With just one week to go until the start of the 20th MLS season, several high-profile kits have been leaked on social media for expectant fans to pour over, analyze and dissect.

World Soccer Talk gives you the run-down, and our take on each one of these jerseys which will be worn by the likes of Kaka, David Villa and (maybe) Frank Lampard.

Unfortunately (or fortunately in the case of MLS teams), not all of the jerseys have been leaked by the teams, so we’ll have to keep on guessing until MLS jersey week happens next week.

In the meantime, here’s what we’ve discovered thus far.

Here are the ones that have been leaked as of press time:

Chicago Fire 2015 away jersey

Chicago Fire 2015 third jersey

Colorado Rapids away jersey

The Colorado Rapids have kept a tight lid on what their home and away jerseys will look like for 2015. However, the above image gives a clue that the away jersey is likely to be yellow in color with a blue trim. When released or leaked, let’s see if the new away jersey looks like Sweden’s home jersey or not.

Columbus Crew 2015 home jersey

Columbus Crew 2015 away jersey

DC United 2015 away jersey

Houston Dynamo 2015 home jersey

LA Galaxy 2015 home jersey

Order your 2015 LA Galaxy home jersey from World Soccer Shop.

LA Galaxy 2015 away jersey

Montreal Impact 2015 away jersey

While simplicity usually works well on soccer jerseys, this one is simple to the point of blandness. It’s predominately white, with blue accents and almost nothing on the jersey stands out.

The sponsorship design from BMO is awful – the font doesn’t go at all with the overall tone of the jersey design and the garish red blotch of a logo sticks out like a sore thumb.

Finally, the light gray hoops on the torso are supposed to break up the monotony, but unfortunately they’re too subtle to catch the eye.

All in all, the less said about this jersey, the better.

New England Revolution 2015 home jersey

New England Revolution 2015 away jersey

New York City FC 2015 home jersey

With its combination of a crew neck, white shorts and Etihad Airways sponsorship logo, from afar it’s almost identical to Manchester City’s 2013/14 jersey, despite being made by adidas.

Order your New York City FC official home jersey today.

The jersey has a number of unique, commemorative design features.

First, the badge is made up of three colors – Manchester City’s traditional sky blue; the navy of the franchise’s other owners, the New York Yankees, and orange taken from New York City’s flag.

The design is also based on the iconic subway token, and was chosen in a poll by more than 100,000 fans.

A badge commemorating New York City’s inaugural MLS season can be found on the bottom-left of the torso, while the new MLS logo on the sleeve is in the club’s own sky blue-and-navy combo.

It’s an attractive jersey, and the minimalistic look is perfect for their first home design. Like sister club Melbourne City, the New York side clearly want to resemble their parent club as much as possible, while showing their individuality more with the away jersey.

New York City FC 2015 away jersey

The away jersey is black with sky blue (adidas stripes, Etihad logo) and orange (collar triangle) accents.

The best part of this jersey is the back-neck graphic – an intertwined NYC in New York orange which, on top of the black jersey, evokes the old baseball Giants logo.

Finally, we have the five subtle diagonal stripes across the jersey, representing the city’s five boroughs.

This again, is a great jersey and could prove commercially successful as it represents the club’s individuality. You sense that the home jerseys could be too close to Manchester City’s, so fans wishing to celebrate their own club’s identity might opt for this one instead.

New York Red Bulls 2015 home jersey

Past New York Red Bulls jerseys have been predominately white with red detail, but the secondary color plays a much bigger role on this 2015 jersey, made by adidas.

The torso is white, while the sleeves are totally red, like an inverse Arsenal jersey.

The sponsorship, obviously, is supplied by Red Bull, giving the jersey possibly its most recognizable feature.

With NYCFC’s entry into the market, the Red Bulls wanted people to know they’re still the big dog in town (even though they play in New Jersey), so they’ve stuck ‘New York’ in large lettering near the bottom of the jersey.

Like NYCFC’s jersey, it’s an attractive offering, yet more radical and new-age than their city rivals. With the departure of poster-boy Thierry Henry, the club will have to forge a clear identity for the future, which is possibly the reason for the funky new template.

And while this jersey will surely be a fan-favorite, it’s doubtful they’ll be able to shift the same kind of numbers without the Frenchman, especially outside the city and country.

New York Red Bulls 2015 away jersey

Orlando City 2015 home jersey

New MLS team Orlando City will wear an adidas jersey of the same template as a number of European giants, including Valencia CF and Olympique Lyonnais.

This is a gorgeous jersey. All the parts work together, with the brilliant white Orlando Health logo fitting in seamlessly with the adidas markings and the horizontal stripes across the torso.

Not to mention the predominant deep purple color of Orlando City is fantastic, meaning Brazilian superstar Kaka and company will run out on opening day looking immaculate.

Even though the 21st MLS franchise sport gold as their secondary color on their badge, it was definitely a good choice to go with white for the detailing. Gold would have been too garish, so Orlando fans should buy their jerseys now, for fear that future incarnations aren’t as attractive.

Orlando City 2015 away jersey

Philadelphia Union 2015 home jersey

Philadelphia Union 2015 away jersey

Made by adidas, Philadelphia Union’s away jersey is white with navy and gold accents, which unfortunately combine for a nausea-inducing design.

There are some redeeming features, however.

The Bimbo sponsorship logo wins brownie points for evoking the look of a team in Liga MX. Also, the snake motif found on the inside-back collar is a nice touch.

But overall this jersey is one of the worst in recent memory. It’s forgettable, which is not the attribute you want with a new jersey design.

Portland Timbers 2015 home jersey

This jersey features the same template as New York City’s away kit, but in dark green with lime accents. Again, the slashed ‘V’ in the collar is the most striking feature.

This is a pleasing jersey without being extraordinary. Alaska Airlines supply the sponsorship, amidst a chevron motif which evokes Oregon’s mountainous region.

The adidas markings come in green, as does the inside of the collar, which reads ‘Let it rain, let it pour, let the Portland Timbers score’, a nice nod to the club’s passionate supporters.

Real Salt Lake 2015 away jersey

Seattle Sounders 2015 home jersey

Seattle’s 2015 home jersey features the traditional rave green with emerald blue, while adidas and Xbox return as jersey manufacturers and sponsors, respectively.

But while there’s a lot of continuity with this jersey, there’s also a lot to get excited about. For the first time, a Sounders jersey will feature white pinstripes across the torso, which is one of those love-or-hate features among most fans.

Also, as previously alluded, the emerald blue in the detail is slightly darker than in previous incarnations.

The jersey design template is a rather modern, simple design, which suits the club and its down-to-earth, passionate fan base really well.

Overall it’s a very attractive jersey, but that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise – Seattle always manage to pull off great designs.

It doesn’t really matter, however, since Sounders jerseys fly off the shelves anyway. Boasting the highest average attendance in the league, CenturyLink Field will be packed to the rafters with fans wearing this jersey come opening game.

Seattle Sounders 2015 away jersey

Sporting Kansas City 2015 home jersey

Tablecloth or beautiful design? You decide.

Toronto FC 2015 home jersey

Vancouver Whitecaps 2015 home jersey

It couples a minimalist, elegant design with a unique navy blue diamond graphic up near the top of the jersey, which evokes the snow-capped mountains of the region.

The jersey, which is predominately white, is rounded off with navy blue commercial markings (Adidas, Bell Canada) and a simple crew neck.

The new MLS logo on the sleeve is customized in white and navy blue.

This is a strong showing from the Whitecaps, who haven’t had the best form in the past when it comes to their uniforms, but it is the pick of the bunch, as far as we’re concerned.

Not since The Beatles first landed in 1964 has a British export enjoyed as much success in the United States as the Premier League.

Beginning with David Beckham’s stint with the LA Galaxy and continuing with a Gareth Bale billboard in Times Square, the English game has pervaded American popular culture has become a regular habit for many Americans.

But how likely are you to run into a town who shares a name with your favorite Premier League club?

Surprisingly, there are many familiar names throughout the US, such as the ones below.

Arsenal – Given Arsenal are one of the more popular clubs in North America, it’s disappointing there is no Arsenal, USA.

However, as Tottenham Hotspur fans never tire of reminding them, Arsenal used to play south of the River Thames as Woolwich Arsenal. And there is a Woolwich on the idyllic Maine coast, but it’s unlikely many residents of that beach town are aware of their link to the mustachioed fellows who played at the club that would one day become the only side in Premier League history to go a whole season undefeated.

Plus, there’s a Woolwich in New Jersey.

Aston Villa – With such an exotic name, it’s unsurprising Aston Villa doesn’t have an American namesake. However there is an Aston Township in western Pennsylvania, if that’s any consolation. But apart from that, US Villa fans will have to make do with the Randy Lerner connection.

Chelsea – As if Chelsea didn’t have enough going for them right now, there is a Chelsea, Massachusetts, which is less than an hour outside of Boston — as well as Chelseas in New York City, Alabama and Michigan.

Crystal Palace – Like Aston Villa, it was never likely we’d find a Crystal Palace, USA. There is, however, a Crystal, Minnesota.

Everton – Surprisingly, while some clubs have no namesakes, Everton has three towns who share its name.

There are Evertons in Indiana, Arkansas and Missouri. The largest one is in Missouri, boasting a population of a massive 319. And given the underdog nature of the club, it’s a fair bet there are more Liverpool fans than Toffees in that particular rural mid-western town.

Hull – While Hull are currently floundering near the bottom of the Premier League table, there’s finally some good news for the Tigers. There are five Hulls in the US. The Hull in Massachusetts is famous for being the hometown of President Calvin Coolidge. Meanwhile, there are also Hulls in Georgia, Iowa, Texas and Illinois.

Leicester – Although Leicester is one of those Premier League club names that some Americans have a tricky time with, there are four Leicesters in the States. You can find Leicester in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Vermont and New York.

Liverpool — The Reds have town/city namesakes in New York, Pennsylvania and Texas as well as an East Liverpool in Ohio.

Manchester City and Manchester United – There are several Manchesters in the United States including New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey and Vermont.

We’ll let City and United fight over them.

Newcastle — You can find Newcastles in Maine, Washington, Oklahoma and a New Castle in Delaware.

Southampton — You can find Southampton in several US states including New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maine and Virginia.

Stoke – The closest we could find was a Stoke On Trent Street in Jeffersontown, Kentucky Some Potters’ fans.

Sunderland — You can find Sunderland in Maine, Vermont and Maryland.

Swansea — The Swans may have one of the smallest stadiums in the Premier League, but they have an impact in the States with several towns sharing the same name thanks to the following states: Maine, Illinois, South Carolina and Arizona.

Sorry Burnley, QPR, Tottenham, West Brom and West Ham fans – there’s nowhere in the United States for you to visit and take funny pictures next to a big ‘welcome’ sign.

But to the rest of you – you now have a destination for your summer vacation!

Today’s League Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Liverpool promises to be a tense encounter with a chance that it could even go to extra time and penalty kicks given how close the margins are between both sides.

Programming note: If you live in the United States, the game is being televised on beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS Español as well as being streamed live on DishWorld. If you don’t have a TV subscription to beIN SPORTS, you can watch Chelsea vs Liverpool live on DishWorld for just $10 per month. The service streams the beIN broadcast in HD to your computer, tablet or smartphone. And set-up just takes minutes. Read our review of DishWorld. And sign up for DishWorld via their website.

DishWorld is a legal, high-quality live stream that also offers exceptional customer service.

How to watch Chelsea vs Liverpool in the USA:

When: Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Pre-game show: Begins at 2:30pm ET/11:30am PT
Start time: Game kicks off at 2:45pm ET/11:45am PT
TV coverage: beIN SPORTS (English language), beIN SPORTS Español (Spanish language)
Online coverage: DishWorld (English and Spanish languages are both available).

For $10/month, DishWorld offers soccer fans access to La Liga, Serie A, Ligue Un, English League Cup, Championship, Russian Premier League, AC Milan TV, Chelsea TV, Bayern Munich TV, Arsenal TV, J-League and more via the Sports Package featuring beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Español and One World Sports.

Sign up for DishWorld via their website to watch the Chelsea-Liverpool game and much more.

Here’s a demo of how DishWorld works:

After Raheem Sterling earned Liverpool a hard-fought draw in their first leg Capital One Cup semi-final, attention now turns to the return tie at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

And given the opponent waiting in the final at Wembley will either be League One’s Sheffield United or the wildly inconsistent Tottenham Hotspur, it isn’t too much of a stretch to suggest the winner of this match will already feel they have one hand on the trophy.

And if that wasn’t enough motivation, recent results have only stoked the flames going into this one.

Chelsea suffered a shock 4-2 home defeat to third-tier Bradford City in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday – one of the biggest ‘cupsets’ in history – which was dubbed by Jose Mourinho as a ‘disgrace’.

The result is that the League Cup – previously Mourinho’s fourth priority – is now hugely important, not just in ending the Portuguese’s wait for silverware since his return to west London, but also to stop the wheels falling off a 2014/15 campaign which started so promisingly.

And Mourinho, as master psychologist, will know that restoring confidence to his squad is of paramount importance ahead of a potential banana-skin Champions League tie with Paris St-Germain.

Every great season – and Chelsea’s could still be great – is made great by how the coach responds to adversity.

