for sale and Blackstone, the investor group hired to find a buyer has found someone who can pay the $145 million, or at least has the financial clout to do so.

Aliko Dangote is listed as number 463 on the Forbes rich list and is Nigeria's wealthiest man having amassed a fortune with his Dangote group, a business consortium that deals in commodities trading from sugar to oil. His personal worth is $2.1 billion, down from an estimated $2.5 billion, a year ago.

He is a self made man with little education who started his road to success from a small loan given by his uncle. Dangote made his mark in the sugar trade, of which he now controls 70% of the market, later branching out into cement, fueled by the massive growth in Nigeria's housing and construction business.

This being Nigeria, the rise to the top has been paved by a cozy system of patronage and kickbacks. Dangote especially benefited from his close friendship with former Nigerian president Olusegun Obesanjo lavishing him with exorbitant gifts including a Bombardier jet purchased by a former associate. The quid pro quo: Dangote saved billions of dollars in import duty waivers. The import duty scam revealed the complicity of Nigeria's top customs officials and as alleged even Obasanjo himself.

Dangote like many other Nigerian elite also benefited from banks who issued billions of dollars in loans without any credit checks. This cozy system of patronage led to the banking crisis which the government was able to averte with a $7.2 billion bailout.

The EEFC, the anti-crime agency established in 2003 following the advance fee scandal, are now targeting 200 of the most egregious offenders, the so called "debt cabal" in their debt recovery, amongst them Dangote who is said to owe as much as $67 million to various banks.

How much of this will stick because Dangote has kept the system of patronage alive with ruling party leaders including Obesanjo's hand picked successors, the late Umaru Yar'Adua and the present incumbent Goodluck Jonathan.

Dangote was recently elected as president of the Nigerian stock exchange, ironically after a share manipulation scandal brought down share prices of Africa Petroleum, a company owned by chief rival Femi Otedola. There are allegations that he paid off the members of the council for their "vote." The Dangote group has six companies listed on the NSE, which of course brings up the issue of a conflict of interest and the potential for insider trading.

However part of Dangote's cache is that he has managed to keep afloat in this financial downturn with fewer repercussions. He has profited from the durability of the commodities that made him wealthy. The healthy demand for sugar and cement has more than offset his losses in other sectors. He also made peace with Otedola, who is Nigeria's other billionaire, after a bitter turf war threatened to bring down their financial empires. Dangote's resume is also helped by sheer moral relativity - when you compare his trespasses to the pantheon of legendary Nigerian cut throats like Sani Abacha, he comes off as a saint.

Lady Bracewell's determination to sell off her stake whether it goes to Dangote or to someone else new, is muddy an already divided Arsenal investor group with competing blocs in Alisher Usmanov and Stan Kroenke, the two largest shareholders.

Her decision to go to Blackstone, and not sell to either one of them, may reflect her unhappiness with the decision to oust her from the Arsenal boardroom or the more practical consideration of whether they could afford to pay her. Whatever the decision, the club could be subjected to the destabilizing move of a new stakeholder's decision to launch a takeover by himself or the more realistic partnership with either Usmanov or Kroenke. What emerges is an ownership structure with older ties, parallel leadership, and less motivation for change.

Tom Hicks and George Gilett's decision to sell off has led to the search for new investors, the Glazers have managed to fend off the Red Knights at Old Trafford, the signal given by Roman Abramovich to buy again at Chelsea, City's reliance on the deep pockets of the Al Nahyan family, and Spurs benefiting from the ENIC group's investment. In each case, unitary ownership with little historicity have forged rapid responses to the changing situation.

Update: Aliko Dangote denies bidding for a stake in Arsenal

William Gallas gave the french team an injury scare on Sunday,when he crashed his dune buggy during a race at a 2010 World Cup training camp.Gallas emerged unscathed from the wreckage and lived to tell the tale..

In the Mourinho coached years, the best Premiership player was unable to score a goal against Chelsea.

This was what Mourinho had to say when Ronaldo had his best season scoring 38 goals for United in 2008.

"The player of the year must be the best of the year but he must also be a winner," Mourinho said. "I don't think he can be a player without a big trophy. Clearly what Ronaldo did in the season was magnificent. I think by far, or by some distance, he has been the best player in the Premiership but for me the best is always a winner because football is a collective sport. If Man United do something important by winning the Premiership or by winning the Champions League I would say - and not just me, the whole football world - give the trophy to him."

Man Utd won the Premiership and the CL as Chelsea came unglued in the last days of the season. But Mourinho's point is still valid.

Individual records and accolades count for little unless they are backed up by the ultimate prize. At the very least, that means winning the Liga.

" I own you"

17 titles in hand with Porto, Chelsea, and Inter. The protege schooled his old master at the Bernabeu on Saturday.

Jose Mourinho's agent arrived at the Bernabeu today to negotiate on behalf of his client. Mourinho is set to sign a four year contract that will net him 10 millions euros annually. Real will also pay Inter 16 million euros for the final year of his contract. They will get back 3 million of that amount because of a clause in Wesley Sneijder's contract in the event the Dutchman won the Champions League.

As per plan, Mourinho will be presented to Real Madrid fans next week.

Every year in South Africa, about10,000 people are killed because of injuries from gunshot wounds.Personal firearms are going to be banned from stadiums during the tournament but only for the duration of the World Cup.Premier League footballers have launched a campaign to banish guns from South Africa .....

During Jose Mourinho's post Champion's League winning press conference one adoring journalist presented him with a golden crown.Mourinho gave the journalist his Inter jacket in exchange.He did not wear the crown though.He said "Not today,maybe tomorrow".....!

Beckham dropped into Camp Bastion in south Afghanistan.
"These guys are the bravest people that I've ever met and it really is, it truly is, an honour to be here.It's scary, it really is scary, you feel it.Just yesterday one of the troops was killed, and you feel it and you see the flags at half-mast and you feel the tension there.I've represented my country many times on the field, but what these guys do representing our country is really amazing."" More...

Jose Mourinho proves his speciallness.Inter Milan win the Champion's League title after 45 years of waiting.Mourinho is only the third manager to have taken two different clubs to Champion's League glory.Only 6 clubs have ever achieved the treble that Inter achieved.
The goals of the game were scored by Diego Milito....

English players are concerned that the new world cup ball will move and swerve and make crosses and shots unpredictable.
Now if they had only practiced on Rasenreich Corpus I and II the Jabulani would have been child's play.As you can see they are oddly shaped ball like objects which are not very badly made footballs but training devices used in Austria to improve players ball control abilities.Video evidence below ...

productvideo from Rasenreich on Vimeo.

A referee familiar to Premiership audiences will take centerstage at the Bernabeu today. Howard Webb will proceed to the World Cup in less than three weeks and officiating this most important match establishes his reputation as one of the top referees in the world.

He has had his share of clashes with Jose Mourinho while at Chelsea including the 2007 Carling Cup which ended in a brawl between the Blues and Arsenal, with John Terry leaving with a broken jaw. Then again, in September 2007 disallowing a Salomon Kalou goal for offside against Blackburn which led to a Mourinho tirade, demanding an apology from the Englishman.

Webb is a former police officer who bears a resemblance to the far more controversial and recently retired Tom Hennings Ovrebo. It the past is any indication, a free flowing match could be impeded by Webb's micromanagement. There will be a smattering of yellow cards and Thiago Motta and Martin Demichelis will be closely watched.

Diego Milito, Maicon, and Wesley Sneijder are all capable of scoring goals but the only one who has scored in a Champions League final out of that group is Samuel Eto'o.

Eto'o's made Arsenal blue in the 2006 final and then again repeated the feat three years later against Man Utd. When Eto'o left for Inter, switched for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, many saw it as a epitaph of a player past his prime, hamstrung with injuries and ego problems. But Mourinho brought him for his ability to deliver big. In that battle he has had the last laugh over Ibrahimovic and Pep Guardiola. The Swede has been overshadowed by the contributions of Pedro and Bojan, who previously came off the bench.

Eto'o's Serie goalscoring output has been ordinary, 12 in 32 appearances well off his Barca pace but there have been some very important goals against Roma, Fiorentina, and Juventus that kept Inter in the Serie challenge against their rivals. And so far he has lived up his European reputation bringing Chelsea down in the second leg to progress Inter into the Champions League quarterfinals.

He will be in the illustrious company of Alfredo Di Stefano if he scores in today's CL finals and the first one in its modern version, to score in three separate finals.

Eto'o's biggest strength is that he lies under the radar, the man left unmarked, lurking in the corners, or suddenly breaking free. Bayern will focus on Milito, Maicon, or Sneijder but they would be naive to overlook this man's record.

Go Bayern! Bring the sweetness and light to football over the dark forces of Jose Mourinho.

Rinus Michels the legendary coach who refined Totaalvoetbal or Total Football

Ruud Krol, the left back in the 1974 Dutch team summarized it best:

"Our system was also a solution to a physical problem. How can you play for 90 minutes and remain strong? If I as a left back run 70 meters up the wing it's not good if I immediately have to run back 70 to my starting place. So if the left midfielder takes my place and left winger takes the midfield position, then it shortens the distance. That was the philosophy."

If there is one country that knows the importance of space, it is the Dutch. With land at a premium, they came up with innovative ways to increase acreage to accommodate one of the highest population densities in Europe. They are masters of land reclamation.

Pushing those boundaries of space was a huge feature of those legendary Ajax teams in the 1960s which took European football by storm. There was nothing like it seen before. Rinus Michels who came to Ajax in 1964 after Vic Buckingham was sacked initiated a radical breakaway from the traditional norms associated with football.

As a player you could be anything, a striker, a midfielder, or a defender. The exigencies of that moment dictated your nomenclature. Krol points out above, you were supposed to fill in the space left behind by the wingback, whether it was the left midfielder or the striker.

David Goldblatt in his masterful opus " The Ball Is Round" writes, "alongside this display of positional flexibility and position switching, Ajax attempted to change the space in which the game was being played. "

Wingers and attacking full backs stretched the field to the utmost, hugging the touchlines. While in defense they collapsed the playing area. Crowding the ball carrier and the opposition, playing a high defensive line including the goalkeeper, and using the offside trap.

