Despite the 2011-12 season just drawing to a close and Euro 2012 and the Olympics on the horizon, a raft of leading European teams are planning their warm up games for next term. With an increase in popularity in the game across in North America, it has been the trend for pre-season friendlies to be played in the United States and Canada, and this summer it will be no different. Despite the fact that Barcelona and Manchester United will not be heading stateside in the build up to 2012-13, plenty of other European giants are.

Chelsea

American chairman Bruce Buck will have had a say in deciding to take the Blues back across to North America this pre-season, and the Stamford Bridge club will play four games in USA in July. Starting on the west coast in a game against the Seattle Sounders, Chelsea will also play big-spending Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and the MLS All-Stars team.

• 18th July – Chelsea vs Seattle Sounders, CenturyLink Field, Seattle
• 22nd July – Chelsea vs Paris Saint-Germain, Yankee Stadium, New York
• 25th July – Chelsea vs MLS All-Stars, PPL PArk, Chester
• 28th July – Chelsea vs AC Milan, Sun Life Stadium, Miami

Aston Villa

Again with an American chairman at the helm, Villa will play three games in the United States in a whirlwind trip stateside in July. Games against Philadelphia Union, Chicago Fire and Portland Timbers should test Alex McLeish’s men.

• July 18th – Aston Villa vs Philadelphia Union, PPL Park, Chester
• July 21st – Aston Villa vs Chicago Fire, Toyota Park, Chicago
• July 24th – Aston Villa vs Portland Timbers, Jeld-Wen Field, Portland

Tottenham

Spurs are set to go face-to-face with former striker Robbie Keane, David Beckham and former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry this summer. With Brad Friedel in the travelling contingent, the north London club will hope to use the trip to stoke up some additional support from fans stateside.

• July 24th – Tottenham vs LA Galaxy, The Home Depot Center, Carson
• July 28th – Tottenham vs Liverpool, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
• July 31st – Tottenham vs New York Red Bulls, Red Bull Arena, Harrison

Liverpool

The Fenway Sports Group take their Anfield side across for a pre-season tour of Canada and United States this summer, with a glamour friendly against fellow American-owned side Roma one of the highlights.

• July 21st – Liverpool vs Toronto, Rogers Centre, Toronto
• July 25th – Liverpool vs Roma, Fenway Park, Boston
• July 28th – Liverpool vs Tottenham, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore

Real Madrid

The newly-crowned La Liga champions will cross the Atlantic to test themselves in pre-season, and try to increase their popularity with American fans with Barcelona not travelling stateside this year.

• August 3rd – Real Madrid vs LA Galaxy, The Home Depot Center, Carson
• August 5th – Real Madrid vs Juventus, Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas
• August 8th – Real Madrid vs AC Milan, Yankee Stadium, New York

Juventus

The rejuvenated Turin giants are always a big draw for American crowds, and will once more return to the United States this summer. Their full plans are yet to be revealed, but the following friendlies have been confirmed.

• July 28th – Juventus vs DC United, RFK Stadium, Washington
• August 5th – Juventus vs Real Madrid, Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas

AC Milan

It will be a summer of rebuilding for AC Milan, as old heads Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso, Filippo Inzagi and Clarence Seedorf will leave the club, and American fans will be keen to see any new signings. Again, Milan’s plans are still to be set in stone, but the following are confirmed.

• 28th July – AC Milan vs Chelsea, Sun Life Stadium, Miami
• Two games in Philadelphia – information yet to be released

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Depending upon the outcome of Copa del Rey Final on May 25^th against Athletic Bilbao, FC Barcelona can finish the 2011/2012 campaign on a (relative) high.

Winning the domestic Cup competition is nothing to sniff at but it pales to the accomplishments achieved in previous seasons. FC Barcelona finished the season with 91 points; in most cases this total haul would’ve clinched the title in every other league across Europe. However, Real Madrid unseated FC Barcelona at the summit of the Spanish league with a whopping 100 points.

So is it time to panic? Abandon total football?

Not really. However, it is time to make a few adjustments and fine-tune the squad once more. The key adjective here being “fine-tune”.

Unless Sandro Rosell wants to emulate AC Milan’s “model” and hang onto to ageing Champions until they’re approaching retirement he’d be well advised to sell and buy some players.

Whereas the club’s decision to announce their transfer budget ahead of the 2011 transfer window paid rich dividends (signing Cesc Fabregas & Alexis Sanchez below their market value), this year they seem to take a different route. How much money is or isn’t available to Tito Vilanova is pretty much a mystery at this point. However, one is inclined to believe that his transfer kitty is significantly smaller than Guardiola’s in his heyday. Nevertheless, a smaller Barcelona transfer kitty probably still dwarfs that of every other major club bar a few chosen ones (Manchester City, Chelsea FC, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich).

For the purpose of this article let’s assume FC Barcelona has a war chest of 50,000,000 Euro (the transfer budged for 2011). In this massively inflated market it’s probably just enough to open negotiations for Santos Neymar. Bar any significant drop in oil prices it’s not likely that the exorbitant evaluations of top talent will decline anytime soon.

Barcelona were lucky enough that both Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez have made it known that the only wanted to join the Blaugrana which gave the club some leverage for negotiations. This year it’s pretty much open season on anybody. In order to stay competitive in the transfer market FC Barcelona has to sell.

Let’s take a look at some players who are most likely sold this summer.

