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from Left field:
And Porto will play…..Europa League draw provides some stardust
There was the usual hushed silence and then sudden intake of breath heard in Nyon on Friday, though not for the Champions League Round of 16 draw but the first two ties of the Europa League Round of 32.
Holders Porto will play mega-rich Manchester City, they were the first two names out of the little plastic balls when UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino was finally able to open the second after Davor Suker had tried and failed, and Ajax Amsterdam will take on Manchester United.
So what about the Champions League draw? Well, here it is in full:
Olympique Lyon v APOEL Nicosia
Napoli v Chelsea
AC Milan v Arsenal
Basel v Bayern Munich
from Mark Meadows:
Real’s psychological barrier key to Barca’s 3-1 win
Annoyingly for Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, the supposed plot line of El Clasico on Saturday did not follow the script. The much-anticipated power shift from Catalunya to Madrid did not take place and his team are back to the drawing board as far as playing against Barcelona is concerned.
Mourinho blamed bad luck for the loss, as you would expect, but a lot of the press have zoomed in on Real's psychological barrier when it comes to facing Barca.
These things are always difficult to quantify but the awe-inspiring Real team that crushed everyone so far in 2011 simply crumbled when Barcelona reversed a one goal-deficit and went 2-1 up.
Even Mourinho conceded the third Barca goal was a 'psychological blow', though I would argue it was the second goal that mentally defeated them.
Perhaps the players -- a bit like many of the Madrid fans -- had that feeling of 'here we go again'. The doubts crept in, slowly but surely, and Barca took what is now their customary control of latter parts of El Clasico clashes.
Real Madrid began to play like a team that was facing an opponent who had whipped them in six of the previous seven encounters under their current coach, including a 5-0 drubbing.
Champions League predictions
Well the first round of Champions League group results were fairly predictable, except for Trabzonspor winning at 2010 champions Inter Milan of course.
Here’s my attempt at predicting the scores in this week’s action. If you agree or disagree then please leave a comment below. Don’t worry, registering takes about five seconds.
Playing on Tuesday
Group A
Bayern Munich v Manchester City
City obviously pose a big threat but Bayern have been in such good form I can’t see an away win. 1-1
Napoli v Villarreal
Champions League kicks off but is there only one winner?
Can any team steal Barcelona’s Champions League crown this term?
The easy answer is no.
They were so strong last season that even the final against a good Manchester United side was a stroll.
This term Pep Guardiola’s men have strengthened, if that was possible, with the additions of Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez so it is hard to look past them and their silky skills.
But, no team has successfully defended a Champions League title so there is hope for the rest.
United have added youth to their mix and look Barca’s only proper rivals again unless Jose Mourinho can work his European Cup magic at Real Madrid.
After all, it only took him two seasons to win the Champions League with an overachieving Inter Milan side.
does the 2-2 draw with Milan change your mid Don Emiliano? Also remember Fabregas and Sanchez have been added to Barca’s roster
La Liga’s great divide
The red carpet was out in the VIP lounge at the Bernabeu last week and four immaculately-dressed Emirates air hostesses helped usher in the dignitaries as Real Madrid presented a new sponsorship agreement with the Dubai-based airline.
No financial details were given, but the five-year deal will no doubt further boost the coffers of the world´s richest club by revenue.
The drawing power of Real and Barcelona, who are second in the Deloitte “Rich List” rankings, continues to dwarf that of their La Liga rivals.
The European and Spanish champions, Barca, announced a record five-year shirt sponsorship deal with Qatar Sports Investment worth 30 million euros a season a few weeks ago.
On the same day of the plush Emirates presentation, promoted Rayo Vallecano, who are based five kilometres down the road from Real, received some good news as well.
The debt-ridden club had applied to go into administration before winning promotion from the second division, and administrators finally lifted the embargo that had been placed on all transfer dealings.
Rayo, who can now start planning properly for the new campaign, are one of five La Liga sides in administration along with Real Betis, Granada, Racing Santander and Real Zaragoza.
Xavi’s Wembley tears turn to triumph
In our latest post on Spanish soccer, Iain Rogers in Madrid muses on the brilliance of the peerless Xavi and Real Madrid’s decision to hand more power to coach Jose Mourinho at the expense of sacked director general Jorge Valdano.
Xavi’s Wembley tears turn to triumph
Lionel Messi rightly grabbed most of the headlines for his latest European masterclass in Barcelona’s 3-1 Champions League final humbling of Manchester United on Saturday.
However, the Argentine World Player of the Year’s superbly-struck goal, his 53rd of the season in all competitions, and his all-round brilliance distracted attention from the man who has been at the heart of the phenomenal success achieved by Barca and Spain in recent years: Xavi.
