Soccer Friction

La Liga Preview: Barcelona - Racing Santander

2008-01-20T05:34:00.000-08:00

Barcelona (2nd, 40pts) v Racing Santander (6th, 32pts)
When: 21:00 CET - Sunday, January 20, 2008
Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Barcelona (2nd, 40pts) v Racing Santander (6th, 32pts)
When: 21:00 CET - Sunday, January 20, 2008
Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Being second in the league for the majority of the campaign and progressing to the latter rounds of the Copa del Rey and the Champions League has not kept Barcelona away from criticism.

After not winning a major honour last season, the spotlight has been on the Catalan club this term and the slightest problem has been magnified and blow out of proportion.

Suddenly, all the players and the coach that helped the club win two consecutive league title and the Champions League are no longer considered good in some quarters.

Four new faces arrived in the summer and expectations rose even higher so the fact that the club did not start the season by winning every game saw the critics begin to circle.

While Real Madrid's effectiveness over attractiveness won them the league last season and has taken them to the top once again this term, suddenly Barça are expected to dampen down their free-flowing game to earn results.

After hampering down and passing through the worst of the storm, Frank Rijkaard and his players appear to be coming out the other side and success in any one of the three competitions that they are in would answer all the problems.

One Defeat

The club's only defeat at home this season came at the hands of Madrid, but all nine other teams to have visited Camp Nou this season have left with nothing.

That statistic combined with the fact that the club have scored 25 times and conceded just five goals at home means that Racing will face a very tough task on Sunday.

But the Cantabrian club are not the same side that they have been for the past few seasons and there will certainly be no relegation worries this term.

Marcelino took over last summer after winning promotion with Recreativo and keeping them in the top half of the table in the first campaign alongside the big boys.

No headlines were made with players being signed in the summer, although some predicted that the team would go backwards after the departure of Nikola Zigic.

Top Six Aim

Instead, the new boss galvanised his team as experienced campaigners like Aldo Duscher, César Navas were brought in Jorge López along with Sergio Sánchez, Ebi Smolarek and Mohammed Smolarek.

Led from the front by the inspirational Pedro Munitis, Racing have lost only once at home this term and have won three and drawn three of their ten away games.

That run has pushed the club into the top six and they are currently five points ahead of Valencia and six above Sevilla.

Since being heavily beaten by Sevilla in the final game before the Christmas break, Racing have begun the New Year in impressive form as they have won four of their five games in 2008.

After winning at Real Mallorca, Marcelino guided his side to the quarter finals of the Copa del Rey and they could be considered to be dark horses to at least reach the final.

RECENT FORM

Barcelona

Match	Result	Date	Championship
Barcelona - Sevilla	0 - 0	15/01/2008	COPA DEL REY
Barcelona - Murcia	4 - 0	12/01/2008	LA LIGA
Sevilla - Barcelona	1 - 1	09/01/2008	COPA DEL REY
Mallorca - Barcelona	0 - 2	05/01/2008	LA LIGA
Barcelona - Real Madrid	0 - 1	23/12/2007	LA LIGA
Valencia - Barcelona	0 - 3	15/12/2007	LA LIGA

Racing Santander

Match	Result	Date	Championship
Racing - Zaragoza	4 - 2	16/01/2008	COPA DEL REY
Osasuna - Racing	0 - 2	13/01/2008	LA LIGA
Zaragoza - Racing	1 - 1	09/01/2008	COPA DEL REY
Racing - Athletic Bilbao	1 - 0	06/01/2008	LA LIGA
Sevilla - Racing	4 - 1	22/12/2007	LA LIGA
Murcia - Racing	2 - 1	16/12/2007	LA LIGA

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

José Manuel Pinto is set to be included in the squad for the first time after arriving on loan from Celta Vigo as cover for Albert Jorquera. Carles Puyol is expected to recover from the fever that kept him out of training on Friday, but Edmílson and Ronaldinho look set to miss the game, although both are close to returning to action. Lionel Messi is also not yet fully fit and will be asked to wait another week before being given the green light.

Racing Santander

Marcelino has confirmed that he is giving the Copa del Rey game in midweek against Athletic Bilbao priority over the game against Barça and is expected to rotate his side accordingly. Smolarek is has not recovered from a knock and will not be included in the squad that the coach will name on Saturday afternoon.

PREDICTION

Racing will come to defend as have the majority of teams this season at Camp Nou and Barça will have to be sharper than they were against Sevilla in midweek in order to pick up all three points. It will certainly be taxing as the Blaugrana played a full tilt game on Tuesday, but will have enough in the tank to do enough to maintain their pursuit of Madrid.

Barcelona 2 - 0 Racing Santander

La Liga Preview: Atlético Madrid - Real Madrid

2008-01-20T05:26:00.000-08:00

What: La Liga, Matchday 20
Who: Atlético Madrid (3rd, 37pts) vs Real Madrid (1st, 47pts)
When: Sunday, 20th January 2008, 1900 CET
Where: Estadio Vicente Calderón, Madrid

El Derbi Madrileño takes centre stage in La Liga this weekend as the two behemoths from the capital collide for the 142nd time in the league. The two clubs racked up a combined bill of over €200 million in the summer transfer market but all that big spending seems to be paying dividends as the results are showing on the pitch.

Atlético finished the first half of the term in their best league position in a decade, while Madrid themselves are enjoying their best start to a season in the club's rich history.

Eight Year Heartache Los

Los Colchoneros will head into Sunday's big game closest to their fierce city rivals in the standings than they have been in quite some time.

Although there's still a ten-point disparity between the sides, Atlético are only two places behind Los Blancos after last weekend's 1-0 victory over Valencia pushed them back into the top three. The hard fought win, coupled with their progress to the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey midweek, would have restored a sense of self belief in the dressing room.

It is that little extra psychological edge that has been missing in all their previous squads all these years and it’s not hard to see why they have had that knack of failing to live up to expectations come the big game.

The men from the Manzanares have yet to beat their illustrious neighbours in the new millennium, home or away. The last time they won was eight years ago back in October 1999, when they came away from the Bernabéu with a 1-3 victory.

Their head-to-head at the Calderón isn't all that impressive either. In fact, in the last 20 years, only twice have the rojiblancos won the derbi in front of their home fans. The last time that happened, incidentally, was also back in 1999. As if that’s not enough to create doubt in the players’ minds, Atléti also have a rather dreadful record this season against the big guns.

Aside from the opening day loss to their neighbours, they have also gone down to Barcelona, Espanyol and Villarreal, the three other clubs that make up the top five. But as always, the form book tends to be the first to go straight out the window in these tempestuous encounters, as emotion and passion usually preside over everything else.

Staggering Statistics

There were doubts at the start of the campaign as to whether Bernd Schuster has the pedigree to take charge at a mammoth club like Real Madrid and whether he was the right man to whip Los Blancos' dressing room into shape like Fabio Capello had the previous term.

After some wobbly performances early on, his position in the hot seat was questioned again but as the wins and the points started piling up, the critics and the sceptics have simply run out of bones to pick with the German trainer. The football may not be eye-catching at times but the statistics so far certainly are.

Top of the table with 47 points, it is the best tally by a club at the halfway stage in La Liga since the three-points for a win rule was introduced in 1995. Not only that, they also currently have the best home record with a perfect nine wins from nine games; the best away record with 20 points out of a possible 30; and the best goal difference with 41 goals scored and only 14 conceded.

Those figures are not only the best in Spain but the best amongst Europe's major leagues at the midway stage. But enough about the numbers. Schuster's boys will still have to perform on the night if they want to extend their six match winning streak in La Primera. They will have to dig deep and cast aside the disappointing midweek loss and elimination to Mallorca in the Copa de l Rey and refocus on their league conquest.

FORM GUIDE

Atlético Madrid

Jan 16 Real Valladolid vs Atlético 1-1 (COPA DEL REY)

Jan 13 Atlético vs Valencia 1-0 (LA LIGA)

Jan 10 Atlético vs Real Valladolid 0-0 (COPA DEL REY)

Jan 06 Deportivo La Coruña vs Atlético 0-3 (LA LIGA)

Jan 02 Atlético vs Granada74 1-1 (COPA DEL REY)

Real Madrid

Jan 16 Real Madrid vs Mallorca 0-1 (COPA DEL REY)

Jan 13 Levante vs Real Madrid 0-2 (LA LIGA)

Jan 10 Mallorca vs Real Madrid 2-1 (COPA DEL REY)

Jan 06 Real Madrid vs Real Zaragoza 2-0 (LA LIGA)

Jan 02 Real Madrid vs Alicante CF 2-1 (COPA DEL REY)

TEAM NEWS

Atlético Madrid

Thiago Motta has made a successful comeback from a niggling knee ailment and he is expected to line-up in midfield against the reigning champions on Sunday. He will slot in for the injured Jurado who suffered a relapse of a hamstring strain during Thursday's training session and will be sidelined for at least a week.

Defenders Zé Castro and Giorgios Seitaridis and goalkeeper Leo Franco are the three players who are out for the long haul due to various injuries, but ex-Bernabéu hero José Antonio Reyes has shaken off a minor ankle sprain and will be available for selection, although he is unlikely to play a huge role in the match.

Portuguese midfielder Maniche, meanwhile, has left for Serie A giants Internazionale after agreeing on a loan deal until the end of the season.

Probable Starting XI (4-4-2): Abbiati - Perea, Pablo, Eller, Pernía - Maxi (c), Motta, Raúl Garcia, Simão - Forlán, Agüero

Real Madrid

Schuster will once again have to rely on a modified defence with Christoph Metzelder and Gabriel Heinze still ruled out with injuries while Pepe has been rated as highly doubtful for the clash as he struggles to shrug off an Achilles tendon niggle.

With Sergio Ramos expected to deputize in the centre of defence, Miguel Torres and Michel Salgado will fight for the rightback slot, although the veteran could be favoured to start in order to give the side a more attacking impetus down the flank.

Back up striker Javier Saviola has joined fellow fringe players Roberto Soldado and Javier Balboa in the sick bay, although the pair has resumed light training on the pitch, as has Arjen Robben. Mahamadou Diarra, meanwhile is away on international duty with Mali in the African Cup of Nations.

Probable Starting XI (4-3-3): Casillas - Salgado/Torres, Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro, Marcelo - Sneijder, Gago, Baptista - Raúl (c), van Nistelrooy, Robinho

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Atlético Madrid - Sergio Agüero

The Calderón's new golden boy took less than 60 seconds in the reverse fixture on Matchday 1 to score his very first derbi goal, although he would have gladly traded that off for a win instead. He'll be given a second chance to get a taste of both this Sunday and El Kun is as fired up as any die hard Atléti player and fan ahead of the clash. He'll need to be if he is to beat a certain in-form Los Blancos goalie.

Real Madrid - Ruud van Nistelrooy

Van Gol promptly repaid the club's contract extension with a winning double against Levante last Sunday. After a slow start to the season where he briefly handed goalscoring duties to the likes of Sneijder, Raúl and Robinho, the Dutchman is now firing on all cylinders again having netted five times in his last five league games and when he's got that momentum going, it's pretty hard to put the brakes on him.

MY PREDICTION

Real Madrid's morale would have taken a knock after their Copa del Rey elimination, but they truly relish going up against sides like Atlético, who come out and play instead of parking the team bus infront of the goal. If Javier Aguirre do decide to fight fire with fire and leave the backline exposed, Schuster will feel confident that his side can emulate three of their best away results so far this term: at Villarreal, Valencia and Barcelona.

Atlético Madrid 1-3 Real Madrid

Wenger Looking For Improvement Against Slavia Prague

2007-10-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

Arsene Wenger is 58 today and will mark the occasion by watching Newcastle United take on Spurs on TV while planning Arsenal's Champions League assignment at home to Slavia Prague on Tuesday.

For his 58th birthday present, workaholic Arsene Wenger will be happy if his team produce an improved performance against Slavia Prague than the one which eventually disposed of stubborn Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.

The manager of the unbeaten Gunners, top of the Premier League and turning their attentions back to Champions League business this week, said: “Maybe it’s my birthday, I honestly don’t know.

"I’m 58? Ow! That hurts.

“I have never really been a great one for celebrating birthdays. This year I will be at home, it will just be normal. I will have a little dinner and then watch Spurs.

“It will be a quiet night and I will just prepare for our game with Slavia Prague on Tuesday and watch the game. Annie [Wenger's other half] likes football too — to be honest she has to.

“There’s not much I really need. I have plenty of socks.”

Wenger is not one for relaxing, and he does not want his maturing team to relax either. On Saturday they toiled to break down Bolton's stout resistance in the first-half, when they were guilty of trying too hard to take on Bolton at their own game.

And Wenger said: “The only thing my team can give me for my birthday is to play better against Prague than they did against Bolton.

“You always want people to be better and I want my team to keep the spirit they have right now.

“It didn’t go well in the first half. Bolton went back to their old style which gave them success.

“I can understand it with their position. It wasn’t nasty but one or two tackles were bad.

“The players know we can escape bad tackles by keeping the ball moving quickly.”

Wenger turmed the game with the introduction of substitutes Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky on 62 mnutes.

Rosicky found the space that invited Ivan Campo's foul, and from the free-kick Kolo Toure fired Arsenal ahead after 67 minutes.

Then Walcott's good work on the right set up Rosicky for the second on 81 minutes.

After Slavia Prague at the Emirates on Tuesday, Arsenal take on Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

Where's the attacking football? Has Schuster been able to deliver the promise?Soc

2007-10-22T06:34:00.001-07:00

Great Expectations

For Real Madrid CF, success is encrypted in their DNA. This is a football club that has won the most number of European Cups, the most La Liga titles and is the official “Club of the 20th Century”.

In fact, Real has been treated almost like an empire. At Real Madrid, they don’t hope; they expect. And when failure to match that lofty level expectation goes spiraling out of control, eccentricity and desperate measures steal in.

You would hardly discern a club axing its manager a few days after winning domestic honours, but at Real Madrid, that's what they do.

The modestly-acclaimed Bernd Schuster was imported into the set-up in the summer at the expense of the unparalleled Fabio Capello, who was guilty of “wining ugly”. Schuster is supposed to be the Messiah who restores the enthralling, out-of-the-world football of the Galactico era.

On the evidence of the first three or four matches in the new Spanish season, it did appear that the German would finally be able to turn the corner and gift the starving Madridistas their deserved dose of entertaining football. Indeed after last season’s gruesome and often faulty Capelloism, the Bernabeu faithful were eager to embrace anything that was even remotely compelling

But now the whispers of resentment are starting to gather momentum, just as last time around. Saturday’s loss to Espanyol, while disappointing, was not a surprise for all fans.

Indeed, some saw it as as a continuation of a string of poor, hanging-on performances that Real have been displaying of late. Schuster might be able to escape by the skin of his teeth this time, with the excuse of most of his major stars returning exhausted from a one-and-a-half week grueling international duty, but that won’t cut ice in the long run.

Time To Improve

At the start of the season, Real Madrid were playing the best football in Spain. After a lackluster pre-season, which was miles shy of inspiring, Real seemed to have clicked into top gear.

They might have required an 80th minute deflected goal to get the better of cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid on the opening day of the new season but there was no doubt as to who was boss when they traveled to Villarreal next weekend.

Kindled by a Wesley Sneijder masterclass of midfield creativity and vision, los Merengues ripped apart Manuel Pellegrini’s promising side 5-0 and scripting themselves into every Spanish newspapers as the likeliest winners of this season’s Spanish championship. Real then managed to win their next 4 matches out of 5 before Saturday’s 2-1 slump to Espanyol at the Olympic de Montijuc.

But there’s no sidelining the stark, naked truth that their style has been gradually dipping its nose. If the 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened Real Betis at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu illustrated the age-old principle of clutching at the straws until the final whistle, then the narrow 1-0 win over Schuster’s former club Getafe was a farce in so much that Real came out unscathed Hollywood-style from a barrage of Geta onslaught: they didn't deserve to win at all.

Saturday’s defeat to an increasingly-improving Espanyol side, while not a huge shock, still comes as a smack in the face for Real. This is their first defeat of the season and was underlined by a lack of imagination throughout the match.

A disoriented Real team might have been decent in the first 45 minutes on Saturday, but they failed to take the game to Espanyol after the breather, when they clearly were the second best team in the match.

Poisoned Chalice

Yet in spite of the defeat, Real still retain that often ill-fated favourites’ tag. FC Barcelona might have superbly recovered from very, very early season blues, riding on the wave of a wildly rampant Lionel Messi, but the truth is Real Madrid have more depth in their squad than their main challengers Barca do.

Real splashed out heavily during the summer transfer circus like a child with a blank cheque in a toyshop, pocketing the likes of Christoph Metzelder, Javier Saviola, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, among others.

More star names inevitably enforce squad rotation and at the heart of Real’s smothered football is this numerical abundance that is actually inhibiting the smooth settling down of the players.

Till the last match of the season last year, Fabio Capello could never settle on a regular first string and Schuster is moving pretty much toeing the same line.

His basic formation of 4-4-2 has been kept consistent, with a flat back four screened by the anchorman Diarra, furthered by the presence of a creative central midfielder and two wingers supplying the two strikers upfront, but the personnel have been rotated far too much for anyone’s liking.

And it is in this particular quarter that Real have to change their strategy.

With Raul revealing his vintage touch from time to time, reinvented Guti starting regularly, Arjen Robben dribbling ferociously down the flanks and Sneijder pulling the strings from the midfield, the signs are very good. What Schuster needs to do this stage is decide on his first choice players and proceed accordingly - injuries allowing, of course.

It would be naïve to call the curtains on Real at his point of the title race but with the notorious Real Madrid supporters starting to voice their disgruntlement, Schuster needs to comprehend that Real Madrid need to improve and improve quickly.

Baptista denies the fact that there was any party

2007-10-22T06:26:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid and Brazil forward Julio Baptista, along with teammate Robinho, was dropped for this weekend's visit to Espanyol after returning late from international duty. Now, Baptista denies that they were late because of a party, and insists that the matter has been sorted out...

ulio Baptista has told Spanish sports daily Marca that there is no case to answer regarding an alleged party that kept he and Robinho from returning to Real Madrid.

After Brazil's 5-0 win against Ecuador in the World Cup qualifiers, reports indicated that Madrid pair Baptista and Robinho were out celebrating until the small hours, this being responsible for their late return to the Bernabeu.

This untimely arrival back in Spain meant that they were unable to train in time for Saturday's ill-fated encounter with Espanyol, both being left out.

Baptista has now attempted to publicly clear the air.

"There were problems with air traffic, so we can't be blamed for the delay," he said of the six hour setback.

"Hopefully we weren't affected by this, but because of the flight times we were unable to get to training.

"I understand that if we don't train then we can't play: that's normal. But it still hit us hard."

Indeed, Robinho was cagey about the prospect of any party.

He said, "Who originated the story about the party? I don't know. I don't understand. They should have been talking about [Brazil's] match and how well Robinho played. He played well and that made us all happy.

"There's nothing to deny."

He also said that both he and the club coach, Bernd Schuster, have put the issue behind them.

"Was Schuster angry? No. He talked with us, but wasn't angry.

"He was a bit annoyed, but that's to be expected. We arrived late and couldn't train, so we couldn't play. The boss was calm, though, and there was nothing strange.

"Fines? We've already spoken to him, so everything is cleared up. But from now on we'll need to give more communication so that it doesn't happen again."

The ex-Arsenal man continued, "Our mistake was not telling the club [about the delays]. We should have called to let them know we'd be late. I won't repeat that mistake."

Baptista, 26, was thought to be a candidate for being sold on during the summer, but remains at the Bernabeu. He feels that he will stay after the January transfer window closes, too.

"I have no news [of a winter transfer]," he insisted.

"I'm a Real Madrid player and will continue to be one. We'll talk at the end of the season."

'The Beast' has played just 54 minutes of Liga football this season.

Aragones Defends Raul Decision

2007-10-11T07:05:00.001-07:00

Luis Aragones has broken his silence regarding his decision not to call up Raul for the Spain squad to face Denmark this weekend...

Luis Aragones has pledged that no personal grudge or favouritism has influenced his decision not to summon Raul to the Spain squad.

With David Villa recently pulling out due to injury, many speculated that Real Madrid veteran Raul would be drafted in as a replacement. Instead, on-form Raul Tamudo of Espanyol joined teammate Luis Garcia in the Furia Roja camp.

Now, Aragones has defended his decision in an interview with the RFEF (Spanish Football Association.)

"Of course I can make mistakes, and so can others," he said.

"Perhaps there's no one truth and others have good reasons for what they think. Nonetheless, I believe that my reasons are completely objective, because they are based on the form and the careers of the players."

He said that the long view of players' progress was responsible for his calling up Espanyol's Albert Riera, as "months of following him" have shown that he's ready for international football.

Aragones has come under fire both for his squad selections and a series of questionable performances, culminating in a 1-1 draw with Iceland last month.

That result threw Spain's qualification chances into question, but Aragones insists that the criticism and pressure from the fans will not get him down.

"I thrive on external pressure," he boomed.

"I know what's at stake; I know that I need to do my all, and do it better than ever.

"I don't have to be obsessed by the external factors, but I've gone through similar spells before and I know that I enjoy fighting through them. It's one of the advantages of experience."

Spain are fancied to beat Denmark in Aarhus on Saturday but can take nothing for granted, given their record up until this point. Indeed, Aragones seemed to indicate that a draw might not be disastrous.

The former Atletico Madrid coach shrugged, "The match could be considered a final, so we'll need to commit to it, even though there are more games to come.

"A draw would be a good result, but we're still going to go and look for the win. We have the quality to win there, and it would help our place in the standings.

"Denmark, though, have a very good team, and play particularly well against the higher-ranked countries."

Aragones concluded by defending his side's circuitous route towards qualification, emphasising the closeness of the race. "Except for Germany and the Czech Republic, who are both practically qualified, all others are still fighting for a top two berth," he said.

Luis took over as Spain boss in 2004, following 30 years as a club level manager with the likes of Barcelona, Sevilla, Betis and Valencia.

Soccer Friction Dot com is back

2007-10-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Due to a problem with my ISP I could not log in to my blog and post. But that problem has now been fixed and My blog is back, back with a bang,.. hopefully.. :D

Francesco Totti: In The 31st Minute

2007-09-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

Totti has a flair for scoring goals. Last season, he scored 26 times for AS Roma and was crowned not only as the Capocannoniere, the award for the topscorer in Serie A, but also as the European Golden Boot Winner.

This season has been no different for the Roman God as he has already scored four goals in as many matches in Serie A. The two spectacular strikes within six minutes against Juventus were a display of what the Roma skipper could inflict on the opposition.

The striker has already outlined his targets for this season and aims to win both the Scudetto and the Champions League. Francesco is just four goals away from scoring 200 for his club.

Totti’s affair with the Italian national team started very well when he helped the team qualify and reach the final of the Euro 2000 where he won the Man of the Match Award against France, despite being on the losing side. The 2002 World Cup ended in a disappointment for Totti as he was sent off for diving against South Korea.

Totti’s Euro 2004 also ended prematurely as he was banned for spitting at Danish midfielder Christian Poulsen. However, he was one of the key players as the Azzurri qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Totti took part in the tournament with a metal plate inserted in his ankle and played his part as the Azzurri lifted the World Cup last year. Totti was also then selected for the 23 member Master Card All Star Team.

However, Totti has recently retired from international football as he wants to focus more on his club career. Communities and chat rooms dedicated to Totti went berserk as they couldn’t accept the fact they may not see the Roma captain in an Azzurri jersey ever again.

One of the most interesting aspects of Totti is his celebration after a goal. Once, he took off his shirt and had another which read “6 (sei) Unica!” which means “You’re unique”, which was meant for his wife Ilary Blasi. Another is when he kisses his ring finger and looks upwards thanking God. Totti’s first child Cristian was born in November’05 and since then he sucks his thumb as a mark of dedicating his goals to him.

Totti has come out with two self-effacing joke books which were best-sellers for a prolonged time. The money raised is donated to a children’s charity. He is also the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. It’s impossible to think of Roma without Totti as he has stayed loyal to the club since the day he began playing professional football.

The influential star is also a fashion icon for millions across the globe. It’s a common sight even in places where Serie A is not broadcast, like in Mumbai, for boys to sport similar hairstyles to Totti.

Totti is currently being lined up for the Golden Ball and players like De Rossi and Adrian Mutu have already voiced their support for the Italian. If Totti wins the Ballon’d Or then he would be the first Roma player to win the most coveted prize since its inception in 1956. With the tenacity of a lion and an eagle’s eye for goals, long may Totti continue his brilliant displays. Happy Birthday Francesco!

What Chelsea Crisis?

2007-09-27T03:12:00.000-07:00

HULL CITY 0-4 CHELSEA

Chelsea opened their defence of the Carling Cup with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Championship side Hull City on Humberside, suggesting that talk of a Stamford Bridge crisis is somewhat over-stated.

Chelsea cruised past Hull City into the fourth round of the Carling Cup to give Avram Grant his first win as manager, and a welcome respite from negative headlines.

Although the Tigers held Chelsea at bay until the 37th minute, Scott Sinclair's opener - a low drive - put the Blues firmly in the driving seat.

Salomon Kalou headed home the second just after half-time before Steve Sidwell's well-struck drive soon made it 3-0.

And Kalou completed a thoroughly convincing victory by finishing some good work by substitute Joe Cole.

Hull acquitted themselves well but did not look likely to cause a giant-killing upset, even though Grant made seven changes from the team that lost to Manchester United on Sunday.

Chelsea were straight into their stride, forcing five corners inside the opening four minutes, and the Hull keeper, Bo Myhill, was busy keeping out a Sidwell drive and a Kalou shot.

As expected, the home team had a spell of pressure, but Chelsea looked as though they could step it up a gear, and when Shaun Wright-Phillips, threatening throughout the first-half, fired in a cross, there was 18-year-old Sinclair netting the first goal of the Grant era with a curling shot.

If Hull entertained hopes of a comeback, they vanished soon after the break when Chelsea doubled their lead, Pizarro outsmarting the Tigers' defence and whipping over a left-wing cross that Kalou, challenged by Damien Delasney, headed into the net from close range.

Sidwell cracked a swerving 25-yarder to make it 3-0 after only 52 minutes, but Hull did well to stem the tide, and nearly got a consolation when Jay-Jay Okocha's sent a free-kick narrowly over the bar.

Wright-Phillips limped off with what looked like a hamstring injury, but his replacement, Joe Cole, set up the fourth goal wuth an astute pass for Kalou to finish.

Chelsea go down 2-0 against United

2007-09-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

Chelsea succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Manchester United in what appeared to be a difficult game on a difficult day at the end of a difficult week for Chelsea.

