Atletico Madrid’s evolution from Europa League winner to UEFA Champions League contenders under their Argentine coach Diego Simeone has earned them a valuable amount of respect.

Simeone has forged a focused and committed unit that is capable of disrupting almost any team in the world. Looking at their statistics, one can surely be very impressed from the way their results have turned out – taking four points from Real Madrid in La Liga this season and beating them in last season’s Copa Del Rey final, and recently eliminating Barcelona from Champions League. If Atleti’s flow of wins does not see any major upset, they surely look to clinch this year’s Spanish League title.

This, however, can’t be seen as a defiant victory for the little man in the face of the immense strength of Classico duo. Atletico do not deserve their billing as the people’s Champions, no matter how Simeone’s on-field turnaround merits credit. The Spanish capital club have come to represent, in recent years, something that is hampering the modern game of soccer: spiraling debts, third party ownerships and an abdication of responsibility.

In terms of revenue and support, Atletico remain the third biggest team in Spain, but have struggled to keep their own house in order since converting to a PLC in 1992. Atleti’s financial management has come under scrutiny ever since Jesus Gil became the chief shareholder.

This remains the club that has disregarded regulations and fiscal prudence throughout its modern history. They suffered relegation in 2000 not long after their offices were raided in the infamous Caso Atletico, which eventually led Gil to be sent behind bars for three and a half years as well as punishments for Enrique Cerezo and Miguel Angel Gil Marin – who remained at the club. The club stopped paying taxes for two years following relegation. In this way, they avoided around €46 million as they expedited their escape from the Segunda Division.

Atletico Madrid, by 2011, owed a scarcely conceivable €517 million to creditors – including almost €171 million to the tax authorities. The Spanish government could have threatened to call in the debt instead of offering them a 4.5% interest per annum while making Atletico pay €15 million of their tax bill every year.

The unfortunate economic meltdown in Spain, which has driven the unemployment rate to around 26 percent, provided Atletico the opportunity to alleviate their own predicament. Economics and finance professor Jose Maria Gay told Die Welt in 2012,

“The government cannot demand payment without crippling clubs and leaving supporters very upset.

“Considering the situation of our country is facing, it is unreasonable to start introducing dysfunctional steps into the championship that could affect its image, which has a commercial value.”

That rationale meant that laxity prevailed. The ex-president of Bayern Munich, Uli Hoeness, showed his frustration while referring to the EU bailout of Spain in 2012. He said, “This is unthinkable. We pay hundreds of millions to get them out of the sh*t, and then the clubs don’t pay their debts.”

Under Gil, not paying up their taxes was Atletico’s modus operandi. Although they have started paying out their debt now, in theory, they will have not paid what they owe until sometime early in the next decade. Instead of taking things seriously and living within their means, Atletico simply go on spending. UEFA temporarily withheld their prize money after winning the Europa League for breaching the Financial Fair Play regulations in 2012. Atletico were among the first teams to be hit by the Financial Fair Play although their punishment was eventually nullified. Hence, it is no surprise to see why they came under the radar.

Not long after selling Sergio Kun Aguero to Manchester City to stave off the tax man, a deal to sign Radamel Falcao was agreed with Porto, which was worth €40 million. It was simple that Atletico were unable to fund the deal themselves and so the Doyen Sports Group – a hedge fund – reportedly chipped in around 50% of the fees.

Falcao may have enjoyed a great time at Atletico but they never deserved to have him in the first place. They remained unable to afford him from within their means. But that did not stop them as Falcao was not the only one. According to one investigation in 2013, it was revealed that only six players from their first team were owned outright by the club. Despite the circumstances in which they remained, Atletico continued spending over €160 million net on transfer fees from 2002 to 2009. To get deals done for the top players in the world while holding so much in back payments smacks of astonishing hubris.

Even being assisted by Doyen in paying for Falcao, Atletico still failed to maintain their obligations to Porto. According to some reports, the Portuguese Club were on the verge of asking FIFA for a resolution when the Rojiblancos failed on their installments. Shortly after this complaint, Doyen’s name started appearing on the Atleti kit.

On the deal with the kit sponsors, Atletico are currently into their second agreement with the Azerbaijan tourist board – a deal that raised eyebrows. It paid a great €18 million for the first 18-month deal. The well-documented human rights abuses in that country stirred debate about the suitability of the sponsors.

Furthermore, it was also reported in 2011 that €52 million was owed by Atletico in wages to their own club staff. This comprised around 81% of their total pending wage bill. Playmaker Diego, during his last spell at the club, filed an unpaid wages complaint for around €59,000.

There remains a sense of stability at the moment around the Vincente Calderon ahead of the club’s move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016. There remains no doubt that the Atletico empire features a shaky foundation. For how long will Simeone stay? Will the funds be given to him to strengthen the team? Will their class performers like Aguero and David de Gea continue to be sold to gain some financial safety?

This will be Atletico’s last and final chance at home and abroad for a long period. They should convert it making the most of it because they have spent a long enough time living the high life while someone else definitely picked up the tab. Austerity looms on the horizon.

With the UEFA Champions League back in action this week, we have four of the top managers in the world competing to advance their team to the final in Lisbon — Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Diego Simeone and Jose Mourinho.

No manager has ever won the Champions League trophy three times. But this year, it looks that tables might be turned as three of the greatest coaches of all time go head-to-head this week while up-and-coming manager Simeone will try to barge his way into the pantheon of elite managers.

Ancelotti, Mourinho and Guardiola have all won the Champions League twice, and will lead Real Madrid, Chelsea and Bayern Munich respectively in the last four. All three managers have the chance to become the best in the tournament’s 22-years of history, with a third triumph enough for them to surpass the record of Champions League most successful coach, Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Manchester United ex-boss reached the final on four occasions, winning it two times — in 1999 and 2008, while his record of seven semi-finals has only been matched by Mourinho, while his 12 quarter-final appearances remains unmatched.

In the table below, the coaches are ranked from the Champions League era (beginning from 1993-94) in an “Olympics-style” system. The coaches are assessed initially based on the number of tournament wins, followed by final appearances, then semi-final spots and lastly quarter-final outings.

Currently Ferguson remains the UEFA Champions Leagues’ most successful head coach, but with Ancelotti, Guardiola and Mourinho all on the cusp of the third title, one of the three could make history by moving the top of the table at the end of this current season next month.

Ancelotti won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007 with AC Milan – losing a final in-between in 2005. Pep Guardiola also twice won the prize with Barcelona, in 2009 and 2011, while Mourinho emerged victorious in 2004 with Porto and in 2010 with Inter. Mourinho also holds the record as the first head coach to reach the semi-finals with four different clubs (Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid).

The top 10 consists of three Italians, two Germans, two Spaniards, one Scot, one Portugese and a Dutchman. Rafa Benitez misses out on a place on the list with two finals and one trophy, while Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also fails to touch the chart with just one unsuccessful final and two semi-finals.

Only Liverpool great Bob Paisley has lifted the European great trophy three times, but that was before the UEFA Champions League era.

So what do you think? Who will he be the first to clinch the Champions League title three times? Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti or the Special One – Jose Mourinho.?

Have your say in the comments section below.

There was a first-half flurry of goals in the top-of the-table battle between Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. The BVB, who recently had an impressive run of games against Real Madrid and Bundesliga toppers Bayern Munich, were held to a 2-2 draw at Bay Arena against Leverkusen in a thrilling end-of-the-season contest Saturday.

Leverkusen went into the match knowing a win would open up a three-point lead over nearest challengers Wolfsburg, who could only draw 2-2 with Freiburg earlier on Saturday.

But since the announcement of the appointment of Roger Schmidt as coach for next season, interim boss Sascha Lewandowski wasted an opportunity for Leverkusen to take a step towards sealing a place in the UEFA Champions League next season.

Midfielder Lars Bender netted to put Leverkusen ahead just after 7 minutes, before Oliver Kirch netted an equalizer in the 29th minute.

Attacking midfielder Gonzalo Castro re-established the lead for Leverkusen ten minutes before half-time, but a resilient Dortmund earned a share of the spoils with Marco Reus’ penalty four minutes later.

The result keeps Leverkusen a point clear from fifth placed Wolfsburg ahead of the final two clashes against Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen.

Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno was tested by Reus in the first five minutes with a near post drive, but it was the hosts who took an early lead through Bender.

Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller made a superb save to keep out Stefan Kiessling’s volley, but the hosts keep on pressurizing, and Bender came out the quickest to a rebound after the striker hit the crossbar, finding the net despite great efforts from Nuri Sahin on the line.

Leverkusen failed to hold on to the lead for a long time as Dortmund duly levelled the matters just before the 30-minute mark, when Kirch turned Reus’ left wing kick into the top corner with an improvised backward header.

Parity for Dortmund remained just for 6 minutes as Castro restored Leverkusen’s advantage with a quick header into the bottom corner following an organized move involving Son Heung-Min and Kiessling.

Again poor defense by Leverkusen helped Dortmund equalized for the second time in the 39th minute when Roberto Hilbert made a wrong challenge on Reus inside the box, which resulted in Reus scoring a minute later from the penalty spot.

Reus continued to be a constant threat of Leverkusen. He even had a wonderful shot on goal, only for Leno to deny him with a one-on-one stop.

Chances remained far and few in a quiet second-half comparatively. Kiessling headed way over from close-range in the 62nd minute before BVB striker Mkhitaryan forced Leno into a comfortable save with a tame effort from distance.

The best chance for winner came in the 72nd minute as Julian Brandt broke free down the right, only for Weidenfellar to stop the goal and preserve a point, keeping Dortmund comfortably ahead of Schalke in second position.

Premier League fans, be prepared. Louis Van Gaal it’s not going to be a quiet introduction to the heady world of England’s top flight.

The Netherlands national team head coach has already expressed an interest in managing in the Premier League (see video below) after the World Cup. And today’s report indicates that a deal has been agreed in principle with Manchester United.

Manchester United executives and supporters need to be prepared before Van Gaal’s massive ego makes its grand entrance. He can be confident, aggressive, arrogant, stubborn, confrontational and easily prone to outbursts and temper tantrums, as well as some zany behavior at times.

Van Gaal believes he has no equal. He believes there isn’t a single person whose knowledge of football comes anywhere close to his; such statements might hurt Jose Mourinho, the most. To add to the misery, his outbursts in the dressing room will fill his players with fear.

After being appointed as Ajax boss, he told his director “congratulations on getting the best coach in the world.”

Years later in a press conference, he quipped “We have top players, and, sorry, I’m arrogant, a top coach.”

Upon taking the charge at Bayern, he said “The mentality of Bayern fits me perfectly. Why? The motto here is ‘we are who we are’. And I am who I am: confident, arrogant, dominant, honest, hardworking and innovative.”

While the players who have never witnessed his style of management before will be in utter disbelief, the media might be surprised by his hubris and pretentious manner.

At Bayern, in an attempt to make it clear to his players that there isn’t anyone who will be treated specially and be given top priority in the line-ups, he insisted he ‘had the balls’ to leave any one of them out of the team as he believed that all players are secondary to his systems. Fearing they didn’t believe him, he decided to prove it to the Bayern players.

Luca Toni, the former Bayern attacker, told Bild:

“He wanted to make clear that he can drop any player. It was all the same to him because, as he said, he had the balls. He demonstrated it literally (by dropping his trousers). I have never experienced anything like it, it was totally crazy.”

There’s more to Van Gaal than just controversies, though. His coaching record is quite phenomenal. He has won seven league titles with four different clubs in three different countries.

However, he remains much more than a man who delivers titles wherever he goes. His uncompromising attacking principles bring entertainment to the field. He has never lined up to tailor to the opposition or to just grind out a result. Nothing is acceptable apart from dominance.

Furthermore, his commendable trust in youth players is great. If Van Gaal sees ability in a player, he will surely give him a chance without considering experience or age.

It is this mindset that saw him lift his only UEFA Champions League trophy to date with Ajax in 1995, a team that consisted of young talent and rising stars like Patrick Kluivert (18), Edgar David (22), Clarence Seedorf (19), Marc Overmars (22), Michael Reiziger (22) and Nwankwo Kanu (19).

