Tuesdays have never been so exciting. Even the institution that is the UEFA Champions League and the subsequent “Champions Tuesdays” fanfare it precipitated hasn’t managed to turn a day of boredom and wistful gazing towards weekends past and future into anything more than a filler day.

Seasoned office conversationalists agree on very little- the Euro, Jordan, the eternal cheese versus egg debate- yet most manage to reach a gruff compromise when it comes to naming the most banal day of any week. Tuesday.

Because it works like this. On a Monday you have weekend tales to tell, and in a strange way it can be nice to see people you haven’t seen for an entire two days again. You might even have a new shirt and tie from your weekend excursion to Gap. Wednesdays, well they tend to have office five-a-side in the evening, so the day can be spent picking and re-picking teams, as well as poring over the midweek football coupon.

Thursdays, well they are the start of the weekend these days aren’t they? And there are the five-a-side stories to embellish also. And the Friday feeling, twenty years after the PR department Crunchie tried and failed to, simply cannot be explained. You take that tie off and throw on the new polo, you plan a few drinks in a low-quality alehouse, you talk incessantly of plans for the weekend as if they are of great importance, and the work seems secondary somehow. Phones do not need answering, customers do not need serving, and the clock seems to be in on the act, ticking faster than normal.

Tuesday, by contrast, has nothing going for it. Sure you can chat about the Champions League action, but that only really helps fans of a couple of clubs (or the purist, but since when do they have office jobs?), you can maybe dissect a Monday night game (though SKY and ESPN seem reluctant to utilise this Premier League invention). Tuesdays drift by with nothing to discuss, nothing to enjoy, nothing to anticipate.

Well not any more. This week sees the most exciting time of year condense itself into….a Tuesday! Yes, the transfer window is slamming shut a day later than originally scheduled, due to an unforeseen Bank Holiday which will undoubtedly lead to a pile up of paperwork in the Premier League’s admin department, with most staff off parading round Notting Hill in hula skirts. So the 31st August deadline becomes the 1st September one. The Monday night deadline becomes the Tuesday teatime one.

And boy are we excited. Not as excited as Sky Sports News of course, that would be impossible, but excited nonetheless. Already sensible, grown men are preparing their phones for endless texts to news institutions offering dubious tip-offs. “Marouane Chamakh just arrived at my taxi rank looking for Shenley Training Centre, whatever could it mean?”

Some managers love the last few days of the deadline, Harry Redknapp is like the gambler who takes a jackpot out of a fruit machine- or twelve points from twelve- only to go after that repeat chance and throw another couple of million at a promising young full back.

Tony Pulis’ scout appears to have set up home in the North East and is attempting to relieve both Middlesbrough and Sunderland of all their players- expect Danny Collins and perhaps Kenwyne Jones to appear in a sentence beginning with “Stoke bid” before 5pm on Terrific Tuesday.

Paul Hart too, should be a busy man, Portsmouth’s squad quality may have plunged depths low enough to make Alain Perrin cackle, but he added four new faces on Friday. All of them rubbish. Expect a few more to fatten out the numbers over the next few days, with the last two remaining good players- David James and Niko Kranjcar- likely to leave.

Arsène Wenger is a lot more sensible of course, but still capable of a little deadline day indulgence. Andrey Arshavin was the (tedious) story of the last window, Lassana Diarra was snaffled on deadline day a couple of years back, Denílson a year previously. This year, he may decide to keep his credit card in his wallet after a useful start to the season, though if you ask most he should be scouring the aisles marked “Goalkeepers with goalkeeping ability” and “Strong tall centre midfielders”. Whether he will remains to be seen, Wenger is nothing if not loyal to his charges, but expect plenty of player sightings in and around St Albans this week.

Sir Alex Ferguson is another who is publicly sceptical of deadline day, though that didn’t stop him performing a Bronx-style kidnap on Dimitar Berbatov this time last year in a bid to stop the Bulgarian from taking his languid, chain-smoking, hair-flicking style to Manchester City. This year he has claimed a disinterest in further strengthening the Champions’ squad, though early signs suggest they may need a little fine tuning, perhaps in midfield. Looking round the pool of talent available however shows there are little obvious solutions to such a problem, particularly with Arjen Robben swapping white for red and Real Madrid for Bayern Munich this week.

Rafa Benítez meanwhile is turning over couches all over Merseyside as he looks to stump up enough cash to add in a bit more depth and quality to Liverpool’s squad. Sotirios Kyrgiakos may have been added, but at £2m represents the goo at the bottom of a barrel of sweets in terms of signings, and with the likes of Ryan Babel and Andriy Voronin showing little sign of covering for Gerrard and Torres consistently, a new forward option is patently needed. One wonders whether loan moves for the likes of Eidur Gudjohnsen or Ruud Van Nistelrooy would be feasible.

Manchester City seem to have quietened down a bit since they managed, via Joleon Lescott, to dismantle/galvanise (depending on who you listen to) Everton’s team spirit. Lescott & Sylvinho may be the end of Mark Hughes’ summer spending, but with City struggling to turn dominant possession into commanding wins, there may be a sneaky signing or two to arrive at Eastlands, even despite Pep Guardiola’s insistence that he holds little or no interest in signing Robinho.

And speaking of Everton, they are finally in a position to spend a bit of cash. But like the lad who has been out of work for so long that when he finally gets a paycheque, he spends it on needlessly costly designer clothes, David Moyes is taking risks in the market. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov cost £10m from Lokomotiv Moscow, whilst Sylvain Distin cost £5.3m from Portsmouth, both made a winning debut against Wigan yesterday. Reports suggest that perma-frown Scott Brown of Celtic, Johnny Heitinga of Atlético Madrid, and Ever Banega of Valencia will follow them into Finch Farm over the next few days, though Moyes’ forte has always been the capture and polishing of lesser known, hungrier players. His new policy will be under firm scrutiny over the coming months.