1st half

The match got off to a good start for United as Rooney warmed up Petr Cech's gloves with a curling shot in the 2nd minute.

Chelsea responded 6 minutes later with a great cross from Essien but Shevchenko was slow to react, the ball eventually fell to the feet of Malouda whose pass found Shevchenko but the Ukranian flashed his shot wide.

In the 30th minute Essien carelessly gave the ball away to Rooney with a weak clearance, Rooney whipped over a teasing cross to the far post for Giggs, who elects to shoot rather than head from a very tight angle and lifts it over the bar.

More than half an hour had passed when Avram Grant had his first major tactical adjustment to make as Jon Obi Mikel got himself into a challenge with Evra with his foot slightly raised, Evra wass caught and ref Mike Dean reached immediately for the red card. It looked a little harsh, but Mikel was off and the Blues were down to 10 men.

Despite being a man short, Chelsea continuedto play with more than one man up front, which wass adventurous but created a gap between midfield and attack. United meanwhile remain ed threatening down the right flank in particular.

But then, in first half injury time United took the lead .From a corner which, if successfully defended, would have seen Chelsea safely through to half-time, the ball was cleared to Schloles in a deep inside-right position. Scholes headed an intelligent first-time pass back out to Giggs on the right wing, and Giggs bend in a briliant cross with the outside of his right boot where Tevez beat Cech at the near post with a flying header. Chelsae must have thought everything is against them. That was the first United goal Tevez has scored, and he could not have timed it any better. Very well conceived and executed, but tough on Chelsea, especially coming so late in the half.

2nd half

The second half had a slow start and the bad weather could be blamed for it but on the 58th minute mark A beautiful ball over the top found Giggs roaring in from the left, but the Welshman volleyed it way over. Great idea, poor execution.

Shevchenko was taken off for Kalou and few minutes later Saha came in for Rooney.Sheva got off with a hand-shake from the coach. That's something he hasn't been used to since leaving Milan

Nearly 90 minutes and Tal Ben Haim stocked a leg out and caught substitute Louis Saha, and although the French striker madee a meal of it, it was a definite penalty. Saha dispatchers it himself, straight down the middle, and for the first time this season, United have a two-goal lead

There was two minutes of time added on as the referee finally blowed the whistle and fianlly put and end to Chelsea's misery.

Ibrahimovic Rescues Inter From Livorno

2007-09-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

Livorno 2-2 Inter Milan

Inter hit the self-destruct button several times again in Livorno, going down after a minute against their bottom-of-the-table hosts, and eventually scrapping a 2-2 draw after Maicon was sent off late in the second half for a silly kick at Erjon Bogdani.

Livorno played with a 3-5-2 formation with Alessandro Diamanti and Erjon Bogdani up front, while Inter lined up with a 4-4-2 formation with Adriano and Zlatan Ibrahimovic as strikers.

After just one minute, Livorno were in front as Ivan Cordoba made a glaring mistake on a long pass from midfield. He completely missed the ball, allowing Daniele De Vezzi to take the ball and he easily beat Julio Cesar.

The hosts were dangerous again in the fifth minute, when a dangerous shot by Diamanti fired a shot from outside the area that went just wide.

Inter reacted in the 7th minute, when Adriano and Ibrahimovic played a nice one-two before freeing up Maicon for a shot, which was well saved by Marco Amelia.

In the 9th minute, there was the first of several controversial episodes in this match as defender Nicolas Burdisso seemed to handle the ball inside the area as he had a tussle with Diamanti. The referee ignored the incident, however.

A minute later, Adriano missed the first in a series of great chances, as his back-heel was cleared off the line by Simone Pavan with Amelia well beaten.

Then came a slower period of the match, before an incredible goalmouth scramble in the 26th minute saw Inter come agonizingly close to scoring. First Adriano fired a shot on the post, then two shots from Esteban Cambiasso and Aparecido Cesar had to be cleared off the line by the Livorno defence.

Replays showed that De Vezze may have touched the ball with his hand during that confused move. A few minutes later, Adriano again came close to scoring as he dribbled past Amelia and fired a precise diagonal shot, which only a great clearence by Fabio Galante prevented from going in.

In the 35th minute, Inter finally found a deserved equaliser when Ibrahimovic finalised a counterattack with a shot under the crossbar from a perfect pass by Maicon.

Inter continued to attack in the final part of the first half, but there were no more chances for either side, as an entertaining first half came to an end on a 1-1 tie.

The Nerazzurri started the second half well, with Ibrahimovic dangerous on a couple of occasions around the 7th minute, but first Amelia managed to grab his shot on a cross by Cesar, and on the second occasion he was stopped by the Livorno defence as he tried to dribble his way through.

Surprisingly, Livorno took the lead again around the hour mark, when substitute Luis Jimenez made a dubious foul on Nico Pulzetti, and the referee awarded a penalty. Massimo Loviso took the spot-kick and made it 2-1 to Livorno (61').

Inter were initially shocked by this new setback, but found a way back into the game ten minutes later, when another penalty was given, this a much clearer one as Ibrahimovic was held back by substitute Rahman Rezaei. The Swede converted the penalty to make it all square again (72').

However, Inter's rotten luck this afternoon continued when Maicon decided to have himself sent off as he kicked out at Bogdani in the 81st minute. But that was not all: a minute later, Ibrahimovic had the ball in the net, but due to a very narrow offside position the goal was called off.

In the final minutes, with Inter reduced to ten men, there was still time for Livorno to make themselves dangerous, but twice the excellent Julio Cesar was alert on shots by Bogdani.

Ultimately though, neither side seemed likely to win it in the final minutes, and the 2-2 draw reflects the way this game went. It's a disappointing result for Inter, who were hoping to bounce back from their defeat to Fenerbahce in the Champions League, but had a wrong approach to the match once again. Meanwhile Livorno, who had started the season with two big defeats, will be overjoyed at this draw against the champions.

Inter remain second with 8 points, but they are joined by Fiorentina and Atalanta, while leaders Roma are two points ahead with 10 points. Livorno obtain their second consecutive draw.

Danilo Pochini

MATCH STATS

LIVORNO-INTER 2-2

GOALSCORERS: 1' De Vezze (L), 35', 71' Ibrahimovic (I), 61' Loviso (L)

LIVORNO (3-5-2): Amelia; Knezevic, Pavan (71' Rezaei), Galante; Balleri (68' Grandoni), Pulzetti, Loviso, De Vezze (54' E. Filippini), Pasquale; Bogdani, Diamanti. In panchina: De Lucia, Alvarez, Tavano, Tristan. All.: Orsi

INTER (4-4-2): Julio Cesar; Maicon, Cordoba, Burdisso, Maxwell (55' Jimenez); J. Zanetti, Stankovic, Cambiasso, Cesar; Ibrahimovic, Adriano (68' Cruz). In panchina: Toldo, Samuel, Dacourt, Figo, Crespo. All.: Mancini

REFEREE: Trefoloni

BOOKINGS: Knezevic, Pavan, Galante, and Bogdani (L); Maxwell and Cambiasso (I)

SENDINGS OFF: 81' Maicon (I)

All Square In Rome After Epic Roma 2-2 Juventus

2007-09-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Vincenzo Iaquinta scored a late equaliser to earn Juventus a 2-2 draw in Rome in a phenomenal game that more than lived up to it's billing as the game of the season.

Iaqunita headed home in the 87th minute from a Giorgio Chiellini long-throw just as it looked like Roma were going to earn their fourth consecutive Serie A win of the new season.

Earlier Francesco Totti had scored twice for Roma to turn the game on it's head after David Trezeguet had given the Bianconeri an early lead. Alessandro Del Piero also missed a penalty in an action-packed encounter at the Stadio Olimpico.

First Half

Roma were hoping to continue a stunning start to the season which had seen them win all five of their competitive games without conceding a goal. Coach Luciano Spalletti named the same team that were so impressive in the Champions League against Dynamo Kiev in midweek.

Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri lived up to his 'tinkerman' tag by unleashing an attacking 4-3-3 formation with Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet and Vincenzo Iaquinta upfront.

Zdenek Grygera returned from injury to play at right-back but the Bianconeri were without the injured Mauro Camoranesi, Marco Marchionni, Jean-Alain Boumsong, Sergio Almiron and the suspended Jonathan Zebina.

Roma started strongly and created the first big chance of the game on 10 minutes, when Francesco Totti put Marco Cassetti through with a fantastic reverse through-ball and Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon had to pull off a superb save to turn his shot around the post.

Juventus hit back immediately and were unlucky when Doni's flap at an Iaquinta cross fell kindly to a Roma defender. Their misfortune did not last long as Juventus surprisingly took the lead on 16 minutes. Good work by Del Piero released Iaquinta whose cross found Trezeguet's bullet header from eight yards. It was the Frenchman's 100th goal in Serie A.

Roma tried to respond and De Rossi's shot from the edge of the box was deflected into the arms of Buffon. Amantino Mancini was also booked for simulation after trying to con the referee into giving a penalty.

However Juventus were close to extending their lead when a superb free-kick from Del Piero finished just inches over the bar. Doni was rooted to the spot. Spalletti was then forced into a change after Cassetti pulled up with an injury and the right-back made way for ex-Real Madrid man Cicinho.

Within 60 seconds of the Brazilian's introduction, Roma had drawn level through their talismanic captain Totti. Domenico Criscito demonstrated all his inexperience by getting too tight to the forward and Totti spun him easily before curling the ball delightfully past Buffon.

Five minutes later Roma were in front. Again Totti was the scorer. Mancini found space down the left and his cross ricocheted into the path of Aquilani whose shot was superbly saved by Buffon. The world's number one goalkeeper could do nothing on Totti's follow up however. Again Criscito was to blame for the goal as he allowed Aquilani to get goal-side of him. The youngster was having a dreadful afternoon.

Juventus showed their fighting spirit and nearly got back on level terms immediately. Iaquinta's knock-down found Del Piero whose volley was brilliantly parried around the post by Doni. In first-half injury time The Golden Boy's free-kick caused all kinds of problems in the Roma area and Nedved's flick-on was deflected just wide. Nicola Legrottaglie replaced the disastrous Criscito at half-time as Ranieri aimed to shore things up in defence.

Second Half

Within four minutes of the second-half the Bianconeri wasted a golden opportunity to level the scores. Nedved was felled in the area by a combination of Cicinho and De Rossi and referee Emidio Morganti pointed to the spot. Del Piero stepped up but quite incredibly blazed well over the bar. It was most uncharacteristic of the forward, who is renowned as a penalty-kick specialist.

Roma should have made Del Piero pay for his miss on 51 minutes but after good work by Rodrigo Taddei, Perrotta contrived to fire over an open goal.

Juventus were then dealt a massive blow when star defender Jorge Andrade was stretchered off with an injury and replaced by veteran Alessandro Birindelli. This left the Bianconeri with the rather shaky-looking central defence partnership of Birindelli and Legrottaglie.

Within a minute of the change Juventus again nearly fell further behind. Totti's thunderbolt of a free-kick was parried by Buffon and the keeper then got up to make a stunning follow-up save on Mancini.

Roma were by now completely dominant but instead of trying to push on and look for a third goal they made the mistake of keeping possession and merely controlling the game in midfield. Nevertheless on 79 minutes, Perrotta again missed an excellent chance. Cicinho's cross found the ex-Chievo man completely unmarked in the middle but he headed wide.

Juventus were looking like a tired and beaten team with only Iaquinta, who had been impressive all game, showing any kind of spark. With three minutes left Roma were made to pay for taking their foot off the gas as Iaquinta silenced the Olimpico with a goal completely out of the blue. A long throw from Chiellini looked harmless enough but the ex-Udinese striker got in front of Cicinho and looped a header over the stranded Doni. What a game!

Raúl's 15th anniversary as a Real Madrid player

2007-09-21T01:44:00.000-07:00

Raúl played for Real Madrid's Under-17s when he joined the Club and, through the years, has become the team's leader on and off the pitch. He's also showcased his love for the Club and looked to achieve every possible personal and collective goal. Raúl's been here for 15 years and he expects to remain many more.

On 20 September 1992, at 15 years of age, Raúl joined Real Madrid's Under-17s, coming from the youth system of eternal rival Atletico Madrid. In his last season at Atletico he scored 55 goals, getting the Whites interested in him. Fifteen years have passed since then and the player has scored 452 official strikes with Real Madrid and 61 with Spain.

His first game as a Real Madrid player was against Alcalá, contributing to the 5-0 victory with one goal. He hasn't stopped scoring since and has become the all-time top scorer of the European Cup (57) and the third in Real Madrid's history (272) behind Di Stéfano and Santillana. In his second season at the Club he joined the Under-19s, eventually getting promoted to Real Madrid C in the 1994/95 campaign. That same year he made his debut with the first team against Zaragoza at La Romareda.

His goals and his drive have helped Real Madrid win five Leagues, three Champions Leagues, three Spanish Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and one European Super Cup. His excellent performances made him an unquestionable starter on the Spanish national team, becoming its captain after 44 fixtures. His impressive figures have made him one of the most important players in the history of Real Madrid, playing in 613 games -third in ranking after Santillana (643) and Sanchís (712)-.

The captain has had a brilliant start to the 2007/08 campaign so far. He's recovered his position as a striker and has already scored three goals -two in the League against Atletico and Villarreal, and one in the Champions League against Werder Bremen-.

Real Madrid's 30th League title last season was the player's fifth so far. Raúl is a true captain, a symbol of this Club, the player every new footballer on the team looks up to. Madridista above anything else, Raúl represents the values of this Club: drive, perseverance, work, humility, and human and football quality. In these past 15 years, Raúl has proved that the secret to his success is his devotion to the Club, to whom he still gives his all in every game.

Raul's my all time favorite player. The greatest player to have worn the Spanish colors. He has been grossly maltreated by Mr Aragones. He may not be the best player, but he never complains- takes all responsibility and plays for the team, even out of position. He has suffered for club and country, thank God club is beginning to put him back in position that makes him shine.

Gracias ala capitan!!!!!

Courtesy : Real Madrid Dot Com

Arsenal Sweep To Victory Over Sevilla

2007-09-20T01:32:00.000-07:00

Arsenal's excellent start to the season continued with a valuable and ultimately comprehensive victory to open their Champions League campaign. A deflected first-half shot from Cesc Fabregas, a close-range tap-in by Robin van Persie from a Fabregas free-kick and a late third by substitute Eduardo that crowned another slick passing move saw Sevilla comprehensively beaten.

The Spanish side looked a little wanting at this level, at least against a side who,, for all their youth, have considerable Champions League experience.

The games against Sevilla were always going to be the toughest for Arsenal in Group H, and their confidence will be boosted by this result, and performance.

It was a thoroughly professional display by Arsene Wenger's team, and while the three goals were extremely welcome, the manager will also be delighted with a clean sheet.

Kolo Toure was alert and industrious at centre-back, whil the two full-backs, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy were outstanding, with Sagna's bursts of space down the right often electrifying. Fabregas was again authoritative in midfield while Emmanuel Adebayor got through a prodigious amount of work leading the line.

There was also a competritive edge to Arsenal's game that underlined their development since last season.

Sevilla, on their Champions debut, were a little disappointing on a what proved to be a difficult night for them. But they started confidently, and the lively Navas rifled in an early shot that Manuel Almunia was happy to see narrowly clear the bar.Fredi Kanoute also went close for the visitors.

But Arsenalwere dangerous on the attack themselves - though there was a slice of luck about their opening goal. A long-range shot from Fabregas deflected in off Julien Escude to wrong-foot Palop and put Arsenal ahead at the break.

Robin van Persie made it 2-0, tapping in alertly when Sagna cleverly headed on a Fabregas free-kick.

From that point Sevilla never threatened a come-back, and the Gunners capped things off in stoppage time when Eduardo applied a cool finish to a sweet passing move that featured Alexander Hleb and Fabregas.

Adebayor deserved a goal and nearly got one when he produced a diving header from Sagna's curling cross that shaved the outside of the post.

When Daniel Alves managde to whip in a cross from the right, Sagna was first to the ball and cleared the danger.

Then Eduardo added the icing on Arsenal's cake.

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Senderos, Clichy, Hleb, Fabregas, Flamini, Rosicky, Adebayor, Van Persie. Subs: Fabianski, Diarra, Diaby, Denilson, Silva, Eduardo, Walcott.

Sevilla: Palop, Daniel, Fazio, Escude, Dragutinovic, Jesus Navas, Poulsen, Marti, Diego Capel, Luis Fabiano, Kanoute. Subs: De Sanctis, Duda, Kerzhakov, Renato, Keita, Boulahrouz, Maresca.

Mourinho quits Chelsea!!!

2007-09-20T01:26:00.000-07:00

Chelsea have confirmed reports that they've unexpectedly parted company with manager Jose Mourinho after a crisis meeting this evening.

A brief statement on the Blues' official website, read: "Chelsea Football Club and José Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent."

Mourinho is reported to have text messaged five senior players this evening to tell them that he is leaving the Blues, who could only draw at home with Rosenborg in their opening Champions League tie on Tuesday.

The set-back followed disappointing results in the Premiership against both Aston Villa and Blackburn, results that had left Mourinho visably on edge.

The Portuguese coach was said to have fallen out with owner Roman Abramovich last season, although the dispute was believed to be behind the pair. However, poor form plus difficulties with star names Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack appear to have put further strain on their relationship.

The 'Special One' still had three years left on a contract, worth a staggering £6.5m a year, but Abramovich is believed to be prepared pay a huge slice of that in order to end their relationship.

Mourinho arrived at Chelsea having won the Champions League with Porto in 2004 and he continued his success with back-to-back Premiership titles. However, last season Manchester United beat the Blues to the league crown, although they did manage to lift both domestic cups.

Reports have immediately linked Sevilla boss Juande Ramos with the job and ironically the Spaniard is already in London having seen his side lose 3-0 to Arsenal in their Champions League encounter this evening.

It seems more than likely that current Russia coach Guus Hiddink will also be considered among the frontrunners for the job.

CL Preview: FC Barcelona - Olympique Lyonnais

2007-09-19T07:27:00.001-07:00

FC Barcelona only need to look at their opponents Olympique Lyonnais on Wednesday night to draw inspiration after a slow start to the season.

The Blaugrana have come under increasing pressure to start performing after producing another lacklustre away day display against Osasuna to add to the drab opener against Racing.

In between their was an encouraging win over Athletic, but even that came thanks to a penalty and a dubious goal in a game that the Basque Country side could have taken something from.

Lyon were in the same boat after three matches of the Ligue 1 season as they were beaten by Toulouse and Lorient after opening with a win.

Alain Perrin's credentials as coach were called into question as many wondered whether the all-conquering side's days as champions were numbered.

Bouncing back

Having won the league for the last six seasons, Lyon knew what they were capable of and ignored the criticism, instead aiming on working hard to eradicate their mistakes and build confidence.

The plan worked perfectly as they now head to Camp Nou for the Champions league encounter having won their previous four league matches.

Any remaining critics were truly silenced at the weekend when Lyon went to Metz and dished out a 5-1 hammering to their hosts and reminded everyone that they are after a seventh title on the bounce.

Barça should take note as too many more displays like the one produced on Sunday and the premature calls for Rijkaard to go could grow into a chorus.

No guarantees

The Madrid-biased press have been basking in the Blaugrana's failure to impress after a summer of hype about the 'Fantastic Four' and it is Marca and AS that are making up stories about the Dutch coach's future.

Quite what is wrong at Camp Nou is hard to identify and, as yet, cannot be blamed on too many stars in the changing room, as many have predicted.

A spending spree of close to €70m does not guarantee success, but it is the fact that there is no spark that is causing the biggest concern.

Spark is not something that Lyon are lacking after their recent run and Lilian Thuram believes that they will arrive with a plan to win the game.

RECENT FORM

FC Barcelona

16/09 A Osasuna 0-0
02/09 H Athletic Bilbao 3-1
26/08 A Racing Santander 0-0

Olympique Lyonnais

15/09 A Metz 5-1
01/09 H Le Mans 3-2
29/08 A Sochaux 2-1

TEAM NEWS

FC Barcelona

Lionel Messi was left out of the squad against Osasuna, but only as a precautionary measure after he reported back from international duty with a calf strain and should be declared fit to face Lyon. Samuel Eto'o is out with a thigh injury, while Carles Puyol and Edmílson are also both still sidelined.

Probable Starting XI: Valdés, Zambrotta, Abidal, G. Milito, Thuram, Touré, Xavi, Deco, Ronaldinho, Henry, Messi.

Olympique Lyonnais

The French champions travel to la Ciutat Contal with Gregory Coupet and Cris still out with long-term injuries. Fred is suspended for the opening game of the group stage, but Perrin will be able to call upon Benzema or Ben Arfa to play up front.

Probably Starting XI: Vercoutre, Grosso, Squillaci, Cléber, Clerc, Toulalan, Källström, Bodmer, Juninho, Govou, Benzema.

PREDICTION

Barça will certainly have to raise their game on the biggest stage, but with the talent and experience in their side that should not be a problem and a game of this magnitude could even spark their season into life. Lyon will be confidence as they head into the game, but the Camp Nou is an imposing venue and playing at home always lifts the Blaugrana. While the talk of the visitors looking to attack may have some truth behind it, Perrin will know that even earning a point away from home against the group favourites will set his side up nicely. The hosts will have different ideas however and should just sneak it.

FC Barcelona 2 - 0 Olympique Lyonnais

Magical Pirlo Leads Milan To Important Win

2007-09-19T01:17:00.000-07:00

Milan 2 – 1 Benfica

A goal and an assist from Andrea Pirlo handed AC Milan a deserved win over Benfica at the San Siro.

He was a major doubt until the last minute, but in the end, Andrea Pirlo recovered for this first match of the Champions League group stage and ended up being the man of the match thanks to a wonderful goal and a splendid assist.

Milan dominated from start to finish, though Benfica had some good chances against the run of play, and in the end it was a deserved win for the European Champions who started their title defence in style.

Milan pressed on the accelerator from the first minute, and in the very 8th minute the Italian side could have taken the lead through Ambrosini following a very good move by the Rossoneri, but the Milan captain’s effort went wide from inside the penalty area.

However, Pirlo made up for this missed opportunity a minute later when in the 9th minute he curled a beautiful freekick from the left side which Quim was unable to stop.

The home team kept pressing forward and first Inzaghi and then Ambrosini could have doubled the score, but luck and Quim stopped the Rossoneri from going two up in the first 15 minutes. Yet again it was Quim who stopped Inzaghi as the Portuguese side’s goalkeeper made a decisive save on Inzaghi in the 21st minute.

Benfica finally got into the game after 20 minutes without doing much upfront as Rui Costa tried his luck from the edge of the penalty area, but Dida reacted well and punched the ball away.

A minute later Benfica had a golden opportunity to equalize when Rodriguez incredibly enough hit the post in an empty net one metre away from the goal line.

As the action progressed, Kaka stole the ball away from the Portuguese players and after running for almost the entire pitch, he assisted Pirlo all alone on the right hand side, where the silky midfielder sent an inch perfect ball towards Inzaghi in the middle of the penalty area, who thanks to a half volley managed to beat Quim for the 2-0.

After 23 minutes Benfica were already two goals down in their best moment of the game, but this resulted as a wakeup call for Camacho’s lads who started playing on the same level of their opponents from then onwards.

Still, despite Benfica enjoying a good ball possession, it was Milan who went closest again when Kaka failed to connect an assist from Oddo in front of goal in the 35th minute. Two minutes before it was Rui Costa who could have pulled one back for the visitors, but once again Dida made a brilliant save to deny the Portuguese side.

The second half proved to be a more balanced affair as Benfica kept on playing like they did in the second part of the first half. However, Kaka tried to add his name to the scoreline in the 55th minute as he accelerated on the right hand side before entering inside the penalty area and having his shot parried by Quim.

Jankulovksi proved to be a thorn in the Benfica defence as he became more active offensively in the second period with various accelerations which ended up with him trying his luck and going close on a couple of occasions.

Despite Benfica holding a good ball possession, it was Milan who kept going close to add another goal and in the 65th minute Inzaghi managed to miss a sitter from just a few metres away from goal as his shot went over the bar.

Three minutes later Oddo tried his luck from the long distance, but Quim deflected the shot with his fists. In the 70th minute Katsouranis copied the Italian fullback and even this time the opposing goalkeeper, Dida, managed to parry the shot.

In the 75th minute Emerson made his Champions League debut for Milan as he substituted Seedorf in the middle of the pitch.

Quim produced a fantastic double save in less than 30 seconds as first he blocked a tap-in by Inzaghi from close range, then he saved his goal from an Emerson lob in the 77th minute.

In the 87th minute Camacho substituted Assis with Rui Costa, and the former Milan player received a standing ovation by the San Siro crowd.

In the last minute of stoppage time, Benfica succeeded in finally pulling one back through Nuno Gomes but that was too little too late for the Portuguese side who will have to target a win in their next Champions League clash in order to remain in the race for the qualification to the next phase.

On the other hand, Milan proved that the Siena game was forgotten and that the European Champions are back in Europe to defend their title. This result allows the Rossoneri to start in the best possible way their Champions League commitments and can therefore look forward to the remaining encounters in this group.

STARTING LINE-UPS:

MILAN (4-3-2-1): Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Kaladze, Jankulovksi; Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini; Kakà, Seedorf; Inzaghi.

BENFICA (4-4-1-1): Quim; Luis Felipe, Edcarlos, Miguel Vitor, Leo; Pereira, Rodriguez, Di Maria, Katsouranis; Rui Costa; Cardozo.

Raul and Van Nistelrooy does it for Madrid

2007-09-19T01:10:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid 2 - 1 Werder Bremen

Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored a second-half winner for Real Madrid as they saw off the challenge of Werder Bremen in an abosrbing encounter in the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday evening.

The Dutchman's goal ensured that Bernd Schuster began his first European adventure in charge of los Merengues with a win after Raúl had netted the opener before the break.

Werder made a real game of it as they refused to sit back and defend in numbers after equalising through Boubacar Sanogo and always looked capable of taking something from the encounter.

With both sides keen to make an impression the game started at a frantic pace, but neither keeper was troubled until the 13th minute when Tim Wiese caught an ambitious long range effort from Wesley Sneijder.

Just two minutes later and the opening goal arrived as Van Nistelrooy edged down the left of the area before clipping the ball into the near post where Raúl headed inside Wiese's near post to put Madrid ahead.

The home fans were still celebrating when Werder equalised as Dusko Tosic curled in a cross fom the left lank and Sanogo edged in front of his marker to toe poke the ball goalwards and was delighted to see Casillas let it slip through his hands and into the net.

As the visitors maintained their two-pronged attack and held on to the belief that a flat back four would be good enough to prevent Madrid from running awya with the game, it provided plenty of space for the two teams to play in.

