Jose Mourinho has a successful season in charge of Real Madrid. The Spanish side have become the deserved winners of the La Liga and fell just short in the Champions League.

Despite this, the Portuguese manager will look to strengthen his squad even further going into next season, as Madrid seek European glory.

Especially with the likes of Higuain and Di Maria both expected to leave the club.

Below are various players Madrid have been linked in recent weeks.

Transfer Targets

Sergio Aguero – Manchester City – Striker

Real Madrid want to fund a multi-million pound bid for Sergio Aguero. President Florentino Perez is desperate to sign the Manchester City striker and is willing to part with whatever money it takes to lure the Argentine to the Bernabeu according to the Daily Mail.

To fund the ambitious offer, which City would be very reluctant to accept, Real want Higuain to move to Stamford Bridge.

Aguero has been a sensation for Roberto Mancini’s side, scoring 22 goals in 33 Premier League games.

Edison Cavani – Napoli – Striker

Reports have emerged that Real Madrid are watching Napoli striker Edinson Cavani’s situation.

The Uruguay international has emerged as the game’s hottest young striker and his performances in the Champions League have led to him being linked with Chelsea and Manchester City in recent weeks.

However, Real president Florentino Perez is also monitoring Cavani’s form and willing to put £35 million towards buying the Uruguay international at the end of the season.

Robin Van Persie – Arsenal – Striker

Real Madrid will make an offer for Robin van Persie in the summer as they join the £30million race for the Arsenal striker.

Manchester City and Barcelona are also keen on the Dutchman, 28, who has 12 months left on his Arsenal contract and is yet to commit to another deal.

Mourinho feels Van Persie would be a perfect fit into his evolving Madrid side.

Glen Johnson – Liverpool – Defender

Real Madrid are targeting Glen Johnson and Kyle Walker to fill their problem right-back position.

Officials at the Bernabeu were trying to sign promising Brazilian Mario Fernandes but have not even come close to agreeing a fee with Gremio.

So Jose Mourinho has turned to ‘Plan B’, according to Madrid newspaper Marca, and is planning to raid the Barclays Premier League for a player to fit his system.

It is thought Johnson, 27, would not cost more than £12.5million and is ready-made to match the wing-raiding prowess of Marcelo on the opposite flank.

Kyle Walker – Tottenham – Defender

21-year-old Kyle Walker is another right back being linked with a switch to Madrid. The young Tottenham star has been highly impressive since establishing himself as a first team regular in Harry Redknapp’s side.

Real boss Jose Mourinho has been tracking the Tottenham right-back ever since he shined on England duty against Spain at this summer’s European Under-21 finals.

And the manager of La Liga’s leaders has been impressed with Walker’s superb displays for club and country this term

Mourinho wants Walker to provide competition for Real right-back Sergio Ramos.

Walker is contracted to Spurs until 2016 but boss Harry Redknapp is braced for a bid from his friend Mourinho – which would need to be at least £20million to tempt chairman Daniel Levy into selling.

Edin Dzeko – Manchester City – Striker

Manchester City have decided to offload Edin Dzeko at the end of the season in a move that had already alerted Juventus and Real Madrid.

City manager Roberto Mancini has let it be known he will listen to offers for Dzeko after noting the striker’s unrest over limited opportunities in the starting line-up and sensing they will become even scarcer. Jose Mourinho is a firm admirer of the 26-year old.

Raul Meireles – Chelsea – Midfielder

Reports have emerged that Real Madrid have joined Juventus interest in Chelsea midfielder Raul Meireles.

The Daily Express says Real Madrid want to take unsettled Portuguese midfielder Meireles to Spain in a £10m move.

Gareth Bale – Tottenham – Midfielder

Bale, 22, has been linked with a switch away from White Hart Lane – and claims a big-money transfer to one of Europe’s top clubs is appealing.

“If you are talking about Barcelona or Real Madrid, two of the biggest clubs in the world, then it’s a bit like Harry and England, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime dream,” he said.

“If you said to any young player that you could play for Barcelona or Real would they turn it down? Probably not.”

This will no doubt alert Mourinho who would love to bring Bale to the Bernabeu.

Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva  – Sao Paulo – Midfielder

The La Liga winner’s scouts have been monitoring Lucas for some time and have apparently now recommended him to the directors.

Manager Jose Mourinho is also said to have given his approval to bid for a player widely regarded as one of the rising stars of South American football.

Lucas, who is also a target for Inter Milan and Chelsea, broke into the Sao Paulo team in 2010 and made his debut for Brazil last year. He was included in the squad for the 2011 Copa America and already has ten caps to his name.

Papiss Cisse – Newcastle – Striker

Recently, Cisse has been falsely linked with Madrid. The Senegal international has refuted the claims in the media that he is after a move to the Spainish giants, instead pledging his continuing commitment to the Magpies.

Also See:

• More Real Madrid News.
• More Transfer Rumours.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Coming into this season, many expected the UEFA Champions League final to be an all-Spanish affair between Barcelona and Real Madrid. That hasn’t come to pass, as Bayern Munich and Chelsea had other plans.

However, La Liga is still assured of having a European champion this season, as domestic foes Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid will tangle in Wednesday’s Europa League final in Bucharest.

Spanish sides have had a lot of success in the UEFA Cup/Europa League in the last decade, as this year will mark the fifth time in nine seasons that a Spanish side has won Europe’s secondary club competition. Most recently, Atletico Madrid took home the title in 2010, downing Fulham 2-1 in extra time behind a Diego Forlan double.

Get your free football bets at www.freebets.org.uk.

Savior Simeone Spearheads Atletico Revival

This year’s Atletico Madrid side is much, much different than the one that made that successful run two years ago, with many changes coming just in the last year. Atletico sold some top names last summer, as Forlan, Sergio Aguero, and David de Gea all departed for prominent European clubs, and they invested a lot of money on new faces. The most notable of those new faces is Colombian goal machine Radamel Falcao, who will be looking for back-to-back Europa League crowns with two different sides. Last season, he scored a competition-record 17 goals – 18 including the playoff round – including the winner in the final against Braga, as Porto lifted the trophy.

