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FC Bayern’s Rise from its Dark Period between 2002 and 2010
Every great club has its period of darkness. Bayern recovered from this period in 2010; the darkness was such that many suspected they would not recover.
2009 is remembered by many for the triumph of one of the most complete Barcelona sides in living memory in the Champions League. En route to the final, Barcelona took out Bayern in the quarter-finals. Before Bayern even knew what was going on, Barca had knocked in four past them in the first leg in Camp Nou. That night, Bayern officials, players and fans truly bowed their heads in shame. The defeat came just a year after an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at the hands of Zenit in the UEFA Cup semi-finals.Stefan Effenberg lifted the coveted Champions League trophy in 2001 following some great saves by Oliver Kahn in a penalty shoot-out. That turned out to be Bayern’s last final or even semi-final in the Champions League for nine long years. While domestic trophies continued to come, Bayern became a lesser power in the Champions League. They weren’t even regarded a serious threat by teams which dominated between 2002 and 2010.
Match-day 37: All too stiff between Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United
Two London clubs alongside an underdog will be looking to grab third place and the final automatic Champions League spot. Arsenal sits third with 66 points with Spurs and Newcastle just a point behind.
Arsenal seemingly had it all wrapped up- they had been winning game after game leaving Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle in their wake. They had even beaten the current top side in the league Manchester City. Unfortunately, points have been hard to come by recently and Arsenal now finds themselves in a tough battle to keep hold of the spot.Their next opponent is Norwich. Norwich is led by former Champions League winner (in 1997 with Borussia Dortmund) Paul Lambert. Under Lambert, they went up to as high as eighth in the league and were never in danger of being relegated. They currently sit fourteenth in the table.
Who will win the intruiging battle between Villa and Spurs?
Tottenham and Aston Villa, at opposite ends of the table have very different causes to fight for in the last two games.
Stiliyan Petrov was a much loved professional in England’s top flight to say the least until a terrible disease, namely leukemia brought an end to the Bulgarian’s career. In a season where Villa needed him more than ever, they have had to trudge on without him. Their manager, Alex McLeish, isn’t the most popular man as far as the fans are concerned due to his ties with Birmingham City. Thus, the fans are currently extremely unhappy.Things could not have been worse for Villa. Their performances have gone downhill since the exit of the Irishman Martin O’Neill two seasons ago. They find themselves battling away to keep their spot, one their fans feel they definitely deserve, in the Premier League. Villa with a win against the Londoners will pretty much guarantee themselves top flight football for at-least another season.
Man City vs Man United: Why Red Devils must not park the bus against attacking Citizens
Football is a beautiful game. Manchester City and Manchester United both owe the fans a terrific spectacle on Monday night.
Manchester City vs Manchester United – the awesome clash of numbers
This fixture has much at stake for the two teams involved. It is an opportunity for the Citizens to finally get back to the summit of the English Premier League table. The match also presents a glorious chance for the Red Devils to cruise into comfort zone ahead of Matchday 37 and Matchday 38.
Remarkably, Manchester City and Manchester United share equal statistics in various areas. The Citizens and the Red Devils both gather a possession time average of 57 per cent. These two local rivals also have a passing accuracy rate of 85 per cent. Antonio Valencia and David Silva both have 13 assists in their name.
Who will win the intriguing battle between City and Arsenal?
Arsenal was brought back down to earth after a surprising loss to QPR last week. They must win to ensure that they remain third in the Premier League.
The feeling in the Arsenal camp was great prior to the game against QPR; however, following the loss in the London derby, one cannot help but feel that another crisis is just around the corner for Arsene Wenger’s men. As far as crises are concerned, Manchester City is seemingly undergoing one at the moment. Roberto Mancini’s men failed to win for the first time in 21 home league matches.City has not been able to carry their fantastic form from early on in the season to this part of the season. Last week, City had to pull off an almost improbable escape. From 1-3 down, City came back to level the scores at 3-3 against Sunderland. If City does lose to Arsenal, they can almost say goodbye to the title even with the Manchester derby on the horizon.