Likely to be sold:

Seydou Keita, 32 (8,000,000 Euro)*

Ibrahim Afellay, 26 (10,000,000 Euro)*

Isaac Cuenca, 21 (3,000,000 Euro)* or Cristian Tello, 20 (5,000,000 Euro)*

Should be sold:

David Villa, 30 (35,000,000 Euro)*

Could be sold:

Pedro, 24 (28,000,000 Euro)*

The Breakdown:

Seydou Keita should be sold. The Malian, 32, has never been a regular under Pep Guardiola and will most likely not become one for Tito Vilanova either. The 8,000,000 Euro evaluation represent the high-end of what Barcelona can expect from any sale. The benchmark is Ricardo Carvalho’s transfer from Chelsea to Real Madrid for 8,000,000 Euro. However, Carvalho was a starter in the Blues set-up and one of the best defenders in the EPL. Hence the more realistic fee the Blaugrana can expect is somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,000,000 Euro.

Verdict: Any proposed sale of Ibrahim Afellay would certainly take place after the 2012 European Championships. At present his market value is set at 10,000,000 Euro. A fine performance in the tournament could potentially double his value.

Verdict: Barcelona is not short on wide options (Pedro, Cuenca. Tello, Alexis) so they would probably entertain any offer of 15,000,000 Euro and more.

As mentioned earlier, Barcelona has a lot of wide options. Therefore it would only make sense to sell either Cuenca or Tello. Jeffren was sold to Sporting Lisbon in the previous season and there’s nothing to suggest that it won’t happen again.

Verdict: Liverpool are credited with an interested in Cuenca. 6 – 7,000,000 Euro (for either) seem reasonable since Barcelona sold Oriol Romeu, who had virtually no first team experience, to Chelsea for approximately 5,000,000 Euro.

As fine a player David Villa is, he is just not what Barcelona need (at least the incarnation where Lionel Messi plays centrally). If the plan is to keep him on the left-wing it would be wiser to sell him. Alexis Sanchez wasn’t acquired to warm the bench and Pedro is showing signs that he’s returning to form.

Furthermore, in Cuenca and Tello Barcelona have ready-made back-up players. At 30 years of age his transfer value will drop in subsequent seasons. Though he is rated at 35,000,000 Euro a more realistic fee would be 20 – 24,000,000 Euro.

The most expensive 30 year old was Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan to Chelsea for 46,000,000 Euro). Nevertheless he was Serie A’s best player and a Ballon d’Or winner. Both Thierry Henry and Ruud Van Nistelrooy transferred to Barcelona and Real Madrid at the age of 30 (Henry turned 30 in the 2007 calendar year) for 24,000,000 Euro.

But that would be the high-end for David Villa. After all, El Guaje turns 31 in December. Sell him and remove his annual wages of 7,500,000 Euro would free up additional funds.

If someone would match Pedro’s evaluation of 28,000,000 Euro it’s probably for the better to sell him. Another inconsistent season and his market value could be less than half. He’s a good player but there’s nothing to suggest that Cuenca or Tello can’t match him. Any offer upwards of 20,000,000 Euro should be seriously considered.

As far acquisitions are concerned there are two positions that need to be addressed – left-back and central defense, perhaps another striker (one that actually plays as a striker).

Center-back:

According to various press reports Barcelona have made AC Milan’s Thiago Silva (rated: 32,000,000 Euro)* their primary transfer target. If these reports are to be believed Barcelona are convinced they can do a deal for about 25,000,000 Euro.

It’s not going to happen folks. Not for 25,000,000 Euro. Adriano Gallani is a lot of things, for instance he looks like Uncle Fester, but he’s arguably the best negotiator in all of football. Along with Ibrahimovic (who he shrewdly bought from Barcelona for just 24,000,000 Euro), Silva is Milan’s most valuable asset. Galliani has already been tasked with rebuilding AC Milan on a shoestring budget and it’s not likely that he’ll sell a world-class defender below market value.

Alternative: Mats Hummels, 23 (20,000,000 Euro)*

Coming off of a second successive German championship the Borussia Dortmund defender wouldn’t come cheap but propose a viable alternative to the Brazilian. A full German International, technically sound, superb sense positioning and, most importantly, he can pass a ball. Perhaps Bundesliga’s best central-defender he is already bordering on world-class, if he isn’t already. Though Dortmund have announced that they aren’t entertaining any sales, save for the inevitable departure of Shinji Kagawa, stranger things have happened.

Verdict: A bid of 25 – 30,000,000 Euro would almost certainly test their resolve. Nevertheless, Mats Hummels doesn’t seem to appear on Barcelona’s radar.

Left-back:

Jordi Alba, 23 (10,000,000 Euro)*

At this point it’s almost a forgone conclusion that Alba either extends his contract with Valancia or rejoins Barcelona. The press suggests that Barcelona is preparing an offer to the tune of 12 – 15,000,000 Euro.

Verdict: Will most likely happen. With one year left on his Valencia contract can’t expect to fetch more than 15,000,000 Euro especially once he makes his desire known to return to Barcelona. In 2010 Mesut Özil transferred under similar circumstances and fee from Werder Bremen to Real Madrid.

Fantasy Football: Gareth Bale, 23 (35,000,000 Euro)*

To make it short – he’s too expensive. EPL-based players are unreasonably more expensive than their continental counterparts. Andy Carroll, Shaun Wright-Phillps, James Milner etc.

Verdict: Not gonna happen

Striker:

Barcelona were found out – opposing teams have figured out how to stop the Blaugrana. However, only a couple of them have the necessary players to execute that particular game plan.