Falcao has put together another fantastic campaign, notching 10 goals in the Europa League and 33 in all competitions, but some of the other new names have had significant roles as well. Forward Adrian, the Golden Boot winner at last summer‘s U21 Euros, has proven to be quite the bargain after moving from relegated side Deportivo La Coruna on a free. He’s matched Falcao‘s 10 Europa League goals, and he has 18 in all competitions. Brazilian playmaker Diego, on loan from VfL Wolfsburg, leads the competition in assists with six, reminding all why he was rated so highly a few years ago.

The most important signing, however, has been in the technical area. Former Atletico star Diego Simeone – yes, the Diego Simeone – replaced Gregorio Manzano as manager in December, and the change has paid big dividends.

In the league, Atletico head into the final weekend on a five-match unbeaten run and still in contention for a Champions League place, as they are only two points behind fourth-placed Malaga. And in Europe, Atletico have impressively won all eight of their matches in the knockout round. After dispatching Lazio, Besiktas, and Hannover 96 all home and away to reach the semis, they did the same to compatriots Valencia, following up a 4-2 home win with a 1-0 win at the Mestalla, recording their first away win of any kind against Valencia since 2003. That’s an achievement made all the more impressive by the fact that Atletico have all of three away wins in the league this season.

Their impressive run has booked the sixth European final in the club’s history, adding to one European Cup final, the victorious UEFA Cup final, and three Cup Winner’s Cup finals. But as impressive as they‘ve been in reaching the final, they’ve perhaps been somewhat overshadowed by Athletic‘s achievements.

Bielsa Brings Belief to Bilbao

Athletic’s only previous European final was in 1977, when they lost on away goals to Juventus in the UEFA Cup final, and they haven’t seen a ton of success since their domestic league and cup double under Javier Clemente in 1983-84. Cue former Argentina and Chile manager Marcelo Bielsa, who took the helm last summer. For much of the season, Athletic were in the thick of the race for a Champions League place, and after not winning a trophy since the Spanish Super Cup in 1984, Athletic now have a chance to win two in quick succession, as they will end their season against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.

And what a season it’s been for the youthful side. Not only have they achieved as much as they have, they’ve done it with many an impressive attacking performance. The performances that catapulted them into the consciousness of many football fans came in the round of 16 against Manchester United, who were stunningly dispatched 3-2 at Old Trafford and 2-1 at San Mames. As impressive as those scorelines are, they could and perhaps should have been even bigger, as Athletic thoroughly dominated United over the two legs.

This side may not be filled with experience, but its fearlessness and confidence is to be admired. They weren’t intimidated against United, and they weren’t fazed by having to overturn first-leg losses in the round of 32 against Lokomotiv Moscow and in the semis against Sporting Lisbon. Those deficits were successfully negotiated, and they also came back from 2-1 down to win 4-2 at Schalke in the first leg of their quarterfinal tie.

It’s easy to be fearless and confident when you have the quality that Athletic have in their ranks. How long the side stays intact remains to be seen, as this run has only intensified the interest that top European clubs have in Athletic’s numerous bright talents. Seven of their primary starters are 24 or younger, and several of those young stars have been linked with elite clubs. Iker Muniain and Javi Martinez were already well on the radar before this season, but Oscar de Marcos, Ander Herrera, and Markel Susaeta have also seen their stock soar thanks in part to their excellent performances in Athletic’s Europa League run.

The emergence of their mass of young talent has helped make Athletic more of a complete team, and it’s also freed up one of their ‘old’ players to be even more dangerous than he already was. Fernando Llorente has been considered one of the top strikers in Spain for a while and has been linked with some big-money moves himself, but this is his best season yet. He’s scored 29 goals in all competitions, including seven in the Europa League. His most recent goal might be the most important one of his career, as it was the decisive goal in Athletic’s dramatic 4-3 aggregate win against Sporting. This could be a big, big few months for Llorente, as he could have a prominent role for Spain at the Euros and will almost certainly be a prominent name in this summer’s transfer rumors.

Final Prediction

With an abundance of attacking talent on both sides, we would seem to be in for a few goals on Wednesday, and the numbers are certainly in favor of such. Including the qualifying rounds, Atletico Madrid have scored 40 goals in the competition, while Athletic have scored 28. Of course, cup finals are often not nearly as entertaining as they should be, due to caginess or sloppy play, but it would only be right if these two play out an open, goal-filled game.

If they do, it will only further the positive attention the Europa League has garnered this season. The competition is often enough dismissed, but thanks in part to these two sides, this year’s edition has been well worth watching, even with Manchester rivals United and City, who came into the competition at the round of 32, both being dumped out in the round of 16. Tuesdays and Wednesdays will always be king, but there have been many thrilling Thursdays this season.

How will the competition be capped off? Will Falcao win back-to-back Europa League titles, or will Athletic end a memorable run with the club’s first European trophy? Atletico are slight favorites, but with what they’ve shown to this point, who can bet against Bielsa and the boys from Bilbao?

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Watched by a global TV audience of around 650 million, it’s been described as ‘the mother of all derbies’ and the second most important game in the world (after El Clasico) – but is the Manchester derby the biggest derby in Europe?

This all depends on two things: (a) how do we define a derby? (b) how do we compare all the derbies objectively?

The first question is arguably the more difficult one. Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, Inter Milan vs. Juventus, and Liverpool vs. Manchester United are all examples of intense rivalries rather than derbies. We could define a derby as the match between two clubs from the same city, but this would exclude Newcastle United vs. Sunderland, Borussia Dortmund vs. Schalke 04, Ajax vs. Feyenoord and Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Sociedad to give just a few examples.