A mouth watering contest awaits us in the Europa League between Schalke and Bilbao
This Europa League clash is the one to watch considering the attacking talent that will take to the pitch.
Athletic Bilbao isn’t having the best of league campaigns. They currently sit eleventh in La Liga. Their fans perhaps expect a better finish in the league than eleventh spot considering the attacking riches that are available to them. In the Europa League, Bilbao has been nothing short of brilliant; Sir Alex Ferguson can tell you just how devastating this Bilbao side can be when their attack truly ticks.Schalke is having one of their best ever seasons in recent memory. Schalke in the 2010 season finished second in the Bundesliga and reached the semifinals of the German Cup. They then won the DFB Pokal and reached the Champions League semifinals in 2011. Manuel Neuer then transferred out of the club; however, his transfer had very little impact on Schalke.
Betis 2-3 Madrid: Has Cristiano Ronaldo ended Barcelona’s La Liga title hunt?
Cristiano Ronaldo’s winner at Real Betis could signify the end of Barcelona’s contest in the race for the 2011/12 Spanish Primera Division title.
The Portuguese had never found the net against Sevilla’s local rivals but Saturday night’s brace proved vital. When Jorge Molina broke the deadlock inside the 10th minute, some must have thought that Betis would end up doing a bit of favour to Barcelona on the night. However, Higuain put Real Madrid back on equal terms before Cristiano Ronaldo took care of the rest of the business. For the first time on the night, Los Blancos went ahead.
Ronaldo’s 52nd minute strike was the product of Kaka’s clever chipping of the ball and Marcelo’s good volley. To add up more drama in the game, Real Madrid conceded again.
Betis vs Madrid: Ronaldo & co tipped to answer Messi and Barca’s 7-1 show
On Saturday night, Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid will attempt to steal the spotlight away from rivals Barcelona and 5-goal world record holder Lionel Messi.
Los Blancos will play away to Real Betis on the Spanish La Liga’s 26th Matchday. They could further increase their commanding 10-point gap for at least a day as Barcelona’s match away to Racing Santander is due to take place on Sunday evening only.Real Madrid’s Portuguese star, Cristiano Ronaldo, has 30 goals in La Liga. He is 2 goals above second-placed Lionel Messi in the top scorers chart as the race for the Pichichi continues. Ronaldo is poised to find the net on Saturday night but he’ll have to break his curse against Betis. The Andalusia-based competitors have never conceded a goal from Ronaldo unlike all the other teams in La Liga.
Barcelona vs Real Betis Report
Under pressure, Barcelona welcomed Real Betis at the Camp Nou with dangerous intentions. But the Andalusians showed great resistance throughout the game, despite a 4-2 result in the end.
An early attempt and an attacking style of play quickly conveyed Betis’ aim of taking the lead. 10 minutes was enough though for Pep Guardiola’s side to reduce the level of stress inside the stadium, as Xavi nicely netted the opener following a chance created by Cesc Fabregas.Lionel Messi then rushed to add his name to the scoring sheet. A wonderful cross from Alexis Sanchez perfectly found the Argentine, who only had to convert from close range.
This quick succession of goals vitally revived Barcelona’s spirit, and soon after, the home side’s display clearly got boosted by a high level of confidence. They subsequently dominated the play, giving the home crowd much more to anticipate.
Barcelona vs Real Betis Preview
Barcelona will be trying to keep the chase on Real Madrid when they face Real Betis, after their 1-1 draw in the Catalan derby last weekend.
Real Madrid edged past Real Mallorca 2-1 on Saturday evening, moving six points at the top of the table temporarily. This means that anything less than the three points for Barcelona against the Verdiblancos would expand the gap to seven or even nine points.But Guardiola is positive that his side will keep fighting till the end to defend their Liga title. “There are 63 points left to play for,” the manager reminded during the Saturday press conference.
