Clubs across Europe are trying to get their house in order to ensure compliance with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations are adhered to. But there appears less concern in Paris and Monte Carlo than in most other cities over the continent. The continued lavish spending of the Ligue Un clubs appear on the face of it to suggest an imminent suspension for PSG and Monaco in next seasons European competition. However, this has not perturbed the trend of buying some of the star names in the game regardless of the price.

The key question must be whether UEFA have the fortitude to suspend teams from participating in Europe’s elite competitions and subsequently ensure that many of the star names plying their trade at these clubs cannot play at the top club level. Of course, many of these players could choose to lower their wage demands and ensure their clubs are in compliance with UEFA’s regulations. And perhaps pigs may fly over Lisbon for the half time show in this seasons Champions League finale!

It is difficult to imagine Heineken, Sony and Gazprom being content to sponsor an event missing many of the star billings that regularly appear throughout this most coveted tournament. French Clubs will also argue that they are unable to punch above their financial weight to ever mount a serious Champions League campaign without the financial backing of wealthy benefactors. The same rule clearly applies to Manchester City and Chelsea amongst others.

Foreign investment breathes new life into clubs. We may not all approve and there is clearly a need to safeguard the future of teams to ensure there are fewer cases akin to Leeds, Portsmouth and Chester FC in future. But for now, I find it highly unlikely it is in anyone’s interests for FFP to be implemented in Michel Platini’s current guise.

English football fans, part time or globe trotting devout followers, are normally a pesimistic group. If one looks at the facts, it is clearly obvious why. A nation claiming to be the founding father of the sport, a soccer obsessed public and only a solitary World Cup achieved 47 years ago (and counting) to show for it. Why should anybody be optimistic regarding the chances of success in Brazil 2014 and beyond?

For decades, the English public has been left disappointed by the abject lack of success achieved by the men’s national football team. The pain is evident in the voice and keyboard-tapping of every English man and woman who has had to endure “yet another” defeat in the knock out stages of a World Cup. These individuals are not all naturally cynical and most can recall a time they may have believed England could emulate the Boys of 66 themselves when watching previous tournaments as bright eyed children themselves.

What is concerning these days is the lack of anyone, young or old, being remotely positive about the team’s chances in Brazil 2014. This despite qualifying undefeated and top of a group that could have been much more straightforward had the draw been kinder to England. Conceding the second lowest total of goals in qualifying and escaping difficult away ties in Kiev, Warsaw and Podgorica without loss is no mean feat and time will tell how the supposedly more accomplished national squads will cope against the same opposition.

We’ve already seen what one of those teams many consider technically superior to England has done against the runners up from England’s group. France must play their second leg of their World Cup playoff this week after losing 2-0 to Ukraine in Eastern Europe. Yes, France did not win their qualifying group. A squad containing individual talent such as (Champions League player of the year) Ribery, Benzema and Pogba have had to face a playoff battle just to qualify. The same applies for (former Balon d’Or winner) Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and multiple league winning star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. On another side of the world, Luis Suarez’ Uruguay have also had to face a playoff against Jordan to fight for the right to participate in next summer’s competition. Ultimately, some of the best players in the world may end up spending next summer on a beach in Dubai and not the Copacabana.

Brazil have qualified as hosts but lost a friendly at Wembley and were also lucky to draw against a disciplined England side at the Maracana in the summer. Germany must always be considered a threat in international tournaments, despite the fact they have also been pot less since 1996. It will be useful to see how Roy Hodgson’s squad performs on Tuesday night against the current German team to assess the difference in quality between both sides. No one is expecting England to dominate possession and win the World Cup at a canter, but then that has arguably not happened since 2002 with Brazil comfortably winning matches throughout the tournament in Japan/South Korea. It is important to remember even the Spanish team, regarded by many as one of the finest squads of all time, only won all games in South Africa by the odd goal (hardly a landslide, despite possession stats).

The heat will be a factor for all European teams, which must be considered an advantage for South American and African nations participating. All in all, it is clear there is not a great deal of difference in the quality of teams at international level. But to suggest this is going to be yet another summer that will breed a new generation of cynics in England is a pessimistic and not entirely helpful attitude.

Editor’s note: Read our news, analysis and opinion about the England national team.

Photo by Gordon Marino

At this point last season, many neutral observers of Manchester United at Old Trafford could be forgiven for believing they were watching matches televised from Norwich City’s Carrow Road. This is not a criticism of the quality of football on display – clearly these were Premier League footballers. Instead it was the legions of Man United supporters wearing the green and gold colors to protest against the Glazers, the owners of Manchester United. The similarity of the colors to Norwich City was just a coincidence.

If you remember last season, Old Trafford was filled with banners urging all supporters to not renew their season tickets, a sea of Green and Gold scarves throughout the stadium and hostile chanting aimed exclusively at the club’s American owners. The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) made it very clear that they feel the club should be owned (at least partially) by the club’s supporters and refuse to endorse the club whilst it continues to operate under the burden of over £500 million in debt incurred by the Glazer family. It is a movement that has accumulated great support and has led to the club suffering a drastic fall in season ticket renewals.

I am not an economist, but I am a supporter of Manchester United and passionately care for the future of the club. However, I for one cannot bring myself to support this movement. Duncan Dresdo and the executive committee of MUST have, in my view, operated an ingenious strategic plan to attempt to usurp the Glazer family and ensure that supporters of the club have the ability to vote on the future running of Old Trafford.

Many will wonder why I cannot support this proposal, and there is no simple answer for this. Although the green and gold colors were prevalent at every United fixture from January to May 2010, the campaign has clearly waned throughout the 2010-2011 season. Some supporters still insist on wearing the colours of Newton Heath, although they still put money into the Glazer’s pockets by purchasing a match-ticket, food and drink from stadium kiosks and are often seen sporting an official club jersey. I cannot help feeling that these supporters that still attend matches wearing the ancient colours of Manchester United are merely following a fashion trend, and are not pursuing a campaign against the owners.

Manchester United claim to have over 333 million supporters worldwide and currently has over 11 million “fans” on the clubs official Facebook site. My ultimate problem with the proposed takeover, be it by a group of over 20 wealthy investors or by the club’s entire fan base, is that the club would lack in having any clear leader. For the time being, support of Sir Alex Ferguson is almost unanimously shared by most supporters of the United and his judgment is trusted due to his track record of success. The real problem would be 1) deciding who should succeed Ferguson and 2) allowing the new incumbent time and resources to succeed. With such a vast fan base, there will undoubtedly be many supporters who will not be content with whoever is ultimately chosen to take the Old Trafford hot seat.

Under the current model, United have silent owners who Ferguson claims to have received “100 percent” support from. The new manager will also require such support and no interference in team affairs from the chairman. Many supporters will unfairly demand instant and sustained success from Ferguson’s replacement. It is, in many ways, an impossible job. However, this job would be made all the more difficult if the supporters had the power to interfere with the managers job as an inevitable power-struggle between the supporters, 20 plus billionaire owners and the manager continue. Bob Paisley famously banished Bill Shankly from Anfield upon taking the job at Liverpool, stating that in football there must be “one dog, one master” and continued to build on Shankly’s success. Under Mr Dresdo’s proposal, Manchester United would have millions of individuals with the power to vote on all club matters over the managers head.

Many will argue that this model works perfectly well at Barcelona. It is also fashionable for many football experts to portray the Catalan club as the perfect model for all others to follow, a view shared by many who support the Green and Gold protests. I would ask these supporters to consider Barcelona’s track record over the last 15 years in comparison to Manchester United. Since 1995, Barcelona have won 6 La Liga titles and 2 European Cups. Manchester United has also won 2 Champions League trophies, and 9 Premier League titles. Barcelona undoubtedly have the strongest squad in La Liga and one of the most talented in Europe, but it is a fallacy to suggest that they have successfully operated any more effectively than United over the past 15 years.

I have my own opinions on where United could strengthen the squad and I would not claim that the Glazers debt has in any way helped Manchester United. Many agree that the squad will require investment this summer and believe the manager should have bought extra quality players in the summer of 2010. Yet there are 19 other clubs in the Premier League that would gladly trade United’s position in the Premier League table with only 8 games remaining.

