Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Soccer Break Friday – Champions League draw special
Well well well. Now the Champions League really is wide open..
So here's that quarter-final draw again:
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur
Chelsea v Manchester United
Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk
Inter Milan v Schalke 04
As Gary Lineker put it, there will be an English team in the semi-finals, but could Tottenham make it two sides? Real are certainly not invincible.
Now, before taking a look at all the domestic leagues over the weekend, a recap of Thursday's highlights from the Europa League. Quite a night of upsets.
Portuguese clubs lead the way in the second-tier European club competition with three representatives; the Netherlands have two sides in the last eight while Spain, Ukraine and Russia all have one.
What are your feelings on the Europa League? Prestigious cup worth winning, or would you rather your team wasn't in it at all like Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben?
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Soccer Break Tuesday
The pain for Arsenal fans just rolls on it would seem, as a trip to my office's kitchen confirmed on Monday when I heard two voices grumbling about "Van Persie" and "not enough shots".
The North London club's woes of the last two weeks or so have been much publicised, but perhaps at last there is some news to cheer Gunners fans up in the return of former keeper Jens Lehmann? Who would you prefer in goal? Lehmann, or Arsenal's only currently available goalie Manuel Almunia, in good form in the last two matches against Barcelona and Manchester United?
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Inter v Bayern means repeat of 2010 Champions League final
Holders Inter Milan will face Bayern Munich, the team they beat to clinch the trophy last season, in the Champions League last 16 with a repeat of the 2006 final also due after Barcelona were drawn to meet Arsenal.
Bayern might actually be favourites given Inter's struggles so far this term while Barca and Lionel Messi destroyed Arsenal in the quarter-finals second leg last season despite the two sides' similar style of play.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Champions League podcast – 4
Kevin Fylan is joined by Owen Wyatt, Mark Meadows, Jon Bramley and Martyn Herman for a look at the week's Champions League matches. Will Real Madrid be too much for AC Milan? Our panel seems to think so.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Breaking news: Rooney wants to leave Manchester United, Ferguson shocked
England striker Wayne Rooney wants to leave Manchester United, manager Alex Ferguson said on Wednesday.
"We are as bemused as anyone can be, we can't quite understand why he would want to leave," Ferguson told a news conference.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Champions League podcast, episode 3
This week the podcast panel discuss the clash of European aristocracy at the Bernabeu, where nine-times winners Real Madrid host seven-tiems champions AC Milan, plus the Wayne Rooney saga and the plight of Liverpool.
Kevin Fylan is joined by Owen Wyatt, Mark Meadows, Jon Bramley and Toby Davis
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Champions League podcast – 2
Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Karim Benzema and Juan Mata are among the strikers up for discussion in the latest edition of our Reuters Sports Champions League podcast. Kevin Fylan is joined by Ed Osmond, Owen Wyatt, Paul Radford and Mark Meadows.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Champions League, matchday 1 – live
Join us for updates on the Champions League:
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Reuters Champions League podcast
Join us for a look at the first round of matches in the 2010-11 Champions League. Paul Radford, Neil Maidment, Owen Wyatt and Mark Meadows chew the fat with host Kevin Fylan.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Inter and Blackpool restore faith in the footballing dream
![RTR2E8BO[3]moupope](http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/files/2010/05/RTR2E8BO3moupope.jpg "RTR2E8BO[3]moupope")
Teams win against all the odds only in Hollywood movies.
Not true. Yet again real life has outstripped even the wildest fantasies of the greatest scriptwriters.
Italian football, overshadowed by England and Spain, was in the doldrums after their clubs failed to make any impact in the Champions League in the previous two seasons.
-
Resident Left Field Expert
-
