Soccer Football Massive

Liverpool FC is about to go through a possible ownership change. No, it's not another American sports billionaire bent on squeezing some British pounds sterling out the English game. It's not even an Icelandic consortium, nor an East Asian power mogul. The man who may well be the new owner of the Reds is reportedly the fourth richest person in the world and an Arab sheikh from Dubai. Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum and it is Dubai International Capital, the consortium he heads, that wants to takeover the Liverpool. If the deal becomes a reality, Liverpool will be the seventh English Premier League team owned by foreigners. The deal is estimated to be worth about 450 million pounds (or US$891 million).

Well, this comes as little surprise. After all, we are talking about the wages for the player that some in Brazil's sports press have said is greater than the ineffable, standing Brazilian god of international football, Pele. Yup. Now the money confirms it -- Barcelona's ace Brazilian midfielder Ronaldinho is indeed now the highest-paid footballer in the world. It's fitting that if you're the greatest footballer in the world you should be paid the most money. Up until now, the highest-paid soccer player had been another foreigner playing in the Spanish La Liga -- Real Madrid's David Beckham. Yup, Becks will have to settle for being number two. Tsk tsk. Boo hoo. Believe us, he'll get over it.

In this latest draw of matches between remaining teams, "big four" clubs ">Arsenal will meet Liverpool in their next FA Cup match, which is sure to be epic. Both clubs have been struggling in their English Premier League seasons, to the point that any dreams of capturing the EPL champions' trophy are virtually hopeless at this stage. (Though Arsenal at least can claim to be in third spot of the EPL table.) The FA Cup then dangles the possibility that either club can still end the season with a new addition of silverware to their storied collections.

The Independent is reporting that Arsenal striker and French international Thierry Henry might be out with his sciatic nerve injury through Christmas or until the new year. Henry sat out the Arsenal match this past Saturday with Tottenham due to his lack of match fitness with the sciatic nerve problem. The Gunners won that match 3-nil without Henry, but many wonder if Arsenal will be able to earn points without him in two very important matches this week, a European CHampions League fixture with Porto in mid-week and an English Premier League meeting with London rivals Chelsea at Stanford Bridge this weekend.

Former Barcelona star and Swedish international Henrik Larsson will spend just ten weeks at Manchester United starting in January 2007 when the transfer window opens. For the nearly three months that Larsson is at Man. U., he will be the highest paid player on the squad, as the deal will put nearly a million pounds (almost US $2 million) in his pocket. Larsson will leave in March to start the season with his Swedish club Helsingborgs. The Swede adds some depth to a Manchester United side that has looked thin in spite of a terrific season so far and a high goals count. At the top of the table, the Red Devils have their sights squarely on the Premiership title.

Like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Barcelona FC, Chelsea has aspirations of turning itself into a global brand that has supporters around the world. The English Premier League champions announced that it will launch a Chinese-language version of its Web site to serve its growing base of fans in China and in the global Chinese diaspora. It's only a matter of time --if it isn't the case already -- that Chelsea may have more supporters outside of the U.K. than in it. Several top-flight European clubs have launched Web sites in multiple languages to appeal to their growing fan bases outside of Europe. Spanish club Real Madrid, for example, has versions of its Web site in English and Japanese.

Wow! What a stunner of a goal from the Brazilian international for Barcelona against Villareal in La Liga this past weekend. Ronaldinho is argubaly the greatest footballer on the planet.

Italian international player and Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro has been given the Golden Ball Award (ballon d'or). The award is given annually to the best European footballer of the year by French magazine "France Football," which chooses the winner based on a poll of 52 journalists. The defensive work of Cannavaro has been credited by many as the key to Italy's incredible defensive record during the 2006 World Cup, which Italy won. Prior to signing with Spanish club Real Madrid earlier this year, Cannavaro had been a star in Italy with the scandal-ridden -- and former "Serie A" champions club -- Juventus.

It was one of the most anticipated matches of the season, more so in recent weeks now that it seems there is actually going to be a proper horse race for the title this season between Manchester United and Chelsea. The match between these two sides at Old Trafford was to be either an opportunity for the defending champions Chelsea to close the three-point gap and move even with table leaders Man. United, or a chance for the Red Devil's to take a definitive six-point lead.

