When continental football connoisseurs talk about beautiful football, the Premier League is never mentioned. Spain provides passing, technical quality and thrills from teams outside the big two. Italy, while being dour, somehow manages to be elegant at the same time, with its midfield maestros working amongst its Gattusos. Case in point, Barcelona and Villareal just […]

Despite it being a midweek friendly that many will immediately dismiss, I'm excited about this game. Sweden have picked a strong squad, and Germany are always determined and competitive. Also, this game gives Joachim Loew a chance to see which of Germany's younger stars will be able to make the step up to the international […]

An international break is coming up this midweek, and Prandelli is preparing Italy for a friendly against Romania. From the 23 that the former Fiorentina coach has picked, you have some new inclusions like Lazio's Argentinean-Italian, Cristian Ledesma, and the return of Mario Balotelli who has recovered from injury. The full squad of 23 is […]

Prior to the MLS Cup Final on Sunday, Don Garber held court today to discuss the good, the bad, and the future of MLS. Much of what he said is in no way surprising, but he did shed some light on some hot topics in the American soccer world – Reserve League and Youth Development: […]

Saturday’s match that sent West Bromwich Albion north to DW Stadium against Wigan Athletic provided an entertaining match of two clubs looking to assert themselves, albeit in different ways. Albion has been riding a strong first month, and wanted to continue to maintain real estate in the top half of the table, while the Latics […]

Under Jose Mourinho, Inter gradually developed an aura of invincibility, and their defence – generally made up of Maicon, Lucio, Samuel and Chivu (or Zanetti) – had become the envy of the rest of Europe. The Nerazzurri had finally brought back the success of generations gone by, and despite one or two question markimgs over […]

Everybody was kung fu fighting in the Milan derby this past weekend. Well, not everyone, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic certainly was as he performed a karate kick on Marco Materazzi. Materazzi was sent to the hospital, but since then, he has been given the all-clear and has left the hospital.

The BBC has reported that Alex has joined Chelsea’s growing defensive injury list and is estimated to be out of action for between 6-8 weeks with a knee injury that requires surgery. With John Terry injured this leaves Chelsea with only one fully fit recognised centre back and a major selection headache for Carlo Ancelotti as the decisive festive period approaches. Against Sunderland Paulo Ferreria deputised at centre back however whilst a useful bit part player he is nowhere near the standard required to play at the heart of the Chelsea defence and alternate options are a must if Chelsea are remain competitive.

Carlos Tevez and Rio Ferdinand got into a tussle in the Manchester derby last week, and now one witty bloke has put together a spoof video which shows a typical hyped Sky TV commercial featuring Carlito Tevez putting his fist into a place where the sun doesn't shine of one Rio Ferdinand. Tip of the […]

Nuremburg's Javier Pinola was caught on camera spitting at Bastian Schweinsteiger in the recent match against Bayern Munich (see above video). And now Pinola, the Argentinian, will be the subject of an investigation from the DFB, which has revealed that the incident could result in a six-month ban. What do you think? Should Pinola be […]

Joachim Loew has picked an experimental side for Germany's friendly against Sweden tomorrow afternoon, with quite a few players winning their first call-ups. On-form Mainz duo Andre Schuerrle and Lewis Holtby are set to win their first caps, as well as Dortmund's Marcel Schmelzer and Mario Gotze. Joachim Loew spoke to the press and said […]

With Dortmund winning on Saturday, it was imperative that both Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich pick up wins to keep the pressure on the league leaders. Fortunately for Die Roten, Hoffenheim suffered a shock one-nil loss at home to Freiburg, which means a climb back up the table for Bayern Munich gets just that bit easier. […]

Wayne Rooney looks like he'll start for Manchester United this Saturday in their match against Wigan Athletic. Rooney, who has just returned from a sabbatical in the United States, will be stepping on to the turf at Old Trafford since October 16 when he played in the 2-2 draw against West Bromwich Albion. The vibe […]

Watching the MLS Western Conference Final on ESPN2 Sunday night, I couldn't believe how poor the TV production was. When the ball was on the far side of the field from the camera, it felt like I was watching a game from the nosebleed section of Home Depot Center. When the ball was near the […]

I don't envy supporters of Liverpool Football Club. The stark reality for supporters, some of whom have not yet accepted it, is that Liverpool is a major transition period and it's going to do take a few years to regain stability before they can begin progressing again. In the past 24 hours, Liverpool director of […]