<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Can Unai Emery lead Valencia to their first title since 2004 when Rafael Benítez steered the ship at the Mestalla to their second title in three years?</div>
Through the first six rounds in La Liga, Valencia CF led the way at the top of the ladder with sixteen points, one point ahead of Villarreal, two points ahead of Real Madrid, and three points ahead of FC Barcelona. &nbsp;Along with Real Madrid, Valencia remained only one of two teams still undefeated in the league, and the early murmurs among the Spanish press signaled that Barcelona and Real Madrid would not run away from the others as they did last season.
Valencia’s surprising start has less with whom they lost in the summer and rather with what they gained in those absences. &nbsp;The club earned a total of €84.2 million in transfer fees, with headliners David Villa garnering €40 million and David Silva €30 million. &nbsp;€22.7 million of the €84.2 million went into buying players to replace those sold, including a new strike force in Aritz Aduriz and Roberto Soldado and reinforcements in the midfield Mehmet Topal and Tino Costa. &nbsp;The rest of the money went toward scaling down the massive debt that the club continually increased over the past decade.
How did Valencia maneuver itself to owing €550 million to various creditors?

<a href="http:\/\/www.weltfussball.de/entry/_36288_bau-des-nou-mestalla/">Click here to see a significant chunk of that debt.</a> Without securing the sale of the current Mestalla, then-President Juan Bautista Soler gave approval to the construction of the Nou Mestalla, a 75,000 seat, state-of-the-art stadium that would compete with the Camp Nou and the Santiago Bernabéu for revenues and the hosting of European finals. &nbsp;Building of the stadium halted in February 2009 when the funds went dry, and the Nou Mestalla currently sits as the white elephant in Valencia as a symbol of financial irresponsibility.
As with most of the high-profile European clubs, player and manager wages accounted for a substantial part of the budget. &nbsp;As late as the 2008-09 season, Valencia’s player wages outweighed their total revenue earned throughout that campaign.
The ghost of Ronald Koeman still haunts the Mestalla, even though he was sacked in April of 2008 after a disastrous campaign that saw the two-time champions mired in a relegation battle when Valencia made the change. &nbsp;Even though his previous stints as manager with Ajax, Benfica, and PSV Eindhoven brought little compared to expectations, Valencia felt Koeman would fare better than Quique Sánchez Flores, who was a mere four points off the top spot when Flores received his pink slip in October 2008. &nbsp;As part of the deal to bring in Koeman from PSV, one of the clauses stated that if Valencia qualified for the UEFA Champions League in the three seasons following Koeman’s move, Valencia would pay PSV €1 million.
Despite earning a Champions League berth by finishing third last season long after Valencia fired Koeman, the clause still applied, so the total expenditure on the transfer, appointment, and discharge of the former Barcelona great stood at €2.8 million.
(On a side note, AZ Alkmaar did not learn from prior history because they took a chance on Koeman after Louis van Gaal left following their first Eredivisie crown since 1981 to become the manager of Bayern Munich. &nbsp;Koeman was gone in December after floundering in mid-table.)
All these financial transgressions transpired throughout the course of the past few years, and yet they had a chance to legitimize their credentials as a top-table team on Saturday against an FC Barcelona that has looked less than their absolute best in La Liga.
Valencia’s early season schedule has not been the most strenuous, and against Atlético Madrid, their toughest opponent in their first six matches, they squeaked out a 1-1 draw late, even though Valencia virtually controlled the entire match.
Against Manchester United in the Champions League, Sir Alex Ferguson looked happy to settle for a 0-0 draw at the Mestalla and sat back while Valencia kept a large majority of the possession. &nbsp;Valencia could not capitalize on the chances they created, and the one decent opportunity that Manchester United had, Javier “Chicharito” Hernández buried the ball into the back of the net in the final quarter of the match to hand the Red Devils the three points and temporary control of the group.
If Valencia were to further Barça’s shocking woes at the Camp Nou, Los Che would need the courage to press Barcelona, close the margin of possession that Barcelona typically has against their opponents, and convert on their scoring opportunities. &nbsp;In the first half, Valencia accomplished the first two objectives, but while they did score a goal to lead at halftime, they missed a promising opening at the end of the half to double their advantage and further plant seeds of doubt and panic into a Barcelona team that has hardly had to deal with such emotions since Pep Guardiola took over the club in the summer of 2008.
The opening forty-five minutes played out as though both team switched uniforms because Valencia scoured the pitch with a penchant for suffocating defensive pressure, an ability to recover possession quickly once it was lost, and an assuredness with the ball when they had possession, whereas Barcelona almost planned to sit back in their own half of the pitch and break on the counter-attack. &nbsp;A strange combination of nervous murmuring and breathless hush enveloped the Culés in the Camp Nou, as Valencia seemed to have all the answers.