At the end of the match, a 1-1 draw would mean their relative table positions would remain status quo. Man U. dominated the first half. Chelsea dominated the second. The verdict is that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho out-coached Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. A 1-1 draw, however, is more of a pyschological blow to Manchester. For Chelsea, it means that by having dealt that blow they've kept Manchester United in check, reminding them in the process that Man U. will really have to earn their title if they dare take it away from The Blues.

Salo Paulo drew 1-1 with Paranaense to end the season eight points of second place Internacional and secure the campeonato "Serie A" league title for the first time since 1991. (The club still has two games in hand.) The title win is another big achievement for Sao Paulo as they've been on a great run of form the past couple of years, winning the Copa Libertadores -- Latin America's version of the Champions League -- and the World Club Championship, where they defeated Liverpool 1-nil in Yokohama, Japan a year ago. Sao Paulo is now the Brazilian club with the second highest number of league titles (four) after Flamengo, which has won it five times.

Oh, it must be quite a string for Sir Alex Ferguson and his lads. In their important Champions League match with Scottish Premier League giant Celtic, the Red Devils went down 1-nil. Manchester put in a fierce effort to earn points and a berth in the next round in Europe. But despite an excellent performance on the ptich, Man. U could not find the the lead or, later, the goal that would equalize a goal by Japanese international Shunsuke Nakamura for Celtic. This win takes the Scottish club to the next round of European club play for the first time ever. Does Manchester United's defeat in Scotland undermine their confidence and sap their energy going into the all-important English Premier League fixture with Chelsea this weekend?

Notable fact: Shunsuke Nakamura is the first and only Japanese player to score a goal in the European Champions League. He also scored in the first meeting between Manchester United and Celtic earlier this this season. Omodeto gozaimasu, Nakamura-san!

This is the week that winds down the group stage and seperates the best from the rest among Europe's top qualifying clubs. The key matches over the next couple of days will determine which nine clubs will progess to the second round to join the six squads that have already secured their slots. For the big English Premier League clubs, this is do-or-die time -- Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool must earn points to make the cut. We'll be eyeing the Chelsea match with Werder Bremen closely. We'd love to see Chelsea go all the way and face off against (and beat) their bitter European rivals Barcelona again.

U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) and DC United star Freddy Adu starts his much talked-about try-out for mammoth Barclay's English Premier League club Manchester United this week. This is an interesting and perhaps watershed development in several ways. It's a defining moment in American professional soccer, as a carefully groomed star is potentially "sold-off" to a major European club to possibly play at a higher level of football, one in which many outside the EPL aspire to participate. Then there's the business and marketing aspect of it. Chelsea had practically sealed the deal to bring Adu over to the Blues, but Freddy's recent form has soured Chelsea gaffer Jose Mourinho's taste for the deal. Adu's performance at DC United and in the MLS has never lived up to the hype, the fulsome media coverage nor the sponsorship deals. Plus, the teenage Ghanaian player has never been exposed to the kind of football played in Europe, which is a far cry from the loping, slower-paced American game. Hence, the try-out with Man. U., as opposed to a straight contract. If Freddy Adu can make it at Old Trafford and in the EPL and Europe, so much the better, and more power to him. If he fails to make the cut, it will be a verdict on the quality of professional players the U.S. system is currently capable (or, rather, incapable) of developing.

The newish manager of the England football team, former Middlesbrough gaffer Steve McClaren, says he's still "enthused" about being at the helm of the national squad. He has to say that, of course, but the question suggests that some observers think he is unhappy and frustrated. Since the closing of the 2006 World Cup, when McClaren took over from the controversial and scandalous reign of former manager Sven Goran Erickson, England have struggled to win and play convincing football. Former captain David Beckham has been dropped from the squad, and the team has lost matches to countries they should have handily beaten. The draw this week with Holland can be read either positively or negatively. But given England's current form in recent matches, a tie with Holland should not ordinarily be a reason for celebration.