That resulted in a quick pace being maintained and surging runs creating an end-to-end spectacle, but therewere still not many clear chances in front of goal.

Higuaín went close eight minutes before the break with a curling shot that just swerved past the far post, while Daniel Jensen kept Casillas on his toes with a drive from outside the area.

Schaaf appeared to give his players orders to continue pushing forward and in the first few minutes of the second period Werder pressed Madrid back with Diego pulling the strings.

At the other end Gonzalo Higuaín fired over the bar before Jurica Vranjes failed to connect with the ball and shot wide after a strong run from Diego.

Hugo Almeida's introduction added some extra spice to the visitors' attack and he had an early shot that flew just wide of the goal,before Wiese denied Van Nistelrooy at close range.

With 16 minutes to go one team finally gave way and it was Werder that were unable to prevent a clinical Madrid attack from finding its way through.

Guti rolled the ball into Raúl and the skipper flicked it out to the Van Nistelrooy who sent the keeper the wrong way by shaping to shoot in the far corner before rolling it inside the near post.

It was a fine finish from a player that had looked slightly out of sorts in front of goal earlier in the game, but he will grab the headlines tomorrow.

Werder did give up and continued to steel the ball in midfield and test the Madrid back-line, but they were unable to truly open up the home team's defence before the end.

Arjen Robben made his official debut when he replaced Raúl seven minutes from the end and the summer signing was given a rousing ovation, although there was scant time for him to make an impression.

Raul might carry on playing for many more years

2007-09-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid's fitness coach Valter Di Salvo has accorded that Raul could continue playing for the Los Meringues for another 8 to 10 years or so if he is careful and follows a careful training regime.

"Creating an individual work programme helps to prolong the career of a footballer," he said.

"It is possible to be on active duty until 37, 38 or 40, such as Maldini at Milan.

"It is not true that a footballer's career is finished at 30. If he is careful, he trains very very well and he has the luck not to suffer injuries, he can play for many years.

"Ryan Giggs is nearly 34 and has more than 700 games behind him. The professionalism of a player also helps a great deal in this aspect," added the Italian, who was previously at Manchester United before moving to Real.

"As with Raúl, with such high professionalism that he has, the way he takes care of himself, I am sure he will play many more years at Real Madrid."

Raul has showcased his quality once more by scoring twice in his team's opening two games and is closing in on the 200-goal mark for the Spanish giants during his career.

My opinion : It is axiomatic to note that Raul is the face of Spanish football. A veteran with exceptional ability on and off pitch. A successful leader with a work-man like attitude! He is a role model for the young players around the globe. He is a phenomenon with a unique character that is rare to find in today's modern era.

Ronaldo might face doping probe

2007-09-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

Nothing ever goes smoothly for Ronaldo. The player's controversial recovery in Brazil will soon come to an end, the Milan striker set to return to the San Siro within 48 hours, but the gene therapy that he has undergone in Rio could constitute doping - according, at least, to Luigi Frati of the Italian National Olympic Committee...

Ronaldo could face a doping enquiry upon his arrival in Italy, according to Italian National Olympic Committee president Luigi Frati.

The striker, whose Brazilian doctors accused AC Milan of botching his rehabilitation, has been undergoing a form of gene therapy in Brazil in the hope of hastening his recovery.

The treatment consists of taking protein strands from the player's blood and injecting it into the damaged portion of his body - the thigh - in order to speed up tissue regrowth.

Luigi Frati contends that this could constitute illegal doping, and has hinted at the prospect of an inquiry into the player's treatment upon his arrival back in Italy.

Ronaldo is expected to return to Milan within the next two days, when he will learn of his fate.

The player was expected to have made his comeback to first team football by now but his injury has not progressed at the rate expected by the AC Milan medical and coaching staff.

Frustrated, he returned to Brazil for more treatment, Milan only reluctantly allowing him to stay as long as he did in his country of birth.

Ronaldo arrived at the San Siro in January this year from Real Madrid. He has scored seven times in fourteen league appearances for the Rossoneri.

New Ballack row in Chelsea over filming

2007-09-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

A new row has erupted over Michael Ballack, with Oliver Bierhoff accusing Chelsea once again.

Germany general manager Oliver Bierhoff has hit out once against at Chelsea, this time over the club not allowing the player to travel to Germany for a photo-shoot.

The shoot was for the launch of the German national team's new kit for the 2008 European Championships.

The player was forced to return to London on Sunday after not being granted permission to participate on Monday, which has left both both the German Federation (DFB) and sponsors Adidas fuming.

Said Bierhoff to Bild: "This is not how you treat a German international, especially the captain of the team."

Adidas also sponsor Chelsea, and Ballack himself has a personal contract with the German sports goods manufacturers.

"It's not correct that they [Chelsea] treat us and their own partner Adidas in this way," continued Bierhoff. "It seems this club has other methods."

Beirhoff revealed that Peter Kenyon's assistant had fax-ed a statement denying Ballack the permission.

However, Chelsea have denied the entire episode, saying: "Michael was given permission to attend the photo shoot."

It appears that he was, but only after Adidas themselves stepped in on Monday. However, the player was already back in London, and the DFB chose not to make him fly back and forth again.

My blog's not getting good traffic regularly anymore

2007-09-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

Are you a regular visitor of soccer friction? Well, I am here to inform you that my blog's not getting as much traffic as it used to get a week or two ago. So I am finding it simply pointless to post every single day and update my visitors with the latest news on soccer. Previously I used to blog about a lot of topics but after my posts that dealt with soccer started getting more hits I decided to buy a domain and changed my blog's topic only to soccer. Honestly I don't care about my earnings as long as I am getting a decent number of visitors and feedback regularly. But when you are not getting visitors for a fairly long time and no feed-backs or comments you are ought to get disappointed. Whatever, I am gonna see whether my regular visitors respond to this post or not.ma If it still doesn't work I think I will have to sell my domain and it will be the end of soccer friction.

Regards,
Shahir, admin of soccerfriction
santino_elmadrid@hotmail.com
shahir-pro@soccerfriction.com

San Siro Stalemate For Italy And France

2007-09-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Italy 0 - 0 France

After all the pre-match drama, a goalless draw between Italy and France was something of a disappointment. Neither side could find that killer touch as a largely midfield-based match ended in a 0-0 draw at the San Siro. There were spells of fine play from each side, but the Azzurri in particular will reflect on what might have been, rather than what was. Find the report and all the reactions below.

Italy and France battled to a goalless draw at the San Siro, neither side showing dominance over the other in what was largely a cagey encounter.

The Azzurri enjoyed a good spell with two excellent chances in the first half, but could not make their advantage count. Only in brief spells did they show invention, and their late surge at France perhaps came a bit too late.

Meanwhile an energetic and streetwise Bleus outfit had their own opportunities and desire about them, but were debatably always the more likely of the two to end the game goalless.

The match kicked off with France coach Raymond Domenech watching from the stands, the manager serving out his UEFA-sanctioned suspension following inopportune comments in the media about the state of the Italian game.

In his place sat Pierre Mankowski, assistant coach. While Domenech did not anticipate too many problems resulting from his touchline ban, he remarked before the game that he'd briefed Mankowski on "forseeable" substitution scenarios.

Anything else was, apparently, to be covered via telepathy.

Marco Materazzi of Italy, meanwhile, also enjoyed a bird's eye view of the pitch, although the injured defender would presumably have rather been out there playing than nursing an injury.

In "Matrix's" place came Palermo's Andrea Barzagli, while veteran pairing Alessandro Del Piero and 'Pippo' Inzaghi led the line up front as Luca Toni missed out.

France, matching their hosts' 4-4-2, put their faith in Nicholas Anelka and Thierry Henry in attack, while the rest of the lineup was changed due to injury problems.

With Gregory Coupet out, Mikel Landreau started in goal, while William Gallas failed to regain fitness in time to take part at the back.

The first half passed without goals, Italy just about shading it on the balance of play, although France showed that they were willing to fight for the tie.

Indeed, the early moments passed in the form of a midfield battle, Claude Makelele playing the part of midfield enforcer with perhaps too much relish five minutes in as he appeared to elbow Del Piero. The Chelsea man picked up a yellow card for his troubles.

There were few chances early on, and the first clear-cut one ended in disaster for France. Bayern Munich's Frank Ribery put in some good movement down the right to feed Nicholas Anelka in the box, only for the Bolton man to completely fluff his effort.

Italy decided to take the game to their opponents, Del Piero looking lively on the edge of the box, and the Juventus stalwart might have given his side the lead just after the half hour, had his effort been a little more vicious.

"Alex" picked up the ball from Camoranesi inside the box, but Mikael Landreau of PSG proved the equal of his rather disappointing effort.

Then came the best effort of the half, from 'Pippo' Inzaghi. His looping effort smacked off the crossbar to break San Siro hearts.

That could have been the start of a real period of domination for Italy, but instead France re-established their rhythm, looking fairly comfortable until the interval.

Indeed, they even found the wherewithal to test Buffon, but the Juventus stopper easily dealt with Malouda's long-range effort.

The second half started in somewhat more lively fashion, Barzagli nearly heading home an Andrea Pirlo corner three minutes in, but Landreau got across well to save.

This was perhaps the golden period for chances, particularly for the French, Anelka nearly getting on the end of a through ball only to be denied by Buffon, and Cannavaro soon after had to be at his best to deal with a roving Ribery ball.

Italy were in danger of dropping out of the game, with Del Piero looking increasingly exhausted and isolated up front, but France could not press in this fleeting moment of advantage, and the scores stayed level heading into the hour mark.

Indeed, Thierry Henry showed the visitors' frustrations, bringing down Cannvaro for a booking as Italy regained the momentum.

Camoranesi came off for Perrotta while, minutes later, the fruitless Inzaghi-Del Piero partnership was broken. Shakhtar Donetsk forward Cristiano Lucarelli came on for the Milanese in an attempt to revitalise a tired-looking Italian front line.

Instead, both teams appeared to slow down some what - Italy, perhaps, even moreso. Clear cut chances were at a premium and, while France showed more energy, the Italians had enough know-how at the back to keep them out, particularly the brilliant Cannavaro.

The final minutes, however, saw a reversal. Italy, perhaps touched by the urgency of the situation, began to press and show flashes of great pace. Nonetheless, they could not take advantage of the three minutes of injury time, and the tie ended goalless.

After all the hype, then, the end result was a largely even encounter, and one without too much by way of drama. While the home side arguably had the bulk of the attacking play, it is the visitors who will leave happier - and still in pole position in Group B.

ITALY 0 - 0 FRANCE

Italy: Buffon; Oddo, Cannavaro, Barzagli, Zambrotta; De Rossi, Gattuso, Pirlo, Camoranesi (Perrotta 58); Del Piero (Di Natale 83), Inzaghi (Lucarelli 65).
Yellow Cards: Gattuso 31, De Rossi 86

France: Landreau; Lassana Diarra, Thuram, Escude, Abidal; Ribery (Toulalan 86), Makelele, Vieira, Malouda; Henry, Anelka.
Yellow Cards: Makelele 5, Henry 56

Ref: Lubos Michel (SVK).

Spain Held By Iceland As Alonso Sees Red

2007-09-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

Iceland 1- 1 Spain

Spain blew the chance to move into second place in Group F as they were held to a draw by a strong Iceland side that belied their lowly status in the group after Xabi Alonso had been sent off in the first half.

The Liverpool midfielder saw red after appearing to stamp on Arnar Vidarsson and the Spanish were left to reorganise their side to cope with the dismissal.

Before the break the hosts took advantage of their numerical superiority as Emil Hallfredsson headed home the opening goal, but Iniesta earned a point for the visitors late in the second period.

In the build-up Luís Aragonés had warned that Iceland were not an easy team to play and he was proved right, but was not helped by his own side's lack of spark when going forward.

With the stadium in Reykjavik being buffeted by wind and rain, la Selección did not look comfortable and their opponents were raising their game in a bid to come away with a surprising result.

As they were harried and hassled in midfield in the opening minutes, Xabi Alonso was not happy about a challenge from Vidarsson and as the two collided the Spanish player kicked out and was sent for an early bath.

Aragonés chose to switch to three at the back and keep his attacking options the same, but the plan always looked problematic as Iceland went close on two occasions soon after.

Joey Gudjonsson and Gunar Thorvaldsson steered their efforts wide of Iker Casillas goal, but when the third clear chance came Iceland took it.

A first-time cross from the right by Gudjonsson found Hallfredssson unmarked at the far post at the former Tottenham winger headed the ball into the opposite corner to send the home fans into raptures.

As legs began to tire after the break, the home team opted to sit back and attempt to soak up the pressure being applied on them by an ever more desperate Spain team.

Despite being pressed back for the majority of the half Árni Arason did not have the busiest evening of his career, while at the other end Casillas was twice called upon to save effort from Thorvaldsson and Grétar Steinsson.

Five minutes from the end the pressure finally told when Iniesta broke through the back line and slid in an equaliser to net his third international goal and snatch a point for Spain.

It was not a convincing performance as Aragonés side lacked spark with or without all their players on the pitch and they will have to improve before hosting Latvia on Wednesday.

What do you think? Is Spain missing the inspirational presence of Raul?

England Cruise To Israel Victory

2007-09-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

England have produced their best performance under Steve McClaren in beating Israel 3-0 at Wembley to give their Euro 2008 hopes a massive boost.

The victory moves England above Israel and into third place in Group E with four matches left to play.

The visitors were disappointing and never presented England with any real concern as Wembley witnessed the first victory for England since its reopening thanks to goals from Shaun Wright-Phillips, Michael Owen and Micah Richards.

McClaren elected to start Emile Heskey in attack alongside Michael Owen, while Gareth Barry was handed his first England start in seven years as Owen Hargreaves failed to prove his fitness in time to make the clash, but Steven Gerrard was in the centre of midfield despite the concern over his toe injury.

The recall of Heskey to the international set-up took many by surprise, so to see him in the starting line-up was quite a shock, although with no Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch or Darren Bent the options were limited. The Wigan striker, who previously has a successful partnership with Owen at Liverpool and England, had the games first opportunity, but he blasted the ball over the bar after Own haid the ball off.

It proved to be the first of many chances as the first half was very much all one-way traffic, although the home side had a nervy moment before the offside flag came to their rescue.

The star of the show was arguably Wright-Phillips, who caused Israel all-sorts of problems on the right-flank, but it was a ball into him that led to the breakthrough. A dangerous cross into him from the creative Joe Cole was converted by his Chelsea team-mate at the far post.

England did not sit back on their lead and played some confident and convicing football as McClaren's gambles paid off with Owen and Heskey linking up well, while Gareth Barry, who was so strangely neglected by Sven Goran Eriksson, helped Gerrard dominate in midfield.

Owen was denied by the face of goalkeeper Dudu Auoate before missing his rebound, while he was inches away from getting on the end of Shaun Wright-Phillips' cross before the end of the first half.

However, the goalscorer got his name on the scoresheet in the second half with one of his best goals in and England shirt. The Newcastle midfielder collected a pass from Cole and on the half volley smashed it past Auoata to relax the home crowd.

A brief nervy momeny in England's defence passed by and the home team wrapped up the win with a header from the brilliant Micah Richards, although the visitors were not impressed with a collision between the goalkeeper and Owen just before Richards headed home.

There was a distinct lack of anything for goalkeeper Paul Robinson to do other than to punch away a cross, but a cleansheet is what he needed following the criticism he faced in the aftermath of the recent friendly defeat to Germany.

Owen came close to adding a fourth but was denied on the line, but England got the win they needed and more importantly claimed the confidence booster ahead of Wednesday's match with Russia, who today defeated Macedonia 3-0.

England introduced Phil Neville, Andy Johnson and David Bentley in the second half with the latter interestingly being booed by the home fans, presumably over his decision to refuse to play in this summers European U-21 Championships.

Man of the Match - Shaun Wright-Phillips

Ronaldo's Doctor: Milan Botched His Treatment

2007-09-08T01:26:00.001-07:00

Ronaldo's doctor has today blasted AC Milan for what he claims was inappropriate treatment of the player by the Milanese club...

Ronaldo's doctor has accused AC Milan of incorrectly treating the Brazilian striker's thigh injury.

The Rossoneri have been without the ex-Real Madrid forward's services of the summer, focusing on the player's rehabilitation, with several members of the Milan hierarchy stating their delight with the player's new svelte form.

Nonetheless, doctor Bruno Mazziotti has blasted the San Siro club for what he sees as mistreatment.

"We think that the treatment Milan gave him wasn’t the correct course of action," he said, before moving on to discuss Ronaldo's chosen path.

"Ronaldo came back here because he wanted to hear the opinion of people he trusts, like me and Selecao doctor Jose Luis Runco," he added.

Ronaldo could return for next week's clash with Siena, marking a return to competitive football.

He arrived from the Bernabeu in January this year, and scored seven goals in his first 14 league appearances for the club.

Italy-France: A Historical Look

2007-09-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

Over the years there have been a number of major rivalries between national football teams. England and Germany, Argentina and Brazil, and Serbia and Croatia are some of the most obvious that spring to mind. Italy against France is another contest that can now be added to this list.

The two teams meet tomorrow night in a crucial Euro 2008 qualifier, with the winner taking a huge step towards qualification to Austria and Switzerland. France currently lead the Azzurri by two points at the top of the Group B standings but a win for Roberto Donadoni's men will allow them to leapfrog their rivals into first place.

The build-up to the match in Milan has been littered with controversy, most of it emanating from the French camp. Les Bleus coach Raymond Domenech received a one-match touchline ban after openly accusing the Azzurrini (the Italy Under-21's) of fixing an Olympic qualifier against his French side in 1999.

This led to a furious response from 1982 World Cup-winning hero Marco Tardelli, who branded Domenech "an idiot and a sore loser." The flames seemed to have subsided a touch until, earlier this week, new Arsenal signing Lassana Diarra cranked up the tension by accusing Italy of being a nation of "provokers and cheats."

The reason for this hostile rivalry can be explained by the recent meetings between the two European neighbours.

History

In the 1998 World Cup France knocked out Italy in the quarter-final stage after a penalty shootout. Two years later the two squads met in the final of Euro 2000. The Azzurri led 1-0 in Rotterdam through a Marco Delvecchio goal and looked all set to claim their first major silverware for 18 years.

However, after Italian golden-boy Alessandro Del Piero missed two gilt-edged chances to double their advantage, France equalised in the fourth minute of stoppage time through Sylvain Wiltord, before fellow substitute David Trezeguet scored a golden goal in extra time to break Italian hearts.

The defeat had a devastating effect on the Azzurri. They badly underperformed in the next two major championships, losing to hosts South Korea in the second round of the 2002 World Cup and then failing to even navigate their way out of the group stages of Euro 2004.

It seemed only a victory against the team that had 'stolen' their trophy could banish the ghost of Rotterdam. Italy gained their revenge in the final of the 2006 World Cup in Germany after another penalty shootout, but the means in which they achieved World Cup glory only served to intensify the animosity between the two nations.

The infamous sending-off of French legend Zinedine Zidane for a head-butt on Marco Materazzi and the controversy that surrounded the incident would linger on for weeks and months. Indeed the Inter defender only disclosed last month exactly what he said to Zidane that provoked the star to retaliate with a head-butt.

Less than two months after the World Cup Final, the two nations met again, in Paris, in the second round of Euro 2008 qualifying and the Azzurri, minus the suspended Materazzi, were convincingly overpowered 3-1 by a pumped-up French team.

Returning to the present, both teams have severe selection headaches and it may be the team that copes best with this situation that emerges victorious. Italy are without Materazzi through injury and Francesco Totti and Alessandro Nesta due to international retirement, while serious doubts also remain as to whether captain Fabio Cannavaro and talismanic striker Luca Toni will be fit to play.

The French also have numerous first-choice players unavailable. Goalkeeper Gregory Coupet and defensive stalwarts William Gallas and Willy Sagnol have been ruled out, while both Barcelona's Lillian Thuram and Internazionale's Patrick Vieira have had limited playing time this season and may not be deemed ready for such a blockbuster of a game. There are suggestions that the latter could be handed a start.

Whatever the line-ups are tomorrow night, rest assured that come 20:50 CET both countries will be going into war.

Statistics

Tomorrow night's return game will certainly be a fiery encounter between two of modern football's biggest enemies. Statistics are favourable to both teams. France have not lost to Italy in 90 minutes for almost 30 years, with their last defeat coming at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, when a young Paolo Rossi was on the scoresheet.

On the other hand Italy are unbeaten in Milan, the venue for tomorrow's qualifier, for an incredible 82 years. The last time the Azzurri tasted defeat was on the 18 January, 1925, in a friendly against Hungary. They have since gone 39 games at San Siro without losing.

Past Competitive Encounters

29-8-1920 (Antwerp) France 3–1 Italy (Olympic Games)

29-5-1928 (Amsterdam) Italy 4-3 France (Olympic Games)

12-6-1938 (Paris) France 1-3 Italy (World Cup) 2-6-

1978 (M.d.Plata) Italy 2-1 France (World Cup)

17-6-1986 (Mexico City) France 2-0 Italy (World Cup)

3-7-1998 (Paris) France 0-0 Italy (World Cup; 4-3 pen)

2-7-2000 (Rotterdam) France 2-1 Italy (European Championships; AET – Golden Goal)

9-7-2006 (Berlin) Italy 1-1 France (World Cup; 5-3 pen)

6-9-2006 (Paris) France 3-1 Italy (European Championship Qualifier)

Overall Record

Games: 34

Won by Italy: 17; Won By France: 8; Draws: 9

Goals by Italy: 77; Goals by France: 48

Wenger Signs New Deal To Continue His 'Life's Work'

2007-09-07T07:47:00.001-07:00

It's finally official. Arsenal Wenger has banished all doubts about his future by signing a new Arsenal contract.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has agreed a new three-year deal with the Gunners that will keep him at the club until 2011.

Frenchman Wenger, who took over at Arsenal - then based at Highbury - in 1996, is now set to become the longest serving manager in the club’s 121-year history.

After re-confirming his commitment to the Gunners, Wenger said: “My heart is tied to this football club so signing a new deal was always my intention. Arsenal is the club of my life.

“I have been entrusted with complete freedom to implement and execute my plans on what will make the team successful and that means I have a responsibility to the fans to deliver silverware and also a responsibility to the players to help turn our potential into prizes.

“This club has deep-seated roots and a tremendous heritage and it is my aim to uphold these important values and help create new history for future generations to recount.”

Arsenal's chairman, Peter Hill-Wood, Stressed the importance of Wenger to the club when he added: “It is wonderful news for Arsenal Football Club that Arsene has signed an extension to his contract.

“We have been at Emirates Stadium for a year now and go from strength to strength off the pitch.

“With Arsene continuing to manage the team, I am sure we can look forward to more exciting football and success on the pitch.

“Arsene has a special ability to develop talented players and turn then into world class stars, a quality that is admired here at the club and indeed around the world.”

Moratti: Ibrahimovic Is An Artist

2007-09-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

Internazionale president Massimo Moratti has declared his team's striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic an "artist", signalling out the tricky forward for high praise...

During a recent interview, Inter supremo Massimo Moratti could not hide his admiration for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The tall striker arrived at the San Siro from Juventus at the start of last season, Moratti proclaiming the virtues of his signing.

"Zlatan Ibrahimovic can create somthing from nothing and can do thngs that others wouldn’t even deem possible.

"For me he is the best of the best at the moment. He is an artist," gushed Moratti.

Ibrahimovic is set to take part for Sweden this weekend as they take on Denmark at the Rasunda in the Euro 2008 qualifiers.

The player is in a fine mood ahead of this clash, saying, "We're really looking forward to the game and have a strong belief that we'll win."

Ibrahimovic has scored 18 times in 44 appearances for Sweden, having been born in Sweden of Bosniak and Croatian parents. He began his pro career with hometown club Malmo FF before moving on to Ajax.

He made his name with the Dutch giants, spending three years in Amsterdam before succumbing to the lure of Juventus in 2004.

Following the Old Lady's 2006 relegation, he transfered to Inter, scoring 17 goals in his debut season in the nerazzurri.

Buffon warns the French

2007-09-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

Ahead of the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier between Italy and France, goalkeeper Gigi Buffon talked about the controversial comments which have come from the French camp.

Following the numerous provocatory phrases ahead of the highly anticipated Euro qualifier between Italy and France, Italian international keeper Gigi Buffon could not remain indifferent, and did not hold himself back.

"I have great respect for France, but no fear," he said. "When we feel strong, and others try to intimidate us with provocatory comments, our reaction on the pitch is always the best.

"Let's wait for the end of the match to see who is laughing."

On his impression of French coach Raymond Domenech, he said: "He seems like a strange character, I can't say I dislike him because I don't know him.

"But if he really said all those things, I don't think that's really part of his job. He has to educate, not instigate."

He could not avoid also talking about his club Juventus, who on their return to Serie A are on top of the standings with six points after two matches: "For now we are only at the second matchday, we are on top but there are teams more equipped than us.

"Roma-Juventus (to be played on matchday 4 of Serie A) is not a match for first place. We have to win as many points as possible to meet the objective of qualifying for the Champions League."

Pato Scores As Milan Share Spoils With Dinamo Kiev

2007-09-07T02:13:00.000-07:00

Dinamo Kiev celebrated their 80th anniversary by playing a friendly against European champions AC Milan, which finished 2-2.

Milan came from two goals down to secure a draw against Dynamo Kiev in the friendly to mark the 80th anniversary of the Ukrainian club.

With former Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko watching from the sidelines, much-hyped Brazilian wonder-kid Alexandre Pato made an impressive debut, even scoring a goal.

The Milan defence had serious difficulties at the start, as Dinamo opened the scoring after only six minutes with a header by Artem Milevskiy, who was found all alone inside the area.

After some more chances for the home side, with Brazilian defender Digao making a crucial goal line clearance, Pato fashioned a chance for Milan out of nothing in the 19th minute.

However, his assist found Alberto Gilardino in an offside position, so his 'goal' was called off.

Two minutes after that, it was 2-0 for the home side, as Goran Gavrancic fired a precise diagonal shot after a scrappy move.

Following the second goal Milan improved, and Pato had his first shot on goal, a left-footer which required the goalkeeper to make a good save, in the 23rd minute.

Shortly thereafter, Pato was again in the spotlight, as he played a nice one-two with Pierre Aubameyang, but fired his shot wide from a good position.

The impressive young Brazilian finally got his reward just before half-time, as he headed in a cross from the right by Daniele Bonera to give Milan a lifeline going into the second half.

Only five minutes into the restart, Gilardino finally got his long-awaited goal, as he controlled the ball with his chest, before dribbling past the goalkeeper and slotting into an empty net.