Although the embarrassment suffered on Saturday isn’t a catastrophe in itself, if not addressed properly it could spark exits in the Capital One Cup and the Champions League, leaving Mourinho with only a five-point Premier League lead from a season which might have delivered an unprecedented quadruple.

On the other hand, the treble is still on, although it’s not the treble Mourinho would have hoped for.

Essentially Chelsea still have everything to play for and Tuesday will mark the beginning of the fightback. Expect the Blues to come out all guns blazing.

Meanwhile for Liverpool, this match marks one of their few chances to salvage something meaningful from what’s been a car wreck of a season.

Having harbored title-chasing ambitions in pre-season, Liverpool have disappointed on all fronts; they were unceremoniously dumped out of the Champions League and they’re currently languishing in eighth place in the league, 17 points off first-placed Chelsea.

But it isn’t necessarily results that have disappointed the Anfield faithful but the performances. The departure of Luis Suarez and the long-term injury to Daniel Sturridge have seen the goals dry up, while the defense remains laughably porous.

Having said that, Brendan Rodgers’ men have been on an upswing lately, and despite being held 0-0 at home to Bolton in the FA Cup on Saturday, they’ve definitely gotten 2015 off to a good start. Sterling looks to have regained the touch that saw him light up English football last season, while Sturridge could make his return to the lineup on Tuesday.

Still fighting on four fronts, you sense Rodgers’ future at the club could be shaped entirely by what happens in the next few months. Certainly a trip to Wembley and a piece of silverware would go a long way towards reassuring the owner’s, Fenway Sports Group that the team’s form since September is just a blip.

With both sides not wanting for motivation going into Tuesday’s match, the Stamford Bridge clash could not only provide viewers with an absorbing contest, but it could also have huge repercussions for the rest of the season.

The search for the managerial surprise package of this Premier League season surely has to start and end with Southampton manager Ronald Koeman.

To be sure, the Dutchman took over the St Mary’s club in adverse circumstances. After losing manager Mauricio Pochettino to Tottenham, the summer of 2014 was marked by a mass player exodus.

Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Rickie Lambert, Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers all departed (and Morgan Schneiderlin tried his best to get in on the act), while striker Jay Rodriguez struggled to return from a knee injury sustained at the end of the previous season.

To top it off, Koeman’s managerial credentials were received by many in England with indifference, since his success came almost exclusively in the Eredivisie with Ajax and Feyenoord.

So with his new club sitting in third after 21 Premier League games – higher than Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool – we must ask the question, just how has Koeman managed it?

As a player, Koeman enjoyed a long, successful career, twice winning the European Cup – once each with PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona.

As a center-half, he was notable for his attack-mindedness, his rasping long-range right-footed shots and for scoring the winning free-kick in the 1992 European Cup final against Sampdoria.

While Koeman has enjoyed success in fits and starts, his managerial career pales in comparison to his body of work as a player.

His football life is an almost perfect mirror-image of another new Premier League manager, Louis van Gaal.

The pair are widely known in the Netherlands as sworn enemies, yet it was Van Gaal who gave Koeman his start in management, allowing him to join his coaching staff at Barcelona only a year after he called time on his playing career.

A season after leaving Van Gaal’s team, he was appointed as Ajax boss, where he won two Eredivisie titles with a squad chock-full of talented youngsters, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rafael van der Vaart and Maxwell.

Frequently dipping into the academy system, Koeman is credited with guiding the transition of Wesley Sneijder, Thomas Vermaelen and Nigel de Jong from youth team to starting XI.

Incidentally, this was the point at which he and the current Manchester United manager fell out. Van Gaal, after being sacked by Barcelona, became the director of football at the Amsterdam giants, where he frequently butted heads with Koeman.

Koeman, realizing the situation was untenable, is thought to have engineered Van Gaal’s exit by turning Ajax’s ‘higher-ups’ against him and getting the media onside.

The two still refuse to speak to each other to this day despite their summer homes in the Portuguese resort of Vale do Lobo being less than 100 yards apart.

Since Koeman left Ajax, his record is decidedly mixed. In 2005, he took over at Benfica, but was sacked after just one season when his third place league finish was deemed unsatisfactory. Then in 2007, he returned to Iberia to take the reins at Valencia, where he was fired before the end of his first season, despite a Copa del Rey triumph.

Koeman clearly enjoys coaching young teams; he’s always done well when able to harvest a strong youth system for first team players, and is a mediocre manager otherwise.

He joined Feyenoord in 2011 and despite not winning any silverware, he managed to keep them in competitive with an Ajax side boasting such talent as Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Daley Blind.

The Dutchman received plaudits from Feyenoord players and fans alike for the faith he placed in academy graduates.

Twenty-two-year-old midfielder Jordy Clasie recently said he “taught me to be a leader and how I could be the best tactically. He basically raised me.”

So even though Southampton have already surpassed all pre-season expectations, in one sense his success isn’t that much of a surprise.

So here we are, at the start of 2015, with Southampton on course for a UEFA Champions League spot and in with a shout for the FA Cup. And most impressive is that he seems like a genuinely nice bloke; few would begrudge his success. Apart from Louis van Gaal.

If he maintains this level of performance longer, the whispers of a move to a bigger club will surely become louder. Indeed, there’s already talk of a switch to former club Barcelona to replace the under-pressure Luis Enrique.

But having just moved to the south coast in the summer, you doubt he’d be ready to leave at the drop of a hat. No, you suspect Koeman’s here to stay, for a few seasons at least, to the joy of Saints fans and the chagrin of everyone else.

After their pride took a knock in their first-leg defeat, Copa del Rey holders Real Madrid look to overturn Atletico’s two goal lead to progress to the quarter-finals at home today at 1:55pm ET on beIN SPORTS and DishWorld (for viewers in the United States).

Last week’s defeat to their cross-town rivals marked a mini-slump for the European champions following their 22-game unbeaten run, but they regained their confidence by dispatching Espanyol 3-0 on Saturday, with goals coming from James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale and Nacho Fernandez.

Meanwhile Atletico were well beaten by a rampant Barcelona on Sunday 3-1, and as they slip further back in the title race, the Copa will become an ever-greater priority.

Real, too, desperately want to stay in the competition in order to build on their imposing 2014 trophy haul. Both sides are therefore expected to field full-strength teams.

Programming note: If you live in the United States, the game is being televised on beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS Español as well as being streamed live on DishWorld. If you don’t have a TV subscription to beIN SPORTS, you can watch Real Madrid versus Atletico Madrid live on DishWorld for just $10 per month. The service streams the beIN broadcast in HD to your computer, tablet or smartphone. And set-up just takes minutes. Read our review of DishWorld. And sign up for DishWorld via their website.

The first leg also saw the return on Atleti fan-favorite Fernando Torres, who could also start on Thursday. The move is hoped to rejuvenate the struggling Torres’ career, but having their wunderkind back has also invigorated Atletico’s fans.

Manager Diego Simeone, who played alongside Torres in his first stint at the Vicente Calderon Stadium, said last week that having the former Liverpool and Chelsea striker has “increased the sense of belonging” he’s trying to build at the club.

Certainly it would really kick off the Atletico love-in if Torres were to score at the Santiago Bernabeu to help his boyhood club edge past Los Blancos.

Another player to watch is Gareth Bale, who has come under fire recently for his perceived selfishness in front of goal.

The Welshman was booed by his home fans for going for glory against Espanyol, when the better option would have been to square the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo for a tap-in.

Despite manager Carlo Ancelotti publicly declaring that none of his players has a problem with selfishness, but it will nonetheless be interesting to see what Bale would do if presented with a similar chance to the one he spurned on Saturday.

Clearly determined to get back to the Copa del Rey final, where he scored arguably his most important goal in a Real shirt last season, Bale tweeted the following after the Espanyol victory.

Real certainly have their work cut out for them on Thursday – they’ll have to score at least twice against one of Europe’s meanest defenses to force extra time.

But they know all about snatching victory from the claws of defeat (see their last-gasp Champions League final victory against Atleti last season) and will be more than up for the fight.

It should all make for a gripping encounter in front of 80,000 screaming Real fans and millions of TV viewers worldwide.

Having recently swapped Seattle for north London, USA international defender DeAndre Yedlin practiced with his new Tottenham teammates at the club’s Hotspur Way training ground.

Yedlin made an immediate impact by showing his pace in training and scoring a goal. Watch the highlights here featuring Yedlin, who will be wearing the number 12 jersey at Spurs.

Spurs signed Yedlin in the summer from Seattle Sounders after his impressive World Cup showing, but the former Sounders man only had his work permit approved in December, seeing out the MLS season in the meantime.

In recent seasons, the 21-year-old has been one of the most exciting MLS prospects and starred at the World Cup in Brazil, so it was little surprise one of Europe’s wealthiest clubs snapped him up in the summer.

Although he may not yet be the finished article, and he’ll take a while to adjust to the Premier League, Yedlin’s raw talent has certainly got Spurs fans excited.

Some may cast a cynical eye over Spurs’ current depth at Yedlin’s right-back position and question whether they need Yedlin. Kyle Walker, Eric Dier, Vlad Chiriches and Kyle Naughton have all played there this season, while promising youngster Ryan Fredericks is on loan at Middlesbrough.

But Dier and Chiriches are both natural center-backs, while Naughton has failed to deliver in his Spurs career, and is a target for Swansea City who are interested in adding a full back who can play on either the left or right.

Yedlin’s lightning-quick pace makes him versatile to play as a right winger too, so he gives Spurs head coach Pochettino options to consider.

West Ham United recently released its home shirt for the 2014/15 season.

The unveiling of West Ham’s home shirt has been worth the wait. The shirt’s atypical design throws up a number of interesting talking points.

Unlike normal Hammers jerseys, the designers have done away with the traditional sky blue sleeves, instead opting for a claret shirt with sky blue horizontal pin stripes. Sky blue can be found on the V-neck collar and cuffs, as well as in Adidas’ signature three stripes down the sleeves.

Speaking of Adidas, the German sportswear supplier are returning for their second consecutive season with the Hammers. Their logo is on the chest, on the right hand side, in white. Similarly, UK-based foreign exchange broker Alpari are West Ham’s primary sponsor. Their logo is also white.

The shirt itself will look familiar to football kit enthusiasts; its design is based on the Adidas Condivo 14 template, which a number of other top-flight clubs across the world will wear this season.

The shorts of this new kit are sky blue, with claret detail, while the socks mirror the shirt – claret with horizontal pin stripes.

Overall, the Hammers have come up with a stylish and unique 2014/15 offering.

This kit may perhaps be particularly popular with the older generations of West Ham supporters. This minimalist style definitely evokes memories of the classic shirt of 1985/86, the season in which the East London club came third in the old First Division, their highest-ever league finish.

Just as they did last year, Adidas have done a fabulous job on this new strip. With their tremendous track record for elegant jersey designs, they’ve certainly served the Upton Park faithful well this season. This is sure to be a very popular Premier League jersey.

SEE MORE — West Ham United’s away shirt for the 2014/15 season.

This week Italian giants Juventus released their home and away kits for the 2014/15 season.

Nike, who have made Juventus kits since 2003, are teaming up with the Turin club for a final season, before the “keys” are handed over to Adidas. This partnership, which has seen four Scudetti, as well as a one-season demotion to Serie B, has produced many iconic kits. This last offering could be one to savor.

The home shirt boasts an enlarged club crest on the left hand side, and Juve’s trademark black and white stripes have been widened, too.

The most noticeable differences from last season’s jersey are the stylish black polo neck collar and long v-shaped placket.

Described as a “modern interpretation of the deep necklines often seen on classic Juventus shirts,” this was presumably done to take fans back to the glorious Michel Platini-inspired 1980s.

Juventus claim this new strip is “infused with the passion of the Bianconeri fans, a kit that shows the club it belongs to Turin.” As such, the inside back neck has a yellow-and-blue piping, representing Turin’s royal colors.

Below this is a white tab with the message: “Fino alla fine” – “Until the end”, a motto chosen by an online fan poll earlier this year.

The shorts are a classic white with a thin black stripe along each side, while the socks are white.

The away strip sees the club return to their traditional combination of blue, with yellow accents.

The most eye-catching feature of this jersey is the star design emanating from the club crest. It’s an interesting look, and it really makes the shirt stand out.

The smatterings of yellow on this jersey can be found on the crew collar, the edge of the sleeve cuffs, and in the Nike swoosh.

Jeep’s logo is splashed across the shirt in bold, white typeface.

The away shorts and socks are both blue, meaning the reigning Serie A champions will play in a striking all-blue ensemble on their travels this season.

Finally, although not officially released, images of the Bianconeri’s third strip have been leaked online.

Based on the same Nike design template as Paris Saint-Germain’s 2014/15 third kit, this bright green offering really stands out.

The jersey is lime green, with black accents. Like the home kit, this shirt features a distinctive polo neck collar.

These new offerings, while perhaps daring, will undoubtedly be very popular with fans; the return of the famous blue away kit will be well-received, in particular. When it comes to Juventus uniforms, over the years we’ve really come to expect excellence. These latest strips don’t disappoint.

Last week, Italian giants Inter Milan released their 2014/15 home kit. With a radical new design and an updated crest, this shirt is something of a break with tradition.

As their nickname suggests, the Nerazzurri are known for wearing equal parts black and blue.