We're finding this a bit of a shock, but MLS and DC United star Freddy Adu might be going to Manchester United if he passes muster with Sir Alex Ferguson following a two-week try-out with the English Premier League club. It's a surprise because Adu had been linked with a possible future move to Chelsea for so long, and it's also a surprise because, frankly, we were never convinced that Adu could play at the level of football demanded by EPL and Europe.

Manchester United have done it. They've beaten Blackburn Rovers 1-nil at Ewood Park. It's the Red Devils first win on Blackburn's home pitch since 1998. The win is a pscychological boost after Man. U.'s unbelieveable Carling Cup loss to lowly Southend earlier in the week. It's Sir Alex's fourth EPL win in a row and Blackburn's fourth loss in row. Manchester United played an excellent game of football, though Wayne Rooney was lacking in form, missing easy scoring chances several times.

Ouch! Cristiano Ronaldo is injured. He's not on his back, but he had been limping around signaling to be subbed for about five minutes while still trying to play. Whatever the injury, it looks serious enough for him to walk off with a pronounced limp and in some degree of pain. It will be interesting to find out if Ronaldo will need to miss a match or two because of this. Somewhere in England, Jose Mourinho will be wondering the same thing. The current champions Chelsea are set to meet the current top-f-the-table Manchester United in two weeks. Mark your calendar.

Louis Saha puts one into the Blackburn goal as we pass the 60-minute mark. If there is one player that has made more of a difference for Manchester United this season, it is probably Saha. The goal is Saha's eight of the current season. A perfect finish to a Manchester United attack that was confident and unhurried. Manchester United might be on the way to breaking their eight-year drought at Ewood Park. We can see Blackburn coming back into this for a draw. But a win for Mark Hugh's lads seems unlikely now.

The first half ended with a yellow card dealt to Wayne Rooney. The second half has seen a slew of yellows in quick succession. For a while it looked like Blackburn's Mike McCarthy was going to be sent off when he kept arguing with ref Mike Riley after receiving a yellow for charging from the wall on a Crtitianno Ronald free kick. At this rate, it might not be long before we we a sending off on a red. Blackburn need to keep their cool and play it a little safer if thei want to end this match with 11 players.

Wayne Rooney picks up a totally unnecessary yellow card after arguing with referee Mike Riley about what appeared like an obvious foul on teammate Louis Saha in the Blackburn 18-yard box. Rooney has a reputation as an ill-tempered presence on the pitch. Some of that anger must be from frustration after Rooney failed to convert two clear chances to put the ball into the back of the Blackburn net. Sometimes Rooney just needs to keep his mouth shut. He's not the Manchester United captain, so it's not his job to step in to argue with the ref when his teammate is fouled.

We're ten minutes in to the match between Manchester United and Blackburn at the latter's home pitch, Ewood Park. Manchester United are riding high and confident at the top of the English Premier League table and three points clear of Chelsea. Things could change today.

Even though Blackburn is 13th in the table and have lost ther last three games, the club is a bit of a bogeyman for the Red Devils. Here's why: Manchester United have not won a match against Blackburn at Ewood Park in eight years! A loss here today for Sir Alex's side would mean the Red Devils would be tied again with champions Chelsea on points. A win from Blackburn here is not out of the question by any means.

Blackburn, themsleves former EPL champions, have a reputation as a rough, tough side. Year after year the club consistently ranks as the highest commiter of fouls, earning the most cards of any EPL squad.

Anyway, it's ten minutes into the first half and it's nil-nil.The teams are playing in torrential rain. It's cold. Man. U. appear to be playing the slightly better football so far. This could be epic.

We've seen multiple airings in the U.S. of the new television ad for EA Sports' FIFA 2007 videogame this past week. All the ads we spotted were on the Fox Soccer Channel and feature international football star Jose Fonseca talking in voiceover about what it's like to play under pressure, while his animated, digital doppelganger from the game is fouled and takes a free kick in a match against England. Fonseca is an interesting choice for the U.S. market. He is also one of the three football stars to grace the cover of the 2007 game. The other two are Ronaldinho (arguably the greatest active player on th eplanet) and Landon Donovan (who we think is a bit overrated as a player -- we presume EA Sports had to put an MLS "star" on the cover for the American market as part of a deal). The game was released in early October, but aside from the Fonseca commercial there hasn't been a lot of TV advertising for the game.

