Italy coach Marcello Lippi probably expected to be grilled for again overlooking Antonio Cassano, but England counterpart Fabio Capello may not have foreseen the furore surrounding him actually picking a player.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Ledley King has a chronic knee problem which prevents him training yet Capello still deemed the centre back good enough for an England squad recall for the friendly with Slovakia and World Cup qualifier with Ukraine.

“It’s mad. It’s pointless at best,” blasted Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp in the Sun.

King has now returned to Tottenham and will not be involved in either game.

Capello, whose side were easily beaten by Spain last month, may have been trying to show who was boss by taking a look at King first. The decision, though, does look a little odd.

Lippi, a World Champion, also has the same imperious air as Capello. However, the Italians are not happy that he has ignored Sampdoria’s Cassano despite the cheeky playmaker’s wonderful performances this term.

Being a soccer reporter, I don’t often have to pay to see football but I would certainly buy a ticket to watch Cassano, who is a magician at times.

He got a reputation for being childish at Bari, AS Roma and Real Madrid but he looks more mature in every game. No wonder Juventus and Inter Milan are interested.

Any defeat in Montenegro on Saturday or at home to Ireland will only increase the calls for Cassano’s inclusion after he was also ignored for February’s limp loss to Brazil.

Are Capello and Lippi losing some of their invincibility?

For more blogs on other sports than soccer, check out http://blogs.reuters.com/sport

PHOTO: Tottenham Hotspur’s Ledley King (L) fights for the ball with Udinese’s Fabio Quagliarella during their UEFA Cup match in Udine, Oct. 23, 2008. REUTERS/Daniel Raunig

Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath was asked two weeks ago, after his team won their fifth consecutive league match, whether they could become German champions

“If we win all our 11 remaining fixtures then we can be champions,” he told the reporter with a hint of sarcasm. “But we are not title contenders, let’s make this clear,” he quickly added.

Two weeks later Wolfsburg have extended their winning streak to seven matches, sitting comfortably a point behind league leaders Hertha Berlin.

But even after this weekend’s 3-0 win against Arminia Bielefeld, Magath is still not satisfied.

“This result does not reflect the match,” he said. “We allowed Arminia far too many chances. We did not play well and were lucky to get away with a win.”

It has become a running joke in Germany that even if Wolfsburg win the Bundesliga, Magath will still be complaining afterwards.

Wolfsburg are going into the final stretch of the championship in mint condition. They have hardly any injuries while strikers Edin Dzeko and Grafite are in amazing form.

This could be down to Magath’s notorious fitness regime which some players have compared to torture.

Midfielder Christian Gentner, who joined from Stuttgart in 2007, admitted life was harder at Wolfsburg. But when you watch them play, Magath’s side make it look easy, attacking for 90 minutes especially when the opponents are running out of breath after 75.

So champions or not, they must be doing something right, Felix?

PHOTO: Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath arrives for their German Cup quarter-final match against Werder Bremen, March 4, 2009. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

After watching a Bundesliga game in which all the goals are scored by Peruvians, it is hard to imagine that the South American country’s national team is in such a predicament.

Paolo Guerrero scored twice for Hamburg SV on Sunday in their 2-1 win over Schalke 04, whose consolation was scored by his compatriot Jefferson Farfan.

But neither of them will be on the field when Peru host arch-rivals Chile in a South American World Cup qualifier, nor will Claudio Pizarro who has scored 12 goals for Werder Bremen this season.

Once considered the third team in South America behind Brazil and Argentina, Peru lie bottom of the 10-team South American World Cup qualifying group with a paltry five points from 10 games. Their results have included a 5-1 defeat in Ecuador and 6-0 thrashing in Uruguay. They have scored five goals in 10 games yet feel they can afford the luxury of doing without their top players.

Farfan and Pizarro were both suspended for 18 months by the Peruvian federation for alleged acts of indiscipline at the team hotel following a World Cup qualifier against Brazil in November 2007.

The bans were later cut to three months and have long since ended by coach Jose del Solar has refused to recall the pair, nor defender Santiago Acasiete who was banned alongside them.

Guerrero, meanwhile, is serving a six-match suspended for his furious reaction to being sent off during the Uruguay match.

Pizarro, in particular, has repeatedly protested his innocence and accused the Peruvian federation of using the alleged incident — based on the evidence given by a television reporter — as a smokescreen to hide its own problems,

“He (Del Solar) knew perfectly well that I was not involved and told me personally, but never said anything in public,” Pizarro said in a newspaper interview with El Comercio last month. “That hurt me. He knows he let me down.”

Peru’s problems go far beyond alleged indiscipline by the players. Last year, the in-fighting amongst Peruvian officials reached such a point that FIFA briefly suspended the country.

The players also complain about the country’s notorious tabloid newspapers and reality television shows, often accusing them of turning a quiet beer with friends into stories of all-night debauchery.