Even within the same city, Fulham’s main local derby is with Chelsea, whereas Chelsea’s is with Spurs, whose derby is with Arsenal. So even if we were able to compare all European derbies objectively, the very idea of a derby would always be problematic.

Of course, in terms of European footballing success, all one-city derbies pale in comparison to Milan, a city whose two teams have amassed a grand total of ten European Cups/Champions League titles between them (Real Madrid alone are not far behind with nine, whilst Manchester/Liverpool have eight). In fact Milan is the only city in Europe with more than one winner of the competition, making any objective success-based comparisons of European footballing derbies difficult.

An easier and in many ways more appropriate method for comparison would be to combine the average attendances of each derby team throughout the 2010-11 season and list them accordingly. Bear in mind that this is not a list of the fiercest rivalries (which would always be subjective) and that the attendance figure is for all games throughout the season (not just the derby games themselves).

The top 20 derbies in Europe based on combined average attendance

Notes

All figures are based on Wikipedia’s top 70 clubs by average attendance. I haven’t included any clubs that are outside the top 70, e.g. 1860 Munchen (whose average attendance of 20,000 would put the Munich derby in the top ten). This is because I’d like to source all the figures from the same place. However I don’t think the list would change dramatically if this was the case. Fenerbahce (39,542) vs. Besiktas (26,249) would have made the list but the figures given are not for the 2010-11 season (and the Besiktas figures is unsourced).

The top ten teams without representation in the list are Marseilles (51,081), Eintracht Frankfurt (47,335), Napoli (47,210), FC Kaiserslautern (46,378), Hertha Berlin (45,761), Hannover 96 (43,948), Valencia (41,599), VfB Stuttgart (38,847), Porto (36,404) and Shakhtar Donetsk (33,897). I considered classifying Eintracht Frankfurt vs. FC Kaiserslautern as a derby (which with a combined total of 93,713 would’ve made the top ten) but decided not to (see below).

Any list of teams based on average attendance will always be dominated by Germany, where competetive one-city derbies are uncommon. I’ve chosen to include the four biggest regional ‘derbies’ and exclude all the others – although I think the Ruhrgebiet still has to be classed as a single agglomeration (as of course does Greater Manchester).

No team has been included twice. This means that Arsenal vs. Spurs is classed as the biggest London derby, with Chelsea vs. Fulham second. It should be stressed that there is a lot of overlap when it comes to the London derbies. These four teams have been chosen purely because they have the highest average attendances, not (at least in the case of the West London derby) because they have the fiercest rivalry.

The closest distance between two stadiums is of course Milan vs. Inter, where the two teams share the San Siro. The distance between Anfield and Goodison Park is 0.6 miles; between Estadio Da Luz and Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon it is 1.4 miles. The longest distance between two clubs in the list is between Munich and Nuremburg (the two largest cities in Bavaria), which are around 100 miles apart, raising inevitable questions about how we define a derby. The distance between Hamburg and Bremen is around 60 miles, between Bilbao and San Sebastian around 50 miles, between Amsterdam and Rotterdam around 35 miles, between Lyon and Saint-Etienne around 30 miles. The distance between the Westfalenstadion and the Veltins Arena is exactly 17 miles, whilst there are exactly ten miles between St. James’ Park and the Stadium of Light.

The smallest difference in ratio between the two average attendances are those between Milan vs. Inter, Köln vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach and Celtic vs. Rangers. The largest by a long way is Barcelona vs. Espanyol (although the difference between Bayern Munich vs. 1860 Munchen would have been bigger still).

Whilst it isn’t perfect for all the reasons mentioned, the list above arguably gives us a better insight into European football than the list of average attendances itself or the infamous Deloitte Football League, in showing where the real football powerhouses of Europe lie. It’s no surprise to see the Revierderby topping the list with Manchester, Madrid, Munich (Bavaria), Barcelona and Milan all close behind. Manchester’s success on-the-field this season is clearly a reflection of the city’s status as one of the six football capitals of European club football.

More Football Derbies

• The World’s Most Violent Football Derbies.
• Major Football Derbies (with sub-articles for each continent).

The author, Tom Riley, writes about football, music and the history of Manchester at http://ascentofmanchester.blogspot.co.uk.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Real Madrid wrapped up the La Liga title last weekend, with Jose Mourinho leading the Santiago Bernabeu outfit to their first Spanish top-flight success in four years. A convincing 3-0 away win over Europa League finalists Athletic Bilbao sealed the triumph, and broke Barcelona’s stranglehold over the game in Spain.

The achievement has not gone unnoticed in west London, as former employer Roman Abramovich is reportedly eager to bring ‘The Special One’ back to Chelsea. The latest success is Mourinho’s 19th trophy in his managerial career, a quite unbelievable achievement.

2002-03

From taking over at Portuguese giants Porto in 2002 until now, Mourinho’s record has been exemplary. The Setubal-born trainer started as he intended to carry on in his first season at the Estadio da Dragao, winning the Primeira Division at a canter, the Taca de Portugal and the UEFA Cup in a momentous season. In the league the total of 86 points out of the possible maximum of 102 was a Portuguese record, whilst Mourinho’s men beat his former club Leiria in the cup final and Celtic in the European finale.

2003-04

Mourinho and his Porto team really shot into the limelight the following season, by retaining their Primeira Division title and against the odds lifting the Champions League. Porto sealed their domestic title with five weeks of the season still to play, and after eliminating Manchester United in Europe, lifted the Champions League crown with a 3-0 win over Monaco.

2004-05

Porto’s elimination of United drew English attention to Mourinho’s achievements, and the successful trainer took over the Chelsea managerial position. After proclaiming himself ‘The Special One’ in his first press conference, Mourinho went on to put his money where his mouth is, lifting the Premier League crown in his debut season, the Blues’ first in 50 years. Chelsea also beat Liverpool to lift the Carling Cup.

2005-06

With the Blues team given self-belief by boss Mourinho, Chelsea went on to retain their Premier League title the following season, with a 3-0 win over Manchester United proving their dominance. They also lifted the Community Shield by beating Arsenal 2-1, but the Champions League remained all-elusive.