This year, however, they’ve gone for a predominately black jersey, with thin blue pinstripes. Purists may disapprove, but it makes for a fresh, interesting look. Give them credit; it’s a bold choice. The traditional striped design has been worn every season throughout the club’s 106-year history.

In addition, Inter have changed their club crest, although you wouldn’t know it to look at it. It’s hard to overstate just how subtle the changes are; you just hope they didn’t fork over too much cash to whichever graphic design firm did it.

The alterations to the crest include a re-ordering of the colors of the outer-ring (from black-gold-blue-gold to black-blue-gold-lighter gold), and a shortening of the ‘I’ in the centre of the badge. Believe me, it feel ridiculous to even mention these differences – they’re that insignificant.

Pirelli’s logo, with its trademark elongated ‘P’, seems to be the only familiar feature of this adventurous strip. The tire manufacturer, who have served as Inter’s shirt sponsor since 1995, have become so synonymous with the Milan club that it’s hard to imagine one without the other.

The Pirelli logo and the famous Nike swoosh are both white, while the sleeve cuffs and polo collar come with blue detail.

There’s a St George’s Cross, in tribute of the city of Milan, on the inside collar, and the word ‘Inter’ on the back, just below the collar.

The players’ numbers and lettering are blue – the same shade as the pinstripes – and are in Nike’s trademark 2014 font, similar to that seen on Brazil’s World Cup jerseys.

The shorts and socks are both primarily black, while the shorts feature blue piping.

All in all, this is a reasonably attractive kit, but it probably won’t go down as a classic. From last season’s overly-dark jersey to the uncharacteristic red away shirt of 2012/13, Inter have been experimenting quite a lot with their strips recently. While some enjoy these innovations, many would prefer to see the 18-time Scudetto winners don something a bit more traditional. Perhaps this is just a step too far.

Inter Milan’s away shirt for 2014/15:

Inter Milan’s third shirt for 2014/15:

As they prepare for their 2016 move to the Olympic Stadium, West Ham United are considering a change to their club crest.

In an official statement, the East London club have expressed the need to “better reflect and celebrate the things that make West Ham so special, particularly its rich history.”

As soccer becomes even more globalized, and clubs realize the importance of international branding, a trend has emerged for simpler, sleeker crests.

To avoid the fiasco Everton suffered last summer, Hammers fans have been extensively polled, both online and in person, as to what they’d like to see in the new emblem. Three separate open days for fans were even held at the Boleyn Ground, to view and discuss the proposals.

Last week, West Ham published preliminary findings, which indicated that supporters in general were keen to ditch the castle from the current crest, but almost all who responded said the crossed hammers had to be retained.

The new badge would only be adopted once the club leaves the Boleyn Ground, and as such they’ve been toying with the idea of including either a reference to London, or the Olympic Stadium.

The latest design proposed, which will be put to a final vote, features gold hammers, with ‘West Ham United’ across the top, in simple, bold typeface. The big talking point is that the word ‘London’ has also been included, which some find unnecessary.

In fact, this is the aspect of the badge that’s caused the most debate, according to the supporters’ organization. Despite being based in London, many Hammers fans consider the club to have a stronger base in Essex, which makes the reference to the capital seem phony – it smacks of an attempt to garner support from outside of the UK.

Indeed, although they claim to be updating the crest mainly for non-commercial reasons, the club did admit they do have international markets in mind as well.

In a recent online Q&A, a West Ham spokesperson said “We do believe also that there is a strong case for evolving the Club’s crest in a way that will also support our strategy to attract international star targets and help to engage new supporters all over the world, who we hope will develop the same love of West Ham that we possess.

“So while this has never been the guiding principle, there is an opportunity that we believe merits serious consideration.”

Just as it was with Everton last year, it’s easy to lambaste West Ham for making their logo look a bit babyish in the search for fans in emerging football markets.

But it’s also totally understandable. Modern soccer is all about money, after all. The Premier League has become the strongest domestic competition in the world on the back of its worldwide appeal. Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham and a myriad other clubs have simplified logos to suit fans in the Far East and the United States, especially.

Give West Ham credit, though. They’ve tried to make the badge look as classy as possible; it could even be said to evoke the iconic crest of the 1960s and ‘70s. Yes, it may look a bit infantile, but the Upton Park faithful can rest assured whichever crest is adopted will have the strong support from the fans.

READ MORE — Read the latest West Ham United news, analysis and opinion.

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has turned to his former club Feyenoord to sign the apparent replacement for Rickie Lambert — the £8million signing of 28-year-old striker Graziano Pellè.

Pellè, who has never been capped for Italy as a full international, has had a decidedly mixed career thus far. Before playing for Feyenoord, he had a series of short stints at Serie A and Serie B clubs, before switching to Louis van Gaal’s AZ Alkmaar. He endured four tough, individually unsuccessful years in north Holland, promptly returning to Italy.

But his second stint in the Eredivisie, with Feyenoord, was far more productive. His 27 league goals in 2012/13 made him the all-time top scoring Italian in a foreign league in a single season, surpassing Luca Toni and Christian Vieri.

Pellè, who signed a three-year deal, banged in 55 goals in 66 appearances for the Eredivisie side, after joining the club in August 2012.

On his St Mary’s move, Pellè said “I’m really happy that it’s finally signed. It’s great to be here. This is going to be the best choice for me because the club wants to keep improving every year.”

When asked why he chose Southampton, the Italian responded “[Koeman] and I worked together for two amazing years at Feyenoord, and I hope that it will be the same here.”

So what can Saints fans expect from their new centre-forward?

Koeman described Pellè as “a tall striker with a lot of movement. He’s very dangerous in front of goal.”

It would seem that there’s talent, but also the potential to disappoint. Pellè is probably the type of player that needs to play in a specific set-up, which should bode well for his Premier League career. If there’s anyone who knows how to get the best out of the mercurial Italian, it’s Koeman.

But how will Southampton fans react to this signing?

This summer, Southampton have the daunting task of rebuilding their first XI, after losing star players Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Luke Shaw.

Some fans, understandably, are unhappy that their established stars are apparently being replaced by relative no-names. But while it may be a natural reaction, Saints fans should keep the faith.

No-one should be under any illusions about the South Coast club’s spending power. After all, the success enjoyed over the last three seasons was built on an excellent scouting network and a world-class academy. Southampton’s big names, like Lallana, Shaw and James Ward-Prowse were products of the youth system, while Lambert, Morgan Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez were acquired from low-profile clubs.

The one notable departure from this strategy was the signing of Argentine-Italian Dani Osvaldo and we all know how that turned out.

So while this great summer upheaval has left some fans restless, things at Southampton aren’t as precarious as they may seem. The club has clearly been served well by its strong leadership in recent years. There’s no reason to suppose this won’t continue.

To commemorate this most extraordinary of World Cups, soccer clothing startup Futbola Culture have launched a line of special edition t-shirts, available in the US.

Proceeds from one of the shirts help to fund non-profit organization YALLA.

According to the two organizations, the t-shirt represents “the global power of soccer to unite us all for a great cause”.

The white tee, with a yellow-and-green design, is inspired by Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue. Directly funding YALLA’s soccer, education and eco-therapy programs, it can be found at www.yallaSD.org/worldcup/

The rest of Futbola Culture’s range is at www.FutbolaCulture.com

Only two years after starting its t-shirt collection, Futbola Culture is making waves. The brainchild of three brothers, whose South American roots provide a backdrop for their love of soccer, its designs are different, simple and cool.

The shirts range from abstract designs of futbol-esque scenery to depictions of people, music, history and art. They blend concepts and elements of futbol to form a simple, designer-like product, each having separate meaning.

As a nice alternative to typical soccer tees, these high-quality, fashion-cut shirts are suitable as lifestyle wear.

With a fierce passion for soccer and an eye-catching style, Futbola Culture have carved a niche boutique brand, underlined by an original flavor. Above all, the founders declare their ethos to be one “dedicated to the game’s worldwide impact on fans at all levels”.

Meanwhile, YALLA is a non-profit organization, also based in San Diego, California. They provide free after-school tutoring and soccer training for child survivors of war.

YALLA, an acronym for Youth and Leaders Living Actively, is also an Arabic word, meaning “let’s go”. Fittingly, the mission of YALLA is to use soccer as a vehicle to get immigrant and refugee youth to college.

For more information about YALLA’s work, visit www.yallaSD.org

With the £30 million signing of Chilean superstar Alexis Sánchez, it feels like a new dawn for Arsenal. With a serious title challenge on the cards, can we say that Arsène Wenger and Ivan Gazidis have finally seen the error of their frugal ways?

Not quite.

Factoring in the signing of Mesut Ozil last summer, the capture of £72 million’s worth of elite footballing talent in the space of 10 months would suggest a sharp change of tack. The North Londoners even look poised to announce the signing of Newcastle’s Mathieu Debuchy early next week, and it’s rumored Sami Khedira will be next.

But while this may sound like historical revisionism, there’s a lot of evidence that says this was part of Arsenal’s grand plan, all along.

In 2000, the club purchased a site in Ashburton Grove, then a waste disposal estate, which was to be the plot for the magnificent 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium. The old Highbury ground was simply too small to create the revenue needed to compete with the elite of European football.

This long-term project, however, would come at a cost. Loans of up to £260 million would have to be repaid over an extremely lean period. Meanwhile, the club was locked into a pair of unusually long sponsorship deals with Nike and Emirates. Signed in the early 2000s, the contracts were necessary to secure funding to build the stadium, but have since been dwarfed by commercial deals made by other Premier League clubs.

When the deals ended, however, Arsenal were free to negotiate new ones on the open market.

Recently the Gunners announced a new five-year, £150 million partnership with German manufacturer Puma. It’s the most lucrative kit deal in British football, eclipsing even those made by Manchester United and Liverpool.

A similarly profitable deal with Emirates has been struck, and together it’s estimated these deals represent an additional £70 million in revenue each year. That means Arsenal will be able to capture the equivalent of a Sánchez-Mesut Özil double-swoop every season, on top of their current rate of expenditure.

What Wenger has done is remarkable and truly unique; he’s worked on a shoestring budget in order to set Arsenal up for a period of commercial and sporting success. The Frenchman’s doing means Arsenal fans need not worry about the club breaking Financial Fair Play rules. And what’s more, Wenger has delivered Champions League football every season. Yes, some years, qualification has been tight. But he’s done it nonetheless.

Arsenal insiders will tell you that the summer 2014 has always been something of a landmark. Now the party can begin. With new stadiums for Tottenham and Liverpool seeming a long way off, Arsenal are set to leave their top-four rivals in their dust.

With regard to these clubs, Arsenal have been cunningly strategic in their transfer market dealings.

Their two biggest-ever moves (Ozil and Sanchez) were instrumental in the sales of Gareth Bale and Luis Suárez, the main men for Tottenham and Liverpool, respectively. Many of Europe’s top-line players have switched clubs in the last two summers – all rejected by Wenger apart from Özil and Sánchez. Coincidence? I think not.

Everything seems to be falling into place for the Gunners. Give them credit – they’ve stuck to their guns, even when Wenger was roundly lambasted for being a specialist in failure, to borrow José Mourinho’s line. Living frugally, as well as the emergence of Manchester City and Chelsea, both backed by rich benefactors, has knocked Arsenal from the peak of English football for a decade now. They finally look primed to reclaim their place.

With many players having now returned from the World Cup, transfer season has well and truly kicked off. Here’s a roundup of all the latest transfer talk from the Premier League and major European leagues.

First up – a few done deals.

Manchester City have announced the signing of goalkeeper Willy Caballero from Málaga on a three-year deal. The deal, fee undisclosed, sees the Argentine stopper reunite with his former gaffer Manuel Pellegrini. Caballero was considered one of La Liga’s finest keepers, and the competition this season between he and Joe Hart will be interesting, to say the least.

Chelsea have secured the services of Croatian teenager Mario Pašalić. The midfielder, who made 36 appearances last season for Hajduk Split, joined his new teammates on Wednesday for their first pre-season training session. Pašalić, Chelsea’s third signing of the summer after Cesc Fàbregas and Diego Costa, may be loaned out this season.

Tom Ince has signed a two-year contract with Hull City. The winger had long been admired by a string of Premier League clubs, including Liverpool and Tottenham, as well as Serie A’s Internazionale. Ince spent three seasons with Blackpool, in which he won a Football League Young Player of the Year award, in 2013, before finishing last season on loan at Crystal Palace.

On Wednesday, Fulham announced the departure of midfielder Pajtim Kasami. Signed by Greek side Olympiakos for an undisclosed fee, the 22-year-old Swiss will be best remembered for scoring one of the goals of the 2013/14 season in a 4-1 away win over Crystal Palace.

Now to some deals which appear to be close to completion.

Patrice Evra is on the brink of a permanent move to Juventus, according to multiple sources. A £1.5million offer is thought to have been made, but Manchester United are holding out for closer to £2million.

Meanwhile, Napoli are set to land Swansea City’s Michu on a season-long loan. Negotiations between the two clubs were confirmed on Wednesday by Michu’s representatives, and the Spanish forward has not joined Swans teammates on the club’s pre-season US tour. Already looking for a replacement, the Swans have launched a bid of around £5million for Watford striker Troy Deeney.