Given his successful managerial career, people who assume that appointing Van Gaal to Manchester United is pointless, as he is already 62-years old and can only be a temporary fix, are missing the point. Van Gaal doesn’t only bring success. Through his style instilled in the team and his power to nurture young talent, it will help lay the foundation for a club to sustain even greater future success.

For Manchester United players and directors, as well as the fans and the press, Van Gaal will surely be a nightmare, but perhaps he possesses the ability to convert it into dreams along the way.

In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final, a solitary strike from Karim Benzema was enough to give Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich.

The French striker poked home Fabio Coentrao’s cross in the first half for the only goal of the game to inflict only a second defeat in the competition for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Bayern, as usual, had a greater percentage of possession in the game but failed to create any meaningful chances except for a shot by Mario Gotze, while Madrid could have won more comfortably had Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria kept their composure in front of the goal in the first half. Despite a speedy and very fast-paced opening, chances remain scarce for Real Madrid, with neither Ronaldo nor his teammates able to test Manuel Neuer.

Bayern also were unable to forge openings, until Arjen Robben flashed an effort wide of Iker Casillas’ right-hand post early in the first half. Toni Kroos’ shot was further blocked by Pepe before they countered, allowing Ronaldo to find Fabio Coentrao down the left with a brilliant pass, which was converted into a beautiful cross to Benzema, to make it 1-0 on the scoreline. The cross evaded Dante, Jerome Boateng and Neuer.

Ronaldo received a glorious opportunity to double the advantage, blasting Benzema’s pass over the crossbar, as Bayern were made to struggle to regain their early rhythm. Angel Di Maria fired over from a tight angle on the right as the game continued in the latter stages just after David Alaba and Frank Ribery went close to put in the equalizer but the attempts were dealt with ease.

Bayern looked surprisingly toothless for a side that have already claimed their Bundesliga title in record time this season and have remained the favorites for punters to win the Champions League. Ronaldo twice tested the visiting goalkeeper Neuer, making a decent display even while not being 100% fit for the match due to a thigh injury earlier this month.

Bayern’s invincible form has deserted them of late, and even when Madrid’s first-team defender was withdrawn after a late injury, Bayern did not look convincing.

In a nervy finish, Gotze came on from the bench, and was denied by a smart Casillas stop before Bayern appealed for a  penalty following a challenge by Xabi Alonso on Thomus Muller, which was waved away by referee Howard Webb.

Pep Guardiola’s team lacked ideas to break down the Madrid defense, which will make them face an uphill task if they are to become the first side to successfully defend their Champions League trophy.

Marcelo Bielsa has rejected an offer to coach the Paraguay national team as revealed by Paraguay Football Association (APF) vice-president Alejandro Dominguez.

Following the sacking of Gerardo Pelusso last year, La Albirroja have been looking for a new permanent coach with Victor Genes having been placed in temporary charge for the final stages of the dismal 2014 World Cup qualification campaign.

Bielsa had been out of work after parting with Athletic Bilbao last summer and Dominguez had hoped to land him. But the former Argentina and Chile boss turned down the opportunity of returning to the international arena.

Dominguez said on Radio Monumental, “Bielsa called me to communicate that he was dismissing the possibility of leading the Paraguayan national team.”

Bielsa, who had been linked with the Barcelona job in the past, might have turned down the job because he is now ready to finalize his agreement as the head coach of Ligue 1 outfit Olympique de Marseille.

Bayern Munich is widely recognized as the most dominant team in European soccer but Real Madrid is the team with their best chance of stopping Bayern Munich from winning back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles.

When Pep Guardiola took charge at Bayern Munich, there wasn’t much he could do to make Bayern more intimidating than they already were. Jupp Heynckes had led them to a perfect and splendid treble season last year in an emphatic style. However, Guardiola has pushed all the right buttons to make the Big Red Machine truly invincible.

Under the Spaniard, the Bavarians dominate high possession and overwhelm teams with its sheer number in the attacking third, reminiscent of the Barcelona way but not without a distinct twist. But if you had to pick a team in soccer today that has been tailor-made to attack their few weaknesses with precision, then it’s Real Madrid.

Los Blancos are perfectly equipped to not only thwart Bayern’s advances but retaliate to good effect as well, as they arguably stand the most devastating counter-attacking team on the planet. The two teams who play on Wednesday night have various different elements to the game, while the fixture looks to be treated like a typical clash which was seen between Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid a couple of years ago.

Bayern has reached further with Guardiola

Towards the end of Guardiola’s Barcelona stint, he tried to devise a ‘Plan B’ but didn’t have the necessary players to succeed in his attempt. The ones he had were phenomenal technicians, but they remained slaves to the brand of soccer that was instilled in them through the uncompromising philosophy preached at La Masia.

But Bayern aren’t all about the tiki-taka style of soccer. The German outfit under Guardiola has remained far more flexible with his systems that have made him a more proactive manager as well. Bayern have the ability to cycle through formations with ease and are capable of taking a more direct route as well. This season, they have started operating three different systems during the course of a single game.

Likewise, Real Madrid has been transformed by Carlo Ancelotti and what’s admirable is that he did so while maintaining and perhaps even honing their best feature which is their threat on the counter-attack. With the emergence of Jese Rodriguez and the arrival of Gareth Bale, Madrid boosted their pace in attack this season, although Rodriguez has been sidelined due to injury and the Welshman remains a doubt for the fixture.

Madrid has adequate tools to hurt Bayern

For all the shortcomings that lead to his recent termination as Manchester United manager, David Moyes did a great job of exposing Bayern’s vulnerability on the break even if the ploy wasn’t executed expertly and finally ended in defeat.

Danny Welback’s pace was a real and continuous threat to Bayern from the left flank and one can imagine the havoc Ronaldo could wreck if allowed similar opportunities. Madrid will not have to sit as deep as Manchester United did, as they also have pace across their back four. Madrid will even make a much better use of the ball when they get a hold of it as there is no question that their midfield is far superior to the one Bayern faced against United.

Madrid has weaknesses in their team as well. Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos and Pepe did struggle against Borussia Dortmund’s movement through the middle in the second leg of their quarter-final tie. However, Bayern hasn’t been playing with the same frantic pace as their approach is based on control and that should help Ancelotti’s men to some extent. 

Angel Di Maria has been a revelation

Ancelotti suffered early setbacks in the domestic league, as he didn’t begin his time without hiccups at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. However, he quickly altered their system from a 4-2-3-1 to a more flexible and fluid 4-3-3. His utilization of Angel Di Maria has been excellent in particular. Xabi Alonso operates in a withdrawn role while Di Maria has featured in central midfield more often than not alongside Luka Modric.

Di Maria has poured a lot of energy into their midfield and often covers for Cristiano Ronaldo down the left flank. It is his energy and mobility that also brings the best out of Modric and will be very essential when they play against Bayern Munich.

Considering these reasons, Bale’s recovery from illness is very crucial to Madrid’s chances as Di Maria would have to take Bale’s place on the right flank if he remains unavailable, with Isco being drafted into midfield.

The aforementioned arguments don’t see Madrid as favorites, not in the least bit. However, they do render them the most capable of toppling the Bundesliga giants.

Man of the match Gareth Bale scored a stunning goal to earn Real Madrid their 19th Copa del Rey title against Barcelona on Wednesday. After Marc Bartra cancelled out Angel Di Maria’s opener, Bale stormed out of the left-wing, running half the length of the pitch before poking the ball past Barcelona goalkeeper Jose Pinto in the 85thminute. Bale’s outstanding run saw him leave Bartra for dead with his pace, before he produced a composed finish to cap an outstanding performance as Madrid won the trophy.

Neymar, who struggled throughout the 228th edition the of famous derby, hit the post in the 89th minute as Barcelona fell to defeat that signals the end to a disastrous week for the Catalan giants and their under-fire manager Gerardo Martino. First they were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals against Atletico Madrid, who won the second-leg 1-0, making it 2-1 on aggregate last Wednesday, before suffering a surprise 1-0 defeat to Granada on Saturday, which look to have ended their Liga title defense.

Their recent setback means that they look now to finish the season without any piece of silverware for the first time since 2007-08, one of the reasons why coach Frank Rijkaard was sacked. For Madrid, this was Carlo Ancelotti’s first trophy in charge of the club and he will be hoping to add two more by winning La Liga and the Champions League.

As expected, Real Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo was absent with knee and thigh injuries, but Sergio Ramos recovered from a neck injury to start for Ancelotti’s side. While on the other side, Barcelona coach Martino had hinted the return of Carles Puyol would be forthcoming from a knee injury, but the captain was left on the bench, as fellow centre-back Bartra returned from a hamstring strain.

The tension in the match was predictably high – Isco was booked for a challenge on Neymar within three minutes of the start – and Real Madrid continued to pour forward, with Bale’s second shot in as many minutes going behind from a corner. Di Maria, then broke the deadlock in the 11th minute, finishing with aplomb following a quick counterattack that involved Isco, Bale and Karim Benzema.

Di Maria fired an angled right-footed effort through the legs of Jordi Alba and Barcelona goalkeeper Pinto found the strike too hard to handle, as he was unable to stop the ball from finding the net into its bottom corner.

Barcelona’s first chance came when Neymar and Pepe clashed, and were booked, as Jordi Alba nodded straight at Madrid shot-stopper Iker Casillas, and the defender (Alba) then got back to superbly block Isco’s shot after Bale’s smart pass. Lionel Messi took his chances shooting wide from the goal, from 20 yards before the break.

When the play resumed, Alba was replaced by Adriano, but Barca still looked sluggish, as Bale shot into the side netting before firing one over six minutes later.

The ineffective Cesc Fabregas was then replaced by Pedro, who did little to stem the flow as Benzema’s strike was touched onto the outside of the post by Pinto, before Bale had a goal that was disallowed for offside after the goalkeeper had charged off his line from the corner.

Less than 60 seconds after this incident, the ball was in the back of Madrid’s net, with a Bartra header. Bartra looked responsible, with the young defender losing his marker Pepe, and rising highest to head Xavi’s corner into the net in the 68th minute. It was a perfectly placed header, but the parity lasted only for 17 minutes.

Gareth Bale was initially impeded by Bartra but displayed his speed to storm ahead of his marker and from there the defender, reluctant to foul the winger and get a penalty, could only watch as Pinto was beaten with a toe-poked finish with the ball going into the net.

Time still remained for Barcelona to grab the equalizer, but Neymar lacked the necessary composure with a chance in the 89th minute, firing onto the post after he had got it behind the Madrid defense and even passed the ball through goalkeeper Casillas.

When the final whistle blew, Madrid fans and players exhaled a sigh of relief and enjoyed their first piece of silverware this season after a trophyless season last year.

This certainly makes the Real Madrid fans and staff believe that the €100 million signing of Gareth Bale was money well spent if he continues to help bringing trophies to the club.

Bayern Munich booked their place in the final of the DFB-Pokal by crushing Kaiserlautern in a 5-1 victory. Pep Guardiola’s men remained on track to emulate their achievements of last season, after a difficult time suffering a couple of losses recently.

After securing the Bundesliga title in March, Bayern Munich played five games but won only on one occasion, against Manchester United in their Champions League quarter finals second-leg. A couple of questions did arise about the strength of Bayern to deliver a consecutive Champions League title after being drawn against Real Madrid in the semis, but their confidence have been boosted with the 5-1 victory over second-tier Kaiserlautern on Wednesday.

Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger put Bayern in front midway through the first half of the match, with a fine headed effort. Toni Kroos netted shortly after to put Bayern in complete command before Thomas Muller’s second-half penalty eased all the nerves.

Simon Koller did pull one back for Kaiserlautern, but that proved to be just a consolation as Bayern cruised to victory with two further goals from Mario Mandzukic and Mario Gotze for a place against Borussia Dortmund in the final at Berlin next month.

Muller, who replaced Gotze in the Bayern starting XI following a hefty 3-0 defeat to rivals Borussia Dortmund, came close to opening the scoring with his header after eight minutes of the game play, when Schweinsteiger’s clever cross saw Muller jumping and heading it but got deflected against the crossbar.

