Reuters Soccer Blog

It’s still July and already we see a European domestic shock

Yes it’s July when people should be on beaches in Europe rather than sweltering in soccer stadiums.

Well modern football (and Euro 2012 at the end of the campaign) dictates we have to start proper matches in July in the European season these days.

The Scottish league has already started while on Friday VfL Wolfsburg made a miserable start to their season by going out 3-2 at fourth division RB Leipzig in the first round of the German Cup.

Borussia Moenchengladbach and VfB Stuttgart, the other Bundesliga teams playing on Friday, beat third division opposition while former German champions Rot-Weiss Essen, now in the fourth tier, overcame second division Union Berlin on penalties.

The first round is a potential minefield for Bundesliga and second division clubs as the seeding system forces them to play one-leg ties away to lower division opponents.

Playing before the league has started adds to the chances of top teams being caught unprepared.

Daniel Frahn scored a hat-trick for RB Leipzig, who were known as SSV Makranstaedt until 2009 when the Red Bull energy drinks manufacturer bought the playing licence and changed the name.

Soccer Break: Wednesday

So this week’s Champions League quarter-final action is over and the semi-finals are set up. As expected Real Madrid strolled through their second-leg against Spurs and will now face Barcelona. The Spanish giants are set to clash four times in 18 days, including Saturday’s La Liga match at the Bernabeu and the King’s Cup final on April 20 in Valencia.

After their astonishing win at the San Siro, Schalke 04 finished off the job against Inter to set up a meeting with Manchester United.

So, who do you expect to see in the final at Wembley on May 28? Does the fact that the Spanish teams are playing each other in an NBA style series increase the chances of an upset? United fans will be feeling they have the easier half of the draw but Schalke showed in their impressive victories over the defending champion that they are not going to be anything like a pushover for the Manchester team. Could they pull off another surprise? What are the chances of Raul v Real?

In the rest of football, FIFA released their latest world rankings today. The calculations are complicated but are supposed to reflect the current balance of power in the international game. But do they? Are England really the sixth best team in the world? Are the United States really better than Mexico? Or, for that matter, are Australia really better than the USA? And would you put money on Jamaica beating Scotland? Lots to argue about there and feel free to leave your thoughts below or pop over to our Reuters Soccer facebook page and ‘Like’ it and discuss.

PICTURE: Raul of Schalke 04 celebrates a goal against Inter Milan during the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final soccer match in Gelsenkirchen April 13, 2011. REUTERS/ Ina Fassbende

Soccer Break Monday

Welcome back to another week of digesting the global game, and where better to start than with a look at the Lionel Messi effect on the sport.

The wizard-like Argentine is a joy to watch and by playing in countries such as the United States, where soccer is not the main sport, he can only have increased enthusiasm for the round ball game.

The U.S. will also face world champions Spain in June.

In Europe, while Spain huffed and puffed and finally blew the Czech Republic’s door down for a 2-1 win in Granada with yet another mesmerising display of quick passing, there was little else to go crazy about.

In fact, UEFA president Michel Platini fears that Euro 2012 qualifiers are becoming a little boring, and he is concerned that players look forward more to Champions League matches than internationals.

Brazil were another big name to take to the field and win at the weekend but despite their 2-0 loss at the hands of the five-times World Cup winners, Scotland’s Charlie Adam said his team had learnt some valuable lessons.

Other people who could be a taught a lesson are the laser users at the Wales-England match and the fans who were noisy during the minute silence for the Japan earthquake and tsunami victims at the U.S.-Argentina game.

Scotland on their way back to London, but England match must wait a while

Scotland’s soccer team return to London for the first time since 1999 at the end of this month — but they won’t be playing England at Wembley.

Instead they will face five-times world champions Brazil in a high profile friendly at the Emirates Stadium which should be filled close to its 60,000 capacity.

If that game goes ahead without trouble — which is the most likely outcome — it could give added impetus to the English FA’s plans to host a one-off “home international” series in 2013 to mark their 150th anniversary.

That could then mark Scotland’s return to Wembley for the first time since the stadium was re-opened four years ago.

The game against Brazil though, and Scotland’s return to London, evoke memories of the days when Scotland were regular visitors to Wembley, playing England there in alternate years in the world’s oldest international series that began in 1872.

The reasons why the matches ended after the short-lived Rous Cup in 1989 following the demise of the Home Championship between the four British nations in 1984, have been well documented down the years.