Last year, television presenter Magaly Medina spent two months in prison after being found guilty of defaming Guerrero.

In the meantime, Peru flounder at the bottom of the table and Del Solar’s refusal to recall Pizarro and Farfan seems to be a well-aimed shot in his own foot.

PHOTO: Schalke 04’s Mladen Krstajic challenges Guerrero for a header in Gelsenkirchen, March 22, 2009. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender

Liverpool reopened the Premier League title race with a 5-0 win over Aston Villa that must have thrilled Anfield, while leaving fans wondering why they haven’t seen similar displays all season.

This was exactly the sort of performance the occasion cried out for. Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat at Fulham, following on from the Old Trafford debacle, had left the door ajar, and Liverpool duly barged it open with another display of absolute self-belief.

For the first time in years, Liverpool look like a team who think they’re in the business of winning titles, not just challenging for Champions League places.

They’re a point behind Alex Ferguson’s side now, albeit having played a game more, and the 13 goals racked up against Real Madrid, United and now Villa are a powerful argument that the title race is not over.

But it might have been so much better for Reds fans.

Where was this level of conviction in the New Year games, when Stoke, Everton and Wigan Athletic all claimed draws? How could they beat Chelsea, and snatch a win at Portsmouth only then to draw with Manchester City? How did they contrive to lose 2-0 at Middlesbrough?

I bet many Liverpool fans feel at least a trace of frustration, even after the events of the past few days. They are candidates again for the title, sure, but by now they might have had the whole thing wrapped up.

PHOTO: Liverpool’s Albert Riera celebrates after scoring against Aston Villa at Anfield, March 22, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble

So, here we go again. For the fifth successive season, Liverpool will face Chelsea in the Champions League.

Quarter-finals:

Villarreal v Arsenal

Manchester United v Porto

Liverpool v Chelsea

Barcelona v Bayern Munich

Semi-finals:

Manchester United or Porto v Villarreal or Arsenal

Barcelona or Bayern Munich v Liverpool or Chelsea

Liverpool will perhaps be marginal favourites in the all-English quarter-final after knocking Chelsea out at the semi-final stage in 2005 and 2007 but their fans will need no reminding that last season, when Chelsea got to play the second leg at home, it was the Londoners who came through.

This year? Once again, Chelsea will be at home for the second leg. Will that make the difference again?

Otherwise, Man Utd must be pretty pleased with a draw that pits the holders against Porto in the quarter-finals, with a possible semi-final to come against Villarreal or Arsenal (and Arsenal will be pretty pleased as well, you’d think … at least with the first bit).

All those expecting an all-English final, watch out for Barcelona, who should have too much for Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, with a clash against Liverpool or Chelsea up for grabs.

Barcelona v Man Utd in the final?

The news that Rafael Benitez has agreed a new deal that will keep him at Liverpool until at least 2014 could not have been better timed for the club.

Uncertainty has stalked the 18-times English league champions for the past few seasons with rifts between co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, confusion over the proposed new stadium and above all the future of the manager Benitez.

His decision to commit his future to Liverpool could have a calming effect on a city desperate for the club to once again dominate English club football.

There has been a suffocating sense of disappointment at Liverpool in recent months as another title challenge began to fizzle out after a superb start. The tension at some home games has been almost unbearable.

However, a 4-1 victory over leaders Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday to complete a league double over their arch- rivals emphasised that Benitez is tantalisingly close to achieving what the fans most desire. (more…)

What a Bundesliga season! Exciting, fast-paced and at least five teams in the running for the title and believe it or not, Bayern are not top of the table.

But next season may be very different. Many of the league’s top players who have carried their teams into title contention could leave at the end of the campaign.

Hertha Berlin strikers Andriy Voronin and Marko Pantelic have fired their team to the top but are on their way out.

Voronin, who has scored eight goals in the past six matches, is on loan from Liverpool and with Hertha’s budget shrinking for next season, the more goals he scores the more difficult it will be for them to keep him. Only a Champions League spot could help finance his stay.

Pantelic, with six goals, looks even more certain to leave after recovering from injury but then being left on the bench for the past two matches as strained ties with club and coach continue.

Surprise package Wolfsburg, four points behind, could see strikers Grafite and Edin Dzeko, who have scored a combined total of 30 league goals, packing their bags with several English clubs reportedly circling for the pair.

Speculation about whether Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery will stay has been growing and much is riding on a Champions League berth for next season.

Werder Bremen, who are through to the last 16 in the UEFA Cup after ousting AC Milan, could lose their own pillars in midfield and attack.

Brazilian Diego, among the league’s most exciting and gifted players, looks poised to move to a bigger European club with media reports suggesting Juventus are his preference. Peruvian Claudio Pizarro, on loan from Chelsea, is also unlikely to stay despite his 12 league goals.

Werder are hesitant about buying him because of an ongoing investigation into his co-ownership of a management firm embroiled in a financial affair that led to the resignation of Werder’s chairman.