If ever there was a living cautionary tale in contemporary English football, it is Paul Gascoigne, who seems to have met with another around of trouble. This time Gazza was reportedly involved in an alleged assault in a night club incident in London yesterday. Gascoigne was one of the greats of his era, the late 1980's and 1990's, but his personal life and latter playing and managerial careers, the time since his Lazio, Rangers and England international and World Cup days, has been one of the sorriest around. Sad.

The former England international star midfielder is reportedly "stalling" on making a final decision on his contract renewal at the mammoth Spanish club Real Madrid. Only last week Beckham was making reassurances that he was definite in his intention to stay at the powerhouse La Liga club. Much speculation has been made regarding Becks' future and what clubs he might consider a move to come January and the start of the transfer season in the event that he opts not to renew his contract at Real Madrid. It all seems to hinge on whether or not he gets back to being a regular in the Real Madrid starting 11 squad. We figure this latest reported bout of hesitation on Beckham's part is just part of the negotiations mating dance. He wants to stay in Madrid, but only if he gets to continue to play in the first squad. All the talk of him considering a move to America and playing in the MLS or in Japan's J-League is rubbish, in our opinion. Though Beckham is now 31 years old, he still has at very least a couple of quality years left to play at the highest levels of international and club football.

Unbelieveable. Manchester United have been beaten by tiny, struggling Coca-Cola Championship club Southend in a 1-0 defeat,. This means the Premier League titans are now out of this year's Carling Cup competition. It's always a spectacle to see giants fall, but this is downright embarrassing for Sir Alex Ferguson and his Red Devils, especially given that Man. U. have just celebrated Sir Alex's 20th anniversary as gaffer at Old Trafford. What makes the defeat frightening for the club is that Manchester United reportedly fielded a first-team squad as the starting 11, which included both Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Despite being head of the EPL table and three points clear of champions Chelsea, Man. U. have their weaknesses. Their loss to Southend and their recent defeat in Europe at the hands of another "small" club, FC Copenhagen, suggest that it's only a matter of time before a mid- or top-ten-table EPL club takes three points from the Red Devils.

Rarely does a club manager spend as much time at one club and win as much silverware as Alex Ferguson has as manager of Manchester United, one of the most successful football clubs (or for that matter any professional sports club) in the world. This past weekend saw the 20th anniversary of Ferguson at Old Trafford. In that time he has led the Red Devils to mutliple Premier League titles, including a treble. He has been knighted, hence the "Sir" Alex, and he has helped usher in an era of football, especially in the U.K, much transformed for the better since the time he arrived. The English game is probably at its best form ever. When the youngish, ill-tempered Scottish manager came to Manchester United in the mid-1980's, soccer was at a low point in England. Ferguson has had a long and succesful career and seems intent to continue managing for many more seasons to come -- he has dismissed all talk of his retirement or future plans.

Snap! Oh, it's on!

It's been a long time coming, but finally Tottenham has beaten Chelsea 2-1 at White Hart Lane. The last time Tottenham beat Chelsea was in 1990. Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the U.K., Football clubs didn't have Web sites, stadiums were dangerous places, Gary Lineker was a Tottenham star striker, and the Barclay's Premier League, as we know it today, didn't exist. Today's win over Chelsea, was well-deserved , and Tottenham earned their three points with their best football of the season. The match itself was the best we've seen between any two clubs all season. Chelsea now fall to second place on points after Manchester United in the EPL table. Things are getting very interesting now.

Robben, Drogba, Lampard and Essien are all making serious threats on the Tottenham goal. With only four minutes of stoppage time left, there's still that chance that Chelsea can equalize.

