Sunday, August 26, 2012

Liverpool beat Arsenal in Sahin tug of war

Liverpool have beaten Arsenal in their tug of war for Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin.
The Turkish 23-year-old looked at one point to be heading to the Emirates Stadium, but Brendan Rodgers pushed (or pulled, in this instance) for the deal harder, and a season-long loan is Anfield's reward!

Can you see Sahin thriving under Rodgers' tutelage? Or do you think the former Borussia Dortmund star will rue not choosing Arsene Wenger's squad as his temporary team-mates?

Cassano and Pazzini trade places in San Siro swap

AC Milan and Inter put their rivalry aside on Wednesday, as Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini were involved in a San Siro swap deal.

Pazzini leaves Inter having failed to replicate his prolific form at Sampdoria, while the controversial Cassano says he has found his smile again upon joining Andrea Stramaccioni's side.

With the clubs being in the same city and sharing a stadium, neither player will have to travel too far after being booted out the exit door.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Valdes plays the clown as Barcelona blunder leaves Real Madrid laughing

Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes has been left looking the clown after his late blunder allowed Real Madrid to pull a goal back in the Supercopa Clasico clash which ended 3-2 on Thursday night.

The first leg at Camp Nou was going in the Catalan giants' favour as goals from Pedro, Lionel Messi and Xavi replied to Cristiano Ronaldo's opening headed goal.

However, Valdes' heavy touch from a pass back led to Angel Di Maria easily pouncing on the loose ball and ensuring the cup competition is not over with the second leg of the tie to be played next Wednesday.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Jordan Paralympic and there sexual assaults

Rome is where the heart is for De Rossi

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini suffered more transfer window frustration on Tuesday afternoon.

For several months, the Italian has been in pursuit of Roma veteran Daniele De Rossi, while Jack Rodwell has been the only summer signing to join the Premier League champions.

And the Italy international seemingly ended any lingering hopes Mancini might have had of signing him, by declaring his love for Roma and commitment to the club at a press conference.

Fellaini foils Manchester United

All attention turned to Manchester United last night as Sir Alex Ferguson's side took on Everton in their first game of the new Premier League season.

New signing Shinji Kagawa started while Robin van Persie was on the bench and introduced in the second half, but neither could make a significant impact in their competitive debuts for the club.

Instead, the star of the show was Marouane Fellaini, who terrorised the Manchester United defence and scored the decisive goal in a surprise 1-0 victory for David Moyes' men.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Wigan fail to heed Hazard warning

One of the the most anticipated Premier League debuts in recent seasons certainly lived up to expectation on Sunday, with Eden Hazard playing a pivotal role in Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Wigan.
The Belgian starlet terrorised the Latics defence in the opening stages of the clash at the DW Stadium, teeing up Branislav Ivanovic to open the scoring before winning a penalty to allow Frank Lampard to double the Blues' lead from the penalty spot.

And after a dazzling bow in England's top-flight, Wigan may not be the only side to fail to stop Hazard this season...

Liverpool fluff their lines on opening day

Brendan Rodgers arrived at Liverpool this summer charged with bringing the glory days back to Anfield after a somewhat difficult season for the club last time out.
Optimism was high as the Reds headed to the Hawthorns to face West Brom, yet it was to be an opening day to forget for the former Swansea manager.

Not content with shipping three goals to the Baggies, Liverpool also had Daniel Agger sent off and Luis Suarez again misfiring in front of goal as the Reds fluffed their lines on the first day of the new Premier League season.

Tony Scott

Sunday, August 19, 2012

The Premier League is back!

It's back! After three months of having to pretend to be interested in other sports, football fans can finally relax and indulge themselves in the return of the Premier League this Saturday.

Last year's campaign was one of the most dramatic in living memory, with Manchester City snatching a maiden title victory in the dying seconds of the season.

Yet, with Robin van Persie joining Manchester United, an overhaul at Arsenal, and Brendan Rodgers seeking to kickstart his Liverpool revolution, there is one heck of a stellar cast list for 2012-13 campaign...

Friday, August 17, 2012

Wenger loses prize piece RVP just as Arsenal jigsaw looks complete

Arsenal's hopes of returning to the top of the Premier League table suffered a blow on Friday as Robin van Persie completed his move to Manchester United.
The Gunners looked to have taken great strides this summer by bringing in the likes of Olivier Giroud, Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski following their third place finish in the 2011-12 season.

Now, though, after Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri departed last summer and with Alex Song linked with a switch to Barcelona, Arsene Wenger has lost another key piece of his Arsenal jigsaw.
 

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Van Persie & Modric break free at last to land their dream moves

Two of the longest-running transfer sagas of the transfer window look to set to reach their conclusion before Saturday's Premier League kick-off, with Arsenal and Tottenham both accepting bids for Robin van Persie and Luka Modric respectively.
The Spurs midfielder's move to Real Madrid has been touted since last summer, and the Croatian is believed to be jetting out to the Spanish capital on Thursday to complete his switch to Santiago Bernanbeu.

Yet Gunners fans will no doubt find their captain's departure harder to swallow, particularly with the Dutchman joining fierce rivals Manchester United...

RVP the devil in disguise

Agger 'inking' of staying at Liverpool but lure of Man City may prove too much

Daniel Agger may have given the strongest sign yet of his intention to remain at Liverpool this week by having the club's famous 'You'll Never Walk Alone' slogan tattooed onto his knuckles.
The Danish defender has been linked with an Anfield exit throughout the summer, with Premier League champions Manchester City believed to be keen on his services.