Staying in South Wales, left-back Ben Davies is rumored to be on his way to Tottenham Hotspur. However, the proposed deal for Davies, along with goalkeeper Michel Vorm, in exchange for Gylfi Sigurdsson has been rebuffed. It looks as though Spurs will have to instead stump up around £10million for Davies alone.

Liverpool are on the cusp of a famous double-swoop for Divock Origi and Lazar Marković, for £10million and £25million, respectively. Reds boss Brendan Rodgers appears to be shrewdly reinvesting the windfall from Luis Suárez’s imminent move to Barcelona, which could be announced within the next 48 hours.

However, World Cup star Xherdan Shaqiri will slip through Rodgers’ fingers. The ‘Alpine Messi’ looks set to be a Roma player next season, where he’ll link up with ex-Chelsea full-back Ashley Cole.

Finally, and quite uncharacteristically, Arsenal could be about to announce a bit of early-summer business. Chilean forward Alexis Sánchez is apparently on his way to the Emirates. But, at the risk of sending Gooners everywhere into full-scale delirium, Arsène Wenger doesn’t seem to be stopping there. He fancies his chances of snagging Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira, which would see Mikel Arteta head to Fiorentina.

From Fred’s opening match flop to Arjen Robben’s repeated feigning against Mexico, the 2014 World Cup has had its share of dives.

Who better, then, to judge these theatrical tumbles than skydiving experts and part-time football enthusiasts, GoSkydive?

The tandem-jump specialists, based in Salisbury, UK, have put their skydiving knowhow to the test to come up with a definitive list of their favourite dive types, dubbing it “Diving Divas”.

Each distinct tumble has been analysed in skydiving terms; perhaps regular parachutists out there will recognise a few of these.

I won’t go through all of them – the entire list can be found at www.goskydive.com/fifa-world-cup-2014-diving-divas – but here are a few notable entries.

First up is “The Wa-hey”, which GoSkydive have described as “That moment when you’re about to land and your instructor is all calm and you’re still screaming with your eyes closed not knowing you’ve touched down.”

For the benefit of skydiving novices, they’ve helpfully likened this one to Fred’s aforementioned spill. The infamous episode saw him collapse backwards, as if yanked down by a phantom tug. Referee Yuichi Nishimura *fell* for it (pardon the pun), and the resulting spot-kick saw Brazil squeak past Croatia.

Despite having never skydived (or is that skydove?), I can safely say GoSkydive have stuck the landing on this one. There seemed to be lots of screaming and eye-closing by Brazil’s number 9. And plenty of arm-flailing, for good measure, possibly for style points.

Another favourite is the “We Weren’t Ready Yet!”

Featuring a flopping Paul Pogba, GoSkydive claim it’s akin to “That moment when you’re pushed out the plane and you weren’t quite ready – and your mate isn’t too happy about it either!” Accordingly, Pogba’s face is a picture of disgruntled alarm.

Ranked number seven was the “You’re not coming in, son”, which I found rather strange.

The description read “You’ve spent hours, days perfecting your act, only to flop and be shown the door”, which doesn’t really have anything to do with simulation, or even parachuting, for that matter. It is, however, a perfect description of England’s World Cup.

At #4 we have the “Banana Split”, which apparently is typified by “The look of horror when you realise you’ve nearly done the splits and are wearing yellow….You know the banana split jokes are coming!”

This is accompanied by a photo of Marcelo’s laughably cynical simulation attempt against Mexico. Bedecked in yellow, with legs splayed apart, the Brazilian’s facial expression ably demonstrates what an uncomfortable diving position this is, just in case there were any doubts.

Finally, in top spot, exemplifying a “flawless technique” is Robin van Persie. Referring to his famous diving header against Spain, GoSkydive describe the Dutchman as “oozing confidence, gliding through the air…”

But alas, this perfect form is beyond mere mortals, they say, adding “…then you wake up!”

Technically it wasn’t a ‘dive’, but nevertheless I think it’s fair to say it justifies its #1 ranking.

Disagree? Think GoSkydive have missed any? Let them know by sending your best World Cup dives to @GoSkydive with hashtag #DivingDivas

Last month, Premier League club Swansea City launched their new home and away kits for the 2014/15 season.

The kits are designed and manufactured by adidas, while financial services provider GWFX (Goldenway Global Investments) return for a second season as Swansea’s main sponsors.

With their home kit, Swansea have gone for a pleasant, minimalist design.

Unfortunately GWFX’s presence on this shirt is anything but minimalist; its gaudy gold diamond logo draws the eye on an otherwise elegant, crisp Swans strip.

The shirt is based on the adidas Condivo 14 template, and it features a V-neck collar and a mesh pattern.

The shorts and socks are both white, with black detail.

Editor’s note: As a Swansea City supporter, I agree with Ben. The home kit design is perfect except for one thing — the sponsor logo, which ruins the look of the shirt. Take that logo away (or replace it with a better designed one), and you’ve got one of Swansea’s best shirts designs ever.

Replacing last season’s popular purple-and-yellow kit, the South Wales club have gone for a bold red-and-black away strip for 2014/15.

Based on the same Condivo 14 design template as the home kit, the road uniform’s sleeves and back are black, while the front is a half-and-half design. The adidas markings are in red, while the club’s crest, placed on the red half of the torso, is black.

The back of the shirts features a white arc running from shoulder to shoulder, highlighting the players’ names and numbers.

The shorts and socks are red, with black detail.

Again, GWFX’s logo spoils the jersey; the red-and-black color scheme is somewhat confused by the prominent diamond gold dashed across the middle.

Nevertheless, this is an attractive kit. The designers obviously wanted the players to stand out – and they will with this brave color combo – but they’ve smartly stopped short of ‘over the top’ territory, something too few away kits manage to do.

Last week, Fulham FC released their new home kit for the 2014/15 season.

The team, according to a club statement, has “captured (the club’s) unique past, but added a touch of the future” with this new offering.

Nonsensical marketing drivel notwithstanding, everything about this new home kit is rather agreeable. A definite step up from last season’s, this uniform is sure to be a hit with Fulham fans.

The jersey is white, with light grey stripes on the front panel, supposedly inspired by the club’s striped shirts of the 1980s.

The kit features orange trim on the V-neck collar and sleeve cuffs, referred to, somewhat pretentiously, as “vibrant infrared tipping” on the club’s website.

Kit manufacturers adidas return for another season, as do sponsors MarathonBet.

As it was on last season’s home kit, the black adidas logo can be found on the centre of the jersey, just underneath the collar.

MarathonBet’s logo has been slightly re-jigged from last season; it now takes up more space, but still goes well with the overall design of the shirt. The white, black and red of the sponsor’s logo complements Fulham’s crest nicely.

The shorts are black and the socks white, both with hi-viz orange trim.

Although not yet released, leaked images of Fulham’s new away kit suggest it’s based on the exact same design template as the home kit.

The shirt is black with dark grey stripes, again with vibrant orange collar and sleeve cuffs. The adidas motifs are orange, while MarathonBet’s logo is unchanged.

It’s believed that the new away shorts will be orange, although this has yet to be confirmed.

We can also reveal that the club have recycled last season’s red-and-white away kit as this season’s third (alternate) strip.

Finally, the Championship club have also released their 2014/15 goalkeeper home kit. It’s based on the same design as all new adidas ‘keeper jerseys – the Onore 14 template. This strip is light green with dark green patches running along the edge of the torso.

The shorts and socks are both light green.

The shirts can be found at www.fulhamdirect.fulhamfc.com, or direct from the Stadium Store at Craven Cottage.

With the claim to being the world’s “first football social media” site, newly-launched FansPub.com aims to provide a platform for fans across the world to get together to discuss all things football.

FansPub.com’s mission statement is straightforward enough: “Register and add your favourite teams to your watch list. Be in touch with other fans.”

While online football interaction has exploded in recent years, even the most popular sites have their limitations. FansPub’s mission is to simply cut through the tedium and put fans in touch with one another quickly and directly.

Part of FansPub’s appeal is that it’s a wonderfully diverse forum; there you can find anything from transfer rumour-mongering to tactical debates. I must say that I was thoroughly impressed by the depth of the discussion boards; many FansPub users are incredibly knowledgeable and it’s easy to get lost for hours going back-and-forth with them.

In addition, FansPub provides great news services.

But unlike traditional football sites, FansPub can tailor news feeds specifically to the interests of individuals. Upon entry you’re invited to select your favourite team(s), allowing you to get the information you want, without the chore of trawling through endless pages of unrelated babble. Although this sounds like the idea behind Twitter, surprisingly FansPub filters news more effectively, I’ve found.

While the FansPub’s live updates are as meticulously detailed as any you’ll find online, it also provides fans the kind of direct communication between with others that you only really get on social media. There’s a ‘fan social engine’ (akin to a fan search), private messaging, team discussion pages, in-match forums and prediction pages.

Since FansPub is still a new site, there’s a good foundation of content available, which will continue to grow as the site gains more followers and time passes.

The range of teams for which FansPub provides news and updates is staggering. While it offers the typical selection of teams from the most popular European leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, etc), FansPub also caters for fans of more obscure top-flights, including the Ukrainian Premier League, Liga MX and the Uruguayan Primera División. Clubs from a full 12 top divisions are represented, plus all the international sides in this year’s World Cup. FansPub have also promised to “regularly add even more leagues”.

Plus, club supporters are able to update the team pages for their favourite clubs, so they can describe the history of their team in their own words in collaboration with other fans.

All in all, FansPub is a fantastic site. A cross between Facebook and a traditional football news site, it uniquely provides football news with the feeling of a real connectedness with others.

Check out FansPub.com today.

Barcelona have agreed a deal with Liverpool to sign Luis Suarez for a transfer fee of reportedly £70-£80million, according to a report in Spain.

You have to wonder how much of Luis Suarez’s decision to publicly apologize earlier this week for biting a player was fueled by a potential move to Barcelona, which — if you believe Sky Sports — could be officially announced before the end of this weekend. Or whether the apology was heartfelt and sincere. Then again, perhaps it was a career move to reduce the likelihood that he wouldn’t lose any more endorsement deals after 888poker terminated its contract with the Uruguayan.

A statement from 888poker read: “We signed Luis Suárez following a fantastic season for which his achievements were widely recognized. Regrettably, following his actions during Uruguay’s World Cup match against Italy on Tuesday, 888poker has decided to terminate its relationship with Luis Suárez with immediate effect.”

Suárez joined 888poker as a worldwide ambassador shortly before the World Cup and provided a series of video diaries for their website during the tournament.

The Liverpool striker was last week banned from all football activity for four months and nine international games – the longest ban ever imposed at a World Cup. If he hadn’t apologized, he could have lost further endorsement deals – and millions of dollars with them – as sponsors grew wary of his indiscipline.

What ever was Suarez’s intentions when issuing an apology, Suárez will hope that it will cushion the blow to his reputation.

Before the apology, Adidas and Standard Chartered had expressed concerns about their association with the Uruguayan. Plus Warrior Sports, Liverpool’s kit manufacturer, was believed to be internally reviewing the situation.

None of this will come as a surprise. From Tiger Woods to Lance Armstrong, it’s the norm for disgraced sports stars to lose some, if not all of their endorsements. Although Suarez’s apology may help matters, the biting incident could end up being the most expensive mistake of his life. Or, if the deal with Barcelona goes through, he may end up being the luckiest person on earth.

Just as the quarterfinals of the World Cup get into full swing, Quill.com, in partnership with Keurig, have launched their own World Cup-style online elimination game to determine the fans’ favorite Keurig K-Cup. Quill are also giving 10 lucky participants their very own Keurig B130 Deskpro Brewing System and a year’s supply of K-Cup packs.

Office product suppliers Quill host this all-new game, in which players choose their favorite K-Cups – single packs of gourmet-quality flavored coffee – in a bracket of 16. The competition closes on July 14 (the day after the World Cup final), and one K-Cup will be crowned “The Chosen One”.

Just as Colombia prepare to do battle with Brazil in the World Cup quarter-finals, their K-Cup counterpart, the ‘Lively Colombian’ K-Cup faces the Italian Roast in the Coffee Cup round of 16.

As France prepare to meet the Germans on Friday, the French Roast K-Cup squares up to the Green Mountain Double Black Diamond.

And while USMNT fans would have hoped that Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and Tim Howard could have take Team USA further in Brazil, coffee lovers can give favorites Nantucket Blend and Southern Pecan K-Cups can go.

In Brazil we’re seeing colorful South American sides enjoy success against their European foes, but will this translate to a similar triumph in the Coffee Cup? Which K-Cup will be immortalized as “The Chosen One”, and which ones will face the shame and ignominy of early elimination?

You can decide – just visit CoffeeCup2014.com to play.

As France and Germany prepare to face off at the Maracanã, we look at how the two teams could line up.

For the round of 16 match, centre-half Mats Hummels was sidelined with the flu. Now apparently back to full fitness, he could return to play next to Per Mertesacker in the centre, with Jérôme Boateng returning to right-back. Shkodran Mustafi, who played against Algeria, would be dropped.

There has been some controversy over Philipp Lahm’s role in this team. While he’s impressed for Bayern Munich in his new central midfield role, he has underwhelmed in Brazil. Some have called for him to return to left-back, his traditional position, but I don’t expect this to happen.