Since they took the lead, Tottenham have been just pounding the Chelsea defenses, testing the defenders and goalkeeper over and over again with attacks and set-pieces on free kicks and corners. The tide started to turn for Chelsea, however, as they stepped up their counter-attacks on the Hotspur's' goal in the few minutes before Terry was sent-off. Even down to ten men, Chelsea are still putting the counter-attacking pressure on but failing to make successful crosses or take strong shots. The chances are there though. Meanwhile, Tottenham continue to cause trouble, but Chelsea CAN equalize. They've just go to calm down a bit and focus. The atmosphere at White Hart Lane is awesome.

Chelsea star defender and captain John Terry has lost his cool. He already had a yellow and got a second yellow to make a red car and be sent off following a tussle and small pushing and shoving match with Pascal Chimbonda inside the Tottenham 18-yard box. Chelsea are now down to ten men at the 70-minute mark. Chelsea are looking like they're in some serious trouble now.

We've got to wonder if either of Tottenham's two goals would have so easily been put past Chelsea first and second string goalkeppers Peter Cech or Carlo Cudicini, who are both out after serious freak head injuries a couple of weeks ago. Portuguese goalkeeper Henrique Hilario (who used to play under Jose Mourinho back when he managed FC Porto) has been holding his own as their replacement, but he's not as experienced perhaps as Cudicini and perhaps less skilled than Peter Cech.

Wow! Aaron Lennon scores for Tottenham in the opening minutes of the second half to take them into the lead at against Chelsea at White Hart Lane. And Tottenham are BEATING Chelsea, 2-1! Unbelieveable! Bear in mind, Tottenham have not beaten Chelsea in 16 years!!!

A Tottenham goal! Yes, Chelsea are on fire and within mere minutes after their first goal, Didier Drogba nearly earned a second goal for Chelsea. But Tottenham are on fire, too -- Hotspurs are playing excellent football today. And this was demonstrated by a brilliant reply to Chelsea's goal when Michael Dawson put in an absolute top-drawer header into Chelsea's goal to equalize. Tottenham are back in it. And we've truly got a cracking London derby afterall.

French international Claude Makelele puts a blistering shot from distance into the low left corner of Tottenham's net oly minutes into the match. This is a rare goal for the Chelsea defender, as he's rarely up front to take on scoring chances. The Chelsea massive are loud and delirious.

It's going to be another cracking London derby, as the commentators would say. This one on Tottenham's home pitch at White Hart Lane in north London. Sure, this isn't quite like a Chelsea vs. Arsenal match; beating Tottenham has been like picking low-hanging fruit for the "Big Four" clubs, though not always easy. Still, these two sides have quite some history -- Tottenham have not beaten Chelsea in 16 years and 32 meetings. The Chelsea massive will be out in mass filling every seat in the visitors supporters section at White Hart Lane to out-shout and oout-unsult the Hotspurs faithful. The atmosphere is going to be electric.

Chelsea are number 2 in the table, though tied for the top spot with Manchester United in terms of points. Jose Mourinho's squad and his latest European imports have finally found their chemistry and gelled -- they're playing amazing football now. Tottenham and its Dutch manager Martin Jol have been struggling and underperforming all season. There's tons of talent and strength on Tottenham -- they can win big matches if they really want to. Let's see if they can prove their mettle against True Blue, who will be in powerhouse form, no noubt.

Prediction Chelsea 3 - 1 Tottenham

It's dark day in Newcastle today, as the magpies lose to English Premier League newcomers Sheffield United. Newcastle's loss puts them in a very dangerous position in the table. They are now in 19th place, cruelly situated in the relgation zone. Many will be wondering if this may have been Newcastle manager Glen Roeder's last week at the helm. For the first two-thirds of the game it seemed as if it was only a matter of time before Newcastle put the ball into the back of the Sheffield net, as the home side appeared, on balance, to play the better football for much of those first 60 minutes. But Sheffield came back with surprisingly lethal vigor in the last third of the game. Their goal, a header by Danny Webber, was well-deserved and well-earned. This was an important symbolic victory for manager Neil Warnock's side, as not only was their win today their first away in the Premierhsip, but the winning goal itself was also their first away in the EPL. But most importantly, this victory spring Sheffield United out of the relegation zone. There is hope yet.