After Pablo Hernández&nbsp;opened the scoring in the 38th minute, they fashioned an even better opportunity to add a second three minutes later. &nbsp;Éver&nbsp;Banega, the influential playmaker who made his first appearance in a month because of an ankle injury, fought down the right wing with two Barça players to slide the ball to Roberto Soldado at the right edge of the penalty area. &nbsp;Soldado slid it across to Pablo in the middle of the penalty area, and with the whole left side of the goal open, Pablo tried to fool Víctor Valdés and&nbsp;go behind him to the right near post, but Valdés was up to the task and parried it out for a corner kick.
From that moment forward, Barcelona took over the match with a gusto and innovative flair that had been absent in the early days of this season. &nbsp;Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández’s one-two that mesmerized four Valencia players accounted for the equalizer two minutes into the second half.
David Villa, wanting to shine badly against his former team although he played that down during the week, provided a pinpoint squared ball across the six-yard box that would have been a tap-in for Iniesta on the left back post if Jordi Alba had not somehow cleared it over his own crossbar from three yards out. &nbsp;Another Iniesta through ball scythed the Valencia back line and sent Villa free for a one-on-one with César Sánchez, which César won by taking the ball away from Villa’s foot as Villa made his final move to try to get around César in the penalty area.
Carles Puyol, of all people, scored what turned out to be the game-winner after Xavi sent in another accurate cross from the right wing, and Valencia never really looked as though they could re-gather themselves enough to mount a serious challenge at squaring the match.
2-1 fulltime, and Barcelona found the invigoration and elixir that should propel them to boost their season.
Should this loss discourage Valencia? &nbsp;Absolutely not. &nbsp;Barcelona outplayed them in the second half and deserved to win the match, and when the superior team plays at its best, all Valencia can do is shake their hands and say, “Good match.” &nbsp;Despite the talent they had to sell before this campaign, Valencia is a solid bet to finish in the top four. &nbsp;Their title credentials, however, took a big hit with this loss to Barcelona on Saturday.
One match out of thirty-eight this might have been, and teams have won championships when they have not fared well against the established top two or three teams, but in their three most stringent tests in all competitions, Los Che have come out with one point out of nine. &nbsp;As Valencia president Manuel Llorente stated:
<blockquote>“Now we are going to Barcelona at a good time, with a high rank and a different team from previous years. &nbsp;We have a squad with a high capacity to work and it gives us enormous options.”</blockquote>
With Valencia at the top of the table and Barcelona under par in comparison to their normal high standards, Valencia played Barcelona at the perfect time, and through forty-four minutes, the confidence from within the organization was justified. &nbsp;Championship contenders, however, put away teams when they have a foot on the throat, and Valencia enabled Barcelona to slither away from that foot and counter that threat with an attack of their own. &nbsp;Valencia could not respond to Barcelona’s challenge.
Manuel Llorente announced that Valencia cut their overflowing debt from €550 million to €400 million, and manager Unai Emery and he are leading this historic team in the right direction. &nbsp;In a couple of years, with more of this fiscal responsibility and outstanding play on the pitch, Valencia will contend for titles as they did in the first half of the 2000s decade, but for now, their goals should center on maintaining a top four finish and steady progression in the Champions League.
Fueras de Juego
– Cristiano Ronaldo scored two and assisted in two goals as Real Madrid rolled over a potentially dangerous Málaga side 1-4. &nbsp;José Mourinho is known for building up players to stratospheric heights. &nbsp;At Chelsea, he declared Frank Lampard the best player in the world. &nbsp;At Inter Milan, Mourinho trumpeted that Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the most indispensable striker in world football. &nbsp;At Real Madrid, Mourinho has done the same for Ronaldo, saying that it was clear to him that he is number one in the world with Lionel Messi number two. &nbsp;The confidence shown by Mourinho to Ronaldo, even when Ronaldo found it hard to score in the opening matches of the season, now has come to fruition in the last few games, and expect more destruction from Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid as they look poised to dethrone Barcelona in La Liga.
– Espanyol defeated Mallorca 0-1 at the Iberostar Stadium despite the ejection of Pablo Osvaldo late in the first half to rise to sixth in the table. &nbsp;The “other” team from Barcelona might be the most anonymous team in Spain, and in the eye of no one’s radar, their six goals scored in seven matches with an overall goal difference of -3 has los periquitos as the surprise team so far this season.
– In each of the ten stadia that held La Liga matches this weekend, they had a minute of silence prior to their matches in honor of Atlético Madrid legend Juan Carlos Arteche, who died from cancer on Wednesday night. &nbsp;The Atlético hard man in central defense terrorized strikers in the 1980s with his physical style and “questionable” tackling, but he might best be known as a man that took a serious disliking to former Atleti president Jesús Gil, so much so that he retired at a relatively young age of 32 due to his conflicts with Gil. &nbsp;Any man who stood up to the controversial, authoritarian, and misanthropic Gil was a brave man, and courage was never lacking with Arteche. &nbsp;Rest in peace, Juan Carlos Arteche.