There is also some cause for concern over the formation. Coach Joachim Löw prefers the 4-3-3, but some are concerned that this fails to get the best from über-talented attacking duo Mesut Özil and Mario Götze. It’s doubtful Löw will change to a 4-2-3-1, though, not least because he lacks a reliable lone striker.

But even if Löw does stick with the 4-3-3 there could be casualties. Sami Khedira, with his boundless energy and consistent distribution, may be re-called, which would see either Bastian Schweinsteiger or Toni Kroos dropped.

Similarly, André Schürrle could start, after his match-winning efforts in the previous round. If so, Löw may drop Özil, although it’s more likely Götze would make way for the Chelsea forward.

Germany’s predicted line-up:

France’s team is much more settled than Germany’s.

Although there has been a bit of chopping-and-changing by Les Bleus’ coach Didier Deschamps in terms of personnel, we know he’s going to stick with his favored 4-3-3 formation.

First, he’ll have to address his team’s biggest weakness: full-back.

Deschamps is likely to pick Mathieu Debuchy and Patrice Evra again. Although Evra isn’t really threatened by his understudy, Lucas Digne, some would prefer to see Bacary Sagna get the nod ahead of Newcastle’s Debuchy. This could happen, but the odds are in Debuchy’s favour. Just.

Next Deschamps faces a dilemma over his centre-halves. Unable to decide on his best pairing, he’s tried every combination of Mamadou Sakho, Raphaël Varane and Laurent Koscielny in the matches so far. After playing all three group games, Sakho was dropped for the round of 16. While Koscielny and Varane are better players, Sakho’s leadership at the heart of defence was missed. I have a feeling he’ll return, but it’s unclear who would make way.

While the selection of the midfield three is a no-brainer, the forward line is more of a headache.

In the last match, Karim Benzema, Mathieu Valbuena and Olivier Giroud played. While Giroud has generally played well, questions linger. While his movement against Nigeria was awful, what’s more worrying (for him) is that his inclusion seems to stifle Benzema somewhat.

Deschamps knows that, with three goals already, Benzema could be the key to victory over Germany. Don’t be surprised if Giroud is replaced by Real Sociedad’s Antoine Griezmann, who seems to complement Benzema’s game much better.

France’s predicted line-up:

Although not officially released, images of Manchester United’s new kits have surfaced online.

These strips are the first to feature United’s new sponsor, Chevrolet. In fact, in anticipation of the official release, the American car manufacturer commissioned a ‘teaser’ video, see here:

The video, featuring star players Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Juan Mata and David de Gea, as well as new assistant manager Ryan Giggs, shows the evolution of Manchester United shirts, culminating in a mass march down Sir Matt Busby Way.

The addition of Chevrolet’s logo, replacing that of Aon, actually detracts from the appeal of the shirt. The wide, gaudy logo dominates the tops, and the gold in the design confuses the general colour scheme. Nowhere else on either shirt can gold be found (apart from possibly on the crest, but that’s really more of a yellow), making the new sponsor logo look badly out of place.

But such is the way in modern football; money now has precedence over all else, including fashion.

Chevrolet logo aside, both strips, made by Nike, are quite attractive.

The home kit throws up no real surprises. It’s red, obviously, with matching black-and-white collar and sleeve cuffs. This works quite well. United tend to oscillate between red-and-black and red-and-white colour schemes from season to season, so it’s nice to see all three traditional colours feature prominently on one shirt.

The Red Devils went with a refined three-button collar for the 2013/14 home shirt which, unlike their on-pitch endeavours, went down quite well. This season they’ve gone for a similar design. Except this edition has only one button and a rounded collar, giving it an altogether more simplistic, and slightly infantile, look.

The home shirt features a couple of pleasant designs the fans will enjoy. The inside collar reads ‘Youth, Courage, Greatness’ which, although not an official motto, nicely encapsulates the essence of England’s most decorated club.

There’s also a small devil insignia – the same one that features in the club badge – in black on the back of the collar.

Design-wise, this away kit is almost identical to last season’s home offering, which received universal praise for an elegance rarely seen in footballing attire. I don’t mean to harp on about it, but the collar on the 2013/14 home kit really did add a touch of class. A similar effect is achieved for the new away shirt.

United fans will approve of the colour scheme. The shirt is primarily white, with a black collar and a smattering of red. Reminiscent of the away kits won from 1996 to 1999, this shirt is sure to bring back fond memories for the Old Trafford faithful.

Manchester United kits rarely disappoint, and this year is no different. Although they won’t go down as classics, the 2014/15 offerings are attractive. Definitely a shame about that garish Chevy logo, though.

The Manchester United home shirt will be available to purchase beginning July 17.

Layzapp wants to find which country at the World Cup has the most passionate fans – and it needs your help.

The new TV-companion app has launched a built-in interactive game, in which users cheer as loud as they can for their team for five seconds before a selfie is snapped. Based on the volume of the cheer, each selfie will be awarded a ‘Cheer Factor’.

Don’t forget to dress your selfie up – the more flags, team colours, masks and make-up the better!

The ‘Cheer Factors’ will be totalled to determine who the World Cup’s best fans are. Each country’s scores are published, and users can track their own contributions. You can even enter a draw to win a PlayStation 4 and a copy of FIFA 14, simply by sharing your selfie on Twitter or Facebook, mentioning #TheLoudestFans

In order to take part, download Layzapp free in the App Store or on Google Play. More information can be found at TheLoudestFans.com and Layzapp.com

And if (like me, until a few weeks ago) you’ve never heard of Layzapp, you’re in for a treat, football fans.

The app, which only this month became available for the first time on smartphones and tablets worldwide, is known as a ‘second screen app,’ It aggregates information on the TV show the user is watching at the time, and presents it in an easy-to-digest format.

For sports fans in particular, Layzapp a godsend. It might just be me, but especially during a World Cup, where a lot of the players are unfamiliar, I seem to spend half the match trawling through Twitter and Wikipedia for information on new players – how old is he? Which teams has he played for? How many caps does he have? Are any well-known clubs in for him this summer? And so on.

It can be exhausting, not to mention time-consuming. But Layzapp cuts right through that; via ScoreRadar, it gives you detailed real-time info about the game you’re watching, including stats, scores and player profiles.

Plus thanks to the app’s integration of Twitter, users can exchange opinions about the ongoing matches in a heartbeat. Any content seen via Layzapp can be shared through the app’s sharing function, or bookmarked to read later.

So whether you want to enter “The Loudest Fans” competition, or if you just want your mates to think you’re an Algerian national team expert on the sly – “you mean you didn’t know about Islam Slimani’s fantastic form for Sporting Lisbon in the second half of the season?” – Layzapp will definitely add something to your World Cup viewing experience.

While most people are talking about James, Messi and Robben, yesterday Germany’s ‘keeper, Manuel Neuer gave one of the performances of the World Cup.

However as the song goes, it wasn’t what Neuer did, but the way that he did it. Making as many tackles against Algeria as he did saves, Neuer showed the watching world how vital a good ‘sweeper-keeper’ can be.

While others, like France’s Hugo Lloris, play in a similar way, Neuer is the first to showcase this modern style with such a game-changing performance and he did it on the grandest stage of all too.

Time and again he made up for his center-halves’ sluggishness, regularly sniffing out attacks with breath-taking bursts from his goal line.

Last night Neuer touched the ball 19 times outside of his own penalty area, an almost unfathomable stat for a goalkeeper. In the first half alone he touched the ball 24 total times. Glancing at his heat map for the game, you’d be convinced he was a centre half if you didn’t know better.

But the numbers only tell half the story; just to witness his sheer athleticism and supreme poise was an experience in itself.

In the early stages of the match, a long punt down the left flank by Algeria saw Per Mertesacker caught out badly. Islam Slimani looked to be bearing down on goal, before the Bayern goalkeeper came roaring out – about 25 metres from the safety of his line – to chase the striker out wide and away from his goal, before lunging to block Slimani’s attempted shot. It would have been an accomplished play for a right back.

For a keeper it was astounding.

Then on 71 minutes, center-half Jérôme Boateng found himself losing a foot-race with the tormenter-in-chief, Slimani, only for Neuer to race out and head it clear.

Finally, with one of his final contributions of normal time, he again sprinted almost 30 metres to nick the ball away from the dangerous Sofiane Feghouli, who had made a menacing run. At the time the score was still 0-0. The clock showed 88 minutes. A mistake would have seen Germany crash out of the World Cup, but Neuer didn’t so much as flinch.

All this is impressive enough, but from a tactical perspective, Neuer’s performance takes on an even greater significance.

Playing a high defensive line is a real luxury for a team. It acts to squeeze the pitch, severely restricting the area in which the opponent can play the ball when in possession, potentially up to the halfway line. This makes it easy to win the ball high up the pitch (optimal for quick transitions into goal-scoring areas), while simultaneously limiting the number of chances on your own goal.

There’s usually a catch; the high line is vulnerable to balls played in behind, and thus requires quick centre-halves. Mertesacker, for all his on-pitch leadership and aerial prowess, at times looks like he’s running so slowly he could actually travel backwards in time.

But Neuer compensates for this, swiftly dealing with through-balls that breach the defence. He’s one of the few players both fast and intelligent enough to play as a ‘sweeper-keeper’, and without him Germany coach Joachim Löw would have to either ditch Mertesacker or the high line – quite the dilemma.

While Neuer’s opposite number on the night, the more orthodox Raïs M’Bolhi, also had an outstanding game, to watch the pair of them would be to think they were playing different positions. In a way they were. As well as playing in goal, Neuer is charged with effectively being a full-blown sweeper. His specific job is essential to the way his team play – he is arguably even more important to Die Mannschaft than Philipp Lahm or Thomas Müller – and yet his margins for error are razor-thin. On yesterday’s evidence, he has a strong case for being the best goalkeeper around, and could even be the World’s Cup decisive player.

Oh and here’s something trivia fans will enjoy: the last German to play as a sweeper in a World Cup was Klaus Augenthaler. The year? 1990. Perhaps Löw is a fan of history.

Food and football – just sounds right, doesn’t it? Having great food when you’re watching the match is an age-old tradition, formed in stadiums, pubs and living rooms across the world.

Sometimes, victory is so close you can almost taste it. But what if there’s more to it than that – what if our taste buds could actually predict the outcome of matches?

That’s the theory behind Foody Forecaster – JUST EAT’s World Cup prediction game, found at foodyforecaster.just-eat.co.uk.

JUST EAT, the world’s leading online takeaway service, has pitted one national dish against another to predict the outcome of World Cup clashes. If one country beats another in the food stakes, could it mean triumph on the pitch?

Think it sounds a little crazy? Well, I found the results quite convincing.

On Matchday 4, it was Honduran conch soup or the much-loved crêpe. The result? A delicious 3-0 win for the French.

Then on Matchday 11, I chose mussels and fries over Russian borsch. The Belgians duly picked up all three points.

And who wouldn’t choose a good, old-fashioned, all-American hamburger over Ghana’s fufu? (Sorry Ghanaians!)

Still not satisfied? Give it a go yourself then! To sweeten the deal, JUST EAT are offering £500 in free takeaway vouchers to one lucky winner. Try it at foodyforecaster.just-eat.co.uk.

Last week, Canada’s national team released their latest home kit, which coincided with the Canada’s Women’s National Team friendly against Germany at BC Place in Vancouver.

The jersey, made by British sportswear supplier Umbro, will be worn by all Canadian national soccer teams this year.

Declaring itself as “Canada’s national teams’ new dress code,” the kit is available on the Canada Soccer online store and at better soccer speciality and sporting goods stores across Canada.

Continuing their focus on performance, Canada Soccer have made this jersey from 100% spun polyester for comfort and moisture management. According to the press release, the jersey has “displaced side seams and an under arm panel for added comfort and performance,” with the feature of laser-cut eyelets, designed for extra ‘breathability’.

Canadian fans will be hoping that the new shirt design can herald a new dawn in the success of Canada’s soccer team especially given recent results. Hopefully, for Canada supporters, their results will turn around, which would make them a good bet at http://www.sportsbettingcanadian.ca.

The jersey has a horizontal sublimated color pattern that provide subtle contrast and interesting visual detail.

The shirt is completely red, save for the Canada Soccer Association’s logo, Umbro’s iconic double-diamond, and the trim on the edge of the collar, all of which are white.

Typifying a proud national spirit, the jersey includes a number of unique design features for Canada’s national teams. A back neck Canadian flag has been added, as has a maple leaf in the aforementioned laser-cut eyelets.

For this kit, Umbro designed an all-new serif-type font for the players’ names, which are in white. The numbers on the back and front of the jersey are simple and bold, giving an understated yet confident feel to the strip.

The shorts and socks are red, with white trim and details.

All in all, this is an attractive and wearable kit, without being dazzling. Critics may complain that it’s too simplistic, and the design might be slightly out-dated. But while Umbro have faded from the front-line of kit design in recent years, they’ve done a serviceable job with this new Canadian offering.

While designed for maximum on-pitch performance, this jersey is likely to be as popular with fans as it is with players.

Two weeks ago Real Madrid unveiled their new home and away kits and the word of the day was: PINK!