The hosts had to labor for much of the opening period against a determined Kaiserlautern defense, but Bayern made the breakthrough in the 23rd minute when Schweinsteiger powered home a wonderful downward header from Arjen Robben’s corner. And the lead was doubled nine minutes after their first goal as Kroos met Robben’s lay-off on the edge of the area with an exquisite finish that curled past Kaiserlautern goalkeeper Tobias Sippel and into the bottom corner.

All the hopes of Kaiserlautern’s revival were extinguished just five minutes into the second half as Muller rolled the ball into the net with a penalty after Robben was tripped inside the box by Chris Lowe. Bayern Munich might have added another goal a few minutes after the penalty when Frank Ribery missed that target against an empty net.

The visitors tried reducing the goal deficit on the hour mark, with striker Zollar glancing Florian Dick’s right-winged cross beyond Bayern goalkeeper Lukas Reader. But Bayern were far from finished and re-emphasized their dominance by punishing Kaiserlautern 13 minutes from time, when Mandzukic confidently netted home after latching on to substitute Mario Gotze’s throughball. Gotze then rounded of the day with another great goal in the injury time, combining effortlessly with Ribery, making it 5-1.

Bayern Munich were the treble holders last season and this season have successfully secured the Bundesliga title, are into semi-final of Champions League and with the 5-1 win over Kaiserlautern, they book their place in the final of DFB-Pokal.

This brings out a question: Can Bayern win the treble again this year or not? Have your say in the comments section.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been ruled out of today’s Copa del Rey final against Barcelona. The game, which will be televised live in the United States on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 3pm ET, should be yet another intense encounter between the two Spanish giants.

With Ronaldo not being available due to injury, there have been a lot of questions arising about what tactics Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti will use in the game. Ronaldo is already considered touch-and-go for Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg showdown with reigning champions Bayern Munich next week because of a hamstring strain that saw him on the bench against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter final second-leg. And Madrid never look the same side when Ronaldo doesn’t play.

The Catalans will be thrilled that it is Ronaldo and not Messi, who has been ruled out for the battle at the Mestalla Stadium today.

In regards to coverage plans on ESPN, both Ian Darke and Steve McManaman will be at the stadium providing the live match commentary.

ESPN Deportes, meanwhile, will feature play-by-play commentator Fernando Palomo alongside Jose “Tato” Noriega and pitch-side reporter Martin Ainstein.

In addition to the Copa del Rey final being televised live in the US on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, English-language and Spanish-language commentaries will be available on WatchESPN.com too.

UEFA President Michel Platini believes Zinedine Zidane should start his career as a head coach at AS Monaco. Zidane is currently working as an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, but rumors also claim that Zidane may succeed Ancelotti at Real Madrid.

Platini, though, believes that the French legend is ready for club management, and stated that Monaco could be an ideal destination given that Les Rouges et Blancs are backed financially by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev.

It can be a place where he can bring in top-class players and help the club become one of the giants in Europe.

Platini told newspaper L’Equipe:

“If Zinedine wants to be a coach, it’s a good start with Monaco. It is a good club that has means. He has spent a year with Carlo Ancelotti at Real. So, he’s ready.

“If he wants to do the job, he has to take the step. And if he wants to take charge of the French national team one day, it’s better if he starts with the club.

“I have spoken to Zinedine and I know that he wants to commit himself. He has a name, he’s intelligent. He’ll be a very good coach.”

Platini further claimed that Zidane doesn’t lack ambition and feels the former attacking midfielder has what it takes to taste success and become a top coach.

If Zidane can be a great coach like the great player he has always been, his side would surely be one to watch.

Ex-Valencia President Juan Soler has been arrested in connection with a plot to kidnap the club’s former chief Vicente Soriano. Soler, who was the club president at the club from 2004 to 2008, was released on bail after facing magistrates on suspicion of intending to abduct his successor.

Under the bail terms, the 58-year old construction magnate, who pushed for the Nou Mestalla stadium (currently on-halt project due to lack of funds) and left a lot of debt to the club, is now forbidden to leave the country and is compelled to attend court every two weeks.

Soler has also been given a restraining order that states he must be at least 15 metres away from Soriano. The two men have faced problems since 2009, when then Valencia President Soriano acquired shares of Soler’s in the Costa Blanca club.

Soler took Soriano to court later, claiming he still owed money from Soriano, and investigations believe the alleged plot was a ploy to recoup those funds. Soler is alleged to have hired hitmen to make the kidnapping, but Valencia police uncovered the plan and Soriano was advised not to leave his house.

Another person was also questioned in the case, yet his identity is not being revealed.

Valencia, when contacted by the press, refused to comment, but released this statement:

“This is nothing to do with the club itself. We have nothing to say on the matter.”

The draw for the semi-finals of the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League will occur on Friday in Nyon, Switzerland. It’ll be shown live on UEFA.com beginning at 6am ET.

With the Champions League quarter finals coming to an end on Wednesday night, the attention of the soccer world will now turn towards Friday’s draw for the semi-finals, with coaches desperate to find out whom they will play as the competition nears the final show-down.

UEFA director Giorgio Marchetti and UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino will be in charge of the draw proceedings, assisted by Luis Figo, the ambassador for the Lisbon Final.

When will the Champions League semi-finals be played?

The semi-final ties involving the four quarter-final winners of the UEFA Champions League will be determined by an open draw. At the current stage of the competition, no teams were seeded and clubs from the same national association can now be drawn against each other.

The semi-finals will be played in two legs, home-and-away basis, with the first leg to be played on Tuesday, April 22 and Wednesday, April 23 while the return legs are scheduled to be played on Tuesday, April 29 and Wednesday, April 30.

Which teams have qualified?

Both Madrid sides, Real and Atletico, are joined by the Bundesliga champions and current Champions League holders Bayern Munich, while one Premier League representative —Chelsea — has also qualified for the semis.

The fact that the semi-finals will be played in an open draw means that Real Madrid could be paired with city-rival Atletico, while a rematch of the Champions league 2012 final could be on the cards with Bayern Munich playing Chelsea.

Players to watch? 

Although the Champions League semi-final has robbed us of stars such as Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani, there still remains plenty of stellar names in the semis.

Two out of the three players who stood at the podium of the FIFA Ballon d’Or, Frank Ribery (Bayern Munich) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), will be present. To add to those star players, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid), Oscar, Frank Lampard and Samuel Eto’o (Chelsea) will also be present.

Additionally, Arjen Robben, Mario Gotze and Manuel Neyuer (Bayern Munich), Diego Costa, David Villa, Koke and Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid) will also be seen.

There’s a big possibility that Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea may play against Real Madrid. While Bayern Munich still fancy themselves to break the Champions League curse and become the first team to win back-to-back Champions league trophies, Atletico are surely the underdogs desperate to showcase their power. With Real Madrid finally hoping to achieve their La Decima and Chelsea becoming blessed with the Mourihno magic, the Champions League race is wide open.

Fifteen years after the unbelievable UEFA Champions League final between the European giants Bayern Munich and Manchester United, the two teams clash again this week in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.

There’s no question that the 1999 Champions League final had one of the most dramatic final few minutes in the showpiece’s history.

Mario Basler’s free-kick gave Bayern Munich an early 1-0 lead, and the Germans dominated thereafter. But two goals in the dying moments of the match from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave Manchester United a splendid and historic win at Camp Nou in Spain.

Alex Ferguson gained a knighthood for his accomplishments, as the Red Devils bagged only their second elite European trophy after 31 years since beating Benfica in 1968, while the Bavarians were forced to ponder what might have been.

But what happened to those famous faces from the 1999 Champions League final? We take a look at the men in question.

Bayern Munich

Oliver Kahn (GK)

The three-time World Goalkeeper of the Year remained the first choice at Bayern until 2008 when he retired from professional soccer. Kahn started working with TV channels and other media sources as a pundit. He turned down a job with Schalke five years ago, and has been reluctant to return to soccer.

Lothar Matthaus (SW)

Infamously substituted in the 86th minute when Bayern were still leading against Manchester United, the following season he left the club and retired in 2001. The former defender spent short spells at Hungary, Red Bull Salzburg and Bulgaria as a coach but struggled to find his feet in coaching. He currently serves as an advisor in Germany.

Markus Babbel (RB)

Following a period at Liverpool, the full-back ended his professional career at Stuttgart. Shortly after his retirement, he was appointed as a head coach at the German club. Poor results saw him sacked, and after a short time with Hertha Berlin, he also coached Hoffenheim briefly. He is linked with the Eintracht Frankfurt job but is currently out of work.

Samuel Osei Kuffour (CB)

Kuffour ended his career with Ghanaian side Asante Kokoto in 2009 after leaving Bayern for Roma in 2005. Since his retirement, he has appeared as a pundit in Germany and his homeland Ghana.

Thomas Linke (CB)

Linke played at Red Bull Salzburg since 2005, after leaving die Roten, before moving to the Bayern amateurs for one final term. He held the job at Salzburg and Leipzig as a sporting director, and now currently works with the German second division side Ingolstadt.

Michael Tarnat (LB)

Tarnat suffered an ill-fated year at Manchester City as the left-back switched from Bayern after 2003. He ended his professional career with a five year spell in 2009 at Hannover. He is currently serving as a sporting director of the Bavarians’ youth department.

Jens Jeremies (CM)

Jeremies suffered five knee surgeries before calling it time on his playing days, spending another seven seasons at Bayern. He went on to found an organization that helps young adults and kids who are struggling socially.

Stefan Effenberg (CM)

The former midfield chief currently works as a pundit in German broadcast and print media, after he left Bayern in 2002 and retired in 2004. Effenberg and his wife – formerly the spouse of Effenberg’s 1999 team-mate Thomas Strunz – had participated in a reality TV show. In 2012, he completed his coaching badges, while his autobiography got scathing reviews for being deliberately provocative.

Mario Basler (RF)

With a surprise free-kick, Mario gifted his side the lead at Camp Nou in 1999 with an early goal. The player went on to become a coach after his retirement in 2004. He is yet to find success during spells in charge of four lower league German clubs.

Carsten Jancker (CF)

Following spells at Udinese and Kaiserslautern, and playing for a short time in China, Jancker was under contract at Austrian side Mattersburg until 2009. He was promoted to assistant coach to the first team in mid-2013, after serving as a coach of the Under 15 team at Austrian side Rapid Wien.

Alexander Zickler (LF)

Zickler stuck around with the Bavarians until 2005 before leaving for Austria. His professional retirement from soccer came in 2010-11, although he still plays occasionally for ASV Taxham to this day. He has even been the assistant coach at the Red Bull Salzburg since 2012 for the Under-16s

Bernd Dreher (SUB)

Following retirement, Dreher worked as a Bayern goalkeeping coach with between 2003 and 2008. From 2009, he had been working with Schalke in the same role before he was fired in 2012, and is currently out of a job.

Thomas Helmer (SUB)

In the summer of 1999, he joined Sunderland before being dispatched to Hertha Berlin. He retired shortly afterwards in 2000. He is an ambassador for a children’s charity, as well as working as a television pundit in Germany.

Thorsten Fink (SUB)

Fink embarked on a coaching career after ending his days as a professional soccer player in 2006 with Bayern’s reserves. He started under Giovanni Trapattoni’s wing at Red Bull Salzburg before becoming the head coach at Basel. He then joined Hamburg in 2011 but was sacked two years later by the Bundesliga club earlier this season.

Thomas Strunz (SUB)

Strunz played until 2001 with the Bavarians before becoming an agent. He was dragged into the public domain after his ex-wife married former Bayern team-mate Effenburg. He worked as a sporting director in 2005 at Wolfsburg, albeit unsuccessfully. In 2008, he moved into the same role at Rott Weiss Essen, but was sacked in 2009. He now balances punditry on radio and television with life as a player consultant.

Hasan Salihamidzic (SUB)

Serving now as a pundit for German television, Hasan left Bayern in 2007 for Juventus and served in Turin, spending four years before departing for his final season with Wolfsburg in 2011.

Mehmet Scholl (SUB)

Scholl retired as one of German football’s most successful players. He coached with the Bayern reserve team after his retirement, but parted ways with the club in 2013 to focus on his punditry commitments.

