The status of Lionel Messi in the Olympics is still unclear, but the boss of the Argentina U-23 side has informed the star that his presence is welcome. Javier Mascherano, a former teammate of Messi's at both Barcelona and Argentina, is the youth side's head coach. Messi would be eligible to play in the competition, […]

In the 90th minute, as Arjen Robben raced through the center of Argentina's defence, the stage was set. Putting an end to the demons of four years ago, where his failure to beat Iker Casillas one-on-one in the World Cup final cost his team the trophy, Robben was now ready for redemption. But it did […]

The Catalan revolution has indeed started after a trophyless season. Tata Martino has been replaced by Luis Enrique as the manager of the club. Stars such as Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez have been sold, whereas the club have bought a series of high profile players like quality midfielder Ivan Rakitic and world-class striker Luis Suarez. Plans […]

Before this current season, Hércules CF had tasted top flight football only twice in the past twenty-five years: the 1985-86 season, when their neighbors to north, Valencia, also suffered relegation for the first time in its illustrious history; and the 1996-97 season, when the Alicante club spent one campaign in La Liga before subsequent relegation to […]

Fernando Torres returned to goal scoring form to give Liverpool’s season a much needed kick-start against West Brom. But will this be the start of a bright season for Roy Hodgson’s side or will the men from Merseyside disappoint once again? It’s been a bit of strange week for Liverpool. It started with midfielder Javier […]

Yesterday I had a short conversation on Twitter with EPL Talk's very own Laurence McKenna that went something like this: lozcast: Mascherano = £25m? Milner = £25m+? Discuss JesseChula: @lozcast Milner=versatile, can play either wing or in the middle, young. Masch=solid, likes to kick people. Ya know, get stuck in.Seems fair lozcast: @JesseChula Still don't […]

The weekend's biggest match saw some great, some solid and some absent performances from both sides. I believe the 2-1 scoreline in favor of Manchester United was a good indication of how United dominated possession and created more clear cut chances than Liverpool. That said, Liverpool impressed me throughout the afternoon as they refused to gift United […]

There's no doubt that the Premier League season is heating up. The last few weeks have been extremely entertaining. And, for the casual observer, it's wonderful to see the Big Four teams getting beat. But there were two incidents on Saturday that I found deplorable. The first was Javier Mascherano's horror tackle on Portsmouth's Tal […]

The morning after Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League has seen the club reiterate that Rafa Benitez's position is safe.  Not qualifying for the Champions League knock out stage is a big blow for a club that strives for parity at Europe's top table. Throughout this season, Liverpool have struggled in the League and […]

I really can't wait to read the December installment of FourFourTwo Magazine. In this issue Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard finally states what we all know: the departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid has undeniably damaged the Merseyside club. I would personally like to thank Stevie for a poignant piece of honesty. While fans and […]

Gutted: n. 1) A feeling of intense desolation, akin to the feeling of having one's insides ripped out. 2) A sweet colloquialism that should be adopted into American parlance along with the words "wanker", "bullocks" and "knackered". Example: Ethan Armstrong will be gutted if Liverpool FC sell Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid. Here it is: […]

It was a strange booking.  Xabi Alonso stuck out a leg and caught Real Madrid's onrushing defender, Pepe, but Javier Mascherano took the booking. This may have been for kicking the ball away, but the Argentinian seemed to be clearing it in case play didn't stop. It didn't look a bookable offense. As Liverpool's midfield […]

Liverpool certainly raised their game today with a historic 2-1 win against arch rivals Manchester United in an entertaining game. Watch the video highlights of the goals here. It was an impressive team performance from Liverpool who definitely seemed more up for the game than a Manchester United side that seemed lethargic and on the […]

On the European Continent and on the British Isles the view of the Olympic football Tournament is completely different than in the rest of the world. In Europe the tournament is seen as more of a nuisance than anything, while among those in the Western Hemisphere and in Africa it is seen as big deal. […]

When Jack White and Meg White of The White Stripes wrote the song Seven Nation Army, which was released in 2003, little did they know it'd be adopted and twisted and turned into a chant by Liverpool fans in support of their masterful midfielder Javier Mascherano. If you're not familiar with the version chanted by […]