The club has continued to grow commercially by signing significant telecommunication and other sponsorship agreements with blue-chip companies from all over the world. The debt continues to be gradually paid and the Glazers £220 million complete pay-back of the PIK hedgefund loan should not be underestimated.

The Glazers arouse suspicion by their silence; but from past experience silence is golden (not green) when it comes to football club owners.

Spain continued their fantastic form from Euro 2008, by winning all ten of their group matches in World Cup qualification, easily finishing top of the table, making their way to the tournament in South Africa. The Spain World Cup home jersey was debuted in a friendly match against Argentina on Saturday 14th November, which was to celebrate the centenary of the Spanish Football Federation. Spain won this match 2-1 thanks to a double from Xabi Alonso. Lionel Messi had equalised for Argentina with a penalty.

The kit was launched at the Kinepolis cinema complex in Pozuelo, Madrid. Many regard Spain as favourites to win their first ever World Cup and they will be hoping that this new kit brings them even more good luck.

Written by Kampanart Wong, a sports writer who blogs about cheap football shirts.

“In Italy, the league is very hard. It’s very difficult to play in as an attacker,” Said Ibrahimovic.

“It’s another game, another mentality.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s 100 per cent focused on defence, but they want to be certain before attacking and generally run less risks,”

“In Spain you take more risks, because you want to score more goals. It’s another culture. The spectacle comes first here.”

At Inter Milan Ibrahimovic was very much the main man in an Inter Milan shirt with everything having to go through him, at Barcelona he is a key player but there are others helping provide that creative spark which has allowed him to express himself further.

The press in Italy is well known for making life difficult for players at times with Ibrahimovic taking a lot of criticism during his time at both Juventus and Inter Milan and he has highlighted this as another reason why life is much better in Spain with Barcelona.

Written by Mark Ferguson, a sports writer who blogs about cheap football jerseys

Livorno midfielder Antonio Candreva made his debut for Italy at the weekend in a 0-0 friendly with the Netherlands with the versatile midfielder attracting a lot of interest from the likes of Inter Milan and Juventus .

Candreva’s club form has not gone unnoticed with teams said to be circling for the players signature. the 22 year old has so far refused to sign a new contract with his parent clubs, both Udinese and Livorno have a share in the player, which could pave the way for one of the big teams to make a move of the player.

Both Juventus and Inter Milan are in need of a creative injection in their midfield with Inter Milan in particular needing some young players to pull on the Inter Milan shirt with their squad becoming increasingly ageing.

Juventus have also not quite found the right balance in the centre of midfield with new signing Felipe Melo being too similar to Momo Sissoko with very little creativity betwee nthe two of them.

If either of these teams, or indeed any other interested parties, are to make a move for the player it is most likely to happen in the summer when they will be able to get the player for cheaper than if they make their move in January. However with both teams at times lacking some creativity they could be forced to move early for the player.

Written by Mark Ferguson, a sports writer who blogs about cheap football shirts

I know that this brings up loads of potential problem like who do you classify as a top player etc. etc. but a lot of the time it is quite clear that some players are not needed and that as long as they keep their form up for their club they will play for their country.

International friendlies do have their place but that shouldn’t be just before Christmas when the fixture schedule is already tight and the next competitive international match is not until next summer. Friendlies should occur just before the competition when you know what players are fit at the time because there is a good chance there will be at least one injury that will cause a player not to make the World Cup.

Chelsea due John Terry and Frank Lampard both picked up injuries during their trip with England and Robin van Persie looks to be sidelined for 6 weeks after lasting only 10 minutes playing in a friendly for the Netherlands. These loses to Chelsea and Arsenal could put their title bids off track, which is bad enough for the supporters and club when they got injured in a game that mattered but injured in a friendly that could have been avoided makes the whole thing seem a little pointless.

The obvious answer to the problem is only to have international friendlies in the weeks before competitive games with the only other solution being a second string getting the call up in stead of the top players but ultimately these players still have clubs who need them fit to play so this only protects the big clubs and not the small ones.

I have never been a big fan of international football but I do understand the importance of it to players who want to represent their country but sometimes I feel a little more common sense needs to be adopted when arranging the  fixtures of non-competitive international matches.

Written by Mark Ferguson, a sports writer.

I would consider Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United to be the teams that will make up the top 3, but there are definitely a few teams who are contenders for that 4th spot. At the start of the season, Liverpool would have been most people’s favourites to make the Champions League once again, but with a dreadful start to the season and still no sign of that changing soon at Anfield, they might struggle to make it. Manchester City would probably be regarded as the next favourites for 4th spot, but while they started the season extremely well, they have drawn 5 games in a row now and are not quite looking so strong. Tottenham, currently sitting in 4th spot, have finally started a season well and look consistent this season under Harry Redknapp and have probably been the surprise package of the season so far. So, let’s have a further look at the chances of those in an Aston Villa football shirt.

Villa are in 5th position at the moment and have certainly had a couple of fantastic results so far. Defeating Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield is something very few teams have been able to do and winning 2-1 at home against Chelsea shows that they have been able to compete with the big sides. A 1-1 draw with Manchester City and hammering Bolton 5-1 last week have added to this impressive start to the season. Aston Villa have also strengthened their squad by signing Richard Dunne, Fabian Delph, Stephen Warnock and Stewart Downing, who has still to play his first game for the club after getting injured at Middlesbrough. Added to that, you have one of the best keepers in the league, Brad Friedel and fantastic attacking players, such as John Carew, Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor, showing that Villa certainly do have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season. One thing that will be in the back of their minds is what happened last season when they looked certainties to make the competition last season, but then completely fell away from March onwards, practically giving Arsenal 4th spot. Martin O’Neill will be hoping his side is mentally stronger this time around.

Written by Stephen Whiteford, a sports writer who blogs about football kits.

Edin Dzeko was said to be one of Milan’s main targets in the summer with Wolfsburg refusing to let the player leave but the Bosnian international has once again stated that his dream is to pull on an AC Milan shirt and with Huntelaar linked with a move to the Premiership another attempt to sign Dzeko could be on the cards with Milan in desperate need of some quality to be added to the side.

Milan have missed the quality and spark that Kaka brought to the team and although Dzeko is not going to play the same role the club is missing a top quality striker at the moment to put the ball in the back of the net and Dzeko could certainly fill that role.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports editor who blogs about football shirts

There is no doubt that Wayne Rooney is a top class player and, since Ronaldo left, is the main man in the Manchester United team, and any player of his quality we would love to see puling on a Barcelona shirt. Would this however effectively end the career of the likes of Thierry Henry at the Nou Camp? He has been linked with a move away for a while now but is still a key player for the team. The prospect of Ibrahimovic and Rooney lining up together in the same team is just mouth watering, however Rooney may not be convinced to leave United.

Barca are apparently confident that a bid would be accepted for the England international due to the amount of debt that the Old Trafford club has, but Rooney himself has been quoted as saying that he would like to try and beat Ryan Giggs’ appearance record at United so it sounds like the player has his heart set on staying at Manchester United plus with his first child just being born it is unlikely he will want to move his family. However if a bid does appear from Barcelona he could be tempted by the money on offer or feel some pressure from the cub to leave due to the huge financial sums involved.

Whether there is truth in the rumour that Barcelona are interested in Rooney is true or not, it looks to be an uphill struggle to pull the player away from the Premiership but the prospect of Ibrahimovic and Rooney playing together is a very exciting one.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports editor who blogs about football shirts

John Terry grabbed the only goal of the game, heading in from a Lampard free-kick to secure the 10th straight home win and extend Chelseas lad at the top of the table. The game as you would expect became heated at times with referee decisions being a talking point as always but overall the team played well and deserved the victory.

Many of the players have had a better day in Chelsea shirts with few players really shining but it was the team performance that was important and that performance got the victory that could prove crucial at the end of the season.