2006-07

Mourinho’ last full season at Chelsea saw his men relinquish their Premier League crown to Manchester United, and they were eliminated from the Champions League by Liverpool. Despite this, the Blues still lifted the FA Cup and League Cup in a domestic double.

2008-09

After being shown the door by Abramovich in the 2007-08 season, Mourinho took over at Inter after an eight-month spell away from the game. Similar to his time at Chelsea, he wasted no time in laying down a landmark, and won the Serie A title at the first time of asking and the Supercoppa Italiana. Despite winning the Scudetto by a ten-point margin, elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Manchester United was a major frustration for the perfectionist coach.

2009-10

Arguably Mourinho’s most successful season in management, Inter were unstoppable in 2009-10. The Nerazzurri retained their Serie A crown in impressive form, beat Roma to claim the Coppa Italia trophy and after defeating Barcelona in the semi-finals, lifted the Champions League crown with victory over Bayern Munich. The next day Mourinho admitted that the win would be the last game in charge of the Italian giants.

2010-11

Mourinho was announced as the replacement for Manuel Pellegrini at Real Madrid for the 2010-11 season, with the capital-city side looking for a solution to Barcelona’s dominance at home and on the continent. In this first campaign in Spain the Portuguese coach failed to stop Pep Guardiola’s men achieve glory in La Liga and the Champions League, but did beat the Catalan giants in the Copa del Rey final.

2011-12

This season has been a different story for Madrid, who have been comprehensive and deserved winners of La Liga. The main criticism aimed at Mourinho’s men was their inability to beat Barcelona in a clash between the sides, but a 2-1 victory at Camp Nou got this monkey of the team’s back and all-but secured the division title. Although Champions League still eludes Mourinho at Madrid, the Portuguese coach will look to dominate all competitions next season.

There are increased rumours over Mourinho’s future and a potential move back to England, but this is unlikely, as the proud coach will feel that he has unfinished business in Spain. Next term Madrid will have a transitional Barcelona side to deal with, and the Santiago Bernabeu fans will crave that Mourinho deliver the Champions League back to this great club.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Real Madrid clinched the La Liga title for the first time since 2008 after their 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday night.

A little over one week later after their Champions league misery, Jose Mourinho’s side have recovered to take the title from holders Barcelona.

Gonzalo Higuain smashed home a superb 16th-minute opener after Cristiano Ronaldo had earlier missed horribly from the penalty spot.

But the Portuguese attacker recovered to beautifully create a second for Mesut Ozil in the 20th minute and got on the score sheet himself five minutes after the break with a simple header from Ozil’s corner, his 44th league goal of yet another prolific season.

The win kept Madrid seven points ahead of Barcelona with two games to go, Barca’s 4-1 win over Malaga earlier this evening merely delaying the celebrations of a 32nd title by a matter of hours.

Barcelona’s Messi broke the European club scoring record with a hat trick, in this match, raising his season total to 68 goals. This broke the record of 67 goals Gerd Mueller had set for Bayern Munich in 1972-73.

The success means Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has now won the league title in four different countries following his triumphs with Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, Athletic, who perhaps had their minds on other things with Europa League and Copa Del Rey finals to look forward to, finished with 10 men following Javi Martinez’s harsh sending off for two handballs.

The Portuguese manager now becomes the third ever coach to win league titles in four different countries after triumphs with Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan. He joins Austrian Ernst Happel and Italian veteran Giovanni Trapattoni in the elite club.

Jose Mourinho:

“I won the league title in Portugal, Italy and England, but this one has been the toughest”

“I’ve won seven league titles overall and I know what it feels like. Barcelona won all their games, as befits the great team that they are. They’ve been winning to the very last day.”

“They are a club with great tradition that knows we deserved to win this title.”

Cristiano Ronaldo:

“The players are all very happy after 10 months of fighting, of training, of games, the objective was to be champion so we are happy to have achieved it,”

“To have beaten a team like Barca makes this league win more difficult. It’s much better to win against one of the best teams. It makes it better.”

The way Madrid took La Liga was more than just a point’s win, it was much more impressive than that. Just 11 days before this match, Real defeated Barca in El Clasico with a 2-1 win. They won it away, part of a potentially record-setting year for wins away from home.

The only negative moment in the home stretch of the season for Real was the loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi. I’m sure there’s more than enough consolation for Real fans in their taking down their main rival, and now they can set their sights on next season.

The momentum will now be with Mourinho’s Madrid after the Portuguese masterminded the club’s first title for 4 years. When his sides start winning, that’s usually an ominous sign for their rivals. Mourinho has already signalled his intentions to stay for a third term in Spain and will set his sights on winning the Champions League for Madrid, as well as a second successive Liga title.

Feel free to visit my independent blog for similar articles http://chrisslinnell.wordpress.com/

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Pep Guardiola has sensationally called time on his Barcelona career following a difficult season in which the Catalans relinquished their grip on La Liga to rivals Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Champions League Roberto Di Matteo’s Chelsea.

The 41-year-old, who was appointed in 2008 and has led the Catalan club to 13 trophies, will be succeeded by his current assistant Tito Vilanova come the end of the season.

Since becoming manager of the La Liga side, Guardiola has won 13 trophies: two Champions League crowns, three La Liga trophies, one Copa del Rey, three Supercopas, two Uefa Super Cups and two Fifa Club World Cups.

It’s fair to say his Barcelona will go down in history as one of the game’s great teams—some would argue the greatest. They’ve not only dominated, but done so with a grace and beauty in their play that has left even the most cynical in awe. The naked eye tells us that Barcelona’s play is a symphony of intuition. Yet we shouldn’t be fooled by the breath-taking aesthetics. Guardiola is an obsessive, perfectionist. The technical relationships on the pitch are the result of years of indoctrination and feverishly practiced drills.