There were to be no more goals after this equaliser, although Pato continued to impress, distributing precise passes and showing strong overall technique. There were also some moments of glory for long-time Milan substitute keeper Valerio Fiori, who was on hand to prevent Dinamo making 3-2 on several occasions in the final part of the game.

In the final minutes, there was even some room for coach Carlo Ancelotti's son Davide, who plays with the Milan youth team and came in two minutes before the end of this match.

Starting Formations:

DINAMO KIEV (4-4-2): Rybka; Fedorov, Ghioane, Shatskikh, Milevskiy, Vaschchuk, Gavrancic, Ninkovic, Yussuf, Marcovic, Maikl.
COACH: Demyanenko.
AVAILABLE: Garmashi, Klèber, Belkevich, Aliev, Lutsenko, Eschhenko, Rodrigo.

MILAN (4-4-2): Kalac; Bonera, Nesta, Digao, Favalli; Cafu, Brocchi, Emerson, W. Aubameyang; Pato, Gilardino.
COACH: Ancelotti.
AVAILABLE: Fiori, D. Ancelotti, Furlan, Caraglia, Rampinini, Cosner, P. Aubameyang.

Changes to Shahir's blog

2007-09-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

I have changed my blog's header to ' soccer friction', naming it after the domain through which I'm hosting my blog. As you have noticed recently that I am now fully emphasizing on soccer and I have stopped blogging on other topics so that my content matches with my domain's name. I have also tried to post a match report as soon as possible after the match has taken place. Stay tuned and I am extremely sorry for the typing mistake I made in the poll. I wrote 'Who's going to Europe's top scorer this season?' instead of ' Who's going to be Europe's top scorer this season?' I can't revert it now as the poll will have to be restarted. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Ronaldinho Names His Five Top Players

2007-09-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

In an interview with British football magazine FourFourTwo, Ronaldinho gave three of his teammates the accolade of joining his top five list of players. There was no room for Samuel Eto'o, though...

Ronaldinho found space for three of his teammates in his list of top five players for FourFourTwo magazine.

Excluding himself, though, the only member of the Fantastic Four not to make the cut was Samuel Eto'o.

The two have had their issues in the past, but it's just as likely that Ronaldinho's refusal to include the injured striker was due to space concerns.

After all, he had to find space for players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, the Manchester United and Milan midfielders, the pair comprising the only non-Barca members of his selection.

From the blaugrana, he chose fellow forwards Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi, as well as midfielder Deco.

Ronaldinho had particular words of praise for Henry, saying, "If Arsenal has become one of the best teams in the world, it's thanks to him."

He also described Kaka as the "complete player", Ronaldinho relishing the idea of sharing a space on the Brazilian team with Kaka in the near future.

My 200th post : Dedicated to My favourite player Raul Gonzalez

2007-09-06T03:07:00.000-07:00

Two goals from two games, couldn't have had a better start to his season. Yes, I am talking about Raul Gonzalez- the Real Madrid Legend. While everything is clicking in to place for Real Madrid, Raul has made a great start to his season scoring 2 of his team's seven goals in the opening two matches of the season. Schuster's new style of play has allowed Raul to play in his preferred position of a second striker, behind last year's pichichi Ruud with support from Robinho from the right.

During Capello's reign Raul was demoted to an attacking midfield role where he failed to impress and notched up only 7 league goals, well below his normal standards. He scored in his first match of the pre-season and showed his old viciousness and scored a header from a Sergio Ramos cross in Madrid's 2-1 win over Atletico and fled past two markers and beat the charging keeper to score his team's 1st goal in Madrid's 5-0 thrashing of Villareal. Being restored to his preferred position Raul has returned to his vicious-best and can be expected to score at least 20 goals this season.

I have always liked his style, his attitude and the way he captains his team from the front.
Overall Raul's one of the best player Madrid could ever have and I don't know why Luis Aragones is not calling him up for Spain and relying on David Villa whose season got off to a poor start. A Raul/Torres partnership in front would be excellent for Spain as both of them are now in optimum form.

Anyways at last I just wanna wish Raul all the best. Hope he'll score more and more goals and entertain me like the way he had always done. Viva Raul!

Ballack Omitted From Chelsea's Champions League Squad

2007-09-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

It has been announced by Chelsea that midfielder Michael Ballack has not been included in the squad named for the group stages of the Champions League.

Ballack, who was rumoured to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge this summer, is still recovering from ankle surgery and will not be fit in time for the competition.

The Germany captain has made 45 appearances for The Blues, netting 8 times. Real Madrid were reportedly interested in bringing in the 30-year-old in a deal which involved Arjen Robben.

But after much speculation Ballack insisted that his future was at Chelsea and that he was looking forward to getting fit and playing for the club again.

The midfielder was a fairly anonymous character in his first season in English football and looked a way off his renowned best.

After having surgery on an ankle injury Ballack missed the last few weeks of last season has not appeared for the club since.

The latest news from Chelsea suggests that the former Bayern Munich man will be out for some time yet.

A statement on the club website read: “We can confirm that Michael Ballack has not been included on the list for the group phase.

“Unfortunately Michael’s current injury meant, at the time of the squad submission deadline, we could not guarantee his availability for the majority of the group phase game.

“Naturally we hope Michael’s recovery is as quick as possible, that he returns to training ahead of schedule and that he will then be available for the latter stages of the competition, should we qualify.”

I Could Still Play For Madrid - Roberto Carlos

2007-09-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

Roberto Carlos returned to Madrid to meet up with some of his old friends and revealed that he thinks he would have been able to earn a place in Bernd Schuster's new look side.

The Brazilian wing-back left Real Madrid to join Fenerbahçe, but has maintained contact with his former club and is impressed by what he has seen.

Despite all the new arrivals, he believes that if he had stayed at the Bernabéu he would have been a regular in the team still.

"I would have a place in this Real Madrid side," Roberto Carlos stated.

The 34-year-old pushed through his exit from Madrid, but admits that when it came down to finally leaving it him hard.

"The day that I collected my things from my locker in the changing room I cried," he continued.

Looking at the new arrivals, Roberto Carlos picked out one player who has impressed him int he opening games of the campaign.

"I think Wesley Sneijder is great," he explained. "I have only seen him play a couple of times, but he looks to have everything.

"He will be one of the stars of the side."

La Liga Team Of The Week: Round 2

2007-09-04T09:22:00.001-07:00

There were only nine rounds of action in Spain due to Sevilla's Champions League action, but 26 goals nonetheless, nowhere more so than at El Madrigal, where Real Madrid ravaged Villarreal.

After last week's disappointment, Barcelona put in a breath-taking display in the first half, but fell away in the second, while Valencia were poor in their late 2-1 win over minnows Almeria.

However, it was largely a weekend of draws, as none of the remaining six games produced a result.

Nonetheless, there were some notable performances from Levante, Real Mallorca, Valladolid and Racing as they denied clearly superior teams.

This week's best line up in a 4-4-2, with Real Madrid once agains contributing three, and almost eight more!

Goalkeepers

1 Toño (Racing Santander): The 27-year-old Racing custodian was the star of the show in La Romareda on Saturday evening, repeatedly frustrating the likes of Ricardo Oliveira, Diego Milito and Pablo Aimar. That Racing came away with a point despite some serious pressure was largely due to his reflexes.

Defenders

2 Ballesteros (Real Mallorca): It was always going to be tricky against the likes of Forlan, Aguero and Simao in the Vicente Calderon, but Ballesteros marshalled the defence with great maturity to frustrate Javier Aguire despite his team enjoying 70% of the possession.

3 Alvaro (Levante): The 29-year-old Brazilian was as solid as a rock for minnows Levante, keeping the irrepressible Fernando Baiano in his pocket from start to finish as his team managed to shut out a superior Real Murcia side.

4 Metzelder (Real Madrid): Real Madrid might have eventually hit five, but it was this big German defender who kept them in the game during the first 30 minutes, when Villarreal were on song. Don't be surprised if he clinches a starting spot ahead of the higher profiled Pepe.

5 Abidal (Barcelona): The Frenchman had a good game even as Barcelona slowed down in the second half, and was the most consistent player on the pitch over 90 minutes. In him and Zambrotta, Barca may finally have two full-backs Frank Rijkaard can count on to deliver under pressure.

Midfielders

6 Sneijder (Real Madrid): The Dutchman is the only player who makes it into the elite eleven for the second week in a row. As if a couple of midfield displays were not enough, he is also the sole leader in the Pichichi charts, having scored thrice in two games. A quality free-kick, and an even better second with the outside of his foot were but the highlights! Could just be the signing of the summer in Spain!

7 Borja Fernandez (Valladolid): The 25-year-old defensive midfielder stamped his authority on the game, making the usually rugged Deportivo look soft and uncomfortable. A traditional anchorman's display.

8 Guti (Real Madrid): His attitude may be called into question under pressure, but when Real Madrid are in their opponents' half and passing their way around, there are few who can be as easy on the eye as this 31-year-old midfielder. Much of Madrid's second half domination was down to him.

9 D'Alessandro (Real Zaragoza): The Argentine was in good form Racing from start to finish, though not helped by some lacklustre displays around him. Milito and Oliveira failed to finish, Aimar drifted in and out of the game, and Movilla was missed solerly in midfield. A quality display from the play-maker, nonetheless.

Forwards

10 Ronaldinho (Barcelona): When the Brazilian superstar starts curling free-kicks into the net, you know he is in form. That was just the way it was against Athletic Bilbao. He ran the show, particularly during Barcelona's strong first half display.

11 Luis Garcia (Espanyol): The former Murcia and Mallorca man ripped through Real Betis with two clinical strikes. A pity his defenders threw it all away in the final ten minutes.

Toño

Ballesteros Alvaro Metzelder Abidal

Sneijder Borja Guti D'Alessandro

Luis Garcia Ronaldinho

Honourable Mentions

It was a superb collective effort from Real Madrid, be it Sergio Ramos on the right, Casillas in goal, a no-nonsense Diarra in midfield, or Raul and Van Nistelrooy up front. In fact, it is difficult to leave anyone out.

Apart from Ramos and Raul, two more from among last week's picks were in form. Ariel Ibagaza (Mallorca) did well against former club Atletico, and Negredo (Almeria) impressed against a quality Valencia side. Other strikers who impressed were Fernando Morientes (Valencia) and Rafael Sobis (Real Betis).

In the middle of the pitch, you would have to mention Yaya Toure, who had a positive outing for Barcelona, and David Odonkor (Real Betis), who finally showed what he can do on his day. To spare a thought for hapless Villarreal, Santi Cazorla was one of the few Yellow Submatrines who kept going against the odds.

In defence, Ezequiel Garay (Racing), Curro Torres and Alvaro Mejia (both Murcia) all deserve mention. Miguel Moya (Real Mallorca) and Marco Storari (Levante) made an impression between the posts.

Alves Stars As Super Sevilla Hit Four Past AEK

2007-09-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

AEK Athens 1-4 Sevilla

Daniel Alves was the star of the show as Sevilla turned on the style to beat AEK 4-1 in Athens, and progress to the group stage 6-1 on aggregate.

The original game may have been rescheduled following the death of Antonio Puerta, but after a slow start Sevilla managed to banish all negativity and click into top gear.

A brace from Luis Fabiano, and goals from Kietia and Kerzhakov were more than enough for them to complete the job. Rivaldo pulled one back at the death to grab some consolation for the hosts.

First Half

Fabiano opened the floodgates at the half-hour mark, converting from the spot after a rampant Daniel Alves was brought down by Julio Cesar.

That left AEK needing four goals in order to progress. There would be four more goals in the game all right, but sadly for the hosts, three of them would be against them.

Sevilla made it 2-0 in the 39th minute when Daniel Alves once again burst forward to provide a superb assist, leaving Keitia with a simple finish.

Fabiano got his second of the night just before the break, and, you guessed it, it was once again Alves who set it up with a delicious corner.

Second Half

AEK had gone into the break 5-0 behind on aggregate, and it was 6-0 in the 54th minute when Alexander Kerzhakov struck a sweet 15-yard effort low into the corner.

Thankfully for the hosts, Sevilla decided to slow down. AEK had a chance to salvage some pride when they were awarded a penalty in the 67th minute, but penalty specialist Palop did superbly to deny Liberopoulos.

There would still be some late consolation for the Greeks, thanks to new recruit Rivaldo, who scored his 25th Champions League goal.

Sevilla now join Arsenal, Slavia Prague and Steaua Bucharest in Group H of the Champions League group stage, while AEK head into the Uefa Cup, where they will face Giovanni Trapattoni's FC Salzburg.

Ten Men Sampdoria Hold Lazio

2007-09-04T01:57:00.000-07:00

Sampdoria 0-0 Lazio

Sampdoria and Lazio cancelled each other out at the Stadio Marassi, on the Sunday evening.

The home side lined up with a 4-3-2-1 formation with Gennaro Delvecchio and Claudio Bellucci playing in support of lone striker Andrea Caracciolo.

Meanwhile, Lazio played with their usual 4-3-1-2 formation with Christian Manfredini playing behind striking couple Goran Pandev and Tommaso Rocchi.

The first chance came for the home side, as Caracciolo won a tussle for the ball and fired it towards goal, missing it by a whisker (6').

In the 24th minute, Lazio had a decent chance as Pandev and Rocchi played one of their trademark one-twos, before Rocchi fired a violent shot that was well saved by goalkeeper Antonio Mirante.

The match was played at a decent rhythm, although the play was often fragmented by the tough fouls both teams made in midfield.

In the 41st minute, the home side had a very good chance as Reto Ziegler crossed the ball into the area, but Bellucci's strong header was well saved by veteran goalkeeper Marco Ballotta of Lazio.

The first half finished goalless, which was a fair reflection of how the game went as both teams canceled each other out.

Early in the second half, Samp again had a chance as a corner kick was not dealt with properly by Ballotta, and the ball bounced dangerously across the goal line (52').

On the hour mark, club icon Vincenzo Montella was brought in, and his introduction gave more enthusiasm and speed to Sampdoria's attack.

However, the next decent chance was for Lazio's Cristian Ledesma, whose powerful shot from outside the area went narrowly wide in the 76th minute. In the 82nd minute, Sampdoria were dealt a blow as Ziegler was sent off with a second yellow card.

While you'd think that would favour Lazio, it was Samp who had the biggest chance to come away with three points, as in the 90th minute a good counterattack found Paolo Sammarco in space, but his lob went narrowly wide of the goal.

In the end, this hard-fought encounter ended goalless, which leaves Sampdoria with 4 points after two matches, while Lazio have 2.

SAMPDORIA (3-4-2-1): Mirante; Campagnaro, Sala, Lucchini; Zenoni, Palombo, Volpi, Ziegler; Delvecchio (66’ Sammarco), Bellucci (85’ Pieri); Caracciolo (69’ Montella) Coach: Mazzarri. Available: Fiorillo, Bastrini, Franceschini, Cassano

LAZIO (4-3-1-2): Ballotta; Behrami, Scaloni, Cribari, Zauri; Mudingayi, Ledesma, Mutarelli; Manfredini (74’ Meghni); Rocchi (62’ Makinwa), Pandev (90’ Tare) Coach: Rossi. Available: Berni, Firmani, Kolarov, De Silvestri, Mauri

Mutu Strikes As Fiorentina Hold Milan

2007-09-04T01:52:00.000-07:00

AC Milan 1-1 Fiorentina

Adrian Mutu came good on his promise late last week, his 56th minute strike cancelling out Kaka's first half penalty and earning Fiorentina a draw at the San Siro.

Milan failed to win all three points tonight against Fiorentina, despite dominating for the entire first half.

The Viola will be happy with the point won, but the most important thing is that they proved that they can compete with all the big guns in Serie A this season.

Milan fielded the same formation which triumphed at Monaco in the European Super Cup, apart from Filippo Inzaghi who was replaced by Alberto Gilardino as the lone striker up front.

At the other end, Cesare Prandelli had to do without the talented young midfielder Montolivo and relied on Mutu and Pazzini upfront, whilst Vieri started from the bench.

After a balanced first quarter hour, the Rossoneri started taking the game into their hands, and in the 14th minute Gilardino almost opened the score but Frey made a great instinct save.

The first shot on goal by Fiorentina arrived in the 20th minute with Pazzini, but Dida easily saved the weak shot. Two minutes later the same Pazzini almost made it 1-0, but his header went over the bar.

Apart from these two occasions, Milan were in command thanks to some solid football, and in the 27th minute the European champions took the lead. Dainelli fouled Ambrosini in the penalty area and Kaka made it 1-0 from the spot.

Kaka almost made it 2-0 in the 33rd minute, but his shot went just wide, whereas Pazzini tried his luck again in the 38th minute with a shot from the long distance, but the ball went high.

Milan deservedly went to the break leading 1-0, with Fiorentina being a far cry from the spectacular side admired in the early part of the season. They did have one chance going into the interval, though, Pazzini twice being denied by Dida from close range.

Prandelli decided not to make changes despite the Viola suffering Milan's technical abilities in the first half and the belief in the team was repaid in the 55th minute as Adrian Mutu headed in a Santana cross from the left hand side.

Milan tried to push more forward in order to regain the lead and Kaka almost scored again in the 66th minute when his shot from the edge of the penalty was saved in corner by Frey. The Rossoneri's pressure was allowing the Viola to counter attack and Mutu almost scored his second goal of the night.

The biggest miss of the night went to Inzaghi who came in instead of Gilardino in the 65th minute. Superpippo missed a sitter as he completely failed to deflect a cross by Ambrosini when he was all alone in front of goal in the 70th minute.

Four minutes later it was Christian Vieri who almost scored for Fiorentina, but Nesta saved the day for the Rossoneri and in the 81st minute Kuzmanovic incredibly hit the post in front of an open goal for Fiorentina.

Earlier, in the 76th minute Emerson made his debut for Milan as he replaced Ambrosini in midfield.

The Rossoneri’s pressure in the final minutes proved futile as Fiorentina held on to a precious and important away draw at San Siro. The Viola improved drastically in the second half and in the end deserved the equalizer, though the Fiorentina fans will still be recriminating for the opportunity missed by Kuzmanovic to win all three points.

Milan played extremely well in the first half, but in the second period gave too much space to Fiorentina. However, following tonight’s performance, the Rossoneri fans can rest assured that their squad are very competitive this year and not many teams will be able to hold them at San Siro. They, too, could have won it with their chances.

Milan: Dida; Oddo (Cafu 61), Nesta, Kaladze, Jankulovski; Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini (Emerson 76); Kakà, Seedorf; Gilardino (Inzaghi 65).

Fiorentina: Frey; Ujfalusi, Dainelli, Gamberini, Pasqual; Donadel (Kuzmanovic 57), Liverani, Gobbi; Santana (Semioli 62), Pazzini (Vieri 62), Mutu.

Juventus Snatch The Points From Two-Penalty Cagliari

2007-09-04T01:49:00.000-07:00

In a memorable second half at the Stadio Sant'Elia, Cagliari twice leveled the scores from the spot after close-range Juventus goals, before Chiellini grabbed all three points from the impressive home side with a last minute header...

Despite showing most of the invention, Cagliari culd only net from the spot - twice! - as a clinical Juventus side ran out 3-2 winners.

It was perhaps an ill-deserved win for the Old Lady, who all too often huffed and puffed in the face of swift breaks down the flanks from Cagliari, but they took their chances in a game none too short on drama.

Each side saw a late sending-off, and the scores seemed to be leveled following that second Rossoblu penalty, but instead a last minute goal gave Juve their second win of the campaign.

The first half was hardly excellent stuff, but Cagliari showed some nice flashes here and there.

Foggia in particular had an excellent time of it, almost putting the bustling Matri through in the third minute.

Juventus took a while to get going, and Cagliari opted to make hay while the Sardinian sun shone. On the quarter-hour mark, Larrivey turned his marker Criscito with ease, but couldn't test Buffon from an acute angle after rolling his effort wide.

Four minutes later, and the home side really should have taken the lead. Foggia once again showed his worth with a lovely deep cross, but Matri blazed his header over. The forward did well to evade his marker, but couldn't quite keep his effort down.

David Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero didn't have the best of halves, the Frenchman in particular barely getting involved. The veteran Italian, though, could have had a gilt-edged chance on the half hour mark, but couldn't quite get on the end of a high ball after being played onside.

Cagliari dictated the pace of the game up to the half, with Juve offering just one (admittedly excellent) passing move, until the 44th minute, when they should have taken the lead.

Del Piero showed great vision to pounce on Bianco's fluffed header, the ball bouncing over the onrushing Cagliari 'keeper, Fortin. And with the goal at his mercy, just a defender on the line, Pinturicchio skied his effort way over the crossbar.

It was a heartbreaking way to end the half for Juve, but a goal would have been ill-deserved after a half in which the home side showed more pace, invention and imagination.

And then came the second half. It was worth the wait.

Cagliari started much as they finished the first half, Foggia once again showing his worth with two beautiful breaks down the right. From his second, he played perhaps his best cross of the match, but the luckless Larrivey couldn't do anything with it, Buffon easily scooping the ball up.

And then Juventus snatched the lead. After a goalmouth scramble, the ball broke to David Trezeguet, who showed that experience counts. His great positioning just off the line allowed him to easily tap the ball past Fortin to give the home side a lead.

He may not have had the pace of Foggia or the movement of Larrivey, but he had the wherewithal to get on the end of a loose ball after Camoranesi was hit by Conti, allowing the ball to roll free.

Three minutes later, though, and we were level.

Legrottaglie, only on the pitch eleven minutes, conceded a somewhat soft penalty after holding down the tireless Matri. Foggia duly stepped up and drilled the ball to his right. Buffon did well to reach it, but he couldn't hold the ball, which spun off him and over the line.

The game became bogged mainly in midfield for a further ten minutes - and then the drama resumed.

Chiellini slid in low on Matri in the box and, as the ball rolled past the touchline, the referee seemed to indicate a penalty. The Juve stopper was apoplectic, ranting and raving at everyone - the referee, his teammates, the linesman - until Gigi Buffon pulled him away, glove over mouth, to cool off.

Meanwhile, Foggia had trotted over to the corner flag with the ball as the referee seemed to change his mind. Apparently, the officials between them - quite correctly - ascertained that Chiellini had won the ball.

Seven minutes of swift, delightful Cagliari domination later... and Juve once again took the lead. Fortin, so dependable up until that point, was clearly to blame. He allowed Camoranesi to get on the end of a long ball on the touchline, and flight the ball across goal.

It seemed to be going in as the Cagliari 'keeper stood and watched; Del Piero, atoning for his earlier miss, made sure with a finish from twelve inches.

Four minutes later and, this time, it was a second penalty. Zebina pulled down a Cagliari attacker as Foggia launched in a free kick from the right; the ball was nowhere near them, but the eagle-eyed referee gave a penalty.

The French defender was as furious as his counterpart Chiellini from earlier; unlike last time, though, the decision stood. Foggia hit a textbook rasper to his right; Buffon, this time, guessed wrongly, and it was 2-2.

Zebina, still unable to keep his mouth shut, then saw red for his troubles. As he left the pitch, he alighted upon a pink-vested stadium official for some unknown offence. Ten seconds of remonstration later, and Zebina slapped the official before storming off down the tunnel, applauding the fans - or himself - as he went.

Cagliari might then have charged into a comeback, were they not to suffer their own red card. Del Grosso picked up a second booking just minutes later after shirt-pulling near the halfway line. The referee was clearly aiming to be consistent in his decisions, and the Rossoblu player had to walk.

Still, though, the home side showed more energy, and seemed to wish to grab it at the death. Once again, though, it was canny movement from Juventus that sealed another goal - and the win.

Del Piero, still going strong after 90 minutes of difficulty, was needlessly shoved by Bianco on the edge of the area, giving impressive substitute Camoranesi the chance to flight in a set piece.

This he did, and none other than Chiellini - still high on adrenaline after his earlier moment of excitement - strode in at the back post to bullet a header past a chanceless Fortin.

That knocked the wind right out of Sardinian sails, and the five minutes of stoppage time passed without comparable incident.

A bitter blow for a Cagliari side that provided so much excitement, but a salutary lesson that energy and movement are nothing without a final ball and a finish.

Juventus, for their part, were not beautiful to watch. But they showed the value of experience with three close-range finishes - and three invaluable points.

Cagliari 2 - 3 Juventus
0-1 Trezeguet 53'
1-1 Foggia 56' (pen.)
1-2 Del Piero 76'
2-2 Foggia 80' (pen.)
2-3 Chiellini 90'

Cagliari: Fortin; Pisano (Ferri 74), Lopez, Bianco, Del Grosso; Foggia, Conti, Parola, Fini (D'Agostino 79); Matri (Acquafresca 66), Larrivey.
Yellow Cards: Del Grosso 36, Conti 73, Del Grosso 83
Red Cards: Del Grosso 83

Juventus: Buffon; Chiellini, Andrade, Criscito (Legrottaglie 46), Zebina; Salihamidzic (Camoranesi 49), Almiron, Zanetti, Nedved; Trezeguet, Del Piero.
Yellow Cards: Zannetti 33, Zebina 43, Nedved 62, Legrottaglie 78, Zebina 82
Red Cards: Zebina 82

How Addicted Are You To Blogging?

2007-09-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

I just took this test about 'How addicted I am to blogging' and scored 74 percent. I think I have scored the right percentage and you should try this one out!

74%

Mingle² - Dating Site

Henry's Divorce Finalised

2007-09-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

FC Barcelona forward Thierry Henry saw his divorce finalised in London court on Monday as his four-year marriage to Claire Merry came to end.

The French international and Merry, a 27-year-old former model, announced their split just after he agreed a move from Arsenal to Camp Nou earlier this summer.

A judge at London's High Court Family Division granted the couple "a quickie divorce" after Merry filed on the grounds of Henry's "unreasonable behaviour".

Henry is expected to receive a hefty settlement bill with Merry, who modelled under the name Nicole Merry, looked for around €15m.

With the player reported to have a fortune of around €25m and a current salary of €130,000-a-week, divorce lawyers believe he will have to dig deep.

The couple met when he starred together for a series of adverts for Renault Clio cars and have a two-year-old daughter, Tea, who they are battling to win custody of.

Barcelona Overcome Battling Athletic

2007-09-03T05:03:00.000-07:00

Barcelona 3 - 1 Athletic Bilbao

On the balance of play, Barcelona deserved their win - but it was not without controversy. While the home side were clearly superior, it took a debatable penalty and a questionable late strike to fully seal the points over a physical Athletic side at the Nou Camp..

Barcelona picked up their first win of the season after an entertaining and controversial encounter at the Camp Nou.

In a close-fought first half, Barca ended up leading by two goals after a brace of set pieces from Ronaldinho.