One bit of bad news though was that Ashley Cole now looks set for a stint on the sidelines after aggravating a leg injury picked up against Atletico Madrid which will mean that the team will need to be reshuffled, possibly with the inclusion of new signing Zhirkov who has yet to play an important role in the first team this season.

Chelsea are now exactly where they want to be and look the strongest side in the league by far at the moment, and with Anelka and Drogba looking more lethal every game they play this season has the foundations of a great one.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports editor who blogs about football kits

The Italian international has struggled to settle in the Premier League following his £7m transfer from Udinese in the summer of 2008 and has failed to hold down a regular starting place in a Liverpool shirt.

The defender has been identified by Napoli as a key man in their bid to push for a Champions League spot.

However, Dossena’s agent Roberto La Florio told tuttomercatoweb.it: “We will wait until the international break to evaluate and talk to Andrea.

“One thing that is certain is that no agreement has been reached with us, I don’t know if the clubs have spoken to each other but for sure we have not been informed.

“Andrea wants to go to the World Cup.

“Napoli are doing well and in the eyes of everyone it would be a good choice.”

Written by Danny Watson, a sports journalist who blogs about cheap football shirts.

Last night Benfica beat Everton 2-0 at Goodison Park and although this is an improvement on the 5-0 defeat last time round it was still a poor night for Everton with Benfica deserving the win. Javier Saviola opened the scoring for Benfica with a low finish early in the second half before Oscar Cardozo finished in the bottom corner.

It s hard to criticise Everton too much this season due to the number of players they have on the sidelines. They don’t have the depth of squad that is available to other Premiership teams and last night with key men like Mikel Arteta and Phil Jagielka missing from the team, who were arguably the best players in an Everton football shirt last year, it is not surprising that the team aren’t on their best form at the moment.

Everton are still sitting in a good position in the Europa league are still favourites to qualify from the group along with Benfica. Everton sit second with 6 points, 3 behind Benfica and 2 ahead of BATE and AEK Athens. Although they have hard games to play they should still qualify for the next round when they will hopefully have some of their players back from injury and back in the squad.

Although Everton are in 13th place in the table the teams around them are all very close together and a few wins could see them quickly jump up the table and get them back to where we are used to seeing them over the past few seasons.

Written by Danny Watson a Sports writer who also blogs about football kits.

“I’m very glad to have him on my team within a few weeks,” said Milan boss Leonardo after the match against Real Madrid

Beckham had always stated his desire to go back to Milan in fact he didn’t really want to leave in the first place but contractual arrangements meant that the fee would just have been too high for Milan to meet. Although Beckham was linked to a number pf Premiership sides he always wanted to return to Milan with the sole goal being to gt to the World Cup.

“The coach (Fabio Capello) made it clear to me that I have to play on an European top level if I want to play in South Africa next year,” according to Beckham. “And I’ll do anything I can to accomplish that, otherwise I will regret it.”

An agreement for Beckham to return to Milan was completed on Monday.

“We’re very satisfied with that,” said Leonardo. “Last season, he was very important for us. He has enormous talent, a great charisma and a good motivation.”

Leonardo felt mixed emotions, regarding the draw against Real Madrid. The result itself was quite positive but Alexandre Pato’s canceled goal caused a bad taste in the mouth for Milan. Afterwards, Leonardo refused to criticise referee Felix Brych.

“These kind of things just happen. The most important thing is my team made a next step and continue to improve their game every match.”

Written by Danny Watson a Sports writer who also blogs about football kits.

Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid in the summer and had been a star performer in his Real Madrid shirt before being sidelined by injury and the former Manchester United star has said he would love to see former team mate Wayne Rooney move to the Bernabeu to play alongside him again.

Ronaldo left Manchester United in the summer for a record £8o million transfer fee and although he admits that Rooney is unlikely to follow him to Real Madrid he believes the England striker would fit into the team well.

Wayne would be a sensation out here. I think we could do with Rooney to help us out,” said Ronaldo.

“He would be brilliant if he came. This is the ideal place for the world’s best players and there’s little doubt he is one of them.

“Wayne has all the skill and determination you need to make a fine career here.

“He has shown just how good he is over the last few years in England.

“And there’s no doubt he would be the same sort of player in Spain. It would be lovely to see him here one day at Real Madrid.

“I realise it would take a lot for him to move from England.

“He loves the country, he loves Manchester and he is a Liverpool boy. And United is a good club for him. But you never know what could happen in the future.”

There is no doubt that Rooney is a fantastic player and would be a great addition to any team I just don’t see him leaving Manchester United or in fact Real Madrid deciding that they want to spend another £30+ million on another striker.

Written by Danny Watson a Sports writer who also blogs about football kits.

The 24 year old played a starring role in Bari’s promotion to Serie A but has only appeared once in a Roma shirt having started the match and had another two substitute appearances.

Gubertis former club is said to be interested in taking the midfiedler back but his agent insists his player will not be leaving Roma.

“For Roma, Guberti is unsellable. Actually, he is playing thanks to his desire. He has never given up and has always given his best,” De Nicola said.

“At the beginning, the Coach had to get results, and trusted in the old guard, but with time he has begun to respect Guberti.”

Written by Danny Watson a Sports writer who also blogs about football kits.

Ibrahimovic scored twice in Barcelona’s 6-1 win over Zaragoza at the weekend with one of his goals being from a trademark free kick and he credits his free kick ability to Sinisa Mihajlovic who he spent two years with at Inter Milan.

“I used to train with Sinisa Mihajlovic at Internazionale. He’s a free kick specialist. I had him for one or two years and when you see him take free kicks the only thing you can do is learn from him,”

Ibrahimovic spoke of his delight at playing for Barcelona and how well he has settled.

“I feel very fine at Barcelona.”

“Just a week before the start of the Championship I was able to return to group training.” due to a hand injury Ibrahimovic picked up in pre-season. ” It didn’t helped my integration at Barcelona but I was fortunate to score a goal every match I played.”

Ibrahimovic currently sits joint top scorer in La Liga with seven goals so if he continues his current form e is on course for a very good first season in La Liga.

Key players Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard have both missed games this season and the lack of suitable back up players for Liverpool seems to be evident at the moment. It is obviously not going to be easy to replace players of this quality like for like because the reality is that players of that quality are not that easy to find, not very cheap and wouldn’t sit on the sidelines as a back up. However the lack of depth in the squad does appear to be hurting them at the moment.

We are only in October and Liverpool have already lost more games that they did last season but the reality is that all of the top teams look like dropping points this season which will open the league up a bit more and means that the early defeats suffered by Liverpool may in fact not prove to be fatal.

This though obviously assumes that Liverpool can stop the slide, with a match against Manchester United not exactly being the game you would have wished for when your top players are potentially missing and the side is lacking confidence.

At the moment Liverpool are not completely out of the title race although it will certainly be an uphill struggle for them but with the rise of Spurs and Manchester City is it possible that Liverpool could miss out on finishing in the top 4?

Looking at the form of Liverpool last year it would have been unthinkable that this could be a consideration but at the moment they look vulnerable and if Man City and Spurs can maintain their momentum, which is must be said has not been proved yet, Liverpool could be fighting for a Europa league spot instead of a Champions League spot.

Personally I think that Liverpool will get their act together and will most likely get the 4^th spot as I don’t see Spurs having the staying power and if Man City lose any key players to injury they too could be short but what do you guys think?

Written by Danny Watson a Sports writer who also blogs about football kits.

Although it is true that Inter are at the bottom of the group they have 3 points from 3 games but it is not quite as bad as it sounds with the other 3 teams all being tied on 4 points.  It is true though that Inter need to get a result from their next match against Dynamo Kiev or risk the Europa League being the most realistic destination for them after Christmas.

Sneijder and Eto’o have yet to fulfil their potential in an Inter Milan shirt since signing in the summer with the Italian Champions just not clicking properly quite yet. They had a very good 5-0 win at the weekend against Genoa but this doesn’t cover up the weaknesses in the team that clearly exist when they sit bottom of their Champions’ League group.