La Liga Jornada 7 Review: Did Barcelona Expose Valencia's Faint Ambitions of Winning La Liga? - World Soccer Talk

La Liga Jornada 7 Review: Did Barcelona Expose Valencia's Faint Ambitions of Winning La Liga?

Gregorio Manzano took the reins of Sevilla FC one week ago from the sacked Antonio Álvarez, and he did not inherit a club that inspired any confidence from los nervionenses that filled the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán on Sunday afternoon. &nbsp;Although the Andalusians only lost one of their first five matches in La Liga, two draws against cellar-dwellers Racing de Santander and Deportivo La Coruña and a loss to newly-promoted Hércules prompted Sevilla chairman José María del Nido to act swiftly and hire the man that was the betting favorite to become Sevilla manager during the summer months.

Last season, Manzano led Mallorca, a club that fostered mediocre expectations at the commencement of the campaign, to the brink of the UEFA Champions League, when, ironically, Antonio Álvarez and Sevilla broke los barralets‘ collective hearts with a stoppage time goal against Almería that propelled Sevilla into the playoff round of the Champions League and dropped Mallorca into the playoff round of the UEFA Europa League. &nbsp;Besides a fourth-place finish in La Liga, Álvarez and Sevilla defeated Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey final to add to their trophy case.
Del Nido faced a similar situation that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich endured in 2008, when the managerial mid-season replacement accomplished feats that would make it hard for the owner to supplant him. &nbsp;In Abramovich’s case, Avram Grant led Chelsea to the Champions League final, and save for a John Terry penalty kick that hit the post, Chelsea would have won the trophy that Abramovich most desired. &nbsp;In addition, Chelsea harried Manchester United to the final matchday for the Premier League title, where Chelsea eventually capitulated when they could only draw 1-1 against Bolton Wanderers, whereas Manchester United defeated Wigan Athletic 2-0 to win the league by two points.
Amidst a groundswell to retain Grant as the manager, Abramovich made the decision to release Grant three days after the Champions League heartbreak and eventually hired Luiz Felipe Scolari later that summer.
When Mallorca released Manzano not due to performance but due to financial difficulties that eventually led to administration, José María del Nido wrestled over the future of his team’s managerial leadership between Manzano and Álvarez, but unlike Roman Abramovich, del Nido rewarded Álvarez for his work after replacing Manolo Jiménez&nbsp;and extended his contract through at least the end of the 2010-11 season.
After the ignominy of failing to qualify for the Champions League group stage at the hands of the little Portuguese team that could in Sporting Braga before the start of the La Liga season, Álvarez’s leash shortened considerably, and any other slip-up would be the impetus for Sevilla to fire Álvarez. &nbsp;The 2-0 defeat to Hércules last weekend became that tipping point.
Amazingly, no team hired Manzano in the offseason, but he likely was biding his time until the Sevilla job opened, and immediately after Álvarez received the axe, Manzano accepted the position.
Manzano’s first test in La Liga came against an Atlético Madrid side who dearly wants to right the wrongs of last season’s domestic campaign. &nbsp;While they marveled as a cup team, winning the UEFA Europa League and reaching the Copa del Rey final, their indifferent form in the league equally flabbergasted as they finished ninth, their worst finish since 2006. &nbsp;Atleti has returned to their normally solid play in La Liga this season, sitting in fifth spot prior to the match against Sevilla. &nbsp;The schizophrenia that marred this team last season has not completely left the brain, as their Europa League form reeks of indifference and middling.
Los colchoneros were not at full strength against Sevilla because José Antonio Reyes was serving his suspension for a red card he received in the previous match against Real Zaragoza and Sergio Agüero suffered an injury to the gluteus maximus muscle of his left buttock (no joke) in Friday’s training session.
For Sevilla, Manzano’s team started to come back to a good bill of health as Abdoulay Konko, Frédéric Kanouté&nbsp;and Renato returned to the starting eleven. &nbsp;When Sevilla has been most successful, they played in a classic 4-4-2 formation with Jesús Navas and either Diego Perotti or Diego Capel flying down the wings to provide service for the two forwards Kanouté and Luís Fabiano. &nbsp;While Navas did not play due to a thigh strain and Fabiano sat on the bench due to poor form, Manzano returned Sevilla to the 4-4-2 with Capel and Perotti on the wings and the maligned Álvaro Negredo pairing with Kanouté up front.