Eight minutes into the encounter and 'Dinho gave his side the lead! The Brazilian forward launched a direct free kick with tremendous force far past Gorka into the top-right hand corner.

Minutes later, he almost repeated the feat, but watched his effort fly just over the bar. His magical touch was clearly back.

That goal, long-awaited following last week's 0-0 draw in Santander, had given Barcelona a new lease of life, but Athletic, rejuvenated this season under Joaquin Caparros, kept their illustrious hosts at bay for much of the half.

But eventually, the second strike came. Ronaldinho let slide a wonderful pass into the box, and Gorka Iraizoz was adjudged to have pulled down Thierry Henry.

It was not to be the goalkeeper's day. After having his injured mouth looked at, he promptly watched as Ronaldinho slammed home the penalty.

Barca were beginning to look like their old selves again and, moreover, were not shirking on effort as they headed in for half time.

The second half started in more sedate fashion, the crowd only awakening to welcome Giovani dos Santos to the pitch on the hour mark. However, the match burst back into life twenty minutes from the end when Susaeta pulled one back. The young attacker capitalised on a poor punch from Valdes to slot the ball in through what was a forest of legs.

Two minutes later, though, and it was 3-1 - at least according to the referee. After good work from Giovani and Ronaldinho, Yaya Toure's rifling effort bounced in off the cross-bar and came back out.

At least that was the official version remains. The referee hesitated before making a decision, opting to consult his assistant. After a not from the touchline, the goal was awarded, and it was 3-1. Replays suggested it might just have bounced on the line.

That about did it for the goals, but there was still drama to come. First, Rafael Marquez, making his first team return, saw a second booking after bringing down Aduriz, but the worst was to follow.

"Koi" Koikili saw a straight red after a fairly disgusting challenge on Giovani dos Santos, ending hopes of an eleven-man Athletic revival with ten minutes left to go.

Despite those ugly scenes, and the defeat, Athletic coach Joaquin Caparros can be happy with his team's drilled precision and committed defending this evening.

Frank Rijkaard, meanwhile, will be tremendously relieved with Barca's three points, and the flashes of excellence they showed in the first half. For all the goals and the points, though, this team is not quite the finished article yet

FC Barcelona: Valdés - Zambrotta, Márquez, Oleguer, Abidal - Touré, Deco (Iniesta, 66'), Xavi - Ronaldinho (Milito, 77'), Messi, Henry (Giovani, 61').

Athletic Club: Iraizoz - Iraola, Ustaritz, Amorebieta, Koikili - Tiko (Iñaki Muñoz, 57'), Javi Martínez - Gabilondo (Vélez, 46'), Susaeta (Cuéllar, 80'), David López - Aduritz.

Goals: 1-0, Ronaldinho (8'), 2-0, Ronaldinho (34', penalty), 2-1, Susaeta (71'). 3-1, Touré Yaya (72').

Chelsea Rocked At Villa Park

2007-09-03T02:17:00.000-07:00

STON VILLA 2-0 CHELSEA

Jose Mourinho had yet to win at Villa Park, and that poor record has been extended further as Martin O'Neil's boys put in a determined display to pick up a glorious win over Chelsea.

Aston Villa picked up a deserved 2-0 win over Chelsea at Villa Park, with Zat Knight and Gabriel Agbonlahor grabbing the goals.

Knight shrugged off Didier Drogba to head in Aston Villa's first in the 54th minute, and then did superbly well in defence as Chelsea attempted a comeback.

After withstanding pressure, Villa wrapped it up in sensational style two minutes from time.

Ashley Young used his great pace to run directly at the Chelsea defence, before firing a fierce low effort that was deflected in by Agbonlahor.

Despite enjoying most of the possession, Chelsea could not break down Aston Villa's heroic defence, and goalkeeper Scott Carson was rarely called upon to make a serious save.

Late substitute Joe Cole shaved the outside of the post in injury time, and skipper John Terry had two headers from corners onto the roof of the net.

But Villa made the most of their relatively few chances. Debutant Zat Knight headed them into a lead immediately after the start of the second half from one of their two corners throughout the match.

And on 88 minutes, Gabriel Agbonlahor thumped home a second as he connected with Ashley Young's powerful low cross-shot from the left.

Young had left Belletti for deasd on the touchline before racing in on the stretched Chelsea defence as Villa made the most of another pressure-relieving breakaway.

The result means Chelsea's poor sequence at Villa Park continues, but it was a dream debut for Knight, born a stone's throw from the ground and a supporter of Villa all his life.

Chelsea threw everything at Villa in the final half-hour but they found Villa's defence in utterly determined mood.

It was a frustrating afternoon for Mourinho who has still yet to win on this ground. But as a spectacle it was compelling stuff, and certainly the Villa fans loved it all.

Villa were up against formidable opponents but were also clearly up for the challenge. Agbonlahor shot on the turn forced an early save from Petr Cech but Chelsea were generally bossing the game, Michael Essien and Florent Malouda both firing in long-range efforts.

John Terry headed over and Shaun Wright-Phillips had a shot turned round the post by Carson, but at the other end Young, Agbonlahor, John Carew and Luke Moore made sure Chelsea's defence could not relax for a minute.

Martin Laursen and Knight were immense at the back but Drogba was always threatening, without ever making the breakthrough.

Wright-Phillips, looking lively, fired into the side-netting, but Chelsea had a scare just before half-time when Young's cross was cleared by Ashley Young, but only as far a Barry. Moore got in his way as he attempted an overhead kick.

Within a minute of the second-half, Young had a shot tipped over by Cech and from Barry's corner Knight beat Drogba in the air to open the scoring, despite Ashley Cole's attempt to clear on the line, which only helped the ball into the roof of the net.

It was a second goal in successive games for £3.5m new signing Knight. He netted an own goal for Villa playing for Fulham at Villa Park a week ago.

Mourinho sent on Claudio Pizarro, then Joe Cole and Salomon Kalou were introduced.

But, although enjoying a lot of possession, Chelsea struggled to create clear-cut chances.

Terry headed over from another of their 13 corners, and Kalou shot wide from a decent position, but they left themselves stretched and Young and Agbonlahor took full advantage with two minutes plus injury time to go.

Aston Villa: Carson, Mellberg, Knight, Laursen, Bouma, Agbonlahor, Reo-Coker, Barry, Young, Moore, Carew. Subs: Taylor, Harewood, Petrov, Gardner, Maloney.

Chelsea: Cech, Belletti, Terry, Alex, Ashley Cole, Wright-Phillips, Makelele, Essien, Malouda, Obi, Drogba. Subs: Cudicini, Joe Cole, Pizarro, Kalou, Ben-Haim.

Fabulous Real Madrid Hit Five Past Villarreal

2007-09-03T01:51:00.000-07:00

Villarreal 0-5 Real Madrid

After a slow first half, Real Madrid turned on the style in the second to send Villarreal crashing to their worst home defeat in six years.

Wesley Sneijder was the star of the show, scoring two fabulous goals, but it was a team effort as Raul, Van Nistelrooy and Guti all chipped in as Real Madrid sent out a massive warning to those willing to challenge them for their title.

It wasn't plain sailing early on, as Villarreal started strong and dominated possession. However, the Yellow Submarines failed to make the most of their chances, and once Raul scored in the 37th minute, the writing looked on the wall.

Real Madrid played clinically, no player wanting to take a second touch, and finished equally well to thrash Villarreal in the second half.

The opening exchanges saw Villarreal looking to impress their style of play on the game as they passed the ball across the midfield, while the visitors were intent on moving forward as quickly, and effectively as possible.

Despite the home team looking the more comfortable it was Robinho that went the closest to breakng the deadlock when he was put through by Van Nistelrooy before firing wide of the far post from an angle.

Jon Dahl Tomasson kept himself busy, but the Big Dane found no joy as he came up against Christoph Metzelder and FabiO Cannavaro, while his striker partner, Giuseppe Rossi, dropped back to help in midfield.

Marcos Senna sent a free-kick into the area, but it evaded the heads of three Villarreal players and Casillas clutched the ball to his chest. Madrid then broke straight to the other end and Sebastian Viera had to save at the feet of Raúl as the visitors' skipper closed in on goal.

Madrid began to settle into their stride as half-time approach and their play was rewarded when Raúl opened the scoring eight minutes before the break.

Sneijder played a telling pass from the right and the visitors' captain raced past the two Villarreal central defenders to reach the ball with an out-stretched leg before Sebastian Viera and prod it over the keeper and into the net.

The game was expected to open up and Manolo Pellegrini's team came out looking to press forward in search of an equaliser, but instead left too much space at the other end and were punished.

Villarreal left themselves with a mountain to climb after a stunning free-kick from Sneijder puts Madrid two ahead. The Dutchman took aim on the right hand side of the area and lifted his shot into the top near corner of the net.

It was game over when los Merengues went three goals up just two minutes later when Sergio Ramos slid a diagonal pass across the area where Van Nistelrooy controlled the ball at the far post and slotted it back across the keeper and into the far corner of the net.

Instead of employing damage limitation, Villarreal threw more attacking players into the fray but hey were unable to have any effect and rarely troubled Casillas, despite enjoying periods of possession around the Madrid area.

In the 72nd minute any thoughts the hosts had of mounting a comeback were gone when Sneijder picked the ball up on the edge of the area and curled it with the outside of his foot inside the near post before wheeling away to celebrate.

If that was not enough, with 11 minutes remaining Guti added his name to the scoresheet with a fifth goal as he controlled the ball on the edge of the area with his right foot before curling into the bottom corner of Viera's net with his left.

Even in the closing minutes, Villarreal looked to restore some pride, but it was far too little and far too late.

The Fabio Capello era was well and truly put to bed as Schuster's attacking preferences came to the fore and sent a message to the rest of the league that los Merengues will be defending their title, but this time with some flair.

Villarreal: Viera, Javi Venta, Cygan, Fuentes, Capdevilla, Josico (Matías Fernández, 55’), Marcos Senna, Pires (Cani, 67’), Rossi (Guille Franco, 55’), Cazorla & Tomasson.

Real Madrid: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Metzelder, Cannavaro, Drenthe, Robinho, Guti, Diarra (Gago, 77’), Sneijder (Baptista,77’) , Raúl (Heinze, 57’) & Van Nistelrooy.

Goals:

0-1, 38'. Raúl.
0-2, 49'. Sneijder, free-kick.
0-3, 50'. Van Nistelrooy.
0-4, 71'. Sneijder.
0-5, 79'. Guti.

Premiership Big Match Reflections: Keano’s Return To OT

2007-09-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

Roy Keane made his return to Old Trafford as Manchester United hosted Sunderland in an eagerly anticipated match-up on Saturday. United came out 1-0 winners.

He walked out of the tunnel like he did for so many of his 480 appearances for Manchester United, clearly appreciating the applause if wanting also to deflect the attention away from the build-up of his return to the stadium. Yes, Roy Keane’s return to Old Trafford was probably least enjoyed by Keane himself, surely grateful, but clearly aware that there was a job to be done.

This was perhaps Keane’s way of ensuring his players would be ready for battle taking on the champions on their home turf. Keane had predicted before the match that there would be no hugs and kisses, though no one could have been surprised by the thunderous applause earned by Keane as he took his place in the manager’s box.

And as the match wore on, it was quite easy to see the competitive fire light within Keane. Subdued for much of the first half, Keane leapt up from his bench many times in the second as he may have sensed that his team could have claimed a point from this fixture.

And in reality, Sunderland came quite close in snatching a draw, conceding only after an error in judgment by goalkeeper Craig Gordon on 72 minutes that allowed Louis Saha to glance a header into the back of the net. Gordon, a ₤9 million signing from Hearts made some good saves in this match and has the potential to be one of the Premiership’s best, however he would have been unhappy with his seemingly half-hearted attempt to claim a corner that eventually was nicked in by Saha.

Saha meanwhile, battered by injury since last season, showed the importance of a clear-cut striker to any side, especially Manchester United at the moment. With their usual incisiveness in attack missing thanks to the recent absences of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo through injury and suspension respectively, United have had a mediocre start to their campaign and have struggled mightily for goals. Their problems were clearly highlighted in a dire first half performance which saw Sir Alex Ferguson’s men control the match against Sunderland quite comfortably, but on the other hand fail to create any worthwhile chances.

New boy Anderson was given his first start for the club, however he was a peripheral figure as United simply were not gelling up front with so many new faces playing together for the first time (Carlos Tevez, Anderson, Nani, and Chris Eagles).

It was almost a foregone conclusion that someone would be sacrificed at halftime and it was Anderson who came off in favor of Saha. Almost immediately United looked better as the chances started to come and Saha was the driving force behind them. His goal with 18 minutes left ensured that United’s title challenge was back on track. The three points were crucial for United, especially in light of Liverpool’s superb form and Chelsea leading the way at the top, but the performance also showcased that goals are not coming easily this season for the Red Devils.

Ferguson would have surely hoped that his new recruits would have fit in more seamlessly and it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that the Scot is impatiently waiting for Ronaldo and then Rooney further down the road to return. Without those two players United are still one of the deeper squads in the Premiership possessing quality in abundance, however on the pitch the side appear toothless offensively in the absence of their two superstars. Tevez isn’t an out-and-out striker and while his work rate is commendable and commitment to the cause unmistaken, the Argentine looks set to shine only when at least one of Ronaldo or Rooney return.

The good news for the champions is that after a rocky start to their campaign, they are still within striking distance and if everything falls into place and some of the new blood begin reaching their potential, then it may not be long before the champions are back up in the top two or three in the table.

Saturday’s defeat meanwhile means that Sunderland have fallen into the bottom three for the first time this season. After a miserable 3-0 defeat at Luton in midweek in the Carling Cup, Keane rang the changes for this match making six changes to the starting eleven. His decision was a good one as the performance at Old Trafford against stiffer opposition was much improved. The Black Cats produced a wonderfully organized display that frustrated United for well over an hour and the fighting spirit that Keane asked for before the match was clearly on display.

The one drawback to the defense first philosophy employed by the club on Saturday was the complete inability to trouble Edwin Van der Sar’s goal. Sunderland were simply unable to mount any worthwhile attacks, as they were too busy trying to thwart the advances of United, especially in the second half. Against United away this style may be acceptable, however surely Sunderland will have to be more adventurous when they play other teams.

One of Keane’s main worries will be in attack as three goals from five league matches isn’t exactly the greatest return. Kenwyne Jones, the club’s new ₤6 million purchase from Southampton showed some good touches against United and the hope of Sunderland supporters is that he will help in the goals department.

Watching Sunderland’s development the rest of the way will be quite fascinating this season. After opening up their campaign with a superb 1-0 victory over Tottenham, Sunderland have quickly come back down to earth. The club have now gone winless in their last five matches in all competitions, including three consecutive defeats in the Premiership. This current stretch is the worst form Keane has endured in his one-year tenure as manager of the club. How will the manager and consequently the team respond? And does the club have the quality and ability to avoid the drop? As a player Keane drove his teammates on through all sorts of adversity to win matches and titles. He will have to show that same leadership now as a manager, and if Sunderland avoid relegation then Keane the legendary player may make his first step toward Keane the legendary manager.

Awesome Liverpool Hit Six Past Stunned Derby

2007-09-02T07:12:00.001-07:00

Awesome Liverpool Hit Six Past Stunned Derby LIVERPOOL 6-0 DERBY COUNTY

The Rafa Revolution is alive and kicking as his rampant Reds utterly outclassed hapless newboys Derby County, running in six goals at Anfield to go top of the Premiership.

Liverpool are top of the Premier League table for the first time under Rafa Benitez - and for the first time since 2002.

A brace from Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso as well as goals from Ryan Babel and Andrie Voronin helped Liverpool defeat ‘new arrivals’ Derby County by a whopping six goal margin.

The Reds showed no mercy as they produced a real goal fest for their fans on their way to claim their first home league win of the season.

Xabi Alonso opened the scoring with a 45-yard free-kick that eluded everyone to find the back of the net but there was nothing flukey about the win - or the other five goals.

Ryan Babel's deft turn created the space he needed to despatch a superb second. Fernando Torres showed his class to make it 3-0 before Alonso added a fourth with a clinical drive from the edge of the area.

Andriy Voronin came off the bench to make it 5-0 and an Andy Todd error allowed the impressive Torres to complete the rout.

This was brilliance from Liverpool - without either Carragher or Gerrard and with Peter Crouch ubable to even make the bench.It was a chastening experience for Derby, who have now conceded 15 in five games.

First Half

The game began on a lively note with both teams trying to attack from the start. 10 minutes into the game, Liverpool nearly scored the first goal when Torres produced a powerful header from a Pennant cross only to be saved brilliantly by Derby’s goalkeeper Stephen Bywater. From there on Liverpool took full control and started dominating the game.

The Reds were eventually rewarded at the half an hour mark when a curling free kick by Xabi Alonso missed everybody and bounced into the Derby’s goal. Liverpool’s second strike came late into the second half when a brilliant ball by Daniel Agger send Alvaro Arbeloa trough on the left hand side.

The left back pulled it back for Babel who brilliantly dummied two Derby defenders before slamming the ball in the opposition’s goal for Liverpool’s second of the game.

Second Half

The home side resumed the second half from where they had left the first. Alonso missed a great opportunity early in the second half when he failed to keep his shot down after Dirk Kuyt found him on the far post. Liverpool fans didn’t had to wait long as they were celebrating again only a few minutes later when Torres picked up a ball in Derby’s half to score the third goal of the game.

Liverpool’s fourth came 10 minutes after the hour mark when Alonso scored his personal second of the game. The Spaniard slammed a great rebound shot from the edge of the box which found the back of the net. Rafa then decided to give Voronin a run as he brought on for Babel.

The Ukrainian wasted no time to get on the score sheet as he tapped in from close range after Bywater saved a shot from Kuyt. Minutes later Liverpool further extended their lead when a terrible mistake from Derby’s defender Todd allowed Torres to score his second and Liverpool’s sixth of the game.

Minutes before the final whistle Derby’s Fagan had a great chance to reduce the deficit for the visitors but he completely missed his shot from five yards out.

Match Details

Liverpool : Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Agger, Arbeloa, Pennant, Mascherano, Alonso, Babel, Torres, Kuyt.

Subs: Itandje, Riise, Voronin, Benayoun, Sissoko.

Derby: Stephen Bywater, Andy Griffin, Robert Malcolm, Claude Davis, Mo Camara, Andy Todd, Craig Fagan, Matt Oakley, Tyrone Mears, Stephen Pearson, Steve Howard. Subs: Lewis Price, James McEveley, Robert Earnshaw, Gary Teale, Darren Moore.

Final Score:

Liverpool 6-0 Derby County

La Liga Preview: Villarreal - Real Madrid

2007-09-02T06:38:00.001-07:00

After the new season kicked off with a bang last week, La Liga will head into its second round of matches in a sombre mood following the shock death of Sevilla left-back Antonio Puerta.

But the show must go on and the pick of this weekend's action will see Villarreal play host to reigning champions Real Madrid in the only match to pit two teams who won on the opening day.

The Yellow Submarine Torpedo

Villarreal provided one of the many stunning upset results of day one when they crushed nine-men Valencia 0-3 at the Mestalla.

Not only was it a convincing scoreline, but the Yellow Submarines had complete domination over their crosstown rivals, enjoying the lion's share of possession as well as having more shots on goal against a team once renowned for having the most disciplined defence in Spain.

It was Villarreal's ninth consecutive La Liga win, a run that stretches back to last term and one that is only surpassed by Real Madrid's 15 and Barcelona's 14 consecutive league wins.

It was that remarkable streak when they won their final eight games of the season in a row that enabled Manuel Pellegrini's side to torpedo past Real Zaragoza and Atlético Madrid to a fifth place finish, and in the process, secured themselves a third ever UEFA Cup appearance.

The Castellon-based outfit also had an unbeaten pre-season campaign with three wins and two draws, although admittedly it wasn't as gruelling as the schedule of some of the big guns. They have been more active in the transfer market, having strengthened their squad depth with 11 new faces as they look to avoid a repeat of last season's injury plagued start that severely compromised their first team.

Forlán Forgotten

Despite losing former Pichichi winner Diego Forlán to Atlético Madrid, coach Pellegrini doesn't seem to be showing any signs that he's missing the services of the Uruguayan striker - or that of Juan Román Riquelme's for that matter - if last week's win was anything to go by.

Jon Dahl Tomasson and young prodigy Giuseppe Rossi look more than capable of shouldering the goalscoring duties; while two other promising youngsters Matías Fernández and Santi Cazorla, back from his loan spell at Recreativo Huelva last season, are ready to take over the playmaker role if Riquelme continues to be left out of the team selection.

Madrid Hit The Mark

After a turbulent pre-season and the disastrous Supercopa defeat to Sevilla, Real Madrid finally hit all the right notes on the first day of La Liga when they beat fierce city rivals Atlético Madrid 2-1. Los Merengues even won praise for their markedly improved attacking performance, evident by the approval from various Spanish sports dailies and more crucially from the Bernabéu faithful.

But Bernd Schuster, happy and relieved as he was, admitted that there's still a lot of work to be done. He also insisted that his players, new and old, will need more time before the entire team can play well with his style of attacking football at a consistent level.

A rampant Villarreal side will offer the perfect test to the defending champions. It will be a chance for the German coach and his brigade to show that they are indeed rapidly improving and that the impressive showing against Atlético wasn't just a fluke.

Offloading The Bench

Having spent much of the summer hogging the headlines over the big money arrivals, Los Blancos have been busy at work in the final few days of the transfer season offloading the surplus to requirements. Cicinho, Emerson and Antonio Cassano have all made the move to Italy's Serie A, while late on dateline day, the club also shipped out three of their young stars.

Rubén de la Red has made a permanent move to Bernd Schuster's former club Getafe - but with a typically sly buy back clause attached to the deal, ofcourse - as has Esteban Granero, who will only be there for a season-long loan spell. Adrián González meanwhile has been loaned out to second division side Celta Vigo.

Roberto Soldado and Julio Baptista, however, survived the last minute clear-outs after their respective suitors failed to put in an acceptable bid before the transfer market closed shop. Surviving the cut is one thing but whether or not the duo can fit into a squad packed with attacking talent is another story altogether. They will nonetheless, be eager to fight for their place in the first team.

FORM GUIDE

Villarreal

Aug 25 Valencia vs Villarreal 0-3 (Primera Liga)

Aug 19 Villarreal vs Livorno 2-2 (Pre-Season Friendly)

Aug 14 Villarreal vs Osasuna 3-0 (Pre-Season Friendly)

Aug 10 Villarreal vs Sporting Braga 3-1 (Pre-Season Friendly)

Aug 07 Hércules vs Villarreal 0-4 (Pre-Season Friendly)

Real Madrid

Aug 25 Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid 2-1 (Primera Liga)

Aug 19 Real Madrid vs Sevilla 3-5 (Spanish Super Cup)

Aug 15 Cadiz vs Real Madrid 1-3 (Ramon de Carranza Trophy)

Aug 14 Real Madrid vs Real Betis 0-1 (Ramon de Carranza Trophy)

Aug 11 Sevilla vs Real Madrid 1-0 (Spanish Super Cup)

TEAM NEWS

Villarreal

The long running Juan Román Riquelme saga finally came to an end after the playmaker's supposed move to Atlético Madrid fell through in the final hours of the transfer deadline and will now remain at El Madrigal. Another out of favour player José Mari meanwhile, has completed a move to Real Betis.

Pellegrini made one last addition to bolster his defence by signing right back Ángel from Celta Vigo. On the other side of the defensive flank, Joan Capdevila was brought in from Deportivo La Coruña to replace the experienced Rodolfo Arruabarrena. Centreback Gonzalo Rodríguez meanwhile, remains the only long term injury casualty from last season, but new signing Diego Godín should provide ample back up for the time being.

Lightning-quick forward Nihat Kahveci is set to challenge for a starting berth upfront having rediscovered his full match fitness, while Mexican striker Guillermo Franco returns to the side after serving out his suspension carried over from last season.

Pellegrini is likely to adhere to the "don't fix it if it's not broken" adage and stick to the same starting eleven that thumped Valencia last week. Riquelme is unlikely to find a place in the Chilean's game plan having missed the pre-season with the team.

Probable Starting XI: Viera - Venta/Ángel, Cygan, Fuentes, Capdevila - Cazorla, Senna, Josico, Pirès - Tomasson, Rossi/Kahveci

Real Madrid

Fabio Cannavaro and Wesley Sneijder gave Madrid a momentary scare in midweek when the missed a number of training sessions to nurse their respective injuries. They have both since made full recoveries but Pepe wasn't as lucky as he picked up a thigh injury and will now be sidelined for up to 3 weeks.

Gonzalo Higuain and Miguel Torres have recommenced full training on the field with the rest of the team and could be included in the squad to travel to Vila-real. Latest addition Gabriel Heinze has also regained full match fitness after being left out of pre-season preparations with his former club Manchester United. The Argentine could very well make his debut on Sunday, but Dutch winger Arjen Robben is still below par and will be kept on his customized fitness regime for a few more weeks.

Schuster has the option of using Christoph Metzelder as a direct stand-in for Pepe or moving Sergio Ramos to the centre, although the young Spanish international is at his best down the right wing, as he showed last weekend.

Probable Starting XI: Casillas - Sergio Ramos, Metzelder, Cannavaro, Heinze - Sneijder, Diarra, Guti, Robinho - Raul, van Nistelrooy

WATCH OUT FOR

Villarreal - Santi Cazorla/Robert Pirès

The exciting young Cazorla was brilliant against Valencia last week, scoring one and setting up the another while constantly pulling the strings from midfield with the typical playmaker flair.

Together with the wise, old head of Robert Pirès on the opposite side of the flank, Madrid's attacking-minded fullbacks will have to be extra cautious to prevent the duo from carving up spaces in midfield.

Real Madrid - Wesley Sneijder/Raul

Sneijder has so far been impressive ever since his move from Ajax Amsterdam. He got his La Liga debut off to a perfect start last weekend by netting the winning goal, against Atlético Madrid no less, and his confidence will be sky high going into Matchday 2.

Raul is another player to keep an eye on in this game. Having been given a more forward role upfront around the box, the 30 year old was exceptional last week, putting on a classic lead-by-example captain's performance.

PREDICTION

Three of the last five league meetings between the two sides have ended in draws and the last time the Yellow Submarine lost at home to Real was back in 2003. Having already crushed one pre-season title favourite last week, Villarreal will be looking for a second major scalp in succession, although Madrid themselves will have other plans in mind, one of which would be to end their host's hot nine game winning strongly. My prediction, Madrid-2, Villareal-1

I am glad to announce that the TV rights problem has been solved and the game will be telecasted Live on TV.