The custom in most kit reviews would be to discuss the home kit first.  However there’s an elephant in the room and it’s the European champions’ all-pink away kit. The shirt is an eye-catching pink , while the Fly Emirates and Adidas markings are white. The shorts and socks are both primarily pink with white details. The Real Madrid crest on this kit follows the theme and is entirely pink and white.

The official line from manufacturers Adidas was that the Real Madrid new away kit:

“Inverts the colors of the home kit with a vibrant pink as the prominent color, which has never been seen in the 112 years of history of the club. The away shirt also includes a brand new tonal crest to bring out this new color in even the finer details of the shirt.”

It’s a break with tradition, but then again Real Madrid have recently played in some uncharacteristic third-choice strips – all-orange last season, dark green in 2012/13 and red in 2011/12.

As alluded to earlier, the home kit is the exact color inverse of the away kit. Both feature the same design, but pink is replaced with white and vice-versa. The only difference is that the badge reverts to its conventional form and the sponsorship logos are black. The home kit’s shorts and socks are white, with black and pink details.

Two interesting design features on both kits are the classical buttons on the front of the shirt and the rounded ‘Henley’ collar. Also, the back of the collar on each shirt reads ‘Real Madrid’ with a star between the words, presumably signifying the capture of the club’s long-awaited 10th European Cup last season.

Obviously the vivid pink of the away strip might not be everyone’s favorite. However, both kits are eye-catching and stylish, and are sure to be commercially successful. Check out Real Madrid’s away shirt for 2014/15.

Today, Belgium will face Russia in the Maracanã in what is likely to be a pivotal encounter. Victory in the day’s early kickoff (Noon Eastern time/1pm local time) would see either side take control of a wide-open Group H. Both teams last played on Tuesday, Belgium were unconvincing in their defeat of Algeria while Russia rallied to take a point in a labored match with South Korea.

Vincent Kompany is a doubt for the Red Devils in Rio. The 28-year-old captain suffered a groin strain in Belgium’s previous match, and missed training sessions on Thursday and Friday. Thomas Vermaelen may start in place of Kompany, although the Arsenal man could still make his World Cup debut if Kompany is fit. Manager Marc Wilmots is thought to be toying with the idea of excluding 36-year-old Daniel Van Buyten.

Tottenham Hotspur duo Nacer Chadli and Mousa Dembélé may be dropped, after underwhelming performances against Algeria. As in that match, they are likely to be replaced by Dries Mertens and Marouane Fellaini.

Mertens and Fellaini could be joined in the starting XI by Divock Origi, although this would be seen as something of a risk by Wilmots. Origi impressed coming on for Romelu Lukaku against Algeria.

Meanwhile, Russia will look to bounce back from a disappointing display against South Korea. Coach Fabio Capello’s most urgent decision is whether or not to drop goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev after his dreadful blunder midweek. The CSKA man fumbled what should have been a comfortable catch, gifting South Korea their only goal of the game. Capello could play either Yury Lodygin or Sergey Ryzhikov in his stead.

The Italian may also give play-maker Alan Dzagoev the nod over Oleg Shatov. Dzagoev was surprised not to be a starter on Tuesday, but provided some much-needed creativity once introduced, and had a hand in Russia’s equaliser.

While both could do with a win today, defeat would definitely put a spanner in the works, especially for Russia. Capello’s men, probably fancying their chances against final game opponents Algeria, might be inclined to play for a point here. A scoreless draw wouldn’t surprise many.

Possible starting XI

Belgium

(4-2-3-1) Courtois; Alderweireld, Kompany, Vermaelen, Vertonghen; Witsel, Fellaini; Mertens, De Bruyne, Hazard; Lukaku

Russia

(4-3-3) Akinfeev; Yehschenko, Berezutski, Ignashevich, Kombarov; Denisov, Glushakov; Dzagoev; Samedov, Kokorin, Kerzhakov

After Ronald Koeman was confirmed as the new manager of Southampton FC earlier this week, what can Saints supporters and soccer fans expect from the new gaffer?

The 51-year-old Dutchman, who recently guided Feyenoord to a second place finish in the Eredivisie, has signed a three-year deal. He will be joined by his brother, Erwin, who will be his assistant, and Jan Kluitenberg, who worked as Koeman’s first team coach at Feyenoord.

The appointment of Koeman is an interesting one in that the Saints weren’t necessarily looking for the most successful or the most experienced manager available.

As a club with very distinctive characteristics and a clear philosophy, Southampton were searching for the manager who would be the best ‘fit’. In this regard, they have made a wise choice.

Koeman, twice a winner of the European Cup as a player, is known for his commitment to developing young players. This approach is tailor-made for Southampton, whose renowned academy system has nurtured such players as Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as well as current first team players Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and James Ward-Prowse.

The Dutchman also brings the promise of an exciting style of play, which is unsurprising given he was one of the greatest attacking central defenders of all time. He has a preference for intelligent, technical players who are able to pass the ball around quickly. Saints fans, who have become accustomed to Pochettino’s free-flowing football, will appreciate this.

Some may feel uneasy about Koeman’s mixed managerial record. In 2005, he took over at Benfica, but was sacked after just one season, when his third place league finish was deemed unsatisfactory. Then in 2007, he returned to Iberia to take the reins at Valencia. He was fired before the end of his first season, despite a Copa del Rey triumph.

At these clubs, however, he didn’t find strong academies or an emphasis on youth development. When you look at his achievements at clubs with similar structures to that of Southampton, it’s clear why Reed hired him.

He won two Eredivisie titles at Ajax with a host of talented youngsters including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rafael van der Vaart and Maxwell. Frequently dipping into the academy system, he guided the transition of Wesley Sneijder, Thomas Vermaelen and Nigel de Jong from youth team to starting XI.

Despite not winning any silverware at Feyenoord, Koeman was admired by his players and fans for the faith he places in academy graduates. Twenty-two-year-old midfielder Jordy Clasie recently said “He (Koeman) taught me to be a leader and showed me how and when I could put pressure on the ball and the opponent, he explained how I could get the best tactically. He basically raised me.”

Koeman clearly thrives at clubs like Southampton. It won’t be an easy job. His first task will be to convince players like Lallana, Shaw and Jay Rodriguez remain on the South Coast – but this appointment could be a good fit for both manager and club.

This month West Ham United launched their new away kit for the 2014/15 season.

The Hammers will play in light blue away from home for the first time since 2011/12, and for the first time in the top flight since 2008/09.

The East London club have gone for an intriguing design this year. There are flashes of dark blue throughout the shirt – the sash across the front, the sleeve cuffs and the Adidas markings are all navy – giving a subtle contrast to the primary sky blue color.

Alpari, the UK-based foreign exchange broker, returns for a second season to adorn West Ham’s kit. While the Adidas logo and their signature three stripes are in dark blue, Alpari’s logo is white.

Similarly, the players’ names and numbers will also be white, on a solid sky blue back.

The shorts of this kit are dark blue (with sky blue trim), while the socks are sky blue.

This is an appealing kit. It may have run the risk of being a little mundane, but the dark sash across the front gives the jersey a focal point, and makes it more eye-catching.

Meanwhile, the away goalkeeper’s strip is all white (with black sponsorship markings), but for a pair of orange flashes running along the edge of the jersey. Like the outfielder’s kit, this is an attractive, simple design. It has one striking feature, but overall you can’t say the designers have gone for anything too outlandish.

Last month, Crystal Palace FC unveiled their new home and away kits, to be worn in the 2014/15 season.

At first glance, both kits seem quite attractive, and generate a number of talking points.

First, it’s noticeable that there is no primary sponsor in the middle of the shirts. Premier League fans may recall that last season the club’s jerseys were adorned with the GAC logo, but the logistics company has decided not to continue its partnership with the South London club.

Those who were hoping to see the first unsponsored kits in the top flight since the mid-90s will be disappointed, however. A new sponsor, to be announced soon, will step in to fill the void.

The second talking point is that Palace have ditched small-time supplier Avec in favor of Macron. The Italian brand have something of a mixed record when it comes to recent kit design, but these new Palace offerings look more SSC Napoli than Aston Villa (which will be a relief for Palace fans).

Speaking of Napoli, the new Palace away kit’s colors are the same as the Serie A club’s away strip last season.

It’s a gorgeous yellow-and-sky blue jersey, whose design is based on that of SS Lazio’s 2013/14 home kit. The shorts and socks are sky blue, with yellow trim.

The home kit is equally attractive, as the club has reverted back to thinner stripes, after last season’s half-and-half shirt. The colors are the club’s traditional red-and-blue, with smatterings of yellow on the collar, sleeve cuffs and in the Macron logos.

The kit’s design is identical to that of Napoli’s special edition 2014 Coppa Italia Final kit. The shorts and socks are primarily blue, with red trim.

Overall, both home and away strips are very easy on the eye, and their Italian design will make the Selhurst Park faithful feel like they’re watching a team from Southern Italy. The famously raucous South Londoners finally have a team their passion deserves, and next season they’ll have a couple of gorgeous kits, to boot.

SEE MORE — Read the latest Crystal Palace news, analysis and opinion.

The Australian government are weighing up possible legal action to reclaim more than $38 million (USD) spent on the country’s unsuccessful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to a report. Allegations are emerging that Qatar, who won the right to host the tournament by a landslide, did so by bribing FIFA officials. Australia’s bid ended in humiliation for the nation, which received just one vote.

The Sunday Times revealed last week that Qatar secured the support of key officials by using a $5 million (USD) slush fund. The soccer world will be waiting with bated breath for the report by FIFA’s chief investigator Michael Garcia, which may well verify these allegations with hard evidence. If the suspicions are confirmed, this would throw up a range of options for a number of aggrieved football associations.

One option would be for countries to attempt to recoup their losses from FIFA. Their argument would be that money was spent in the knowledge that each bid would be judged on merit alone, which clearly wasn’t the case. The Australian government are the first to declare their intention to go down this route. The United States, Japan, and South Korea, could also follow suit and threaten FIFA with legal action.

Another possibility is that there could be a re-vote for the 2022 World Cup. Most people in the footballing world – fans, clubs, FAs, and probably players – would prefer this option.

Going by the pre-ballot predictions the first time around, we could expect either the United States or Australia to win the right to host the 2022 tournament, if a second ballot was sanctioned. Japan and South Korea hosted (jointly) a World Cup as recently as 2002, which could work against them.

At any rate, looking at the two other main considerations – infrastructure and footballing pedigree – any of these nations are preferred to Qatar as a World Cup host, even before the Arab emirate’s credibility was harmed by corruption allegations. A second ballot would also be preferable because it would remove the possibility of any changes to the European domestic season.

However, with all of Qatar’s financial and legal might, don’t be surprised if they are able to block this move in the courts. Despite the tidal wave of popular disapproval, Qatar may well find a way to hold on to the World Cup. The 2022 World Cup’s fate hinges on Michael Garcia’s ability to find the ‘smoking gun’, proving the complicity of Qatar and FIFA to rig the vote. Garcia’s findings are due to be published towards the end of July.

What is certain, though, is that we can expect much more noise from Australian officials, as well as those from the USA, South Korea, and Japan. They’ll be looking for some form of compensation for Qatar’s foul play. The drama stemming from the 2022 World Cup will not be dying down any time soon.

Amid calls for his resignation, Sepp Blatter today came out with one of his most bizarre statements yet. The FIFA president whimsically suggested that soccer could be played on other planets in the future, possibly resulting in an inter-galactic tournament akin to the World Cup.

In a speech at the FIFA Congress, Blatter said “We shall wonder if one day our game is played on another planet? Why not? Then we will have not only a World Cup we will have inter-planetary competitions. Why not?”

While this was almost certainly an attempt at humor, his many detractors find nothing funny about the Swiss’ decision to stand for another four-year term, despite an earlier promise not to do so.

This is seen as even more incredulous, since accusations surfaced last week of pandemic corruption within FIFA, centering on the award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. This has led to football associations across the world, including the FA, to call for Blatter’s resignation.

Both FA chairman Greg Dyke and the Royal Dutch Football Federation’s president, Michael van Praag have spoken out against the Swiss’ decision to run for a fifth term.

Van Praag in particular has been scathing in his condemnation of the 78-year-old, accusing him of being largely responsible for FIFA’s poor public image.

Former UEFA president, Lennart Johansson said yesterday “I think it’s time he (Blatter) went.”

It has long been established that there needs to be a root and branch review of how FIFA is run, and in all likelihood Blatter will have to be removed from power.

It will take a courageous stand from governing bodies from around the world, especially European football associations. Michel Platini has been touted to run against Blatter for the FIFA presidency, but there are indications that he is uneasy about such a proposal.

As we’ve seen with the Donald Sterling/NBA debacle, it can be difficult sometimes to prise control from a powerful old man with a less-than-firm grip on reality. Of course, it wouldn’t be fair to suggest that Blatter is suffering from the same Alzheimer-like symptoms as Sterling, but one can’t help but draw parallels between the two cases.

At any rate, it’s becoming clear that world football’s governing body is a long way off regaining its credibility. Indeed, it could be a while before we, as football fans, get what we want: a new FIFA president. But with more outlandish remarks like the ones made today, hopefully Blatter will be making his exit soon.

Meanwhile, in today’s FIFA Congress, FIFA have voted against age limits for future and serving presidents.

