Monday, March 19, 2012

Chelsea come back from the dead

Since taking over at Chelsea on an interim basis, Roberto Di Matteo has lead the Blues to a three-match winning streak, including a miraculous comeback victory against Napoli in the Champions League to make the quarter-finals of Europe's premier club competition.
The Italian coach's faith in the club's old guard seems to be paying dividends, as goalscorers Didier Drogba, skipper John Terry and Frank Lampard all showed they are not dead yet on Wednesday night, whilst Napoli star trio Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik appeared to let the occasion get to their heads.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

I Can't Dance!!

Moratti clears out the old Inter garbage

Inter president Massimo Moratti may have dismissed suggestions that coach Claudio Ranieri will be sacked after the club's Champions League exit at the hands of Olympique de Marseille on Tuesday night, but the oil tycoon also conceded that he is considering overhauling his ageing, declining squad in the summer transfer market.
Senior players such as Maicon, Julio Cesar, Esteban Cambiasso and Wesley Sneijder have cause for concern with the Nerazzurri also out of the Coppa Italia, and needing a miracle to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Hasta la vista, baby


Thomas Vermaelen's stoppage-time winner helped Arsenal move to within a single point of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
Vermaelen, affectionately known as 'The Verminator', displayed the recent determination that has flourished among the Gunners and Arsene Wenger was full of praise as his side came from behind to win in their fourth consecutive Premier League game. They now also have a gap of three points over fifth-placed Chelsea and look likely to grab a spot in next season's Champions League, despite last week's elimination from the competition by AC Milan.

Monday, March 12, 2012

The Premier League pendulum

After a truly monumental Sunday for the two title-chasers, it is now clear that the Premier League pendulum has swung Sir Alex Ferguson's way.

Whilst his Manchester United team were swatting West Brom aside 2-0, Roberto Mancini was sweating in South Wales. A late Luke Moore goal was enough to give Swansea a well-deserved victory over Manchester City, which could have a huge bearing on where the league title will be heading come May.


The Strange Case of Dr Pep and Mr Mourinho

In the build-up to this weekend's La Liga action, Jose Mourinho voiced his opinion that he shared plenty of similarities with his Barcelona counterpart, Pep Mourinho. However in response, whilst admitting the pair are both hungry for victory, the Catalan trainer chose to distance himself from the Real Madrid coach's comments, stating that he would have to "revise his behaviour" if Mourinho's views were indeed, true. Is Pep turning into his own worst nightmare

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Bielsa & Guardiola grill Ferguson

Athletic Bilbao put a serious dent in Manchester United's Europa League aspirations on Thursday night, recording a 3-2 victory over Sir Alex Ferguson's men at Old Trafford. It was a familiar feeling for the English champions, who were convincingly defeated 3-1 in last season's Champions League final by Barcelona.

Perhaps Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa discussed strategies for beating United during their famous 11-hour football talk at a barbecue in Argentina before the Spaniard moved into coaching ...