Danny Webber scored a brilliant goal for Sheffield United against Newcastle in the 68th minutes. Weber placed a beautiful header on a Sheffield counter attack, marking the first away goal for Sheffield in the English Premier League this season. And lowly Sheffied have scored one at one of the most initimidating club venues in all England. So it's Sheffiled United 1, Newcastle United 0. The Newcastle faithful at St. James Park are stunned to silence. Roeder's squad must scramble desperately to equalize now. Things are getting really, really interesting.

Newcastle started the second half strong. They've been playing a more ambitious and agrressive attacking game, dominating the first ten minutes of play. That they brought in two subs, Solano and Emre, at the start of the second half may have been an important factor. But Newcastle are now, at 60 minutes into the match, starting to show signs of fatigue, especially after all the effort and physicality of the past 10 - 15 minutes.

We've been watching the match between Newcastle United and newly promoted Sheffied United. It's just past the halftime break and the score is nil-nil. One of the commentators put it best when he said this match so far has been one between teams that have too much "fear."

Sheffield is in relegation zone, which is not unexpected, but their record in this season's English Premier League is so piss poor that they really need to start earning some points. In fact, that needs to start happening immediately. If they can't get out of the relegation zone by January, it would be quite improbable -- if not impossible -- to win their way up and out. A trip back down to the Coca Cola Championship would be a neaqr certainty.

Newcastle, on the other had, are way too close to the relegation zone for comfort. Their performance has been incoherent and lacked chemistry all season. The fear is that if they don't pick up a win in their next match or two, manager Glen Roeder could be sacked. We'd loved to know what Roeder's halftime talk to the lads was like.

This is going to be a classic for the Jose Mourinho career reel. On scoring in their second European Champions League group match against current title-holders Barcelona at the Camp Nou, Mourinho, aka "the Special One," celebrated at the sideline by going into a fist-pumping power slide. Beautiful. He probably ruined his suit and scuffed those shoes, but it was worth it. Plus on his salary he can afford it. And it probably felt soooooo good, too.

A mighty giant fell Wednesday, when Premiership leaders Manchester United succumbed to a surprising defat at the hands of little ol' Danish side FC Copenhagen in this week's round of European Champions League action. The Red Devils' performance was described as "lacklustre". The squad appeared weak and sloppy. Rooney was but a shadow of the brilliant striker he was in last week's Premiership hat-trick. The result means Man. U. still have work to do to earn their spot in the knock-out stage of the competition. It also raises doubts about the club's fitness and form going into this weekend's EPL match against Portsmouth. If FC Copenhagen can beat Sir Alex Ferguson's side, then surely Portsmouth -- on a good day -- can beat them, too.

A brilliant goal by a brilliant player. Frank Lamaprd bends one into the back of the Barca net from one of the most improbable angles. Poetry.

Though it ended in a 2-2 draw at the Nou Camp in Barcleona, Chelsea's performance was nothing short of spectacular. Frank Lampard's goal is one for the season highlights reel. It was a bitter and brutal clash with Barca. But Chelsea earned a point and could take comfort in the follow-up to their solid win over Barca two weeks earlier at Stamford Birdge, where the two sides met for their first showdown of the 2006-07 European Champions League season.

There has been a lot of speculation of late as to the future of former England international David Beckham. The Real Madrid star midfielder has been linked to possible moves next year to English clubs Tottenham Hotspurs and Newcastle United, as well as to a Japan J-League club or to -- ahem -- an American MLS team (C'mon, get serious, ya' geezers!). Rubbish talk, if you ask us. The Times is reporting that Beckham has said he has plans to stay at Real Madrid through his contract and the current season, and that he is keen to renew his contract at the mammoth Spanish La Liga club. In his words: "I don't want to leave." Beck's is currently in contract negotiations with Real management. His current contract expires next summer, and he would be able to make plans with another club as early as the start of the January 2007 transfer window. Some observers suggest that it is Beckham's recent form under new manager Fabio Capello that has kept him out of the starting 11 squad and relegated to the subs list in recent matches. The fact that Real Madrid has not won a Spanish league title since Beck's arrived from EPL side Manchester United three years ago has also put into question his value as a player.