Ali Daei (SUB)

Since retiring in 2007, the Iranian has turned his hand to coaching. An ill-fated stint in charge of the national team was followed by an appointment at Persepolis, where he left in 2011 before returning last year. He had been a member of FIFA’s football committee from 2007 to 2013.

Manchester United

Peter Schmeichel (GK)

The Dane enjoyed a classic send-off by United as he wore the captain’s armband in his final appearance for the club at Camp Nou. He moved to Sporting Lisbon and his miracle stops helped him win silverware over there as well, before moving back to England for spells at Aston Villa and Manchester City. He retired in 2003 and returned to Manchester United as a club ambassador in recent years.

Gary Neville (RB)

It was injuries that caught up with Gary Neville before he could excel further for club and country, resulting in his retirement in 2011. He is currently working as an assistant coach to Roy Hodgson with the England squad, as well as a pundit for Sky Sports in England.

Jaap Stam (CB)

His United career ended in 2001 with Ferguson deciding the centre-back had lost a yard of pace – a decision he has since admitted was one of the biggest mistakes. Stam continued to play for Lazio and AC Milan before retiring at Ajax in 2007. He then coached FC Zwolle and Ajax partially, and is set to complete his training qualifications in May as the head coach.

Ronny Johnsen (CB)

Although a chronic knee injury affected his spell at United, a formidable centre-back pairing with Stam was seen throughout the treble campaign. He was forced out of the club in 2002 after he spent many spells on the bench and finally retired in 2008 while featuring for Valerenga in 2008. He now works as a television pundit.

Denis Irwin (LB)

Irwin drew the curtain on his 12 year stay at Old Trafford in 2002. After a swansong with Wolves, he can now be found on MUTV as well as doing ambassadorial work for the club. He was named in the Ferguson’s autobiography last year as the only dead-cert in the managerial great’s Man United XI.

Ryan Giggs (RM)

Suspensions for Paul Scholes and Roy Keane made the left winger swap wings for the final. He has by far the record appearances for the club, and still remains part of the first-team at Manchester United. Defying age, Giggs has now moved to a more central role not only in the line-up but even at the club. Giggs does not only play for the club, but even has been a coach with Manchester United since June 2013. At the age of 40, he remained pivotal in the Red Devils recent victory over Olympiakos to reach the quarter-finals this season.

David Beckham (CM)

His United career ended in 2003 and he went to shine at Real Madrid, LA Galaxy and on loan at Milan. Before ending his career at Paris Saint-German last season, he also became the most capped player for England in history. He has since joined forces with a wealthy consortium to buy a new MLS franchise in Miami.

Nicky Butt (CM)

Butt didn’t disappoint in the final after being handed a rare chance to start in central midfield due to suspensions of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes back in 1999. Butt later left the club for Newcastle United where he spent six years, before moving to South China for a while. He hit the headlines in March 2014 for buying non-league club Salford FC with fellow United legends Phil Neville, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.

Jesper Blomqvist (LM)

He retired after frequent injuries in 2005. Since then, he took the role of an assistant coach at Swedish side Hammarby before leaving by mutual consent. Blomqvist called quits on soccer in 2012 and now focuses on business, as well as making appearances on reality shows.

Dwight Yorke (ST)

Yorke’s profilic debut campaign saw United as the treble winners. He left Manchester for Blackburn Rovers in 2002. Reinvented as a defensive midfielder for Trinidad and Tobago’s 2006 World Cup campaign, it was his final appearance. He is now a prominent television pundit for Sky Sports in England.

Andy Cole (ST)

Andy Cole played a key role on the road to the 1999 final. He was edged out of the club by Ruud van Nistelrooy’s arrival in 2001 and called time on his career in 2008. He dabbled in punditry then picked up his coaching badges on Manchester United’s books. He currently remains as a club ambassador at Old Trafford.

Raimond van der Gouw (SUB)

He left United in 2002 as second goalkeeper. He served his part as a staff member of Roy Keane at Sunderland and has been a goalkeeping coach for Vitesse since 2009.

David May (SUB)

May played zero part in the 1999 Champions League final but retired in 2006 and eventually became a pundit on MUTV and a regular face on the club website.

>Wes Brown (SUB)

While Brown didn’t play any role in the 1999 final, he assisted Cristiano Ronaldo’s opener in the 2008 final by putting in a fine cross. On the receiving end of a couple of injuries throughout his time at United, the setbacks meant he always had to struggle to reach the pinnacle of his ability, and to show his full worth. He now plays at Sunderland after being sold in 2011.

Phil Neville (SUB)

Gary Neville’s younger brother left Old Trafford with his head held high in search of a regular soccer in 2005, landing at Goodison Park under David Moyes. He became the Everton captain until recently, and followed Moyes as an assistant coach at Manchester United, after Sir Alex Ferguson retired at the end of last season.

Jonathan Greening (SUB)

Without making a single appearance for the club in the competition, Greening got a Champions League medal. He left the club in 2001 to pursue first-team opportunities at Middlesbrough, West Brom and Fulham. He is currently a player at Nottingham Forest.

Teddy Sheringham (SUB)

The England international went from strength to strength at Manchester United, and grabbed the equalizing goal in the 1999 final after coming on as a substitute. In 2000-01, he was voted Player of the Year by both the PFA and Football Writers’ Association. Aged 42, he hung up his boots in 2008, and has spent his time since on the international poker circuit.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (SUB)

Solskjaer was named man-of-the-match in the 1999 final after his last minute heroics help United lift the prestigious trophy. After suffering a knee injury in 2007, he managed the Manchester United reserve team, and then left to manage Norwegian club Molde. He was then approached by Cardiff where he’s currently manager. He is in a battle to try to keep Cardiff in the Premier League as the Welsh club currently sit in the relegation zone.

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has agreed to take up a long term teaching position at Harvard University in Boston. The 72-year-old Scot, who retired last summer from management after 26 trophy laden years at Old Trafford, will be lecturing Ivy League students on a course named The Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports.

Ferguson had previously been also involved with the prestigious American University, giving a series of interviews to Prof. Anita Elberse in 2012, while his blueprint for managerial success was included in the Harvard Business Review in October.

Students from many leading Universities have taken projects on Ferguson’s leadership theories and have interacted with him before as well.

The program involving Ferguson will run from May 7-10.

Sir Alex Ferguson said:

“The time I have already spent in Harvard has been a stimulating experience and I look forward to developing my relationship and activities with the students, faculty and friends of the Harvard Business School community.”

Prof. Anita Elberse added:

“We look forward to welcoming Sir Alex Ferguson on the HBS campus to share his remarkable leadership journey and to contribute to our Executive Education participants’ ability to make a profound difference in the world.”

Tottenham have announced that they are hoping to be able to move into a new 56,000 seater stadium by the middle of 2017. The stadium’s construction is expected to begin on the Northumberland Development Project, located next to the club’s current home at White Hart Lane, later this year.

Club chairman Daniel Levy believes it is possible to expect the opening of the new stadium for the 2017-18 campaign. If the stadium is completed, then Tottenham will be among the big clubs having a large stadium with a large stadium capacity, which will also help them in the process of generating more revenue.

If higher profits are been made by the club, then that could mean being able to hold on to their star players and be competitive in the transfer market, also giving them financial strength and helping them built a better fan base.

Levy said:

“We have fantastic, strong support. Our current 36,000 seater stadium sells out and the waiting list of season ticket holders is currently in excess of 47,000.

“We have the smallest capacity stadium of any club in the top 20 clubs in Europe, let alone the current top four Premier League clubs.

“We cannot stress strongly enough how critical the new stadium is over the long term to these raised expectations.”

For more Tottenham news, opinion and analysis, visit the Tottenham Hotspur team page.

Bayern Munich have banned British tabloid newspapers The Sun and The Daily Mirror from attending the UEFA Champions League clash with Manchester United next week, after deeming headlines about Bastian Schweinsteiger to be insulting.

The articles were published in the wake of the experienced midfielder’s controversial red card in the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Tuesday, using insulting headlines such as ‘You dirty Schwein’ and ‘You Schwein’ as a pun on the German word ‘pig.’

Bayern have condemned the newspapers for a ‘discriminatory, personal insult and disrespectful regard’ and have confirmed they will not allow reporters from both of those newspapers into the Allianz Arena for the return leg next week.

Bayern stated that the articles did not adhere to UEFA’s ‘respect’ principles in the European competition, receiving their recent sanction for an offensive banner against Arsenal in the 1-1 draw as further proof of their own commitment to the campaign.

Schweinsteiger, who scored the goal for Bayern on the night at Old Trafford, was sent off in the dying moments of the match for two bookable offenses, the second following a late challenge on Wayne Rooney.

Bayern’s official statement says,

“FC Bayern Munich will not accept the style of coverage and strongly condemns it. UEFA calls for ‘RESPECT’ in the Champions League – a big European wide campaign.

“Every player wears this logo on their jersey during the game and every participant of the competition is obliged to adherence of ‘RESPECT’. Because of a violation against this agreement by four spectators that showed disrespectful banners during the home match in the first leg of the round of the last 16 against Arsenal in Munich’s Allianz Arena, Bayern was sanctioned with a 700-seat ban as well as fine of €10,000. This is accepted by us.”

Borussia Dortmund Chief Executive Hans-Joachim Watzke says that there is no war with Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich. The relationship between both sides grew tense after the transfers of Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski to Bayern, and was followed by the war of words between Bayern director Matthias Sammer and BVB coach Jurgen Klopp.

When Dortmund’s Mario Gotze joined the club’s arch-rivals Bayern Munich in the summer transfer of 2013, there was a lot of disappointing among Dortmund fans. It was speculated that the transfer fee was as a way for Dortmund to clear its debt. But the tensions became heated again when BVB star striker Robert Lewandowski refused to extend his contract at Dortmund, and agreed a deal to join Bayern Munich on a free transfer this summer.

Nevertheless, Watzke has insisted there is no need for peace talks. He said:

“We are not at war with Bayern, so we do not need any peace talks. We are each other’s rivals, though. We should not act as if we love each other because that’s not the case. And anybody on either side can expect something like that.”

He also dismissed suggestions that Bayern saved Dortmund from bankruptcy in the past:

“This is all a myth. Bayern loaned €2 million to my predecessor against an eight percent interest. It’s not like Bayern were Mother Teresa. This €2 million eventually didn’t help us. My first job was to repay the €2m, which had disappeared by then.

“Loaning money from another club was one of the biggest mistakes ever made. As long as I’m in charge, I would rather beg for money on the streets than take another club’s money.”

Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes recently joined the long list of high-profile players who risk sitting out this summer’s World Cup tournament in Brazil.

Valdes’ anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) was torn in an innocuous incident during Barcelona’s recent 3-0 win over Celta Vigo, not only ending his involvement this season with Barcelona, but even in the Spain squad as they look to defend their title.

Other players who risk not being on the plane to Brazil this summer are listed below. The impact of these missing players could have a profound impact according to the website SportsBettingDime.com.

Radamel Falcao

The Colombian superstar seems unlikely to be fit for the World Cup in time after his ACL tear during Monaco’s Coupe de France encounter with Chasselay this past January. The forward faces a race against time to be ready for the World Cup in June, but his rehabilitation is going better than expected.

Theo Walcott

England has already been robbed of the services of Arsenal winger Theo Walcott. In a FA Cup clash against Tottenham in January, the fleet-footed wide man also ruptured his ACL, and will certainly miss the plane to South America.

Jack Wilshere

Theo Walcott’s club colleague suffered a broken foot while playing for England against Denmark in a friendly, and may not return to first team action until the middle of May.

Kevin Strootman

Dutch football fans’ worst fears were confirmed by Roma when midfielder Kevin Strootman suffered an ACL injury similar to Theo Walcott and Valdes in his left knee, ruling him out of the World Cup. Strootman who suffered the blow during a Serie A match of Roma against Napoli, is not expected to return before 2015.

Ilkay Gundogan, Sami Khedira and Holger Badstuber

The German trio of Ilkay Gundogan, Sami Khedira and Holger Badstuber have injury worries. Just one Bundesliga appearance was made by Dortmund star Ilkay Gundogan this season due to a back complaint, while uncertainty clouds his comeback. While Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber has been missing from the field since November 2012 following a cruciate ligament injury, the future looks unclear regarding when he’ll return.