"When they attacked they attacked with eleven, when they defended they defended with eleven."

The hierarchical sense of football was turned on its head. In its place was what they would call in cybernetic parlance, a parallel distributed process. It allowed for speedier responses to changes in spatial demands, i.e., the expansion and collapse of space. The continuum of the game was dictated by which player would have the best access to that space, either by a pass, or an intercept. It made no difference in the division of labour whether he was a striker, a full back, or a midfielder. There was a constant switching of positions.

Barry Hulshoff, the Ajax defender on this new approach, " It was about making space, coming into space, and organizing space-like architecture on the football pitch. "

Playing the sort of high intensity, high energy football demanded extra-ordinary levels of fitness and discipline. Michels completely changed the club culture. Under him, players trained full time, upto four training sessions a day. Carlos Tevez would have never hacked it under this system. Players eschewed ego for complete professionalism and a commitment to win.

Elements of total football were already in place before Michels showed up at Ajax, by his predecessors, Jack Reynolds and Buckingham. However, their ideas although radical, could not be implemented with success because of a number of reasons, but one major factor was the lack of like minded players.

Michels made a number of changes getting rid of the players who he believed could not be part of this new philosophy. He brought in Velibor Vasovic, a tough minded defender from Partizan Belgrade with an unremitting desire to win. From the Ajax youth ranks rose names that would go down in history including Krol, Neeskens, Suurbier, Hulshoff, Muhrens, and Johann Cruyff , the future poster boy of Totalvoetbal. Cruyff and then Stefan Kovacs, the coach installed in place when Michels left for Barca, guided Ajax to its finest hour.

Two antithetical philosophies clashed in the 1972 European Cup final. The suffocating nihilism of Catenaccio embodied by Helenio Herrera and Inter and the free flowing Totaalvoetbal of Michels and Ajax. It was Ajax winning the final, 2-0, heralding the death of Catenaccio.

The legacy of Totaalvoetbal is not just preserved in the Dutch teams that so many love but it has been propagated outside its shores. In fact, that might be the singular achievement of this philosophy. Michels left in 1971 for Barcelona orchestrating a rash of Dutch coaches who have burnished that club with indelible elements of Totaalvoetbal. Cruyff was to follow and then Van Gaal. The number fours in Barca's cantera provide a unique counterpoint to Barca's high possession, high pressure game.

Van Gaal acknowledges his debt to Michels. But he sees himself as different too.

"My idol, my father was Rinus Michels, who was runner-up with Holland in 1974 and the 1988 European champions. It is the same way in Munich. Only Michels was too defensive, I'm more attacking. It has made us popular and successful."

Jose Mourinho can claim some revenge on Totaalvoetball, 38 years later with his version of Catenaccio proving to be successful in overcoming Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals. Can he do it again today?

TERRY VENABLES made history at London's O2 Arena yesterday when he joined up with the London Philharmonic Orchestra to produce this rendition of Elvis Presley's If I Can Dream - England's World Cup Song.

Thaksin Shinawatra is making news again.

His supporters, the Red Shirts are in a violent standoff with government forces over the demand for elections.

The business tycoon has been living in exile after the military staged a coup and removed him from power in September 2006. Since then he has been the target of the military installed government on trumped up charges of corruption, bribery, and real estate deals favouring his wife.

Shinawatra was forced to sell City to the Abu Dhabi oil magnate Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan after the Thai government froze his overseas assets in 2008. He had been City's owner for two years and was responsible for bringing Mark Hughes and renewed optimism to City with his deep pockets.

Now, he stands accused by the government of bankrolling the UDD (National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship), the anti government forces most popularly known as the "Red Shirts" who have are embroiled in an increasingly violent confrontation with the Abhisit Vejjajiva government. The UDD claim that the Vejjajiva government is illegitimate and is propped up by the military, the judiciary, and the Thai monarchy. The government has in turn issued a terrorism warrant against Shinawatra.

Shinawatra's humble background before he became a telecom tycoon resonates with the poor and the rural peasantry, who support him in massive numbers. The Thai government's dogged pursuit of him has stoked populist anger, mostly expressed in peaceful demonstrations till recently.

A state of emergency has been in place since early April with the military resorting to shoot to kill to quell the protests. On 10th April, twenty five Red Shirt supporters were shot and 800 wounded in a Bangkok public square. Anti-government forces and military have clashed repeatedly since then with more casualties on both sides. In the most recent episode 27 buildings were set ablaze in Bangkok.

Shinawatra speaking from an undisclosed location said:

"There is a theory saying a military crackdown can spread resentment and these resentful people will become guerrillas."

There are now increasing calls to the Thai government to seek rapprochement with Shinawatra and break the impasse. Meanwhile, the stunning descent into violence has many Thais worrying about their future as a united country.

Sandro Rosell has cautioned Barca over expensive transfers

The amount of debt has become an election issue as Sandro Rosell, one of the presidential candidates, is campaigning on a platform of financial austerity and in a recent interview drew attention to Barca's reported €489 million deficit.

He has said that the transfers of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Dmytro Chrygrynskiy, and now David Villa have added substantial debt to already stratospheric levels. Rosell cautioned that Barca should improve its squad but it should also spend prudently in order to ensure survival.

Interestingly, after that AS.com article, Arsenal dug in its heels and said Cesc would be off limits despite the player stating privately to Wenger that he wanted to leave. Barca responded by asking Cesc to go public with his wish to return to Barca. Now, Arsenal reports he can leave and set the price tag at €92 million for his freedom which appears to be about €50 million more than Barca's best offer.

Laporta is in a hurry to wrap up the Cesc deal before the June 13th electoral vote and before the World Cup starts. Consider this his legacy move as he is not in the running for president. But the price has to be right.

" We are not going to pay more than we think is normal and logical,' said Laporta. 'You have to take into account what he has won and the needs of both clubs. There are various ways of coming to the right price for a player who was raised by Barcelona."

The unseemly haste is at odds with what Laporta had to say about transfers a week ago:

"We do not want to close transfer deals in a hurry, we just try to fulfil the demands of the technical staff. But a transfer can become more expensive when there are interferences from people who want to claim that transfer."

At this stage there is a lot of gamesmanship going on between Laporta and Rosell which accounts for the shifting narrative. Rosell's claim to fame was the man behind bringing Ronaldinho to Barca for €32 million. So he knows a thing or two about expensive transfers. He was also a former adviser and running mate of Laporta.

That was before they fell out over a tell all book that Rosell wrote after his resignation which was critical of the present Barca president. Since the 2006 presidential elections, Rosell has become Laporta's chief critic accusing him of being "undemocratic" and claiming that there is "absolute anarchy" at how things are run in the club.

The price tag has become a problem. Barcelona so far has largely escaped Real Madrid's image of the giant vampire squid in the transfer market. But that could change if this deal goes through.

To pre-empt Arsenal's negotiating power, Laporta wants Cesc to go public with his desire to return to Barca. Gerard Pique and Carlos Puyol's statements that they would like to see Cesc back. It is worth noting in the midst of all this clamour, the most noticeable silence is that of Pep Guardiola.

If he knows anything it is this, he will be held responsible as the man sitting Cesc on the bench, while Xavi and Iniesta take to the field. The Barca midfield is the national midfield and we saw Cesc coming off the bench at Euro 2008, a situation that will mirror itself in this World Cup. Strip away the emotion of a Catalunyan re-union and in reality, Cesc, we see, is actually surplus to their requirements at this stage. Arsenal might relent but Pep Guardiola could be holding onto an expensive boondoggle and a player whose homecoming may not be as planned.

See how the Rooney Ads fit into the big picture.A Brilliant star studded ad starring Rooney,Ronaldo,Ribery,Ronaldinho and even Homer Simpson ...!

Arsene Wenger really might want to hang outside the Bernabeu and waylay the Real Madrid rejects because all indications are that they have proven to be a goldmine for their new clubs.

These players had no place in Florentino Perez's Galacticos 2.0 version and were cast aside almost contemptuously to make way for record breaking signings like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso, and Raul Albiol.

So in retrospect, with Real's trophy cupboard bare this season- losing out on the Liga, crashing out of the Copa Del Rey, and bombing in the Champions League, will the departures of any of these players cause Perez heartburn?

Without ado:

Arjen Robben: Grade: A+

If Bayern needed shock therapy, they could not have asked for a better player than Robben. He defines clutch. He defines spectacular. When they wanted a goal, there was Robben. He sank Man Utd in the Champions League and silenced Old Trafford in an iconic moment

With Ribery in tow, the two have electrified the stale Bayern attack making it a club that everyone wants to watch. He has become a fan favourite with his familiar jinking style bringing the ball to his preferred left foot and then lashing spectacular long range shots.

16 goals in 24 matches is the first time in seven years that Robben hit two digits and more than what he scored combined in the two seasons at Real. He has won the Bundesliga, the German Cup, and in a shining moment will return to the Bernabeu on Saturday to contest the Champions League final against Inter. The 25 million euros spent were worth every penny.

You bet Florentino Perez will feel a dagger of intense regret ripping through his chest.

Wesley Sneijder: Grade A +

Two Real Madrid rejects stand against each other on Saturday, vying with one another to wear the mantle of the reject that causes Florentino Perez most regret. Yes, Wesley Sneijder too returns to the Bernabeu as Inter take on Bayern and he will meet Robben, his former team mate.

Mourinho had correctly identified the midfield lacuna in Inter's game before this season. Their premature European exits were attributable to a lack of link up between the midfield and the attack. He got his man when Real walked Sneijder out of the Bernabeu through the back door. It cost Inter 15 million euros but that has proved to be a bargain.

With Sneijder, there was someone who finally controlled the pace and flow of the game leaving Eto'o, Pandev, and Milito with less to do individually. Sneijder could pull of a sublime pass and sink the opposition with his wickedly curling free kicks. Sneijder's set pieces brought Inter back from the brink against Siena. With him at the helm, Inter team has won the Serie, the Coppa Italia, and now stands on the brink of adding the Champions League.