Inter need to change things around quickly in Europe or Jose Mourinho will come under increasing pressure. They currently still sit top of the pile in Serie A but the fans crave European success which is what Mourinho was brought in to provide.

Written by Danny Watson a Sports writer who also blogs about football kits.

Tonight though is the meeting of the two European giants AC Milan and Real Madrid which looks like being the tastiest double header in the Champions League this season. Milan go into the game as underdogs, not just because of the quality of players signed in the summer and pulling on a Real Madrid shirt tonight including Milan legend Kaka, but also because Milan appear to be short of form at the moment.

Real Madrid will not quite be the same force with Cristiano Ronaldo missing but it is highly expected that Real will walk away with all three points tonight. This match on paper certainly has the makings of a classic, however I just worry whether Milan will be able to compete with the high flying Galacticos. Only time will tell if Milan can roll back the years and shows us what they are made of.

Written by Danny Watson a Sports writer who also blogs about football kits.

The recent poor form of the team coupled with the 750 million euro fine that AC Milans parent company recently had imposed on them has led to rumours that Berlusconi will look to sell his share to help offset the fine.  However, Fininvest deny they are even considering offloading their 100 per cent stake in the Serie A giants.

“In relation to the repeated indiscretions in the press, Fininvest see themselves forced once again to deny, in the most peremptory and absolute way, that there exists any talk of sale, even partial, of their shares in AC Milan,” read a statement on acmilan.com.

Taci revealed earlier in the day in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport that he has talked to Berlusconi. Despite the Italian Prime Minister telling him the club was not for sale, the Albanian oil magnate is confident that is not the end of the matter.

“I have the 700million to buy Milan,” said Taci.

“And I intend to strengthen them.

“I have already talked about it with Berlusconi. He told me he didn’t intend to sell, but I know that if I came into the matter he would take my offer into consideration.

“The money wouldn’t be a problem. My company is used to taking on relevant commitments and seeing them through to the end.”

A lot of Milan fans are said to be caught in two minds about the rumoured takeover with many believing that the fortunes of the club will be turned around by current owners and others believing that there is need for a change in the management of the club as well as as a change in playing staff.

Only time will tell if Milan will be bought over with the start of the year the most likely time that more news would be released.

Written by Danny Watson a Sports writer who also blogs about football kits.

Although Puyol is the captain and his commitment can never be denied when he pulls on a Barcelona shirt, there have been rumours for t a while that the Barcelona management would rather leave the player out of the team because he doesn’t necessarily fit within the team.

Puyol plays either right back or central defence for Barcelona and although he is a good player he is not the best right back or the best central defender.  He works hard, gives 100% at all times and can inspire the players when he needs to but there are better players out there.

Whether the rumours of him leaving Barcelona are true or not we will need to wait and see but this is not the first time in the last year that his future has come into doubt and I very much doubt it will be the last.

Written by Danny Watson a Sports writer who also blogs about football kits.

Ronaldo has yet to miss a game for Madrid since pulling on his Real Madrid jersey and it is believed that manager Pellegrini will give him to the last minute to be fit for the match.

Real Madrid have won all seven of their league games so far this season but they come up against their toughest opposition yet when they play Sevilla on Sunday. Sevill alost their opening fixture but have since went on to win the other 6 games and dump Rangers 4-1 in the Champions League midweek.

If Ronaldo misses the match the team will undoubtedly miss him but they have a replacement in the form of Higuain who will most likely fill the void left by Ronaldo if he doesn’t make the match.

Written by Danny Watson a sports writer who also writes about football kits.

Ibrahimovic returned to the San Siro, only this time in a Barcelona shirt, but was unable to take the chances that he had to score against his former club. Inter Milan rallied in the second half creating a few opportunities but never looked like winning the game.

This is a good start for the current holders of the Champions League trophy, Inter are their biggest rivals in the group and a draw away from home on the opening game of the tournament is nothing to be ashamed of.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports writer who blogs about football news and football kits.

The result was by no means emphatic, the game finished 2-1 to Milan but it is a great start for their return to the Champions League and you can’t ask for anymore than 3 points from your first Champions League game of the season especially away from home.

Milan have been linked with a top players as potential signings for January so it will be interesting to see if we see any top players pull on the AC Milan shirt after the January transfer window.  Milan had been linked with players in the summer only to see them unable to meet the price demanded for the players but after seeing Juventus and rivals Inter Milan spend big in the summer it is likely Milan are going to be forced into making a move soon for more players to bolster their squad.

By Danny Watson a writer about football news and football shirts.

Inter Milan run out 4-0 winners at the San Siro as the new look Inter Milan side showed that they have not lost any goal threat after the sale of Ibrahimovic.

The game was the first time for Wesley Sneijder to pull on an Inter Milan shirt and what a way to start your inter career with a 4-0 win over their rivals.

AC Milan fans will be quite rightly concerned after the result, many of whom already believed that the club had failed to strengthen adequately after losing star man Kaka to Real Madrid.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports journalist who blogs about football news.

After a slow start to his Spurs career he has made himself a fans favourite and has started to show some the quality in a Spurs shirt that he has shown for Croatia. There are no obvious players in the Spurs squad to replace the creativity that Modric brings his side.

Both David Bentley and Jermaine Jenas have been tipped for the exit door, however the injury to Modric could see at least one being help back to try and fill the void. Personally I am a huge Jenas fan however the England international doesn’t seem to feature in Redknapps plans so he may still take a way out if given one.

There is a possibility that Keane could move into the void left by Modric with Crouch taking his place alongside Defoe. Crouch had a fantastic game at the weekend when he came onto the park and is another great option that Redknapp has in his squad.

The next 6 weeks or so without Modric will be the true test for Spurs to see if they are true contenders for a top four finish or whether it is just an early run of good results and they will eventually slip down the table like Aston Villa did last season.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports journalist who blogs about football news.

Real Madrid have scoured Europe for the top talent and signed a good chunk of it all in one summer but who will be the most influential and kety signing that Madrid have signed this summer? There are a lot to choose from with Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, and Xabi Alonso to name a few all pulling on a Real Madrid shirt this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo was made the most expensive player when he signed for Real Madrid from Manchester United and because of this comes with huge expectation. The attacker hasn’t hit top form in pre-season but that is to be expected as it will take a while for all the players to gel together.

Kaka has been one of the best and most consistent players in Europe for a long time now and I am sure he will continue to be a star player at Madrid. It will be interesting to see such a wealth of talent all playing together in one team but whether they can all play together is the real question.

For me the most important player that Real Madrid have signed this summer is Xabi Alonso. Alonso was the driving force behind Liverpool last season and made the whole team tick. Madrid were missing someone like this in their team and without a controlling creative player like Alonso in the middle to get the ball to the right players then all the talent they signed could have been ineffective.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports writer who blogs about football news.

Many Milan fans will be hoping to see Ronaldinho step up this season and play for the Milan jersey after what could only be described as an average season for the former World player of the year and the hopes are not high by many Milan fans that he will turn it around this season.

Pato has been consistently improving and is still only 19 years old. During pre-season Pato has impressed and looks to be relishing his role now he has emerged from the shadow of Kaka and this has meant he has been the subject of constant speculation surrounding his future at the club. The speculation has intensified due to Carlo Ancelotti’s move to Chelsea with the Italian said to be very interested in taking his former player to London with him, however this now seems unlikely for at least this season.

The Milan fans have been slightly frustrated by the lack of big name signings since losing Kaka to Madrid, they have however managed to sign Klass-Jan Huntelaar to bolster their attacking options. Milan are desperate to challenge for the title this season after seeing rivals Inter Milan win the Serie A title last season again but the responsibility looks like falling on the shoulders of young Pato so it will be interesting to see if he copes with the pressure.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports writer who blogs about football news.

We are only a few games into the season and already we have seen a couple of unexpected results involving the big 4, these results may turn out not to be important at the end of the season but there does seem to be potential for slip ups from some of the big teams this year so does that open the door for a new member or two to the top 4?

