Reuters Soccer Blog

Fergie the old hand shows softer side…for a bit

By Simon Hart

For a brief moment, it seemed Sir Alex Ferguson really might be mellowing with age.

Twenty-four hours after ending his seven-year feud with the BBC, the Manchester United manager spent part of his weekly news conference on Friday defending the record of his erstwhile chief adversary Arsene Wenger, who comes to Old Trafford with Arsenal on Sunday.

Ferguson then reflected on the potential of his latest crop of young talent before a question about the possible involvement of some of these young guns in the England senior team.

“It is not a problem it is fantastic,” he began. According to reports in Friday’s newspapers, four of the United players aged 22 or under who have caught the eye in the season’s opening weeks –- Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverley, Phil Jones and Danny Welbeck –- will be watched by England manager Fabio Capello on Sunday before the Italian names his squad for next month’s Euro 2012 qualifying matches.

Capello’s squad could include as many as seven United players given the presence of Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Ashley Young. Rio Ferdinand may miss out due to injury.

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.

Good Soccer Break Friday

It’s Easter weekend but there’s no rest for the world’s football players with another hectic schedule of matches.

To bring you up to date with all of the major European leagues, read our Serie A, Ligue 1, Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga previews ahead of the next round of matches.

There’s also news about the football rich list, David Beckham topping one magazine’s top earners while his former club Manchester United are apparently the richest club in the world. A Champions League trophy in 2011 would certainly help their cause.

In England, West Ham United’s Scott Parker was voted as the best player by the football writers, a change from Gareth Bale’s win as voted for by the players.

Who would you rate as the Premier League’s best player in 2010/11?

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: David Beckham (R) and Tim Leiweke, President & CEO of AEG, talk as they watch the Los Angeles Lakers play the New Orleans Hornets during Game 2 of their NBA Western Conference first round playoff basketball game in Los Angeles, California April 20, 2011. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Soccer Break Friday – Clasico fever rises

Only one day to go now until Real Madrid face Barcelona in La Liga for the first of four ‘clasicos’ between Saturday and May 3. Excited? You will be now…

Barcelona destroyed their fierce domestic rivals 5-0 in November, and although the gap at the top of La Liga remains difficult for Real to peg back, they looked a very difficult team to beat against Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League quarter-finals.

So, Real to narrow the gap, Barcelona to cut through Jose Mourinho’s men, or an edgy draw?

A former Real player David Beckham knows all about the drama of Barcelona meetings, and the England man is in the news in the MLS. Here’s a wrap of other games. Oh and here’s another Beckham story, it appears Fulham aren’t the only ones making statues of famous people.

On Thursday it was Portugal’s night in the Europa League, where three team progressed to the semi-finals. Villarreal took the fourth spot for a truly Iberian domination of Europe’s second tier competition.

This weekend in England there’s the FA Cup semi-finals and Manchester City’s time is surely now. Lose to Man Utd and manager Roberto Mancini could face a nervous wait to see whether he retains his job for next season. Triumph and they will face either Stoke City or Bolton Wanderers in the final, which you would have to fancy them to win.

One fan hoping for a Bolton victory has flown in from Australia, read more here.

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 Friday

It’s gone quiet on the football news front though the sun’s still out in Europe as we await another weekend of unrelenting on-pitch drama in the Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Anyone out there lucky enough to be attending the Serbia v Northern Ireland match? 240 fans got the nod.

World Cup winners Spain are also playing against Czech Republic. Fascinating country Spain, full of interesting dynamics. Read here for a thorough explanation.

Sticking with politics, and Libya’s qualification for the 2012 London Olympics could be in danger after the conflict in north Africa.

Heading to South America, people are still reeling from the death of a fan over the weekend and here’s a more considered piece on Argentina’s tarnished game.

Our David Beckham blog is still attracting comments. What is your view on the former England captain? Would you pick him for England?

Last but not least, an amusing look at some of the most garish football kits of all time. What sticks in the memory for you?

Soccer Break Thursday

Gareth Bale. The dashing Welsh winger primed to scare the living daylights out of England on Saturday. Injured. Did anyone else hear that collective sigh of relief from England fans today?

But what about Tottenham Hotspur fans. Are you worried your star man’s recent struggles with injury could hamper your club’s Champions League quarter-final chances against Real Madrid?

There are of course plenty of qualifiers this weekend so read our preview for all the latest.

Anna on the Italian Soccer Serie A has picked what she reckons might be Italy’s team to play Slovenia in Friday’s Euro 2012 qualifier having spied on Cesare Prandelli’s training sessions. Read more here.

Our man Simon Evans in Miami has written a blog on a player familiar with Spurs, Real, and Euro qualifiers. Read on for the latest on David Beckham’s US adventure.