Gabriel Heinze: Grade A+

Gabriel Heinze is one of those players who have reinvented themselves. After some great seasons he was slowed down by injury and loss of form, eventually losing out to Patrice Evra at Man Utd. He then left Old Trafford in disgrace because of his declared intention to join Liverpool. He was picked up by Real and although he did decently in his two seasons, he was again edged out by Brazil's U21 standout, Marcelo. His old club, PSG spurned his services as they were more interested in developing Mamadou Sakho.

Heinze was finally picked by Marseille for an undisclosed fee. Since joining L'OM he has become an integral part of the back line scoring a number of important goals, none more memorable than the one scored against Rennes on May 5th, a win which gave them the Championnat after 16 years. Heinze was one of the top scoring defenders in the Ligue and with Taye Taiwo, Souleymane Diawara, and Laurent Bonnart gave away just 36 goals, the second best in the Ligue.

Javier Saviola: Grade A+

The former U20 World Cup phenomenon was a Real Madrid failure. His appearances were severely curtailed to cup appearances and an occasional Liga match. With the arrival of Klaas Jan Huntelaar, his appearances dried up further in his second year. In two seasons, he managed a total of 28 appearances scoring 5 goals.

He was transferred without ceremony to Benfica for 5 millions euros. At SLB, he formed a potent attacking partnership with Paraguayan Oscar Cardozo, playing just behind him as the slot striker. With his pace and ball control, El Conejo scored 11 goals, complementing Cardozo's top scoring 26 goals very nicely and leading Benfica to their first Portugese title in five years. Everton fans will remember him when he scored two goals in a 5-0 thrashing at Benfica in the Europa Cup. In all, he scored 19 goals and established himself as a fan favourite.

Javier Garcia: Grade A

A product of the Real Madrid cantera, Garcia never settled down in the senior squad being sent off to Osasuna where he established himself as a tough holding midfielder. He came back to Real for another two years from 2007 to 2009, and was Mahamadou Diarra's understudy, getting enough appearances but once again not cracking the starting spot.

He was sold to Benfica for 7 million euros and since then has become an integral part of the Benfica midfield diamond with Angel Di Maria out on the left, playmaker Pablo Aimar sitting on top, Brazilian workhorse Ramires down the right, and Garcia sitting deep.

Alvaro Negredo: Grade B

Negredo rose up from the ranks in Real Madrid B and caught the eye of Fabio Capello but never played a match for Real, staying on the bench. Negredo is another example of Real Madrid's famed cantera providing diminishing returns for their own homegrown talent as the club trolls for more expensive talent outside Spain's shores. He was given out to Almeria where he did very well and then returned back to Real. He was rumoured to join Hull City or Real Zaragoza but the deals fell through.

Once again, he was shipped off this time to Sevilla on a two year contract worth 15 million euros. Negredo eventually supplanted Frederic Kanoute but his form was erratic going through spells of not scoring. But his best two games were against Valencia and Altletico Madrid, scoring a brace each which helped propel the club to an eventual fourth place in the Liga and the final CL spot. Negredo ended the season with 11 goals in 25 appearances and with Luis Fabiano and Kanoute managed to score 65 goals, third best in the Liga but streets behind Real and Barcelona.

Klaas Jan Huntelaar: Grade D

The career of Huntelaar has been a story of a downward spiral since leaving Ajax where his exploits were legend.

He was a scoring machine when he came to Real in January 2009 on a hefty signing fee potentially worth 27 million euros with its clauses. By all accounts he did well enough, scoring 8 goals in 20 appearances but well off his Ajax pace with 76 goals scored in just 92 appearances.

He became surplus with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema and was then transferred out to Milan for 15 million euros. Huntelaar was to bolster Alexandre Pato and with Ronaldinho give the Milan attack teeth after losing Kaka. However, those killer instincts in front of goal deserted him in a big way. The first half of the season was especially brutal- rumours were that Huntelaar would not last a season.

None hurt more than the night when Man Utd beat Milan for the first time at the San Siro in the Champions League. Huntelaar left to a chorus of boos as he was subbed by Inzaghi. It was left to Marco Van Basten to defend him.

In 24 appearances, Huntelaar has scored 7 goals. With his failure to make an impact, Pato also struggling, it has been Marco Boriello, an aging journeyman striker filling the void. Not what Milan needed.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy: Grade B

Which brings us back to the Real Madrid player who had the most impact at the club of the whole transfer group, winning the Pichichi with 25 goals in his first year and guiding Real and Bernd Schuster to the 2007 Liga title, in one of the tightest races. Despite ankle surgery and then knee ligament surgery curtailing his next two seasons, Nistelrooy kept up his phenomenal output.

It is a testimony to his prodigious goalscoring, that a club like Real with few qualms waited for him to get better and even tried accommodating him even as Kaka, Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo landed up. By now Van Nistelrooy was already desirous for a transfer.

He became Real's 15th transfer, joining Hamburg on a free in the winter transfer and in this brief spell managed to score 5 goals in 10 appearances. This includes a brace against Stuttgart in the 75th and 77th minute of a 3-1 win. At that time Hamburg seemed to be holding firm to the final CL spot before falling off to the 7th place. A good solid start for RVN.

There are other transfers.

Getafe rebuilt its defense with goalkeeper Jorge Codina, central defender Miguel Torres, and highly rated holding midfielder Daniel Parejo. They finished sixth in the Liga and booked a passage to the Europa Cup. Grade B

Blackburn got Michel Salgado, who appears to be a perfect fit for a club known for its aggressive style of defending. He played an important part in intimidating Lukasz Fabianski in Blackburn's demoralizing defeat of Arsenal. Boss Sam Allardyce is reported to be satisfied with the performance of Salgado, a player who built a reputation in the Liga for his robust tackling. Salgado has indicated that the Premiership will be his last stop. Grade B

There were some flashes of Alberto Bueno when Real Valladolid got hammered into relegation by Barca on the last day. Overall, he seems to have made little impact. Grade C-

Fabio Cannavaro got the ball rolling on the players leaving, as Juventus wanted him back after three seasons at Real. He is not the force that he was four years ago when he won the FIFA World Cup player of the year with his stint at Juventus and Real. But Cannavaro has built a decent central partnership with Giorgio Cheillini while the rest of Juve fell off the perch. Grade B

Julien Faubert had quite a siesta at Real Madrid, virtually nodding off to sleep on the bench while Real waged a comeback against Villareal which they ultimately lost, conceding the 2009 Liga title to Barca. Two appearances is all he had to show for his surprise arrival in January 2009. Back again at West Ham and it could not have been more different as Faubert had some excellent performances. If there was a highlight it was his perfect whipping cross finding Ilan for the equalizer against Everton. Grade B

In all, most clubs benefited from Real Madrid's rejects. Nine titles is quite an impressive tally.

Jerome Boateng, Kevin Prince Boateng's half brother, has been playing diplomat, meeting with Michael Ballack and apologizing on his brother's behalf.

When Kevin Prince takes the field in the Ghana vs Germany encounter in the World Cup, there will be tension on the field and a good chance that these could translate into extra-curricular activities.

Jerome has already said that his brother deserved a red for his tackle on Ballack. But he defends him in an interview with Bild when asked if it was intentional:

"Many people are certain that this was the case. But this is far-fetched. Kevin-Prince does not have the best reputation. He would like to undo it. "

When asked why they were so different:

"Other brothers are too! We did not grow up together. He also had it harder than me. No matter what happens: He's my brother! "

Kevin Prince should be thankful that his brother is his best spokesperson and a visible one at that. When Germans think of the Boateng brothers, the one that they should remember is the sane one.

Arjen Robben on his former mentor at Chelsea:

"Mourinho is only interested in winning and not playing good football"

Should add a nice bit of edge to that Champions League final. Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho also share a common history at Barcelona.

Vincent De Bosque announces Spain's 23 man World Cup squad.

Pedro, Victor Valdes, Javi Martinez, and Fernando Llorente are the surprise inclusions. The biggest absentees are Marcos Senna and Santi Cazorla. A huge part of Spain's Euro 2008 winning squad has been torn out by these two exclusions.

Pedro gets the call. He has been a killer in front of goal and he is just getting better. He is one of eight Barca players, as the club dominates the selection in all areas. In a bit of a twist, Real Madrid's selections are all in defense which has been the club's soft spot this season.

Cesc Fabregas in the spotlight after a supposed emotional meeting with Arsene Wenger over his desire to return to Barca, will play second fiddle to Xavi and Iniesta in the midfield.

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Jose Manuel Reina (Liverpool), Víctor Valdés (Barcelona).

Defenders: Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Raul Albiol (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Álvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Carlos Marchena (Valencia).

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Javi Martínez (Athletic Bilbao).

Forwards: Jesus Navas (Sevilla), David Silva (Valencia), Juan Manuel Mata (Valencia), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), David Villa (Barcelona), Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao).

Marca.com is reporting that David Silva, the silky smooth left winger will become Real Madrid's first high powered signing in the off season by the end of the week. The Valencia midfielder has also been linked to Arsenal and Man City.

This is Real Madrid's shot across the bow to Barca that has hogged all the transfer headlines this week. Silva's team mate David Villa was signed on by the Blaugrana on a 42 million euros transfer. Manuel Llorente, the Valencia chairman is offloading his players to stave off the huge mountain of debt his club faces.

Maradona hit a journalist on the way to the press conference to announce his 23 man squad and as the man fell to the ground, ran over his leg. To add insult to injury, he called him an a**hole.

"What an a**hole you are," Maradona shouted from the car. "How can you put your leg there where it can get run over, man?"

Since Argentina qualified, Maradona has been slapped with a 2 month ban on match attendances after going live on TV and telling the media to "suck it and keep on sucking." His dog bit him last month causing facial injuries and now he runs over a man's leg. By the time, he gets to SA, he may have taken up all the oxygen, leaving none for his team.

The new Argentina or is it the old? Palermo is Maradona's choice

Jesus Datolo of Olympiakos always dangerous down the left was dropped providing another talking point. Maradona drained the squad of the Argentine Liga and now the 23 man squad sports a very distinct European look.

