Reuters Soccer Blog

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.

Soccer Break Wednesday – One down, one to go.

Well it looks like being a Barcelona v Manchester United final in the Champions League on May 28 after the Catalans booked their Wembley tickets on Tuesday, though Schalke 04 will have something to say about that in the penultimate match of the 2010-11 competition.

Barcelona were simply too good for Real Madrid despite the 1-1 scoreline, and you get the feeling that in this sort of form they will be hard to stop.

Although the 90 minutes were littered with niggly fouls and several acts of ‘simulation’, for the first time in four recent meetings between the bitter rivals, we saw a football match.

And it ended nicely too, with scenes of joy as Eric Abidal was hoisted aloft by his jubilant team mates. Astonishingly Abidal could feature in the final, just two months after surgery to remove the tumor from his liver. Well done that man.

The bickering will continue though especially after Cristiano Ronaldo accused the referee of a Barca bias. Ronaldo, for all his talents, appears to disappear in huge matches. Here are four ways the ‘second best player in the world’ can challenge Lionel Messi as the world’s best talent.

Barca’s next probable opponents then are Man United, a very solid outfit, and should they reach the showpiece event then we could be in for a cracking match.

Any predictions for Wednesday’s game? United will surely score to make Schalke’s uphill climb even steeper.

Soccer Break Tuesday

AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi seriously believes he can sign Cristiano Ronaldo in the next transfer window. Where did that one come from? Probably because of his frustration with Zlatan ibrahimovic for being sent off for swearing and banned for three games (see Wayne, the punshment is even worse in Italy).

Of course Berlusconi has no chance of landing Ronaldo but he’s a politician and positive thinking can do the world of good.

Speaking of which, Andy Carroll scored a couple of crackers for Liverpool against woefully inconsistent Manchester City last night. How the man he replaced, Fernando Torres, would love to replicate that for Chelsea at Manchester United tonight in the only Champions League quarter-final still open.

Talking of the Champions League, how Bayern Munich would love to be there next season but it is looking jittery in the Bundesliga. Can interim boss Andries Jonker do the job?

Finally, has anyone seen that video of LA Galaxy’s David Beckham kicking balls into distant bins on the beach? Surely some camera trickery????

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

Soccer Break Thursday – Champions League recap

Where to start after four brilliant Champions League quarter-finals, even if the intrigue for next week’s second legs has all but gone from three of the ties with Barcelona leading Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1, Real Madrid 4-0 up against Tottenham Hotspur and Schalke 04 in total charge against holders Inter Milan after the 5-2 triumph at the San Siro.

However, the appetite has most certainly been whet for the very probable ‘Clasico’ semi-final between Real and Barcelona, a meeting of the world’s two best players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. April 26 or 27 and May 3 or 4. Do not miss these dates. Not that Spain’s two leading clubs are thinking that far ahead.

There is of course more top European action on Thursday in the Europa League, which has a distinctly Portuguese feel this year. Not that Spain’s Villarreal agree mind you.

In 2003, who can forget the young Jose Mourinho leading Porto to UEFA Cup glory and the way he would rise to the top of the managerial tree in years to come. This time round there could be a similar story. Porto’s current coach is Andre Villas-Boas, who used to work under his compatriot. Could he be the new Mourinho? Watch this space…

Attention now turns back to domestic leagues so read our Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 previews to bring you up to speed with what lies in store in the coming days.

A club usually associated with the English title race is Liverpool, who despite their mediocre season continue to hit the headlines. Plus basketball star LeBron James has invested in the Anfield club.

Here’s more on Wayne Rooney, the goalscorer in Manchester United’s Champions League 1-0 win over Chelsea in London on Wednesday, after it was announced he will miss the FA Cup semi-final against city rivals…Manchester City.

Soccer Break Tuesday – Champions League week special

Enjoy. That we will. Cristiano Ronaldo is back for Real Madrid and Gareth Bale for Tottenham Hotspur as four teams prepare for their biggest games this season in the Champions League quarter-final first legs on Tuesday.

Spurs forward Rafael van der Vaart is returning to the Bernabeu and would clearly love to make an impact on his old side.

Also in action is Spaniard Raul, pictured, with Schalke 04 at holders Inter Milan. The Italians will be out for revenge following their UEFA Cup final loss in 1997.

Back to domestic football, and Wayne Rooney’s possible two-match ban for swearing on camera is all over the internet and the papers. Manchester United have until later on Tuesday to respond. Can you see the striker being let off?

Euro Football Zone takes a look at that infamous match for two reasons. One, how far Nani has come this season and two, are West Ham United too good to be relegated from the Premier League?

On a more cheerful note, read here for a look at the progress being made in Poland as they strive to be ready to host Euro 2012.

Finally, check out this video of a 16-year-old Scottish girl whose skills are wowing the football world.

Soccer Break Friday

The first day of the fourth month means April fools day, so we would really love to hear from you if there are any dubious stories doing the rounds.

Here are some. Frank Lampard’s ‘goal that never was’ at the World Cup is to be finally given. Ronaldo will start playing for Spain. And here is a list of five other classics from the past.

How about Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho for Manchester United? Or do you agree that West Ham United would have been in the hunt for Europe bar refereeing decisions?

Back to this weekend, and the title races in Spain and Italy are really hotting up as our previews will tell you. In Germany, Borussia Dortmund are still well clear but need to steady the ship.