We’ve a bit of a US theme going today in fact. NFL player Chad Ochocinco (see last Thursday’s Soccer Break) has started his soccer experiment. Can he be successful?

Over in San Francisco, spare a thought for a referee on the receiving end of a player’s anger.

Beckham bashers have got it wrong

By Simon Evans in Miami

Television coverage of MLS’s opening game began with an attack on David Beckham from two television pundits and critics have continued to question whether the Englishman cares about the league or his club, LA Galaxy, Simon Evans says the Beckham bashing is off target.

The debate over David Beckham’s commitment to L.A Galaxy and Major League Soccer should have ended on November 22, 2009. On that rainy, cold day in Seattle, Beckham took a series of pain-killing injections, wrapped up his injured ankle in bandage and went out to face Real Salt Lake on the unforgiving artificial turf at Qwest Field.

It was hardly a vintage performance from the former Manchester United and England midfielder but he grafted for 90 minutes and then a further 30 minutes of extra-time in an ultimately failed attempt to win the MLS Cup for his team. Then, limping off the field, he walked into the Salt Lake locker-room to congratulate hiss opponents on their title before heading into his own changing room where he complied with American standards and stood to take questions from the waiting media. Invited by this reporter to pass comment on playing a championship game on a plastic pitch with a damaged ankle, Beckham showed his usual diplomacy by evading the temptation to criticise a playing surface which is designed for American football and not the global game.

That MLS Cup game had come at the end of a year in which Beckham had to deal with the fallout from a book which discussed the difficulties he and L.A Galaxy had in developing a working relationship. In Grant Wahl’s behind-the-scenes book, ”The Beckham Experiment” he was criticised for not picking up the check for the entire team’s dinner and a series of other offences in a fascinating account which, as one former MLS player put it to me, could have been subtitled “Why Landon Donovan Doesn’t Like Being Overshadowed by David Beckham”. The former Real Madrid title winner was offended that Donovan had questioned his professionalism and the rift between the two took some work and time to heal. But that night in Seattle, even American soccer’s favourite son was fulsome in his praise for his English team-mate. “This guy has been hurt or sick for probably the last six or seven games but he gets on with it and he plays. That’s helped our team a lot,” said Donovan.

The question marks over whether Beckham was truly giving his all for the Galaxy and the MLS came back again a few months later though, when, desperate to get a place in the World Cup with England, Beckham went on loan to AC Milan and suffered a serious Achilles injury which wrecked any hopes of a trip to the World Cup and also ruled him out of most of the forthcoming MLS season. Some Galaxy fans, understandably wondered why their player was even on the field for another club. It was a fair question and one which could also have been put to the Galaxy’s ownership – they could after all have blocked any deal after all. But the critics had a point — Beckham’s intentions certainly had nothing to do with the Galaxy and everything to do with his personal ambitions.

Ten things to watch for in the new MLS season

YOUNG AMERICANS MLS’s foreign imports have grabbed most of the headlines over the past few years, understandably given the name recognition of players such as David Beckham and Thierry Henry, but one of the most fascinating aspects of this season will be the progress of a new generation of American players on the fringe of the national team. Sporting KC striker Teal Bunbury and New York Red Bulls forward Juan Agudelo are fancied by many as a future pairing for Bob Bradley’s team but they will need to deliver week-in-week-out in MLS. Red Bulls defender Tim Ream had an excellent first year and will likely be scouted heavily by European clubs this season. Portland Timbers attacker Darlington Nagbe was born in Liberia but is seeking naturalization and there is a lot of buzz about his potential.

