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Juan Settles the Mata as Chelsea Get Champions League Campaign off to a Winning Start
Chelsea had the better of a scoreless first half during which both teams had goals disallowed. Fernando Torres first had the ball in the net only for Raul Meireles to be called offside, before Leverkusen defender Omer Toprak had a goal ruled out for a foul on Florent Malouda.Leverkusen goalkeeper Leno also saved well from Torres and Daniel Sturridge to keep the scores level going into the break.
Leverkusen started the second half well but Brazilian defender David Luiz opened the scoring for Chelsea with a curling shot from outside the penalty area.
Mata then calmed any injury time nerves for Chelsea when he slotted home a pass from his fellow Spaniard Torres.
Invincible Barcelona annoyed after drawing twice in a row
Barcelona lost a precious 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 against minnows and rivals Real Sociedad last weekend. That draw allowed Real Madrid to open an early 2-point gap against them at the top of La Liga standings. In the UEFA Champions League recently, the Catalans failed to make the most of their dominance against AC Milan in the second period of the match as a late Thiago Silva header forced them to settle for a single point at the Camp Nou.
Xavi called the result “unfair” and a product of “pure bad luck.” Team mate Carles Puyol echoed Xavi’s comments by stating at a press conference on Wednesday:
Why Real Madrid are obliged to win the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League
If you fail once or twice at something, try it a third time because it might work out perfectly. Besides the ever growing “hunger factor”, third times generally mean an increase of experience—thus a better attention to details and a better chance of getting things correctly.
That must be the exact case with Real Madrid. The 2009/10 season marked their first attempt at winning the UEFA Champions League after Florentino Perez’s massive financial contributions to change the look of the squad. The influx of superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka or even Xabi Alonso wrote the beginning of the new Galactico era at Real Madrid.
Arsenal, Liverpool & co after the transfer window: what will match-day 4 produce?
The matches that will draw more attention are those involving Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur—all for different reasons. At the very top of the English Premier League table, the Mancunian rivalry is boiling. Only goal difference puts the Red Devils above the Sky Blues; both can boast about possessing a perfect record thus far.
Liverpool and Chelsea—locked on 7 points—follow closely behind whereas Wolverhampton Wanderers are the early surprise package. Newcastle United are also doing well enough to earn the 6th spot in the table. The Magpies’ goalless draw against Arsenal on the first match-day apparently contributed in Newcastle United’s remarkable start.
Is Manchester United Winger Ashley Young the New Cristiano Ronaldo?
The theory went that with Ronaldo gone, opposing teams could focus their efforts on stopping Wayne Rooney and the Red Devils would become more predictable.The optimistic United fans believed that the natural successor for Ronaldo would be fellow Portuguese winger Nani. Nani not only plays for the same national team as Ronaldo, he also is a product of Sporting Club de Portugal.
The pair also share a love for fancy tricks and an occasional temper tantrum. It was believed that after a year or two of maturing Nani would eventually replicate Ronaldo and become a match winning force from a wide attacking position.
The Players who might Represent Arsenal Following the Transfers against Swansea
Arsenal takes on Swansea on Saturday as they hope to finally kick-start their Premier League campaign. This season, the London club has more red cards to its name than points. From three games, Arsenal has recorded just one point so far. A defeat to Manchester United that will hurt for a long time forced Arsene Wenger to make quick signings to bolster his injury hit squad. Wenger bought Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen, Andre Santos from Fenerbahce and Park Chu Young from Monaco. Ryo Miyaichi has returned to Arsenal from loan to Fenerbahce while Yossi Benayoun has joined from Chelsea on loan for a year. Mikel Arteta, the talented Spaniard has joined from Everton.
Lionel Messi stars in Argentina win: has the captain found “tranquility”?
Lionel Messi will be hoping for the answer to be ‘yes’. With this result, the Argentines have won 2 matches on the trot since Sabella’s appointment. For Messi as an individual, it also means that he is yet to taste anything other than a win as the team’s captain.Before the Nigeria game, coach Alejandro Sabella had talked about Messi’s impotence for the national team which goes in contrast to his influence at Barcelona. The manager explained:
“We must let him be happy. We must let him play completely freely on the pitch. I am waiting for him to score. We must give him the tranquility. He is the best player in the world.”