Pics from European Super Cup

2007-09-01T05:26:00.000-07:00

Milan Come Back To Win Super Cup

2007-09-01T05:15:00.000-07:00

Milan 3-1 Sevilla

In a match dominated by memories of Antonio Puerta, Milan came from a goal down to beat Sevilla and win the European Super Cup.

Renato put Sevilla ahead in the 14th minute, but Philippo Inzaghi pulled things back after the break with a trade-mark poaching header. Jankulovski put Milan in the lead with a scorching volley, before Kaka settled it with one for himself.

Sevilla may have been unable to win the trophy in honour of their fallen team-mate, but the evening was a fitting tribute to Puerta as both teams paid homage to the 22-year-old who passed away on Tuesday.

Banners, flags and placards paying tribute to Puerta covered the Sevilla end of the stadium, while both teams donned the player's name below the numbers on their shirts throughout the game.

There was a touching moment at half-time from the Milan supporters as a group walked along the running track before displaying a banner paying their own homage to the Sevilla number 16 in front of the Spanish clubs' fans.

On the pitch, the speed and intensity of the game was also a fitting way to remember Puerta as both sides went about the game with a desire to win.

Daniel Alves started the game and put an end to rumours and reports that he would leave Sevilla for Real Madrid.

The UEFA Cup holders enjoyed the brighter opening as Renato went close with a shot after he latched onto a rebound, before Alves turned the ball onto his own post at the other end as he prevented Kaká from shooting.

In minute 14 the deadlock was broken when Renato met a corner at the far post and his downward header beat Dida and crept inside the near post.

The Sevilla players all gathered together and pointed to the heavens as one, while none of the coaching staff or substitutes celebrated the goal.

Inzaghi looked to help draw his team level when taking a dramatic dive in the area before Sevilla casused panic in the Milan defence.

Frédéric Kanouté raced onto a wayward pass from Gennaro Gattuso and, after rounding Dida, pull the ball back only for Renato to take a touch before shooting.

His effort was prevented from going in by Alessandro Nesta and Duda blazed over as he ran onto the loose ball.

Calrence Seedorf had the Italians' clearest chance of the half when he flung himself at a corner, but his header flew over Andrés Palop's goal.

Before the break Inzaghi warmed the Sevilla keeper's gloves, Kanouté shot over from 20 yards out and Milan had a goal ruled out for offside.

The second half saw Milan tighten things up as the long week began to finally take its toll on the Sevilla players.

An equaliser arrived ten minutes after the restart when Gattuso lifted a cross over from the right and Inzaghi was unmarked in the centre of the goal to nod home from close range.

Just seven minutes later Sevilla fell behind for the first time, but it was to a tremendous striker as Andrea Pirlo's long pass picked out Marek Jankulovski on the left of the area and he sent an incredible volley back into the far corner of the goal.

The Spanish side tried to make a comeback of their own, but Milan's defence remained strong as Alves shot overn and Seydou Keita headed over.

A clumsy challenge ended the game as a contest Kaká edged his way down the right of the area only to be felled by Ivica Dragutinovic.

The Brazilian saw his resulting penalty kick kept out by Palop's face, but the ball dropped kindly and Kaká was able to head the ball into an empty net.

In a powerful gesture, Kaká untucked his shirt and pointed to Puerta's name in his own personal homage, while Seedorf too paid his respects by displaying the name of the former Sevilla player when leaving the field to be substituted.

Aleksandr Kerzhakov created a fine chance to reduce the deficit in the closing moments as he headed the ball back across goal, but Enzo Maresca arrived just too late and steered his effort against the outside of the post.

Alves To Make Peace With Sevilla And Stay

2007-08-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

Daniel Alves is set to make peace with Sevilla and agree to stay at the club for the new season after he travelled with the squad to Monaco for the European Super Cup encounter.

AS are confident that all talk of a mega-bucks move to Real Madrid is untrue and are reporting that the Brazilian has agreed to to settle his differences and stay.

After a public spat with president José María Del Nido, it appeared that the pair would end up parting ways but events this week put an end to any ill-will.

Coach Juande Ramos is ready to use Alves like any other member of the squad and was not prepared to enter into any discussion about the player's future.

"He is here like the rest of the squad and will carry out his duties," the trainer said. "There is nothing strange about him being here. He is just one more player.

"I have not spoken to Daniel, nor with any other player since the funeral of Puerta in the San Fernando cemetery."

The report appears to be a direct response to Marca's claim that Real Madrid are preparing to sell a number of players in order to fund a mammoth move for the 24-year-old.

Chelsea had two bids rejected earlier in the summer as Del Nido held out for €40m, while the player was infuriated as he believed there was an agreement in place that he would be allowed to leave if a huge offer came in.

Having been named in the squad for the trip to Athens at the start of the week, Alves was accused by Del Nido of refusing to travel.

The player responded by claiming that he had been told to stay behind and train with the reserves in order to recover from a slight knock.

That disagreement paled into insignificance after the untimely death of Antonio Puerta and brought Alves back into the Sevilla fold.

Recoba Completes Torino Transfer

2007-08-31T08:27:00.000-07:00

Uruguayan forward Alvaro Recoba has finally completed his move away from the San Siro, leaving Internazionale in favour of Torino...

Alvaro "El Chino" Recoba has signed for Torino, penning a loan deal from Internazionale.

After months of speculation, the Uruguayan has finally completed his transfer, and could slot straight into the Toro squad for this weekend's match with Reggina this weekend.

"El Chino" was out of favour at the San Siro, being fifth or sixth in the pecking order for two striker places and was faced with the possibility of a season in the stands.

He played just thirteen league games last season, scoring once, but will hope to get a once-promising career back on track in Turin.

At the age of 31, his career is drawing to a close, but most feel that he still has the talent to succeed at the top level, after being linked with clubs ranging from Atletico Madrid to Napoli over the summer.

Overall, he's been contracted to the nerazzurri since 1997, scoring 53 Serie A goals in that time. Previously, El Chino served Venezia (on loan from Inter), Nacional and Danubio.

Rate my post:

Motta Off To Atletico Madrid

2007-08-31T04:01:00.000-07:00

Thiago Motta has just taken a flight from Barcelona, for Madrid, and will sign for Atletico after completing a medical in the morning.

Thiago Motta has been close to leaving Barcelona for a month now, following the arrival of Yaya Toure from Monaco.

However, Barcelona's refusal to hand him a free transfer had thus far been in the way. Motta had even accused the club of double standards on Thursday morning, as they had handed Gio van Bronckhorst a free move to Feyenoord.

It seems, though, that a deal has been struck between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid late on the penultimate day of the transfer window.

Barcelona had been demanding around 5 millions euros for the Italian-Brazilian, but have settled for around half that sum in order to offload him.

Following the agreement, Motta has left for Madrid. He will complete a medical early on Friday morning before signing for Atletico, who will also complete the signing of Juan Roman Riquelme on the final day.

He was given a standing ovation during Wednesday's Joan Gamper Trophy clash against Inter Milan (he also scored a goal), in what was deemed to be his farewell match.

Eto'o Ruled Out For Two Months

2007-08-31T03:50:00.000-07:00

Samuel Eto'o has been ruled out for at least two months after tearing a muscle in his thigh during the Trofeo Gamper game on Wednesday evening.

he Cameroon striker suffered the injury just two minutes after coming on as a substitute at half time in the encounter against Inter.

Club doctors have confirmed that Eto'o has suffered a partial tear of a tendon in his right thigh and will be sidelined for eight weeks.

It still has to be decided if a course of physiotherapy will be sufficient or whether the 27-year-old will require surgery to repair the damage.

Eto'o suffered a serious injury last September when he damaged his meniscus in a Champions League match against Werder Bremen and was out for six months.

The blow will temporarily end the discussion about the 'Fantastic Four' at FC Barcelona and will allow Giovani Dos Santos to stake a claim.

Champions League Group Stage Draw

2007-08-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

Champions league draw for the 2007/2008 season

Group A: Liverpool, Porto, Marseille and Besiktas

Group B: Chelsea, Valencia, Schalke and Rosenborg

Group C: Real Madrid, Werder Bremen, Lazio and Olympiakos

Group D: AC Milan, Benfica, Celtic and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Group E: Barcelona, Lyon, Stuttgart, Rangers

Group F: Manchester United, Roma, Sporting Lisbon and Dynamo Kiev.

Group G: Inter Milan, PSV, CSKA Moscow and Fenerbahce.

Group H: Arsenal, Sevilla/AEK, Steaua Bucharest, Slavia Prague.

Uefa Club Goalkeeper of the Year 2006/07: Petr Cech picked it up the award ahead of Reina.

Uefa Club Midfielder of the Year: Clarence Seedorf ahead off Lampard, Gerrard and Co.

Uefa Club Defender of the Year: Paolo Maldini, he sees off challenge from Carragher, Carvalho, Vidic Nesta and Co.

1847: European Club Forward of the Year. Without any doubt Kaka.

So to wrap it up Group B , C and E can be considered the toughest with Group H probably the easiest one.

Chelsea meet Valencia! A replay of last season's quarter-final.

Roma with Manchester United in group F. That will be really tasty! The 7-1 result from last season's quarter-final second leg will still be on the Giallorossi's mind.

Real Madrid's also going to have a tough time out against teams like Werder Bremen, Lazio and Olympiakos

Any ways! That's all for now! Stay tuned for reviews and reactions.

Milan Make Final Baptista Offer

2007-08-30T09:20:00.001-07:00

The Correire dello Sport claims that AC Milan are on the verge of making a definitive offer for Real Madrid's Julio Baptista...

The Correire dello Sport reports that AC Milan are set to bid for Real Madrid's out-of-favour attacking midfielder Julio Baptista.

The Brazilian playmaker, who spent last season on loan at Arsenal, is out of favour at the Bernabeu, and the paper reports that the Milan technical staff see the player as ideal to complete their squad.

So a move could make sense. But that leaves many details to thrash out.

Madrid are said to be open to the prospect of a loan, but would only sell the player completely for a significant sum. Milan, however, are unwilling to splash the cash on the player for the time being.

However, they could still yet land the player. Apparently, rossoneri vice-president Adriano Galliani offered his Madrid counterpart Pedja Mijatovic a fee of 2 million euro up front for the loan, with a further 12 million in a buyout clause, on July 29.

No further negotiations have taken place since then, but it is understood that the offer is still there for the taking - and Madrid may now be close to accepting it.

Nothing is signed and sealed yet, and it remains just a rumour, but contact between the two over the 25 year old, 35 times capped Brazilian international has been confirmed in the past.

With the recent arrival of Arjen Robben, and a host of midfield talent already arriving at Madrid this summer, Pedja may feel that it's best to cash in on Baptista before the transfer window slams shut tomorrow.

I think that off-loading Baptista might be a good idea since we already have a lot of mid-field talent.. But what about the Milan fans? Are you guys going to appreciate Baptista's arrival?
Expecting a response from Mr.Salvatore

TV Row Threatens Spanish International Coverage

2007-08-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

The row between Sogecable and Mediapro looks set to see games from Spain blocked from being shown abroad again this weekend, despite the offer of a compromise.

Within Spain, Mediapro will show two matches on their free-to-air La Sexta channel on Saturday while talks continue to be held over a hefty lawsuit.

Sogecable and Mediapro formed Audiovisual Sport (AVS), with the Sogecable owning 80 per cent and Mediapro the remaining 20 percent, as a mean to show live football games, but the former then began to buy club-by-club rights.

That move saw Sogecable claim that an agreement had been broken and sued Mediapro for €58m as part of the AVS deal.

After Mediapro signed agreements with 12 clubs for the 2008-09 season and a total of 39 for the 2009-2010 season, that includes FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, the fuse was lit.

In recent days Sogecable have now added another €200m debt to their lawsuit, while Mediapro have countered that is is they that are owed €43m.

Sogecable also claim that they have not received payment for the rights to games this season, but Mediapro claim that they do not recognise the deal.

The row reached its peak last weekend when Sogecable were accused by Mediapro of blocking their technical teams from games which saw both the Madrid derby and Barça's game against Racing from being shown abroad.

Mediapro hold the rights to overseas distribution, but were unable to as they were not allowed into various stadiums and saw games stopped from being shown.

In return, Mediapro stopped Sogecable from showing highlights of the three games that they screened on their Canal Digital football programmes.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel as Mediapro have said that they will renegotiate the deal, but without giving up their right to air live games on La Sexta.

"We have an agreement to show live games on terrestrial television and nobody can stop us from executing our rights," Mediapro chief Tatxo Bent said.

While the problem remains unsolved, Mediapro will be unable to distribute games overseas leaving foreign viewers without their weekly fix of Spanish football.

Personally I hope that this problem will be solved as soon as possible! I can hardly wait to see my favorite team (Real Madrid) play!

Five Star Barça Pay Homage To Puerta And Casaus

2007-08-30T00:44:00.000-07:00

FC Barcelona 5 - 0 Inter

FC Barcelona paid homage to Sevilla's Antonio Puerta and club legend Nicolau Casaus before the game and then on the pitch with a vintage performance of attacking football.

In the annual Trofeo Gamper both men who passed away recently were honoured by the clubs and the fans, who held placards of support and messages of condolence.

The Blaugrana players all donned Sevilla shirts with the number 16 and the name Puerta on the back before kick off and a banner that simply read 'We are playing for you' below Puerta's picture was laid on the pitch.

With the game originally scheduled to pay homage to Barça's historical former vice-president Casaus the game went ahead for that reason.

Puerta was also honoured as Barça cancelled all the planned pre-match festivites, but more importantly announced that 10 per cent of all the money from the night would be donated to research into cardiovascular illness.

A tearful minutes silence, that clearly affected the home team's players, was followed by a fiiting tribute to both Casaus and Puerta as Barça produced a stunning display.

After just six minutes Giovani Dos Santos forced Cristian Chivu into a clumsy tackle in the area and the referee pointed to the spot.

Ronaldinho did the honours and slotted the penalty past Francesco Toldo, but the Brazilian had no thoughts for celebrating as he pointed to the heavens and accepted the congratulations of his team-mates.

The second goal arrived in the 12th minute and it was a moment of magic from Giovani Dos Santos that produced it as he cut inside Chivu before hammering the ball inside the near post.

Toldo was to have a busy time, but his best save came when he dived low to turn away a powerful header by Touré Yaya, playing in his first home game since moving Monaco, in the 17th minute.

There was little that the Italian keeper could to stop Barça scoring a third as Touré took aim from 25 yards out and his shot flew through a crowd and into the right-hand side of the net with nine minutes to go before the break.

As Gianliuca Zambrotta and Deco went close before the break the tally of shots rose as Barça had registered ten on target and Inter just one.

The second period saw several changes, but worryingly for Frank Rijkaard, Samuel Eto'o's appearance lasted just four minutes as he was forced off after twisting his leg when shooting.

With 56 minutes on the clock, the Blaugrana capped a strong start to the second period by adding a fourth goal as Leo Messi rolled the ball through the Inter defence for Andrés Iniesta to press forward and dummy Toldo before firing into the top corner.

Thierry Henry had an impressive first game in Camp Nou, while Gaby Milito and Éric Abidal also had their first taste of his new club's home.

A fifth goal always looked on the cards even though the game slowed in pace towards the end and when it came it was Thiago Motta who headed home in, perhaps, his final game for the club.

It was an evening where the result was not important and both Barça and Inter should be praised for playing their part in paying tribute to two people that deserved such a game.

Thousands Pay Their Respects To Puerta

2007-08-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

The untimely death of Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta has shocked the footballing world, with thousands visiting Antonio Puerta's chapel at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium to pay their final respects...

Antonio Puerta's funeral takes place today, with his body being held at the chapel in the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium until then.

Thousands have arrived to pay their respects, with 5,000 or more even waiting as the player's body was brought in to the chapel just after midnight.

The player's coffin has been draped with Sevilla and Spanish flags, while elsewhere in the chapel is a place to lay wreaths and Sevilla shirts and scarves.

As well as Sevilla, other teams are represented: Betis, Recreativo and Valencia fans have all shown their own mark of respect.

Elsewhere, around the stadium, mourners have laid flowers and photographs, and lit candles in the memory of the 22 year old midfielder, who died on Tuesday afternoon.

Puerta's coffin arrived at the stadium at 12:20am, local time, and was met by an incredible chorus of "Puerta, Sevilla está contigo" (Puerta, Sevilla is with you) from the supporters.

As family members, friends and former team-mates arrived to pay their respects, they were all cheered and greeted by the crowd as Sevilla and Betis fans united outside to remember a fallen hero.

At midday on Wednesday a service will be held for Puerta that will be attended by the majority of clubs in Spanish football, with directors, former player and current stars attending.

The entire Real Betis squad is due to be there, along with the coaching staff and directors, while AC Milan will also have people present.

Puerta's coffin will then be taken to the San Fernando cemetery where he will be cremated during a private ceremony at 2pm that will be attended by family, close friends and his Sevilla team-mates.

Antonio Puerta Passes Away

2007-08-28T10:16:00.001-07:00

Sevilla player Antonio Puerta has died at the age of 22, two days after collapsing during his team's clash with Getafe CF.

Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta has died at the age of 22.

The versatile player collapsed during his side's 4-1 win over Getafe on Sunday night after what was later determined to be a heart attack.

He managed to get to his feet in order to be substituted, but collapsed again upon reaching his side's changing room. Being rushed to hospital, he was admitted to intensive care.

Since Sunday, he had been in a critical condition, with apparent brain damage following his cardial failure.

Daily reports from the hospital indicated that his condition had beeb steadily deterioratating, Tuesday morning showing a drastic downfall in his health.

Mid-afternoon on Tuesday, the Spanish media reported that the player had passed away.

Puerta, a versatile wing player, played over 50 games for Sevilla and earned one cap for the Spanish national team. A local boy, Antonio had been with Sevilla 'B' since 2002.

During his rise to both first team and international recognition, the left-sided player picked up five caps for the Spanish U-21s, delighting the Spanish footballing setup with a series of consistent displays.

However, sources within the Spanish game have recently pointed out that the player has undergone several medical tests in the last few months, with things coming to a tragic head during that clash with Getafe.

Nonetheless, the player started the season in fine fettle, playing in the first leg of Sevilla's Supercopa win over Real Madrid - his fifth piece of major silverware after two UEFA Cups, the UEFA Super Cup and the Copa del Rey.

The 22 year old is survived by his girlfriend, who is expecting a baby during the next month.

Sevilla's Tuesday night match with AEK Athens in the Champions League has been suspended until further notice.

May his soul rest in peace.

Ronaldinho’s video in “Be A Pro” mode.

2007-08-28T04:24:00.000-07:00

Click here to see the video (may be an advertisement before):

http://www.game1.nl/gamevideos/videos/gameplay/4173/Fifa-08—Gameplay.html

If you want to download it on WMV format:
http://www.game1.nl/referer.php?video_id=4173&filetype=wmv

Editorial : La Liga Team of the week

2007-08-28T02:21:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid earn the majority of the plaudits on the back of a very positive display against local rivals Atletico.

Villarreal thumped Valencia, Real Mallorca disbanded Levante and Almeria shocked Deportivo, all three game ending 3-0.

Sevilla made the most of the advantage against nine men Getafe, coming from behind to win 4-1, while Real Murcia caused a real upset by beating Zaragoza.

Finally Athletic Bilbao battled some serious pressure to secure a draw against Osasuna, and Racing will have felt like they won after keeping it goalless against Barcelona, who simply failed to spark. Recreativo and Betis battled to a 1-1 draw.

This week's best line up in a 3-5-2, after some superb midfield displays dominated proceedings.

Goalkeeper

1 Gorka Iraizoz (Athletic Bilbao): The Basque custodian was simply on fire against Osasuna, repeatedly denying the likes of Pandiani and Portillo to earn Athletic a hard-fought draw at San Mames.

Defenders

2 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid): The former Sevilla man was bombing up the right at every opportunity, and was dominant in the air at both ends of the pitch. Continues to improve!

3 Pascal Cygan (Villarreal): The Frenchman was solid as a rock against Valencia, who played some pretty spectacular football until David Villa got himself sent off in the 38th minute. After that, Manuel Pellegrini threw men forward, leaving him to keep it tight at the back.

4 Ezequiel Garay (Racing Santander): The young Argentine defender was the class of El Sardinero on Sunday evening, making the likes of Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry look really average.

Midfielders

5 Wesley Sneijder (Real Madrid): For the second week in a row, the Dutchman was absolutely superb with his deliveries into the box. Every time he sent a ball in, Atletico looked stretched to deal with it. He showed he can pass it on the ground as well, and as for his ability to strike the ball, there could have been no better a promotion.

6 Ariel Ibagaza (Real Mallorca): My player of the week! The former Atletico Madrid man ripped Levante to shreds with his creativity. The underrated midfielder got himself two exquisite goals, and helped set up Daniel Guiza for a third as Mallorca ran riot.

7 Pablo Garcia (Real Murcia): The former Osasuna, Real Madrid and Celta Vigo defender used his La Liga experience to lead lowly Murcia to a shock win over Real Zaragoza. Was an absolute rock against the likes of Aimar, and also set up one of his team's two goals.

8 Santi Cazorla (Villarreal): Back from his spell at Recreativo, the midfielder was an absolute dynamite against Valencia, running the show at the Mestalla as Villarreal triumphed 3-0. A deserved goal to show for his efforts.

9 Duda (Sevilla): Sevilla sparked into life the moment he was brought on, albeit in unfortunate circumstances following Puerta's shocking collapse. Getafe may have been down to nine men, but with all nine behind the ball, proved tricky to break down until he started delivering one ball after another from the left. A man-of-the-match performance as he helped set up three of the four goals.

Strikers

10 Raul (Real Madrid): The Merengue skipper rolled back the years to silence doubters with an inspirational display. The veteran sparked off Madrid's comeback with a trademark header, and looked dangerous throughout.

11 Negredo (Almeria): This 22-year-old Madrid born striker was the biggest surprise of the weekend. Moved superbly up front, held the ball up even better, finished clinically, and set up team-mates unselfishly to doom Deportivo to a 3-0 home defeat.

TV War Prevents Millions Seeing Madrid And Barça

2007-08-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

The war of words between two Spanish broadcast companies meant that nobody outside of Spain could watch the Madrid derby live on Saturday evening.

A disagreement between production company Mediapro and Sogecable meant that the opening weekend of the season was in chaos as several games were embroiled in the dispute.

As well as Real Madrid game against Atlético, the game between Racing and Barça was also unable to be seen by many and that has caused the problem to escalate.

Television channel La Sexta, who are owned partly by Mediapro, are responsible for screening games to an international audience, but they were unable to at the weekend.

"Sogecable prevented la Sexta's cameras from enterting the Bernabéu stadium on the day of the derby," said a source from Mediapro.

"They also refused to listen to the alternatives put forward by Madrid to enable the game to be shown abroad."

The Madrid derby is one of the biggest games in the SPanish league calandar and Mediapro are angry at being stopped from showing it.

"This has caused great harm to the clubs and to Mediapro and has provoked a deep unease in the highest echelons of Real Madrid," the source added.

Sogecable announced it would cut the signal to rival La Sexta, the free-to-air channel which belongs to Mediapro, because it still owes Sogecable €58m for matches over the last two years.

Mediapro responded by blocking broadcasts on Sogecable's pay-TV service, Digital+, who were unable to show highlights of the three games that la Sexta covered at the weekend.

Betis Forget Rivalry To Support Puerta

2007-08-27T05:05:00.001-07:00

Real Betis have put aside all their rivalry with Sevilla to show unprecedented support for Antonio Puerta after he suffered two heart attacks on Saturday evening.

The football world has been showing its support for the Sevilla forward after he collapsed on the pitch during the encounter with Getafe and was rushed to hospital.

Players, coaching staff and directors from Betis visited the player in hospital on Sunday, after the club's fans had displayed placards at their game against Recre wishing Puerta well.

Pepe León, the Betis president, has reflected the views of the majority of fans as he stated that football was a secondary concern at this time.

"There are some things that are just more important than football," he told Radio Marca.

Betis also posted a message of support on their offical club website which stated: "Real Betis Balompié want to give their full support to Sevilla player Antonio Puerta.

"From all at the Verdiblanco club we wish him a quick recovery.

"Also, Real Betis Balompié want to convey their best wishes to his family at this difficult time."

Internet message boards, television shows and radio programmes have also been inundated in Spain with messages of support from fans of all clubs.

Puerta had a heart attack on the pitch before being able to walk to the dressing room, where he collapsed again and was rushed to the Virgen del Rocio hospital.

"He is in the intensive care unit where he has been given assisted ventilation and is experiencing hemodynamic instability. The prognosis is very serious," stated a doctor treating the player.

All-Star Barcelona Fail To Fire

2007-08-27T05:02:00.000-07:00

Racing Santander 0-0 Barcelona

A dogged performance from Racing Santander kept an all-star Barcelona front line out for 90 minutes at the Sardinero. Even as the home side went down to ten men, the blaugrana couldn't find a way through, and thus start the season two points off the pace...

Barcelona started the match with Henry on the bench, last season's tridente lining up once more. While Messi started on the right and Ronaldinho on the left, the two were to switch flanks after thirty minutes to help Barcelona break down resilient defending.

Indeed, Racing, for a club that lost the likes of Scaloni and Zigic over the summer, were not looking too bad, Oscar Serrano testing Valdes within minutes of kickoff.

But Barca knew that, with the eyes of the world on them, they needed to press forward. Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Messi all tried their luck, but each time were met by a wall of green and white.

And it was Racing, comfortable at the back, who were more emboldened to go forward. Munitis heading well over just before the half hour mark. The little ex-Madrid forward was left unmarked, but couldn't make it count.

But the Sardinero side maintained its containing game, racking up a couple more shots on target as the half drew to a close.

Barcelona almost clinched a lead, though, Xavi's opportunistic chip foxing Tono between the posts, only for Luis Fernandez to clear off the line. There was no way through for Los Culers, and it was 0-0 going into the interval.

The blaugrana came out swinging after half time, Rijkaard losing patience with the home side and ordering an attack. Messi duly obliged, teeing up Iniesta with a surging cross, but the Spanish midfielder blasted over.

New Racing coach Marcelino knew what was happening, though, and imbued his team with the need to counterattack. 18 year old Bolado, enjoying a dream debut, came off for new arrival Ebi Smolarek as Racing looked to grab a goal.

But for the most part, they sat back, and Rijkaard needed to break them down somehow. So on came Thierry Henry for his Liga debut, Messi jogging off after a difficult, much-marked game.

And as one came in, one came out: and it was another debutant in Smolarek. Just minutes after coming on for his Liga debut, the Polish forward went in studs-up on Abidal, and was shown a straight red card.