After the opening hour where Sevilla slightly wielded the upper hand, Sevilla scored twice within a span of six minutes to break open a tight affair. &nbsp;In the 29th minute, Diego&nbsp;Perotti cut from the right and brought defenders with him, and when he made the reverse pass to his right for Álvaro&nbsp;Negredo into the penalty area, Negredo found some valuable space in which to work. &nbsp;Negredo was not quite set for the shot, so he took a vital touch to his left to set himself up and create space from the two Atlético defenders that were scrambling to close down Negredo.&nbsp;&nbsp;He curled the shot toward the left far post, and de Gea had no chance of getting a hand on it.
Six minutes later, Diego&nbsp;Capel’s feathery touch sent in Frédéric&nbsp;Kanouté into the box free and unmarked, and de Gea did well to rush off his line and close down the angle to save Kanouté’s shot. &nbsp;The rebound from the save, however, lofted to Perotti just beyond the “D,” and Perotti took the shot on first-time, deflecting off Paulo Assunção to the left side of the goal, and de Gea was frozen once the ball took the deflection.
Save for a period of ten to fifteen minutes in the second half when Atlético Madrid scored their only goal of the match, Sevilla controlled the flow and never felt threatened by the rojiblancos. &nbsp;The search team could not find Diego Forlán throughout the match as he continually looked a frustrated figure, and while Filipe Luís and Diego Costa provided a small spark coming off the substitute’s bench to start the second half, the same team that struggled to secure a draw against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday showed up against Sevilla on Sunday.
Sometimes, managers receives too much credit or blame for what their players do on the pitch, but the eleven that Manzano put out against Atlético Madrid played with a freedom and desire that was achingly unapparent under Antonio Álvarez. &nbsp;As with José Mourinho with Real Madrid, a managerial change can affect the group of twenty-five players in a positive manner if the manager commands the respect of those players immediately. &nbsp;While Gregorio Manzano does not own the sprawling curriculum vitae of Mourinho, Manzano’s achievements at Mallorca certainly deserve credit. &nbsp;When he inspired his Mallorca team to perform at their best when the players were not getting paid, that might be the toughest task to do with professional footballers.
After Sevilla goes to El Molinón to play Sporting Gijón after the international break, their following three fixtures will determine if they will be a genuine factor at the top of the table: home against Athletic Bilbao, at the Camp Nou against FC Barcelona, and home against current league leaders Valencia. &nbsp;If Luís Fabiano brightens his moody attitude and avoids injuries that have plagued him in the past year and a half, his combination with Frédéric Kanouté, as proven in the past, can turn into the lethal force once again. &nbsp;With Real Madrid and Barcelona slightly more vulnerable than at any point last season, Sevilla must seize this tough stretch by the neck and play without fear in order to attain at least six points out of nine. &nbsp;Gregorio Manzano is the right man to motivate this team and lead them for the foreseeable future.
Fueras de Juego
– Scoring problems? &nbsp;What scoring problems? &nbsp;Real Madrid laid the 6-1 hammer down on pathetic Deportivo La Coruña&nbsp;in the final match of the round, and Gonzalo Higuaín got off the schneid with his first goal of the season. &nbsp;This match was Real Madrid’s first since the club replaced their “potato field,” as José Mourinho coined it, with imported Slovakian grass, and the pitch looked and played just as fine as its owners did. &nbsp;Despite the six-goal outburst, Mourinho will not be happy that they conceded a late goal to Juan Rodríguez.
– Mallorca has gone two for two against Real Madrid and Barcelona as Mallorca held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou. &nbsp;Mallorca also drew with Real 0-0 in their opening match of the season to steal two valuable points against the royalty of Spanish football. &nbsp;For Barcelona, the same story keeps being told: numerous golden and silver chances but unable to capitalize on enough occasions. &nbsp;Last year, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was supposed to give the Catalans a different element with his size and aerial ability. &nbsp;This year, David Villa is supposed to be the savior as the center forward in the front three. &nbsp;The ghost of Samuel Eto’o continues to loom, as Barcelona has not been as clinical in front of goal since Eto’o went to Inter Milan.
– Almería played the best football of the twenty teams this weekend but somehow managed to only draw against Málaga 1-1 at home in their newly-named arena Estadio Juan Rojas. &nbsp;Ten&nbsp;ocasiones de gol (scoring chances), twenty-six shots overall, and a leaky Málaga defense that conceded the most goals in La Liga prior to this round of matches should have equaled an easy win, but three efforts off the woodwork, a missed penalty by Kalu Uche, and various other misses that avoided the target by a couple of yards or less conspired to split the points with an undeserved Málaga. &nbsp;These types of matches hurt the most, especially for a team that could be in the relegation fight throughout the course of the season.