This style of play has led Guardiola to become the most successful coach in Barcelona’s history. In his final season with the club, Barcelona find themselves seven points behind Real Madrid with four games to play. But there is still a Copa del Rey final to come at the end of the season; a win in this would mean a success rate of 14 out of 18 competitions.

On top of this, he has overseen the rise of three-time world player of the year Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, while signing Fabregas from Arsenal.

Guardiola was particularly close to Messi - describing him as “the best ever” player - while the Argentina forward suggested Guardiola was the main factor behind Barca’s recent success.

A Catalan and a product of Barcelona’s youth system, the young kid plucked from obscurity by Cruyff, Guardiola became the captain having been a member of the Dream Team – the model against which all other Barcelona teams are measured and which Guardiola’s team superseded.

Barcelona announced that Pep Guardiola was going to be their new coach, back in the summer of 2008. The team had just finished the season empty handed, 18 points behind Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, Many fans were convinced performances  would improve, but no-one could have expected quite so much change and quite so quickly. Within 12 months, Barcelona had won a unique treble: the league, the Copa del Rey and the European Cup were theirs. Much more followed.

It’s clear the pressure from managing such a huge club has taken its toll on Guardiola over the last few years.

“The reason is simple: four years is enough,” said Guardiola.

“I’m drained and I need to fill up. The demand has been very high and a manager must be strong.”

The Future for Guardiola?

The 41 year-old is expected to take a year’s break from football before re-joining the game at a new club.

The current situation in the Premiership could provide very interesting circumstances if Guardiola decided to stay in the game. I feel it’s unlikely he would manager another Spanish team in the La Liga, therefore England is the only logical move he could make.

It has been announced within the last 48 hours that Guardiola is Roman Abramovich’s number one candidate to replace Andre Villas-Boas as Chelsea’s next full-time manager. Unfortunately the Russian wants his man now, rather than in a year’s time. He intends to tempt Pep into postponing his gap year by offering him huge amounts of money.

Unfortunately, this tactic might not come off. Guardiola is very much his own man, to the extent that he famously only signed rolling one-year contracts at the Camp Nou instead of committing himself to the club long-term. And that determined streak could scupper Chelsea’s plans.

At Old Trafford, there won’t be too many names above Guardiola’s on the Glazers’ shortlist of potential successors for Sir Alex Ferguson. The only problem is shifting the man currently in the chair. Fergie has been on the brink of retirement for the past decade since announcing he was planning to call it a day when he turned 60 in 2002.

The Scot has recently declared he fancies two more years in the hot seat. Nobody at Manchester United would ever suggest Ferguson left the club on anything but his own terms, of course, but should his side have a successful season next year, he may consider quitting at the very top of his game, leaving the door open for a refreshed Guardiola to take the throne.

Furthermore, Arsenal is a possible future club for the Spaniard. Given their common philosophy of making the beautiful game as beautiful as possible, Guardiola would 100% suit the London clubs style of play. Wenger still has two seasons to run on his current deal at the Emirates, and would almost certainly want to lead his rejuvenated side into next season. But if Guardiola goes through with his plan for a break, then Arsenal might try and tempt Wenger with a role upstairs to accommodate him.

Finally, at White Hart Lane. With Harry Redknapp’s short-term future undecided to say the least, there’s no doubt that Tottenham would love to get Guardiola. Whether the Spaniard would feel the same way is debatable at best.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy would have to pull of the sale of the century to convince Guardiola his future lies at White Hart Lane. But the club do have a promising pool of young talent – Pep is a fully-paid up member of the Gareth Bale fan club – and the potential to become a domestic and European powerhouse. Extremely unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

Why He Should Stay at Barca?

Many people would suggest Guardiola’s decision to leave Barcelona is a poor decision. It seems a week of poor results has forced him to make a rash decision regarding his future at the club. Below are a few reasons why he should stay:

1)      He won’t find better players anywhere else in the World – The Likes of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta are obviously very special. It is these players who possess the world-class ability to play the sort of football Guardiola loves his team to play. It’s highly unlikely that the Spaniard will find this calibre of players at his new club. As great as clubs like, Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are, they don’t contain the same individual player quality as Real Madrid or Barcelona.

2)      Barcelona has arguably the best youth system in football – at his new club Guardiola won’t have the luxury of one of the world’s best youth systems to rely on. Top level players require the correct mentality to know what is required of them when they step onto the pitch. Throughout the Spaniards career as Barca manager, the clubs youth system has produced two or three players that have moulded wonderfully into the first team, with very little work required.

3)      Barcelona are very, very wealthy – Throughout his Barcelona career, Guardiola relied on great huge transfer budgets to allow him to sign the best players for his team. For example, this season he recruited Fabregas for 29 million Euros and Alexis Sanchez for 26 million euros + bonuses. With the exception of Real Madrid, Manchester City and at a push Chelsea, most clubs do not have this sort of spending ability.

4)      Finally, he won’t find a more welcoming home anywhere else in the World – When he began his managerial career for the Barcelona first team, he arrived with very little experience. Even when he quickly discarded three of the clubs best players, he was allowed to do so with little question. His connections with the club were a major reason for this. His playing career had made him a fan favourite. Wherever Guardiola goes after his ‘gap year’ he’ll be embraced by the fans for his prestige and reputation. But he won’t have the same undying devotion that the Catalan fan base gave him. He’ll go from being a regional hero to being just another manager at another club.

“I want to thank Pep with all my heart for everything he has given me personally and professionally.” - Lionel Messi

“Pep is Barca. He lives for this club. That is what differentiates him from many coaches.” - Barcelona president Sandro Rosell.

“In my time as manager, it’s the best team I’ve faced.” - Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, after Guardiola’s Barcelona team beat United in the 2011 Champions League final.

Wherever his future takes him, Guardiola will always be remembered at Barcelona for the incredible style of football played at the Nou Camp. He’s had a huge impact on the club; this has been highlighted by his amazing success in competitions against the world’s best teams.