Barca still struggled to break down the Santander barricades, though, as Deco came on for Yaya Toure. Indeed, it was Racing that tried a bit of the long-ball game as they sought to shock the visitors, employing the offside trap at the other end.

Oscar Serrano came off for Christian as Racing coach Marcelino showed his intent to protect the draw, the midfielder being replaced by a left-back, and the greens sat in.

Barca briefly adopted a sense of urgency, the roving Oleguer blasting a shot way off target after the tireless Xavi's effort was deflected clear, but the best chance was still to come.

Thierry Henry came close to giving Barca the victory with five minutes to go, charging forward into the box, only to watch in anguish as his shot clipped the far post.

The game began to wear down, though, and it was of little surprise to most observers as it ended 0-0.

For all Ronaldinho's and Xavi's inventiveness, Barcelona lacked that cutting edge, and must learn to deal more adequately with sides that sit in.

Racing, for their part, are amongst the relegation favourites, but were at times more than a match for Barcelona here. It may not always be pretty football in cantabria, but it works. Coach Marcelino, who worked wonders on a shoestring budget at Recreativo last year, may just surprise us all once more.

Racing Santander: Tono; Pinillos, Oriol, Garay, Luis Fernandez (Ayoze 46); Jorge Lopez, Colsa, Duscher, Oscar Serrano (Christian 75); Munitis, Bolado (Smolarek 55)
Goals: x
Yellow Cards: Luis Fernandez 13
Red Cards: Smolarek 63

FC Barcelona: Valdes; Zambrotta (Marquez 78), Thuram, Oleguer, Abidal; Xavi, Toure (Deco 69), Iniesta; Messi (Henry 61), Eto'o, Ronaldino
Goals: x
Yellow Cards: x

Milan's First Half Blitz Sinks Genoa

2007-08-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

Genoa 0-3 AC Milan

A goal from Massimo Ambrosini and two from Kaka saw Milan run out 3-0 winners over a brave Genoa side. The Rossoneri were put under tremendous pressure in the second half, but defended solidly to make it a great start to the season.

Milan strolled to an easy 3-0 away win at Genoa after a first half rampage saw them stun the hosts, who gamely tried to recover in a more balanced second period.

Indeed, the home side didn't want for motivation, and Di Vaio in particular looked like he had a point to prove early on.

But the rossonerri, instead, came roaring into the game and dominated the opening twenty minutes. So, it was of little surprise when they took the lead.

Ambrosini burst forward to meet a pinpoint Pirlo cross, defenders aflap and Rubinho unable to get to it.

And then followed twenty-five minutes of sheer domination. Indeed, it could have been two just 180 seconds later, Kaka feeding Gattuso in the box, only for the ex-Rangers midfielder to disappointingly fire at the 'keeper, with Oddo looking for Kaka's provision instead.

Oddo, indeed, was proving himself a valuable member of the team, linking up beautifully with Gilardino, but it seemed as if the inevitable second goal wasn't going to come that half...

... until it did. Kaka showed why he's been the subject of endless transfer rumours this summer with a sweet finish - but it was Oddo who made the goal.

His sweet cross from the right found renaissance man Seedorf, who teed up the Brazilian for the second.

And then, minutes later, Kaka got his second, stroking home a penalty after Rubinho felled Gilardino on the very stroke of half time.

Genoa came out of the blocks much stronger in the second half, playing beautifully right up to the hour mark, but the likes of Di Vaio and Milanetto found their finish lacking.

Milan recovered to thwart a succession of Genovese efforts, and chipped in with some of their own, but the goalscoring was done and dusted for the day, the rossoblu's fightback cut down in its prime.

Genoa: Rubinho; Bega, Santos, Lucarelli, Konko; Milanetto, Paro, Juric, Papa Waigo; Gasparetto; Di Vaio

Milan: Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Kaladze, Jankulovski; Gattuso, Pirlo; Ambrosini, Kaka, Seedorf; Gilardino Ambrosini
Goals: (20'); Kakà (44'); Kakà (48'+)

Trezeguet, Iaquinta Help Juvetus Thrash Livorno

2007-08-26T01:16:00.000-07:00

Juventus 5-1 Livorno

With just a David Trezeguet goal to show for the first half, the game exploded into life towards the end of the second. Iaquinta notched a brace on his debut and Trezeguet completed his hat-trick to help Juventus pick up a stunning 5-1 win over Livorno.

Back from a year stuck in the doldurms of Serie B, Juventus marked their highly-anticipated return to the Italian top flight by hammering five goals past Livorno.

In truth, the hapless visitors from Tuscany made life easy for them with a damning combination of toothless attacking and some truly amateurish defending, but that should not take away from the Old Lady's positive performance.

A David Trezeguet hat-trick and a brace by second-half substitute Vincenzo Iaquinta were more than enough to send Livorno home in disgrace, though at least they managed to avoid being blanked thanks to a Massimo Loviso goal with the last kick of the game.

Salihamidzic, Andrade, Criscito, Nocerino and Almiron were all handed starting debuts in front of a passionate crowd in the Stadio Olimpico of Turin, but the presence of Trezeguet and Del Piero as the front-tandem with Nedved tucking in from the left provided for a reassuring air of familiarity.

Livorno started their Serie A campaign for the first time since 2004 without the iconic Cristiano Lucarelli, and on this evidence the arrival of Francesco Tavano from Roma – who started alongside Fausto Rossini up-front – will do little to erase the memories of his acrimonious departure.

First Half

The opening 20 minutes were scrappy but played at a good tempo. The best chance of the opening period was in fact a half-chance on 8 minutes. A sliced clearance by the clearly ring rusty Tavano almost fell to Trezeguet with the goal at his mercy, but for a last-ditch tackle by the lively Antonio Filippini.

Despite their initial difficulties to penetrate the final-third, it was clear that Juventus were set on making an early impression. They were let down by too many hopeful balls out of the back, however, with a rather shaky Andrade standing out as the biggest culprit.

The first clear chance of the game finally arrived on 25 minutes, and it was no surprise that it fell to the hosts. A beautiful first-time slide through ball by Nedved found Trezeguet in a dangerous position, but the French marksman was for once let down by his finishing as his central shot was kicked away by the trailing foot of Amelia.

Amelia had to be alert again just minutes later, when Chiellini let fly a wonderful long-distance effort, but Buffon's backup showed why Manchester City are after him by getting a strong hand to the goal-bound shot.

Juve were clearly beginning to turn the screws, thanks in large part to Del Piero seeing more and more of the ball. The Bianconeri icon was heavily involved in the breakthrough on the half-hour mark, by sending an exquisite cross for Trezeguet to head down into the goal with authority.

Having drawn first blood, it was refreshing to see that there was no let-up on attacks from Juventus, who were clearly relishing being “back in heaven”, as Buffon put it ahead of the game.

Livorno simply had no answer to the relentlessness with which the hosts came at them, and they did not take at all well to being pressurized high up the field.

On 35 minutes Cristiano Zanetti latched onto a sweet lead pass by Almiron and fizzed a shot just over the crossbar, minutes after which Amelia made a sturdy save on a a slightly underhit Del Piero freekick.

Second Half

Juventus visibly took the foot off the pedal to begin the second-45, though Almiron – who reminds very much of his compatriot Veron both in terms of his languid style and chrome-domed appearance – could have done better when presented with a couple of good shooting opportunities at the top of the box in quick succession.

The desperately disappointing Tavano was replaced by another new signing Diego Tristan early into the second-half, but aside from a few nice touches the Spanish striker failed to make much of an impression either.

New Bianconeri boss Claudio Ranieri showed some of his 'Tinkerman' tendencies by giving Iaquinta his debut at the expense of Del Piero, and the captain did not exactly look pleased to be getting the hook with a full third of the game remaining.

It did not take long for the switch to reap dividends, however, as Iaquinta dispatched a penalty past Amelia after have earned it himself under dubious circumstances. With 70 minutes on the clock the burly striker went down as if wrestled to the ground upon feeling sight contact by Grandoni and the referee took the bait plus the hook and the line.

Juve’s controversial second came just minutes after Rossini had squandered a glorious opportunity to steal an equalizer, but he should have done much better with a free header after having been left criminally unmarked by the Bianconeri rearguard.

Iaquinta’s goal triggered the blood lust within the hosts, and the World Cup winner doubled his tally on 85 minutes with an inadvertent deflection after some piss-poor defending by Livorno invited Nedved to take a free shot.

Trezeguet showed that he doesn’t like to be one-upped by dispatching a quality low shot past the increasingly exasperated Amelia, who one should not be surprised to see first in the cue for tickets for the next flight to Manchester.

The Argentine-born Frenchmen completed his hattrick deep into injury time with a backheel finish, but the gloss was taken off of it as once again Livorno’s defense in the buildup was nothing short of calamitous. A slick run into the box by Nedved ended with Amelia and a fellow defender in a bundle, and Trezegol showed a bit of cheek in accepting the gift.

While Juventus sent a clear message to the rest of the league, Loviso’s consolation goal with the last kick of the game will do nothing to prevent Livorno from going into the second round with a big stamp of relegation favourites on their foreheads.

Debutant Sneijder Wins It For Real Madrid

2007-08-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid 2-1 Atletico Madrid

A scorching long range strike from Wesley Sneijder ten minutes from time handed Real Madrid a comeback win over Atletico in a fiercely contested Madrid derby.

The La Liga season got off to an incredible start, as Ruud van Nistelrooy - back in his own box - inadvertendly flicked on a Mariano Pernía corner, and found Sergio Agüero unmarked at the far post to nod the ball in from close range.

Real Madrid were stunned early, and one wondered if it could be a nightmare for Schuster. However, they responded in the 15th minute through skipper Raul.

The veteran - he is in many ways one already - has been criticized recently, but rose over Pablo at the far post to head in a cross from Sergio Ramos.

Blows were exchanged thereafter, but nothing quite happened on the score-sheet, with Pepe crashing into a lady photographer - and then waiting to ensure she was fine before getting back into the game - being the highlight of the game between then and the break.

The second half began with Guti picking up yet another booking, but the referee just about managed to keep a lid on things and the preserve the momentum.

As the half progressed, Real Madrid began looking more and more like the better and the hungrier side, forcing Aguire to bring on Jose Antonio Reyes for Simao in a bid to spark Atleti into life.

However, it was the home side who continued to push for a win as the game moved into the final 20 minutes, with the Bernabeu fully behind them. It still looked to be headed towards a draw, though, before Wesley Sneijder decided to make an indelible impression on the game with ten minutes to go.

Guti rolled the ball across the edge of the area and the debutant Dutchman let fly a long range effort that found its way past Leo Franco after taking a deflection off Maxi's heel.

Try as they did, Atletico could not engineer a comeback, though Forlan had a goal ruled out for offside in the 82nd minute.

The match did end on a rather interesting, and perhaps a slightly sour note for Raul, who picked up his first booking in 30 months in the very final minute, for impeding a Leo Franco free-kick.

Overall, Real Madrid have started the season with a strong display in what was a big opening day test. Schuster may have claimed before the game that this encounter means more to Atlético, but the German will be delighted to have picked up the three points.

The visitors also have a lot to be proud of, but their inability to convert chances cost them dearly, and they will have to start again next week.

Real Madrid 2: Raúl (15') - Wesley Sneijder (80')

Atletico Madrid 1: Sergio Agüero (1')

CHELSEA 1-0 PORTSMOUTH

2007-08-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

Chelsea started the game strongly and Claudio Pizarro headed over from Florent Malouda's inswinging free-kick from the right early on Although not playing particularly well, Chelsea underlined their pedigree by going ahead through Frank Lampard.

Didier Drogba held up a long ball out of defence before laying it off to Lampard on the right as he raced through from midfield to fire beyond David James, who got a hand to it but could not stiop it entering the net.. Lampard might have a second when James made a meal of dealing with a 25-yard free-kick from the England midfielder. After the break, Portsmouth's Matt Taylor and Kanu set up a chance for Sean Davies, but he blazed over from eight yards. Juliano Belletti came on for his Chelsea debut after joining this week from Barcelona.

But the new boy made a mistake to let Benjani Mwaruwari through, but the Pompey man's poor first touch let him down and he shot over. But Chelsea were rocking and hanging on in some desperation at the end.

Arsenal ends Manchester City's winning streak with a 1-0 victory

2007-08-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

Arsenal ended Manchester City's unbeaten run with a 1-0 victory at the Emirates thanks to Cesc Fabregas, though it was hard on Kasper Schmeichel, outstanding again, who saved a Robin van Persie penalty.

Without Jens Lehmann, Arsenal lost Phillipe Senderos in the warm up to an ankle injury. Gilberto Silva was therefore forced into a swifter return than manager Arsene Wenger was planning. When the game got underway, Emmanuel Adebayor sent a rising shot over the bar. Then Martin Petrov fired wide as City broke forward threateningly. Then Mpenza shot wide with a snap-shot.

Dietmar Hamann was deservedlly booked for a nasty tackle on Robin van Persie. Bacary Sagna had to go off after a knock, Denilson coming on and midfielder Mathieu Flamini joining another, Gilberto, in central defence for the Gunners. Van Persie left a sly foot in on Kasper Schmeichel, which was unnecessary. Then Adebayor and Cesc Fabregas linked up on the right and Cesc sent in a a square pass that was just beyond the stretching Robin van Persie. Alex Hleb squandered a chance as Schmeichel flapped at a cross under pressure from Adebayor. After the break, when the ball broke for Martin Petrov on the left of the Arsenal area the Bulgarian fired just wide of the post. With City dominating, Arsenal won a penalty against the run of playt as Micah Richards tripped Hleb in the area.

But Schmeichel saved Van Persie's fiercel struck spot kick to preserve his clean sheet this season and enhance the family reputation. However, TV replays showed the City keeper was well off his line and the linesman spotted it, so the kick should have been retaken. Cesc Fabregas fired in a fierce shot that Schmeichel tipped over. Fabregas then slid in on Elano on the edge of the area and his tackle launched a flowing Arsenal attack, but Adebayor volleyed way over.

Liverpool defeats Sunderland 2-0

2007-08-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

Liverpool got a deserved and hard-working victory against Roy Keane's newly promoted Sunderland. Both sides had points to prove this lunchtime. Sunderland were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Wigan last Saturday, while Liverpool were left seething when a wrongly-awarded penalty cost them two points in the crunch game at Anfield against Chelsea. Having also been denied the opportunity to sign Gabriel Heinze in midweek, Liverpool might have felt things were against them - and were more determined to claim three points today. As for the Black Cats, they defended poorly at Wigan, and Roy Keane will have to attempt to address those shortcomings in training this week.

In the 2nd minute Voronin nearly capitalised on an error by Halford', and the Ukrainian striker looked lively. On that occasion Gordon made himself as big as possible and deflected the effort.
Ten minutes gone and Pennant did well on the right wing, and slipped a ball to Voronin, who was brought down outside the box by Etuhu. Alonso's disappointing free-kick crashed off the wall to safety.

Alonso flashed a shot wide from outside the area as Liverpool looked lively in the early stages. Hyppia was replaced in the 15th minute by Daniel Agger after the former had taken a blow from Daryl Murphy.
Sunderland's Richardson was also having trouble and was relpaced Anthony Stokes in another like-for-like substitution.

Almost out of nowhere Liverpool scored a superb goal. Alonso startsedit off which a great crossfield pass from left to Pennant on the right. Pennant nodded it back in to the middle where Voronin played it back into the path of Momo Sissoko, who thundered forward in the Steven Gerard role. Sissiko hit it hard and true into the net to Gordon's left. The first moment of genuine quality and it put Liverpool ahead. That g0al raised the game. It was Sissoko's first ever goal for Liverpool, who deserved to be in front on the balance of play.

In the opening stages of the 2nd half Torres raced onto a loose ball on the halfway line and looked set to make it two, outstripping Nosworthy for pace, but Gordon again justified his fee was another outstanding block. Terrific goalkeeping from Scotland's number one.

Sunderland tried to get back into the game and Miller played a superb crossfield pass to Halford on the right wing but he was fouled by Arbeloa . The freekick was tipped behind by Reina and causes a flurr in the Liverpool defence, but it was deal with, although Carragher got a knock in the ribs for his efforts.

In the 76th minute Riise came on for Carragher as Chopra wasted an opportunity to put Agger under pressure by fouling him. It was followed by an excellent shot by Stokes which flashed just wide of Reina's right-hand post as the ball came to him 20 yards from goal.

Torres did well down the right and cut a deft ball back for Voronin, who swiveled and shot first time. It looked lika a goal all the way but that man Gordon blocked it yet again with his feet

Liverpool wrapped things up with another well worked goal. Sissoko burstsforward and found Torres, who unselfishly played it to his left perfectlly for Voronin, who took a touch to make a yard of space, then fired it low into the far corner, although Gordon managed to get a hand to it. Goal number 2 for Liverpool and it was the 87th minute

The news from the Liverpool dressing room is that Sami Hyypia broke his nose but had it re-set at half-time . Jamie Carragher is feared to have broken a rib after getting a knee in his side at that corner. So possible lay-offs ahead for two key players.

The final whistle blowed on a deserved, hard working Liverpool victory. The Reds looked much more solid away from home than they have done in recent seasons. This win takes up to second, and they clearly mean business.

Ronaldinho: This Will Be My Best Season Ever

2007-08-24T22:36:00.000-07:00

Ronaldinho is convinced that he will back to his best this season and is ready to put last term behind him and battle for a place in Barça's new look attack.

The Brazilian superstar was accused of looking tired last term and not performing in crucial games, as well being mixed up in off-field problems at the club.

Without the burden of appearing in a major tournament and having little holiday, like last summer, Ronaldinho is well rested and ready to steer the Blaugrana back to the top.

"I'm going to make a big effort to ensure that this is my best season," the 27-year-old said.

"I'm really pleased with the way things have gone in pre-season. When you are in good physical shape, things come more easily and every day I feel more motivated."

After failing to win a major trophy last season, the behind-the-scenes problems and the effect it had on the pitch were highlighted at the end of the campaign, but Ronaldinho believes that the players are now fully focussed.

"We have talked over what we did wrong last season and we are all now working to ensure that we become a champion team again," he continued.

The arrival of four new players has increased competition for places in Frank Rijkaard's squad with the forward line being under particular pressure to perform as Thierry Henry joins Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Leo Messi in battling for a spot.

"All the players that have come to the club are experienced and are very keen to triumph here," Ronaldinho explained.

"They are all known worldwide, but they all have their feet on the ground. I think the team is well focused and more motivated than ever."

Belletti Perfect, Ferreira Or Johnson Can Go - Mourinho

2007-08-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

Speaking to the media during Juliano Belletti's presentation, Jose Mourinho was full of praise for the Brazilian full-back. However, he did let glimpse that he would ideally want to offload one right-back.
Jose Mourinho declared his squad complete following the signing of Juliano Belletti, though he did let glimpse that he might just trim it down.

"First of all, this new player gives me what I need which is a closed door in my dressing room," he said. "That is very important for me.

"The market is open until August 31st but not for us. We have the new signings we fought for and we have the balance in the squad."

"But I want my squad to be just a little bit smaller," he continued. "We have 27 players because Belletti comes in but Arjen Robben goes out, and if we can, we will go down to 26.

"Our squad is a very balanced one. We have two players for each position and the right-back position is a position where we have more than two."

The two players in question are Paolo Ferreira and Glen Johnson, and the odds are in favour of the latter being offloaded.

"For the interest of the players, because everyone likes to play and not just be part of the squad, if clubs show a real interest in one of our players and our player shows interest in leaving for a better situation, that is okay," he continued, effectively inviting offers for the duo.

"But it is not a drama for me to keep 27 because they are all good players, they are useful and the season is long," he went on to insist. Paulo [Ferreira] is a player that I trust very much. Paulo is with me for six consecutive years and everything that I have won, he has won with me.

"From the defensive point of view he is a safe player. The reason why I wanted to bring in a different right-back is Chelsea, this season, is a different team, as everyone can feel.

"There is a different philosophy of playing so I felt I needed something different on the right, but no doubts, Paulo is a player that I love and I trust.

"Belletti brings what we believe we need - a pure right-back, not an adaptation any more like we did so many times with Diarra, Michael Essien and Shaun Wright-Phillips in that position.

"So we have an attacking right-back and not an ordinary one. He has played in two of the biggest teams in the world - the Brazil national team and for Barcelona. In Brazil he was world champion and in Barcelona he was not just Spanish champion but also European champion.

"Belletti has experience of playing in big teams so he is not scared to play at Chelsea.

"Was he the first option or the second option? For me the point is always the same, the best player is always the best relation between quality and price.

"Belletti is a very good player and the relation between his quality and the price makes him the best."

La Liga Preview: Real Madrid - Atlético Madrid

2007-08-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

The 2007/08 La Liga season kicks off with a bang on Saturday as the high-octane Madrid derby between Real and Atlético Madrid will officially get the new campaign underway.

Champions Already Under Pressure

Even before the first kick of a ball in La Liga, reigning champions Real Madrid are already feeling the sweltering heat of pressure from fans and media alike. After dishing out over €120 million to strengthen their team (or should one say completely overhaul their squad) and enduring a pre-season that hasn't exactly gone to plan, manager Bernd Schuster will have almost no room for failure come kick-off, especially since it is a clasico encounter against city rivals Atlético Madrid. That it is only day one of the new term should be no excuse to the men in white for not putting on an impressive show and bagging all three points.

It might be a little cruel for Schuster to begin his Real tenure with a Madrid derbi but the flip side of the coin is that the players on the pitch will not require any extra motivation nor ear-piercing lectures to go out and hit top gear straight away. The experienced campaigners will know by now that a clash with their crosstown rivals means more than just the three points. Pride and bragging rights are also always high up in the list of priorities and the newcomers will realize this as soon as the opening whistle is blown.

Late Show Continues

After putting on a series of incredible comebacks and "late shows" toward the end of last season to pip Barcelona to the league title, Madrid have continued with that particular theme in the transfer market this season. What looked like a fairly quiet start to their summer spending (by their standards at least) suddenly burst to life over the last two weeks as they splashed out close to €90 million in a space of fourteen days.

Arjen Robben, Gabriel Heinze, Wesley Sneijder and Royston Drenthe arrived at the Spanish capital with the typical Real fanfare and that immediately eliminated any question over their once unsurpassed spending power. But as president Ramón Calderón's predecessor will know only too well, all that extravagant spending will mean precious little if it's not translated into success. Instant success!

Out Of The Shadows?

Atlético Madrid have long been in the shadows of their illustrious neighbours. Aside from the obvious discrepancy in the trophy cabinet, Los Colchoneros have not beaten Los Merengues in their last 11 league meetings, stretching all the way back to October 1999 when they won 1-3 at the Bernabéu.

But for the new season, the mattress men can at least lay claim to having the type of summer shopping spree usually seen only in the white half of the city. Chairman Enrique Cerezo spent over €80 million bolstering his club to make up for the loss of their favourite son, Fernando Torres. Many fans believe that his departure and instant cash flow has already benefited the club greatly, as it allowed manager Javier Aguirre to enhance the depth and competitiveness of the squad.

The arrivals of Simão Sabrosa from Benfica, former Pichichi winner Diego Forlán from Villareal, Luis Garcia from Liverpool and Jose Antonio Reyes from Arsenal - via Real Madrid - will bring a good mix of quantity and quality to the team as they look to improve on last season's 7th place finish and also make an impression in the UEFA Cup.

Pre-Season Verdict

The pre-season preparations have not been pretty for Bernd Schuster and his boys. Inconsistent results and unimaginative performances culminated in last weekend's 3-5 trashing by Sevilla in the second leg of the Supercup. The knives were already out on Schuster even before that crushing loss after tame defeats to PSV Eindhoven and Real Betis is friendly cup competitions. If ever there is a time for Los Blancos to get going, it would be right now.

Atlético have been more solid in their pre-season and they will hold a slight advantage going into the game having played more competitive matches due to their Intertoto and UEFA Cup participation.

After an early shock 2-1 loss to minnows from Romania Gloria Bistrita in the first leg of the Intertoto, Aguirre's side have since hit their stride as they swept aside Serbians Nojvodina Novi Sad 3-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Cup qualifying round, followed by a 0-2 win at Getafe in their final pre-season friendly. But as the cliché goes, statistics, history and form book usually go flying straight out the window in a mammoth clash like this.

FORM GUIDE

Real Madrid

Aug 19 vs Sevilla (h) LOST 3-5 (Super Cup)

Aug 11 vs Sevilla (a) LOST 1-0 (Super Cup)

Jun 17 vs Real Mallorca (h) WON 3-1 (Primera Liga)

Jun 09 vs Real Zaragoza (a) DREW 2-2 (Primera Liga)

May 26 vs Deportivo La Coruña (h) WON 3-1 (Primera Liga)

Atlético Madrid

Aug 16 vs Nojvodina Novi Sad (h) WON 3-0 (UEFA Cup)

Jul 28 vs Gloria Bistrita (h) WON 1-0 (Intertoto Cup)

Jul 21 vs Gloria Bistrita (a) LOST 2-1 (Intertoto Cup)

Jun 17 vs Osasuna (a) WON 1-2 (Primera Liga)

Jun 09 vs Celta Vigo (h) LOST 2-3 (Primera Liga)

TEAM NEWS

Real Madrid

The big news coming out of the Bernabéu would have to be the last minute arrivals of Arjen Robben and Gabriel Heinze. However, the pair will have to postpone their debuts for another week, having yet to reach peak fitness and yet to be fully incorporated into the team.

The main concern is the fitness of goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The Madrid number one injured his right knee during training with the Spanish national team and he will be closely monitored over the next 48 hours. Jerzy Dudek will step in if he fails to recover in time. Gonzalo Higuain and Miguel Torres will be left out of the squad as they work on their minor injuries.

SQUAD: Casillas, Dudek - Sergio Ramos, Salgado, Pepe, Metzelder, Cannavaro, Heinze, Drenthe, Marcelo - Baptista, Sneijder, Diarra, Gago, Guti, Balboa, de la Red, Robben - Raul, Saviola, Robinho, Soldado, Higuain, van Nistelrooy

PROBABLE STARTING XI: Casillas/Dudek - Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Drenthe - Sneijder, Diarra, Guti, Robinho - Raul, van Nistelrooy

Atlético Madrid

Jose Antonio Reyes will make an emotional return to the Bernabéu but his place in the starting line up is not guaranteed, especially after the influx of new midfield arrivals in the summer. His chances will be boosted though with Simão and Maxi Rodriguez both racing against time to pass a late fitness test, as will Greek defender Yourkas Seitaridis.

A fight for a place upfront is equally fierce with Mista, Luis Garcia and the impressive young "Kun" Agüero vying for a start alongside Diego Forlan.