While Barcelona’s usual game plan will work almost against every La Liga team and most European sides, it will most likely not be effective against the likes of Chelsea or Madrid who sit deep and attack on the counter. And there’s the emerging giant Manchester City who could virtually field 10 world-class defenders. A frightening thought.

David Villa is a world-class striker; at least he used to be. But he is absolutely wasted on the left-wing. The feeling, however, is that his situation will not change anytime soon. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have the imposing striker physique that Pep has mistaken him for a winger. Who knows? Barcelona need an out-and-out striker. Ever seen a Barcelona corner? Nothing fruitful ever happens following a corner. Never. Hence a couple of (potential) recruits.

Fernando Llorente, 27 (25,000,000 Euro)*

He’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic minus the outstanding technique and ego. But he more than compensates that with an exceptional work-rate. At any rate, he has quite exceptional technique for a tall guy.

Verdict: 30 – 35,000,000 Euro and not a penny less. Llorente would walk into most sides. On second thought, there isn’t any side that wouldn’t make him their focal point. If Barcelona still have money in the bank after acquiring their primary targets this one is a realistic possibility.

Robin Van Persie, 28 (45,000,000 Euro)*

Europe’s most wanted. The market value credited above is NOT what Arsenal are stand to make should they cash in on their captain – it’s merely a reflection of his outstanding season. Barcelona are said to be interested in the flying Dutchman but apparently he’s asking for a wage package north of 200,000 Euro/week, which would make the highest earner alongside Lionel Messi. Arsenal are reportedly offering 120,000 GBP/week (roughly 150,000 Euro). And then there are the usual suspects of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Italian Champions Juventus Turin.

Verdict: Robin Van Persie could become the first player who commands a 30,000,000 Euro transfer fee in the last year of his contract. The previous high was Samir Nasri’s 27,500,000 Euro from Arsenal to Manchester City. 45,000,000 Euro seem out of the question but 30,000,000 Euro is a distinct possibility if City decide to blow the competition out of the water. Though FC Barcelona have been financially irresponsible in the past it’s unlikely that they will engage in bidding war for a player that only has one year left on his contract.

Overall analysis:

Assuming Barcelona have a basic transfer budget of 50,000,000 Euro and raise cash through the sales of players such as Seydou Keita, Ibrahim Afellay, Isaac Cuenca or Cristian Tello, David Villa and Pedro, they could potentially look 110,000,000 Euro to reinvest in the squad. Unless Barcelona wants to add a striker to their ranks there’s no reason to sell David Villa or Pedro. In that case 50,000,000 Euro should be sufficient enough to buy a world-class center-back and a left-back. A complete overhaul isn’t needed but addressing the left-back and center-back position is essential in mounting another title challenge.

*transfer values courtesy of www.transfermarkt.de

You can always disagree and argue with me on Twitter @JubeiKibagame.

Also See:

• More Barcelona News.
• More Transfer Rumours.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Long gone are the days of simply buying and selling players; due to the extortionate amounts of money that football players are worth modern day contracts are intricate, with many different beneficiaries in every deal.

However the latest craze to find its way into European football is joint or part ownership of players. Outlawed in France and England, teams on the continent are starting to share footballers’ rights as a way to profit financially and reduce the risk of buying the latest superstar.

The idea of joint ownership originates from South America, with the majority of Brazilian and Argentine players’ rights split between at least two different sources.

This has spread to Italy, with two or more clubs sharing a specific player’s ownership. It may well make sense for the involved parties, but joint ownership is blurring the boundaries, especially given FIFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, which are set to be enforced in 2013/2014.

Part Ownership between club and external company

Many South American players in particular are owned by their club, who in turn sell a share of the player’s rights to an investor. The investor takes a leap in faith in the player’s ability, whilst the club get a lump sum of revenue upon the sale of the rights.

So, if for argument’s sake Santos sold 25% of Neymar’s rights to Company X for $5 million today, and in the summer the striker moved to Real Madrid for $30 million, Company X would be owed $7.5 million of the transfer fee. However, if Neymar opted to stay with the Brazilian club for the remainder of his career, Company X would not be in line for any remuneration.

The advantage for the owning club is there for all to see, as there is immediate investment and the sharing of the risk of a player’s future.

One of the most notable transfers of this nature is Carlos Tevez’s move to West Ham from Corinthians, and subsequent transfer to Manchester United a year later. The temperamental forward is owned partly by Media Sports Investments (MSI), and former company owner Kia Joorabchian is now an ‘adviser’ to Tevez.

All of Tevez’s three transfers to and around England have involved complications due to MSI wrangling with the respective clubs, and West Ham were embroiled in a court battle with the investment fund.

The major downside of this type of arrangement is that non-football involved bodies and people are having a say in the game, and impacting young players’ futures. The player himself becomes secondary to the commercial gains of the owning organisations, with the athlete being traded for profit rather than any emotive reasons tied up within the game.

Part Ownership between club and club

Alexander Merkel - co-owned by AC Milan and Genoa

As mentioned previously, this practice is banned in England and France, but is employed in the rest of Europe. Italy in particular has adopted this technique as a key way of negotiating transfers, with a number of players’ fates being intertwined and their ownership diluted.

A key example of two club’s sharing a player’s ownership is between AC Milan and fellow Serie A side Genoa. The two teams have shared rights of over 15 players in the last number of years, with the case of Alexander Merkel in particular relevant.

The German midfielder moved to the San Siro giants but after failing to break into the first team Milan sold 50% of his player rights to Genoa and sent him to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. However after good performances in Liguria, the Scudetto holders recalled him back to Milan.

