Chelsea are struggling to score goals but manager Luiz Felipe Scolari says he can’t accommodate both Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba in the same team.

Scolari’s outstanding record as a coach of club and national teams means that us little people should think twice, or more, before questioning his tactics.

But when the team is booed off the pitch, as they were after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham, it is surely fair to ask if it’s time for a change of approach.

Drogba has hardly played this season due to injury and suspension and the fans were desperate to have him back leading the line.

In last week’s Champions League game against Cluj he came on midway through the second half with the teams level at 1-1 and within six minutes had scored the well-taken winner that guaranteed the club’s progress into the knockout stage.

On Sunday he was introduced at halftime and…six minutes later provided the neat flick to Frank Lampard that opened the way for Anelka’s equaliser.

Asked afterwards if he would consider starting with the “dangerous” pairing up front, Scolari said it was dangerous at both ends, saying the change of balance leaves his midfield too exposed.

When that midfield contains world class talents such as Lampard, Michael Ballack and Joe Cole, there should surely be a system that allows the club to get their two best forwards on the pitch together.

PHOTO: Chelsea’s Didier Drogba against Burnley during their English League Cup match at Stamford Bridge, Nov. 12, 2008. REUTERS/Kieran Doherty

Has new Real Madrid coach Juande Ramos picked up where he left off at struggling Tottenham Hotspur?

You might very well think so after a glance at the 2-0 scoreline from Saturday’s “Clasico” at the Nou Camp.

But the battling display by a much-depleted Real, in which they held their arch rivals at bay until the 83rd minute and created one or two chances to steal the three points, provided Ramos with several positives.

Not least was the performance of the defensive line, with Iker Casillas playing like one of the world’s best goalkeepers again while Fabio Cannavaro and even Christoph Metzelder flung themselves into impeccably-timed, last-ditch challenges.

The desire and fight that was not always evident under Bernd Schuster appears to have returned.

As Ramos pointed out on Monday, things will surely improve for the champions once key players like Pepe, Gabriel Heinze and Wesley Sneijder are fit again. A couple of new signings in January should also provide impetus while Klaas Jan Huntelaar will be eager to get going.

Real host second-placed Valencia on Saturday and Villarreal, currently in third, the following weekend.

Six points from those two matches would set them up for a decent run in the New Year once the squad is back to something resembling full strength.

But if Barcelona maintain anything like their current form – 46 goals in 15 matches with only nine conceded – it will surely be impossible to catch them.

PHOTO: Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain reacts after failing to score past Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes during their match at Nou Camp, Dec. 13, 2008 REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino

There was a lot of fuss about Bayern Munich v Hoffenheim and Chelsea v Arsenal in the last few weeks but for me this weekend offers the best two games in domestic football.

Saturday’s El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid and Sunday’s clash between Juventus and AC Milan both have real tradition and a zest which Europe’s nouveau riche clubs can only dream of.

The game at the Nou Camp has extra spice given it’s Juande Ramos’s first league game in charge of Real while in-form Barca can really surge ahead in the table with a win. 

Juve v Milan is also a big game in terms of the standings. The two sides are joint-second and the winner will become the true rivals to leaders Inter Milan and their recent Serie A dominance. But it has not always been like this, prior to Inter’s three scudettos in a row it was nearly always Juve and Milan battling for the title in the last 20 years. (more…)

Has anything like this ever happened in football before?

Deportivo San Martin will win the Peruvian championship on Sunday if they lose their final game of the regular season. But if they win the match, they could have to face Universitario in a two-leg playoff.

This odd and unfortunate situation has arisen thanks to the weird and wonderful format used for the championship. (more…)

Didier Drogba reminded Chelsea fans of his importance to their cause with a match-winning performance against Cluj in the Champions League this week, but recent reports have suggested that the controversial striker may be on his way to Inter Milan to link up with former manager Jose Mourinho.

Can Chelsea afford to let him go? Click on the video above to see Vlogonthepitch regulars Owen Wyatt and Jon Bramley have an elevated discussion. Let us know your views.

The 16 teams that reached the Champions League first knockout round were again the usual suspects expected to go through. The group stage of Europe’s premier club competition unfolded rather predictably after a few early shocks.

Ten of the teams qualified for the same stage last season while the other six include twice winners Juventus, who returned with a roar after a two-year absence, as well as former finalists Panathinaikos and Atletico Madrid.

Debutants CFR Cluj and Anorthosis Famagusta started brightly but the gulf in class between them and their more heralded rivals eventually condemned them to early exits from Europe.

The shortlist of potential new winners essentially boils down to last season’s finalists Chelsea, 2006 finalists Arsenal and 1984 runners-up Roma, who lost that final at their Olympic Stadium to Liverpool and will hope to surpass the achievement if they reach this season’s showdown at the same venue in May.

So, who will win it? Can Manchester United defend their title after an unconvincing run to top spot in their group or will Barcelona be too strong for everyone this time?