There is some better news for Khedira who has been recovering well since rupturing his knee ligaments in November, and there are claims that he will be back in Real Madrid training within weeks, although his form and fitness is going to be a question due to lack of playing time.

Giuseppe Rossi

Meanwhile in Italy, Fiorentina forward Giuseppe Rossi’s ticket to Brazil seemed doubtful after he suffered a knee injury playing against Livorno back in January. However the 26-year-old is expected to make an April return to the training, providing him a chance to prove his fitness in the final weeks of the season.

Bruma

In Portugal, the team will have to do it without teenage starlet Bruma. The Galatasaray livewire also suffered an ACL injury in the first month of 2014, and is expected to be out for at least six months.

Makoto Hasebe

Finally, Makoto Hasebe — Japan’s captain — underwent right knee surgery recently after suffering an injury. The Nurnberg player’s return to action is yet unknown, but his full recovery is expected to go right down to the wire.

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has equaled Lionel Messi’s record for the most number of goals scored in a single UEFA Champions League season. The Real Madrid superstar’s strike on Wednesday night against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-final first-leg at Santiago Bernabeu took his tally to 14 goals for 2013-14 campaign. Plus, he set a record tonight, scoring in 8 consecutive Champions League matches.

Ronaldo is now level with Messi, who netted 14 goals in 11 Champions League matches during the 2011-12 Tournament. Remarkably, the Portuguese has matched the Barcelona ace’s tally in just eight outings this term, averaging at a rate of 49.07 minutes per goal. This is a record in itself as no player has scored at such a fast rate in Europe’s elite and most prestigious competition.

Lionel Messi’s average during his record-breaking 2011-12 season was 70.71 minutes per goal, while Ruud Van Nistelrooy seemed even more prolific during Manchester United’s run to the quarter finals in 2002-03. The Dutchman scored 12 goals in total, taking his average to 57 minutes per goal.

Ronaldo has the chance to beat Messi’s record against Borussia Dortmund in the return leg next week when Real Madrid travel to Signal Iduna Park.

Despite scoring a goal and equaling Messi’s record, Ronaldo suffered a minor injury, forcing him off at Bernabeu where they tasted a 3-0 victory. While the injury didn’t look severe, the former Manchester United forward should bounce back from injury next week in time to set a new UEFA Champions League record.

FIFA hit FC Barcelona with a ban that forbids Barcelona from participating in the next two transfer windows, after an investigation alleged the club breached regulations relating to the registration and acquisition of foreign players less than 18 years of age. If the ban stands, it means Barcelona cannot make any new transfer signings until the summer of 2015.

Not surprisingly, FC Barcelona made an announcement that they will appeal the two-transfer window ban imposed by FIFA, and distanced itself from a number of issues raised by football’s governing body. Barca gave a lengthy statement defending its conduct and outlined its determination to fight FIFA and, if necessary, take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Barcelona has also requested that they would like to register players while the appeal is on-going.

Barca’s defense centers on its insistence that the club are helping youngsters develop, both on a personal basis and as footballers, and that no civil law has been breached as the minors remain legal residents within the country.

The La Liga holders argued that they “Put people way before sportsmen which has not been considered by FIFA and applies to their penalty criteria of ignoring educational functioning in our training programme.”

They further added, “Some of the players affected by the filing of FIFA have been summoned by the Catalan football federation to participate in regional championships.”

Barcelona even said that they have requested FIFA to change the rules on the protection of minor footballers on numerous events and their La Masia training center has always been given good and fair reviews by the governing body of soccer.

A goal inside the first minute and a second for Edin Dzeko devastated Manchester United tonight at Old Trafford before Yaya Toure scored a late goal to help Manchester City win the derby 3-0.

The 3-0 away victory over Manchester United saw City climb into second place in the Premier League table with two games in hand compared to table toppers Chelsea. Heading into the contest, David Moyes’ men were buoyed by good wins over Olympiakos and West Ham United, but Manchester City stung them immediately as Edin Dzeko scored after just 43 seconds, registering the fastest away goal at Old Trafford in Premier League history.

United proceeded to stagger their way through the opening exchanges and rarely were a threat to stop City extending their present dominance of the fixture to five wins from six league encounters, though six minutes before half-time Juan Mata might have leveled the score.

Eleven minutes into the second half, Dzeko struck a goal to give City plenty of breathing space before Yaya Toure added a third on the 90th minute mark, as another example of City’s dominance over United in the most recent derbies.

While Manuel Pellegrini’s men are still very much in the title race, United and Moyes must watch it from a distance with just one win out of eleven against the teams above them this term.

The 3,000 visiting supporters at Old Trafford greeted each completed pass with a chant of ‘Ole’ in the match, while the worst part of the night for Manchester United fans was trying to accept how easily they lost and were brushed aside by the team they beat to the title by 11 points last season.

The only positive for United was that Marouane Fellaini escaped a red card and subsequent suspension for an ugly elbow on Pablo Zabaleta in the first half when referee Michael Oliver decided a yellow card was sufficient.

A woeful evening for United was completed when a pass from substitute James Milner deflected into Toure’s path, providing the opportunity for the midfielder to drive home the ball into the bottom corner in trademark fashion.

With Manchester United looking woefully inadequate yet again tonight, questions surround how to fix the cracks and strengthen the weaknesses. This is going to be a very long summer for United supporters.

Bayern Munich wrapped up its 24th Bundesliga title with a comfortable 3-1 victory at Hertha Berlin on Tuesday night where Toni Kroos, Mario Gotze and Frank Ribery found the back of the net to record the fastest Bundesliga championship title in history.

Defending their title with a record seven matches to spare, the Bavarian giants became the first Bundesliga club to win the title in March. Bayern controlled the game, and although Hertha’s Adrian Ramos found the net by scoring a second half penalty for the hosts, a delightful chip from a tight angle by Frank Ribery wrapped up his side’s 3-1 win in the match, as well as securing the 2013/14 Bundesliga title.

Bayern won the league last year with a 25 point margin under Jupp Heynckes, but with manager Pep Guardiola’s arrival in Germany, they look on track to beat last year’s margin and try to establish a new record for the club. The gap appears only likely to widen as the season goes on as their latest triumph saw them go 25 points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund.

Including last season’s UEFA Champions League cup and two back-to-back league titles, Bayern may struggle to find space in a creaking trophy cabinet that has been getting filled every decade since its inception.

With long spells of possession and control giving Hertha little chance of an upset, their evolution under Guardiola was evident in the German capital. Leaving the league’s top goal scorer Mario Mandzukic on the bench, the coach neglected to choose an out-and-out striker, making Gotze operating in a false nine number position.

The fluid structure of Bayern’s attack was replicated across the pitch, as the players essentially did as they pleased on the pitch. Bayern started the match brightly, and it took less than six minutes to assert their dominance. Although a deflection took place from Thomas Muller’s cross from its intended target, Kroos was on hand to strike it in from 12 yards for the first goal of the match. The other goal as well took a similar step as Bastien Schweinsteiger’s cross was nodded in by Gotze from the near post.

Just before the break, Bayern flicked the switch as Gotze prodded wide before Muller’s header struck the crossbar after his clever cut back. An air of resignation filled the stadium and despite an inevitable lull, it only came because Bayern became complacent.

Guardiola attempted to shake things up late with the introduction of Ribery and Mandzukic. Mandzukic’s attempt at the goal was denied by ex-Bayern goalkeeper Thomas Kraft who saved the attempt with his out-stretched right foot, but Ribery made sure that the win was a convincing one by scoring the third and final goal

Bayern Munich go to Allianz Arena on Saturday as Champions of Bundesliga 2013-14 and getting a guard of honor from TSG Hoffenheim before visiting Old Trafford to try and secure a win to take a step closer to a second consecutive UEFA Champions League title.

Over the past two weeks, the UEFA Champions League has featured a number of stellar individual performances, both in dead-rubber games and crucial deciding encounters. We select the best performances and bring you the team of the Champions league last-16 second leg.

Now the stage is set for Friday at 7am ET/Noon CET when UEFA conducts the draw for the quarter-finals of the ultimate club competition in the world, the UEFA Champions League.

For viewers in the United States, the draw will be shown live beginning at 7am ET Friday on FOX Soccer 2Go and UEFA.com.

The teams that are in the draw for the quarter-finals are:

• Atletico Madrid (4-1 aggregate winners against AC Milan),
• Barcelona (4-1 aggregate winners against Manchester City),
• Bayern Munich (who beat Arsenal 3-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16),
• Borussia Dortmund (5-4 winners versus Zenit St Petersburg),
• Chelsea (3-1 aggregate victors against Galatasaray),
• Manchester United (3-2 aggregate winners against Olympiakos),
• Paris Saint-Germain (6-1 victors against Bayer Leverkusen, on aggregate), and
• Real Madrid (9-2 winners against Schalke 04, on aggregate).

The quarter-finalists include:

3 teams from La Liga
2 teams from the Bundesliga
2 teams from the Premier League, and
1 team from Ligue Un.

The draw will be held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

The quarter-final matches of the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League will be played on April 1, 2, 8 and 9. The semi-final draw will occur on April 11, and the semi-finals will then be played over April 22, 23, 29 and 30. The final will be played in Benfica on Saturday, May 24.

Check out our team-by-team guide of every side that made it to the last 16 here.

Last but not least, here’s our prediction of how the draw will look after Friday morning:

Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea
Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona
Manchester United vs Borussia Dortmund 

What are your predictions? Have your say in the comments section below, and let’s compare afterwards to see who made the correct predictions.

In a turning of the tables, it was Manchester United not Olympiakos who qualified for the UEFA Champions League quarter final Wednesday night.

From the first minute to the last, it was Manchester United commanding the pitch of Old Trafford. Talismanic Robin van Persie’s hat-trick salvaged their Champions League dream against Olympiakos, to book their berth in the final eight.

Heading into the second leg, Manchester United were down 2-0 on aggregate, while huge pressure was on the shoulders of manager David Moyes to prove his worth and make the fans believe in him. But it was the Dutch frontman Van Persie, who has been “absent” for so long for United in front of the net, who helped to avoid the Greek tragedy and put Manchester United back on Europe’s map of elite teams, at least for the time being.

In recent days, penalties have become a familiar sight at Old Trafford. United conceded three in the weekend Premier League mauling by Liverpool. And after a foul by Jose Holebas in the 25th minute, Van Persie put the hosts ahead from 12 yards when he scored from the penalty kick.

To level the tie on the aggregate, the Netherlands’ striker doubled his tally on the half time mark with a sleek pass from Manchester United’s future captain Wayne Rooney. Then in the second half, Van Persie curled home a splendid free-kick to seal the win.

Olympiakos have now lost in all 12 of their visits to England, conceding an average of three goals per game. Meanwhile, the result puts Manchester United into the last eight for the first time since 2011. This certainly proves that no matter how strong and unbeatable the Greek giants remain, they still have a lot to analyze and raise their playing standards to be at par with the Europe’s elite.

Moyes made a few key changes to his side that lost 3-0 on Sunday against their arch-rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford, bringing Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand into an experienced starting XI.

Visiting goalkeeper Roberto was first challenged by Wayne Rooney, with the Spanish shot-stopper electing to punch Rooney’s free kick out of the box. Rooney later went agonizingly close when he headed against the left hand post from Giggs’ cross, with replays suggest that Roberto might had got the slightest touch on the ball.

But it was the penalty that helped break the deadlock after Robin van Persie was recklessly bundled to the ground from behind by Holebas.

Patrice Evra later made a superb effort with his header from Van Persie’s corner that forced Roberto to dive full stretch to save the goal just ten minutes before the break.

David De Gea, meanwhile, was on top form, making a couple of saves for the English side. His sharpness and presence of mind was put to the test when he made a crucial double save, first denying David Fuster’s header and then recovering well to keep out Alejandro Dominguez’s effort from a close range by sliding and kicking the ball away.

With Olympiakos needing only a single away goal for the victory, the delicate nature of the score-line was emphasized when Fuster’s rifled effort straight at De Gea in the 67th minute worried many Manchester United supporters. But United weathered a late storm to cling on to an important victory.