Elsewhere down the division, West Ham will be looking to sell before buying. Their latest raid on Serie B has been completed with the capture of Alessandro Diamante from Livorno (jury hasn’t even turned up yet on this one), but the likes of Carlton Cole, Matthew Upson and James Collins are all sure to be linked away as Gianfranco Zola attempts to balance the books, with an FA fine and potential ban for crowd disorder expected to add to the financial constraints at Upton Park. The Hammers have already turned down a bid for Upson from….Fiorentina?!!…but will be bracing themselves from bids from the likes of Villa &, of course, Spurs.

Phil Brown at Hull will be busy, and not just in the mirror either, as he looks to add low quality Sunderland players to his squad. Paul McShane looks a done deal, now if only we could get Daryl Murphy too, we would be certain to go down. Benjani may represent a better signing, though the fact that he was last seen carrying Emmanuel Adebayor’s luggage through the lobby of the Manchester Hilton may count against him.

Sunderland themselves are hatching a sneaky plan of their own, buoyed by Lee Cattermole’s decent start at the club, Steve Bruce is looking into a plan whereby every player who has a 6/10+ performance for Wigan over the last two seasons arrives on Wearside for big money- Maynor Figueroa and, cough, Titus Bramble the latest to be linked. Which is handy, because Roberto Martínez is adhering to a similar policy himself, with a sign in the DW Stadium reading “Wanted: Players. Must have Swansea/Spanish roots”. Jason Scotland and Jordi Gomez could soon be joined by Ferrie Bodde, Angel Rangel and John Toshack at Wigan (suppose it’s either that or bring back Amr Zaki and his ego?).

Which leaves the quieter clubs, Bolton, Blackburn, Villa. Villa should add to unfortunate Richard Dunne to their ranks before the close, whilst both Gary Megson and Sam Allardyce will no doubt be maximising the filter option on Football Manager in a bid for cheap/loan signings. The Lancashire clubs in particular appear in dire need of some investment, even if Bolton’s just comes in the kit department.

So make the most of this week boys (and girls, there is no reason why girls can’t love a bit of transfer action), enjoy the moment, this Tuesday may be one of a kind. Terrific, tasty, tantalising……tedious. Wait and see.

Get all the latest premier league transfers and transfer news from Europe here.

Here’s a look at the latest transfer rumours surrounding Ligue 1:

Where do Lyon go from here?

With the recent departures of Juninho, Karim Benzema and Abdul Kader Keita,the club has left many wondering where the 10 time Champion de France cup winners are headed from here?

Who will pick up the void left by these 3 play-makers, as the time closes in on the beginning of this years Ligue 1 season? With both rumours that the club have eyes on Lisandro Lopez of FC Porto and Madrid veteran Rudd Van Nistelrooy, it seems they have a plan for their future after all.

The only concern, is will these 2 be enough for the French club to get back to dominance in Ligue 1? The competition is getting better and better for Lyon, with Bordeaux and Marseille finishing ahead of the club in last seasons dissapointing finish.

Many would assume the club would be on a mission to get some fresh new talent at the STADE MUNICIPAL DE GERLAND, but again maybe Lyon already have some plans in the works. The team is no stranger to success, and no one should take the French powerhouse lightly. It seems it’ll be the waiting game for supporters now.

The club should be looking to start out the season in a postitive way when they take on Le Mans UC 72 in its opening fixture. If I had to guess correctly I’d say the club isn’t out of the news quite yet.

Bangoura in, M’bia wants out at Rennes

Ismaël Bangoura, will be starting another term in Ligue 1 this season. French club Rennes have signed the Guinean to a 4-year deal worth €11m, after spending 2 seasons at Ukranian club Dynamo Kiev

Bangoura, began to bring some attention to himself when he blazed a 25 yard strike into the back of the net against Manchester United back in October of 2007. English clubs Everton, Wigan, and Fulham were said to have made bids for the forward before he decided on a move back to France.

He went on to say in an interview with Rennes official team website “I’m happy to be back! “For the family, for the football and because it’s a good standard of football in France – and the climate can’t be compared to that in Ukraine.” The Guinea international, scored 18 goals in 56 appearences for Le Mans in his previous time spent in France.

M’Bia sets sights on move to Marseille

Stephane M’bia, recently said in an interview with Rennes team website “I’ve chosen OM”. The Cameroonian, hasn’t left any speculation as to where he wants to play as Marseille have been in negotiations over a transfer for the Defensive Mid-fielder with Rennes as of late. OM Director of Football José Anigo, said “Deschamps is preparing a squad with less quantity and more quality”.

This would be a great addition to an already strong defensive mid-field core in Benoit Cheyrou and Lorik Cana, and with the constant speculation of a Cana exit, M’Bia could be a nice replacement for the Albanian.

M’bia’s transfer worth is said to be around €12m, and it looks to be a bit more than OM are willing to dish out after a €25 million pay out for Argentinian Lucho Gonzalez. M’bia went on to say “I’ve chosen OM, and would like to join them as soon as possible. The financial aspect of the deal is holding things up, but I’m confident it’ll be sorted out,” the athletic 23-year-old, who admitted he has spoken to Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said “I dream of playing for him!”.

Yet again another possible good pick-up in the works for Marseille.

One way or another it seems Vieria is out of Italy

Antoine Kombouare, has said “Paris Saint-Germain are interested in Patrick Vieira, but will not pay too much.” Newly promoted English club Birmingham, have also targeted the frenchman.

The 33 year old is a in a tug of war match over his future. Should he go home, or back to England for a reported 100k a week offer from Birmingham? PSG, have said to have had talks with the French international who is looking to bring some attention his way in light of next summers World Cup tournament in South Africa.

When the PSG boss was asked of his intrest in signing Vieira, he was qouted saying “Of course, but not at any price. I have already made a heavy investment for the club with (Mevlut) Erding and (Gregory) Coupet.” Vieira has yet to give any clues as to where his future lies, but hopefully he’ll decide soon.

Its looking to be a great season for Ligue 1 come August 8.