It’s going to be a very long year for fans of football, as we wait to see where he’ll end up next, the man is a legend!

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

On 28^th May 2010, it was confirmed Jose Mourinho would be taking over from Manuel Pellegrini at Real Madrid. ‘The Special One’ arrived at the Bernabau with a huge task on his hands. Since 2008, Barcelona had become the dominant force in Spanish football; it was his job to change this.

Before joining Los Blancos, Mourinho had already enjoyed an extremely successful managerial career. Having won the Portuguese Liga, Portuguese Cup, Portuguese Super Cup, UEFA Cup and the Champions League with Porto. As well as, the FA Premier League, League Cup, FA Community Shield and the FA Cup with Chelsea. He then went on to win the Treble with Inter. Clearly he had a lot to live up to as he took the new job in Spain.

Mourinho acted quickly to improve the squad, signing 4 new players Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira, Ricardo Carvalho and Angel Di Maria, following the 2010 World Cup. His first season at Madrid had a poor return as far success in competition is concerned. Domestically, his side fell short of Barcelona by 4 points in the league. However, a win in the Copa Del Ray final, after a 1-0 win against Guardiola’s side, gave Mourinho his first trophy in Spanish football and ended Madrid’s 18 year-long cup drought. On top of this, they suffered a cruel defeat to their domestic rivals in a Champions League semi-final full of controversy.  The domestic cup win was probably the biggest highlight in a year full of transition for Los Blancos. Clearly Barcelona still held the monopoly when comparing the strength of the two sides, but the 2011-12 season has seen a dramatic shift in power.

When Mourinho was appointed manager of Madrid he stated that his teams always improve in his second season. It appears he was right. Over time his team has had a chance to gel. This, plus a few new signings has given Madrid the strength and confidence they had previously been lacking.

This season, Real Madrid are currently run away leaders of La Liga, having beaten Barcelona at the Nou Camp last weekend. Although, they were defeated by Barca in the Copa Del Rey quarter final, the priority for Mourinho is clearly the league. Arguably, Cristiano Ronaldo has been the key to Madrid’s good fortune. Having passed 100 goals in just 3 seasons for the club, the midfielder has carried his team in games when they have struggled to perform.

This has been a record breaking season for Madrid, in a roller-coaster year for the club. Many, including myself, would argue that they now have the upper hand over their Catalan rivals. Success domestically this season has proved this. When looking at the numbers, one would almost instantly conclude that no team in La Liga history is better than Real Madrid.

In addition to this, Mourinho’s side looked on course for European success following Barca’s defeat to Chelsea on Tuesday night. However, Madrid lost to Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu yesterday evening, in a closely fought match. Before the game, the papers were flooded with speculation regarding the Portuguese manager’s future at the club. Many suggested failure to reach the Champions League final in May would result in Mourinho leaving the Spanish giants.

The only question that remains this season: Will Jose stay at Madrid? He’s always hinted at a move back to England, perhaps a return to Chelsea or as a potential replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson at United. Being such a prolific manager, he must feel he has unfinished business at his current club. Madrid still have much more to play for domestically if they are to steal Barca’s crown permanently. Plus, I’m sure he will look to improve on his teams’ failure to progress past the semi-final stage of the Champions League, for the past two seasons.

Mourinho still has a lot to do if Real Madrid plan to re-establish themselves as the most successful club in football. It would be a perfect way for the current manager to complete his legacy. Although in the future I would love to see him return to the Premier League, preferably as Man United manager. Regardless, wherever he ends up, it’s clear to see, he has enormous amounts to offer.

For similar articles, visit my blog chrisslinnell.wordpress.com and follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/#!/ChrisLFootball.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The Netherlands international team go into this summer’s Euro 2012 tournament as one of the favourites and frontrunners, with quality throughout Bert van Marwijk’s side.

However, unfortunately the Eredivisie has lost its ability to keep the best homegrown players in the country and Ajax’s UEFA Champions League glory of 1995 seems like an eternity ago.

For the national team’s last game, a friendly against Germany, only seven of the 21-man squad ply their club trade in the Dutch homeland, and this was without a number of big-name exports who were rested.

Holland certainly has produced a raft of great players over the last ten years that have graced other European leagues, with the ten best as follows:

Rafael van der Vaart

Rafael VDV for Spurs

Rafael van der Vaart left Ajax in 2005 to join Real Madrid, before moving on to Hamburg; he now plays in England for Tottenham. The playmaker has amassed 93 international caps despite only being 28, and is a key player in Harry Redknapp’s revitalised Spurs team.

Jaap Stam

Stam for Ajax

Netherlands is known for its attacking players who play total football, but Jaap Stam epitomises a fantastic defensive combatant from the nation. A rock of a central defender, Stam left PSV in the late 1990′s and enjoyed playing at the highest level for Manchester United, Lazio and AC Milan. Famed for his no-nonsense approach, Stam won 67 caps for his nation before retiring in 2007.

Arjen Robben

Robben for Bayern Munich

The skilful winger left PSV in 2004 and has since been an important player for Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, as well as the national side. Robben is one of the best dribblers in recent memory, with his trickery, pace and eye for goal an asset for every team he has represented. Robben has won top flight titles in Holland, England, Spain and Germany, but is yet to win the Champions League.

Robin van Persie

RVP for the Gunners

A product of the Feyenoord academy, Van Persie left Netherlands in 2004 to join Arsenal, and he is currently their captain and talisman. The in-form striker is currently the Premier League’s top goalscorer this term, the winner of the PFA Player of the Year award and undoubtedly one of the most dangerous and prolific attackers in the European game.

Edgar Davids

Davids for the Dutch

One of the most iconic footballers of his generation, Davids’ will to win and determination set a precedent for the rest of Europe in the 2000′s. Played at the highest level for AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona and Inter Milan, before stepping out for Tottenham and Crystal Palace in the latter days of his career.