“That's a lot of points and my sole objective is to get across to the players that we need to make these 63 points count. We've got an opportunity so why shouldn't we go for it?”
Barcelona could meet Real Madrid in January 2012 after Osasuna in Copa del Rey
January 2012 is not just any month for FC Barcelona. They have a bunch of tough games awaiting them, and already, Osasuna are poised to give the giants a dreadful start to the New Year.
The Barcelona vs Osasuna fixture in the Copa del Rey, kicking off on 4 January 2012 at 4pm EST, will be played over two legs. The return leg takes place eight days after; that means only four days after the big Catalan derby in the Spanish La Liga: Espanyol vs Barcelona.This is a game the defending league champions would not want to lose. With a draw against their rivals certainly not being part of their plans for this month, much effort will be needed to keep Barcelona in La Liga title race.
This goes without saying that they will have to snatch a huge advantage against Osasuna on Wednesday, just so they can have a chance to use minimal energy on January 12 at the Estadio Reyno de Navarra. Three days after their last Copa del Rey match in the Round of 16 this season, Barcelona face Real Betis.
AVB could be better than ex-Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho, says Ramires
Current Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho might always be seen as the one who revolutionized Chelsea. However, Ramires believes Andre Villas-Boas could make history as well at the Bridge.
Talking to Arena SporTV, the Brazilian midfielder offered his support for the young and often criticized AVB. Ramires was quoted as saying:“I already knew him from my days in Portugal, but not personally. He treats every player equally, regardless of who they are.
“He has everything to be as good as [Jose] Mourinho or even better. Of course, in order for that to happen, we need to help him, too.
“He has everything to be the best coach in the world. I can say that he is one of the best coaches I have had in my career.
Carlos Bianchi believes "Messi is better than Maradona and Pele"
The prized tactician regards his blessed countryman as the greatest player of all time.
According to former Argentine coach Carlos Bianchi, Lionel Messi and his club Barcelona are from a completely different planet when compared to the rest.Bianchi, who coached Boca Juniors, Atletico Madrid and AS Roma, amongst others, summed up Barcelona's Club World Cup triumph over Santos as incredible. He believes the 4-0 thrashing confirmed Barcelona's status as the best team in history.
"We are in the presence of the best team in history," stated Bianchi.
"Something similar occurred to me in respect to Lionel Messi: a few days ago, I did a talk for a business, and in the middle of the conference a Brazilian asked me who I considered as the best player in history, Pele or [Diego] Maradona. I responded with all the respect that both deserved, in this moment I see Messi as being superior to everyone."
First signs of strain show in relationship between Frank Lampard and Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas
Chelsea earned a crucial 2-1 win over Manchester City last night at Stamford Bridge, handing league leaders City their first defeat of the season.
Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas described himself as “very, very happy” with the result, and claimed that Chelsea had got their title bid “back on track” with the win.Villas-Boas introduced England international midfielder Frank Lampard off the bench in the 73rd minute, and was rewarded nine minutes later when Lampard fired home the winning goal from the penalty spot.
Lampard is a team guy who has made himself a legend at Stamford Bridge, and it was expected he would express his joy after what has a huge result for the Blues.
That is not quite what transpired, and Lampard used his post-match interview to vent his disappointment about his role as a substitute. The England midfielder also suggested he is experiencing a lack of communication from Villas-Boas regarding his status in the squad.
GolTV to broadcast “El Clasico” showdown between La Liga superpowers Real Madrid and Barcelona on December 10
MIAMI – GolTV, the exclusive 24/7 bilingual TV network and online community for real soccer fans, will broadcast live coverage of one the world’s most-watched soccer matches, Spain’s bi-annual El Clásico between La Liga’s Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona.
The match will be broadcast from Madrid’s legendary Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, December 10 at 4 p.m. EST with full pre- and post-game coverage from GolTV beginning at 3 p.m. EST. “With millions of soccer fans tuning in, El Clásico is one of the best and longest rivalries in the sport featuring top international soccer superstars,” said Rodrigo Lombello, COO at GolTV. “GolTV will give obsessive soccer fans extensive pre- and post- game coverage with expert commentary and the latest news on each team and its players.”