The summer transfer market just went off with a couple of high powered Exocet missiles from central Spain, leaving some of us thinking that nothing will ever be the same again. A seemingly obscene (vulgar even!) amount of money may be about to change hands with many of Europe’s top clubs in the market for a striker (amongst others).

Nothing excites the fan more than a proven goal-scorer donning the shirt and declaring his intent to a nose full of microphones.

Let me clarify at the outset that I am talking about strikers here not creative attacking players, regardless of how prolific they might be in terms of goals. Think in terms of the old fashioned centre-forward as opposed to the inside-right or inside-left or the No.10, a term some like to use to make the distinction. Stateside they struggle a little with this concept so I’ll stay well away from talking about ‘offensive’ players as only some of those about to be mentioned are actually that!

Carlos Tevez was the subject of much divided opinion amongst Manchester United fans recently. “Sign him up!” rang out from several tiers at Old Trafford on more than one occasion towards the end of the season and Carlos milked it to the fullest! Others, however, didn’t think him worth the money. “All perspiration and no inspiration” the other camp declared, and “he just doesn’t score enough for a striker!” or “No better than Kuyt” was the worst insult I saw levelled in this debate. Ouch!

And then there were the inevitable comparisons with Berbatov. “The wrong player was let go!” some United fans cried, whilst others insist that Berba “has far more class and talent than Carlos”. Work rate and enthusiasm score heavily in Tevez’s favour whilst a languid style and sulky demeanor weigh against Berbatov.

Down at The Emirates most Arsenal fans have seemingly lost patience with Adebayor, as it appears has Arsene. “Lazy and a bad attitude” sums up the case for the prosecution as does “No loyalty and disruptive in the dressing room.” or “With Van Persie and Arshavin in the ranks who needs him anyway…..?”

I’ve always wondered about that “disruptive in the dressing room” thing! Are we talking about the puerile pulling of teammate’s hair and flicking elastic bands at the unsuspecting or is it the more sinister practice of declaring that one has the biggest willy and constantly calling for a tape measure if challenged? Please share your thoughts if you have an insight!

Meanwhile, over at Anfield Liverpool fans will tell you that “Torres is the best pound for pound striker in the world at present” (someday they’ll go metric in the UK) and many neutrals/rivals (including yours truly) would agree with that assessment. The issue there is the need for a support/ back-up striker.

The transfer market rumour machine is out of the blocks and we hear that Benzema, Eto’o, Ibrahimovic, David Villa and Aguero could all be bought at the right price (monopoly money in all cases!). Santa Cruz has already signed for City and Tevez is likely to follow suit very soon. Real Madrid have made Huntelaar and Van Nistelrooy ‘available’ while the intentions of Ancelotti regarding Anelka and Drogba are not yet clear. Pato has aroused Chelsea’a interest and Forlan could yet come under the spotlight.

One hack even suggested, on what must have been a very slow day at the office, that Torres could be off to United! About as likely as Cashley re-signing for Arsenal or Berbatov and Adebayor turning into a couple of grinning sprinters you would have thought! And if some of you think that Baghdad looks ugly right now, put that deal through and you’ll see an instant shift of focus from President Obama regarding the world’s trouble spots!

So how do we actually rate players or, in this case, strikers? There is a certain amount of subjectivity involved but is some of it misguided? Unlike players in any other position there is a clear measurement for strikers………….…the cold currency of goals.

Goals may not be the be all and end all but they’re a damn big piece of the be all and end all if you’re a striker!

Did some fans give too much weighting to Tevez for his ‘likeability’ and work-rate? I’m with the fans who say “show me the money,” or “where’s the beef”……………. the ‘money’ and ‘beef’ in question being found, in this instance, in the ‘goals-scored’ column. Somewhere out there is a rate of goal-scoring that is such as to provoke debate and disagreement amongst fans when judging strikers and somewhere beyond that is a point where debate is benign. But where is that watershed between war and peace?

Make no mistake, 30 goals a season is a cure-all for any player/fan relationship problem you care to mention. Not wishing to demean any section of society but a one-legged cross-dressing hunchback with the moral fibre of a serial killer and a Bartonesque set of party tricks will be the first name on the team sheet every week if he’s netting at the rate of 30 goals a season, even if the begrudgers out there would constantly sneer that he’s totally one-footed (and before you write in, I accept completely that, in terms of political correctness, I haven’t a leg to stand-on on that one).

And yes, that was a rather long-winded and exaggerated way of saying that maybe Berbatov and Adebayor are being harshly judged! It depends on their goal-scoring records and where you draw the imaginary line.

We’re talking about subtle differences here, the subtle differences between the world’s best strikers…..so it’s high time I quit rambling and ‘showed you the money’, so to speak.

I’ve taken 30 current generation strikers and analysed their goals per game stats for your consumption.

But before I reveal my hand I need to be clear that I am talking about strikers. The fact that Ronaldo, Messi and Kaka would rank ‘right up there’ in this analysis is irrelevant. They’re not strikers and their goal contribution, along with everything else that they bring to the party, underlines the reason why, between them, they have won the last three ‘World Player of the Year Awards’ (OK, I spotted the mistake there but in a few months it WILL be correct and I’ll be seen as a visonary!) Ronaldo and Kaka (or in REALity you know who) have started this transfer feeding frenzy in the first place. I’ve left out Henry, Arshavin and Robinho for the same reason.

And yes, it may not be a complete list, although I’ve tried bloody hard to make it one, so if I’ve left out one of your favourites live with it. It’s representative enough to make the point (although right now I’m seriously questioning whether there actually is one!)

Note: Includes full career club and international appearances and goals.