La Liga Jornada 6 Review: Sevilla Shines Against Atlético Madrid in Gregorio Manzano's Debut - World Soccer Talk

La Liga Jornada 6 Review: Sevilla Shines Against Atlético Madrid in Gregorio Manzano's Debut

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Like most soccer fans, I am a soccer league polygamist.&nbsp; Because I live less than 20 minutes from an MLS club, I root for and follow <a href="http:\/\/www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/" target="_blank">Major League Soccer</a> in the U.S.&nbsp; However, I am also a passionate Arsenal fan who lives and dies in every match they play throughout the year.&nbsp; And of course, I love Serie A best of all and have my favorite club, whose scarf I wore proudly this past Sunday.&nbsp; I dare say almost every soccer fan, because of the diverse leagues around the world, has multiple favorite teams or leagues.
But as I read about <a href="http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/8991013.stm" target="_blank">Bobby Zamora’s recent leg break</a> and as Arsenal players continue to suffer and recover from rough (or, if you prefer) violent tackles, it made me compare the style and content of play I watch in both the EPL and Serie A every weekend.&nbsp; And upon reflection, I came to a conclusion I probably reached long ago but only now can put into writing:
Serie A soccer is superior to English Premier League soccer
This sentiment goes beyond just who has the best team (although it would be Serie A with reigning Champions League winners Inter).&nbsp; Looking at the two leagues as a whole, Serie A is superior to the EPL in a number of ways both on and off the pitch and, if I were a novice soccer fan researching what league to watch, it should be obvious that I would want to watch Serie A.&nbsp; The following are the reasons for this argument, and I welcome your thoughts in the comments section below and on Twitter @<a href="http:\/\/www.twitter.com/roberthayjr">roberthayjr</a>.&nbsp; Thanks also to Niccolo for his contribution to this post:
<ol>
<li>The Italian style of play is more fluid and skillful, while the EPL style is one of constant <a href="http:\/\/espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/5583317/english-premier-league-too-violent" target="_blank">hard fouls</a> – If you are a fan of an EPL club, it is almost inevitable that one of your most important players will miss time with a nasty injury picked up from a violent tackle.&nbsp; Arsenal alone lost Robin Van Persie this year and Aaron Ramsey last year for extended time to hard fouls in league play.&nbsp; It’s not just Arsenal – Tottenham fans will have to enjoy not watching Jermaine DeFoe for seven more weeks, Everton fans Jack Rodwell, Tottenham fans Luka Modric, etc.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because these players are subject to constant fouling and aggressive slide tackling, which is the EPL style of play.&nbsp; On a Serie A pitch, there are fouls and slide tackles, but you are more likely to see fluid passing and individual skill over broken shins.</li>
<li>English fans whine about their clubs, Italian fans actively seek to undermine their clubs – AC Milan fans made news last year when one of their ilk, protesting club owner Silvio Berlusconi, <a href="http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/14/silvio-berlusconi-milan-statue-attack" target="_blank">threw a statue at him</a> and knocked him out.&nbsp; Manchester United fans, conversely, feel <a href="http:\/\/epltalk.com/manchester-united-supporter-groups-planning-weak-protest-against-glazers-23991" target="_blank">wearing old shirts</a> conveys their anger sufficiently.&nbsp; When a club under-performs in Italy, the fans act as though the world is ending and the papers ring endlessly with criticism and advice on just how the manager should have done differently.&nbsp; If it’s truly bad, they simply do not attend and show the management what an empty stadium looks like.&nbsp; English soccer fans and their local press more grumble and fall into a “woe is me” attitude.&nbsp; The Italian style is much more fun.</li>
<li>Serie A owners are much more interesting than their EPL counterparts –&nbsp; Who would you consider the most interesting and exciting Premier League owner?&nbsp; There are some who are hated, but that is more for their nationality and mismanagement (Glazers, Hicks).&nbsp; Italy has some real characters running their clubs, likely because many of them are family owned and operated within the country.&nbsp; The obvious one is Silvio Berlusconi, who is passionate about AC Milan and tends to make himself the center of most offseason stories; has an English owner ever said publicly the team would have won the Premier League if he had been manager, and was 100% serious?&nbsp; Napoli’s Aurelio De Laurentiis is another colorful personality that loves to spend his family’s wealth on the club, and is not afraid to speak on it.</li>
<li>Serie A has more parity than the EPL – Right now, the top four clubs in Serie A are Cesena, Inter, Chievo Verona, and Lazio, with Brescia right behind.&nbsp; Granted it is early in the season, but it is much easier for smaller clubs to climb the ladder in Serie A than it is in the EPL.&nbsp; The Premier League is dominated by four clubs every year and the story at the beginning of every season is which club can crack the top 4.&nbsp; While Serie A has its Big Four (Juve, Inter, Milan, and Roma), it is much easier for smaller clubs to compete for European tournament spots.&nbsp; A club with the budget and population of Chievo could never compete for a UEFA tournament in the EPL, but can in Serie A.</li>
<li>Serie A clubs are more successful in Europe than EPL teams – Many people don’t realize this, but Italian teams have been more successful in European play (especially recently) than Premier League clubs.&nbsp; Overall, Italian clubs have won 12 Champions League trophies versus 11 for England, but since 1992 that number has been 5 for Italy, 3 for England.&nbsp; The same trend has held true for the UEFA Cup/Europa League: an Italian club has won the trophy 9 times (5 since 1992) and an English club has won the trophy 6 times (once since 1992).</li>
</ol>