Additionally, real soccer fans can not only connect with others just like them and chat about El Clásico on GolTV’s official Facebook page, but they can also learn about GolTV’s official “Watch and Win” contest to air during the match, with the grand prize winner receiving a trip for two to either Las Vegas or Miami Beach.
Maradona mocks Pele’s fitness after “Neymar much better than Messi” comments
Diego Maradona has blasted his eternal foe, Pele, following the Brazilian’s claims that Neymar is much better and more complete than Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
“He took the wrong pill. Instead of taking the pill for before bedtime, he took his morning pill,” Maradona sarcastically told reporters on Thursday.“He got confused and he doesn’t know what he's saying... I suggest that next time he takes the right medication before he starts to speak, and that he changes his doctor.”
Last month, Lionel Messi revealed to France Football that Pele had not yet offered him the DVD he promised. The Argentine forward retorted to Pele’s claims in a calm manner, stating:
Pele believes "Neymar is better" than Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi
The outspoken Brazilian soccer legend rates Neymar higher than the blessed Argentine.
Brazilian soccer legend, Pele, shocked the press by stating that he believes his fellow countryman Neymar is a far more complete player than World Player of the Year Lionel Messi.Messi, who has won everything at a club level with FC Barcelona, is not only regarded as the best player in the world at the moment, but many believe he is up there with the very best of all time, including Pele and Diego Maradona. However, Pele disagrees with the masses, because he feels that Messi is not a complete player, like Santos prodigy Neymar.
"Making an individual comparison, I think Neymar is better, he's more complete, as he hits the ball with both feet, he can dribble on either flank, and can score goals," Pele declared to Globoesporte.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry’s asks critics: Can you find better than Wenger?
Thierry Henry believes that Arsenal will feel nothing but regret should they part company with manager Arsene Wenger.
The former Gunner and current MLS star was part of the Arsenal team that clinched the club’s last trophy up to date in 2005. As a diehard supporter of the London outfit, Thierry Henry is concerned by Arsenal’s title drought.However, he has ruled out the sacking of Arsene Wenger as a possible solution to get things in order at the Emirates Stadium. Like shareholder Stan Kroenke, Henry is in full support of Frenchman Wenger.
Arsenal are gradually growing their aspirations this season. The poor start to the English Premier League campaign is now something of the past.
Real Madrid vs Real Betis Report
The international break didn’t have any negative impact on the fitness of Mourinho’s top assets. Ronaldo, Higuain and Kaka combined to inspire Los Blancos to victory against Real Betis.
Throughout the first quarter of the match, Real Betis approached Real Madrid as if they were not playing at the Santiago Bernabeu. The visitors didn’t seem intimidated by Los Blancos’ home crowd. Unfortunately, however, they lost Vadillo through injury. The forward had to leave the field on a stretcher in the 18th minute. This blow was meant to help Real Madrid.
But Kaka produced a rather ineffective performance during the first half, leaving the public to wish for the introduction of Sami Khedira. Just a few minutes before Higuain’s opener for Real Madrid, Kaka squandered a huge opportunity.
Real Madrid vs Real Betis Preview
With the Lyon clash in the Champions League only a few days away, will Real Madrid be focused enough during their La Liga fixture against Real Betis?
Madrid rocketed to the third position in La Liga before the international break thanks to a well-deserved triumph over Espanyol. It represented their third victory on the trot in all competitions and their fourth win in a total of 6 matches in the Spanish Primera Division. Ahead of Matchday 7, Real Madrid stand as the second highest scoring team with 20 goals behind league leaders Barcelona. They also boast of having one of the best defenses thus far having conceded 5 goals only.
Real Betis, meanwhile, have a 9-7 record in terms of goals scored and goals conceded. The Sevilla-based outfit kicked off so well in La Liga, picking up 4 consecutive wins.