DIG THE NEW BREED The Pacific North-West should provide plenty of lively derby action this year with the Seattle Sounders, the best-supported team in the league, joined by two new teams — local rivals Portland Timbers and Northern neighbours Vancouver Whitecaps. Both clubs are technically ‘expansion franchises’ but don’t confuse them with recent creations such as the Philadelphia Union and Real Salt Lake who started from scratch. Both the Timbers and the Whitecaps existed in the old NASL and continued in second tier soccer up until last season. Both have good fan-bases who expect an instant impact. Both were able to build upon their backroom and on-field staff from the second tier. In short – both are more like typical promoted teams in European leagues – they have to step up to a new level on the field and can expect some fresh impetus off the field. It should be fascinating to watch how they fare in their first season with the big boys. Who will make the bigger impact? SHINY, HAPPY PEOPLE? The Kansas City Wizards were not one of MLS’s big success stories having averaged crowds of around 10,000 for most of their existence – initially playing at the 80,000 capacity Arrowhead Stadium, home to the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and then at a cozier but not-very soccer friendly minor-league baseball park. This season all that changes. The rather silly-sounding Wizards name has been dropped in favour of Sporting Kansas City – mocked by some as being a pretentious Euro-wannabe name (Sporting Club being a historic team in Lisbon, Portugal) but surely an upgrade on the Wizards? This season the team also move into their own, shiny new, purpose built 18,500 venue – Livestrong Sporting Park. The venue isn’t quite ready so the first eight games of the season for Sporting will be on the road but it will be interesting to see if the rebrand and the new home manage to attract more fans. That certainly helped New York Red Bulls last year – when they moved into Red Bull Arena their average home gate rose from 12,229 to 18,441.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK? This is MLS’s 16th year and still New York hasn’t won a title. Not in their earlier Metrostars garb and not in the current Red Bulls set-up. But with former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry ready for his first full season and having put his fitness problems behind him, the Red Bulls should mount a serious challenge this year. 18-year-old Agudelo and Jamaican winger Dane Richards provide some exciting pace up front while Ream and Mexican Rafa Marquez, formerly of Barcelona, should be the best central defensive pairing in MLS. Some Scandinavian solidity in midfield, recruited by Swedish head coach Hans Backe, makes the Red Bulls, on paper at least, among the favourites.

GOLDEN YEARS The polite way to describe the L.A Galaxy would be to say they are team that draws heavily on experienced veterans. A less complimentary approach would say they are old. David Beckham is 36 in May and he’ll be the main force in midfield providing the ammunition for 35-year-old Colombian forward Juan Pablo Angel. Defenders Gregg Berhalter and Frankie Hejduk are 37 and 36 year old respectively. Landon Donovan, 29, appears a mere kid in that company. Experienced (there we go again) head coach Bruce Arena is banking on all the know-how delivering a MLS Cup this year. Of course, behind the big names with most birthdays, are a bunch of younger players who will be expected to provide the hard-running and the pace. Omar Gonzalez at the back, Brazilian midfielder Juninho and Argentine Paolo Cardozo are all players to keep an eye on this year. Will the mix be right or is Arena or over-doing it with the old boys? We will find out soon enough.

COLOMBIAN CLASS Much has been made of MLS’s attempts to woo the huge Mexican soccer audience in North America though signings such as Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Rafa Marquez and the whole Chivas USA experiment. But the Spanish speaking population in the United States is a diverse one and the large Colombian communities dotted around the country have plenty of their own talent to watch this year. Creative midfielder David Ferreira of FC Dallas was the league’s MVP last year, Freddy Montero of Seattle Sounders is a joy to watch at times with his light-footed touch and sharp movement, Jamison Olave was voted 2010 Defender of the Year for his powerful contributions at centre-half for Real Salt Lake. Goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon will be 40 in June but after playing all over the world he brings some valuable experience to a Philadelphia Union team that had problems in that position last year. Less well known, but highly-rated by those who have seen him – 18 year old Fabian Castillo who has signed with FC Dallas and whose pace could cause some problems for opposition defences.

DUTCH COURAGE? Toronto FC have been one of MLS’s biggest successes off the field but an acute disappointment for their fans on it. That has to change this year, said the clubs owners, who hired Juergen Klinsmann – the former Germany manager and eternal candidate for the USA job – to headhunt them some new coaching talent. Klinsmann’s consulting resulted in the hiring of Aaron Winter as head coach, coming in from Ajax’s youth academy. If Winter is half as good at coaching as he was at bossing the midfield in his days with Ajax and Lazio, then Toronto is in for some good times. If he can bring just a flavor of the Ajax passing style to the Canadian club, then fans who lamented the over-reliance on a direct style, will be satisfied. The big question though – is there enough quality in the squad to play fluent football or even to be competitive?

Beckham’s value is his values

Harry Redknapp does not need a right-sided midfield player and, with the depth of talent regularly available on his bench, he hardly needs to bolster his squad with a three-month loan signing.

Yet he, and several other Premier League managers, are trying to secure the services of 35-year-old David Beckham.

Many observers are scratching their heads and wondering just what is the enduring appeal of a player clearly several years past his peak.

They point to the unavoidable media frenzy that will come as part of any loan deal arranged with LA Galaxy, if the American club agree to let their number one asset go again after he suffered a serious injury on his last sojourn, to AC Milan last year.

Yet Redknapp, who has seen football from all sides, knows the value — or more to the point – values, Beckham brings.

Having served his apprenticeship with West Ham in the penny-pinching 1960s and now overseeing players earning millions of pounds a year, Redknapp recognises that the professionalism and dedication to his art that Beckham shows could help turn some of his “nearly men” into the finished article.

“I am a great fan of his,” Redknapp said.