By adopting dual ownership, a club, in this case Milan, have a safety net to protect their interests regarding a player. When Merkel was deemed surplus to requirements half his rights were offloaded but Massimiliano Allegri’s men kept the other half in case the midfielder impressed elsewhere, and exacted the option to sign him back if, and when, this happened.

The Future

With the FFP regulations close to being adopted, a clear reading of joint ownership needs to be determined. Clubs hiding behind investors to minimize their assets and therefore benefit under the new compliance should not be tolerated by FIFA, and the financial side of joint ownership needs to be clarified.

Similarly, the increase in non-football based investors in players’ rights is only adding to the influx of corporate and commercial influence in the game, with the players and fans’ interests second priority to revenue.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

When players are being taught the basics of the game as youngsters, one of the key messages is to play until the final whistle. If your team goes a couple of goals down more often than not the result will not be in your favour, but sometimes the spectacular can happen.

Following Manchester United’s recovery from three goals down to get a 3-3 draw against Chelsea recently, here are football’s ten greatest comebacks:

Liverpool vs AC Milan

Liverpool fans travelled to Istanbul for the 2005 Champions League final against AC Milan with great expectations. However after seeing their side slip to a 3-0 half time deficit, not even the most ardent Merseyside supporter could have imagined their team’s comeback. Goals from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso brought the game back level, and The Reds claimed victory in the eventual penalty shoot out.

Tottenham vs Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United side found themselves 3-0 down at the hands of Tottenham in September 2001, with goals from debutant Dean Richards, Christian Ziege and Les Ferdinand giving the White Hart Lane hosts a comfortable lead. However a Spurs capitulation and strikes from Andy Cole, Laurent Blanc, Ruud van Nistlerooy, Juan Sebastian Veron and David Beckham saw United win 5-3.

Tottenham vs Manchester City

Tottenham found themselves three goals to the good once more in February 2004, this time against the Blue side of Manchester. Ledley King, Robbie Keane and Christian Ziege (again) had Spurs in a dominant position, and Joey Barton had been sent off for City. Despite this, the ten-man visitors rallied in the second period and goals from Sylvain Distin, Paul Bosvelt, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Jonathan Macken gave City an unlikely win.

Cheltenham vs Burton Albion

Cheltenham fans won’t forget March 13th 2010 any time soon, as their side came back from losing 5-3 against Burton Albion with five minutes remaining to win 6-5. A Justin Richards strike and two late goals in the dying minutes by Michael Pook saw The Robins record a memorable victory.

Bayer Uerdingen vs Dynamo Dresden

Going back to 1986, Dynamo Dresden had beaten Bayer Uerdingen 2-0 in the first leg of a German cup tie, and were again winning 3-1 at half time in the second leg to give them a seemingly unassailable 5-1 aggregate lead with 45 minutes to play. However Uerdingen hadn’t read the script and scored six unanswered goals in the second half to record a historic 7-5 aggregate win.

Deportivo La Coruna vs AC Milan

After a commanding 4-1 win at the San Siro, Carlo Ancelotti’s AC Milan side looked destined for the 2004 Champions League semi finals. However Deportivo had other ideas, as Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valeron, Alberto Luque and Fran all scored at the Riazor to send the Spaniards into ecstasy in a 4-0 win.

Mancheter United vs Bayern Munich

Forever etched into Manchester United fans’ memories, the 1999 Champions League final must go down as one of the best comebacks of all time. With a 1-0 deficit to overcome and the game in injury time, substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer both found the net in stoppage time to give the Englishmen a 2-1 victory at the Camp Nou.

Fulham vs Juventus

Fulham’s first ever appearance in the Europa League in 2010 was an eventful one, and they met Italian giants Juventus in the round of 16. After a 3-1 defeat in Turin, both sides had scored at Craven Cottage to given Juve a comfortable 4-2 aggregate advantage. However a Bobby Zamora strike, a brace from Zoltan Gera and an 82nd minute winner from Clint Dempsey gave The Cottagers an unforgettable 5-4 aggregate victory.

Chelsea vs Arsenal

Tore Andre Flo and Dan Petrescu had given Chelsea a 2-0 lead against Arsenal back in 1999, and the Stamford Bridge club looked comfortable amongst their fans chants of ‘we want five’. However Arsene Wenger threw on Nigerian striker Nwankwo Kanu, who duly scored a hat-trick to give the Gunners a 3-2 win in wet and windy conditions.

Metz vs Barcelona

Back in the 1984 European Cup Winners Cup, Spanish giants Barcelona had a 5-2 aggregate lead over French opponents Metz after a 4-2 victory in the away leg and an early goal at the Camp Nou. However, the Stade Municipal outfit scored four goals to record a 5-4 victory over the Catalans, with Zvonko Kurbos grabbing a hat-trick to ensure we are talking about him over 25 years later.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

There are many, especially those who don’t have very much of an interest in sport, who think that top athletes are overpaid to do nothing more than ‘play a game’. However, there are many like Lionel Messi, Tom Brady, Derrick Rose, and others who are the best or among the best in their respective sports that look like they at least somewhat deserve the high salaries that they receive.

On the other hand, there are others who, well, don’t.

In some cases, the talent is there, but the production isn’t whether due to injury, lack of effort or confidence, or personal distractions, or other reasons, and in others, the talent may not be what it was or seemed to be at one time.

Here’s a look at ten footballers who top the list of well-paid disappointments. Not long ago, this list would have included Fernando Torres, but it’s hard to criticize the man after the week he had, and the likes of Diego, who’s been a vital part of Atletico Madrid’s run to the Europa League final, and Wesley Sneijder, whose form has picked up under new Inter manager Andrea Stramaccioni, also get a pass.