Part of Ajax’s golden generation and the Champions League winning side of 1995. Davids won three Serie A titles but never lifted Europe’s top club trophy again after leaving Amsterdam.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Ruud for Man Utd

Ten years playing for Manchester United and Real Madrid show Van Nistelrooy’s undoubted quality, with a goal record to envy. The Dutch marksman has also played for Hamburg and Malaga since leaving his homeland, and still continues to be a goal threat in La Liga despite being 35-years-old.

35 international goals and three top flight titles ensure that Van Nistlerooy will be remembered as one of the country’s top centre forwards.

Mark van Bommel

van Bommel for Milan

Former PSV midfielder Mark van Bommel has played at the very highest level since leaving Holland in 2005, having worn the colours of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AC Milan. The current Holland captain has one last international tournament in him this summer, and will look to add to his medal collection of four Eredivisie titles, one La Liga title, one Serie A title, two Bundesliga titles and a Champions League victory.

Edwin van der Sar

van der Sar for Man Utd

The now-retired goalkeeper plied his trade in Italy for Juventus, before representing Fulham and Manchester United in England. Four Premier League titles and a Champions League medal are just reward for the 41-year-old, who hung up his boots last summer. Sir Alex Ferguson is yet to fully replace Van der Sar, who himself stepped into the massive shoes of Peter Schmeichel at Old Trafford, and excelled.

Wesley Sneijder

Sneijder for Inter

Arguably one of the best playmakers in the modern game, Sneijder left Ajax in 2007 after five years with the senior side to join Real Madrid. After two seasons the attacking midfielder departed the Santiago Bernabeu to join Inter, and was the subject of a protracted transfer saga over a potential move to Manchester United last summer.

League titles in Italy and Spain have been backed up by Champions League success; Sneijder is truly one of Holland’s best recent exports.

Clarence Seedorf

Seedorf for Milan

One of Holland’s greatest ever players, Clarence Seedorf is still an integral player for Italian champions AC Milan at 35-years-old. The veteran midfielder has an unbelievable trophy haul at club level, with Champions League titles with Ajax, Real Madrid and twice with AC Milan. 87 international caps and over a decade of playing at the highest level, Clarence Seedorf is Netherlands top export.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

On Saturday evening, Barcelona and Real Madrid will face off for the 11th time in the last two seasons, and the anticipation level as high as ever, even with the defeats that both sides suffered this week in the Champions League. Both will be expected to take care of business at home next week and set up the long-expected Champions League final Clasico in Munich, but all eyes, especially theirs, are now on Saturday’s showdown at the Camp Nou.

There are many angles from which to look at this match, whether one chooses to focus on the numerous individual and collective ‘matchups’ headlined by the latest duel between Lionel Messi, 63-goal scorer and present holder of the title of ‘best player in the world’ (according to most, that is), and Cristiano Ronaldo, 53-goal scorer and #1 contender for the mythical throne, its status as a showdown between the two best club sides in the world, or Barcelona’s dominance of Real/Real’s inability to beat Barcelona.

Barcelona v Real Madrid – recent history

The last one of those is the most important, as it correlates with the outcome of the La Liga title race the last few seasons and how the title race will pan out this season. Real are most in need of the win, not least because they haven’t done much winning against their archrivals recently. They did score a 1-0 extra-time win in last season’s Copa del Rey final in Valencia, but they haven’t won over 90 minutes since a 4-1 league win in May 2008, three days after they’d secured the most recent of their 31 league titles.

And their last victory in enemy territory? A 1-0 win that previous December in their other league meeting that season. Considering that’s the only time Real have done the league double over Barca since the 1983/84 season, Jose Mourinho may need to give Bernd Schuster a call before Saturday evening. But then again, Schuster’s side did it just before Pep Guardiola over and Barca began their assault on the world of club football and the history and record books, so…

There can be some encouragement, perhaps, from parts of their performances this season, which has seen them fall to 5-4 on aggregate in the Spanish Super Cup, 4-3 in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, and 3-1 in their league fixture at the Bernabeu in December. That makes for painful reading for Real supporters, no doubt, but not nearly as painful as the 5-0 league defeat at the Camp Nou last season.

Real have scored first in the three matches at the Bernabeu this season, and they staged late comebacks in the two away matches. Those two comebacks were both for naught, as they surrendered a late winner in a 3-2 defeat in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup and weren’t able to produce a late winner after overturning a 2-0 halftime deficit in the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal tie, but including the 1-1 draw in the second leg of last season’s Champions League semis, you could say there’s been some progress in their performances at the Camp Nou since the aforementioned rout.

Will Madrid be happy with denying Barcelona a win?

So they’ve had some starts, and they’ve had some finishes, but can they put it all together and produce a win that would put them in an almost unassailable position? Well, a lot depends on whether or not they set out to win. Real come in with a four-point advantage with five matches remaining, and while a win would all but put an end to the title race, they would still be in the driver’s seat even with a draw.

And while playing for a draw might seem to make the most sense and is the approach that most will expect Mourinho to employ, setting up shop for a draw would be a dangerous endeavor against a side that can easily put paid to those plans in a flash, whether it’s by way of a quick couple of goals just when their opponents start feeling comfortable or a late winner after being held for 60, 70, 80 minutes.

After being lambasted far and wide for the negative approach that was displayed in last season‘s Champions League semis, Mourinho’s attempted to be positive, for the most part, in this season’s matchups, and as mentioned, it’s produced some rewards. Along with the three early leads at the Bernabeu, Real have netted eight goals in the five meetings, as opposed to finding the net only three times in last season’s five meetings.

And the last meeting, the 2-2 Copa del Rey draw in January, was Real’s best performance against Barca in some time, and were it not for a lapse late in the first half, during which Barcelona struck twice in three minutes, they may have gotten a much better result than they did.