Fabregas scores in Joan Gamper Trophy win as great Barcelona debut continues
Cesc Fabregas scored Barcelona’s first goal in their 5-0 demolition of Napoli in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Monday night. Keita, Pedro and Lionel Messi also added their name on the score sheet at the delight of Coach Pep Guardiola. Speaking to the media, the young manager declared:“To win our second title of the season is good, but we have to win even more. With the support of the fans we can do that.”
Goalscorer Cesc Fabregas commentated on the moment, stating:
“I am very happy to have scored my first goal in a Barcelona shirt. This is a great experience and I hope to enjoy the moment.”
Barcelona’s Fabregas: I came here to play, compete and win with Xavi & co
The young midfielder has been subject to a lot of debates concerning his career at Barca. Many believe the Spanish club actually doesn’t need him and that the bench is likely to remain is permanent destination. However, Cesc Fabregas insists that happy days are ahead for him in Catalonia and that he can cope perfectly with Xavi and company. Barcelona’s official website quoted him as saying:
“I think that Xavi still has some years left in him. He does things you wouldn’t believe! I haven’t come to retire Xavi. I came here to play with Xavi, to compete with Xavi, and to win with Xavi.
Winning goal builder Cesc Fabregas delighted with Barcelona debut
Following his recent move from Arsenal, Fabregas’ inclusion in the 2011 Supercopa de España second leg encounter was in doubt. The midfielder didn’t get enough time to train with Barca’s squad but Pep Guardiola had confirmed that Fabregas would be involved in the match at some point.The former Arsenal captain started the night on the bench as Real Madrid aimed to hold on to a 2-2 draw after 82 minutes. But when Pep ordained the 24-year-old to step onto the pitch, everything changed at Madrid’s detriment. Fabregas paved the way to Messi’s 87th minute winning goal with an assist whereas the late brawl on the touchline was based around him.
Arsenal’s Fabregas & Nasri transfer cases: ‘Smart’ Wenger winning them?
Don’t underestimate Arsene Wenger’s skills on the transfer market. The French man may not be a big money signings achiever, but since Thierry Henry’s departure, he surely knows how to prevent his top assets from leaving the Emirates Stadium where no trophies have been won so far.
Football fans are all aware of the saga involving Cesc Fabregas and Barcelona. The same type of issues currently puts Samir Nasri in transfer exit speculations. But Fabregas and Nasri have developed into the Gunners’ most important players, so Arsene Wenger wouldn’t want to lose any of them.
Arsenal are already in a delicate situation: pre-season results haven’t been very positive, they have a 6-year title drought to end and they are now facing a bigger challenge for domestic success with billionaires Manchester City joining the race. Pundits believe that there’s some misunderstanding between the ambitions of Arsenal’s chiefs and the ambitions of Arsenal’s supporters. The club’s performance on the transfer market seems to highlight this.
Can Liverpool win the English Premier League this season?
Liverpool was the undisputed ‘top dog’ in England not too long ago. With five European Cups and 18 league titles, they were considered the best club side that England had produced. Manchester United, however, took over last season when they won their nineteenth league title.
The EPL needs a new champion. After five seasons of watching either Manchester United or Chelsea crowned champions, the league needs a new team to keep it entertaining.
After all, considering that Lille won the league title in France last season and Borussia Dortmund won it in Germany, the task shouldn’t be considered an impossible one for Liverpool.
Mexico Gold Cup winner Chicharito ruled out for Barcelona vs Manchester United
The Mexican suffered a knock on his head during training earlier this week. He was eventually hospitalized and reports from Manchester United’s camp now confirm that Chicharito will be out for at least 2 weeks ahead of the new season.Alex Ferguson gave more details to reporters in a recent interview. The Old Scot also explained the main reason behind Javier Hernandez’s inability to feature in the Red Devils’ encounter against Barcelona. Ferguson was quoted as saying by the press in the US:
“He [Chicharito] got concussion in training and we dealt with that. We took him to hospital, he had a scan. It was all clear. He is back in the hotel. He is in his room and will be out for a couple of weeks.