Why Serie A is better than the English Premier League - World Soccer Talk

Why Serie A is better than the English Premier League

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The Champions League and the Europa League are now priorities, now that the Bundesliga has surpassed the Serie A, Italian teams need to pull their weight in European competition. The first matchday of the group stages of the Champions League and the Europa League didn’t play out too well for the Italian clubs involved. Out of the seven teams which played in European competition this midweek, there was only one win. Other than that there were two losses, and four draws. A record which needs to improve if the Serie A wants to return to having four Champions League places.
AC Milan were the team which managed to win, it was Ibrahimovic who sealed a 2-0 win against Auxerre, as the big Swede netted both the goals. While in the first half AC Milan didn’t look too brilliant, they began to spice up in the second, creating chances and eventually winning the match.
But even this win was given a dark tone, in a post match interview, Zlatan Ibrahimovic began to insult Arrigo Sacchi on TV. The former Italian great had made a witty remark that if Zlatan’s foot wasn’t as big as it is, he wouldn’t have reched the ball to score the first goal. Ibrahimovic took this very personally and &nbsp;responded with some heavy criticism of the Milan legend which can be read below:
<blockquote>“Sacchi should learn to shut up. He also seems jealous because he is speaking too much.&nbsp;He must speak less on TV and in the newspapers. If he wants something, he must come and see me.&nbsp;If you don’t like how I play, don’t watch me.”</blockquote>
This is the main gist of what Ibrahimovic was saying, the studio was in shock, and as Sacchi tried to explain to Ibrahimovic that he didn’t mean it as an offence, the Swede continued to interrupt him. The interview finished with Sacchi telling Zlatan that he might want to learn some manners, and Zlatan abruptly ending the interview. This is not good news for AC Milan fans, especially since Ibrahimovic has also been&nbsp;<a href="http:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj2XSGa1ZME">practicing his karate against his teammates in training</a>.
But on to more depressing things, Roma lost to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena 2-0. The giallorossi were defending valiantly until Thomas Muller opened the scoring with a stunning volley. The young German used the outside of his right foot, perfectly curling the ball around Julio Sergio, and into the back of Roma’s goal. Klose scored the second for Bayern, he slipped in front of his marker during a free kick, and easily put the ball past Julio Sergio.
Palermo also lost away from home, their defence was mostly to blame, as they lost 3-2 against Sparta Praha. Maccarone and Hernandez scored for Palermo, and the team will have to recover quickly from this loss considering that they’ll have to play against Inter Milan this upcoming weekend.
Juventus drew 3-3 at home against Lech Poznan, a disappointing result which almost ended in a 3-2 win for the bianconeri, but Rudnevs scored a late equalizer. Juve went 2-0 down, but fought back with two goals from Chiellini, and one from Del Piero, but the team will just need to work on their defence, to not concede late goals like the one which spoiled the party today.