One of the most memorable moments of the match was the knock that Antonio Valencia received early in the first half, which resulted in a huge bump above his left eye. The winger showed his passion for United but continuing to play despite the fact that his vision must have been impeded.

Manchester United fans across the globe finally had something to cheer after fighting back against all the odds to win 3-0 on the night. The only sour note was the injury to Robin van Persie, who was stretchered off the pitch. But in his post-match interview, Moyes downplayed the injury and said it wasn’t as bad as first feared.

This match in particular has put forward a lot of questions and answers in the minds of people:

1. Should David Moyes be sacked or should he now be given more time?
2. What are the tactics and reasons of failure for Manchester United in the Premier League?
3. Should Ryan Giggs call it time or he has something last yet to offer as a player?
4. Will Olympiakos ever be able to challenge and win against the tough sides, or are they just happy being the kings of Greece?

For more Manchester United news, analysis and opinion, visit the Manchester United team page.

With a 6-1 aggregate lead from the UEFA Champions League first leg against Schalke, Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti risked star forward Cristiano Ronaldo for the full 90 minutes in last night’s second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. Ronaldo scored two more goals against the Bundesliga side, but the injury to fellow teammate Jese showed the risk that Los Blancos took just five days before el Clasico.

The serious injury suffered by Jese Rodriguez has certainly made headlines in the soccer world, questioning why the Portuguese superstar was playing in the first place. With the 21-year-old Jese in the forefront of most people’s mind amidst reports spreading that he has damaged cruciate ligaments in his right knee, the 3-1 second leg victory became irrelevant in the wider context.

Accidents can happen at any time, and despite having a five goal buffer, Ancelotti’s decision to play Ronaldo for the full 90 minutes could easily have seen Madrid suffer an even bigger loss. Five days before an el Clasico encounter against Barcelona, it also brought into question the real motivation for the coach and the star player.

Ronaldo has scored 13 goals in the UEFA Champions League so far this season after his brace against Schalke on Wednesday, which places him just one behind the 2011-12 record set by his rival Lionel Messi. Plus, Ronaldo is now in fourth place for the most goals scored by a Real Madrid footballer, level with Ferenc Puskas. On his current form, Ronaldo looks unstoppable as he aims to become a record breaker.

But had it been Ronaldo on the end of Sead Kolasinac’s second minute challenge rather than Jese, then Madrid’s season could had suddenly been tumbled and thrown into turmoil, and Ronaldo’s inexorable run of goalscoring form could have come to an end by the injury.

To protect the star investment that will be expected to line up against Barcelona on Sunday, Jese was brought in alongside the likes of Fabio Coentrao, Nacho, Isco and Illarramendi. Yet their biggest asset, the one man army whose presence on Sunday and beyond will infinitely give Madrid the greater chance of a perfect treble, played the full 90 minutes.

Losing Jese is undoubtedly a giant blow to the Spanish club as the club look to continue his development into a world class footballer, but losing Ronaldo would have had far more greater connotations over the remainder of the season.

From the club’s point of view, risking the Ballon d’Or winner in a dead rubber game made no sense, and Carlo Ancelotti knew the fact as the likes of Pepe, Lucas Modric, Angel di Maria and Gareth Bale were missing in the starting XI. But it looks that Ronaldo’s quest for history and personal glory is seemingly far bigger than the club.

Similar stories have already made huge headlines when the Colombian national and AS Monaco player Radamel Falcao suffered a serious injury during a French cup game against a lower league team, and is now struggling in a race against time to prove his fitness to play in the upcoming World Cup.

What if the same had happened to Ronaldo, dashing Portugal’s World Cup chances and presumably ending Real Madrid’s best chances of winning silverware this season? Ancelotti dodged a bullet, but Jese got injured in the crossfire.

Programming note: For viewers in the United States, La Liga games (including this Sunday’s el Clasico) are shown exclusively on beIN SPORT, beIN SPORT Espanol and DishWorld. Even if you don’t have a TV subscription to beIN SPORT, you can access those channels via online streaming service DishWorld for $10/month. Read our review of DishWorld. And sign up for DishWorld via their website.

While so much of the attention during the past few months has been on dynamic duos in soccer such as Luis Suarez-Daniel Sturridge, Alan Shearer-Chris Sutton and Andy Cole-Dwight Yorke, just to name a few, we thought we’d share some of our favorite trios instead.

9. Bale, Ronaldo and Benzema (Real Madrid)

This season, Real Madrid has the most attacking trio on the planet following the arrival of Gareth Bale for a world record €100 million. The Welshman has often played on the right wing, with €94 million man Cristiano Ronaldo on the left, while €41 million player Karim Benzema (2009 signing) marauds through the middle.

The trio has already proven that they are a deadly combination. Within a short span of time, all three have played together, most notably scoring two goals each in a recent Champions League 6-1 win over Schalke. They have since informally been nicknamed ‘BBC’ among the pundits and Blancos fans alike.

The summer signing of Gareth Bale has helped Real Madrid complete a formidable trio as the club have a rich history of capturing the best players on the planet. Ronaldo’s performances won him the Ballon d’Or in January in a Blancos shirt and it certainly looks to be only a matter of time before his Welsh team-mate is in contention for the accolade too.

8. Best, Law and Charlton (Manchester United)

There were three European ‘Player of the Year’ winners at the core of Manchester United’s 1968 European Cup winning side, nicknamed ‘The Holy Trinity’: George Best (1968), Denis Law (1964) and Sir Bobby Charlton (1966).

George Best remains one of the most gifted players to have ever played the game while Denis Law remains one of the club’s iconic goal scoring machines. Bobby Charlton’s inclusion in particular was an emotional one after he survived the Munich Air Disaster 10 years earlier.

7. Keizer, Cruyff and Rep (Ajax)

Ajax is one of the only three clubs to win three consecutive European Cups in a row. They revolutionized the way soccer was played en route to their wins in 1971, 1972 and 1973. At the centre, playing the striker role, was Johan Cruyff — part-time conductor, part-time orchestrator, and part-time magician — with Piet Keizer on his left and Johnny Rep playing towards his right.

At the 1974 World Cup, the trio went on to shine for Netherlands but failed to replicate their continental heroics and were denied victory by West Germany.

6. Hansen, Souness and Dalglish (Liverpool)

Between 1977 and 1985, Liverpool enjoyed eight years among the world’s elite, until the Heysel disaster saw English clubs banned from Europe for half a decade. There were three super Scots at the centre of their victorious 1983-84 campaign: Central defender Alan Hansen, midfield captain Graeme Souness and prolific attacker Kenny Dalglish.

5. Giordano, Maradona and Careca (Napoli)

The only trio put up on the list without a European Cup or Champions League trophy, Bruno Giordano, Diego Maradona and Careca were the perfect combination to the club’s greatest period to date. They were famously known as ‘Ma-Gi-Ca’, which means magic in Italian.

Following the Partenopei’s Scudetto win in 1987, they seemed unlucky to taste defeat against Real Madrid at the first hurdle. But three years later, they made it just one round further.

Some fans made Ma-Gi-Ca comparisons to Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik, but the original MaGiCa trio were definitely on a whole new level.

4. Van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard (AC Milan)

Three Dutchmen were at the centre of AC Milan’s consecutive European wins in 1989 and 1990. The trio comprised Marco Van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit.

Possibly the greatest club side, Rijkaard marshaled the midfield, while Van Basten and Gullit were the consistent forward pairing that fired Arrigo Sacchi’s men to glory on both the above-mentioned occasions.

3. Del Piero, Vialli and Ravanelli (Juventus)

The trio of Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluca Vialli and Fabrizio Ravanelli were the back-bone of Juventus as they lifted their second European Cup in 1995-96.

Their fluidity under World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi was evident for all to see. Vialli was the skipper and centre forward, with young attacker Del Piero playing towards his left and Ravanelli playing towards his right, during the prime-time of Ravanelli’s career. The trio played the famous 4-3-3 formation. The Bianconeri triumphed on penalties after the 1996 final versus Ajax finished 1-1 in regular time.

2. Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez (Manchester United)

With Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez, Manchester United made two consecutive Champions League finals. Rooney’s intelligence and unselfishness gave United fluidity. Ronaldo brought the terrifying pace and threat from set pieces, while Tevez’s goal threat and tenacity was added to the Red Devils already intimidating firepower.

Tevez came on at half-time during their 2-0 loss at Barcelona, while all three started the previous years’ victorious final win over Chelsea on penalties.

1. Xavi, Messi and Iniesta (Barcelona)

The emergence of Xavi, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta saw Barcelona develop into a brilliant machine under Pep Guardiola. Xavi and Iniesta were already established stars when Messi chipped in to take the game to the next level.

During Guardiola’s stint at Camp Nou, two Champions League titles were certainly a team effort but the excellence and swiftness of the Catalan’s terrific trio was the main difference between them and any other team on the planet.

Chelsea’s lead at the top of the Premier League table was reduced to six points Saturday after Fabian Delph’s second half goal at Villa Park. Chelsea’s evening went from bad to worse against Aston Villa, as they had Willian and Ramires sent off, which means the Brazilian duo will miss next week’s game against Arsenal. After such a miserable defeat, here are 3 talking points for Chelsea to dwell upon.

1) Chelsea needs a lot more from their attacking midfielders

Chelsea’s over-reliance on Eden Hazard has become a weakness for the Blues. Somehow, the Belgian looked short of ideas in attack, which resulted in Chelsea’s failure to threaten Brad Guzan in the Aston Villa goal. Under Mourinho, the former Lille playmaker made a slow start to life but gradually started picking up pace and steadily became Chelsea’s leading man.

On the other hand, Oscar had a completely different story. The young Brazilian was seen by Mourinho as the man around whom he wanted to build his new side, even at the expense of selling Juan Mata (Chelsea player of the year for last two consecutive seasons), but Oscar’s drop in form at an alarming rate is not only a worrying sign for Chelsea but for Brazil as well.

Oscar’s Brazilian partner Willian too has failed to make a strong impact, which many expected from him over the past few weeks. It looks commendable to watch the former Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker’s excellent energy levels and amazing track backs, but compared to Hazard, Willian’s inability to score goals or provide assists on a regular basis makes the team too dependent on the Belgian.

Willian’s red card means a nod could be given to Andre Schurrle from the start against Arsenal, and the German should continue his decent run of form. The idea wouldn’t be so bad, giving him more time in the starting XI.

2) Is a left-back really required?

As per Mourinho’s thinking, Cesar Azpilicueta is a very intelligent player. Despite this being his first season in the new role, the right-footed left-back has made it his position in the starting XI, keeping Ashley Cole out (who is arguably the best left-back in the league presently). The only silver lining for Chelsea in a dismal away performance against Villa was Azpilicueta’s display. The man who is referred as ‘Dave’ attempted 64 passes in the match, completing 56 of them.

This season, Azpilicueta has been Chelsea’s unsung hero. Eden Hazard has been given the most credit but Azpilicueta has been a regular performer at the back for Chelsea. The level of Azpilicueta’s performance has been consistent, be it in games against Arsenal and Manchester City or Crystal Palace or Norwich.

With Cole’s contract ending this June, there are talks of the club signing a new player, with Luke Shaw the most likely candidate. But does Chelsea need to shell out €20 million to €30 million for a position where they look already well assured? Also, in Patrick Vann Aanholt and Ryan Bertrand, the Blues have decent quality in reserve.

3) The league table is absolutely fake

Everything Mourinho speaks nowadays is chalked down to mind games. From picking on Arsene Wenger in press conferences, to calling Chelsea the ‘little horse’ in the league. But over the past few weeks, one thing Mourinho said was right. The league table is fake, and it was always Manchester City’s to lose.

Mourinho said:

“You look at the table and, if you have just the number of points, the table is fake. Before the number of points is the number of matches. We could have 30 points more than them and have played 10 matches more, so it means nothing.”

By beating Hull City away from home with 10 men, after Vincent Kompany was shown a red card inside the first ten minutes of the game, Manchester City put on their finest performance in the league this season. Just like Chelsea, even City have had striking issues over the past few weeks, but the team had David Silva to thank for getting them three valuable points, which means that if they win their two games in hand, they will move ahead of Chelsea on goal difference.