Spurs and Man City have built up excellent squads over the summer and look to have the potential to compete with the top 4 this season, well for at least a while anyway. I am not sure that I can see either team winning the league this season but there is a potential that if they can keep their top players fit and on form then they have a realistic chance of breaking into the top 4.

What goes against this is that most of the players at both clubs have never been in the position where they could potentially challenge for a Champions League slot so whether they can see it through to the end or not is a different matter. An example of this was Arsenal two seasons ago when they looked on course for the title only to suffer a string of poor results in the title run in. The situation was slightly different with Arsenal with regards the Eduardo injury however it was still a young team that didn’t have the title experience.

Liverpool has suffered two defeats in their first three games and worryingly for fans the defeats were probably justified. Spurs were the better team when they played on the first game of the season and although Liverpool created a lot of chances against Aston Villa they were so open at the back and slack in midfield they deserved to lose the goals that they did.

Manchester United has lost the creative spark of Cristiano Ronaldo and haven’t yet replaced this which is obvious when you see the team play. However some of the other United players look like they could have more freedom to play now Ronaldo has gone and there is still a possibility of a top player turning up in a Man Utd shirt before the window closes.

Chelsea has only altered the squad slightly and look as strong as they have done for the last few seasons. As long as everyone stays fit the biggest blow to them could be the African Nations tournament at the start of the year.

Arsenal look a much improved team from last season and there looks to be room for more signings before the end of the transfer window. What will most likely be crucial for Arsenal, as it is every season, is the number of injuries that the club pick up if this can be kept to a minimum then Arsenal are in for a shout of the title this season.

Man City and Spurs certainly have the quality in their team to put up a fight with the big 4 and although Liverpool and Manchester United in particular look weaker than they did last season I just can’t see either dropping out of the top 4. It is certainly going to be a good season this year with more competition for the top 4 places which can only result in a more viewing pleasure/nail biting tension for the fans.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports journalist who blogs about football news.

Barcelona have signed a couple of players but by far the biggest signing has been Ibrahimovic  who is seen above holding his Barcelona shirt with the number 9, a number of course vacated by Samuel Eto’o. There is no doubt that Ibrahimovic is a top quality player and will add to the Barca team my only concern is that they will miss the goals of Eto’o. Barca have improved their team though in my opinion with Ibrahimovic and I doubt he will be the last signing of the summer.

Real Madrid have the building blocks of an amazing team but haven’t quite put it all together yet but that will take a bit of time to find the starting 11 and the best formation to make the most of all the individual talents that are in the team. Real look likely to sign Xabi Alonso who has the potential to solidify the midfield and could be an excellent signing for them

With the fact that Barcelona have mostly managed to keep their title and Champions league winning team together from last season I think Barcelona have to go into the campaign as early favourites but it is certainly going to be interesting to see these two great clubs battle it out.

Written by Danny Watson, a  sports writer who blogs about football news and football shirts.

Manchester United have certainly lost one of their major assets in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo which would appear to make them a weaker proposition for next season, however they have signed Valencia who may turn out to be a good player for the club and add a good shape to the team and most importantly they have signed Michael Owen. Owen is not a man I would have expected to see in a Manchester United shirt but he looks like he could do a job for them. He is one of the most natural goalscorers in the league and the benefit of being at a club like Man Utd is that you don’t need to play every week so hopefully he can stay fit. Man Utd still look weak in the centre of the park especially with the news that Hargreaves has suffered another setback, but I still see the potential for another signing if the right player becomes available.

Liverpool were a much improved team last season and were possibly the most dangerous team on their day. Liverpool have signed Glen Johnson who is a good player though maybe not quite worth the money they paid. It would appear that Liverpool at present don’t have a huge amount of money to play with so we have potentially seen the last major signing from them however with Alonso tipped to leave that could free up some cash, however the major downside is that they would be losing arguably there best player. If Alonso goes it is big boots to fill and if they are not filled well then Liverpool won’t be able to take that final step and be crowned champions again.

Arsenal have been linked with a huge number of players this summer but so far have only signed a defender, which in fairness is a position they need to strengthen. Adebayor and it looks like Toure are both leaving which gives Wenger a good pool to spend from. Arsenal have the potential to challenge for the title but in my opinion only if they recruit a couple of players. Adebayor and Toure are little loss as far as I am concerned and the team can play better without them but the team are still screaming out for a defensive midfielder, although Song progressed well last season but a player with more experience could be useful, and another central defender. A striker is not an essential purchase for Arsenal as a number of players are flexible and Eduardo is back but a top class striker would add some bite to the attack.

Manchester City have spent a lot of money this summer and should in theory be up there contesting the title, however they need to improve their central defence in my opinion if they are to stand any chance of breaking into the top four. Tevez, Santa Cruz and Adebayor on paper is a very exciting prospect not to mention the other strikers at the club so if the team can gel together quickly then they are in with an excellent shout of being there or there abouts.

Chelsea under the control of Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t fill me with excitement, I have never been a fan of the manager, however from all account the team seem to be playing nice football in pre-season and they are quietly going about their business. The key to Chelsea is if they can get the likes of Drogba playing to his full potential again and if they can then you Chelsea will be right up there come the end of the season. I still feel Chelsea has a signing or two to come and I think are my early favourites for the title as they haven’t lost or indeed look like potentially losing any of their top players and I think they will strengthen further before the close of the window.

There are sure to be a lot of twists and turns both before and during the season but one thing we know for certain is that we will be in for another hard fought Premiership season with a very good possibility there could be at least 5 if not 7 or 8 teams all competing for the top 4 positions in the league.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports journalist who writes about football news and football shirts.

Alonso seems keen to pull on a Real Madrid shirt and Real seem keen to sign the midfielder but as of yet no agreement has been made with Real possibly having to sell befor ethey can buy any more. Alonso was one of, if not the best player for Liverpool last season. Torres and Gerrard often get the headlines and take the glory but Alonso pulls the strings in the middle of the park and makes Liverpool tick. If you look back at Liverpools record last season you will see that a lot of the games in which Liverpool dropped points in Alonso didn’t actually start.

Real Madrid are in need of a player of Alonso’s quality to be the engine of th eteam because the central midfielders that are at the club are OK but don’t have skill or qualities required to run the midfield area of a team filled with such superstars. Although the deal looks likely to go through it is far from certain at the moment but a host of Premiership clubs also said to be hovering to swoop if nothing is sorted ot quickly. Alonso could turn Real from a good team to a great team.

Written by Danny Watson, a  sports writer who blogs about football news and football shirts.

AC Milan have been linked with quite a few strikers this summer but one link that seemed to intensify, after his impressive form in the Confederations Cup, was Luis Fabiano . However there seems to be  reports coming out that the deal is dead as an agreement can not be reached over the players valuation.

It is thought that a 14 million Euro bid has been turned down, with Sevilla holding out for closer to their 20 million valuation and with Milan being reluctant to raise their bid for the 28 year old it looks increasingly unlikely that we will see Fabiano pull on an AC Milan shirt.

With the majority of the transfer money still available from the Kaka deal earlier in the summer it is very much expected that their will be more arrivlas at the San Siro however as Milans other potential targets including Adebayor all getting snapped up by other clubs it is not clear who the Italian giants are going to sign.

The Milan support are getting restless as they fear going into next season having not strengthened their team adequately to compensate for the loss of Kaka.

Another name that has bizarrely been linked with a move to the club is Peter Crouch. He is a good player and an England international but I never thought I would see the day that Peter Crouch could potentially be wearing an AC Milan shirt next season.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports journalist who blogs about football news and football shirts.

Last season Liverpool had one of the strongest teams they have had for a long time and if they can keep that squad and add to it in a couple of key areas then there is no reason that they can not go on to win the Premiership next season, however if Alonso is sold to Real Madrid Rafa would need to find a very special player to fill his shoes.

In my opinion Alonso is the most important man in the Liverpool team and is one of the best players in the world for his position. Many will say that Gerrard is better and what about Torres but without Alonso in the centre of the midfield pulling the strings these guys are not the same players.

If Alonso does leave then Liverpool need to sign a top quality replacement, the problem is that there are few about as good as he is and even fewer who would consider a move to England at the moment because of the current financial advantages of staying in Spain for example.