Questions began to be asked after the 1977 game at Wembley when Scottish fans rioted after a 2-1 victory, demolishing the goalposts and wreaking havoc on the Underground and in central London.

Exploding egg just the first of Broadfoot’s troubles

Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot is an unlucky man.

Earlier this month, the 25-year-old Scotland international was taken to hospital after an egg he was microwaving exploded. He was trying to poach the egg but hot liquid squirted out when he opened the microwave door, burning his cheek.

There followed lots of newspaper headlines about him having “egg on his face”.

The player was already ruled out for the rest of the season because of a series of niggles.

Now he has been told he won’t play again until November following surgery on his left foot.

It seems he isn’t a broad foot after all…

East Stirlingshire give up on fair play convention

I’m not sure if Alex Ferguson would approve of a decision taken by one of his old clubs but East Stirlingshire, where he began his managerial career as a 32-year-old in 1974, have just taken a very controversial stand against “sporting behaviour”.

The modest club, whose major objective in the recent past was to avoid finishing bottom of the Scottish Third Division, but are currently third in the table, have ordered their players NOT to kick the ball out of play if one of their opponents is down injured.

Coach Jim McInally has told his team to only stop playing if the referee orders them to do so. He was furious following an incident during their 2-0 win at Forfar Athletic on Saturday.

After play stopped 10 minutes from time so an East Stirling player could be treated for injury, Forfar goalkeeper Ally Brown tried to restart play with a soft pass back to East Stirling. However, Forfar’s substitute striker Calum Smith had other ideas.

With time running out and his side 2-0 down, he decided to try and pull one back and was only prevented from scoring by a save from East Stirling keeper Mark Peat.

Players from both sides started arguing which led to three of them being booked and McInally banning his side from kicking the ball out for an injury in future.

Is Scotland’s life ban for Rangers duo too harsh?

Rangers players Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor will no longer be considered for Scotland duty in a shock decision from the country’s FA.

The pair were dropped for Wednesday’s game against Iceland following allegations of a drinking session and were then pictured giving V signs while sat on the bench. Ferguson has also been stripped of the Rangers captaincy.

They have obviously been stupid if the accusations are true but do the punishments fit the crime?

If a future manager wants them back in the squad, I can see the decision being overturned.

Would a unified Britain have won more than one World Cup?

Resistance to plans for a unified British soccer team for the 2012 London Olympics means the idea may well be a one-off, if it gets off the ground at all.

The four home nations are wary of setting precedents that could harm their independent status, despite their lack of success as separate entities.

Indeed, all they would have to show in a collective trophy cabinet would be England’s 1966 triumph, which makes me wonder if they might have been better putting national pride aside all along and pooling their resources, as they do in most other sports.

Would a unified team have won more than one paltry World Cup?

As far as recent times are concerned, I think the simple answer has got to be no.

Wales and Scotland have produced some excellent players over the last 40 years, such as Ryan Giggs, Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish. But added to the core of English players I’m assuming would usually form the bulk of a unified side, I don’t think they would have transformed English also-rans into British world beaters. (more…)

Old Firm big fish can’t swim outside small pond

You shouldn’t laugh, but it’s hard not to after the mighty Old Firm, soccer’s biggest domestic bullies, once again found they were not so tough when they are allowed into the big boys’ playground.

Celtic might stick it to Hamilton Academical and Falkirk on a regular basis but AaB Aalborg proved too good for them on Tuesday as a 2-1 win for the Danes ended the Glasgow club’s interest in the Champions League early – again.

Why do Scotland’s finest struggle to make any impact when a similar-sized club like Porto continually do well and Anorthosis Famagusta flourish this year?

The Aalborg defeat should not have come as a shock as Celtic have now managed one draw, and a remarkable 19 defeats from their last 20 Champions League away games.

Barry Robson’s opener last night was their first away goal in the competition for two years but it was almost fated that they should add the Aalborg Stadion to the long list of barren grounds with a Gary Caldwell own goal three minutes from time.

Tuesday’s result also ensured that, despite overcoming their travel travails to reach the knockout phase in the last two seasons, they would finish bottom of their group and not even have a crack at the UEFA Cup, where they reached the final in 2003.

Asked before Tuesday’s game whey Celtic had such a poor return from their Champions League away games, manager Gordon Strachan said: “The other teams have scored more goals than us and we haven’t scored enough. It’s quite simple really.”