Maradona is telegraphing his priorities, with six inclusions on his strike force rather than the usual four. It is shootout at the fantasy factory.

Diego Milito's call up is vindication of his outstanding season. Martin Palermo is one exception. The veteran Boca striker is the beneficiary it appears of Maradona's inability to break from the past. At 36 years, with bad knees, and tainted with the history of three missed penalties, the most in an international match, this will be his first World Cup.

The midfield looks a bit rag tag with Javier Pastore minus a single cap alongside the experienced Juan Sebastian Veron. A trio of Premiership players, the hardworking Maxi Rodriguez, Maradona's favourite Jonas Gutierrez, and tackler in chief Javier Mascherano have been included.

Argentina's defense is its Achilles heel.

Gabriel Heinze at left back for Javier Zanetti is hard to swallow. Heinze just concluded a good season at Marseille but when you match both head to head, he is a poor second. over the years, Maradona has kept faith in him. Walter Samuel pairs up with an error prone Martin Demichelis on central defense. Nicholas Burdisso will be the first choice at right back. The back ups are all from the Liga and with 20 caps between them, have relatively little experience. Compared to their northern neighbours, the Argentine defense is undersized and lightweight in talent.

Apart from Javier Zanetti, Maradona also excluded Esteban Cambiasso. Both will be present in the Inter vs Bayern Champions League final and if they shine, their exclusion from the national squad will be subjected to even more debate. Daniel Diaz, Fernando Gago, Ever Banega, Pablo Aimar, Lucho Gonzalez, and Lisandro Lopez are also notable absentees.

23 man Argentina squad:

Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar/NED), Mariano Andujar (Catania/ITA), Diego Pozo (Colon/ ARG)

Defenders: Nicolas Otamendi (Velez Sarsfield/ARG), Gabriel Heinze (Marseille/FRA), Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich/GER), Walter Samuel (Inter/ITA), Ariel Garce (Colon/ARG), Nicolas Burdisso (Roma/ITA), Clemente Rodríguez (Estudiantes/ARG)

Midfielders: Juan Sebastian Veron (Estudiantes/ARG), Javier Mascherano Liverpool (ENG), Jonas Gutierrez Newcastle (ENG), Angel Di Maria Benfica (POR), Maximiliano Rodriguez Liverpool (ENG), Javier Pastore Palermo (ITA), Mario Bolatti Fiorentina (TA)

Forwards : Lionel Messi (Barcelona/ESP), Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid/ESP), Carlos Tevez (Manchester City/ENG), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Diego Milito (Inter/ITA), Martin Palermo (Boca Juniors/ARG)

Apparently jousting with the Glazers is not going as well as planned. I never understood how a group of rich investors who've made billions in the secretive derivatives market could be trusted by MUST to make Man Utd debt free and introduce transparency.

" Another high-level source has said the problems arise from bringing together so many different investors, many of whom have contrasting visions for the future, particularly when it comes to the possibility of giving the club's supporters a substantial percentage of the ownership."

These investors want it for themselves. If that is not plain by now, then Man Utd deserves to be taken over by the next set of barbarians.

Diego Capel lashes a shot past David De Gea after the ball rebounds back to him in the 4' minute and then in the 90' minute, Jesus Navas steals the ball and runs towards goal as Antonio Lopez fails in his attempt to tackle him. De Gea is beaten on Navas's sidestep, and Lopez, by now back in goal tries a futile attempt to keep the ball out but it is too late.

Atletico failed in its bid to add the Copa Del Rey to its historic Europa Cup win. Sevilla meanwhile ended its season on a high note having already secured the final Champions League spot last weekend after beating Almeria in a pulsating match with one man down.

The Andalusian club then dedicated the win to Antonio Puerta, the full back who tragically died on the field three years ago of a massive heart attack. Antonio Alvarez, the Sevilla coach also prepared the team before the match by having them watch a video of Puerta score a stunning goal against Schalke in the 2006 UEFA Cup, which led them to the final, and an impressive set of titles thereafter. The attempt to fire up the team obviously worked.

Athletic Bilbao played a charity game against 100 spanish schoolkids to bid farewell to forward Joseba Etxeberria who is leaving the Basque club after 15 years.The 20,000 crowd, and most of the players, struggled to keep track of the ball as the La Liga superstars' rigid 4-4-2 diamond formation was swamped by the youngsters' 20-60-19 headless chicken system. ...!
The kids,despite their slight numerical advantage,lost the game 5 -3.
The referees were also seen having quite a bit of problem correctly interpreting the offside rule. Most of the linesmen gave up in despair and went home and watched the game on telly....!
More on that here..

A majestic 45 yard free kick by Brazilian midfielder Inca gives Olimpia a win over Sol de America in the Paraguayan first division. Jaw dropping velocity and movement. Even the goalkeeper looked like he enjoyed it.

From Dirty Tackle >>

Joan Laporta firmly says Xavi is not up for sale. Arsenal says firmly Fabregas is not for sale. Xavi is not going, Fabregas is not leaving. Simple really.

It would be a Utopian dream to bring Cesc but the fact is that without Xavi leaving Barca, the Arsenal captain will play tiddlywinks on the bench. Which is what he does not want.

So after all that Fabregas wants to leave for Barca which maybe all true but it is a coronation in waiting, not now. The Guardian fell for it, I fell for it, but there are those who did not. I am glad some live in the reality based community otherwise the world would be a very, very dark place.

Arsenal has denied any approach and Txiki Beguiristian, Barca's sports director had to check his words.

" It's great news that he wants to come here and I think that one day Cesc will have to come to Barca. But what matters is Arsenal and what their decision is. They think he is a very important player for them. We have to respect that. At times the wishes of players do not come true because they are under contract."

Its seductive because Barca has become the undisputed Mecca of football. Cesc spent his time recuperating there and the sight of those players going berserk and wearing jerseys which said, "No penses en una temporada, penses en la historia" must have made him stir crazy. Its been a long time since he saw those celebrations. And he is at a stage where these things make so much more difference.

2014 maybe inked on paper but it is not etched in the heart. This is where Wenger needs to step in. To stop this cognitive dissonance nonsense. He has to make serious good faith efforts that he is serious about winning a title. This rationalization about third place being good enough or making the Champions League quarter finals. Arsenal fans have had the patience of Job.

He has to give Cesc a reason to hope that he is not fighting 100 years of solitude on the pitch, carrying the game all by himself. At 23 years, Cesc has experiential progeria because of the responsibilities he has undertaken.

Give him a team that lightens this load. Get him a trustworthy midfield partner. A goalkeeper that stops goals. A striker that scores goals. Above all get him a team that believes rolling up their sleeves and scrapping for every ball in every match is one way to win a title. Five years of deja vu is too much and Cesc has seen every one of them.

It's your move, Arsene.

He maybe rail thin but his stats are phat

Pep Guardiola has made winning his middle name.

"The win against Valladolid last Sunday which confirmed the league title, was Guardiola's 87th victory in charge out of a total of just 121 games, which represents a 72% winning record, with 19% of the games ending in a draw and just 9% lost. "

Only Helenio Herrera in his first installment as Barca's coach from April 1958 to May 1960 enjoys a better winning percentage. 71 won out of 94 matches in two years for an impressive 75.53% and two Liga, a Copa Del Rey, and a UEFA Fairs title.

Guardiola has actually improved upon his winning percentage from his first season. With 42 matches won in his first season to 45 in the next, an increase from 68% to 76%. It has happened because Barca under him is a scoring machine, with 296 goals scored in these 121 matches- an average of 2.5 goals/ match. The defense has done its job too, conceding only 96 for an average of less than a goal. A gaudy + 202 differential.

Leo Messi is the biggest beneficiary of Guardiola's scoring largesse. In his two seasons under the coach, the maestro increased his goal tally from 38 to 47 goals. In all, 85 goals and he is already Barca's seventh highest scorer. Even Thierry Henry has scored 30, not shabby and yet in the face of such overwhelming power, he is being written off. Under Guardiola's golden touch, Pedro and Bojan, the two most improved players have 23 and 22, respectively. No wonder David Villa is champing at the bits. He might be at the 30 goal average at Barca.

Guardiola's record will be measured against Johan Cruyff, the longest serving Barca coach- 430 matches played over eight seasons, winning 250 of them for a shade under 60%. Cruyff is Barca's most successful coach when it comes to winning the Liga. Four of them in his eight years. But Guardiola achieved the sextuplet in his first season. No one can top that.

Guardiola is on a pace to becoming the most storied coach in Barcelona history and he is just 39 years old. One can only dream of the mind boggling numbers he will have run up in the next ten years if he stays on and becomes the kingmaker of another generation of players.

Interesting that Sir Alex weighs in on Thierry Henry's reported move to the MLS, saying he will be a Red Bulls success. Almost makes you wonder whether Man Utd's coach is a wee bit worried that he might be contemplating a Premiership move, maybe back to Arsenal. If Sol Campbell can return, all bets are off.

Henry maybe off a gear from top speed but there are at least 2-3 years of good football left. Which is why there is so much, will he won't he? After the US media made very definitive announcements of an MLS arrival, the player is denying any such move saying he still has a year left on his Barca contract.

But the 13 minute cameo at the Camp Nou was a farewell move if ever there was one. With the arrival of David Villa, he will be even more of a bench warmer. So he is leaving.

Joan Laporta on Titi.

"He is very popular in the MLS and there's a lot of interest in him. We are working on this and will try and reach an agreement that suits both the club and the player".

Is a loan move being considered? With an option to buy at the end of the season? Its far from a definite. One factor in Titi Henry's consideration, like Beckham, may center around continued national appearances. He is 32 years and France's top scorer beating Michel Platini's record. The relative anonymity of MLS and the travel logistics could weigh in on this decision.

Titi contemplated international retirement after the Ireland match, an emotional reaction to all the negative press about his ball handling skills. Which makes his performance at the coming World Cup hugely significant. If he shows he can score like his former self, then offers from European leagues will come a plenty. Something tells me that AC Milan could become his destination. A club very much still a European force but with a soft spot for older players.