Following the recent departure of Harry Redknapp from Tottenham Hotspur, attention has quickly focused on the search for his replacement. In recent seasons, the North London club has enjoyed spells of success in the Premier League and Champions League. Now standing at a proverbial crossroads, Spurs’ fortunes will rest largely on chairman Daniel Levy’s forthcoming managerial appointment, by far his most important to date.

Despite Tottenham’s interest in Andre Villas-Boas, the obvious choice — to me — for the job is Everton’s David Moyes. The Scot is almost perfectly suited to the vacant Spurs role, and was unsurprisingly the bookies’ favorite. After a decade in charge at Goodison Park, Moyes is universally considered to be one of the Premier League’s finest managers, and may well relish the fresh challenge of taking over at a club with genuine Champions League aspirations.

The last three seasons at White Hart Lane have been a remarkably successful period, especially for a club which spent much of the last two decades mired in mid-table mediocrity. Over this short yet eventful time in their recent history, there has been a slight, but definite shift in Spurs’ mentality.

For many years, Tottenham’s identity has been somewhat reflected by the famous Danny Blanchflower quote:

“The game is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish.”

Whether Spurs fans like it or loathe it, this is how they have become known to the world – as a football club who take pride in doing things the ‘Tottenham Hotspur Way’, the term given to what is believed to be the ‘right way’ of doing things. The philosophy, which seems more at home on the streets of Brazil than on the frozen football pitches of Britain, has been celebrated all over the world, in its many different forms.

The winds of change might soon be blowing down Bill Nicholson Way, however. The team’s ethos is undergoing something of a metamorphosis, as the ownership attempts to shift more emphasis onto results, thereby fostering a ‘winning’ culture within the club. Undoubtedly encouraged by the team’s recent fortunes, the Board of Directors sent its clearest signal of intent yet this week by sacking Redknapp. The veteran manager has been widely praised for introducing an exciting brand of counter-attacking football to the Lane, but has also come under fire for inconsistent results, especially towards the end of last season.

As an aside, it’s worth pointing out that this potential adjustment of the club’s style, while it might be initially successful, will probably be short-lived. Many managers, most memorably George Graham, have tried to impose their rigid tactics on the club, with varying degrees of success. Nevertheless, none have ever stuck, and the ‘Tottenham Hotspur Way’ always seems to prevail.

Despite the current uncertainty surrounding the club, Tottenham Hotspur still find themselves in a relatively strong position. Yes, they missed out on a spot in next season’s Champions League, but the club’s last three league finishes have been an impressive fourth, fifth and fourth. It’s by no means mission accomplished, but it is a fine foundation to build upon. Looking at the quality in the teams who finished around them last season (Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle) you would have to say that the core of the team already in place at Spurs is definitely capable of maintaining their top-four status, year-on-year. Obviously, some additions may be needed in order to shore-up the squad, but the incoming boss won’t need to make drastic, wholesale changes. What he will need, to surely satisfy Levy’s requirements, is a reputation for consistency and Premier League experience. David Moyes has both in abundance.

More than anything else, Moyes’ track record conveys a noticeable theme of consistency and reliability. First, it is worth noting that he’s been in the same job for a decade. In the ruthlessly transient world of modern football, that is an incredibly long time, and a number of conclusions can be drawn from this fact alone. Not only has he maintained a high level of performance over his entire tenure, but he has also been able to withstand the considerable mental and emotional pressure imposed on Premier League managers. What’s also impressive is how Moyes has been able to remain focused on his project at Goodison Park for a long period of time, not to mention the loyalty he has shown to the club – all attractive qualities in a manager.

In the last six seasons, Moyes has guided Everton to fifth place twice, and finished no lower than eighth. In his ten full seasons in charge, he has only failed to finish in the top half twice. There aren’t many more consistent figures in the game than the Everton manager. This becomes a far more impressive record once you consider the extremely limited budget Moyes has had to work with at the club.

Between the end of the 2002/03 season and the start of the 2010/11 season, Moyes’ net transfer spending figure (gross sold subtracted from gross purchased) was £10.5million. That comes to a net spend of a paltry £1.3million per season. With the obscene amounts of money being pumped into football clubs these days, it is hard to fathom how David Moyes has been able to build such a strong team year after year on what is, comparatively speaking, pocket change.

His ability to create a team seemingly out of nothing is probably the most remarkable thing about Moyes. How his teams consistently out-perform some of their far wealthier rivals defies all conventional wisdom. Comparisons to Billy Beane, celebrated pioneer of sabermetrics in professional baseball, while predictable, are valid.

The Scot is a brilliant scout and shrewd businessman, but there is much more to him than that. He’s also a fine tactician who has always been able to squeeze every last drop of talent from his players. Unlike some coaches, who are married to a certain formation or system, Moyes is a master in tailoring his tactics perfectly to work to the strengths of his players. Given his extraordinary ability to get the very most out of Everton’s extremely limited budget, the thought of what he could achieve with Spurs’ considerably larger chequebook is an intriguing prospect.

Finally, Spurs should hire David Moyes because he has more Premier League experience than any other candidate, and that is really important to the club.

Most will agree that Spurs’ future plans must revolve around consistent qualification for the Champions League over the coming seasons. Not only is participation in Europe’s elite club competition a vital financial lifeline, it is also a crucial asset for any team looking to recruit top-level talent. One would think that if Tottenham are to ever be considered a ‘big club’ again, they will most likely reach that point on the groundwork laid by several Champions League campaigns. This is what Tottenham hope David Moyes can offer them.

People will discredit the Scot for his lack of Champions League experience, but to do this is to miss the point completely. In their search for a new manager, why would Spurs place much importance at all on experience of a tournament in which they are not participating? It’s all well and good to be well-acquainted with Champions League football, but it counts for nought if the team’s league performance isn’t good enough to qualify for the competition.

That’s why David Moyes’ unparalleled Premier League expertise more than compensates for his lack of European Cup success. At the end of the day, it is the domestic campaign that holds the key to Spurs’ future, and it is Moyes’ experience in this area that makes him the right man to lead the Spurs marching on. I’m sure that Daniel Levy is of the same opinion, and I believe an approach is still clearly on the cards. Would Moyes be tempted? That remains anything but clear.

Once again, English football is in the midst of a row caused by John Terry. His latest scandal, the alleged racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand, has meant that he and Ferdinand’s brother, Rio could not both be selected for England’s Euro 2012 squad, and it has resulted in the latter’s omission. It’s a situation that must feel all too familiar for the FA, and yet the powers that be still haven’t learned their lesson: John Terry is more trouble than he is worth.

When asked to justify Rio Ferdinand’s exclusion, Roy Hodgson cited ‘footballing reasons’. This clearly isn’t the whole story; dressing room politics is the real reason Ferdinand isn’t going. Now that he’s even been passed over in favour of Martin Kelly, whose experience of international football amounts to all of four minutes’ playing time, it has become evident just how important it is for Ferdinand to be kept away from John Terry.

People may say that Ferdinand has been left out because he is unable to play a run of matches in a short space of time. While this could be true, it is beside the point; as Gary Cahill’s back-up he could have served as a valuable stand-in for a game or two, in the case of injury or suspension. Surely, with 81 caps under his belt, the Manchester United captain would have been a more worthwhile replacement than the unproven Kelly, or Phil Jagielka. It is unimaginable how, at this stage, someone could still claim Ferdinand has been left out purely because he isn’t good enough. It seems as though a player who has done nothing wrong has been dropped in favour of a player who may well have done something wrong, and that is, if nothing else, immoral.

Whether or not Rio Ferdinand deserves to be in the England squad on merit is irrelevant, however. The point is that John Terry is a disruptive influence and should not be representing England in Poland and the Ukraine. Although, of course, he is innocent until proven guilty, the allegations of racism made against him will undoubtedly affect team harmony. Given that Ferdinand had taken exception to the Chelsea captain’s behaviour, it wouldn’t be surprising if some of the other England players had, too.

There is an increasingly popular belief that it’s not merely a coincidence that some of most surprising omissions from the squad (Richards, Sturridge, Lennon) were all black players. The theory is that due to their race, Hodgson felt those players would be especially resentful of Terry and so, in the interest of unity, he excluded them. Personally, I don’t buy this argument for a second, but the existence of such cynical, not to mention controversial discourse is indicative of the negative press surrounding this issue and the severity of the situation.

John Terry has been the target of a lot of criticism over the years for his behaviour, and rightly so. The current media storm over him is not the first (and probably won’t be the last); his career has been regularly punctuated by various transgressions and misdemeanours. From claims of assault, to extra-marital affairs, to the Wayne Bridge fiasco, trouble seems to hang around him like a bad smell. He’s not the type of person you want to be a member your squad, never mind one of its leaders, as is expected of a player of his age and experience. Having caused the departure of Fabio Capello, not to mention having a hand in the dismissal of one of his club’s managers, I honestly don’t see why Hodgson has put his reputation at risk for Terry.

It might be different if he was an absolutely indispensable member of the squad, but he isn’t the player he once was. At 31 years of age, he’s definitely lost some of the pace and mobility of his younger days. His impetuous knee to the back of Alexis Sánchez in Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona suggested that he could also be a red card waiting to happen. The fact of the matter is that John Terry’s potential contribution on the pitch isn’t justification enough for the considerable burden he is to his team.

I don’t like to criticise England managers – it’s a hard job and they get plenty of stick from the press. However, I think Roy Hodgson has got this one wrong. The last thing he needs is a divided dressing room, but by going to such lengths to leave Rio Ferdinand out, he has thrown into sharp focus the disruptive influence that is John Terry. The team’s issues could have been resolved if the root of the problem had been removed from the beginning, but unfortunately he, and the excessive baggage that comes with him, have already arrived in Poland.

In the last decade, the philosophy known as ‘Moneyball’ has revolutionised the way baseball teams evaluate players. Based on the field of ‘sabermetrics’, the approach is designed to reveal players’ ‘true’ value by judging them solely on their performance-related statistics. Given its remarkable success in baseball, how long will it be before Moneyball becomes common practice in the Premier League?

The use of sabermetrics was pioneered by baseball teams looking for a way to overcome the vast financial inequalities within their sport. The system seeks to identify the most cost-effective players, and so teams who are under the greatest pressure to use their limited resources efficiently have found the greatest use for it. In theory, this makes Moneyball an ideal antidote to the problem of the financial divide between the haves and have-nots of the Premier League. Yes, a salary cap would even things out once and for all, but how likely is that? As far as we can see, the league’s ‘poorer’ teams are going to have to come up with a solution of their own and this could be it.

Due to the subjective nature of player evaluation, there are huge inefficiencies in the football transfer market which are just waiting to be exploited. At the moment, players are valued in a non-scientific way; without using data, clubs are forced to predict their future output through hunches and guesswork. There are thousands of players out there who have been underestimated by the conventional wisdom, and so their true value is greater than their market value. Theoretically, if a system able to accurately predict players’ productivity was discovered, even a club of meagre means could assemble a squad strong enough to challenge for titles. This is the great attraction of Moneyball.

One Premier League club has already tried to implement a sabermetric approach into their transfer market dealings. John W. Henry, owner of Liverpool since late 2010, has already used the Moneyball philosophy to great effect with the Boston Red Sox. It was unsurprising then, that he quickly announced similar plans for the Anfield club upon his arrival. Liverpool have since installed an American-style hierarchy whereby transfers are controlled, in part, by a Director of Football. Damien Comolli, previously of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, was handed the role and proceeded to sign a draft of new players to rebuild the failing club. He claimed to have used a system inspired by sabermetrics in the acquisition of these players, most notably Stewart Downing.

You don’t have to be the most avid follower of English football to know that Liverpool haven’t enjoyed much success with this strategy. After a dismal season, in which an absurd number of their high-profile summer signings flopped, both Comolli and Kenny Dalglish promptly lost their jobs. Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Downing have quite frankly been awful, especially when you consider the Reds splashed out a combined £78 million on them. Based on the example Liverpool have set, it would be surprising if other clubs were lining up to try their hand at this Moneyball game.

Defenders of sabermetrics may say the problem was that Comolli and Dalglish went about using the system in the wrong way, and they would certainly have a point there. The fundamental ethos of Moneyball is to purchase productive players for less than they are really worth. Comolli and Dalglish did the exact opposite of this; they bought overrated players at enormously inflated prices. The fact that they bought primarily native talent, all of whom came with a ‘British Tax’, is indication enough that they didn’t fully appreciate the aim of the game they were playing.

Regardless, Moneyball, however exciting it may be, will not work in football. It works in baseball because statistics play a much bigger role. Anyone who has ever watched a baseball game will testify to having been bombarded with figures for batting averages, on-base percentages, slugging percentages, earned run averages, strikeouts and walks to name just a few. British viewers tend to find the prevalence of statistics in American sports downright bizarre.

Not only this, but the two sports are, by nature, worlds apart. Football is much more fluid; each player’s performance is dependent on the play of others. A striker can’t score unless he is provided with service from supporting players. A goalkeeper can’t keep a clean sheet without the help of his defence in front of him. Baseball, on the other hand, is a more structured game. Each play follows the same basic format and results in players being either credited or debited. This means that statistics can measure individual performances more accurately and each player’s worth can be judged more precisely.