Regularly nailing more than 100 passes per game, with a completion rate in excess of 90 percent, the 31-year-old has perfected the playmaker’s art.
United were powerless to prevent him seizing control of the match as he sprayed the ball left and right, twisting and turning his way into space and leaving the English club’s players chasing shadows across the immaculate Wembley turf.
One amazing statistic from this year’s edition of Europe’s elite club competition, courtesy of Opta, is that in 953 minutes of football he did not concede a single foul.
Soccer Break Wednesday – It’s FIFA …again
You just can’t keep FIFA out of the news and the latest in the almost daily unfurling of allegations is perhaps the most devastating yet.
But just how seismic are the latest round of accusations and is there any way back Mohamed bin Hammam now?
One bonus for non-Manchester United and Barcelona fans is that the latest FIFA news has distracted everyone from the round-the-clock build-up to the Champions League final.
Saturday’s showpiece is looming on the horizion and the diminutive Lionel Messi is looming largest for Manchester United.
Midfielder Park Ji-sung has opted for honesty and doesn’t fancy his chances of being able to tame the world’s best player.
The fearless Nemanja Vidic on the other hand has fashioned the perfect rod for his own back by seeming to play down the 52-goal forward’s potential impact.
The final will be goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar’s last outing for United, but out with the old (in footballing terms) and in with the new.
Soccer Break Monday – Manchester united?
A united Manchester after both football sides won major honours on Saturday? No chance. Both City and United will parade the streets in open-top bus parades, just a week apart.
Read here for a roundup of all things European football over the weekend, during which titles were won, tears were shed, and more trophies were dropped.
Yes, Sergio Ramos spilling the King’s Cup in Spain was not a one off, though worryingly Ajax and Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, touted as a possible Man United replacement for compatriot Edwin van der Sar, was the culprit.
Eleswhere Barcelona fans and players have been throwing red peppers after clinching the La Liga title, read here for an explanation. Who look the stronger going into the Champions League final, Barca or United?
Finally, he swore on live television after his side’s FA Cup victory on Saturday, but are people now warming to Mario Balotelli?
Discuss all these topics and other stories in world soccer on the Reuters Soccer Facebook page. And please feel free to send us recommendations for your pick of the day’s stories.
Picture: Manchester City fans celebrate after their team defeated Stoke City in their FA Cup final soccer match at Wembley Stadium, in London May 14, 2011. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh
Soccer Break Thursday – How to stop Barca?
Just another night of footballing action and another trophy for the all-conquering Barcelona, who on Wednesday clinched their third successive La Liga title despite a laboured 1-1 draw away to Levante.
Manchester United will be hoping a similarly weary Barcelona turn up at Wembley for the Champions League final on May 28, hopefully having themselves recently won their top domestic honour, the Premier League.
Now, onto Manchester City, who are in the news for two reasons on Thursday. One, they play Stoke City in the FA Cup final on Saturday. Click on this link for facts and figures about the game. Two, newspaper reports say they are lining up a move for Barca’s Xavi. But then again, it was Cesc Fabregas on Wednesday.
Realistically who do you think they might poach for the new season?
Sadly the news dominating the sport this week has been the FIFA corruption allegations, where president Sepp Blatter is promising a swift enquiry into the accusations. Brazil 2014 World Cup chief organiser Ricardo Teixeira is coming under fire in his home country but he is defiant and says former FA chief David Triesman should prepare for legal action.
This blog says Triesman’s accusations have further harmed English football’s reputation.
Another sour note for the game and another damaged reputation is in Scotland, where the attack on Celtic boss Neil Lennon on Wednesday was the latest blow to Scottish football.
Soccer Break Wednesday – Money buys success
Cash, dollars, bucks, dough, call it what you want, it paves the way for football clubs to be successful.
On Tuesday the bank-rolled Manchester City outfit reached the Champions League qualifiers for next season and could even secure an automatic berth if they pip Arsenal to third place in the Premier League. That would be a real kick in the guts to Arsene Wenger, who has barely spent anything in comparison to City since he took over the North Londoners in 1996.
A further blow to the Gunners would be the departure of captain Cesc Fabregas. Would he go to City of all places?
Football fans out there, is this fair? Should clubs’ success be based purely on the size of their owners’ wallets?
City’s rise has coincided with Tottenham Hotspur’s demise this season. Spurs’ foray into the quarter-finals of the Champions League proved a big step and ultimately hurt their chances of a place in the competition next season. They may not even secure a Europa League spot. Double disaster. Or is it?
Staying with wage bills and money in the game, salaries in Major League Soccer are up 12 percent, and, surprise surprise, David Beckham is the biggest earner.
Beckham however represents everything that is good about the game, an honest, hard-working individual. What we saw on Tuesday was the darker side of football with the FIFA corruption allegations.