A forgettable World Cup will pave the way for international retirement with an end of career MLS move, a more attractive option.

La Liga is moving rapidly. In the case of Barca, there are presidential elections which are a huge consideration and Joan Laporta is making some lightning moves before the 13 June election day.

David Villa is on the verge of joining Barcelona on a 40 million euro transfer from Valencia. A further 7 million euros has been set aside for the Valencia striker as a pre-contract amount in last year's negotiations. Joan Laporta, Barca's president indicated that the present negotiations are in an advanced stage and could Villa could be officially part of the club as early as Wednesday.

"We have begun negotiations with Valencia and continue the process because he is a player we are interested in. The two sides are now finalizing the agreement. We are missing a few details that we need to take care of and hopefully it would all be sorted out soon. "

The striker will undergo a medical on Friday. Villa will become the first signing after the barely concluded season.

For Valencia, a club in considerable financial difficulties, half that transfer amount will directly to to repay a businessman who had given loans to the club in its hour of need.

Villa was on Man Utd's radar for a long time but his age came in the way. The club's policy of not paying big bucks for talent over 26 years with less promise of a big resale value was a key consideration. It is hard to see how Barca's attack can be further improved but someone who scores an average of 20 goals per season can't be overlooked. Laporta was at pains to state that this did not mean the end of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Barca career but it sure looks like it.

This time it maybe for real

Its mind numbing to think that Arsenal's next season may not have its talisman. Previous articles of mine have reflected a strong state of denial. Unfortunately this time around there is a kernel of truth to all these Cesc will leave for Barca rumours.

After seven years, a stripling of a lad from La Masia who grew before our eyes to achieve the status of one of the most sought after talents in Arsenal's history will return to his roots.

There will be no bad feeling as Cesc Fabregas gave his all for the club.

Fabregas is supposed to have met with Wenger and conveyed his decision to leave for Barcelona. The manager is supposed to meet with him again this week to try and persuade him to stay on but to all purposes Fabregas mind is made up. This comes on the heels of his AS interview in Spain where he first publicly declared his intention. Rafael Yuste, Barca's vice president made it clear that the signing of Fabregas was made easier by his desire to return:

"The situation with Cesc is different because even if you have the will of the player it is very important to talk to his club and, if you can, find an agreement. But what makes it easier is that both players want to come to Barça."

The sticking point will be the price. It is reported that the Catalans will submit a bid for 35 million euros whereas Arsenal is asking in the region of 50 million. Fabregas is understood to have made it clear that he would like this settled before the World Cup begins.

The Catalans are of the feeling that Arsenal should not be too stuck on the price because in politically incorrect parlance Fabregas was poached for a pittance. They were furious about it when it happened but over the years, his development has been of the magnitude that they could have done little better. It represents an even more phenomenal ROI than Nicholas Anelka.

Wenger has indicated in the past that he is in no hurry to sell any player but a good price and some other sweeteners could be hard to pass up.

Barca could offer Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Yaya Toure, both players who have fallen down the order. In the Swede's case the impending arrival of David Villa will make his task for starting minutes even harder. Toure has been sidelined by Sergio Busquets, now Pep Guadiola's first choice as holding midfielder. Personally, Ibrahimovic would be a bad move - the Swede has shown some very Bendtner like goalscoring proclivities, an indifferent work ethic, and a petulant attitude.

The first priority would be to find someone to fill the creative lacuna left by Fabregas. Everton's Mikel Arteta is probably the best choice but others who Arsenal could consider are Wolfsburg's Zvjezdan Misimović, Benfica's Pablo Aimar, Bordeaux's Yoann Gourcuff, and Roma's Daniele De Rossi. It should not be another one of Wenger's creative projects - we are looking at a finished product, a creative playmaker with credentials.

Bordeaux's president Jean-Louis Triaud is not very happy. Triaud brings up Sylvain Wiltord and now Maroaune Chamakh, who is set all set for an Arsenal departure as evidence of the club's dirty tricks.

In Chamakh's case, there seems to be a black hole as to who approached the Bordeaux striker. He states that Wenger never approached him, so Triaud is a bit bewildered as to Arsenal going ahead signing Chamakh without the coach's knowledge.

"He said he had never spoken to Arsene Wenger. But I find it strange that he could be recruited by Arsenal without talking to the coach."

He said that they had done everything to try and keep him at Bordeaux including proposing extensions as far back as early 2009. But he blamed Chamakh's advisors:

"I think he was surrounded and badly misguided. I did not appreciate at all how it went. As president, I resent it. Personally, I owe him all my affection. He is a lovely boy."

I don't really see what the problem is. Chamakh had always indicated his interest in playing for Arsenal and there was an anointment in waiting quality to the saga. Wenger delayed bringing him because Bordeaux's asking price was too much at that time and by biding his time, Chamakh would be available as a free transfer pick up. Smart business tactics nothing more.

Maybe if Bordeaux had won the Championnat and turned in a winning performance against Lyon in the Champions League, Triaud would have been a far more content man. He also stands to lose Laurent Blanc, the force behind Bordeaux's turnaround. The coach departs after the World Cup to takeover Les Bleus. The future of Les Girondins looks unsettled. Obviously, the loss of Chamakh comes at this moment of angst.

Two extremely weird ads that are possibly meant to encourage Rooney to just do it at at the World Cup or else end up a becoming
(A) a bearded bleary eyed washed out kind of person ??

(B) end up becoming a less bearded but equally washed out looking line marker ??

There must be a subliminal message in there somewhere that I'm missing.

A very interesting and heart rending plea to Joachim to give them hope.They've even got the pope to join in.

Lyrics partly translated as...

The Portuguese have the best players; The Brazilians are pretty fast; The Spaniards have not lost in three years; But we have the most beautiful hotel.

Gimme hope, Joachim gimme, hope, Joachim!; Gimme hope, Joachim, for the World Cup!; Gimme hope, Joachim gimme, hope, Joachim!; Hope for South Africa ...

Bad boy, Bad boy: An image that could spur on Germany in the World Cup?

South Africa could not have asked for a better controversy. Nothing like an moment of on field madness to get the World Cup party started.

Michael Ballack is out of the World Cup but the Ghana vs Germany game will probably be one of the most closely watched group games.

An olive branch:

"All I can do is apologise," said Boateng, the half-brother of Germany international Jerome Boateng. "I was just too late and I hit him straight on. It looked stupid. I apologised to him twice on the field and now for a third time. I am sorry. It was not intentional."

Legal Consequences:

Meanwhile, Boateng has been threatened with a lawsuit by Ballack's lawyer, Michael Becker. He said that the former German national player faces "civil and criminal consequences" for his actions.

"Every spectator could see what Boateng has done and that was clearly a premeditated foul."

" The football field is not above the law. Although Boateng believes that. "

The victimizer as victim:

Boateng's father also entered the fray. He said Boateng is always portrayed as the bogeyman. According to him there is a history between the two players and there is some justification for the foul.

"I remember an incident from his Berlin days. Kevin had just scored his first goal for Hertha a week before the Bayern game. During the match Ballack stepped on Kevin's foot. When Kevin asked what he was doing, Ballack said to him, 'Shut up! Just because you shot a goal against Frankfurt, do not think you're the greatest. "

Ballack has a reputation for trash talking but this is hardly an excuse for Boateng's actions. Former Hertha manager Dieter Hoeness who knew Boateng well remembers the striker had serious issues with impulse control. To portray him as the victim in this case is laughable.

Media and internet warfare:

A Facebook group "82 million against Boateng" has seen a rapidly growing membership targeting Germany's public enemy number one. Meanwhile, Boateng is getting no love on either side of the Channel with German and English broadsheets delving into every sordid detail of his past. Including a horrific kung fu style leg chop on Wolfsburg's Makoto Hasebe a year ago that left the Japanese bleeding profusely in the face.

Torsten Frings as replacement:

Frings has been virtually ruled out by team manager Oliver Bierhoff. "Torsten has done an incredible amount for the national team, but after the analysis of this year, the coaching team reached the conclusion that he does not belong in our national team squad."

But the chorus to replace Ballack with the Werder captain is growing. In a Bild poll 60% of Germans want him to play with a distant 21% for Sami Khedira, the first alternate. Frings had a very strong second half of the season with vital goals against Koln and Wolfsburg, to guide Werder to the third spot.

With 78 caps, an international reputation for hard, uncompromising tackles, blistering free kicks, and a young midfield that could be bolstered by his experience, the DFB might have no choice but to include Frings.

The Boateng factor:

Upto now all the talk has been Brazil, Spain, Netherlands, and England with the Germans as a less talented afterthought. But the Boateng factor could be a worrying sign for the rest of the competition. The German squad can look to this moment to spur them on in the World Cup. We have seen what happens when that Teutonic spirit is invoked.

Those who are going to miss or are in grave danger of missing, next month's World Cup due to injury. The list of walking wounded includes......

Michael Ballack (Germany)......... Ankle

David Beckham (England)......... Achilles

Jose Bosingwa (Portugal)......... Knee

Michael Essien (Ghana)......... Knee

William Gallas (France)......... Calf

Harry Kewell (Australia)......... Knee

Ruud van Nistelrooy (Neth'lds)......... Knee

Fernando Torres (Spain)......... Knee

News that rarely hears in these days of million dollar player salaries.

Oguchi Onyewu whose patellar tendon injury resulted in only one appearance for the Rossoneri has asked for a extension of a year following the two year contract he signed with the club. He has said he will play that additional time for free. Milan has accepted and acknowledged his gesture:

"Onyewu has requested and obtained a contract extension from 30 June 2012 until 30 June 2013. With respect to that year, as was his wish, which has been appreciated by the club, Onyewu has asked not to receive any type of wages. This is an exemplary gesture that deserves our sincere congratulations."

Good for him.

Marca's influential editor in chief has never been a big fan of Real Madrid's hiring of Manuel Pellegrini. He has regularly assailed the Chilean coach in his daily videoblogs.