So take a minute or two to absorb that and spot where some of your favourites rank. These are the hard facts, the one true measurement we have that can’t be disputed. So what exactly does it clarify? That may come down to individual interpretation but here are some of my observations:

• Close the book on the Berbatov v Tevez debate. 7 extra goals in a 50 game season (probably equating to several vital points and/or a cup victory or 2) says it’s Berba every time. Tevez just betters 1 goal in 3 games and ranks a lowly 26th in the pecking order.
• And what about Adebayor? He’ll bag you 21 goals while Van Persie only grabs 16, worse than 1 in 3. That surprised me I have to say! And although I excluded Arshavin I can tell you that his ratio is 1 in 4, so if you’re an Arsenal fan don’t bank on many repeats of the Anfield ‘one man show’ in the future.
• If Tevez does join Man City he’ll team-up with the truly non-prolific Santa Cruz. Here’s a striker who’ll average 15 goals a season for you! And although Robinho isn’t on the list I’ve run his numbers and can tell you that at 1 goal every 2.93 games he’d come-in just behind Tevez at 28th. So Mark Hughes has bought himself 3 front men who have never worried a 20 goal a season average.
• Many people’s No.1 pick, Torres, comes in at a surprisingly low 22nd, 5 goals a season shy of his compatriot Villa and 3 short of Berbatov! So what does this tell us?
• Huntelaar at No.1! Now Ruud was not a surprise at No.2 but I was amazed at Huntelaar. A 33 goal average puts him streets ahead of some of the other top strikers. Yes, he has played most of his career in Holland but if he was wearing clogs that makes his record even more impressive, and people have said that he didn’t do it at Madrid but he’s hardly had the chance to take his coat off yet. 8 goals in 20 appearances for Real, in a very disruptive season, was not exactly shabby! Suffice to say that if I get the call from Sir Alex in the next couple of weeks and the question posed is: “Klaas-Jan Huntelaar?” my response will be a hearty “Yes, please!” … which would not have been the case last week.
• And what is Robbie Keane doing on the list you ask? Well I thought I’d include him to add a bit of spice. And no! … that’s not an implied reference to Paella, the national dish of Spain. And in mentioning the national dish of Spain if you think I’m going anywhere near any references to restaurants and Waiters you’ll be disappointed! Interesting though that Robbie can drop an average of 19 goals in a 50 game season and considering he only left 7 on the table by Christmas last year that says he still had 12 in his locker. Now if he’d stayed and produced even 4 or 5 of those 12 in that wobbly January/February period could the title now be…………………? No! Let’s not go there!

But of course you’re right!…. and I should know better! Haven’t I written about it before Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics. The above analysis is flawed!

Let’s get back to clichés! Some like to throw scorn on a good cliché but a cliché becomes what it is largely because it’s a truism. I know I’m Irish but that’s not why I’m defending the cliché ridden David O’Leary, and if I might borrow from the great man: “as I say, at the end of the day a striker is only as good as his last season.“

Never a truer word spoken! But let’s just broaden that a little and look at the stats over the last three seasons. If you’re going to splash the cash on a striker you’ll be looking in this direction rather than the above table, so take another 5 to absorb this.

Note: Only includes club appearances/goals, as trying to get an annual breakdown for international games/goals….well…almost cost me a breakdown.

So that’s the list for buying purposes and what’s changed?

• Huntelaar holds his place at No.1! Definitely worth a punt in my view!
• And Ruud also holds onto No.2! if he can stay fit he’s gotta be worth a chance for the likes of Spurs…and was Sir Alex rash in selling him when he did?
• David Villa also holds his 4th place. No wonder everyone is interested and Eto’o also surprised me. Worth the money if Barca want to sell?
• The big negative movers from the ‘total career’ table are Fabiano, Berbatov, Crespo, Owen and Shevchenko. No surprises there except for Berbatov. Berbatov’s first season at United hurt his stats but he’s still comfortably ahead of Tevez.
• The big upward movers are Forlan, Ibra, Totti, Torres, Benzema and Van Persie.
• But Torres is still only in 9th! Considering he’s my first choice this doesn’t quite gel!
• And even though Van Persie jumps 10 places he just scrapes over the 20 goals a season mark and still trails Adebayor.
• At 28th and 29th Santa Cruz and Tevez don’t impress any more than they did on the first list.
• And what of Rooney? Being played out of position or flattering to deceive?

I could go on but by now you’re already asleep or have jumped to the response column and are about to fillet me with your razor sharp tongues.

Food for thought though?

How do you rate your strikers?

On episode nine of the Soccerlens Podcast, Stephen Darwin is joined by FourFourTwo’s man in Madrid, Tim Stannard, to talk about Spanish football and La Liga.

The show will be looking specifically at Valencia and their financial woes, Tim rips into Chelsea and their negative tactics at the Nou Camp and of course there’s just the small matter of El Clasico to deal with too.

Among the points of discussion raised with Tim Stannard were:

• The UEFA Champions League semi-final ties
• Sevilla,Valencia and Villarreal, the race for third place
• Barcelona’s quest for the treble
• Transfer speculation aplenty
• El Clasico and the title race
• Plus more on top of that!

Show Details
Date: Friday 1st May 2009
Host: Stephen Darwin
Co-Host: Tim Stannard

You can listen to the show below:
Download link (mp3, 29mb, 32 mins)

Subscribe to the Soccerlens Podcast

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Remember to leave your feedback on the show in the comments section underneath this post or alternatively e-mail the show at: podcast@soccerlens.com. If you want to make your views heard on the podcast, make sure you email us at the above email address.

For those of us who are consumed by football every year brings new thrills and disappointments, a million what ifs and if onlys and ultimately a feeling of elation, satisfaction or despair, depending on where our unfailing loyalties lie. We laugh and cry, argue and debate, get over-emotional and sometimes regret what we say but what the hell! We’re all in it for the emotional roller-coaster ride in the first place, aren’t we?

If you support Chelsea you’ll be full of what ifs but optimistic. Manchester United supporters will be ecstatic but anxious. Liverpool: forever hopeful but maybe more so than usual. Arsenal and Spurs: WTF! Stoke and Hull: what a ride! Leeds: ‘I swear I didn’t run over a black cat’. Newcastle: isn’t it called the black-country? Manchester City: harem scarem.

And abroad…..Barcelona: on the brink. Real Madrid: 2 in a row, now for Europe! Inter: the Jose factor. Juve: past glories beckon. Milan: rebuild, and fast! Roma:WTF! Lyon: tiresome without CL success. Bayern: back and biting! Celtic: home thoughts, never from abroad.

Most of us judge each year’s success on where the trophies end up and, by extension, the player awards tend to be dominated by those that play for the year’s ‘winners’. God (insert Allah, Buddha, Ganesh, or whatever your personal choice is, if any) forbid we would all ever come close to agreeing on what the team of the year is but, unfortunately, I have been given the hospital pass this year and now must expose myself to ridicule, deserved or otherwise.

In order to establish some sort of a framework rough guidelines for the exercise are appropriate. And here they are. The ‘rules’ are set by me so don’t bother disputing them!

• Players are judged on performance and contribution at both club and international level. 2008 having been a EUFA Championship and Olympic year, this obviously has some bearing (Spain+, England-).
• Players already established as outstanding may not be chosen on the basis of a relatively ordinary year or having missed long periods through injury.
• Players who win the big awards nationally and internationally are very likely to be in with a chance, unless I decide otherwise!
• Players with the best stats for their position should obviously be in the frame but there are clearly other factors.
• There can NEVER be a perfect list so all contributions are welcome and, indeed, this is the whole point of the article.
• Bias should be kept to a minimum when voicing your opinions…….sorry! I’m now facing into a strong wind and pissing hard!

So here goes. My team of 2008 is:
.

Goalkeeper

Petr Cech (Chelsea): Excellent keeper but ultimately won nothing in 2008 and just fails to get across the line. (no pun intended)

Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus): Read Cech.

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid): La Liga and Euro 2008 winner. Three clean sheets in the knock-out stages of the Euros, including 2 decisive penalty saves against Italy in the QF.

Edwin Van Der Sar (Manchester United): PL and CL double and probably his last great season. Excellent!

Pepe Reina (Liverpool): Winner of the Golden Gloves Award but staying fit helps win the GGs and still 2nd choice to Casillas for Spain. But a quality keeper.

Winner: It has to be Iker Casillas this year. No dispute!
.

Defenders

Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United): PL and CL winner and probably at his peak in a team that had an excellent defensive record.

Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United): PL and CL winner. Ruthlessly efficient.

Patrice Evra (Manchester United): Attacking excellence combined with quality defence and top honours.

John Terry (Chelsea): A hairs breath away from both PL and CL. Penalty miss deducts no points at all.

Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea): As for Terry. Unfortunately injury prone, but excellent.

Gael Clichy (Arsenal): Outstanding in 2007/8 season. The odd blip in 2008/9 so far.

Bacary Sagna (Arsenal): Brilliant young player in his position. His injury cost Arsenal dearly.

Jose Boswinga (Chelsea): Sought by many following his performances for Porto and Portugal and ended up at Chelsea. Great player, especially going forward. Lots more to come.

Daniel Alves (Barcelona): On all the lists last year. Can’t be ignored.

Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich): Solid and excellent going forward. Can play left or right. In the UEFA list of players of the tournament Euro 2008.

Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid): Outstanding season with Real Madrid and seems to be most peoples favourite choice at RB. Noticeably absent from the Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament

Carles Puyol (Barcelona): Aging, but vital to Barca last season, Euro 2008 winner with Spain and on EUFA’s best player list.

Winners: Boswinga, Ferdinand, Puyol, Evra
.

Midfielders

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool): Despite no honours you can’t leave him out. Still the driving force at Anfield.

Javier Mascherano (Liverpool): Established himself as one of the best DMs in the business and won Olympic Gold with Argentina.

Michael Essien (Chelsea): Outstanding in Chelsea’s close call. Unfortunately injured for most of the current season.

Michael Ballack (Chelsea): Read Essien. Possibly Chelsea’s most influential player in the run in last season and in the UEFA squad of the tournament at Euro 2008.

Frank Lampard (Chelsea): Defines Chelsea. Reliable, consistent and a midfield goal machine. Weathered personal tragedy to drive his team so close last season. Has also held it together while so many have been injured this season.

Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal): Keeps getting better and the jewel in the crown amongst Arsenal’s wealth of young talent. Outstanding!

Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United): PL and CL winner and just about every player award available. 42 goals, what more can you say?

Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan): Quality player but out of the winners circle for club and country this year.

Rafael Van Der Vaart (Real Madrid): A surprise when he went to Hamburg but talent can’t hide and there is much more to come at Real. Exciting wide player with some spectacular goals.

Ricardo Quaresma (Inter Milan): Constantly the subject of transfer speculation before finally leaving Porto for Inter. Has excelled in a free roaming role.

Frank Ribery (Bayern Munich): Best left winger around at present and has started the season brilliantly with Bayern. German Player of the Year award. Much coveted.

Wesley Sneijder (Real Madrid): Can be beauty and the beast in the same game. Influential, quality and a real force at Euro 2008.

Marcos Senna (Villarreal): Brazilian/Spanish talent who has been excellent for club and country this year.

Xavier Hernández Creus (Xavi) (Barcelona): Outstanding defensive midfielder who was in the EUFA team of the tournament for Euro 2008.

Andres Iniesta (Barcelona): Versatile attacking midfielder. Another of the Spanish class of 2008 included in the UEFA squad of the tournament.

Winners: Ronaldo, Sneijder, Lampard, Ribery
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Forwards

Fernando Torres (Liverpool): Prodigious talent with 32 goals last season. Injury prone in the current campaign but sure to impress. Winner Euro 2008 and in EUFA best team of the tournament.

Karim Benzema (Olympique Lyonnais): Too good to last much longer at Lyon. French Player of the Year. Could be one of the greats.

David Villa (Valentia): Refuses to leave Valentia for now but 80 goals in 143 appearances says it all. Another in the UEFA list of Euro 2008’s best and the tournaments top scorer.

Francesco Totti (Roma): Dogged by injury but his absence as much as his presence for Roma says everything about how influential he is. Great talent!

Didier Drogba (Chelsea): Good first half to the year but has blotted his copybook of late and has been too injury prone to be a genuine contender.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan): Somewhat enigmatic striker with 44 goals in 85 games for Inter. Intuitive and spectacular on his day.

Lionel Messi (Barcelona): Led Argentina to Olympic glory. Potential to be one of the ‘greats’ of the game. Stands out by a mile even at a club like Barcelona.

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Kaka) (AC Milan): Quieter year than in 2007 but remains a great talent, the envy of many.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid): Excellent goal scoring record for Real and a decent contribution at Euro 2008. Still a force.

Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich): Prominent star in the rising Bayern team and key striker for Germany. 44 goals in 87 appearances for his country.

Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St. Petersburg): Talk of the town at Euro 2008 and a key figure in Zenit’s UEFA Cup win this year. Coveted by many but yet to move. Has he been a flash in the pan?

Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid): New talent who has impregnated Maradona’s daughter (that’s not why he’s on the list but at least it shows he knows how to find the target!) Olympic winner and a growing influence at Atletico Madrid.

Winners: Messi, Torres
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So there it is! Undoubtedly the best 11 players from 2008! It’s a very fine line that separates many of the choices. While the exercise is aimed at selecting the best individual players this year it is also interesting to reflect on how they would combine as a team.

So we have two of the best attacking full-backs around, both of whom can also defend well. Two centre backs with bundles of experience and contrasting but complimentary styles. A top keeper. Two outstanding wingers who can both take on players at pace, come inside and score goals. Two central midfielders with a good balance between grit and finesse. Both can score goals and defend well.

And finally, the mouth watering prospect of Lionel Messi feeding Torres down the channels and inside the defenders where Torres excels at ‘coming off the shoulder’. Or how about the two double teaming in the box as Ribery or Ronaldo wreak havoc out wide and provide the ammunition? Enough to give any defence nightmares!

Yes, all in all I believe the selected 11 would make an outstanding side.

So I’m now off to a dark corner to continue the argument with myself (surely Rooney was worth a mention? No he wasn’t…Yes he was! etc.) and await the inevitable Rio v Terry and Gerrard v Lampard fiasco.
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The 2008 Soccerlens All-Star XI

GK: Iker Casillas

RB: Jose Bosingwa
CB: Rio Ferdinand
CB: Carlos Puyol
LB: Patrice Evra

RM: Cristiano Ronaldo
CM: Wesley Sneijder
CM: Frank Lampard
LM: Frank Ribery

ST: Lionel Messi
ST: Fernando Torres
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Do you disagree with this list? What are you picks for the Best XI of 2008?

There are some interesting rumors floating out there today. Is Lukas Podolski staying or going? Are Everton looking for a new striker? Are Tottenham looking to replace Gomes as their goalkeeper? What big name could be heading to the U.S.? And are Manchester City preparing to shatter the transfer record once again?

Manchester City’s Audacious Moves

Manchester City could be preparing to bid up to £60 for Chelsea and England skipper, John Terry, and make him the highest paid player in the world at £200,000 a week. Manchester City could also bid up to £30 for Terry’s teammate, Ashley Cole.

Analysis: I’d be absolutely shocked if Terry went to City. Then again, if Terry is sore about Frank Lampard’s contract and unsure of Chelsea’s finances (Roman Abramovich is rumored to be losing interest and they’re reportedly sitting out the January transfer window), then you never know. As for Cole, the price seems extremely high, but clearly, the Abu Dhabi group doesn’t care about that.

Real Madrid Snag Huntelaar?

Real Madrid look like they’re going to get a top striker after all as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar may finally be on the move away from Ajax for £17 million.

Not so fast, Tottenham, Everton, and Manchester City. The anticipated bidding war for the services of Bayern Munich striker, Lukas Podolski, took a turn as Bayern officials have stated that Podolski will remain with the team until the summer, whereupon he’ll return to his former club, Cologne.

Analysis: Indications are that Podolski doesn’t want to leave Germany due to family reasons. Podolski has said he wants to leave in the winter, but he’s been mum about where he wants to go. We’ll see if this is genuine or if it’s simply a ploy to get more money.

Everton in for Martins?

If David Moyes can’t get Podolski, then he could very well make a play for Newcastle’s Obafemi Martins. Martins threw a tantrum after being taken off over the weekend, and his days at St. James Park could be numbered.

Analysis: The Toffees desperate need a striker, what with Yakubu’s season-ending injury and Saha’s chronic lack of fitness (some things never change…). Expect them to be in the running for any moderately priced striker from here on out.

Spurs Looking for New Keeper?

With incumbent goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes’s well-documented struggles, Tottenham is looking to appropriate part of their massive January budget towards finding a new goalkeeper. Newcastle seem determined to hold on to Shay Given, which leaves West Ham’s Robert Green as the top target, with Bolton’s Jussi Jääskeläinen and Wolves’ Carl Ikeme also on the list. Meanwhile, Gomes’ deputy, Cesar Sanchez, could be moving to Valencia.

Analysis: You’d think that a goalkeeper would be higher on their list of priorities, given Gomes’ struggles. For some reason, the board continues to chase midfielders and strikers when they already have a bunch of them on board.

Tottenham are linked with more reinforcements (no central midfielders though), Podolski is linked with a move to England, the Owen to Liverpool and Arshavin to England rumours will never die, and will Beckham find a permanent home in Milan?

Spurs Plan Spending Spree

Christmas has come early for Harry Redknapp, who is interested in putting in bids for Inter Milan’s Adriano, Middlesbrough’s skipper Stewart Downing, and Manchester City’s Elano. The price could exceed £25 million.

Analysis: Clearly, Tottenham didn’t spend enough money during the summer. Adriano is talented, but troubled, and I think turning him loose in London could be a disaster waiting to happen. Downing would add to an already crowded midfield, and Elano might struggle for playing time behind Modric.

Podolski Bidding War Heats Up

Lukas Podolski may not be wanted at Bayern Munich, but he has plenty of suitors in England. Both Arsenal and Manchester City, as well as Everton are interested in the £12 million German striker (whose former club, Cologne, has first option on him).

Analysis: Podolski would be a good fit for each of those three Premiership clubs. Everton might be especially desperate, since they just lost Yakubu to a season-ending Achilles injury.

Becks to Stay in Milan?

Despite repeatedly promising to honor his contract with the L.A. Galaxy, David Beckham could stay in Milan for the rest of the season, especially if he plays well for the Italian giants.

Analysis: As much as he will relish getting to play with quality players again, he has a million (250 actually) reasons to go back to L.A.

Homecoming for Owen?

If Liverpool decide to bring back one of their favorite sons, it could be for a bargain-basement price of £2 million.

Analysis: Liverpool will probably look for a striker, especially since Torres can’t seem to stay healthy. Will there be a better bargain than Owen?

Arshavin and Zenit Headed to Messy Divorce

It’s getting ugly in St. Petersburg as Andrei Arshavin has threatened to sit out the next season if he isn’t sold. Zenit aren’t taking it lying down, even as they sort through expected bids from Tottenham and Real Madrid.

Analysis: Anyone else sick of this? Zenit seem convinced that he’s worth £25 million. If they couldn’t get anyone to bite after the season he had last year (as well as his impressive Euro 2008 campaign), then who’s going to bite now?

Like a phoenix rising from its ashes, Juventus was reborn Tuesday. With two majestic strokes of the paintbrush, one by Del Piero to erase a never-ending streak of injuries, another by Amauri to wipe five consecutive winless matches clean, the Bianconeri imposed a lesson of great will & determination on their Real Madrid rivals.

It was a match where the Old Lady’s “old guard” (Del Piero, Nedved) mixed with its new heroes, the magnificent likes of Chiellini, Sissoko, and Amauri (dominating their respective parts of the field) and after which manager Claudio Ranieri can finally breathe a sigh of relief. As Juventus continue their journey through darkness (Marchisio & Legrottaglie joined the injury list tonight), their victory against Real Madrid will provide some very bright headlights.

Tactically, Ranieri could count on the returns of Nicola Legrottaglie (from injury, if only for a short time) and Momo Sissoko (from domestic suspension), so very capital to Juve’s defensive efforts. On the wings, Molinaro and Marchionni (another one with rotten injury luck) were preferred over De Ceglie and Salihamidzic, although the latter would soon come on to replace the injured Claudio Marchisio. On the other end, Bernd Schuster fielded an openly-offensive formation with Van der Vaart and Sneijder supporting the Raúl-Van Nilstelrooy-Higuaín trio.

Juve started the game with magic: pure wizardry from their nº10 captain. Not even five minutes had passed when, following a quick one-two combination with Amauri, Alessandro Del Piero armed a one-time curling shot from 25m, leaving Casillas rooted to the spot and the entire Merengues backline watching. Wonderful stuff sending the Stadio Olimpico fans into rapture, and reminiscent of that magical goal vs. Artmedia. For Del Piero, it also meant goal nº41 in the UEFA Champions League. 1-0 Juventus.

It was a pretty cold shower for Real Madrid, but the visitors didn’t seem too motivated to fight back. Not right away at least, continuing to move forward at moderate pace and insisting on the long-range shooting qualities of their midfielders. Above all, last January’s almost-Bianconero transfer (Rafael Van der Vaart) kept Manninger on his toes, but never too seriously to force the Austrian keeper to get his gloves dirty. Gago was trying however he could to contribute to his team’s offensive effort, but Juventus’s iron-midfield curtain (read: Sissoko) was solidly keeping the Madrid danger at bay. Things were however a bit compromised in the 37^th, when an accidental Marchisio-Sissoko challenge forced the former off the field with an ankle strain. In came Hasan Salihamidzic, while Nedved shifted to the defensive mid position.

During the half-time break, Ranieri received some more bad news in that Legrottaglie had worsened his muscle strain and had to come off too. In came Olof Mellberg. The Juventus coach was immediately smiling again however, as four minutes after restarting his team had doubled their lead. Following a bad Pepe clearance, Nedved intercepted the ball and went deep down the left-wing to cross the ball for Amauri. The Italian-Brazilian’s powerful header found the fortunate deflection of Heinze, just enough to confuse Casillas and allow the ball to go in. 2-0 Juventus, now really in command.

Score-wise at least, because at that point Real Madrid to stick their heads out of their asses and play some real football. Exit Higuaín, enter Robben, and the siege to Juventus began. A siege essentially Dutch in nature, almost as if the Merengues’ Oranje connection (starting with Van der Vaart -header wide, Robben -header wide, and Sneijder -curling shot onto the post) was working their way up to someone. And who else could that someone be other than Ruud Van Nistelrooy, the vulture of the six-yard box and the current 2^nd-ranked topscorer in the all-time UCL scoring charts. Receiving a pass from Heinze, RVN was left unmarked & undisturbed to apply a headed finish past Manninger, thus revitalizing the Madrid hopes and simultaneously activating my entire sweat gland system. 2-1.

Fortunately for Juve, it was too little too late for the Merengues. Galvanized by their home crowd, the Juventus pillars (Chiellini & Mellberg in defense, Sissoko & a surprisingly efficient Nedved in midfield) held tight, carrying the game to the full-time whistle without the score ever changing again. There was time for Iaquinta to make a small appearance (on for a much-applauded Amauri), before the referee sent everyone to the changing room and the Bianconeri supporters into jubilation. A night like this they had been waiting for over two years…

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	JUVENTUS-REAL MADRID 2-1 [Match Highlights]
GOALSCORERS: 5’ Del Piero (J), 49’ Amauri (J), 66’ Van Nistelrooy (R).
JUVENTUS (4-4-2): Manninger – Grygera, Legrottaglie (46’ Mellberg), Chiellini, Molinaro – Marchionni, Sissoko, Marchisio (37’ Salihamidzic), Nedved – Amauri (77’ Iaquinta), Del Piero. (bench: Belardi, Mellberg, Knezevic, De Ceglie, Giovinco). Coach: Ranieri.
REAL MADRID (4-3-3): Casillas – Sergio Ramos, Pepe, F.Cannavaro, Heinze – Van der Vaart (76’ Drenthe), Gago, Sneijder – Raúl, Van Nilstelrooy, Higuaín (54’ Robben). (bench: Dudek, Marcelo, Metzelder, Javi Garcia, De la Red). Coach: Schuster.

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Marco Pantanella is the author & editor of mCalcio.com

Images courtesy of Ian Blanchard and the English Football Association.

In February 2008, I had the pleasure and privilege to interview Mr. Ian Blanchard, who became the Head of National Referee Development at the FA in 2005. He is responsible for the recruitment, retention, and development of all referees involved in the National game through to Supply League level. He also manages seven Regional Referees Managers.

At Euro 2008, three FA referees are taking part:

• Howard Webb
• Darren Cann
• Mike Mullarkey

Recent Controversy Over the First Dutch Goal Against Italy

On Monday night in Bern, the first Dutch goal by Ruud Van Nistelrooy created significant debate and subsequent discussion as we witnessed on Marco Pantanella’s excellent game report. I have contacted Mr. Blanchard, and he was kind enough to provide his expert analysis of the situation for all of us at Soccerlens.

After viewing the controversial goal by Van Nistelrooy on Monday night, along with the ensuing discussion, would you be kind enough to clarify the interpretation of the law?In your experience, does this type of situation happen very often? Are most players or managers aware of the ruling when a defender (Panucci) either takes himself out of the play, or in this case, was pushed by his goalkeeper?

“As far as I am concerned this incident is rare hence the debate and discussions.There are a number of factors to consider before making the correct decision, they include:1. Was the player in an offside position?
For the purposes of this incident the Goalkeeper is involved and is counted as one of the last two defenders.

2. Are there any other players nearer to the opponents goal line than the attacker and the ball?
Well the only other player to be counted is the Italian defender who was not actually on the field of play but had left due to his own momentum.

3. Is this player counted as being on the field of play at the time?
AS he left the field of play of his own accord, after a clash with a team mate, the ball was still in play. He should be included as one of the last two defenders as he is deemed to be part of play and counted as a defender.

4. What about players who leave the field deliberately to place a player in an offside position?
Technically speaking one could argue that the player has left the field deliberately and without the permission of the referee so therefore could be cautioned.

5. Should we consider that the ball remained in play and was part of one phase of play?
Yes it is important to understand that as the Italian player left the field of play the ball was played back and then crossed to the Dutch striker. This is all one phase of play. If the ball had been played out to the corner and several passes made this then would determine another phase of play being entered into.

So the end result is that on this occasion a great and correct decision was made by the Assistant Referee and supported by the referee.

I hope this helps with the discussions.

Best Wishes.”

I would like to thank Mr. Blanchard for taking the time to lend his expertise to this topic.

To visit the FA Refereeing site, please click here.

Steve Amoia is the author and editor of World Football Commentaries. He writes for Soccerlens and Keeper-Skool.

Looking at the world of football through the eyes of the press can give you a perverted and totally false view of what’s actually happening and on a broader scale what the world actually thinks.

So we turned to the world of football shirts – specifically, online retailers, and more specifically, a single online retailer who bribed us with a couple of free shirts (which reminds me – Simon, where are they? )

Jokes apart, the folks at Subside Sports have been kind enough to provide us with a list of the most popular shirts being sold for the upcoming Euro 2008 tournament (related: Euro 2008 kits).

Here’s the top 7:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal

Most-hated footballer in the Premier League? You wouldn’t believe it. Cristiano Ronaldo has recently elected to wear the number 7 shirt during Euro 2008 even though he historically played in the number 17 shirt for the national side.

All eyes will be on Ronaldo to see if he can do justice to the hype and perform on the big stage – which for some people translates into dragging an average team to victory single-handedly with godlike performances. As if we needed to feed that ego any further…

2. Alessandro Del Piero – Italy

After the player has recently been called back into the squad for the Euro 2008 campaign, there has been massive demand for his shirt.

The man is hardly someone to frighten young defenders with he’s as effective a striker as he was two years ago in Germany and as a player he’s somewhat of a role model for the younger generation. A player the fans can idolise and respect for more than just his football.

3. Cesc Fabregas – Spain

More than Ronaldo, Fabregas needs to stamp his authority on international football and justify his potential. With Spain having one of the strongest squads this summer Fab will have a real chance to win the Euro – and raise his profile to a global level.

Fabregas also has a new TV show…

4. Fabio Cannavaro – Italy

Much-maligned after his move to Real Madrid but my clearest memory of Canna remains his performances for Italy in Germany 06, where he was the biggest reason Italy got to the final and eventually won the World Cup. The Italian captain is as professional as they come, and if he can, for one last time, do another ‘Germany’, Italy will have a good shot at escaping the Group of Death and progressing to the final.

5. Ruud van Nistelrooy – Netherlands

Van the Man may have left the Premier League but has retained his goalscoring habits. Despite the 2006 World Cup snub he’s still one of the most effective strikers in world football today and can always be counted upon to make space for himself and grab a goal or two.

Let’s hope the goal celebrations return this summer…

6. Michael Ballack – Germany

One of the most effective, determined, talented and underrated midfielders of his generation. He is that rare breed – an all-round central midfielder who has triumped in an age of ’specialist midfielders’. The 31 year old Germany captain will be hoping to improve on Germany’s performance from Germany 06 and go a step further this time around.

Plus the Chelsea man can dive with the best of them…

7. David Trezeguet – France

Wait, what? Didn’t it say ‘going to Euro 2008′? Yes, it does, and Trezeguet’s inclusion in these numbers is all the more shocking since he’s been OUT of the France team ever since he slept with Domenech’s wife and refused to share his own missus with the coach. People have been killed for less than that, but Trez still holds a grudge against the gaffer for some reason (of course I’m making this up – how naive do you think Domenech is?).

Show of support from fans? Probably. But keeping Henry / Benzema / Ribery out of the top 7? Methinks Trez is up to something…

Who do you think are the most popular players for each national team going to Euro 2008?