Richard Lewington

Every season, I indulge in the same thought experiment... What can I make out of the wreckage of the three relegated teams? Inevitably teams that get relegated tend to shed players and rebuild (Burnley and Norwich being two recent teams to go against that trend). This year’s relegated Premier League sides are an odd mix. […]

UEFA’s ‘other’ competition, the Europa League, begins on Thursday, with 48 teams starting their journeys toward spring final in Basel, where one club will earn a berth in the 2016-17 Champions League. Here is World Soccer Talk’s preview: Group A The groupings start off with what could be the toughest of the lot: Ajax (Netherlands), […]

It's the time of the year that most soccer fans look forward to — the return of the UEFA Champions League. Beginning in September, the biggest clubs in Europe start their journey through the Group stages as they try to progress through the competition and dream of an appearance in the final at the San […]

This Tuesday and Wednesday, clubs from around Europe will be competing in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off matches as they hope to take a giant step into the Group Stage of the tournament that kicks off next month. The 10 winners of these playoff round ties, five from each route, will […]

Schone Shines Ajax are going to be hard pressed to outpace either FC Barcelona or Paris St Germain. However, they look comfortable for the Europa League spot at the moment. If they do drop into that competition, I fancy them to do well. The star man for them through the first two fixtures has been […]

Some would say this is a thankless task — picking a starting XI and a bench from the three relegated sides. I examined the three relegated sides to see what could be salvaged and turned into a functional, if not stylish, Premier League team. Stats, whether you love or hate them, paint a clear picture […]

Author of Soccer In Sun and Shadow, Uruguayan journalist Eduardo Galeano is best known in North America as the author of Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent. That novel made headlines (and vaulted to #2 on the Amazon sales list) when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez publicly handed US President […]

After 4 seasons, 13 trophies and hours upon days of exquisite football, Pep Guardiola has decided that a change is best for both himself and Barcelona. Coming directly on the heels of being eliminated from the Champions League by Chelsea and from the Spanish title race by arch-rival Real Madrid, it's hard to not see […]

Congratulations to FC Barcelona for capturing their 2nd Champions League in 3 seasons. Three incisive goals from Messi, Villa and Pedro saw Barca cruise to a 3-1 victory over Manchester United. More analysis to follow.

Join us over at our sister site, EPL Talk, and share in the discussion and banter with soccer fans around the world. We’re expecting a big crowd online for the biggest game of the season. And we hope you can join us. The live blog will be available at epltalk.com starting at at 2:45pm EST.

Which kind of final are we going to get this season? For every 1999 or 2002 final that people still talk about there seems to be an equal number of forgettable finals (think 2003) that produce more hyperbole than high-calibre football. This season's final has been branded a 'dream match' by many pundits and on […]

I have no idea how much I would spend for a quality ticket to see this year's Champions League Final. It's a moot point as I wouldn't be able to travel to London for the match but it's a fun topic to discuss. The cheapest ticket for this Saturday's showdown between Manchester United and Barcelona […]

FC Porto wrote another chapter in their majestic season by becoming Europa League champions. Porto beat Sporting Braga 1-0 in the Europa League final at the AVIVA Stadium (referred to as the "Dublin Arena" for this final). Porto had previously claimed domestic league honours, their 25th league title, as well as winning the Supertaça Cândido […]

UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Body rendered its verdicts on the proceedings relating to the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg between Real Madrid and Barcelona on April 27th. Real Madrid coach José Mourinho, who was dismissed from the bench in the first leg and made an inappropriate statement during the post-match interview, has been suspended […]

The third installment of this season's 'El Clasico' match-up between Real Madrid and Barcelona could have been renamed 'El Fiasco'. Depending on your outlook, it may have been surprising to see Jose Mourinho's Madrid squad setup with such bullying tactics. Both coaches had strong words for one another in the press conference so I was […]