With the Malaga failure, Eduardo Inda has called on Real to hire a new coach.

Meanwhile, Real is gauging Jose Mourinho mood.

The Special One after winning the Scudetto, continued a familiar theme of alienation. Reiterating Italy is not "home" and said it was "a difficult place to work". He also said that he would decide his future after the Champions League finals to be played at the Bernabeu. You can be sure Eduardo Inda, Florentino Perez and Jorge Valdano will not spare any hyperbole in welcoming him.

For what it is worth, the commentators on Marca's message board have no love for Inda either.

Les Bleus return to sanity through Blanc's appointment. Too bad that they will have to wait after the World Cup for it.

The German captain, a recipient of a nasty tackle on his right ankle by Kevin Prince Boateng during the FA Cup final over the weekendwill not be participating in the World Cup. MRI scans showed partially torn ankle ligaments which require strict immobilization for the next four weeks. He will be given a CAM boot to wear for the next four weeks to progress to the next level in his rehabilitation. We are looking at a three to four month layoff.

Probably the last World Cup we would have seen Michael Ballack in action. His experience and set piece expertise will be missed. 42 goals in 98 caps is a very good return rate.

Ballack established his credentials in the 2002 World Cup leading Germany to the finals which he did not play due to suspension. He made the All Star team. Ballack made it again to the All Star in the 2006 World Cup with highlight performances against Ecuador and Argentina.

Who will be his replacement?

Sami Khedira as first alternate playing alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger. Joachim Low could be tempted to call up Torsten Frings, who is not part of the provisional squad but this injury could force a call up for the Werder Bremen captain. Frings is one of the most experienced national players having seen duty in the 2006 World Cup where he gained a reputation for tough tackling.

Germany's next captain could be either Schweinsteiger or Philip Lahm, both have been important members of Bayern's outstanding season and have considerable national experience.

What a difference a day makes!

Lord Triesman's resignation which could irrevocably damage England's chances are a small price to pay for lame disclosures like 'Big Kisses All Over'. This was the Daily Mail's great return on investment. Paying Melissa Jacobs for entrapping the man entrusted with bringing the 2018 World Cup to England.

That the Daily Mail chose to run the story after NOTW and other tabloids turned her down shows that they really care little about those chances. Triesman's unguarded statements about Spainish and Russian officials bribing referees left him with no wiggle room and the FA was forced to go into damage control mode. Maybe it was all about an old man trying to get a foolish rise out of a younger woman.

All appearances are that it was a far more mundane story of spurned love. Yep, that Tiger Woods thing really let the genie out of the bottle.

But one can't think of a more perfect revenge plot by Vladimir Putin after the polonium scandal soured ties between both countries. England's embarrassment could be to Russia's benefit.

Who would you pay to see? The dude with the pink motifs or the guy with the colourless togs.

The French national rugby team is the strongest in Europe having won the most Six Nations titles including the most recent one earlier this year. Unlike their footballing counterparts they have seen few controversies while achieving such success.

With Thierry Henry's scandalous reenactment of Maradona taking them to the World Cup, a coach that is a figure of derision for most of his countrymen and players too, and now a sex scandal engulfing some of the team's top players, it comes as no surprise that the public might be a bit blase about the national game.

Les Bleus is also a politically polarizing team with its multi-ethnic hue raising the question of national identity during election time. A political firestorm was set off when an performer singing Le Marseillaise before a match against Tunisia got booed for singing the national anthem. Such potentially divisive moments could arise in the event France meets one of its former colonies on the playing field.

The French Ligue also regularly loses its top talent to the bigger and more lucrative European leagues. Richer clubs regularly poach young players, offering bribes to them and their parents, which has led to UEFA's president Michel Platini calling for protectionist measures. Other factors include declining match attendances and fan violence seen regularly at clubs like PSG and L'OM.

The LNR, the French rugby league has in contrast effected a remarkable turnaround. In the past, French standouts like Frederic Michalak, Thierry Lacroix, and Phillipe Sella would move to the more lucrative South African and English leagues. But all that has changed.

The Top 14, LNR's top divisions is now one of the richest leagues eclipsing the English Rugby Premiership in player wages. On average the Top 14 player is paid $153,700 versus $123,000 in England. The bullish environment is helped further by no salary caps and a weaker pound. The French clubs have raided English clubs like Saracens, Sale, and Wasps leading to an across the channel exodus.

Moreover, France is the beneficiary of the breakdown of the traditional North- South divide between Europe and SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia). In the past northern contracts were only allowed when the player called time on their international career. But the huge differences in payer wages have left little patience for pension benefits. France has become the preferred destination of this northbound winter flight.

A look at Perpignan's roster, the top club in the 14, includes 12 players from other countries. Their notable players include Dan Carter, an All Black fly half who helped them win the title and Percy Montgomery, the Springboks all time leader in appearances. John Smit the Springbok captain signed for Clermont Auvergne. Byron Kelleher, one of the best half back prospects to come out of New Zealand signed on for Agen, and then transferred to top titled Toulouse.

The increasing popularity of rugby is reflected in the steady rise in matchday attendances and TV viewership. The final between US Perpignan and Clermont Auvergne attracted 79,205 fans at the Stade de France. This is far in excess of top football attendances including national appearances. A 700,000 viewership compares very favourably to football's 1.7 million on weekends and the number of TV subscriptions continues to grow. Clubs confronted with overflowing stadiums are looking to building larger ones or moving to the bigger municipal stadiums.

A major factor in such a surge is that the Top 14 clubs are amongst the elites in European top flight. The Heineken Cup, the rugby counterpart to the Champions League is regularly contested between French clubs. This year three time winner Stade Toulousain takes on Olympique Biarritz. In all, French clubs have won four titles and been eight times runners up. An impressive record for a 15 year old competition.

L'OM's 1993 Champions League title remains the Ligue's singular European achievement.

The Top 14 have their Roman Abramovich's and Glazers. Comic book publisher, Mourad Boudjellad, bankrolls Toulon as does real estate magnate Jacky Lorenzetti with Racing Metro. But the culture of the bottomless bank accounts began with radio entrepreneur Max Guazzini when he bought Stade Francaise in 1992. He was soon accused of buying his way to the top. Guazzini seems to be part owner, part impresario bringing a sense of theatrics and a penchant for pink kits to the game that is part of the growing attraction for rugby. Filling the Stade de France on discounted tickets as cheap as €5 to €10 might give rise to a pretense but regular 80,000 attendances are ensured.

Top 14 clubs are located in small towns spread mostly over the more southern and coastal part of France with strong regional affiliations with the Basque and Catalan communities. Although they are sometimes at odds with Paris over their autonomous aspirations, for most part rugby retains a strong Gallic quality. Fan violence erupting in the Algerian section in Marseille after the Fennecs played Egypt in Cairo are indicative of a schism. Rugby stands to gain from football's divided loyalties.

When Marcelo Lippi announces his 23 man squad, Gianpaolo Pazzini will be in it because of what he did today against Napoli.

Pazzini scored his 18th goal and a never more important one as Sampdoria heads back to the Champions League for the first time since 1992, when they played the European Cup finals against Barca losing in extra time to a Ronald Koeman goal.

The Napoli match also saw Pazzini's rival, Fabio Quagliarella severely test Marco Storari who again showed outstanding reflexes to keep the ball away. He then survived a scare from Stefano Lucchini who headed the ball for a near own goal. Luckily for him and Sampdoria it drifted out.

So read the words on the back of the celebratory jerseys donned by Barca. It was a historical win. 99 points, the most by a Liga team to win. One loss in the entire season, none at home.

Barca's win over Valladolid was deemed necessary after a disappointing Champions League and Copa Del Rey exit. Some amount of nerves could be seen initially. But as the match wore on there appeared one last exposition of the finest football. We were all beneficiaries.

A season that saw repeated editions of Leo Messi's masterclasses in total football annihilation. Again witnessed today against Real Vallodolid. The Pichichi was a foregone conclusion, the real interest was whether he would break El Fenomeno's record.

Xavi was in street clothes. No matter. Messi commandeered a vast swath using the services of Yaya Toure, Seydou Keita, Bojan, and Pedro to transform a gentle swell to a roiling surge breaking at Valladolid's shores. An own goal got it moving. Messi then set up Pedro before he came up on his brace. No Drogba like pouts or sulks.

Javier Clemente who had said that they "would come like pitbulls" could not save his club from relegation.

So we come up on the end of a remarkable season. And as we look to the future, many will ask the same question- can Barca be stopped?

Pedro, Bojan, and Messi- the three up front have few annual rings. Their youth ensures many seasons. Behind them Iniesta and Xavi, fuel the creative cauldron with their tight interlocking game and vision. Some injury concerns of late may introduce a sense of vulnerability but there is no real alarm at least for the next two seasons.

One big reason for their success is the defense giving up the least number of goals. Sergio Busquets who brings his theatrical abilities to the holding midfielder role has consolidated his position. Yaya Toure might be looking elsewhere. But Pique and Puyol are the pillars on central defense while Dani Alves always rates a shade less than Maicon as the world's best right back. Gael Clichy is linked as a possible answer to their left back problems as Maxwell is considered lightweight.

It is frightening to contemplate Barca's lock on the Liga might be set in stone for some years. A vast gulf separates Barca from the rest of the Liga. Even Real's individual talent which is exceptional cannot compare in the face of the system put into place at Barca. Real's mistake of putting too much investment on expensive hired guns might be enough to overcome the rest of the Liga. But as proven in both Clasicos, it is not enough.

The name that shall not be mentioned is the antidote. The Special One will remind Barca as he did so well with Inter, their fear of the "other". But first the Clive Barker of football will make sure that the Merengues give up their self consciousness and engage in calculated anti football. Someone like Raul Albiol will not survive.

A difference of 30 points between these two teams and the rest of the Liga is not a statistical anomaly, it speaks of a structural difference in terms of talent and money. Introduction of a more even handed distribution of TV revenues will be essential in restoring parity to the Liga.