Yet despite the 27-year-old's gesture of his love for Liverpool, the lure of the Etihad Stadium and its riches may prove too tempting even for Agger.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Llorente outgrows Athletic Bilbao as Europe's hawks wait to pounce

Fernando Llorente has long been attracting glances of admiration from across Europe, as the Athletic Bilbao striker played a prominent role in the club's assault on the Europa League.

Some star turns, including a fabulously taken goal against Manchester United, have in turn attracted the biggest clubs, and the Basque striker looks set to leave the club after it was revealed he would not be extending his current deal.

So, which one of the hawks circling will be on hand to pounce for the big striker who looks to have outgrown his current club?

Hazard slips up as Mancini shows Chelsea who's boss

Eden Hazard may have cost Chelsea mega-bucks but his most memorable moments were ones he will want to forget after Manchester City romped to a 3-2 win in the Community Shield.

Having flirted with the Premier League champions, before opting to sign for Roberto Di Matteo's men, Hazard's name was roundly booed by the City fans when it was announced prior to kick-off.

Those same supporters had more reason to cheer during the game. An early dive did little to change their minds before an attempted back-heel to Ashley Cole saw Hazard trip over his own feet and end up face in the turf much to the delight of the City fans. 

Mexico pave London with gold to break Brazilian hearts

Mexico stunned Brazil on Saturday to secure Olympic gold as Oribe Peralta's double sealed a 2-1 victory over the tournament favourites.
Peralta fired Mexico ahead after 28 seconds following a mistake from Manchester United full-back Rafael before the striker doubled his tally in the 70th minute.

Hulk's late goal set the stage for a late Brazilian revival but new Chelsea signing Oscar spurned a glorious chance to take the tie to extra time, meaning Mano Menezes' side had to settle for silver.
 

Juve in disarray as Conte faces 10 months off the sidelines

While Juventus duo Leonardo Bonucci and Simone Pepe were acquitted in the Scommessopoli scandal on Friday due to a lack of evidence, there was bad news for coach Antonio Conte.
The 43-year-old was found guilty of failing to report attempts to influence the outcome of two Serie B matches while he was at Siena, and has been handed a 10-month ban from the dugout.

Without their coach for the first time against Napoli in the Supercoppa Italiana on Saturday, and with uncertainty over who will take charge after assistant Angelo Alessio's eight-month suspension, how will the Serie A champions fare?
 

Friday, August 10, 2012

Returning Suarez runs rings around FC Gomel

The London Olympics may have been a tournament to forget for Uruguay and Luis Suarez, but the Liverpool forward returned to form in dazzling fashion at Anfield in the Europa League.
After sneaking a 1-0 win in in the first leg, without Suarez, the Reds dispatched the Belarusian side 3-0 at Anfield with Suarez delighting the home fans with an eye-catching display.

The Uruguayan had a hand in all three goals for Brendan Rodgers' men as he ran Olympic sized-rings around the visitors.
 

Allure of Paris prises Lucas from Sir Alex's grasp

Sir Alex Ferguson has been left amazed after Brazil starlet Lucas Moura opted to sign for Paris Saint-Germain rather than Manchester United.
The Red Devils had looked favorites to sign the 19-year-old and his agent has even claimed the club had an agreement with Lucas.

However, the player has ultimately opted to move to Paris not least because he considers it "a much more pleasant city than Manchester" leaving a fuming Sir Alex insisting "the game's gone mad".

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Usain Bolt eyes more world records with Manchester United trial

Not content with being the fastest man on the planet, Usain Bolt has set his sights on conquering football, starting with a trial at Manchester United.

The Jamaican 100m and 200m world record holder revealed earlier this week that he had been in touch with Rio Ferdinand on Twitter, with the experienced defender promising to arrange a try-out session for Bolt with Red Devils' boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferdinand told the sprinter: "If you want that trial at Man Utd shout me, I'll speak to the boss!! Well done in 100m, waiting for you to smash the 200m now!"

United were just pipped at the line by neighbours Manchester City in a photo-finish conclusion to the Premier League season but with the pacy Bolt in their ranks, could United have enough to get out the blocks quicker and secure glory?
 

Ronaldo's stars align as he tops the Goal.com 50

This year's Goal.com 50 has been announced with Cristiano Ronaldo revealed as the top player of the past 12 months.

Real Madrid team-mate Iker Casillas was surprisingly placed second with Lionel Messi shunted down to third after Los Blancos' title-winning exploits in La Liga last term.
The list has sparked debate and intrigue among fans and pundits alike, and is likely to continue to do so for time to come.

Not everyone has the time to pore over the facts and stats of the list in full so we have brought the entire 50 to you in the simplest of forms.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Look into my eyes! Oscar attempts mind control to convince Neymar to join Chelsea

In a world where footballers usually go to the highest bidder, it appears new Chelsea signing Oscar might resort to a unique approach to persuade Santos starlet Neymar to join him at Stamford Bridge.
The duo are currently representing Brazil at the Olympic Games, with a place in the gold medal match up for grabs when they face South Korea on Tuesday, and Roberto Di Matteo's latest recruit has been using their time together to plant seeds into Neymar's noggin.

"While we are in London, I have been telling Neymar about the ambition of Chelsea," Oscar revealed.

"When the time comes for him to join a European club, I hope I can persuade him."