David Bentley, Tottenham

At one point, it looked like David Bentley was set for a big future with club and country. Unfortunately, his career has tailed off dramatically since his move to White Hart Lane.

Two excellent seasons at Blackburn Rovers saw Tottenham splash out £17m for the former Arsenal prospect in the summer of 2008. Has he repaid the investment? Not even close. An argument could be made that he’s never really been Harry Redknapp’s cup of tea, but he also hasn’t been fantastic, minus a few flashes.

After an unimpressive loan spell at Birmingham City in the second half of last season, he went on loan to Championship side West Ham early this season. However, that stint would last only two starts and three substitute appearances before he was ruled out for several months due to knee surgery.

At 27, there’s still some time to get his career back on the right path and maybe even get back into the England picture, but the last few years don’t offer much encouragement for the future.

Wayne Bridge, Sunderland

Bridge was one of the first new faces of the Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea and was a regular starter early on. But for much of the last several seasons, he’s rarely been a regular starter, first at Chelsea, then at Manchester City, where he moved for £10m in January 2009.

After a loan stint at West Ham in the second half of last season, it seemed a given that he’d leave City last summer. However, he remained there, making only a solitary Carling Cup appearance before a January loan move to Sunderland. The perfect move, right? Not quite. Instead of establishing himself as a regular for the Black Cats, he’s made only three starts in almost three months.

He’s still carved out a respectable career, which includes 36 caps for England, and he’s set for life if he’s managed his money well. Still, one can’t help but look at his career and wonder if it‘s been what it could or should be.

Andy Carroll, Liverpool

At some point in the future, Andy Carroll could be worth £35m and high wages.

At present, however, he is not. The promise is certainly there, as shown by his back-to-back late winners against Everton and Blackburn this month. But the investment was too much, too soon for someone who hadn’t quite matured enough as a player or a person. And a return of only eight goals from more than 40 appearances this season wouldn’t quite cut it, even if his price tag was £15-20m smaller.

He turned 23 only in January, so he has time on his side, along with great talent and potential. But right now his paycheck is 75% potential and 25% production, at best.

Stewart Downing, Liverpool

If you were to cast a vote for the worst summer 2011 Premier League transfer, Downing would almost certainly top the list.

Downing is a quality player, but it’d have taken a lot for him to justify the £20m that Liverpool paid Aston Villa for him last summer. And thus far, it’d be a stretch to say he’s paid even a tenth of that investment. With only three league games left, Downing has yet to record a single league goal or assist. Zero, zilch, nada, nil. He has delivered two goals and an assist in Liverpool’s run to the FA Cup Final, but no matter how you shake it, he has been a tremendous, tremendous disappointment.

Edin Dzeko, Manchester City

Over the last few years, City have spent quite lavishly, to say the least. Some of their investments have panned out, and some haven’t.

Thus far, their £27m investment on Dzeko hasn‘t panned out as perhaps expected. After only six goals in 21 appearances last season after joining from VfL Wolfsburg in January 2011, he had a torrid start to this season, matching that total in his first three matches. But he hasn’t been able to keep it up, scoring only three goals in his last 19 league appearances after notching 10 in his first nine. Dzeko is no doubt a fine striker, but the presence of Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli, and Carlos Tevez certainly don‘t give one much margin for error, and there’s a high chance he leaves the club in the summer.

Andre-Pierre Gignac, Marseille

Where, oh where, to start with Monsieur Gignac? His long-term weight issues? The disrespectfulness to his manager that earned him a few days with the reserves earlier this season? Or his lack of goals?

To be frank, Andre-Pierre Gignac has had all of one great season, the 2008/09 campaign in which he scored 24 league goals for Toulouse. So it could be said that the £13m Marseille paid for him in the summer of 2010 was a bit much, especially when you consider PSG were able to land Kevin Gameiro this past summer for just a little more than £9m.

Gignac was a Marseille supporter since childhood, so this was supposed to be a dream move. But to this point, he‘s been a colossal nightmare. Last season, he netted 12 goals in all competitions, but he never found any consistent form. This season, he’s been downright atrocious. In more than 20 appearances – most of which have been from the bench – he’s scored only once, in a Coupe de la Ligue win over Lens in October.

Along with a failed last-minute move to Fulham in the summer, Gignac reportedly turned down a January move to Everton, saying he’d only leave Marseille for a club like Manchester United. However, he needs to do far better to have a chance at such a club. If he doesn’t step it up soon, he’ll end up low on salary and high on regret.

Yoann Gourcuff, Lyon

When Lyon forked out £18m for Gourcuff in August 2010, they were likely expecting more seasons like the two impressive campaigns he had for Bordeaux. To date, he’s fallen well short.

Last season, Gourcuff scored only four goals and notched five assists in 36 appearances for Lyon. This season, injuries prevented him from debuting until October, and an adductor injury in February against APOEL sidelined him until recently. When he has been on the pitch, he hasn’t delivered, producing only one goal and one assists in all competitions.

With all of the high fees that Lyon have received for star players over the last several years, their finances won’t be hurting if they have to take a sizable hit on Gourcuff. Still, Jean-Michel Aulas will be hoping that the former AC Milan starlet can at least somewhat show why he commanded such a high fee two summers ago.

Stephen Ireland, Aston Villa

Three seasons ago, Stephen Ireland looked like one of the English Premier League’s rising stars, as he was in stellar play-making form for Manchester City.