A horrible own goal by Luis Prieto and an emphatic finish by Pedro put the defending champions up. But it was a nervy beginning as Victor Valdes almost gifted Manucho a goal.

If Real Madrid have a semblance of hope, it lies in the hands of Javier Clemente, Real Valladolid's manager whose team meets Barca at Camp Nou today.

He was a coach of the legendary Atletico Bilbao teams of the 1980s that put Basque pride to the fore winning the Liga in 1983 and a double in 1984 adding the Copa Del Rey. The pugnacious Clemente has a history of polarizing both rivals.

He did it by installing the hardest tackling team in the Liga personified by Andoni Goikoetxea, the Butcher of Bilbao, whose moniker was exemplified by an infamous tackle on Diego Maradona whilst at Barcelona. The Argentinian had to sit the season out with torn ankle ligaments. Goikoetxea also sent out Bernd Schuster with a damaged knee.

Clemente's intimidatory tactics were anathema to the Blaugrana leading to a constant war of words between him and the patrician César Luis Menotti. Things came to a head as both clubs engaged in a no holds barred brawl in the 1984 Copa Del Rey final. Clemente caused further angst when he joined crosstown rivals Espanyol as coach in 1986 and led them to considerable success.

He did not spare Real Madrid also as he brought the Quinta Del Buitre era to a crashing halt when he snatched the Liga from the Merengues in the 1982- 1983 season. The matches were framed as an attack by the independent minded Basques on Spain's nationalistic identity emanating from Madrid, the seat of power.

Clemente engenders the most vicious of reactions in fans. They regularly chant, "Clemente, muérete" when he visits the Bernabeu.

"The people behind the bench at the Bernabeu are very uneducated," said Clemente recently.

Both teams have their fate in the hands of a coach that they despise. What would happen if Valladolid crashes Barca's party and gives the title to Real Madrid in a shock? Will Javier Clemente be welcomed back to the Bernabeu as a hero? It will all unfold in a few hours.

Inter's Argentinian connection came up big as Estaban Cambiasso wins the ball and swings it wide to Javier Zanetti running down the left. The wing back feeds Milito who scampers past the Siena defense and side foots the ball into goal. A beaming Massimo Moratti greets the goal.

Inter win their fifth Scudetto in a row. Can we say Diego Milito has been Jose Mourinho's pick of the season? Relegated Siena were game but they could not provide Roma the result that they craved. As it turned out Roma's match against Chievo is academic.

Jose Mourinho is on track for the triple. So is his Bayern Munich counterpart, Louis Van Gaal. Who will blink in their perfect season when these two meet for the Champions League final on May 22nd?

A fascinating battle for the last and final CL spot unfolded yesterday as Real Mallorca took on Espanyol. Sevilla met Almeria. A battle that will be remembered for a long, long time.

Mallorca did their part by beating Espanyol, 2-0 through goals scored by Victor Casadesus and Mario Suarez. Check out Suarez's goal. It has spectacular written all over it.

The players then turned their attention to watched the Sevilla match for the last few minutes. At that time Sevilla and Almeria were tied, 2-2 each. A draw would mean Los Nervionenses would be stuck at 61 points, one behind Mallorca. Enough for the last CL spot.

But Jordi's 91st minute strike shattered those dreams. It was a fascinating match as a tough Almeria team refused to go away. Kanoute's header was answered in brilliant fashion by Fernando Soriano's volley. Los Nervionenses again went ahead again when Jesus Navas's curling cross was steered into goal by Chico. A fateful own goal.

Another twist was added to the heated subplot as Alvaro Negredo was sent off the field after exchanging heated words with the match officials.

Almeria did not lie down coming back through Juan Ortiz's tremendous strike from open field 25 yards away. An absolute beauty that had both force and width. It should make the top ten Liga goals. 11 minutes before match close and it looked as if Sevilla would be done for. Almeria were really pressing by now.

But then came the fateful moment in added time, as Navas centered the ball into the Almeria goal and it was Sebastian Squillaci pulling it down. The ball bounced to Rodri, an 82nd minute substitute lurking at the far right corner of goal, to cartwheel acrobatically and lash past Esteban Suarez.

Euphoria engulfed the Sevilla players and fans. Real Mallorca players watched with hands over their heads. Cruel sport this football. But the Balearics can be proud because their club beset with many problems and a tiny budget, till the last minute fought for a Champions League spot with the best. They will return to Europe after six years.

Goals from the one sided battle for the German Cup.The latest Bundesliga title was their 22nd.The champion's league title will make it a historic treble.

The fleet footed Bayern winger was on the wings of Mercury today in the German Cup as the Bavarian giants thrashed Werder Bremen, 4-0. Maybe it was his new F 50 AdiZero's. They are super lightweight. Made of a single layer of polyurethane weighing just 165 grams or about 5.8 ounces. So watch out in that CL final, Javier Zanetti and Walter Samuel!

Michael Ballack is now an official injury worry for Germany as he is has been declared out for an unspecified amount of time following an ankle injury after Kevin Prince Boateng's rather nasty tackle on him in today's FA Cup final. Ballack had to be substituted because he was unable to play through the pain.

There is less than a month left before the start of the World Cup, so this is high anxiety for Joachim Low.

In a Machiavellian twist, Boateng will most likely be in the Ghana squad should FIFA accept his change in national allegiance from Germany to Ghana, the country of his origin. Ghana meet Germany on June 23rdf in a group encounter. In fact, the inflicted injury to Ballack is Boateng's perfect initiation into the Black Stars.

There is a context to the Ballack incident as three minutes before the German captain and Chelsea midfielder had slapped Boateng in the face. An event that Chris Foy, the referee completely missed or chose to ignore. Boateng exacted his revenge with just a yellow card to show although it could be argued his real punishment came later, missing that penalty which could have put Pompey ahead.

Whatever the spin, the Ghana vs Germany game assumes an edge and if Ballack and Boateng are on the pitch there might be extra mustard on those tackles.

Kevin Prince Boateng could have become a Pompey hero but he squandered a spot kick in the 56' minute. Petr Cech saving a shot inanely struck right to him.

You knew what was coming after that. Didier Drogba scoring from a wickedly wobbling free kick in the 59' minute which struck the upright but went in. Five times previously the woodwork kept the Blues out.

Boateng's miss assumed gargantuan proportions because Frank Lampard went one better in the 84' minute by missing the goal altogether with his penalty kick. The first time in an FA Cup final.

We would have been in extra time but it was not to be. Just as well because the pitch looked more appropriate for a mudfight.

Carlo Ancelotti gets his Lotti. The Double.

The first time in FA Cup history the top team meets the bottom team in top flight competition. Chelsea hope to do the double for the first time since Arsenal in 2002.

Rob Smyth on the live feed >>

The last day of the Liga might have very little drama on the field as Barca face Vallaodolid. Minions entrusted with stopping the giants from winning their appointment with the title. Stranger things have happened and Real Madrid could end up victors. Improbable yes, impossible no.

Whatever the outcome this might be Manuel Pellegrini's last match. Yesterday's news conference was hued with a farewell like quality. Real play Malaga.

" But for me the most important is the response of the players, when asked have shown support for their coach. I also feel supported by the fans, since 80 or 85% fully support me and that they have seen a different Madrid, ambitious and fun. What happens in the future is not my problem. "

He seems to suspect that his time is up.

"I know it's bad not to win a title but the final assessment would not differ greatly depending on whether we win or not."

Some "Exclusives" to further the notion of a club in crisis.

"Exclusive" screams the Goal.com headline which states that eight Arsenal players could be heading out the door led by Andrei Arshavin and Gael Clichy.

Funny thing is that with the focus fixed on Cesc Fabregas supposed Barca departure, you would think that the Spaniard would be at the top of that class. I guess Goal.com has a different list or maybe more to the point, they have to compete with some equally shrill story, since The Sun bagged all the headlines with Fabregas.

When you look for attributable sources, there are none. Interviews with player agents, a third party source? None. Is Goal.com being exclusive in the sense of being the first to compile this post? But that is being disingenuous. One can make an exclusive story out of anything then. Exclusive: The ten Premiership players who might like to eat haggis.

Now, some of it is quite obvious. There will be departures. William Gallas will be heading out the door unless he drops his demand for more money. Philippe Senderos is out of contract and has not played for more than a year. Mikael Silvestre too faces the same issue with the added disadvantage of being the poster boy for Arsenal's defensive meltdowns.

Fran Merida has no incentive to perform because he is head back to the Liga. Eduardo's injuries have taken a psychic toll.

Wage considerations, contract expirations, performance let downs, and lack of playing time will contribute to squad attrition. But it might be a different list.

Carlos Vela is a player who did not even come back from the cold. Abou Diaby and Armando Traore could also find new homes.

The more dubious. Andrei Arshavin has been linked with Barca but even the Spanish media is not touching this one. And that says a lot. Gael Clichy has just about returned to match form after a long injury layoff. He has been linked with Barca in the same breath as Arshavin. But unless they get rid of Maxwell, one cannot see it happen. Plus, Armando Traore does not inspire confidence as Kieran Gibbs back up. Tomas Rosicky has come back to his first season from an even longer injury layoff. The Czech probably needs another season to get back to speed. It is hard to see Wenger giving up on this group.

Goal.com's hyperbolic "Exclusive" is nothing compared to Mirror Football's "Exclusive" on Wenger begging with Cesc Fabregas to stay on for two years more. Are they installing bugs in the boardroom or offices? The player's agent talking? This is nothing but manufacturing out of whole cloth. Wenger has never stopped a player from leaving and even if he is concerned about a future without Fabregas, the club comes first, and they will look for a suitable replacement.

Thanks to BSD for pointing out this video which has been launched in anticipation of the USA Bid Committee's submission of the official United States Bid Book to FIFA at a formal ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland.
Thanks also for the link to the gousabid website where you can sign a petition to bring the World Cup back to USA (which at least 345,915 people have already signed by the time you are reading this.)

And then ....the inside story of how the 1994 World Cup came to USA.

David Beckham's World Cup appearances as a player have been nothing to write home about. The negatives have far outshadowed the fewer positive notes.