The statistical evidence which supposedly justified Stewart Downing’s £20 million signature is reason enough to disregard the potential role for sabermetrics in football. In his final season at Aston Villa, Downing completed 24% of his crosses, an impressive number. He also made nine assists that season which, compared to teammate Ashley Young’s 11, suggested he would have a reasonably productive first season for Liverpool. However, statistics in football are ultimately misleading and largely irrelevant. While Young had a respectable debut season at Manchester United, Stewart Downing’s stat line read: 36 appearances, zero goals, zero assists. A fitting quote here is one from the Danish former player and manager, Ebbe Skovdahl: “Statistics are just like miniskirts – they give you good ideas but hide the most important things”.

Football, unlike baseball, isn’t about the raw numbers; it’s about how players gel and complement each other. In a baseball team you can, in most cases, take out a player and replace him with a superior one without issue, regardless of the team’s playing style and tactics. The same cannot be said of football.

That’s why we won’t see owners of Premier League clubs turning to statisticians and number-crunchers anytime soon, as is the norm in Major League Baseball. Although most fans would love to see something (anything!) to help football’s underdogs level the playing field, unfortunately it won’t be Moneyball.

Three weeks ago Manchester City clinched their first Premier League title in dramatic fashion, beating QPR with two injury time goals. It was a remarkable day, and a fitting way to end a thrilling, season-long title race with bitter rivals Manchester United. Since then, they have been praised by the media and fans alike for their impressive achievement, and rightly so.

Regrettably however, there are plenty who have shamefully taunted City for ‘buying’ their success, accusing them of ruining the English game by reducing it to a financial pissing contest. Mainly bitter fans of other teams, they seek to undermine the achievement of Roberto Mancini’s side by declaring that it was the minimum expected for a club who had spent so much money. This is a lazy, knee-jerk reaction to their success which, as well as being highly predictable, smacks of jealousy. It’s a shame that Manchester City’s fans, who have lived for so long in the shadow of United, aren’t allowed to enjoy one of the proudest moments in their club’s history without having to listen to such negative drivel.

It’s clear to even the most casual observer that big spending does not automatically translate into trophies. Since being taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group, City has spent money like it was going out of fashion, yet this season they only just beat Manchester United to the Premier League crown, with goal difference deciding it in the end. Last season they didn’t challenge for the title, and the season before that they failed to even finish in the top four. This has not been because they haven’t played well; in fact there have been times in the last three seasons when their football has been of the highest calibre. It’s just that breaking into the top echelons of the English game is extremely difficult; never mind winning the league itself.

While it’s true that winning football matches is easier for teams with better players, much more than money is needed to win silverware, especially a league title. Just ask any Chelsea supporter: they’ll tell you that good management and consistency are crucial. I think it’s fair to say that given Roman Abramovich’s huge investment in his club, most people would have expected Chelsea to win more than three Premier League titles in nine seasons.

When Chelsea has won their league titles, it has been with Mourinho and Ancelotti, two of the world’s finest managers, at the helm. Big names like Ranieri, Scolari and Villas-Boas were unable to add league titles to their collection, despite having huge transfer budgets at their disposal. Many people forget that Mourinho and Ancelotti themselves also failed in title races, a fact which only serves to highlight Roberto Mancini’s feat.

In fairness, Chelsea now also has a Champions League, as well as multiple FA Cups, but these were won with more than money alone. The point of this example is that they have also had periods of distinctive underachievement, despite the resources available to them.

Another very recent example of this is Liverpool. Since being taken over by John W. Henry and Fenway Sports Group, they have embarked on an ambitious strategy of rebuilding, fuelled by high-profile acquisitions in the transfer market. Despite splashing out on the likes of Suarez, Carroll, Henderson and Downing, they have only a Carling Cup and an eighth-place finish this season to show for it. Fenway Sports Group saw this as an unsatisfactory return on their sizeable investment and it has cost Kenny Dalglish his job.

In recent years, the assorted leagues of Europe have been littered with clubs who have spent big and achieved relatively little. Aside from Chelsea and Liverpool, names like Leeds United, Real Madrid, Malaga and PSG come to mind as examples of this. The truth is that having money may help your cause, but trophies are only won when a club has excellent management and buys well. The argument that spending money alone ensures that a club will enjoy success on the field is overly-simplistic and flawed.

Another point City’s critics make is that with such expensive talent in the squad, anyone could have been the manager and they still would have won the league. This is also nonsense. Roberto Mancini has done magnificently well and without him, the title would surely be in Sir Alex Ferguson’s hands. This season he certainly had the beating of Ferguson, as he masterminded two crucial victories in the league over his opposite number. He also gave Manchester City much-needed consistency, especially at home, where they dropped only two points over the course of the campaign.

His handling of some of the biggest egos in football was perfect, of which the most obvious example was Carlos Tevez. Mancini, whose man-management skills have been criticised in the past, did exactly the right thing in banishing the troublesome star after the September’s fiasco in Munich, which threatened to derail City’s season almost before it started. Late in the campaign, with his back against the wall, the Italian swallowed his pride and recalled Tevez, who then produced some fine performances over final stretch. It was a move which probably won his club the title. That’s man-management at its best, if you ask me.

So while Manchester City will always be the target of bitter resentment as long as they spend more than everyone else, it is wrong to attribute their triumphs solely to money. Many clubs over the years have tried and failed to win titles with their chequebooks. Although City has outspent their competition, they have also earned their success, and as such should receive the same recognition any other club would.

Following Chelsea’s victory in the Champions League final, Europe’s collective media has fallen over itself to praise the character and resilience of their performance on the night, as well as their run in the competition which saw them topple Napoli, Benfica and Barcelona. While they are right to marvel at the improbability of their victory and their resilience, this is to forget the fact that Chelsea adopted some very negative tactics which is the antithesis of all that is good about the beautiful game.

Although the grit and fight displayed by Chelsea has to be admired, one has to lament the fact that football is now played with such a negative approach. Gone are the days when teams would just try and put as many past the opponent as possible. Teams going out and playing with reckless abandon and a childlike enjoyment of the game are truly a relic of times past.

At the 1982 World Cup, Brazil set the tournament alight with their exquisite, attacking football which mesmerised onlookers. They were expected to win the tournament because they were capable of the best play, yet were eliminated by eventual winners Italy. The Brazilians played gorgeous football but ultimately didn’t get the job done and are considered the best side to have not won the World Cup. After the match, Brazil captain Socrates declared that ‘To win is not the most important thing. Football is an art and should be showing creativity…You have to enjoy doing the art and not think, “Will I win?”.’ That encapsulates what football is really about and one can only wistfully imagine what the game would be like if everyone shared that philosophy. By all means, applaud Chelsea’s spirit and doggedness, but also feel disappointed by their lack of creative ambition.

Against Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Roberto Di Matteo’s side simply sat back deep in their own half and defended for the entire match, hoping to at some point nick a goal here or there (which they did). To do this is to admit that you are the inferior team, and that the only way you can win is to ‘steal’ it from your opponents against the run of play. This is anti-football. Bayern, to their credit, approached the game in a positive manner and tried to force the issue, and should be commended. Although they lost, Bayern entertained us. The same was true against Barcelona. In both legs the Catalans, although not at their best, enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and had virtually all of the chances. Yet Chelsea somehow, inexplicably got through. Those who love watching football must have wished they could have seen Barcelona in Champions League final, not the West Londoners.

Professional footballers are supposed to love the game. If this is true, then why do some of them not play the game the way it is meant to be played? The joy of the game is to express yourself and to be creative with the football, to do things that amaze and inspire. There are no children who dream of one day reaching the pinnacle of club football, only to hold on for dear life and wait for penalties. It’s a cowardly way to play and there’s no glory in it. Why emulate the hard-nosed rigidity of Stoke City when you can play a beautiful, fluid game like Arsenal or Real Madrid?

I wish I could end by at least saying that the club deserves the honour of winning the Champions League, but I don’t want to lie. Captain John Terry is a case study in good things happening to bad people. Aside from the racism, marital infidelity and general foulness of his character, the thing that sickened me on Saturday night was how, when his team won the match, he whipped on his Chelsea shirt, complete with ‘Terry #26’ on the back, and celebrated with his teammates as if he had just scored the winning penalty himself. How he can just disregard how his thoughtless sending off in Barcelona could have badly cost his team is beyond me. It is also hard to feel happy for the rest of the team, most of whom are only playing for Chelsea to satisfy their own greed and self-interest. Watching the Chelsea players during the trophy presentation was a laughable experience, as they jostled for a prime position at the front, and then proceeded to grab the trophy off one another so they could have their special moment with it. Although at least now Roman Abramovich has finally got his hands on the prize he coveted for so long. My heart is warmed by the thought of him looking back on his team’s triumph this summer, while he sails the seas on the world’s largest yacht, purchased with his ill-gotten gains.

So, although they won it all, Chelsea haven’t covered themselves in glory. The great tragedy in this is that they have taken their place in next season’s Champions League at the expense of Tottenham Hotspur, a team many consider to have justified inclusion in the competition.

So despite finishing fourth in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur will miss out on Champions League football because Chelsea won it all in Munich. Because they will only be playing in the Europa League, the strategy for this summer’s transfer dealings will have to be less ambitious then they will have hoped.

Had they been playing Champions League football next season, Tottenham probably would have been able to hold on to Luka Modric and Gareth Bale. Now, one if not both of them will most likely depart for pastures new and Spurs will have to look to the transfer market to fill the void that their departures will create.

As a replacement for Modric, Tottenham may go after playmaker Dorlan Pabon. The midfielder, who plays in Colombia for Atletico Nacional, has attracted attention from Malaga, Marseille, Porto, Roma and Udinese. Should Modric leave, he could be the answer to Spurs’ problem and an offer of around £7 million could see him playing at White Hart Lane come August.

A more tried and tested option would be to go after Clint Dempsey. The American midfielder has proven his Premier League worth at Fulham and now may seek out a fresh challenge, not to mention higher wages and the chance to play alongside more illustrious colleagues. He may not be a like-for-like replacement though, as he plays in a more advanced role than Modric.

Gareth Bale’s boots will be harder to fill. When they thought they would be playing in the Champions League, Spurs were planning a swoop for Lille winger Eden Hazard. Tottenham was believed to be in advanced talks with the Ligue 1 Player of the Year, but now that deal looks like it may fall through.

Milos Krasic’s name was another being bandied about in Tottenham transfer talk. The Serbian winger can play on both flanks, ideal for Redknapp who loves to let his players roam around. Krasic’s style of play means he would fit right in to the system, but again the question must be raised: why would a player leave a Champions League club (not to mention Serie A champions) for a team only playing in the Europa League?

While Spurs do have depth at the centre-half position, they are far from assured at the back. William Gallas, while still a very useful player, is the wrong side of 30, and the fitness of both Michael Dawson and Ledley King is a constant worry for Harry Redknapp. Ryan Nelsen and Sebastien Bassong are both industrious enough, but are unfortunately not up to the standard Spurs demand. That leaves Younes Kaboul as the only top-class player at the position who is able to play week in week out. That is unsatisfactory for a team who are looking to cement their credentials as a top four team.

The buzz seems to be that Chairman Daniel Levy is close to beating Arsenal to the signature of Jan Vertonghen, the 25-year-old Belgian defender who this season helped Ajax win the Dutch Eredivisie. Tottenham has reportedly bid £10 million for him but he may be tempted by AC Milan’s attempts to snag him. Failing this, Tottenham may make a bid for Ryan Shawcross. The Stoke captain may not set the world alight, but he is solid.

Harry Redknapp is said to be very keen on bringing Emmanuel Adebayor back for another season. After impressing this season for Spurs, the Togolese forward may return on another loan deal from Manchester City. Failing that, Spurs may be able to talk him down from his current demand of £175,000 per week, but don’t count on it. To heap further misery on the Spurs, it would seem as though missing out on the Champions League will also cost them the signature of Loic Remy as well. The Marseille striker was supposed to be Adebayor’s replacement, but now it looks like Spurs will miss out on him.

A viable alternative would be to sign either Papiss Cisse or Demba Ba, both from Newcastle. Both have impressed this season for their club and the Magpies are known to offload their premier talent in search of profits (see Andy Carroll, Joey Barton). Another name in the mix is Leandro Damiao, who may follow the path set by midfielder Sandro from Brazilian club Internacional to White Hart Lane.

Another option for the Lilywhites is to buy Giuseppe Rossi from recently-relegated Villareal. Once one of the most highly sought-after players in Europe, Rossi may now be available on the cheap, albeit with a huge risk attached. Having suffered two cruciate ligament injuries this season, it is a doubt whether he will ever return to the high standard of football he once reached. However, at a price further reduced because of Villareal’s desperation to sell, Redknapp may feel he’s worth a £10 million punt, especially as is side is in tremendous need of a goal-scorer.

Finally, Tottenham may look to bring in another keeper as cover for the ageing Brad Friedel. Friedel has played well at times this season, but at others has looked all of his 41 years. Kasper Schmeichel has been very closely linked to the club and he may be one for the future.

Missing out on the Champions League this season won’t mean Spurs are doomed to fall back into the days of perennial mediocrity. It will mean however, that their ambitions for the summer and possibly the next few seasons will have to be revised. Instead of building on their recent successes, they may have to settle for consolidation of their overall position. This will be a long and testing summer for the North London club.