By the time next season starts, the Bundesliga could look a lot poorer in terms of talent.

Quite a few sceptical eyebrows were raised when Real Madrid gave Bernd Schuster the boot back in December and brought in Juande Ramos.

After an impressive spell at Sevilla, Ramos had faltered badly at Tottenham and it seemed the Real board were taking a big gamble in bringing him back to Spain with a contract until the end of the season.

When the affable La Manchan took charge, 100 days ago today, the champions had lost two on the trot and were down in fifth place, nine points behind leaders Barcelona.

Although his first league match ended in a 2-0 defeat at the Nou Camp, Real subsequently went on a 10-match winning run that ended on March 7 with the 1-1 home draw to city rivals Atletico.

Barca’s recent wobble has seen their lead cut from 12 points to six and Real fans are not giving up hope of a third consecutive Primera Liga title.

So has Ramos done enough to convince the men in suits that he should stay on next season?

Domestic success is all very well but what the club really craves is another Champions League triumph after a barren period stretching back to 2002.

The drubbing Real received at the hands of Liverpool will not have done his chances of remaining much good.

It also looks more and more likely that Florentino Perez will mount a successful comeback as club president. The architect of Real’s “Galacticos” policy has been linked in the media with coaches including Arsene Wenger of Arsenal and AC Milan’s Carlo Ancelotti.

Ramos has done a lot of good at Real, particularly tightening up the defence and getting the best out of the increasingly impressive Lassana Diarra, but he’ll probably be plying his trade elsewhere come next season.

PHOTO: Real Madrid coach Juande Ramos attends a news conference before a training session at Anfield in Liverpool March 9, 2009. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis

Comments by UEFA officials that the body’s president Michel Platini is “dead set” against a European Super League must come as a huge relief to a vast majority of Europe’s clubs.

“People should not mix up philosophy and reality. As far as the president is concerned, such a proposal is a non-starter,” a senior official close to Platini told Reuters.

The statement came several hours after France Football and Gazzetta dello Sport had published, without naming sources, detailed plans for a three-tier continental league to replace the Champions League and UEFA Cup.

For most national leagues in Europe, which would have to be reorganised to allow Super League teams to play in both competitions, that would have been the final straw.

How would anyone benefit from shredding the Premier League, Europe’s wealthiest and most entertaining national championship, into five groups of four teams and a subsequent play-off so that Manchester United and Liverpool could compete?

Would it not turn Europe’s top leagues into a mockery and the Premier League trophy into a piece of worthless scrap metal?

Nevermind that it would also devalue the continent’s other leagues, whose clubs would never stand a chance of reaching the Super League’s elite tier.

Most of them find it difficult enough to qualify for the Champions League in its present format, with the top five nations regularly providing more than half of the competition’s group stage participants.

Denying clubs like Danish champions Aalborg a fair chance to impress if only for a day, like they did in their 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, would in all likelihood drive many fans away from the beautiful game.

Or, maybe you would rather watch Europe’s elite clubs lock horns several times every season even if it meant condemning the other clubs to complete oblivion?

For more blogs on other sports than soccer, check out http://blogs.reuters.com/sport

Barcelona were so proud of the slick passing move that led to Bojan Krkic’s second goal during the 2-0 win at Almeria on Sunday that they have published all the statistics surrounding the strike.

In the 53rd minute, Xavi won the ball and gave it to Lionel Messi which was the first step in an uninterrupted 37 pass move that lasted one minute 49 seconds, the league leaders said on their website.

Every Barca player on the pitch, except goalkeeper Victor Valdes and defender Rafael Marquez, touched the ball at least once. The only shame was that Bojan’s finish took a deflection that helped it past a wrong-footed Diego Alves.

Almeria, coached by former Mexico striker Hugo Sanchez, may not be a major club but they are a tough nut to crack at home. It was their first defeat in seven matches at the Juegos Mediterraneos stadium.

Of course, there is more to Barca’s triumphant reaction than just hailing a great goal.

Barca’s arch-rivals Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 5-2 away in a controversial and bruising match on Saturday which has led to a storm of criticism over the referee.

Home fans resorted to the ironic chant “Asi! Asi! gana el Madrid!” (This is how Real Madrid win) and even the pro-Madrid sports daily AS led with the same frontpage headline on Sunday.

The article on Barca’s website has the sub-heading “El Barca gana asi” (Barca win like this) above their goal description.

Has anyone else seen a better goal with that number of passes? For anyone wondering, Esteban Cambiasso’s strike for Argentina v Serbia at 2006 World Cup included 24 passes.

PHOTO: Barcelona’s Bojan Krkic (2nd R) celebrates with Lionel Messi (R) and other team mates after scoring his second goal against Almeria during their Spanish first division match in Almeria March 15, 2009. REUTERS/Francisco Bonilla