Alberto Aquilani has been mentioned as a possible replacement if Alonso leaves. The Roma midfielder is a talented player there is so doubt but I am concerned that he may not fill the role as well Alonso so with the only other major signing so far this summer being Glen Johnson I just don’t see how Liverpool go one better next season.

It is still possible that we will see more players paraded in a Liverpool shirt this summer and that the squad will be improved further but with a relatively strict budget being placed on Rafa and the inability so far to move on the fringe players it is just concerning that Liverpool may be weaker next season season instead of strengthened.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports writer who blogs about football news and football shirts.

After another summer of big money spending – and who believes they are anywhere near finished! – the pressure is on Manchester City boss Mark Hughes to achieve an absolute minimum of qualification for the UEFA Champions League during the 2009-10 campaign. Although many will feel that City should be looking to challenge for the title, with a number of strong teams in their way, it may prove a bridge too far for what will essentially be a new team.

In fairness, it is a little premature to assess the chances of the City team to breaking into the top four, but we can at least consider whether or not they are on the right lines.

Backed by the endless cash supply of the Abu Dhabi group, City have spent an unbelievable amount of money, with £18m striker Roque Santa Cruz becoming the latest player to check in at Eastlands this week. The goal is simple – to establish City as one of the most powerful clubs in Europe and in doing so, make the Manchester City shirts one of the best selling soccer jerseys in the world.

Breaking into the top four – let alone winning the title – will be a huge ask however. It has been done before, just ask Chelsea and Roman Abramovich. However, it is questionable whether or not City are yet at that level. For one, even with the huge amounts invested under Claudio Ranieri, it wasn’t until the arrival of a top, top manager in Jose Mourinho that the Blues were true contenders for the title. A good manager can add 10-12 points a season by influencing games with tactics and substitutions. That Mark Hughes has the Mourinho midas touch currently seems more than a little doubtful.

The other major difference is that Chelsea had top, top players. In Peter Cech, they signed arguably the best goalkeeper in the world. In Didier Drogba, one of the most powerful and fearsome forwards in world football. And in John Terry and Frank Lampard, they had an English spine to the team and players who would be welcome in any of the worlds top football sides.

It is difficult to imagine any City star – including the recent high profile signings such as Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry – walking into the top four of the Premiership sides. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how much money you spend – if you don’t add real quality, you don’t have any god given right to win football matches.

Currently, City don’t have any players in their team with experience of being part of a top four – let alone Championship winning – Premiership side. That guys like Barry, Santa Cruz, Given, Richards, Ireland and Bellamy are good Premiership players is in no doubt. But to break into the top four, Manchester City are going to need to add real quality – someone who will make the kind of impact that Fernando Torres made at Liverpool, transforming the club from a team struggling for fourth spot, to a side genuinely competing for the title.

The seemingly inevitable arrival of Carlos Tevez will help improve City’s stock, but they must look to add real quality in the shape of an Eto’o, a Villa or someone along those lines. Without a genuine world class superstar in their team, City will be nothing more than an also ran in the Premier League and they might find that the football shirts they had hoped to sell in their gallons take a little longer to fly off the shelves than expected.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.

The only thing consistent about Newcastle United is their ability to mess things up on a grand scale. The two-toned yellow jersey may appeal to a small minority, but the reality is it is yet another reason for the football world in general to laugh at Newcastle United.

Relegation to the Championship, confusion over the future of manager Alan Shearer and a number of “stars” on ridiculously high wages (even for the Premiership) means a summary of misery for the Toon Army and a very difficult route back to the Barclays Premier League.

The departure of the club of Michael Owen on Monday told a story in itself. Signed in a blaze of glory from Real Madrid by Freddy Shepherd, Owen left St James Park with barely a whimper – which ironically summed up his participation in a Newcastle shirt.

Long gone are the days when Newcastle were the most exciting team in England, thrilling fans throughout the country with top stars like Shearer, Les Ferdinand, David Ginola and Faustino Asprilla.

The current team is a far cry from the great team built by Kevin Keegan and Philippe Albert’s exsquisite chip over Peter Schmeichel to put Newcastle 5-0 up against the Champions seems a lifetime to go.

Nobody would love to see Newcastle turn it around more than me – I was a huge fan of Keegan’s side and consider Newcastle one of my favourite clubs in the English league. However, the reality is for Newcastle to bounce back, it’s going to take a change much bigger than on the football pitch itself.

The whole club is a joke and needs an overhaul from top to bottom. Summed up by chairman Mike Ashley swanning about in a replica kit drinking a beer in the stand, Newcastle United lack professionalism and failure to change this image drastically and urgently could very well lead to much bigger problems for the club than relegation to the Championship.

Leeds United are an example of just how far a club can fall from grace – lets hope Newcastle don’t suffer the same fate.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.

The £56m departure of Brazilian playmaker and the darling of the Milan fans – Kaka – has grabbed all the headlines this summer. Many supporters are still trying to come to terms with the fact that they will never see their beloved midfielder in an AC Milan shirt ever again. The fear that he will come back to haunt his old club in a Real Madrid jersey will be a huge worry for the Italian side.

However, Kaka is not the only stalwart of the Milan side to depart the club this summer. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has left for Chelsea, threatening to take a number of his top stars – most notably Andrea Pirlo and Alexandre Pato – with him to West London.

The Curva Nord also said goodbye to the legendary Paolo Maldini with the evergreen defender finally deciding to hang up his boots as he announced his retirement from the game. With the departure of Maldini was the decision by Milan to retire his number 3 jersey in a tribute to one of the most legendary footballers ever to play the game.

With new coach and former Milan player Leonardo at the helm, it certainly heralds a new era for the club. Left with an ageing side with top stars including Pirlo, Rino Gattuso, David Beckham, Andrei Shevchenko, Pippo Inzaghi all the wrong side of 30, the Brazilian coach will certainly need to freshen things up if he is to attack Jose Mourinho’s Inter side and reclaim the Scudetto.

The rebuilding job has started with Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko likely to appear in an AC Milan jersey next season as the club negotiate the terms over his transfer.

Holding onto top stars, such as the exciting young Brazilian prospect Pato, will be key and the club will be hoping the appointment of his compatriot Leonardo can help to sway “the duck” to stay.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.

I am off the opinion that had Hiddink been in charge for the entire duration of the 2008-09 season, then Chelsea would have pipped Liverpool and Manchester United to win the title. Under Luis Felipe Scolari, Chelsea were an unorganised shambles and dropped a number of silly points that did not happen under the Dutch tactician.

Chelsea finished the season strongly, winning the FA Cup and looked much more like the organised, disciplined side that we had come to expect under Mourinho. After a significant dip in sales during the Scolari reign, Chelsea shirts started to fly off the shelves once more.

With the news that Manchester United are set to sell Cristiano Ronaldo for a world record fee of £80m, Chelsea’s main title contenders are significantly weakened. Of course, United will have significant transfer funds to spend to reinforce their squad but with Carlos Tevez also set to leave the club, the reality is United are without two of their most attacking players and two men who, along with Wayne Rooney, have been largely responsible for United’s success over the past two seasons. While it is likely United will bring in quality, it will be a largely transitional time for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.

In Merseyside, despite their impressive form last season, Liverpool continue to be haunted by financial worries which will likely prevent Rafa Benitez from competing in the fantasy world that is the transfer market this summer. Indeed, a successful transfer window for the Reds may be hanging onto their best players, with both Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso both strongly linked with moves away from Anfield.

In contrast, Chelsea have both a settled side and funds to invest. Among the names linked with a move to Stamford Bridge and Ancelotti’s ex-Milan stars Andrea Pirlo and Alexandre Pato. The latter appears most likely and could provide an exciting spark to a somewhat flat Chelsea side.

With Arsenal also set to invest in new players this summer, it promises to be one of the most exciting Premiership title races for many a year.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.