Mark Lawrenson “can’t see Liverpool winning the league”, tips Man United for glory
The club legend and television pundit has shared analysis concerning the 2011/2012 English Premier League campaign. Last season, Liverpool survived a real scare as they moved from the bottom zone to the sixth position. Fans are now eying higher standards ahead of the new season and many are dreaming about stealing the Premiership title away from arch-rivals Manchester United. But Lawrenson has advised such supporters to see things realistically. The former defender told the press:
“I think some of the supporters may have got carried away – I can’t see Liverpool winning the league. They will probably be nearer fourth than first.”
Tommy Smith praises Liverpool’s acquisition of winger Stewart Downing
Liverpool have gone more British with the signing of Stewart Downing from Aston Villa recently and club icon Tommy Smith is delighted with this. The “Anfield Iron” has praised Kenny Dalglish’s efforts to revive Liverpool’s old style of football where wingers had a lot of impact.“You need that kind of quality in wide areas and hopefully Downing can provide that for Liverpool over the coming years,” Tommy Smith told Liverpoolfc.tv.
The Merseyside Reds already acquired English player Andy Carroll earlier this year but the young striker was denied a great debut due to injury worries.
ESPN UK showing 2011 Copa America and Pre-Season Friendlies
Live Sports: 2011 Copa America, Pre-Season Friendlies, Premiership Rugby 7s, MLB, AFLLondon, 14th July 2011 – This weekend ESPN brings viewers four live and exclusive games from the 2011 Copa America as the knock-out stages begin.
The action starts on Saturday evening between Group A winner Colombia and Peru followed by hosts Argentina’s clash with Uruguay. Sunday evening sees the next two quarter finals take place when Brazil face Paraguay and Chile take on Venezuela.
“Argentina Must Win Or Win” As Tevez & Co Rule Out Anything Less Than Success
The 2011 Copa America will be played in Argentina and there’s no way Batista’s men would want to see the cup leaving their country. “We did what we knew how to do and we’ve got to play this way against whichever team we play,” said an ambitious Lionel Messi following Argentina’s 4-0 demolishing of Albania a few days ago.Most pundits and fans might think the time has come for the Albicelestes to at last clinch silverware. In fact, Sergio Batista could be considered a very lucky coach with the likes of star strikers such as Aguero, Tevez and two-time world best player Lionel Messi at his disposal. Above all, there have been no reports of major injury blows from the camp of the Argentines so far.
Austria Vs Germany: Badtusber Relishing Challenge Of Winning Euro 2012
Despite only being 22 years old, Holger Badstuber has established himself in Germany's first team. Well perhaps that is the image of the current youth and exciting set-up under Joachim Leow.The Germans have won all their Euro 2012 qualifying matches so far and with back to back qualifiers coming up against Azerbajian and Austria this week, Badstuber is confident that Germany are well-placed for a triumph next year.
According to uefa.com, Badstuber said: It's great that we have won all of our matches so far, got good results and given good performances, and that is how it should continue.
Barca-United Final: Predicting The Line-Up Of Sir Alex's Men
Cristiano Ronaldo was always regarded as a winger during his time at Old Trafford. Not to say that he can't fit into the centre forward position but his best years at United saw him freely roaming and switching flanks as a genuine out and out winger. But it was that semi final triumph against Arsenal that persuaded Sir Alex after all. Ronaldo was employed in the wings and it weaved magic as United swept off the Gunners to march into the final at Rome. But boy did all go wrong at the Stadio Olimpico.
Basically, teams have always altered their formation while going against the mighty Catalans. 'Defensive' or maybe 'Negative Tactics' were probably the cliche's during build up to a game against Barcelona. Real Madrid certainly stopped the Catalans at the Mestalla not so long ago. But considering what happened when they clashed at the Nou Camp- with the situation not allowing Jose Mourinho's men to set-up defensively is raising up doubts over whether a team should go defensive against Barcelona.
Fergie Would Win The Title With Any Of The Top Four Sides - Steve Bruce
It may have been quite some time since Steve Bruce played under Sir Alex Ferguson but the Sunderland manager does have very good memories of the gaffer by calling him a 'pure genius'. Manchester United are on the brink of lifting their record breaking 19th league title Steve Bruce believes that Sir Alex would win the title with any of the 'Big Four' sides.According to the Daily Express, Bruce said: “United were fantastic against Chelsea. It was a great performance. I hope they can reproduce it and beat Barcelona in the same fashion.