But City’s lavish spending, a dip in form, and the arrival of Roberto Mancini the next season brought his ascension to a screeching halt. He moved to Aston Villa as part of City’s move for James Milner in the summer of 2010, but he was dropped a few months into the season, and then-manager Gerard Houllier publicly called him out for a lack of all-around effort.

Ireland moved to Newcastle United on loan in January 2011, but he didn’t debut until mid-April and made only two sub appearances before a season-ending ankle injury. He’s returned to the Villa fold this season under Alex McLeish and has shone in spots, but he’s also had his bad moments, like telling McLeish to ‘fuck off’ during a February defeat at Newcastle.

He has the talent to be a difference-maker in Villa’s push to avoid the drop and delivered a quality performance against Sunderland a week ago. But if they fail to stay up, his high wages make it highly likely that he’ll be on his way out in the summer.

Jermaine Jenas, Tottenham

You never like to kick a man when he’s down, but Jenas has not been what he could be.

Jenas used to be a fairly regular scorer and provider, but since the start of the 2009/10 season, he has all of one goal and notched only a few assists. Spurs loaned him out to Aston Villa at the end of last August, and he didn’t make his debut until November due to thigh and Achilles issues. After two substitute appearances, he made his first Villa start at home to Manchester United in early December… and lasted a little more than an hour before being stretched off with what proved to be a season-ending Achilles rupture.

Worse yet for Villa, they’ve reportedly been stuck paying his wages, which are £45k per week, for the duration of the season. That means that they’ll fork out more than £1m in wages for someone who played less than 120 minutes of football for them. Ouch.

Luca Toni, Al Nasr

For several years, Toni was known as one of Europe’s deadliest strikers, banging in more than 150 goals for Palermo, Fiorentina, and Bayern Munich in a six-season stretch. But as his career winds down, he’s been getting paid a lot to do very little.

Last season, he joined Genoa on a free transfer from Bayern, and he scored only three league goals in 16 appearances before moving to Juventus for free in January 2011. That move didn’t pan out so well, as he scored only twice in 14 league appearances in the second half of last season. This season, he didn’t feature at all for Juve in the first several months of the season, so it wasn’t a surprise to see him depart in January. But he hasn’t been as much of a hit for UAE side Al Nasr thus far as they might have hoped for, with only four goals from his first 10 appearances.

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From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Everyone remembers the winners. Most know that Brazil have won a record five World Cups, that Real Madrid have won the European Cup/Champions League a record nine times, and that Manchester United have captured a record 19 English First Division/Premier League titles.

But how many people can name every runner-up in those competitions directly from memory? Not many.

This is not to say that losers are completely forgotten. In fact, there are quite a few losers who are as memorable as some winners, due to the catastrophic manner in which they fell. Football has certainly seen its share over the years, and someone, somewhere will add themselves to that long list of legendary capitulations this year. It’s almost a guarantee.

Given how long the list is, it’s a difficult task to narrow it down to ten, but here goes, and apologies in advance to those who are having to relive some painful memories.

1. Brazil – 1950 World Cup ‘Final’ v. Uruguay

In the annals of football and sport history, few results could compare to this one.

For the better part of the tournament, it looked every bit like Brazil would claim glory on home soil. They scored eight goals en route to topping their group in the first round, which booked them a place in the four-team final group stage. Then, in their first two matches in the final group stage, they trounced Sweden 7-1 and Spain 6-1. All they had to do secure their first World Cup title was draw against Uruguay in their final match. Meanwhile, Uruguay, who had drawn against Spain and defeated Sweden, needed an unlikely victory to win a second World Cup title.

Brazil had led 3-0 at halftime in their wins against Sweden and Spain, but Uruguay held firm in the first 45 minutes. However, their resistance was broken almost right out of the gate in the second half, as Friaca netted in the 47th minute to put Brazil ahead.

Game over, right? It turns out that Uruguay had other ideas, and in the 66th minute, they equalized through Juan Alberto Schiaffino. Still, it was Brazil’s title to lose…and lose they did, as Alcides Ghiggia gave Uruguay a shock lead in the 79th minute, and Uruguay held on to win the match and the World Cup, stunning the masses at the Maracana who expected to be celebrating a Brazil win.

Since then, Brazil have lifted the trophy five times, but that stunning defeat will always represent a dark, dark day in their storied football history.

2. AC Milan – 2005 UEFA Champions League Final v. Liverpool

It was less than seven years ago, but all that happened on that night in Istanbul will always live on, especially with Liverpool fans.

Favorites AC Milan were looking for a second title in three years, and they had a dream start, scoring inside the first minute through a rare Paolo Maldini goal. Late in the first half, they struck twice more, and with a 3-0 lead, Milan had one hand firmly on the trophy.

But all it takes sometimes is one well-timed goal to kickstart a comeback, and Liverpool did indeed pull one back inside the first 10 minutes of the second half, via Steven Gerrard, the talisman of talismans. In a flash, it was 3-2, with the mighty Vladimir Smicer pulling back a second, and on the hour mark, Liverpool were level, with Xabi Alonso slotting home the rebound after Dida had saved his penalty.

The match would go into extra time, and then it would go into penalties. Two years prior, Milan had defeated rivals Juventus 3-2 on penalties to lift the trophy at Old Trafford, with Andriy Shevchenko netting the decisive kick. Milan were fighting an uphill battle from the start of the shootout, as they missed their first two penalties.