However, it must be questioned what reality Madrid and more specifically club president Florentino Perez is living in. The world is in the midst of a global recession and corporations as large as Lloyds Banking Group are laying off thousands (if not tens of thousands) of staff, who are unable to find alternate employment. Despite this, the football world has gone mad, with the world transfer record about to be shattered for the second time in as many weeks.

That Perez is the man at the centre of it comes as no surprise. It was under his watch that the Galacticos era took place and the previous transfer record was broken when Madrid signed Zinedine Zidane from Juventus. Zidane was just one of many superstars to appear in a Real Madrid shirt alongside David Beckham, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos and the original (and I would argue better) Ronaldo.

Perez returned to the club last month in a blaze of glory, promising to reform the Galacticos (perhaps forgetting the precious few trophies won under his original spell at the club). Kaka has signed, Ronaldo is on his way with the promise of many more, with Valencia’s David Villa strongly rumoured to be the next to signup at the Bernabeu.

As for Manchester United, they must be laughing all the way to the bank at the ridiculously high fee for an albeit immensely talented player. The facts are Ronaldo failed to recapture his blistering form from the 2007-08 season and for £80m, United will certainly be able to reshape their team which has shown recently it needs freshened up, despite recapturing their Premiership trophy.

The cold hard facts are United were outplayed by Barcelona in the final of the UEFA Champions League and with Carlos Tevez also linked with a move to Manchester City, it could be a very different United lineup next season. Ironically one man who could be appearing in a Man United shirt next season could be Madrid’s very own Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who has failed to settle in Spain.

Back to Madrid though and once again, they seem to have forgotten about their defence. It’s all well and good having stars like Ronaldo and Kaka going forward but the reality is, if you can’t defend set pieces, you aren’t going to win trophies. Madrid’s already vulnerable defense has been further weakened by the departure of Fabio Cannavaro to former club Juventus.

It remains to be seen how the Galacticos will fair – one thing that is certain however is that with Perez in charge, it won’t be low profile.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.

Liverpool have been handed a massive boost with the news that Fernando Torres has signed a new contract with the club. The extension of the Spanish forward’s contract is a key step forward as manager Rafa Benitez continues to turn his side into genuine title contenders.

The former Atletico Madrid striker has signed a four year extension which will keep him at Anfield until 2014. Reds fans can rejoice in the news that Torres will be wearing a Liverpool football kit for many years to come.

“Fernando is one of the best strikers in the game today and, at his age, can only get better,” Reds manager Rafa Benitez told the club’s official website.

“Every major side would want him in their team, but he has shown how much he wants to achieve success at Liverpool by committing his future to the club. He’s a special talent, but still has the hunger to improve his game.

“We’ve made huge progress this season and now we need to take the next step. We are building something special here and securing such important players on long-term deals means we can move forward with confidence.

“This sends out a very positive message to everyone connected with the club.”

With Dirk Kuyt, Daniel Agger and Steven Gerrard having already penned new deals, the core of the Liverpool squad is under contract for the foreseeable future and if Benitez can add some real quality over the summer, they must certainly be considered strong contenders to win the title away from Manchester United, who have looked decidedly wobbly in recent months.

Since his first game in a Liverpool shirt, Torres has been a key part of the Liverpool team, scoring a number of both crucial and spectacular goals and making himself a firm favourite of the Kop.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.

Having become the first ever Spanish team to win the treble of European Cup, La Liga and Copa Del Rey in a single season, Barcelona will look to round off the season in style against Depor.

Although there is the potential that Barcelona will ease off, the frightening prospect for Deportivo is what might happen if Barcelona play without pressure.

“We have made history and now we have to enjoy it,” Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez – one of the star performers in a Barcelona shirt this season – told the club’s Web site.

Incredibly, there are still two objectives remaining for Pep Guardiola’s men. Should they score four goals on Saturday, they will beat Real Madrid’s record of 107 league goals set in the 1989-90 season.

Also, Samuel Eto’o, who scored Barcelona’s first goal against United,is targeting the Pichichi prize for the league’s top scorer. The Cameroon striker has 29 goals but trails the leader, Atletico Madrid’s Diego Forlan, by two goals.

While the match means little to Barcelona, Deportivo will be looking for an upset victory which could secure a European place, should Valencia lose at Athletic Bilbao.

“Our possibilities are low but we have to believe in the chance we have and we have to fight for it,” Deportivo coach Miguel Angel Lotina said.

Elsewhere in La Liga, Juande Ramos reign as Real Madrid manager will come to an end against a battling Osasuna side fighting to avoid relegation.

Defender Fabio Cannavaro, who is rejoining Juventus at the end of the season, is also set to make his final appearance in a Real Madrid shirt.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.

Following another dismal campaign in which La Bianconeri failed to present a credible title challenge for the second year in succession after their return to Italian football’s top flight, following a year spent in Serie B, Juventus dispensed with the service of coach Claudio Ranieri and have begun a massive rebuilding job as they bid to break Internazionale’s stranglehold on the Scudetto.

Despite having a relatively modest support for a top European side, Juventus are one of the biggest names in European football and star names such as Alessandro del Piero and Pavel Nedved have ensured that Juventus are one of the best selling Serie A football kits year after year.

However, with Nedved retiring from the game at the end of the Serie A season it is clear Juventus need a major rethink if they are to take on the might of Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan.

Alreday, Nedved’s replacement has been identified and captured, with Werder Bremen’s Brazilian playmaker Diego arriving in Turin for a fee of approximately £21.5 million. It is an exciting capture as despite Bremen’s poor league form, the midfielder – also strongly linked with Chelsea – helped fire the Bundesliga outfit into the UEFA Cup Final, where they narrowly lost to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Next season will also once again see former captain Fabio Cannavaro back in a Juventus shirt. Widely criticised for deserting the club for pastures new in the wake of the clubs demotion to Serie B, Cannavaro may have a hard job winning back the trust of the fans, but he will be a key figure as they bid to mount a more realistic title challenge.

With Ciro Ferrara only holding a tempoary position at the club, it remains to be seen who will be leading the Juventus charge next season, but with more signings rumoured, including Udinese’s Italian international forward Fabio Quagliarella, it promises to be an exciting season for all Juventus fans.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.

Liverpool have come close to the title this season and if it hadn’t been for some silly points dropped along the way could have been even closer to Man United at the top of the table. It is still possible that they can win, but it looks increasingly unlikely.

Benitez has built up a good squad and has some exceptional players in the team but what is next for Liverpool? What do they need to secure the title next year?

Going through their team they have some excellent players from front to back but their squad does lack the depth that the Man United one does for example. They have been linked with quite a few potential signings in the summer some of which would take the club forward and some which would be a step back. We of course don’t know which ones are true and which false so we can’t debate the choice of signings into much detail yet but we can comment on the speculation.

Gareth Barry has again been linked after Benitez failed to land him last summer. Barry seems keen to pull on a Liverpool shirt too, but I think this would be a poor signing for Liverpool. They already have Alonso and Mascherano in that position, both of whom I rate higher than Barry. Alonso is one of Liverpool’s key players and doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

Stewart Downing has been named as a potential target but this would not be a good signing for a club with aspirations of winning the league. The winger has not scored all year and hasn’t even particularly stuck out in a team fighting for relegation. There are better players at the club.

David Villa would be a phenomenal signing for Liverpool, and if he is willing to move to the Premiership then Liverpool would certainly be favourites to sign him. He would certainly add quality to the team and give Torres a run for his money to see who the fans love the most.

David Silva, who currently plays alongside Villa at Valencia, is another top quality player who would certainly add a bit of quality to the team. Plus with Valencia being in financial trouble both players could be available at knockdown prices.

If, and it is a big if, they sign Villa and Silva then the problem becomes who you play. Kuyt has had a fantastic season, you can’t drop Torres, Gerrard needs to slot in there, what about Riera and then there is Benayoun who has scored some very crucial goals for Liverpool recently.

I think Liverpool needs another top quality defender as cover for Skrtel and Agger plus if they can get rid of some of the fringe players who haven’t quite cut it and possibly bring in one of the quality players above then Liverpool have a fantastic chance of winning the title. They showed this year that they have the potential to last the distance but haven’t quite made it but with a couple more well placed signings could change that.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.