SQUAD: Leo Franco, Abbiati - Seitaridis, Antonio Lopez, Mariano Pernia, Fabiano Eller, Ze Castro, Perea, Ibanez, Juan Valera - Luccin, Raul Garcia, Maxi, Jurado, Maniche, Cleber, Simão, Cuevas, Reyes - Forlan, Luis Garcia, Agüero, Silva, Braulio, Mista,

PROBABLE STARTING XI: Leo Franco - Ze Castro, Ibanez, Perea, Antonio Lopez - Maxi, Raul Garcia, Luccin, Simão /Reyes - Agüero, Forlan

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Real Madrid - Wesley Sneijder

Among all the fresh faces, the 23 year old Dutchman will be the one to keep an eye on, as he holds the key to Real's midfield creativity. As the new crossball and set piece specialist, expectations of him will be even higher now that he is seen as a near-direct replacement for David Beckham. Robinho will be Schuster's other hope to spark some much needed imagination to the team, as the Brazilian will be eager to finally prove himself to the Bernabéu faithful after his excellent showing in the Copa America.

Atlético Madrid - Diego Forlan

The former Yellow Submarine hitman will put Real's shaky defence to the ultimate test. Aguirre is expected to go with an attacking mindset and the Uruguayan will have plenty of support and firepower from his midfield teammates. Jose Antonio Reyes often did his most damage coming on as a substitute for Real Madrid last season and he'll be looking to do the same this term, except for Atlético's benefit. Also look out for Simão, Maxi and Agüero to provide plenty of sizzle to trouble the merengue defence.

PREDICTION

Real Madrid will be looking to avoid the disaster of last week at all cost. There will be plenty of fireworks in this encounter, despite the fact that opening day matches usually take a while to get going.

Real Madrid 2-2 Atlético Madrid

Materazzi injured in lame Italy showing

2007-08-24T03:04:00.001-07:00

World Cup Winners Italy, humbled 3-1 by Hungary in a friendly on Wednesday will face France next month missing defender Materazzi.

The Inter Milan star forever associated with his spectacular run in with Zidane in Berlin's Olympic stadium last year injured his right thigh in the embarassing loss to the Hungarians in Budapest.

That leaves the 34 year old side lined fir Italy's group B qualifiers against beaten World Cup finalists France in Milan on September 8 and against Ukraine .

Italy were criticized by the Italian press on Thursday who described the Budapest result as humiliating and lacking ideas against a Hungarian side which was more reactive and athletically fresher.

The new signings of Real Madrid posed with their new kit at the stadium

2007-08-24T02:58:00.000-07:00

Arjen Robben and Gabriel Heinze posed with the Real Madrid kit. Qt the stadium, were thousands of eager fans had gathered in order to meet them. The players thrilled the crowd with several tricks.

Gabriel Heinze was the first to appear dressed in Real Madrid's kit. The Argentine did several tricks with the ball, showcasing his great quality and technique. After this, he had his picture taken, waved to the fans and kicked some balls to the stands.

Arjen Robben took the pitch moments later. After having a look at the team's bench, he got nearer to the photographers and the fans and also did several tricks to display his wonderful touch on ball. Robben sent several balls to the stands, once tricking the fans by looking in one direction and sending the ball the other way. Both players then posed together for the media.

Robben Blasts Chelsea & Mourinho

2007-08-24T02:35:00.000-07:00

One of Real Madrid's two new signings from the English Premiertship, Arjen Robben, last night accused Jose Mourinho of not giving him a chance at Chelsea.

Dutch winger Robben made it clear that the reason he wanted to quit Chelsea was his poor relationship with manager Mourinho.

Robben, 23, joined Real Madrid in a £24.5million transfer, signing a five-year deal at the Bernabeu.

He said of Chelsea: “In the early stages, yes they could have done more. But after a while I felt I wasn’t getting the confidence I needed, then I started to change my mind about being at Chelsea.

“And when a massive club like Real Madrid shows an interest it makes it easy and gives you a great feeling.

"When you compare the feeling of confidence you get from Real and Chelsea then you have to go where you feel you will be most happy and that’s what I did.

“I know it’s a lot of money and it just shows the interest Madrid had in signing me.

“They gave me a lot of confidence and showed over the last few weeks they were willing to do anything to get me here. The reception I was given from the fans was above all expectations.

“It was an unbelievable feeling when I went down the steps and the warm welcome I got was really amazing and gives me more motivation to do well for the fans and for the club.

“I will prove that it’s not true that I’m made of glass and I’m always injured. I know I am strong and I know that I can do well here.”

Robben’s father Hans, who is also his agent, backed him by insisting that Chelsea made no serious attempt to keep him at Stamford Bridge.

Robben Senior said: “We thought it was the intention of Chelsea for Arjen to stay but they never offered a new contract.

“It was said he was offered a new contract but that never happened. Chelsea are a great club but Arjen decided he would be happier at Real Madrid.”

ATI All-in-Wonder X600 Pro

2007-08-22T03:41:00.001-07:00

Company: ATI Technologies Inc.
http://www.ati.com

Price As Tested: $249.00 Direct
Graphics Processor: Radeon X600 Pro
GPU Engine Clock Speed: 400
Memory Clock Speed: 600
RAMDAC Speed: 400
Graphics Memory: 256
System Interface: PCIe
Card Width: single
Requires Power Connector?: no
Required Power Supply: 350
No. VGA Output(s): 1
No. DVI Output(s): 1
Video Inputs: Composite, S-Video
Video Outputs: S-Video, Composite
Included Cables: S-Video, Composite
Driver supports HDTV resolutions: 1280 x 768, 1920 x 1080
Includes DVI-I-to-VGA converter?: no
OS Support for drivers: Windows 2000, Windows XP
Bundled Software - Business, Utility, Media: ATI TV software bundle, Pinnacle Studio, Mediator 7
Bundled Software - Games: none
Warranty: 36 months

The ATI All-in-Wonder X600 Pro is the latest in ATI's popular line of 3D graphics/TV-tuner combo cards, and one of the first created for PCI Express graphics slots in new PCs. For those on a budget and with limited slots, it's a good choice.

The basic platform is the successful midrange Radeon X600 Pro graphics card, which was a pretty good performer for the price when it was introduced. It has four pixel pipelines, a core clock speed of 400 MHz, and 256MB of DDR memory at 600 MHz. In other words, you'll be able to play the latest games just fine with it, though not at extremely high resolutions.

In the past, All-in-Wonder cards had a tendency to create a rat's nest of wires behind your PC, as all the composite and S-Video inputs and outputs attached to short cables a few inches from the back of the card. ATI has made great strides here, replacing all those individual connections with a pair of long-corded input/output blocks that stack neatly on top of one another. This makes it a lot easier to plug and unplug VCRs, camcorders, stereos, TVs, and anything else you're going to capture from or send video and audio to.

The bundled software has improved as well, with more reliable video capture that offers more control over recording formats. Pinnacle Studio and Mediator 7 are included to help you edit your recordings into something a little more professional. Gemstar's Guide+ software grabs your local cable TV listings for free and serves as the primary DVR interface. It does a good job of quickly showing you what's on and makes marking shows to record on your PC's hard drive easy.

ATI hasn't quite knocked one out of the park with the AiW X600 Pro, though. The Theater 200 video processing chip used here isn't bad; it delivers TV of equal quality to most sub-$100 TV tuner cards. We've seen better from companies like Hauppauge, and even ATI's own standalone TV Wonder Elite, with the new Theater 550 chip, delivers dramatically better TV quality. Though this is only a standard-definition TV card, it would have been nice to have component-video inputs and outputs in addition to the S-Video and composite hookups.

If you have a small PC, or for any other reason have a very limited number of slots, the All-in-Wonder X600 Pro is a good way to get TV and decent PCI Express graphics at an affordable price. If you have some spare slots, however, we still recommend a graphics-only video card and a separate, superior TV-tuner card.

La Liga Taster: Real Déjà Vu In Madrid

2007-08-22T01:04:00.000-07:00

High drama and soap operas are never far away from the doorsteps of the Santiago Bernabéu. Even before the Liga season kicks off! This year seems to be no different.

Real Madrid have already consumed more headline space in the pre-season alone than most of their La Liga counterparts would in an entire campaign. Thankfully, though, the players will soon be free of the transfer window media circus, and able to start the season.

But now, there is another issue to grapple with: an unwanted and uncomfortable feeling of déjà vu. The sacking of a coach who just delivered a major title, the transfer market merry-go-rounds, the uninspired performances and more crucially, the lack of stability in the coaching and playing staff: all of these things are just a few examples of the issues that fans have read about one time too many.

Fabio Capello, of course, was sacked as coach just 11 days after guiding the club to their 30th La Liga title last season. This move was eerily reminiscent of how Jupp Heynckes and Vicente del Bosque were given the chop despite making significant contributions to the trophy room.

Such are the high demands and standards at the club that chronic managerial changes have become as notorious as extravagant summer spending.

Speaking of which, Los Merengues' activities in the transfer market this season also reek of déjà vu. The hype, rumours and failed attempts to lure the big names like Kaka, Cesc Fabregás and Arjen Robben to the capital have become ludicrously tiresome as the sequel to last season's transfer sagas seem to have no end in sight. Don't be too surprised if it turns into a trilogy this time next year!

The only thing that has been different this season, compared to the last seven or so years, is that the club have finally eased off on their obsession to sign at least one superstar player every year, whatever the cost. Although most of Europe's big guns have embraced that policy, this season the Madrid boardroom are, for once, thinking with their heads.

What's more, the fact that their last eight outfield signings (three from last season) are all well under the age of thirty goes to show that the club are wisely planning for the future. They have also gone into the habit of only signing players that they really need - full marks to them for recruiting only one striker so far.

More impressively, they are giving their young boys from the cantera, such as Javier Balboa, Roberto Soldado and Ruben de la Red, a chance to prove that they are worthy of wearing the white shirt.

Pre-Season Apprehension

It's difficult to grade Real's on-pitch pre-season exploits. While it is evident that results and performances have been unconvincing, one has to firmly keep in mind that the team is in yet another transitional phase. Not only does the half a dozen new arrivals have to adapt to a completely unfamiliar environment, the surviving crop of players from last season have to acclimatize to a different coaching and playing style - as well as to their new teammates.

But it's clear that the massive dressing room revamp is cause for concern. If Capello, one of the most experienced and successful club coaches in the world, needed half a year to gel his team last season, how long will Schuster need before his squad starts firing on all cylinders? It is something that Madridistas simply must endure.

The pre-season results seem to have a distinct pattern: a victory would always be followed by a defeat. In terms of their display, they have looked significantly unpolished. Schuster may have gotten away with losing a few friendlies, but the embarrassing Supcercup defeat to Sevilla (6-3 on aggregate) has left him, and the team, without a hiding place. On the basis of the Supercopa, the fans and the board will be left extremely apprehensive with the league kicking off in just under a week.

Despite the rampant pessimism, some found succour in these results. Losing at any level may not look pretty on paper but it demonstrates that Schuster is doing his job of experimenting with tactics and strategies, shuffling his players to find the right mix and getting everyone up to speed with their roles, instead of just pointlessly chalking up one win after another.

After all, it is better to stumble in the pre-season games than in the competitive league matches.

The Royal Family

In another recurring pattern, Madrid are set to line up with a lineup near-unrecognisable to that of this time last year. Real begin the defense of their Primera Liga crown against city rivals Atletico Madrid on August 26 and it'll be a strange team that starts this clash.

Goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who is quickly overtaking the fading Raul as the club's golden boy, looks to be the only player guaranteed of seeing his name on the starting line up come opening day. At the age of just 26, he was phenomenally solid and consistent last season and he will continue to shepherd Madrid's goalmouth unchallenged, ahead of newcomer Jerzy Dudek.

The arrivals of 26 year old Christoph Metzelder on a free transfer and 24 year old Pepe for €30 million will give the once aging merengue backline a fresh makeover, although questions have been raised about the club's decision to choose the Brazilian-born Portuguese over more established defenders such as Gabriel Milito and Christian Chivu - not t mention the price tag.

To his credit, the ex-Porto centreback has been one of the better players in pre-season, until, of course, his dismal showing against Sevilla in the Supercup. His real character and true worth will be tested by how well he bounces back.

The duo will compete with Fabio Cannavaro for the centreback positions, although the Italian World Cup winning captain should easily be the first choice if he can pick up where he left off towards the end of last season.

While the ever-impressive Sergio Ramos has nailed down the right-back slot, the left-back spot is up for grabs. It's set to be hotly contested between three explosive, ambitious youngsters: Miguel Torres, Marcelo and Royston Drenthe, all of whom will be vying to earn the tag of 'new Roberto Carlos.'

The 20 year old Drenthe, signed from Feyenoord for €14 million, is an exciting prospect for Los Blancos. The Edgar Davids lookalike is equally adept playing as a left-back or as a left attacking midfielder. With his flair and flamboyance, one feels that the will be better utilized in attack to add an extra dimension to Madrid's game.

Which brings us to their midfield. It is this department where Schuster will find hardest to sort out.

His main goal will be to find the perfect balance between defence and offence. Capello's double defensive pivot last season was never a big hit with the fans and, given the summer promises of sexy football from the President, if Schuster adopt it, it may be even more unpopular. Mahamadou Diarra and Fernando Gago mayhave to fight it out for the exclusive rights to tackle the defensive midfield chores.

For the creative and attacking roles, Schuster appears to be rather flexible in his formation. Robinho, Guti, Drenthe, Balboa and Wesley Sneijder all seem happy to assume free roles, often shifting and swapping positions with each other in the middle of play.

The 23 year-old Sneijder is the latest addition to the squad after a €27 million move from Ajax Amsterdam, and he is another eye-popping young talent. Schooled by the Dutch principle of Total Football, the Dutchman has remarkable versatility. The dexterous two footed player is comfortable playing virtually any part and position in midfield and he has been assigned as the team's new set piece specialist. Quite appropriate, then, that he should inherit the number '23' jersey.

Up front, all signs are pointing towards a lone striker configuration. Ruud van Nistelrooy is unparalleled when it comes to executing that role and he will gladly spearhead the attack, with Roberto Soldado acting as his understudy. Javier Saviola, the priceless free-transfer capture from Barcelona, Raul and Robinho will be among Schuster's choices to occupy the 'hole' behind the target man.

The Brazilian Boy Wonder, Robinho, will be the one player whom everyone will be expecting to shine brightest this term. He enjoyed a sensational Copa America outing this summer, picking up the Golden Boot and being player of the tournament. The last few seasons have been tumultuous for him, but now that he has finally settled into life as a Madrid man, this will be the year he'll have to elevate his game into another level.

Pure Pressure

As a manager, Schuster has a record for making an impressive start to a season, but he also has a reputation for fizzing off towards the tail end. And he'll need that good start: the German will be under more pressure than any of his predecessors of the past few years.

Aside from having to follow up the club's title win last season with more silverware, he also has to deliver them in style; a direct order from president Ramón Calderón, although the coach himself recently claimed that he himself never made such a promise.

Can he pull it off regardless? Or will this be another déjà vu mistake by the Real Madrid hierarchy? Time will soon tell!

Real Madrid Confirm Heinze Signing

2007-08-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

According to the Argentine press Real Madrid have confirmed the signing of left back Gabriel Heinze from Manchester United for 12 million euros.

Although it was speculated that the talented Argentine international would either join Liverpool or Juventus, he will instead reinforce Real Madrid for the new Spanish season.

The Spanish champions had been searching for an experienced left back, after youngsters Marcelo and Miguel Torres both didn’t impress in a preseason where their defense was exposed time and time again.

Madrid were also woeful in defense in their 5-3 defeat against Sevilla in the Spanish Super Cup last Sunday.

Heinze, who is 29 years of age, has already played in Spain, after representing Real Valladolid in the 1997-1998 season and then again in the 1999-2001 season.

Since then he has played for Sporting Lisbon, Paris Saint Germain, and his latest club Manchester United.

The highly rated defender will be the fourth Argentine in Madrid’s ranks, after Javier Saviola, Fernando Gago, and Gonzalo Higuain.

According to reports Bernd Schuster has now set his sights on another Argentine, Real Zaragoza striker Diego Milito.

Milan Seal 5 Million Emerson Deal

2007-08-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

After FIFA agent Ernesto Bronzetti managed to smooth the way this morning, AC Milan and Real Madrid agreed a 5 million euro price for Emerson.

Emerson's move to Milan has now become official, with vice-president Adriano Galliani declaring on the club's website: "Milan communicate that they have signed Emerson from Real Madrid on a permanent basis."

The on-again, off-again move has finally been completed after work from agent Erneto Bronzetti.

FIFA-licensed Bronzetti managed this morning managed to convince Madrid to sell the Brazilian to Milan for a fee of 5 million euros. Originally, Madrid president Ramon Calderon wanted a higher sum in exchange for the out-of-favour Brazilian.

Milan have been looking to reinforce their midfield ever since the Moscow tournament, in which they drew against PSV and went down 3-1 against Lokomotiv before coming back to draw 3-3 in a rather end-to-end game.

It was evident there that the midfield did not have the depth required of a top team - not enough quality to suitably replace the likes of Pirlo, Gattuso, and Seedorf.

Emerson and Barcelona's Thiago Motta had been the two names doing the rounds and, while the latter seems to be staying at the Nou Camp for now, the former is finally a Rossonero... and about time, too.

Madrid president Ramon Calderon marked Emerson's Bernabeu exit earlier this summer, earmarking the former Juventus man as one of the transfer-listed players.

Emerson, also known as "The Puma", only arrived in Madrid last summer following Juventus' relegation, and cost the club 16 million euros.

Schuster Demands A Number Nine

2007-08-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

According to reports from Madrid, Bernd Schuster has asked Pedja Mijatovic for another striker in order to sort out the lack of goals.

Real Madrid's lack of effectiveness up front has been glaringly obvious throughout the pre-season.

Barring a superb second half display that saw them score five against Lokomotiv Moscow, there has been pretty much nothing in terms of creative football.

The three goals against Sevilla have not fooled fans, and certainly not the critics - two of them were scored by Cannavaro and Sergio Ramos from deal ball situations, and the third was a long range effort from Royston Drenthe.

None of that has detracted from the fact that bite in the attack has been conspicuous by its absence!

Madrid based daily AS have provided the inside scoop, revealing that Schuster has told Pedja Mijatovic very clearly that he needs a new number nine.

Mijatovic is just as concerned about his plans for the season possibly going awry, particularly with doctors advising that Ruud van Nistelrooy - who has just returned from injury, and who rescued Real Madrid last season - not be given more than 30-35 of the 60 games Real Madrid could have to play.

AS further reveal that the two names at the top of Mijatovic's pile are those of Real Zaragoza's Diego Milito and Ajax's Klaas Jan Huntelaar, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic considered mission impossible!

Italian Supercup: De Rossi Penalty Sees Roma Down Inter

2007-08-20T05:17:00.000-07:00

he Giallorossi made it two in a row against Inter as the Capital city side defeated the Nerazzurri 1-0 at San Siro to take home the second trophy in the space of a few months.

Roma cold not have hoped for a better start to their season. After some disappointing performances in the pre-season, when the real football came, the Giallorossi proved that they are up there with both Inter and Milan.

On the other hand, the Nerazzurri continued on the same path of the past pre-season friendlies, with Roberto Mancini’s side disappointing and proving that they are far from their best condition with the Serie A season round the corner.

Roma started out well as the Giallorossi took control of the game in the first 30 minutes, with Inter being too slow and without many ideas to really worry Luciano Spalletti's side.

The most active forward for Roma was Giuly who missed a couple of good chances early on in the game which went wide. Inter started to push forward in the final 15 minutes of the first half thanks to David Suazo's incredible speed, but in the end it was the Giallorossi who had the better of the game in the first 45 minutes.

The second half continued on the same lines of the first half, with Roma playing the better football and creating the most chances throughout the second 45 minutes.

Luis Figo almost scored on a counter attack, but Doni was extremely good to stop him when the Portuguese faced him on a one-on-one situation mid-way through the second period.

However, tension was rising, and after referee Rosetti failed to award a penalty to Roma for a handsball by Luis Figo in the Nerazzurri's penalty area, Simone Perrotta was sent off in the 52nd minute before even coming in on the pitch as the Italian international protested too much with the fourth official.

However, five minutes later, Roma were awarded a legitimate penalty as Francesco Totti was tripped inside the penalty box by a clumsy Burdisso. De Rossi took the responsibility and made it 1-0 for the Giallorossi.

Roma kept on pushing forward, whereas Inter relied on the counter attack thanks to Suazo's speed. However, the Nerazzurri failed to create any clear cut chances, whilst Roma almost doubled the score with Vucinic, but Julio Cesar reacted well to parry his close range shot.

In the end it was a deserved win for Roma and the Giallorossi fans will be hoping that this bides well for the new season. Inter, however, still need to work a lot, especially in the defensive department where they allowed too much space to the Roma forwards.

Serie A will kick-off next weekend and by the looks of it, this one will be a very balanced season with many teams competing for the top honours.

Previews: Spanish Super Copa 2nd leg

2007-08-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

This season's Real Madrid will be presented to its fans at the Santiago Bernabéu tonight in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla. This could be Bernd Schuster's first title as coach. If Real Madrid win, they will have more Super Cups than anyone else in Spain, and if Raúl scores, he will become the competition's all-time top scorer. The clash will take place tonight at 22:00 CET.

Many believe the Spanish Super Cup isn't an important title, but the truth is it is no ordinary trophy because only the champions of the King's Cup and the Spanish League can participate. Therefore, this is no minor competition, especially for Real Madrid, who want to win the first of the four titles they will fight for this season. Their rivals are Sevilla, who aspire to win five titles this campaign -they still have to face Milan in the European Super Cup-.

The fixture will be Real Madrid's first game as locals in the 2007/08 season; the official presentation of Bernd Schuster's team to its fans. The German's starting line-up is unknown, It is certain Gonzalo Higuaín won't play due to injury and that one of the 19-men squad list will have to be dropped prior to kick-off as the competition only allows 18-men squad lists -like the League-.

t is uncertain if Sevilla's right back Daniel Alves will play. He didn't face AEK Athens this week, but it seems he will perform tonight at the Bernabéu. He is a very strong and fast player with a powerful shot, and he shares the right wing with Jesús Navas, possibly the fittest right winger in European football -he gave the assists for both of his team's goals against the Greeks-.

This will be a very special match for Bernd Schuster because he may win his first title as coach and because he will face Sevilla, who defeated his Getafe last season in the King's Cup final. Unlike his previous teams, Real Madrid is a side built to win titles and Schuster is well aware of this.

The crowd at the Bernabéu should become the 12th player to help the Whites win, just as in the final League match against Mallorca last season. Last year, the fans helped the team win the League title and come back from incredible defeats, much harsher than the small 1-0 defeat of the first leg last week.

This could be Real Madrid's eighth Spanish Super Cup, making them the team to have won the title the most times. They are currently drawn with Barcelona with seven trophies each. If Raúl scores tonight, he will become the competiton's all-time top-scorer; he's tallied seven so far, the same as former Barcelona player and current Celta Vigo coach Hristo Stoichkov.

Arsenal draws 1-1 at Blackburn

2007-08-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

Robin Van Persie put Arsenal ahead on 19 minutes at Ewood Park with the help of a Brad Friedel error, but Rovers equalised late on when Jens Lehmann fumbled David Dunn's shot into the net in a physical encounter.

Both teams started their second Premier League game of the season having played one, won one - and also having both won in Europe in midweek.

Starting XIs:

Blackburn: (01) Friedel, (07) Emerton, (04) Samba, (06) Nelsen, (03) Warnock. (11) Bentley, (08) Savage, (19) Dunn, (12) Pedersen, (09) Santa Cruz, (27) Derbyshire. Substitutes: (32) Brown, (02) Ooijer, (05) Kerimoglu, (10) McCarthy, (30) Roberts

Arsenal: (01) Lehmann, (03) Sagna, (05) Toure, (10) Gallas (24 Senderos ), (22) Clichy. (32) Walcott, (16) Flamini, (04) Fabregas, (13) Hleb, (09) Eduardo, (11) Van Persie. Substitutes: (24) Almunia, (06) Senderos, (15) Denilson, (17) Song Billong, (26) Bendtner

Referee: Alan Wiley

Benni McCarthy was fit but started on the Rovers bench, and Mark Hughes brought in Brett Emerton playing. Arsenal gave a first start to Eduardo da Silva, alongside Robin van Persie. Theo Walcott also came in.

When the game got underway, Jens Lehmann was soon in action, coming to punch a Brett Emerton cross clear but colliding with Kolo Toure and hurting his right arm, requiring treatment. Manuel Almunia was immedately warming up, but Lehmann continued.

On 19 minutes, Arsenal took the lead following a mix-up in the Blackburn defence after goalkeeper Brad Friedel dropped the ball and Robin van Persie latched onto it to tap in easily from close range. It was the Dutchman's seventh goal in six games against Rovers.

Arsenal captain William Gallas twisted his knee and had to be replaced by Phillippe Senderos after 24 minutes, with Toure taking the armband.

Ex-Gunner David Bentley was booked for wrestling Robin van Persie to the ground, and then Mathieu Flamini collected a yellow for a challenge on Robbie Savage as they both went for a high ball.

The game became feisty with Emerton and Alexander Hleb niggling at each other, and several Rovers players seeking out Eduardo to welcome him to the Premier League.

The Croatian needed treatment after Ryan Nelsen climbed all over him as they weent for a high ball, to the annoyance of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger on the touchline, who made his feelings known to the fourth official.

Nelsen then showed the other side of his game by heading the ball against the woodwork inside the area from a free-kick.

Theo Walcott break clear on the right but his cross into the box for Robin van Persie was a let down and what could have been a second for the Gunners hoes begging.

Eduardo flashed in shot before Robbie Savage was urged to calm down by referee Alan Wiley, and the teams reached half-time with a full complement of players, despite the feisty first half.

Early in the second half, Robbie Savage appealed for a penalty after a tangle with Toure. But the referee waved off the protests.

Roque Santa Cruz got a touch on a David Bentley inswinging free-kick from the left, but could not turn the glancing header goalwards.

Matt Derbyshire climbed high at the far post but could not direct his header at goal, before Bentley exploited a Clichy error and steamed into the Arsenal area, forcing Flamini to concede a corner. As the ball came in Rovers committed a foul, but Christoper Samba was railing at the referee over the decision, insisting Cesc Fabregas had stopped his goalbound effort with an arm and demanding a penalty.

But Blackburn levelled with another goalkeeping error - and the second howler of the season by Lehmann. He fumbled a straightdorward David Dunn shot over the line for the Rovers equaliser.

R.Nelsen was sent off in the 84th minute for a second bookable offence but Blackburn held on and managed to draw.