They would make their next two, but Liverpool held a 3-2 lead with Shevchenko stepping up to try to keep the Rossoneri in it. But as he had beaten Gianluigi Buffon two years prior, he was unable to beat Jerzy Dudek this time, and somehow, someway, Milan had thrown it all away.

3. England penalty takers – since the dawn of time

The Netherlands are infamous for their penalty failures as well, and so are Italy, but the last couple of decades have seen England make their name as the shakiest from the spot. There are many reasons why England haven’t won a major tournament since their one and only triumph at the World Cup they hosted in ‘66, but among the top reasons is a lack of success in shootouts.

• In the 1990 World Cup semifinals, Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle missed England’s last two kicks in a 4-3 shootout defeat to West Germany.
• At Euro 1996, which they hosted, England advanced to the semis with a shootout win over Spain, but it was semifinal heartbreak at that stage against Germany yet again. Gareth Southgate was the only man to miss for England in the shootout, but his miss was the one that mattered in a 6-5 Germany win.
• Two years later at the World Cup, Paul Ince and David Batty missed in a 4-3 defeat to Argentina in the round of 16, but fortunately for them, it was David Beckham that would be considered the biggest goat on the night.
• In the Euro 2004 quarterfinals, there were bookend misses by Beckham and Darius Vassell in a 6-5 defeat to hosts Portugal.
• They again faced Portugal in the 2006 World Cup quarters, and the results were even worse, as Owen Hargreaves was the only man to convert in England’s four attempts in a 3-1 shootout defeat.

4. Hungary – 1954 World Cup Final v. West Germany

When you think of the greatest sides to not win the World Cup, Hungary’s 1954 team might hold the mantle for the nearly men.

Entering the final against West Germany, the prolific Hungarians, led by Ferenc Puskas and Sandor Kocsis, were heavily favored, and for good reason. Not only were they unbeaten for more than 30 games, they had crushed West Germany 8-3 in the group stage and had scored an astounding 25 goals in their four matches in the tournament.

And early on in the final in Bern, it looked like it’d be another beating, as goals from Puskas and Zoltan Czibor gave Hungary a 2-0 lead inside eight minutes. However, they wouldn’t score again for the last 80-plus minutes, and they wouldn‘t be able to hold their lead either. West Germany were level ten minutes later, and then, in the 84th minute, Helmut Rahn scored his second to give the underdogs a late 3-2 advantage.

There were multiple controversial calls that didn’t go Hungary’s way in the match, but in the end, a defeat is a defeat, and this remains one of football’s greatest upsets.

5. Real Madrid – 2003/04 La Liga season

Real Madrid were well on their way to capturing their 30th La Liga title before a stunning collapse in the final few months of the 2003/04 season.

Real, with their host of superstars, entered March eight points clear of Deportivo La Coruna with a dozen matches remaining. They opened the month with consecutive draws against Racing Santander and Real Zaragoza and a defeat at Athletic Bilbao, but they were still three points ahead of Valencia, who had moved into second.

The rot was seemingly stopped with consecutive wins to end March and open April, but then the wheels completely fell off. Real lost seven of their last eight matches, including four in a row at home and five in a row overall to end the season. Not only were they overtaken by Valencia, who won the title and finished seven points clear of Real, they were also passed by Barcelona and Deportivo, winding up an astonishing fourth after seemingly being in complete control.

And to make the league collapse sting even more, they were stunned in the Copa del Rey final by Real Zaragoza also capitulated in the Champions League quarterfinals against AS Monaco.

6. U.S. Women’s National Team – 2011 Women’s World Cup Final v. Japan

The U.S. women’s team entered the final of last summer’s tournament heavily favored to take home their third Women’s World Cup title, but they fell flat in Frankfurt. Going in, not only were the U.S. #1 in the rankings, but they had never lost to Japan in 25 previous meetings, winning 22 and drawing three times.

The U.S. dominated proceedings from early on, but they weren’t able to translate that domination into a lead until Alex Morgan’s goal in the 69th minute. But Japan didn’t buckle, and in the 81st minute, they drew level thanks in part to shambolic defending by the U.S. The match went into extra time, and again, the U.S. took the lead, with Abby Wambach scoring in the 104th minute.

It looked once again like the Americans were on the verge, but once again, Japan didn’t buckle, and they equalized in the 113th minute. The match went to penalties, and the shootout proved to be disastrous for the U.S., as they missed their first three penalties to fall behind 2-0 with two spot kicks remaining. Wambach converted to keep hope flickering, but Saki Kumagai snuffed it out, slotting home the winning penalty and leaving the U.S. to rue a litany of missed opportunities and an inability to twice hold a late lead.

7. John Terry, Chelsea – 2008 UEFA Champions League Final v. Manchester United

Roman Abramovich was moments away from having all of his hopes and dreams fulfilled. Then came the slip seen ‘round the world.

United had edged Chelsea out for the English Premier League title in the 2007/08 season, but Chelsea had an opportunity to get the last laugh and the biggest prize of them all in Moscow. Cristiano Ronaldo gave United the lead in the 26th minute, but Chelsea equalized shortly before halftime through Frank Lampard.

The match went into extra time, with both sides seeing great chances go begging. With time winding down in the second half of extra time, a skirmish broke out between the two sides, and Chelsea star Didier Drogba was sent for slapping United defender Nemanja Vidic.

Chelsea went into the shootout without their star striker, but they converted each of their first four penalties, whereas Ronaldo missed United’s second. Up stepped captain John Terry with a chance to deliver European glory to Chelsea. Destiny was calling, but it was a rainy, rainy night in Moscow, and as Terry struck the ball, he lost his footing, and his attempt struck the outside of the post.