However Manchester City have games against Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool in the coming few weeks. There does not seem to be any denial that by the looks of it, Chelsea’s fixture list this season is the easiest of all the title contenders but it could come to haunt them if they continue to encounter such failures as they did against Aston Villa.

For more Chelsea news, analysis and opinion, visit the Chelsea team page.

Manchester United barely put up a fight against Liverpool. The Reds absolutely embarrassed their hosts at the Theatre of Dreams with a sublime display. The most damning part of the monumental 0-3 defeat for Manchester United against Liverpool was that it looked over with even 20 minutes yet to go.

The last 20 minutes of the match moved into what is termed in American Sports as garbage time, the period where teams are playing out the clock. There didn’t seem to be a single flicker of hope from David Moyes’ Manchester United.

Everyone knows there have been changes this season at United, huge changes, but not in a long time have the 11 men looked so forlorn on the pitch, so beaten and so early too. Managers speak of the need to take the positives at the end of big damaging losses, but it was a Manchester United performance in nothing but name today. They were absolutely clueless from start to finish; it may well go down as not the final nail in the coffin of David Moyes reign, but perhaps the first. United were gifted two weeks to prepare for the match and a full squad to pick from. But everything looked second rate about them today. Only once was Simon Mignolet pressed into action while. At the back and the midfield, United were chasing shadows.

It is of course a total disservice to Liverpool that at the end of a 3-0 victory over the bitterest rivals Manchester United, people come out talking about Manchester United. The Merseysiders played very well today. There was vim and vibrancy about the movement and interplay of Luis Suarez and his lieutenants Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge. Sturridge in particular, was the one, going past the Red Devil players like it was for fun.

Where Liverpool looked to have intuition and sharpness, United lacked creativity and speed. There were doubts over capabilities of Marouane Fellaini. Today’s game confirmed that he is not good enough.

Michael Carrick, his midfield partner, shirked responsibility and only could watch hopelessly as the quicksilver Liverpool attackers took it in turns to play in behind him and launch several shots.

There ought to be a goal when Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney, Adnan Januzaj and Robin van Persie are in the line up, but somehow the quadrilateral looked too weak in possession. Januzaj is the only source of optimism in this sorry excuse of a season, while the other three mentioned are barely on nodding terms with each other.

United were without any a game in a week before this one. There weren’t any significant injuries to speak of. With as much time to prepare for a game as is conceivably possible in the modern football calendar, this was United as fresh as it could have been. It might even be regarded as what actually David Moyes is capable of extracting from his players. For United supporters, it doesn’t give the fanbase much hope that the rest of the results will go United’s way in the coming weeks.

Liverpool arrived and laid a championship marker with Steven Gerrard a tower of strength in the midfield. It will after decades satisfy the Merseysiders to watch United disappear in their slipstream but winning at Old Trafford just is not hard as it used to be.

Former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United striker Michael Owen argues that soccer’s current salaries are justifiable, and says that footballers only earn as much as athletes do in other sports. The former England striker Michael Owen further stated that wages for footballers are deserved due to the high amount of interest shown in the sport by numerous fans across the globe.

Recently it was revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo, who earns €21 million a year, is the richest footballer in the world, while Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o are second and third respectively. Over the last few years, salaries have continued to soar and the recently renewed £300,000 weekly deal for Wayne Rooney at Manchester United has seen the spotlight thrown on this issue once again.

While many believe there should be a cap on wages, Owen realizes that the money given to footballers can be justified.

Owen wrote in a column on Sportlobster, a blog that he has invested in,

“Despite many of these issues being extremely important, I can’t help but think the current hysteria surrounding footballers reported wage packets is over-hyped and unnecessary.

“If you have the skill, which people are prepared to part with their hard-earned cash in order to watch, those with skill will always command high salaries.

“Nobody complains if pop stars sell out a stadium and rake in millions from a tour. Nobody complains about the reported weekly salaries, according to Forbes, of sportsmen such as Kobe Bryant (£700k), Roger Federer (£800k), Phil Mickelson (£480k) and Usain Bolt (£290k).

“What is so different to a footballer earning similar amounts for being at the top of their own particular sport?

“I often hear the football fan’s mantra of ‘I’m paying his wages’ when a footballer his having a bad day and yet fans don’t feel the same way at all when watching Tiger Woods or Roger Federer play a poor match.

“Of course, there is an argument for saying all sports stars’ wages are ridiculously high in comparison to people’s salaries in regular jobs…but how is it specifically a footballer’s fault?

“It is all too easy to bang out the same old clinches whenever the talk turns to a footballer’s wages. The fact is we are fortunate to live in a free world, where market forces dictate cost and, as such, I really don’t think footballers’ wages are in any way out of sync with the rest of the sporting world.

“As long as there are children in virtually every country around the world aspiring to be the next Ronaldo, Messi or Rooney and media companies vying for the rights to football at the highest level, I just don’t see things changing.”

What’s your opinion? Do players such as Wayne Rooney (£300,000 per week), Cristiano Ronaldo and others deserve to be those type of wages, or are those wages out of control? Have your say in the comments section below.

With a reported new Nike kit deal worth €700 million seen as a major attraction, nearly a quarter of Manchester United’s shares listed on the NYSE have been secured by investment firm Baron Capital this week.

Manchester United owners, the Glazer family, listed the club on the New York Stock Exchange in 2012 but have retained a 90 percent holding in the company. This season, despite all the problems on the pitch, the share prices of Manchester United has been slowly increasing in recent weeks and Baron Capital’s movement in the market could go some way to explain that increase.

In a securities and exchange commission filling on the United investor relations website, 9,581,636 shares were confirmed to be owned by Baron Capital, worth a reported £90.9 million ($151 million).

A €700 million kit deal with Nike has reportedly been sealed providing a further boost to the English club’s stock rates, as revealed by Baron. On the investment firm’s website, the information was provided on the portfolio that includes the shares of Manchester United, and confidence was expressed in their future prospects.

Their commentary read:

“Shares of Manchester United dropped in Q4 (fourth quarter of 2013) due to a delay in the signing of a new global merchandise deal with Nike and the team’s poor performance on the field. The Nike deal is still expected to be signed, but has been pushed out from the fiscal year. We remain positive on the company’s prospects going forward.”

This certainly justifies the strength and belief in the club, how it is able to make huge amount of profits while displaying poor play on the field. It further even clears the doubts on how the club is managing to afford the weekly wages of Wayne Rooney (£300,000) and Robin van Persie (£250,000). Or further how the club is able to spend £37.1 million on making Juan Mata wear the red jersey and the rumors surrounding the Glazers gifting a £180 million transfer kitty to David Moyes to rebuild the squad this summer.

For more Manchester United news, analysis and opinion, visit the Manchester United team page.

No team has won the UEFA Champions League trophy for two consecutive years since 1990, but there has never been a squad that looked more equipped to do so than the current holders, Bayern Munich. It can certainly be said that Bayern are perfectly placed to re-establish itself as a European powerhouse such as the club did from 1974-1976 when it won three consecutive European Cups.

Since the rebranding of the Champions League 22 years ago, there has not been a single team to successfully defend soccer’s most prestigious club trophy. Arrigo Sacchi’s AC Milan was the last team to win it back-to-back in 1989-90.

Olympique de Marseille were unsuccessful in trying to defend their 1993 title following the Valenciennes bribery scandal, Porto lost their advantage after selling many of its 2004 heroes, while Borussia Dortmund 1997, Inter 2010, AC Milan 2007 and Chelsea 2012 were all handicapped by aging squads that required rebuilding after the clubs won their respective titles.

The teams best placed to retain the Champions League, in terms of pedigree, were Louis van Gaal’s Ajax in 1996, Marcello Lippi’s Juventus a year later, the following season’s Milan led by Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2010. Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United and Fabio Capello’s Milan of 1995 could also be added to this potential list by virtue of the fact that they were eventual finalists.

However, when all factors and circumstances are considered, none of these clubs have been better positioned than Bayern Munich this season to defend their respective trophy. Not only have the statistics of their unbeaten runs and dominant displays have been mind blowing, but individually, collectively, technically, tactically, physically and mentally Bayern look a complete team. Every department comprises star quality players, and all of them are on top form. The stellar names includes goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defenders David Alaba and Dante, midfielders Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thiago and Toni Kroos, offensive talents like Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben and Ballon D’or finalist Frank Ribery. And that is without mentioning coach Pep Guardiola, who boasts an enviable Champions League record – two titles and two semi-finals from his four seasons at Barcelona.

Bayern may not be the best team of the Champions League era, but never before has a holder been so far ahead in the competition. In the mid nineties, Ajax had a magnificent Juventus side to compete with – a group who would reach three finals on the bounce. The following campaigns challenging the Italians were by a Dortmund squad full of Germany icons and a blossoming Manchester United side.

The Madrid Galacticos of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, David Beckham, Raul and Ronaldo were unlucky to participate in one of the strongest-ever Champions League editions in 2002-03. Inter and Valencia were exceptional outfits, while Milan and Juventus were exceptional sides. When Carlo Ancelotti’s Milan failed the following term, many of these sides were still around — as were Roman Abramovich’s nouveau-riche Chelsea and the royal Arsenal invincibles.

Pep’s class of 2010, with their beautiful tiki-taka and superstars such as Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi, looked odds on to end the jinx, but it is often forgotten how formidable their semi-final conquerors Inter were. Jose Mourinho’s treble-winners erected perhaps the last great European back line. Lucio and Walter Samuel marshaled a virtually impenetrable wall. That seemed the power of Mourinho magic. He even celebrated eliminating Barcelona at Camp Nou in 2010 due to which he was then appointed as the Real Madrid Coach for their dream objective – The La Decima.

Barcelona is currently in decline despite their fine away win against Manchester City in mid-February. Atletico Madrid lack numbers. Manchester United are at their weakest for a quarter of a century, an exhausted Arsenal need a miracle to progress to the last eight who tasted recent defeat at Emirates by the reigning Champions, while Manchester City are all but eliminated and are way out of reach of the European elite. Real Madrid, Paris-Saint-Germain and an improving Chelsea cannot certainly be ruled out, but Bayern looks to be in another stratosphere.

Their strength in depth of talent is unparalleled. Despite missing Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez, Frank Ribery, Arjen Robben and long-time absentee Holger Badtsuber for long terms this season, Bayern are breaking record after record. Guardiola even looked safe enough recently to think of exiling Mario Mandzukic and contract rebel Toni Kroos- who displayed a top class performance in Bayern’s victory over Arsenal in the last-16.

Guardiola can continue to rotate his side and ensure there is plenty of fuel left for the business end of the Champions League season, as Bayern are 16 points clear — as of the time of writing — at the top of the Bundesliga.

On the other hand, the La Liga and Premier League title races look as intense as ever as multiple teams are battling it out to reach the top. And Bayern are not only looking fresh, but also hungry. With a new coach under Guardiola, a new formation and no one assured of a first team place, there is no chance of complacency.

This brilliant Bayern side may just create history. If they don’t, then one may as well accept that the Champions League curse of no one winning back-to-back trophies is to be continued.

Visit our Bundesliga page for more German soccer coverage.

Pep Guardiola was speaking to promote adidas Gamedayplus, bringing together the best of the UEFA Champions League in one place. To find out more visit adidas.com/gamedayplus or join the twitter conversation @adidasfootball

There’s little breathing room left for Manchester United manager David Moyes. The fans and press have turned against him, and now seemingly there are people within the Manchester United squad who are wanting the boss to leave.

After the UEFA Champions League last 16-first leg match between Manchester United and Olympiacos, there was an outburst by the United fans. Even the believers of The Chosen One have questioned the ability of the Manchester United gaffer. The team’s fall from Champions to seventh place also-rans has been nothing short of a disaster for a team of United’s calibre, with many questioning Moyes, his players and the club’s transfer activities.

There have been rumors that Moyes might be sacked if he doesn’t prove his worth in the next 12 matches. So that begs the question, who should or could replace the Scotsman in the prestigious role if and when he is sacked?

World Soccer Talk looks at some of the managers who could be well suited to take charge at the North West club.