If the five meetings this season are any indication, there will be goals on Saturday. There were 13 in last season’s encounters, but there’ve already 19 goals in this season’s meetings. With that, plus the fact that Barcelona will be gunning for the win, in mind, it’d serve Real better to set out with a positive approach once again. If it again produces an early lead, then it‘ll be all about absorbing the inevitable pressure defensively, keeping their composure with their play and with their attitudes, and taking advantage when opportunities arise to attack, especially on the counter. And if they happen to fall behind? No need to press, be impatient, or lose their composure, because they have seen already this season that they can come back against Barca.

If Real play positive but smart football, they’ll have reason to exit with their heads high, even if they’re defeated. There’d be no shame in losing to a great side in their backyard, if they’ve put forth their very best effort. But if they can put forth their best and be rewarded with something tangible, they should be partaking in some title celebrations in a few weeks’ time. And if they come away with the three points, not only will it all but ensure the title, it’ll silence a lot of doubters, and if the expected does happen, enhance their confidence for the Champions League final.

And if the home team holds serve? In doing the expected, they’d trim the deficit at the top to only a point, a far cry from the 10-point deficit that they faced last month. Real would still control their destiny, but given that they’d have failed to make the most of a double-digit advantage, many would feel that it’d only be inevitable for Barca to overtake them in the final stretch.

Bracelona v Madrid – Injuries and Selection News

While both suffered setbacks abroad, there are no serious injury concerns to speak of for either. All of the big guns will be in the mix, though there are some decisions to make. Pedro hasn’t displayed the same stellar form this season as he did last season, but he has scored twice in his last four appearances – and would have had three in four, if his late effort at Stamford Bridge had found the back of the net instead of the post – and has four goals against Real over the last two seasons, so he could be handed a place in the starting XI.

Also, Karim Benzema’s success this season against Barcelona could see him start ahead of Gonzalo Higuain, as he has scored in both ties at the Camp Nou and three times overall.

And last but certainly not least, will it be Marcelo or Fabio Coentrao at left back? It will likely be the Brazilian, who has started 28 of Real’s 33 La Liga matches, and he might have been set for the start even if Coentrao had fared better than he did against Bayern. However, keeping in mind his sending off against Barca earlier this season and the silly foul he made in his brief appearance in Munich on Tuesday, he’ll have a short leash if he picks up an early yellow, and so will several others on both sides, as there’s too much at stake to risk a needless red.

Whatever the selections, the hope is that we’re in for 90 enthralling minutes. Perhaps this is more plea than preview, because for the neutrals, it’d be far more pleasing to see an entertaining match. When there’s a plethora of attacking talent on the pitch, including the two who are the best in the world by a wide margin, it’s only reasonable to expect to be entertained. And given the moments of controversy and outright farce and foolishness that recent Clasicos have been good for, it’s also reasonable to hope for a clean match.

As such, Alberto Undiano Mallenco, who’s been given the unfortunate assignment honor of refereeing this weekend’s clash, needs to do his job, and do it well, to the point where he‘s either praised or not mentioned at all.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Barcelona’s mantle as the best team in Europe is set to be tested over the next week, with three mouth-watering fixtures ready to challenge Pep Guardiola’s men. With the Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea on Wednesday, the Clasico against age-old adversaries Real Madrid on Saturday and the return leg against the Blues at Camp Nou next Tuesday, the Catalan team’s season will be defined by these three fixtures. Barelona may be the soccer betting favourites for each individual game but how they hand three consecutive, insanely high intensity games will make or break their season.

Chelsea and Stamford Bridge are first up for the European champions, with the Spaniards sure to be subject to pressure from a fired up home side and passionate crowd. Although Barcelona are favourites for the tie (and the tournament), a difficult first leg will be expected away from home. The Blaugrana will have taken notice at the ruthless treatment received by the likes of Valencia, Benfica and Napoli at the Bridge this term, and know that a solid performance will be needed.

Roberto Di Matteo’s men are fresh from dispatching Tottenham 5-1 in the FA Cup semi-finals, and will go into the game full of confidence. The west London club will feel that they have unfinished business against Barca, given the 2009 tie in which the Spanish giants eliminated the Premier League team from the tournament, with a last minute Andres Iniesta goal sending the Catalans through on aggregate.

Despite the Catalan side’s dominance on the continent over recent years, the side have a mediocre record when travelling to England. On top of the aforementioned struggle against the Blues in 2009, Guardiola’s men were also beaten 1-0  at Old Trafford and eliminated from the 2007-08 competition by Manchester United. Arsenal also beat the eventual winners 2-1 at the Emirates last term, before the tie was brought back in Barcelona’s favour in the return leg. The Spaniards will be confident that they can outplay Chelsea at Camp Nou, but will hope to record a strong away result to ease their passage through to the final.

Barcelona have had a hex over arch-enemies Real Madrid during Guardiola’s reign at the club, however despite a 3-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier this campaign, the Blaugrana trail Jose Mourinho’s men by four points with five games remaining. With Los Blancos the visitors to Catalunya on Saturday, the hosts will know that anything other than victory will surely mean relinquishing their La Liga title to the capital-city side.

With Madrid also in the other semi-final of the Champions League, Saturday’s game could be a dress-rehearsal for the finale of Europe’s top club competition. Although Barcelona have only lost once in their last 14 games against Madrid, Guardiola will know that his side will be in for a test this weekend.

Mourinho’s side have been in imperious form domestically and on the continent this term, scoring 107 times in 33 games in the Primera Division, and winning every game in the Champions League this term. In Cristiano Ronaldo the visitors have a player desperate to prove his worth against the Blaugrana and Lionel Messi, whilst the Portuguese coach’s track record of success and will to win has been drilled into his side.

All-in-all, this Barcelona team is ready to cement its place in history as one of the best and most dominant in European football’s history. Progression to the final of the Champions League and a victory over Madrid could be the foundation for another momentous double, with the Copa del Rey final also still to play against Athletic Bilbao also. However, a slip in concentration could see this group of players lose their untouchable status, and show a shift both at home and in Europe in favour of their greatest rivals.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News