Now, he is being taken to the World Cup as a full time member of Fabio Capello's coaching staff. I wonder if Diego Simeone might have a few thoughts on this move. The Argentinian defender after retirement has had a fairly fruitful career as a coach in his county's domestic league. He is also the nemesis forever associated with Beckham's World Cup appearances.

One of Beckham's functions would be to assist Capello in communication. The Italian has never had the best command of the English language and he would entrust the former Milan player with the task of making his tactics known to the players, especially the younger ones.

Now, there would be some merit in this proposal if Capello had come on board two months ago as national coach.

At this stage, one would think if communication were indeed a problem for Capello, then there would be a glitch in England's dramatic comeback from Euro 2008 disaster. After two years as coach to Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon, and Wayne Rooney, Capello did not give the impression that there was a letdown in information dissemination. And if Beckham is his choice of chief communicator, he could definitely do better.

Beckham will also assist on the training ground. Could Aaron Lennon and Theo Walcott benefit from coaching tips to better service the ball? Maybe. Beckham whose career has been built around such endeavours could be useful in solving these problem areas for both players. However, there is a distinct static quality to Beckham's service. Making such adjustments to the known pace and acceleration of both wingers will be a challenging task. Speed and accuracy are usually inversely proportional to each other.

Still, it does represent a step up from cheerleader in chief.

"It's a big decision for David because he is still getting over the fact that he can't play in South Africa," a source close to Beckham said last night. "But he's always keen to help England in any way he can."

Could be a move fraught with danger. The media circus will be a distraction as will all the less salubrious details of wife in tow.

The Seattle Sounders are now the Seattle Flounders. They were shown up by their West Coast counterparts, the LA Galaxy last weekend. Yes, the 4-0 loss was in front of a record number of fans at home. An embarrassing loss no doubt to the team that they so fondly hope to usurp but made ludicrous by the fact that their GM wants to refund the fans their money.

Lets put this in perspective. It does not speak well for MLS goalscoring, when results such as this lead to instant mortification. If this was the case then teams like Wigan, Blackburn, Stoke, Burnley, and even Everton would never get up in the morning. Or would be without serious gate money.

It also does not speak well for the MLS when an expansion team with barely a year in the league entertains title aspirations. Getting spoiled so quickly after such a debut season is never good. But having an egalitarian pool of talent spread over the league has the effect of creating a uniformity in expectations.

If Andre Hanauer is driven by declining attendances then he is best rid of the hail fellow, well met type of fan that he is concerned about. The Toon army support their club no matter what. And there is a lot of no matter what as far as that club is concerned.

Lets hope Hanauer's is a one off aberration. Penalizing the club's players is not smart. In reality, a league is best served by mythic losses and victories.

Fabregas and Wenger: Dire Straits is still a name of an English rock group

Cesc Fabregas's media grabbing statement about leaving for Barcelona is proof for The Sun that Arsenal is a sinking ship.

The Sun omits out this very important part:

" I don't know when this will happen though. I'm very happy at Arsenal. I'm in no hurry to leave the club."

You see without these words, this actually is a non story. The Sun knows this but that is why when we rank journalistic probity, a Murdoch rag usually sinks to the bottom. But it makes for good copy.

Here is The Sun:

"If I ever leave Arsenal it will be to play for Barcelona.

"I am 23 years old and I have a long career in front of me. I've never hidden the fact that playing for Barcelona is a dream that I would like to fulfil."

Say what you will. Fabregas scored a penalty on a broken leg against Barca. He tore that ball out of the net to celebrate drawing level. He wasn't Adebayor looking over his shoulder. He was captain Arsenal. In him beat an Arsenal heart.

"I have a long career in front of me"

When the time comes he may leave. There is Xavi and Iniesta in front of him at Barca for now. Biding his time makes sense. Plus, who is to say that these words do not have an implicit purpose: to put Wenger under pressure to make some quality signings this summer.

The Sun's conjecture that Wenger too will leave putting Arsenal in dire straits. A lack of transfer funds is a major factor usually when managers leave of their own accord. Wenger is the exception. He is in the forefront of Arsenal's debt reduction by making bargain basement deals and capitalizing on their resale value. Wenger's reaction following Arsenal's disastrous end of season run reveal that there will be no volte-face from that philosophy. They show a manager very much invested in the club's future.

From their heroes of speed website
"In collaboration with the unique talents of Croatian artist, Danijel Zezelj, 10 memorable moments are recreated, bringing an unexpected dimension to football history. Sport illustrator Paolo Sabelluccis talents are showcased through the diagramming and construction of 10 goals that have made these Mercurial men Mercurial Heroes........ see Ronaldo, Ribery, Dani Alves, Drogba, Ibrahimovic, Arshavin, Ozil, Robinho, Pato and Cristiano Ronaldo as never before... "

A Hugh Grant sighting. A big hug for Hodgson from Michel Platini. A pensive Danny Murphy. The skies over the Hamburg Arena raining confetti. The ecstatic Los Colchoneros.

The city that had fondly hoped that their team would be the one contesting the final had one connection. Tomáš Ujfaluši, a former Hamburg player.

Fulham failed to keep the predatory Forlan away from goal.

Sergio "Kun" Agueo's mishit falls fortuitously at Diego Forlan's feet in the 32' minute and the Uruguayan makes it look easy for Atletico's first goal. But 5 minutes later Zoltan Gera's cross was deflected towards Scott Davies who volleyed it past David De Gea for Fulham's equalizer.

The match drifted along to full time with few clear scoring chances for both teams although Atletico looked far more enterprising in attack with the tireless and talented Kun Aguero operating on the left. There were flashes of some delectable ball skills by the little Argentinian.

Heartbreak for Fulham in extra time as Aguero in a great piece of hustle chases down a ball, turns around and crosses to Forlan cutting in from the right. The Atletico striker glances the ball with his right leg past Mark Schwarzer. A 115' minute strike. Schwarzer lays on the ground in utter dejection. Paul Konchesky walks off shaking his head. It was this close to a penalty shootout where Fulham might have felt they had an edge.

The celebrations begin for Quique Sanchez Flores and his men. They end a 48 year old European drought. Full marks to them.

But Roy Hodgson deserves equal praise. He got an everyday squad, rolled up their sleeves, and got them to work. Along the way they stunned Juventus, laid waste to Wolfsburg, and ended Hamburg's fairy tale hopes of capturing the Europa Cup at home. For a club unaccustomed to the klieg lights of top flight competition, that is one heck of an impressive resume. Hodgson's heroes deserve a standing ovation.

A letter takes the French media by storm as Zahia Dehar, the underage escort caught in L'affaire Ribery turns to Raymond Domenech, the coach of Les Bleus for salvation.

She pleads with Domenech not to punish those players who might have broken the law. Zahia accepts full responsibility by saying that she did not disclose her age and the players had no knowledge. She says at no stage did she imply that she was the victim of these players.

" I ask that you respect what the judges, lawyers, called the "presumption of innocence" and take into account at the time of your choice, what has happened between some of your players and I."

She is a heroine. For someone 18 years of age, she has shown a remarkable sense of maturity and introspection and turned something sleazy and worth less than a titter to the level of altruism. Les Bleus should play its heart out for a woman with a Gallic heart of gold. She has paid a price, become a recluse in her own country, all for the presumption of innocence.

Goals by Miguel Jones, Jose Alberto Mendonça, and Joaquín Peiró give the Colchoneros a famous victory over Fiorentina.

Messrs Diego Forlan, Simao Sabroso, Sergio Aguero, and Jose Antonio Reyes have been entrusted with Los Colchoneros quest to end their 48 year old drought. That was the last time they won a major European title, the Cup Winners Cup in 1962.

The match between Atletico and Fiorentina was contested as a one off final after UEFA abolished the two leg format that they had established for the competition its inaugural year. But the match played on 5 May, 1962 at Hampden Park, Glasgow was a tied affair as both teams battled to a 1-1 draw. The final was replayed 4 months later at the Neckarstadion, Stuttgart. This time there was no doubt. Atletico won, 3-0.

If Roy Hodgson is reviving Fulham's fortunes, his Atletico Madrid counterpart, Quique Sanchez Flores is doing the same. Sanchez Flores has like Hodgson achieved his success away from the Liga, in other domestic formats like the Copa Del Rey where they will contest the final against Sevilla and now this year's Europa Cup.

In fact, Atletico has dropped from a top four finish in last season's Liga to a current ninth place. Likewise, Fulham ended its Premiership in 12th position, a five place drop from last season. These competitions have far more significance for both managers.

Fulham's defense vs Atletico's attack:

Sanchez Flores tactics will include stopping big man Bobby Zamora, who with Danny Murphy, and Brede Hangeland are the spine of the Fulham team. The key they believe is to keep out Zamora where he can do most damage, in the goal mouth. If they can starve him of supply, they have a chance of winning. Which might just be a tall order because their defense has been quite porous.

At the other end, Jose Antonio Reyes is having a great season plundering down the right and feeding Diego Forlan. The watertight Fulham defense will have to mark the potent Atletico attack well. The Cottagers have built their success on giving up fewer goals.

Good news for the good ship Fulham in its voyage to dizzying never before glory. Bobby Zamora, the driving force in their Europa Cup campaign with 8 goals is likely to take the field. All indications are that he has recuperated very well from his Achilles tendon injury.

"He trained on Monday and that was very, very positive," said manager Roy Hodgson. "I've been given no indication that he's suffering from a reaction so my hope is that he'll be available."

Zamora's exclusion from England's World Cup squad might give extra impetus to score goals. He will have Damien Duff who also comes back from injury.

The English Parliament might be in for a fractious time with political parties that have very different and competing philosophies forming a coalition but there is no doubt that all of England is behind the Cottagers. A wave of goodwill bathes the club. Danny Murphy, the captain:

"This is probably the first time the whole of England want an English club to win in Europe." declared Murphy.

In Roy Hodgson we trust. The manager of the year is in sight of unique company - the first Englishman since Bobby Robson to win a European trophy, the Cup Winners' Cup with Barcelona 13 years ago.