Louis Van Gaal

Louis Van Gaal is the current Dutch National Team manager but will be stepping down from his role after the World Cup. It has been rumored that he might be the one to take over from Tim Sherwood after the tournament in Brazil this summer, but the lure of Old Trafford might beat White Hart Lane.

Prior to the national post, he was a coach at Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar and Bayern Munich. He won three league titles, a UEFA Cup and a Champions League trophy with Ajax, two league titles and a Spanish cup when he was posted to Barcelona, but most impressively, he made AZ, a mid to lower league Dutch club, league champions in 2008-09. This led to the famous Allianz Arena, where he won the league and the cup double and took the German side to the Champions League final.

He’s an advocate of total football, as his sides are a joy to watch. The Spurs fans would undoubtedly want him in charge at White Hart Lane, but Louis van Gaal’s successful record should ensure Manchester United fans purr at his potential appointment.

Meanwhile, the latest rumors are that Manchester United are interested in a double team of Louis Van Gaal and Frank de Boer as joint-managers if they sack Moyes.

Diego Simeone

A bit of a gamble this one, but Diego Simeone certainly deserves mention thanks to what he has been doing at Atletico Madrid. This season, Simeone has somehow kept his side in the title race, currently sitting three points behind Real Madrid and joint second with Barcelona, putting aside the fraction of the financial muscle and grandeur that Barcelona and Real Madrid possess.

He went to three FIFA World Cups (1994, 1998 and 2002), and was capped for Argentina over 100 times. Naturally, his managerial career started in South America, having held the top seat at Racing, Estudiantes, River Plate, San Lorenzo and Catania.

He has been in the current La Liga since 2011, having been in charge of Atletico for 129 matches, winning 84. His 65% win percentage looks impressive, even if it is La Liga, and one that United could consider.

Antonio Conte

As Juventus manager, this might be a difficult appointment to pursue, but one that might be worthwhile. Despite their poor display in the group stages of the Champions League, Antonio Conte is turning Juventus into the formidable side they once were.

Having spent a lot of time bouncing between Serie A and Serie B during his managerial career, Conte was given his big club chance in May 2011. He won the league at his first attempt, and again the following season; this time with more points Juventus had ever previously received.

He has been compared to Jose Mourinho, with his tactical astuteness and ability to bring players together. However, he differs significantly compared to the playing philosophy of the Chelsea boss. Jose seems to have a tendency to be assured and conservative, whereas Conte is all about attacking football. This is best demonstrated by Vidal and Vucinic being Juve’s top scorers in 2012-13. Maybe an attacking Mourinho-type manager is what United need?

Cesare Prandelli

The current Italian national manager, who guided Gli Azzuri to the Euro 2012 final, putting Italy back on the international map, is an achiever on the international stage, and his club record isn’t too shabby either.

Prandelli has been a manager at several Italian clubs (with varying lengths and success) including Atalanta, Lecca, Verona, Venezia, Parma and Roma, but his best success came at Fiorentina. Cesare Prandelli advanced the Viola club from relegation candidates to fourth place in the league, turning them into a UEFA Champions League side.

Unfortunately, Fiorentina were caught up in the match fixing scandal that resulted in their Champions League spot being revoked and a deduction of 15 points the following season. Amazingly the points deduction did not prevent Prandelli from leading his side to a sixth place finish in the league (level points with fifth place). Maybe a move back into club management is in order for Prandelli?

Jurgen Klopp

Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp would be a perfect appointment by United. His record is hugely impressive with the black and yellows having won two Bundesliga titles (2011 and 2012), and a variety of other cups (DFL-Supercup twice and DFB-Pokal).

He was awarded the German Football Manager of the Year in 2011 and 2012, and even took Dortmund to the Champions League final in 2013. That looks an incredible achievement in itself when you consider the group of death they got through without losing a game. Rather, they topped the group with some extraordinary performances against Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid side.

Under Klopp, Dortmund beat Real Madrid again in the semi-finals, but lost to an 89th minute Robben goal in the final. With Dortmund consistently selling their top players, which may involve IIkay Gundogan and Marco Reus to Manchester United, Klopp may consider looking for a new challenge, and United would fit the bill perfectly.

Glenn Hoddle

As a club manager, he hasn’t had great success as other candidates on this list. He got Swindon Town promoted to the Premier League, Chelsea to the FA Cup final, Tottenham to a League Cup final and England to the World Cup.

But Hoddle looks to have an aspiration and tendency to develop young talent, as displayed by his active involvement with his academy and his eagerness to get the England U-21 job. Young players are what exactly Manchester United has right now, with the likes of David de Gea, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Adnan Januzaj, Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck.

Furthermore, Hoddle specialies in flowing attacking soccer, and would most certainly get the best out of Juan Mata, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney. This idea might be out of the box, but could it work?

Sir Alex Ferguson

One doesn’t need to explain why bringing Sir Alex Ferguson would work for the betterment of Manchester United, but should Fergie return to save the day? Manchester United clearly lost ~15 points this season without him as boss. His reinstatement could return them to glory.

For more Manchester United news, analysis and opinion, visit the Manchester United team page.

With Manchester United needing to strengthen its midfield this summer, there are so many questions revolving around their reported interest in two footballers currently playing in Germany. Are Manchester United thinking along the right lines with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich players, as they look to finally solve their midfield problems? Is Borussia Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan worth taking the risk?

Borussia Dortmund star Gundogan and Bayern Munich playmaker Toni Kroos are widely considered the club’s two top targets for the summer transfer window. When one sees Kroos playing, as he did last week against Arsenal, it becomes hard to imagine him swapping the current best team in the world for a side that may not even make it to Europa League next season. But it looks possible as Kroos has certainly hesitated to nail down a new contract with the reigning treble champions.

Even if United dangle a €302,000-a-week contract in front of Kroos, it may be the kind of move that might end in disappointment, just like last summer’s failed pursuit of Cesc Fabregas. Kroos, who is out of contract in June 2015, might somehow sign a new contract and put his dream to bed.

But it looks a different story for Gundogan, who also has less than 18 months left on his contract and has just made one appearance this season in the Bundesliga due to a back injury. A fully fit Gundogan would be a far more important coup than Rooney’s contract extension that was agreed last week.

Gundogan is a world class player at the age of 23, the kind of man who can dominate any game in central midfield and a perfect kind of player to fill in the holes in this United squad. With Gundogan playing alongside the likes of Rooney and Juan Mata, Manchester United can once again live up to its potential and dominate games rather than finding themselves embarrassed even against the most mediocre of opposing sides.

United have lost eight matches this season and are sixth in the Premier League table, so signing Gundogan might be the starting point of an extensive rebuild. Moyes has also kept his eyes on signing a defender, left-back, winger and a striker in the coming summer transfer window, backed by the best part of a £180 million transfer kitty from the Glazers.

But Gundogan, who played such a key role in Dortmund winning the 2012 Bundesliga and reaching the Champions League final last season, would be the most important of the lot. For sure, he carries a certain risk given his notorious unpredictable nature of back problems and his lack of action this season. Real Madrid is also among the clubs who would compete with United for the signature of the German international, if he proves his fitness.

United have burned themselves before by signing a player with a poor injury track record. In his autobiography, Sir Alex Ferguson described Owen Hargreaves as “a disaster.” Yet Gundogan might be a risk worth taking for a side that has spent almost six years trying to replace Roy Keane and Paul Scholes without any luck.

Manchester United definitely needs a lot of repair work to be done in the summer, but Gundogan could prove a catalyst to put the Old Trafford side back into contention.

For more Manchester United news, visit the United team page.

Manchester United currently look like slaves to Wayne Rooney’s financial ambition. In their current position, United are scared to lose one of their best players, and Wayne knows it. The situation has evolved to the extent that Rooney can essentially name his price and Manchester United will be obligated to pay the ransom. But the question remains whether Rooney will be able to deliver a lot better and prove he is worth the landmark deal coming his way, to help build the team around him to bring back silverware to Old Trafford.

Or would it be better for United to sell Rooney and use the money to help buy several players to rebuild the team under Moyes or a new manager?

As far as the contract negotiations are concerned, Rooney is playing United like a fiddle. By letting his deal run towards its summer 2015 expiry, he’s provoking Manchester United by not signing the extension, making the club becomes more eager to tie him down – by any means necessary. However, the club has every right to demand a lot more in return for the money they are about to pay.

If a poll is to be conducted, has Rooney been Manchester United’s player of the season? Perhaps, with Adnan Janujaz, that seems to have been the truth. But if compared to the previous seasons, this is the worst Manchester United team performing in a decade. Presently, he’s excelling at a club that sits in seventh position in the league currently in a mid-table side. If he was not standing out at United, it would be remarkable.

The Premier League is currently flourishing with as many top players as it had in recent seasons with Luis Suarez, Sergio Aguero and Eden Hazard performing and improving tremendously well every week. It looks a joy-ride watching them score or assist in almost every match. Those three in particular are leading their sides towards fulfilling their club objectives.

Could the same be said about Wayne Rooney at present? Not a chance. Critics are keen to stress that United’s brilliant forwards are being inhibited by David Moyes. That seems more of an excuse than a reality. Rather, the truly great find a way to ease the pressure of the man in the dug-out by proving themselves on the pitch, where it matters.

Manchester United are safeguarding the future of a man who has twice held the club to ransom and who has tactically admitted that his ambition is breaking Sir Bobby Charlton’s scoring record, which seems entirely selfish. Traces of his ill behavior revealed themselves after he missed the starting spot in last season’s Champions League draw against Real Madrid, which resulted in his subsequent performance dropping.

On Sunday, Rooney was no better than any other Fulham player and never cut the figure of a man capable of turning the game in his team’s favor. He clipped a few passes over the heads of the Fulham defense to little avail and can even consider himself unlucky not to have scored. But he lacks that certain spark that comes with the prime performers – that cunning intelligence and imagination.

The contract coming his way looks the best, and last, in his career. The huge amount of money that Manchester United is planning to spend on Rooney might be better invested elsewhere. Wayne Rooney has much to prove if he fancies himself as a £300,000 per-week footballer.

For more Manchester United news, analysis and opinion, visit the Red Devils team page.

In a match where everybody expected Manchester United to come out with three important points, the Red Devils were held by a Fulham side who sit bottom of the table.

It looked more of a mismatch with the quality of players Manchester United had in their starting line-up against a struggling Premier League side who are currently trying to avoid the relegation zone. Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata all lined up to start the match, but it was Fulham’s Steve Sidwell who shocked the reigning champions with a 19th minute goal after a sublime chip into the box from Lewis Holtby.

United struggled to break down a resolute Fulham side for long spells, and they were staring down the barrel of a ninth league defeat of the season at one stage as goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg excelled.

Manchester United definitely dominated the possession in the match and were looking too desperate to score, at times, but it was Fulham defenders Dan Burn and Johnny Heitinga who were preventing — what is on paper — one of the best attacking threats in the Premier League from scoring. It was a match where crosses flew in from both wings, but those crosses could be best summed up in two tweets:

However, Manchester United finally broke through. It was talisman Robin Van Persie who swept in Juan Mata’s attempted shot from three yards at the far post in the 78th minute and, less than two minutes later, Carrick’s deflected strike from outside the penalty area that sailed into the top corner of the net, which was celebrated emphatically by David Moyes. It seemed that Manchester United had achieved one of those late comebacks that former manager Sir Alex Ferguson was famous for. But in the dying minutes, it was Fulham striker Darren Bent who spoiled the party by scoring an equalizer in injury time to deal another crippling blow to David Moyes’s season.

During the match, former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen gave new signings John Heitinga and Ryan Tunnicliffe their first Fulham debuts while 18-year-old forward Muamer Tankovic made his first Premier League start. While on the other side it was Nemanja Vidic who, after announcing he will quit Manchester United at the end of the season, returned from a three match suspension to captain the Red Devils.

This result surely gives David Moyes many questions to contemplate considering that even with almost all of the star player and first squad players available, he is not able to deliver victory against the weakest side in the league at Old Trafford. If he can’t beat Fulham, how will he be able to manage when Manchester United travel to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal, and to Greece to face the Greek Champions Olympiacos in their Champions League draw at the end of the month?

Here are the highlights from the match. Due to rights restrictions, the video can only be viewed by readers in the United States: