Adrian Clarke and Iain Spragg are in fine form on Episode 29 of the world famous Soccerlens Podcast. 

There’s a host of juicy topics to get stuck into this week and the duo’s heated debate centres on Thierry Henry’s lack of sportsmanship, the miracle powers of horse placenta and the prospects for manager-less Scotland.

There’s also the usual stack of match previews including a trio of Premier League games in Sunderland v Arsenal, Man United v Everton and Liverpool v Man City – and the animated pair end proceedings with a light-hearted look through this week’s podcast mailbag. 

Check out episode 29 now!

You can listen to this week’s episode below:
Download link (mp3, 30mb, 32 mins)

Make sure you send in your feedback and questions through podcast@soccerlens.com and Clarke and Spragg will feature the best of them in next week’s show.

Subscribe to the Soccerlens Podcast

You can subscribe via iTunes or directly to the podcast feed.

France qualified for the World Cup in South Africa in the summer thanks to a William Gallas header against Ireland in Paris. With French supporters everywhere celebrating, replays showed in the build-up to the goal, Thierry Henry hand-balling the ball onto his foot to cross. Of course, that is against the rules and it is very unfortunate that he should have done that however, would we be complaining if Kevin Doyle had done it for Richard Dunne to score? I don’t think so, somehow.

The whole of Great Britain was pushing for Ireland to win and there was no real surprise when they took the lead and stamped their authority. And we all felt robbed when the Irish went out, but history shows us that is football.

The uproar has been all a bit embarrassing. Thierry Henry is now a cheat, it doesn’t matter that his reputation has been almost blemish-free. His status as an all time Premier League great is under threat. Somehow, I don’t think any French person will care, because they, with a shockingly bad team, are going to the World Cup. Lots of people will get on their high horse and claim they would never support the behaviour of Henry.

What behaviour? The fact that as the captain, he wanted to drag his team from a string of poor performances and get them on that plane to South Africa? Let me ask you this, would any English fan care if it was Beckham who had done it to win them the World Cup? Even just to get to the finals? I’m English and I wouldn’t care. Because of all what will be remembered is the teams that played.

Rooney and Gerrard have continuingly dived and I’ve expected reams of condemnation from fans everywhere. It never happens, because when they put on the shirt of their great country, the will to win overshadows everything.

Take in 2006, the World Cup in Germany. Rooney stamped on Carvalho, and Ronaldo pounced on the foul and asked the question to the referee to send him off. He winked at the bench, causing uncontrollable fury from the British nation. We booed him for a bit, but voted him the best player the very next year, showing it had been swept under the rug. Not forgotten of course but we still realised he was still a good player.

Take Platini in the wake of the shambles that was trying to get Eduardo a ban for diving. He came out and claimed that diving was bad but would do it for his country any day. What sort of example does that set? It will be interesting to see what Platini has to say, no doubt.

It is a shame that the colour and passion of the Irish people will not be in South Africa, and will be sorely missed. I support the call for video technology, I mean how long would it have taken for the handball to be shown? This is a perfect time to bring the calls into action. Henry is a great player, but he is also a professional, with a will to win.

Make sure you listen to this week’s Soccerlens Podcast that discusses Henry’s handball and a lot more.

…Or at least if you had just read the reactions from the fans and trigger-happy journalists, you’d think this is what Henry had actually done:

On a serious note, the ‘victims’ – the Irish team – have been refreshingly objective about the situation and have laid the blame squarely on the horrible refereeing and to a much lesser extent on their own poor finishing as the real reasons why the French and not the Irish are headed to South Africa.

The Irish team and management have pointed fingers at FIFA, at Blatter, at Platini – but not at Henry (who to his credit admitted that he had handballed but defended himself by saying that he’s ‘not the referee’).

This is the same Thierry Henry who dove twice in the 2006 World Cup – during the second round game against Spain when his dive led to the free kick that led to France’s comeback in that game, and during the semi-final against Portugal where his dive led to France’s only goal and thus a place in the finals (1, 2).

Once in the final, there was a Malouda dive that helped France score the first goal of the game. And yet, because France had been the underdogs in that campaign (beating Brazil in the quarters, no less)…the Italians ended up being demonized as cheats.

It’s France’s turn now. Whenever the underdog gets cheated there’s always a huge uproar – the joyous David v Goliath narrative is broken and all hell breaks lose.

But when the big dog gets cheated – which happens quite a lot in football – it’s met with a ‘you deserved it’ attitude that is completely at odds with calls for ‘better refereeing’ made the last time around.

Hypocrites, the whole lot of them – fans and journos.

Credits: DangerHere.com for the video.

Last season Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona thrilled Europe with their fluid, vivacious, irrepressible brand of football. Led by the combined talents of Xavi, Iniesta, Henry, Messi and Eto’o, Barca surged to an exceptional treble which established the Catalan club as the most formidable on the planet.

With the start of the new campaign just a fortnight away, Barca will be keen to continue their good form of 2008/09 and dominate La Liga for a second consecutive campaign. Hot on their heels will be a reinvigorated Real Madrid, their squad replenished with a new generation of galacticos keen to win the trophies their talents are surely capable of challenging for. This could be one of the most fascinating campaigns Spain, or indeed the whole of Europe, has seen for a long while.

La Liga for dummies

La Liga, the top-flight of Spanish football, is home to a number of world football’s most glamorous, most attractive sides and is generally considered, along with the English Premier League, to be one of the highest-calibre competitions the game has to offer. Barcelona and Real Madrid, two of the game’s most successful clubs, traditionally battle it out for the title, with the likes of Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal forming a highly competitive chasing pack.

Real Madrid’s recent decision to revive their famous (or infamous, depending on your viewpoint) galactico transfer policy has ensured that a substantial number of the world’s finest footballers – including Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema amongst others – will be plying their trade in La Liga for the foreseeable future.

Last season in a Tweet

Barca dominate in Pep’s first season. Real struggle under Schuster, improve under Ramos. Valencia short on cash. Betis, Numancia, Recre relegated.

If La Liga was a footballer…

Socrates. A cultured, skillful footballer in possession of an incredible natural gift and  an intelligent and political nature.

Title contenders

Having so thoroughly dominated La Liga last season, Barcelona will start the new campaign as favourites to secure a second consecutive domestic title. In terms of personnel the Catalans have retained the vast majority of last season’s squad, Samuel Eto’o being the only regular starter to have moved on during the summer.

The Cameroonian striker, one of La Liga’s top scorers in 2008/09, has been replaced at the Camp Nou by the immensely talented Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Swede having proved his goal scoring capabilities for Inter Milan in recent years. If Ibrahimovic can integrate into his new team and important players such as Xavi, Iniesta and the superb Lionel Messi can continue their rich veins of form, then Barca will be well on their way to securing yet more silverware.

Real Madrid, not used to being so comprehensively outplayed by their Catalan rivals, will look upon the 2009/10 season as a chance to reassert themselves as the primary force in Spanish football.

A new manager in the shape of Manuel Pellegrini and the arrival of some of the world’s best players over the summer have certainly signaled Los Blancos’ intent for the coming campaign. Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Raul Albiol are just some of the players Madrid have signed in an attempt to revisit the triumphs brought about by the first wave of galacticos in the early part of the decade.

Much rests on the ability of this collection of superstars to gel and learn to play alongside one another. If they can integrate quickly and Pellegrini can find a system to accommodate such an embarrassment of footballing riches, then Madrid will have an excellent chance of claiming the title and, perhaps, honours on the European stage. If not, then Los Merengues might have to wait a little while for their investment in talent to see a significant return.

European hopefuls

Such is the high quality of La Liga, there are a number of clubs capable of vying for places in the various European competitions. Last season it was Sevilla and Atletico Madrid who finished third and fourth to claim the remaining Champions League places, with Villarreal and a cash-strapped Valencia qualifying for the Europa League.

Sevilla have bolstered their midfield with the signing of Tottenham’s Didier Zokora and, despite being set to lose Luis Fabiano, if young players like Jesus Navas and Diego Capel can fulfill their burgeoning potential, Los Palanganas will almost certainly be in and around the top four come the end of the season.

Atletico, one of the league’s most attractive teams in 2008/09, have added more defensive guile to their undoubted attacking prowess, signing Real Betis’ Juanito on a free and snapping up the talented goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo from Real Valladolid. If the prolific pairing of Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero can continue their scintillating form then Atletico might just improve upon their 4th place of last season.

Villarreal will also be looking to improve upon last year’s 5th place, although with manager Manuel Pellegrini, the architect of the club’s recent success, having moved to Madrid, the coming campaign might prove more difficult than anticipated for El Submarino Amarillo.

Similarly, Valencia, who have endured a catalogue of financial disasters in recent times, may have to lower their expectations for the coming season. Although it was widely presumed that Los Che would be forced into selling their best players this summer (and they still might be), thus far they have managed to keep hold of David Silva and David Villa and retained a competitive squad.

If Unai Emery, the club’s talented young manager, can keep his squad together, Valencia will no doubt be one of the best sides in La Liga. However, if his hand is forced by the club’s prevailing financial conditions, then Valencia’s fans may have to gear themselves up for several seasons of mid-table mediocrity and financial survival. It could go either way.

Outside bet

Espanyol. Barcelona’s “other” team endured a terrible start to the 2008/09 season, finding themselves rooted to the bottom of the table for much of the first half of the campaign. However, the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino in January acted as a catalyst for an upturn in the club’s fortunes, an improvement in form which eventually saw the Periquitos finish in 10th.

Espanyol are undoubtedly a strong side, their triumph in the 2006 Copa Del Rey and appearance in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup final is testament to that, and they are well capable of European qualification. The death of captain Daniel Jarque this summer was a devastating blow to all involved with the club, but if they play to their potential this season there is no reason why Espanyol can’t compete at the top end of the league table and do their old captain proud.  

Relegation candidates

Xerez, Real Zaragoza and Tenerife have all been promoted from the Segunda Division and may struggle, but Zaragoza in particular have a squad more than capable of competing at the top level, so I’m going to stick my neck out and predict that the Aragonese side will survive relatively comfortably this season.

Getafe struggled last season, staying up only by virtue of their head-to-head record with Real Betis, and will need to fulfill their sizeable potential if they’re to avoid a similar situation this season.

Osasuna, Real Valladolid and Sporting Gijon also laboured towards the foot of the table last term and will have to keep their relatively fragile squads in tact to ensure survival this time around.

Joker in the pack

It’s hard to know what you’re going to get with Malaga. After promotion back to the top-flight in 2007/08, the Andalusian side exceeded all expectations last season to finish in 8th place, just seven points shy of a place in the Europa League.

Astute signings such as Milan Stepanov and Albert Luque should serve to improve an already industrious side and, with Juan Ramon Lopez Muniz back at the helm, Malaga might just be looking to challenge at the top end of the league yet again. The side’s development will be watched with great interest.

Solid gold gaffer

When Pep Guardiola took over at the Camp Nou at the beginning of last season, a newcomer to the business of management (albeit with the status of a club legend), there were doubts over his ability to guide Barca to any sort of success. Guardiola quickly silenced his critics and, in the space of just nine months, turned himself into one of the hottest properties in management, inspiring his side to a treble whilst playing some truly wonderful football along the way.

Frighteningly, the Catalan icon is still learning his trade as a manager and, if it’s possible to imagine, there might be even better things to come this season.

The man with the golden boot

Diego Forlan, who scored 32 league goals last season, was the 2008/09 Pichichi winner and the Uruguayan will again be amongst the favourites to claim the golden boot, as will his Atletico Madrid striker partner Sergio Aguero.

With Samuel Eto’o having moved to Inter there will be pressure on his replacement at Barca, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to do his fair share of goal scoring, with his teammates Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry also likely to finish the season with sizeable hauls.

Several of Real Madrid’s stellar signings, not least Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, are also likely to challenge Forlan for his place at the top of the scoring charts, as will some of La Liga’s usual suspects such as David Villa and the evergreen Fredi Kanoute.

In short, there might just be a few goals this season.

Three to watch

Nilmar (Villarreal)

Long considered one of Brazilian domestic football’s finest players, Nilmar has consistently shown himself to be a great creative attacking talent for both Internacional and Corinthians. A two-season spell at Lyon five years ago yielded little, a move which dented his reputation in Europe somewhat, but his recent form for Internacional has done much to restore belief in his talent. Still only 25, Villarreal have signed Nilmar in the hope that he can provide the sort of creative spark which was the trademark of the now departed Nihat. It could be one of the transfers of the season.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Whilst at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo established himself as one of the best, if not the best, player in the world. With an £80m transfer to justify, Real Madrid fans will be expecting their club’s marquee signing to reproduce a similar level of performance to that which he displayed at Old Trafford. If he can, Madrid’s chances of winning silverware will be massively enhanced and that transfer fee will seem a veritable bargain.

Diego Capel (Sevilla)

Last season Diego Capel began to show the level of ability everyone has known the young Spaniard to be capable of for a long time. Giving Sevilla an added attacking dimension down the left flank, Capel’s pace and aggression has made the 21 year-old one of La Liga’s best young players. His form will be crucial to Sevilla’s success this season and, if he continues to develop at his current astronomical rate, he could well become a key player for Spain at next summer’s World Cup and in the years to come.

NBA superstar Steven Nash is at it again this summer, bringing together the world’s best football and basketball players on one pitch in the heart of New York City for a game football.

The event, which was a massive hit in it’s inaugural year, will be coming back to the greatest city in the United States on 24 June in an event that’s being billed as the ‘Showdown in Chinatown’.

Most of the information regarding the tournament — most notably the list of players — is still shrouded in secrecy at the moment, but what we do know is the event is slated for 24 June. Last year’s event was a veritable Who’s Who of football and basketball superstars. From Thierry Henry and Salomon Kalou, to the NBA’s Baron Davis and Jason Kidd, the event brought players past and present together for a match unlike any other.

For those of you that weren’t able to attend the event last season, this year’s event is your chance to catch the action in person. Athletes for Africa and Nash’s non-profit organisation,  Football for Good, are giving you the chance to see the event up close and in person by simply signing up to help Athletes in Africa’s cause.

Simply sign-up and donate $5 dollars to help the organisation build a football academy in Africa, and you could be the lucky winner of an all-expenses-paid trip for two to catch Nash and a host of sport superstars in New York City* when they take the pitch for the ‘Showdown in Chinatown’.

Whilst we don’t know the name of the footballers playing in the event as of right now, there are rumours of some massive stars joining Nash for the 8-on-8 match. And judging by the video below, we’re assuming that this year’s event will blow last year’s right out of the water. See for yourself:

So, yeah, I’d recommend signing up for the competition for the chance to win catch this thing in person…

*No purchase necessary to become a supporter of Athletes for Africa or win. Open only to individuals 21 years or older. Void where prohibited. Supporter drive begins Wednesday, May 27, 2009 and closes on Wednesday, June 17, 2009. The winner, selected from Athletes for Africa ’supporters’ will receive a three-day vacation with two nights accommodation, special entry to all ‘2009 Showdown in Chinatown’ events and return airfare for two people. Please review the complete contest rules and regulations by clicking here.

For nine minutes, I was smug and self-satisfied, as well as disappointed. My pre-match predictions were being played out in front of my eyes; the men in all-white were on top, and the Catalans were struggling to adapt to the intensity of their play.

Victor Valdes had taken just thirty seconds to nervously prod a backpass from Gerard Piqué out of play, and Cristiano Ronaldo had already hit three shots at goal, one of which had drawn a less than authoritative stop from Valdes’ legs, with only Piqué preventing Park from burying the rebound.

Ronaldo, playing as he did against Arsenal in the semi-final as the focal point of Manchester United’s attack, seemed hell-bent on winning this game alone. Twice he shunned the option of Park on the right and went for glory- first with a speculative thirty yard strike that whistled well wide, and then with a driving run at goal which yielded a free kick for an untidy barge from Piqué.

When the Portuguese star had dragged another presentable chance past Valdes’ left hand post on eight minutes, United looked in almost total control, with Barcelona’s key men starved of possession and their makeshift defence–albeit one which contained more than a hundred international caps–was looking as porous as expected, with Valdes doing little to calm things down behind them.

And then, some possession for Barcelona. Andres Iniesta’s fitness was the topic of fevered debate in the run up to this final, and with one change of pace and crisp pass, he showed exactly why. His United contemporary, Anderson, had given the ball away with uncharacteristic haste in midfield, and Iniesta simply stepped through the gears to leave the Brazilian for dead, before slipping a simple pass to Samuel Eto’o in the inside right channel.

Nemanja Vidic appeared to have closed off the shooting angle but the Cameroonian striker, hopelessly out of sorts in front of goal of late, cut inside adroitly and poked low and hard inside Edwin Van der Sar’s near post as Carrick attempted to rescue the situation. Sucker punch.

The goal had a profound effect on the flow of the game. At no point from this moment on would United be in the ascendancy, even when controlled aggression was forced to turn to desperation in the second half. Wayne Rooney looked isolated and irritated stationed out wide, Park’s endeavour was matched by that of the former Arsenal left back, Sylvinho, limiting his influence hugely, whilst the midfield trio of Carrick, Anderson & Ryan Giggs, were simply starved of possession, meaning that when they did get the ball, often their only option was an ambitious pass for the pace of Ronaldo to chase.

Barcelona by contrast were slicking neatly into gear, Xavi & Iniesta, so quiet for the opening exchanges, began to run the game as if carrying a conductor’s baton, whilst the rookie Sergio Busquets alongside them displayed a maturity that belied his 20 years and 40 senior appearances to direct proceedings alongside them. In front of them Thierry Henry–another whose fitness had been a major issue in the Spanish (and English) press ahead of the game–was drifting all over the pitch, whilst Eto’o had switched from his starting position on the right, giving the imperious Lionel Messi freedom to roam infield at will.

It was from one of these increasingly-regular incursions that the Argentine almost doubled Barca’s lead with a 25 yarder of ferocious power that whistled inches over the crossbar. Xavi would go similarly close soon after with a free kick aimed for the postage stamp space of Van der Sar’s top right hand corner, which drifted wide.

For United, it looked as if only Ronaldo could provide any kind of spark, although it is also arguable that his determination to do things alone and constant demands for possession may well have affected the (in)efficiency of some of his colleagues. He was given plenty of space in the penalty area to meet Giggs’ left wing corner, but headed well over, before sending another effort wide of Valdes’ post with Rooney screaming for a ball inside.

Sir Alex Ferguson is not usually a man to emit fear with his tactical alterations, yet he opted to thrust Carlos Tevez into the action at half time for the ineffective, and perhaps overwrought, Anderson. Ferguson would have been hoping that the Argentine’s introduction may have sparked the kind of revival seen at Old Trafford last month when a two-goal first half deficit against Tottenham was wiped out with five goals in twenty second half minutes, but with Barcelona in buoyant mood such an episode was unlikely. Tevez joined Rooney in the anonymous corner within minutes of his entrance, and rarely ventured into enemy territory throughout a palpably flat second half.

Barcelona on the other hand were full of life, their passing was as clean and varied as we had come to expect, and they found gaps in United’s defensive setup almost at will. Henry gave Ferdinand twisted blood with one run down the left, which drew a smothering save from Van der Sar, whilst Iniesta’s carrying of the ball from deep worried Vidic sufficiently into the concession of a free kick which Xavi whipped against the base of the post.

It was one way stuff, Giggs & Carrick unable to get anywhere close enough to Barca’s midfield trio to impose any sort of authority on the game, whilst the raids of Puyol and even Sylvinho from full back were increasing in regularity and threat as the minutes ticked on, with neither John O’Shea nor Patrice Evra able to a) cope with the danger they were presented with, nor b) offer any sort of counter-threat of their own. The introduction of Dimitar Berbatov for Park was needed, but failed to inject the required composure and quality into their play.

In the event, it was Evra’s snatched and unnecessary clearance which gave Barcelona the possession from which eventually Xavi would clip in a beautifully flighted cross from the right onto the forehead of Messi. The Argentine, having drifted effortlessly in behind Ferdinand to meet the ball, guided a superb header back across Van der Sar and into his top left hand corner from ten yards, to all but seal the win. Much has been made of the little man’s failure to score against English opposition; little will be heard in that respect from now on.

United did manage to muster a couple of openings, Ronaldo thwarted by a brave block from Valdes after Tevez’s cut back had rolled across the six yard box invitingly, and Berbatov volleying the resultant corner well over, but their late contributions were of a more frustrated ilk as first Ronaldo, after a running battle with Puyol in which the Barça skipper produced some play-acting of his own, and then Scholes, who was lucky to avoid dismissal for a knee-jarring challenge on Busquets, entered Massimo Busacca’s notebook. In between, Puyol had been given two chances to add some extra lustre to the scoreline, first heading Xavi’s free kick straight at Van der Sar, and then seeing the Dutchman block at his feet as Xavi, Messi & Iniesta had opened up an increasingly under-populated defence with ease.

It would have been the cherry on the icing on the cake for the skipper, as fierce a Catalan as imaginable, to have put the seal on the club’s third European Cup success, and an unprecedented treble-winning season (in Spain at least), but alas Barca’s supporters were forced to settle for the most cosy of two goal margins, with United’s attack stifled so comprehensively you could have filed missing persons reports for Rooney. Or Tevez. Or Berbatov.

For Pep Guardiola it was the vindication, if ever it were needed, that his footballing idealisms should be treasured and revered and passed down. Barcelona played United off the park last night, just as they had done to pretty much every team they had faced this season (Chelsea fans outside Tom-Henning Ovrebo’s door will of course contest this). Just as they had done Numancia & Racing Santander in the opening two weeks of the season when they had picked up just a single point and people were daring to question whether they needed to find an alternative way of playing.

In Xavi, Iniesta and Messi, they had not only three of the top ten players in world football–according to FIFA–but three players schooled exclusively at the iconic La Masia training complex next to the Camp Nou, and brought up drenched in the Barcelona way. Pass, move, pass, move, pass, move. When you consider that Puyol, Piqué, Valdes, Busquets and even late substitute Pedro Rodriguez and the unused Bojan Krkic & Marc Muniesa, as well as Guardiola himself, have all come through this way, it makes the accomplishments even more remarkable. A Catalan success in Europe, at the end of a season in which Guardiola’s men really have been THE dream team.

For United, it is important to keep things in some kind of perspective. Ferguson was right in that Barcelona’s first goal was a sucker punch at the end of a first ten minutes that United had bossed, but he was also right to concede that his side were beaten by a superior team on the night. Of his players, only Ronaldo could have any real claim to having even approached his best form last night and, for all the Portuguese’s brilliance, that was never going to be sufficient against a Barcelona side in top form. The absence of harrying midfielders in Darren Fletcher, and the forgotten man Owen Hargreaves, may have played some role, but to talk up such absentees is to detract from the quality of their replacements.

It is easy to criticise tactics in the aftermath of a defeat, and Ferguson had used the same system to great effect against another pass and move side in the semi final, but Ronaldo may have had a point when he noted after the game that “our tactics were wrong”. In particular, the way in which Wayne Rooney was denied the chance to influence proceedings throughout. Marginalised almost from minute one last night, the natural move would have been to shift him infield, even to the head of the midfield trio perhaps, in order to get him on the ball. Instead he was left isolated out wide, caught offside when he attempted to get into the box, and sufficiently frustrated to have perhaps his most ineffectual European night in a United shirt. It was a sad sight to see.

Back to perspective however, it should not be lost that no side has managed to successfully defend the trophy since the inception of the Champions League format in 1992, and that United are the new owners of the record for most games undefeated in the competition (25), as well as being World Club champions, League Cup winners, and, of course, Champions of England for the eighteenth (grr) time. One defeat does not call for wholesale changes, those calling for the head of Berbatov, writing obituaries for Giggs & Scholes, and dissecting the praise handed out to the defence, would do well to remember this. And anyway, is there really any shame in losing to a side which played the way Barcelona have played this season?

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.

Average bookie probabilities, Getafe vs. FC Barcelona: 13 / 23 / 64

The focus is back on the league for the next 3 games. The first of these are against Getafe, who has made it their speciality to get points against the big teams. Getafe are currently 14th in the league just 4 points shy of the relegation zone. Last week, however, they took a big victory as they won 1-0 away against Sevilla. And that’s not the only great result they’ve produced this season. They drew 1-1 at the Camp Nou and they won 3-1 at home against Real Madrid.

Last year they won at the Bernabeu and two seasons ago, they knocked out Barca in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey after a 4-0 victory at home. All this points in one direction: Getafe plays their best when they play the best.

As mentioned, Getafe got a point in the first encounter at the Camp Nou. That is not the whole story, however, as they were close to getting all three. They played Barca in their best period. In the last 3 home games before the Getafe game, Barca had won 6-1, 5-0 and 6-0 against Atletico Madrid, Almeria and Malaga respectively. In other words – Barca were steamrolling everybody. Unfortunately, Getafe was able to stop the Barca machine and they were leading until Keita equalized in the 71st minute saving one point for the Blaugrana.

For the game in Madrid, Guardiola is expected to make heavy rotations and we won’t try to predict the starting line-up as we did for the match against Bayern, as the line-up is pretty much a toss-up. Barca are playing 6, yes six, extremely important games in 18 days that will probably decide the league and the Champions League following the game against Getafe. For these games we will need everybody to be rested and alert and even though Getafe is a good team they just aren’t as good as the other teams Barca is going to play so it’ll be one of the few games, where the likes of Messi can get a rest.

The game kicks off at 8 PM local time on Saturday.

Real Madrid will have to travel to Huelva, who put up a good fight last weekend at the Camp Nou. Madrid’s plan is to keep winning until they play Barca and they want to take another step against Recreativo. In the first encounter in the league Real won 1-0. The game kicks off at 10 PM local time so by midnight we will know if Barca was given a helping hand.

Our cross town rivals from Espanyol welcomes Racing Santander at home on Sunday at 5 PM. Espanyol are 7 points below 17th placed Sporting Gijon so they desperately need a win. Santander are currently in 10th with 36 points. In their first encounter of the season Santander easily beat Espanyol 3-0.

Sunday at 7 PM the Spanish have prepared a real treat for us. Valencia and Sevilla kick off their Mount Everest schedule as Valencia welcomes Sevilla at Mestella. Valencia need in order to cling on their 4th place giving Champions League qualification giving spot, while Seville will all but secure their 3rd place spot with a draw or better.

Steffen Risager is the editor of www.elbarca.net

Today we are going to look at the all-time top scorers in the Premier League.

The Premier League has seen many players come and go since its inception in 1992. We certainly remember some and others never cross our minds again. Club teams constantly sign up new talent but only a few will ever come close to what the Top Five have accomplished.

We all know their names, so let’s just look at their impressive numbers and great goals again.

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1. Alan Shearer – 261 Premier League Goals

Alan Shearer, OBE, was born on 13th August 1970. Having started his career at Southampton, he went on to become one of the most prolific scorers of all time with Blackburn and his beloved Newcastle. After the first ten years of the Premier League, Shearer was named as the outstanding player of the decade. He is also listed in the FIFA one hundred greatest living footballers. Has there ever been a more lethal striker in the game?

Shearer played 63 times for England, scoring 30 goals. He captained the side on 34 occasions.

Now working as a pundit on BBC television’s match of the day, Shearer is taking occasional training sessions at Newcastle whilst he tries to obtain his coaching badges. Once his committments at the BBC have expired, it is likely that he will take on some sort of coaching role at the Tyneside club.

• Alan Shearer Goals (iFutbal)

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2. Andy Cole – 187 Premier League Goals

Andy Cole, or Andrew Cole, as he now prefers to be called was born on 15th October 1971. He started out at Bristol City, but came to prominance as an exciting goalscorer with Newcastle United. He was sold contoversially to Manchester United, a move that upset the Toon army, where he went on tio achieve huge success. He was the top scorer in Europe for United in the treble winning season of 1998-99, a season in which he and Dwight Yorke contributed 53 goals between them overall. Cole scored the goal that won the premier league title, and the goal that took them to the Champions League final. Has there ever been a better partnership than Cole and Yorke that season?

Since leaving United he has played at Blackburn, Fulham, Mancheser City, Portsmouth, Birmingham and Sunderland, without quite recapturing his best goal scoring form. He recently moved to Burnley on loan where he has scored 4 goals in 3 games and says he is revitalised.

Cole was awarded the PFA Young player of the year award in 1994, and played 15 games for Engand, scoring just one goal.

• Andy Cole Goals (iFutbal)

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3. Thierry Henry – 174 Premier League Goals

Thierry Henry was born on 17th August 1977. He moved to Arsenal after a relatively successful career in France and Italy, but was regarded by many as an overrated wide player. Arsene Wenger converted Henry to be a striker and the rest, as they say, is history. Has there ever been a more wonderful sight than the French striker in full flow?

Henry was twice awarded the PFA players player of the year award, and also won the Football Writers player of the year award on two occasions.

For France, Henry has scored 44 goals in 98 appearances and has World Cup and European Championship winners medals.

Henry now plays for Barcelona in La Liga, and although he has struggled to make the same impact for them that he made at Arsenal, he has still managed to score 6 goals in 18 games.

• Thierry Henry Goals (iFutbal)

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4. Robbie Fowler – 161 Premier League Goals

Robbie Fowler was born on 9th April 1975. He grew up in Toxteth, a rough area of Liverpool, and went on to become one of the best players ever to represent the reds. In 1995 and 1996 he was awarded the PFA young player of the year award.

His goal scoring exploits were always matched by the controversy surrounding him. He was particularly criticised when after scoring a goal he pretended to snort the paint from the six yard line, following rumours of a cocaine addiction. Presenting his backside to Graeme Le Saux, rumoured to be gay, was also an episode that Fowler should not be proud of.

On leaving Liverpool Fowler moved to Leeds and Manchester City, before moving back to Liverpool for a second spell. He joined Cardiff City in the summer last year, but has struggled with hip and ankle injuries, and is unlikely to play again this season. Has there ever been a more deadly finisher than Fowler at his best?

Fowler played 26 times for England scoring 7 goals.

• Robbie Fowler goals (iFutbal)

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5. Les Ferdinand – 150 Premier League Goals

Les Ferdinand, MBE, was born on 8th December 1966. He began his career at Queens Park Rangers before earning a high profile move to Newcastle United. On Tyneside, Ferdinand developed a frightening strike partnership with Alan Shearer. He moved on to have success with Tottenham, before playing for West Ham, Leicester, Bolton and Reading.

Ferdinand was awarded the PFA players player award in 1996 and scored 5 goals for England gaining 17 caps.

Has there ever been a more underrated striker than Les Ferdinand?

Ferdinand now does a large amount of charity work and is the premier league pundit for Setanta TV.

• Les Ferdinand Goals (iFutbal)

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Rest of the EPL 100 Club:

• Teddy Sherringham (Notts Forrest, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Portsmouth, West Ham) 150
• Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Leeds United, Chelsea, Middlesborough) 128
• Michael Owen (Liverpool, Newcastle United) 127
• Dwight Yorke (Aston Villa, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sunderland) 123
• Ian Wright (Arsenal, West Ham) 113
• Dion Dublin (Manchester United, Coventry, Aston Villa) 111
• Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) 101
• Matthew Le Tissier (Southampton) 100
• Robbie Keane (Coventry City, Leeds, Tottenham) 100
• Frank Lampard (West Ham United, Chelsea) – 100
• Emile Heskey (Leicester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Wigan) 100

Graham Fisher writes at www.viewsofafan.org

"All-Time Premier League Top Scorers: Alan Shearer, Andy Cole, Thierry Henry, Robbie Fowler and Les Ferdinand" was originally published at Soccerlens.com - Football News.]]> http://soccerlens.com/all-time-premier-league-top-scorers/5804/feed/ 20 http://soccerlens.com/henry-im-not-going-to-manchester-city/13446/ http://soccerlens.com/henry-im-not-going-to-manchester-city/13446/#comments Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:09:42 +0000 Soccerlens http://soccerlens.com/?p=13446
Thierry Henry has been linked with a move away from Barcelona as soon as he arrived – his family situation only fanned the flames and the press have constantly linked him with a return to the Premier League (Manchester being the suggested destination) as well as a move to the MLS in David Beckham’s footsteps. However, [...]]]>


Thierry Henry has been linked with a move away from Barcelona as soon as he arrived – his family situation only fanned the flames and the press have constantly linked him with a return to the Premier League (Manchester being the suggested destination) as well as a move to the MLS in David Beckham’s footsteps.

However, the player himself has always said that he enjoys living in Barcelona, gets on well with his teammates and enjoys playing for them despite being played out of positions at times last season.

Henry, speaking to France Football:

“One thing’s for sure, the Manchester City thing and all the things you’re talking about need to stop.

I’ve played three matches in the league and I’ve scored twice. So there you go. I missed two (games) because I was ill.

(Leo) Messi has been on the bench twice, (Samuel) Eto’o has been on the bench twice, (Dani) Alves hasn’t been in the side recently. The coach rotates players, but you don’t stop (talking) when it’s my turn. Talk about everyone!

When (Carles) Puyol doesn’t play against Betis, when Alves isn’t in the group, when Messi doesn’t play against Santander, when Sam doesn’t play against Espanyol. If you’re going to talk, talk about everyone.”

"Henry: I’m not going to Manchester City" was originally published at Soccerlens.com - Football News.]]> http://soccerlens.com/henry-im-not-going-to-manchester-city/13446/feed/ 3