Will Jose Mourinho achieve with Inter what he could not with Chelsea? If the unimpressive group stage performances are anything to go by, it will take something special from the ‘Special One’ to bring the trophy to the San Siro.

While he might even be relieved that Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Werder Bremen at least allowed him to avoid his former club in the Dec.19 draw, Mourinho said after the lacklustre display that top-level opposition will bring the best out of his outfit.

Nine-time winners Real Madrid should figure as contenders if their new coach Juande Ramos can restore the aura of confidence shattered by Bernd Schuster’s defeatist comments that ultimately led to his dismissal.

Last but not least, Liverpool’s commanding march into the last 16 suggests they have what it takes to go all the way while also bidding for their first English league title in 19 years.

The long-suffering Anfield faithful must be dreaming of snatching the elusive double from United’s grasp, but is that dream still far-fetched at this stage of the season?

PHOTO: Miroslav Klose (C) of Bayern Munich celebrates after scoring against Olympique Lyon during their Champions League match in France, Dec 10, 2008. REUTERS/Robert Pratta

Chatting with Real Madrid fans outside the Bernabeu ahead of their Champions League match against Zenit St Petersburg on Wednesday, the overwhelming attitude expressed was one of relief that the club was rid of Bernd Schuster.

Tuesday’s surprise appointment of Juande Ramos to replace the moody German has raised hopes that a change in management will give the team a boost and help them get their faltering season back on track.

Jose-Maria, an architectural engineer and lifelong Real supporter from Albacete, said Schuster’s claim at the weekend that it was impossible to win at Barcelona was unacceptable and he had to go.

“You just can’t say things like that and expect to get away with it, it was very damaging,” he said, beating his gloved hands together against the cold.

With an eye on Saturday’s Primera Liga match against leaders and arch rivals Barcelona, he said there was not much former Sevilla and Tottenham Hotspur coach Ramos could do in less than a week but his arrival would help change the mentality of the players for the better.

“Schuster was too serious. He was not relaxed with the players or the press and he had no empathy with the fans,” he said. “The players did not defend him and they accepted that it was time for a change.”

Pedro, 26, who works for an environmental agency near Granada, said it had been a good decision to bring in Ramos, although he conceded sacking Schuster mid-season may have been a bit hasty.

“Schuster had lost his confidence and had little interest and enthusiasm so in principle it was the right thing to do,” he said, adding that limiting Ramos to a six-month contract was sensible.

Esther Martin, an unemployed 28-year-old from Madrid, agreed that Schuster had lost his drive and predicted Ramos would make tactical changes that would help turn things around.

“I don’t know much about him (Ramos) but I think football in Spain is very different from England and he has more than proved himself here.”

PHOTO: Real Madrid’s new coach Juande Ramos (L) and sporting director Predrag Mijatovic shake hands during a news conference at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Dec. 9, 2008. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

Ronaldo is back. Nearly 10 months after suffering a serious knee injury during a Serie A game for AC Milan, the third such misfortune in his career, he has agreed terms to join Corinthians, one of Brazil’s biggest and most volatile clubs.

Even before the injury, Ronaldo had been struggling amid speculation he was overweight but had lost his hunger for the game. He had not been picked by Brazil since his much-criticised performance at the 2006 World Cup and was eventually off-loaded to Milan from Real Madrid less than six months later.

Now, after nearly a year of what he has described as a sacrifice, plus a highly-damaging incident involving three transvestites in Rio de Janeiro, Ronaldo is set for a comeback at the age of 32.

Few believe that he can get anywhere near the player who used to power his way past defenders before finding the back of the net with uncanny accuracy. Ronaldo, however, has proved the doubters wrong in the past. (more…)

Although Inter coach Jose Mourinho believes a tough draw in the Champions League last 16 will shock his side out of their European malaise, the damage may already have been done.

The Serie A champions have remained true to Italian form by limping through the group stages, losing twice, drawing twice and winning convincingly only once.

They had already qualified for the knockout stages ahead of Tuesday’s game at Werder Bremen but Mourinho still wanted a win even if he queried the value of finishing top of Group B.

As it was his side put in another lacklustre display to lose 2-1 with wingers Mancini and Ricardo Quaresma, big money arrivals from AS Roma and Porto in the transfer window, looking major flops.

Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, easily their best player this season thanks to his goals and creative spark, was meant to be rested for the Werder game but Inter were so poor that the Swede was thrown on at halftime and scored a superb consolation. (more…)

The Bernabeu axe has fallen again with Bernd Schuster sacked as Real Madrid coach and Juande Ramos coming in to replace him.

The writing had been on the wall for the German after Real’s sticky start to the season. Sunday’s 4-3 home defeat by Sevilla was compounded by Schuster’s comments that winning would be impossible in next weekend’s match at Barcelona.

Ramos must think he is in dreamland having landed one of club soccer’s top jobs only a few weeks after being chased out of struggling Tottenham Hotspur.

What do you make of Real’s move? Did they have any choice or have they again acted rashly? And what about Ramos? Things fell apart at Spurs but he was previously very successful with Sevilla.