Sampdoria and Napoli both drew, the blucerchiati were winning 1-0 against PSV Eindhoven in the Philips Stadion, but it was a late goal by Dzsudzsak which drew the match. Napoli on the other hand played out a 0-0 draw at home against Utrecht, a disappointing result to say the least, maybe Bari shook them up more than I thought.
In the Champions League, Inter Milan could only manage a 2-2 draw against Twente. The nerazzurri went a goal up away from home thanks to a tap in by Sneijder, but then Twente pulled two back. One of the goals for Twente was an unfortunate own goal by Diego Milito, the Argentine headed into his own net from a corner. At 2-1 down, it was Eto’o who patched things up for the current holders of the trophy, he slipped a ball into the back of the net which ended the match at 2-2.
Some disappointing results to say the least, what are your thoughts on how the Italian teams did in European competition? Share your comments below!

Italian teams stumble in Europe - World Soccer Talk

Italian teams stumble in Europe

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Despite their excellent start to their campaign the pressure is on Chelsea ahead of their Champions League opener tonight. Carlo Ancelotti’s men travel to MSK Zilina and the general consensus amongst the footballing world is that they need to succeed to in Europe this season.
While last year saw Chelsea return to the domestic heights of the Jose Mourinho days, their capitulation against Mourinho’s Inter Milan would have no doubt infuriated owner Roman Abramovich in his quest to complete a clean sweep of trophies.
The Champions League is the only trophy to elude Abramovich during his time in West London and you can bet that urge for success in Europe is bigger than ever for the Russian, whether the urge will be satisfied is another question.
The problem that Ancelotti now faces is that it is really last chance saloon for this squad. I know we criticise Chelsea’s ageing squad year in and year out but now you really do feel that this is the last year when this squad could achieve any success in Europe.
But what worries is me is that I can see Abramovich putting the blame on Ancelotti for any failure, rather than seeing the common sense argument that the squad needs some investment in some younger players.
You can’t help but feel that Premier League success won’t be enough for Ancelotti this season. He himself admits a challenge for all four trophies is what he wants, saying:&nbsp; “The normal step is to want to do better in the Champions League. We went out too early and want to do better this season.
“Our aim is to improve, to do better and stay involved in all the competitions until the end of the season, to give continuity to the victory of last season. I’m not under pressure but I will put myself under pressure.”
From that statement you do get the sense of added importance in Europe for Chelsea this season. My personal feeling is that if Ancelotti doesn’t deliver the Champions League trophy at the end of this campaign then Abramovich will wield his ill-timed axe once again.

Does Carlo Ancelotti Need To Win The Champions League for Chelsea? - World Soccer Talk

Does Carlo Ancelotti Need To Win The Champions League for Chelsea?

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