Instead, it was the footnote at the end of the article which said Boruc was one of a number of keepers on Bayern’s shortlist which included Juventus stopper Gigi Buffon – arguably the greatest goalkeeper in the world.

Instantly, I dismissed the possibility that Buffon would head to the Bundesliga and should he leave Juventus, the English Premiership or La Liga would be his only likely destinations. The reality is, the Bundesliga is not considered glamorous and none of the world’s top stars want to play there.

However, this begs the question – what is wrong with the Bundesliga?  As a fan of German football, you can certainly make some compelling arguments for why it is indeed actually the best league in the world!

For starters, the Bundesliga boasts higher average attendances than any league in Europe, even higher than the Premiership with crowds of 40,000 common place amongst a number of top teams.

The German national team is one of the best performing nations in the world and since the turn of the millenium, have reached a World Cup final, World Cup semi final and Euro 2008 final. They are one of the most successful nations of all time and are strong contenders for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa next year.

In the league, with five games to go, seven teams are separated by only five points!  What other major league in European football can boast such excitement?  With Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen two of the teams outside those positions, an argument could be made that 10 teams could feasibly win the Bundesliga next season.

And then of course there is Bayern Munich. With four European Cups to their name, Bayern are one of the biggest and most successful clubs in world football. They were ranked third on the recent Deloitte money list – having a higher turnover than the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, AC Milan and Barcelona. What’s more, Bayern Munich jerseys are one of the best selling in world football.

Therefore, perhaps it is not unfeasible that Bayern can sign Buffon. After all, the Bundesliga is certainly a more attractive league than the average fan might think.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.

They say the mark of true Champions is how they overcome adversity. Well if that is the case then we might as well hand Manchester United the Barclays Premier League trophy for the third successive year after a truly stunning second half comeback against an impressive Tottenham side, who had stunned Old Trafford by racing into a 2-0 half-time lead thanks to strikes from Darren Bent and Luka Modric.

Granted, it took a highly debatable penalty decision by referee Howard Webb to get United going. But once they got going, there was no stopping them as they scored an incredible five times in a 20 minute spell which blew Harry Redknapp’s side away and in doing so, took a massive step towards the Premiership title.

Wayne Rooney in particular gave one of his best performances in a Man Utd shirt while Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez were back to their best form and even the much maligned Dimitar Berbatov weighed in with a goal as United ran riot.

There are still many hurdles to overcome and Sir Alex Ferguson will certainly be keen to get to the root of some alarming defensive problems which threaten to derail their bid for Premiership and Champions League glory. Having being almost impossible to breach for most of the season, United’s defence is fast turning into a shambles and the loss of another two soft goals yesterday cannot be swept under the carpet in the wake of a simply stunning second half attacking display.

The reality is United cannot perform like this going forward on a consistent basis and the foundation of a successful Championship winning side must be based on a solid defence. Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have not become bad defenders overnight, so United must quickly resolve these issues if they are to stave of the threat of Liverpool. In particular, cross balls are causing United all sorts of problems at the moment.

Up front however, United were simply breathtaking. They attacked Tottenham at a pace we became accustomed to last season but which has been strangely lacking in their play for large spells this season. Rooney was outstanding and had a hand in each of United’s five goals, but it was the introduction of popular Argentine Carlos Tevez which really kicked United into gear.

Although United finished with Tevez and Berbatov on the park, the reality is it is difficult to field all four attacking players consistently and many United fans may be keen to call for the former Boca Juniors star to be given the nod in the Champions League semi final with Arsenal this week.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.

Liverpool are the most successful team in English football having won more trophies than any other team, but it has been nineteen years since Liverpool last won the league title and unless Man Utd make a lot of mistakes then you will have to round that up to twenty.

Yes Liverpool have won the Champions League but the league is the main prize, as to win it truly shows that you are the best team in the league. The Champions League isn’t always won by the best team, it is won by the best cup team which isn’t always the same as the best team.

Liverpool have looked more established this season and if it hadn’t been for some silly mistakes along the way could have had the titled tied up by now. Could we be on the verge of a new era for Liverpool? Are they about to show again why the Liverpool home shirt is one of the most recognizable shirts in the world?

Well in my opinion not whilst Benitez is in charge. He has spent a lot of money, more than Manchester United, and hasn’t delivered the title. Yes he has signed a few good players but too many have been substandard and his team selections are at times simply baffling.

Liverpool are heading in the right direction and are one of the hardest teams to play against but their lack of consistency in games they really should win means that it looks like the title will gain be out of reach this season.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports journalist who blogs about football news.

However, as with all football clubs, no matter how good you are, if you stand still you go backwards so Barca must look to inject some freshness into their team this summer. It’s difficult to see where – with Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Henry, Eto’o and Gudjohnsen just some of the stars who grace the Nou Camp pitch, it’s easy to see why Barcelona jerseys are among the best selling kits in world football.

One name constantly linked with a return to the Catalan club is Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas, but do Barca really need him?  That the Spaniard is a talented player is unquestioned, but he couldn’t break into a Euro 2008 winning midfield based around Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, so what makes him dislodge either of the duo in the Barcelona starting XI.

Going forward, Barcelona’s goal return suggests they are doing just fine and so while it may be prudent to bring in a young backup prospect to cover for injuries to Eto’o and Henry, it is perhaps at the back where the weaknesses of the Barcelona side are uncovered when they meet the more robust style of the Premiership teams in the final stages of the Champions League.

Barcelona do have somewhat of a soft centre and it will be interesting to see how they cope with the physical presence of Didier Drogba in what promises to be a fascinating clash with Chelsea in the coming weeks.

Goalkeeper Victor Valdes is also suspect and has made a number of errors this season which have largely been covered up by Barca’s amazing attacking strength. 

The La Liga news headlines conjur up all sorts of star names seemingly bound for the Nou Camp from Fabregas to Kaka to Yohan Gourcuff but sometimes, adding big names to a successful team can do more harm than good (Dimitar Berbatov anyone?). It is the opinion of this writer that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and a little tweaking should be enough to ensure Barcelona continue their success into future seasons.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.

However, this writer struggles to see why Ancelotti’s stock is so high at a time when his own job at Milan must be considered seriously under threat.

The Rossoneri are used to a fair amount of success over the years – with seven European Cup victories making them the second most successful team in European football – and given some of the star names we have seen in AC Milan jerseys like Marco van Basten, Franco Baresi, Ruud Gullit and Kaka, it’s not hard to see why.

However, despite possessing one of the strongest squads Milan have had since the start of the new millenium, Milan have vastly underachieved under Ancelotti. Even taking into account the points deduction which hampered their 2007-08 campaign, Milan retained the core of their squad yet struggled to make any sort of impact in Serie A.

There can certainly be no excuses for their poor displays this year, in which they were out of the title race almost as soon as it began. Even in the UEFA Cup, which looks likely to be won by a side such as Hamburg or Dynamo Kiev -neither of whom are strong enough to compete in the Champions League – Milan were humbled despite seemingly having done enough to see off Werder Bremen.

It could be argued Ancelotti rotated his squad, but the reality is he has an embarrassment of riches to choose from. What manager wouldn’t want the headache of choosing a forward line from a squad which includes Kaka, Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato, Pippo Inzaghi, Andrei Shevchenko and last season’s Serie A top scorer Marco Borriello?

There is a certain irony that the man who has been most influential in recent weeks has been the evergreen Inzaghi. Despite having the exciting young talents of Kaka and Pato, Milan have failed to plan adequately for the future and still rely on their veterans like Inzaghi, Pirlo, Gattuso and Maldini.

Young stars – most notably Yohan Gourcuff, who is still contractually a Milan player – have failed to break into the Milan side. Borriello, a revelation at Genoa last year, has failed to make any sort of impact at the San Siro.

If ever a club needed freshening up it was Milan and far from trying to persuade their manager to say, they must surely realise that this is indeed a blessing in disguise and an opportunity to restore the Rossoneri to their former glory.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports journalist who blogs about football news.