Breaking news on Friday was the joint announcement by FIFA and UEFA that Bosnia were being suspended from international competition. Stay tuned for more including a chat with the Bosnia coach.

Finally the latest on Chad Ochocinco as the debate rages on…can athletes successfully transfer their skills in one sport to another?

Kevin Fylan adds: All betting fans, please also check out the latest edition of our sports spreads show on Insider: Click here for our lightning look at the Premier League programme and the cricket World Cup final.

New Reuters Spanish soccer blog

Starting today, Madrid-based Reuters sports correspondents Iain Rogers and Mark Elkington will be writing a regular Monday column on La Liga for the Reuters soccer blog.

In its inaugural edition, Iain looks at the how the great rivalry between Spain’s dominant clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid has taken on an added piquancy this season and reviews some talking points from the weekend league action.

Barca and Real facing off on three fronts

Catalonia versus Spain. Barcelona versus Madrid. Pep Guardiola versus Jose Mourinho. Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo. Sandro Rosell versus Florentino Perez. Victor Valdes versus Iker Casillas and so on and so on.

The well-documented and often bitter rivalry between Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid stretches back many decades and across many levels.

This season, however, “El Clasico”, as matches between the country’s two dominant clubs are known, has taken on a greater significance than perhaps ever before.

Barca and Real are fighting on three fronts in the domestic league and cup and the Champions League and fans of Spanish soccer are licking their lips at the prospect of at least two, and possibly four, meetings between the pair in coming weeks.

Soccer Break – Friday edition

Lionel Messi one day, Cristiano Ronaldo the next. It does not get any better than seeing the world’s best players at the top of the their game after Ronaldo’s hat-trick inspired Real Madrid to a 7-0 hammering of Malaga.

There’s plenty to get your teeth into here, while other Real blogs are debating the future of midfielder Kaka. Could you see him in the Premier League?

Back to England, and not good news for Manchester City after Kolo Toure was suspended after testing positive for a specified sample. The former Arsenal man has been key in the heart of City’s defence this season and they will struggle to replace the Ivorian international if he does get a ban.

North of the border, and Celtic and Rangers passionate yet fiery relationship lives on.

Looking ahead to the weekend and there is so much at stake in all the top European leagues. Read our Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 previews to fill you in on what’s going on.

Enjoy the weekend of football action and see you again on Monday to discuss all things soccer.

Comment on 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.

Real suffering Ronaldo-dependency in their pursuit of silverware

Mark Elkington in Madrid on Real’s over-reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo

Jose Mourinho´s chances of repeating last season´s treble winning campaign with Inter Milan at Real Madrid depend, in part, on him breaking the side´s reliance on the world’s most expensive player, Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 26-year-old Portugal forward has netted an impressive 34 goals in all competitions this season, 24 of those coming in La Liga, but it´s when he doesn´t score that the problems arise.

Ronaldo has run into a barren patch of late, only scoring twice in Real´s last seven league matches, both in the 4-1 home win over Real Sociedad.

They have dropped seven points in that time, in the 1-1 draw at Almeria, a 1-0 defeat at Osasuna and last Saturday´s 0-0 draw at Deportivo Coruna.

Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain is still their second highest scorer in La Liga with seven goals, and he last played in November before being sidelined with a back injury.

Karim Benzema has upped his workrate but the France striker only has three league goals to his name. January loan-signing Emmanuel Adebayor, who is still settling in to the side, has scored just the once.

Ballon d’Or shortlist should give Premier League pause for thought

England performed well below expectation at the World Cup in South Africa and judging by the FIFA Ballon d’Or list announced on Tuesday the stock of the Premier League is not at its highest either.

Just three players from the league that likes to call itself the best in the world are on the list and it would be a huge surprise if any of them made it into the top three:

Iker Casillas (Spain, Real Madrid), Daniel Alves (Brazil, Barcelona), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon, Inter Milan), Cesc Fabregas (Spain, Arsenal), Diego Forlan (Uruguay, Atletico Madrid), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana, Stade Rennes, then Sunderland), Andres Iniesta (Spain, Barcelona), Julio Cesar (Brazil, Inter Milan), Miroslav Klose (Germany, Bayern Munich), Philipp Lahm (Germany, Bayern Munich), Douglas Maicon (Brazil, Inter Milan), Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona), Thomas Mueller (Germany, Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Germany, Werder Bremen, then Real Madrid), Carles Puyol (Spain, Barcelona), Arjen Robben (Netherlands, Bayern Munich), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany, Bayern Munich), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands, Inter Milan), David Villa (Spain, Valencia, then Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Spain, Real Madrid), Xavi Hernandez (Spain, Barcelona)

Have a glance through the full list (in all its glory above) and you’ll see just Didier Drogba, Cesc Fabregas and Asamoah Gyan representing England’s Premier League, and the latter has barely figured for his new club Sunderland.

I doubt anyone in English football will be too worried by this, with the money from TV rights still rolling in, but perhaps they should be.

In terms of star quality La Liga makes the Premier League look strictly second division. Serie A, derided over the past few seasons, now boasts the European Cup holders and a resurgent AC Milan and even the Bundesliga has a healthier than usual representation thanks to the exploits of Champions League finalists Bayern Munich and Joachim Loew’s fearless Nationalmannschaft.

It was different, perhaps, when Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Fernando Torres and the like were being described as among the world’s finest but performances at the World Cup that were indifferent to poor have made those assessments look like so much hype.