Each side converted its next penalty, and after Ryan Giggs made it 6-5 in favor of United, Nicolas Anelka needed to score to continue the shootout. His shot went to the left, and United keeper Edwin van der Sar dived to his right, emphatically batting the ball away to crush Chelsea hearts.

8. Newcastle United – 1995/96 English Premier League season

Parity hasn’t exactly been prevalent in the Premier League era, as, to date, Blackburn’s title triumph in the 1994-95 season is the only time that the title has gone to someone not named Manchester United, Arsenal, or Chelsea.

But the season after Blackburn’s win, Kevin Keegan and Newcastle had an excellent chance of their own to take the title. The Magpies hadn’t won a title in the top flight since 1926/27, but under Keegan, they had gone from Second Division strugglers (now the Championship) to serious title contenders in a few short seasons.

Despite a 2-0 defeat at United in late December, Newcastle topped the table going into 1996, and they would increase that lead to as much as a dozen points in January. United began to pick up the pace, but Newcastle still led by eight points with a game in hand in February.

However, while United stayed hot, Newcastle went ice cold. A 1-0 defeat at home to United on 4 March allowed United to pull within a point, and United would wind up three points clear at the end of the month. Newcastle had two matches in hand and a realistic chance to turn momentum back in their favor, and they did indeed have a three-match win streak in April that sent them into May still in it, three points with two matches left to United‘s one.

However, they drew their last two matches at home against Aston Villa and Tottenham, and United wrapped up the title on the last day of the season, finishing four points clear by virtue of their 3-0 win at Middlesbrough. Newcastle would finish second to United again the following season, but the opportunity missed then was not nearly as momentous as the previous one.

9. Burnley – 1961/62 English First Division season

At present, Burnley are one of many Championship sides fighting for a chance at Premier League promotion, but half a century ago, they were one of England’s best teams. In the 1959/60 season, they edged Wolves and Tottenham out for the First Division title, and after finishing fourth the next season, they were back in the thick of the title hunt in the 1961/62 season.

In early March, Burnley had a four-point lead and a game in hand on Ipswich Town, who were First Division first timers but contending for the title under manager Alf Ramsey, who‘d lead England to World Cup success in 1966. But the Clarets won only two of their final 13 matches, which allowed Ipswich to claim the title by three points.

10. Arsenal – v. Newcastle, 2010-11 English Premier League season

Newcastle conceded inside the first minute, and inside three minutes, they were down 2-0 to the title-chasing Gunners. Less than 10 minutes in, it was 3-0, and before the clock had hit the half-hour mark, it was 4-0 to the visitors. It looked like game, set, match Arsenal at that point, but improbably and inexplicably, Arsenal gave Newcastle an opening, and the comeback of comebacks happened.

It all started in the 50th minute, when Abou Diaby was sent off for pushing Joey Barton and then Kevin Nolan after a crunching challenge from Barton. At that point, Newcastle still had a mountain to climb, but the climb was made even easier when Arsenal conceded a penalty midway through the second half, which was duly dispatched by Barton. On 75 minutes, Leon Best made it 4-2, and all of a sudden, hope had returned. Minutes later, it was truly alive and well, as Barton slotted home a second penalty. Time was still short for Newcastle, but all the momentum was on their side, and in the 87th minute, a cleared free kick went in the direction of Cheik Tiote, who let rip a volley that found its target and sent St. James’ Park into raptures.

In the end, Newcastle actually narrowly missed a chance to win it, but to have plucked a point from the unlikeliest of situations was amazing in itself. As for Arsenal, it proved to be a tremendous missed opportunity, as Manchester United went down at Wolves in the day’s evening kickoff, which meant that instead of being a mere two points back, Arsenal were four back. And just like they couldn’t keep it together at Newcastle, they couldn’t keep it together down the stretch and finished fourth, a dozen points behind United.

But really, who needs words when you have Jeff Stelling and Phil Thompson?

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From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Adidas and AC Milan have released two teaser videos showcasing the new AC Milan home shirt for the 2012 / 2013 season. Here they are:

Source: AC Milan on YouTube.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

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

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

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

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

Rafael van der Vaart

Rafael VDV for Spurs

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

Jaap Stam

Stam for Ajax

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

Arjen Robben

Robben for Bayern Munich

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

Robin van Persie

RVP for the Gunners

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

Edgar Davids

Davids for the Dutch

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

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

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Ruud for Man Utd

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

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

Mark van Bommel

van Bommel for Milan

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

Edwin van der Sar

van der Sar for Man Utd

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

Wesley Sneijder

Sneijder for Inter

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

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

Clarence Seedorf

Seedorf for Milan

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

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Barcelona are clearly the better side going into the second leg of their Champions League quarter final against Milan – the last three games between the two teams this season reflect that, but there is a genuine concern that Milan may upset Barcelona on Tuesday night.

Milan are not going to be able to replicate their strong defensive performance of last week but after denying Barcelona an away goal, their main focus is going to be to make sure that they can score at least as many goals as Barcelona do on the night, so the biggest focus will on the men leading the line for the two teams, Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Castrol stats confirm that Messi and Ibrahimovic have been the standout performers in the Champions League for their clubs this season.

Messi’s 12 goals have come at a rate of one every 60 minutes, boasting a 28% conversion rate. Alongside a phenomenal 87% pass completion rate and a chance created for a teammate every 31 minutes, Messi will be aiming to guide Barcelona through to the semi-finals.

However, Ibrahimovic has also been in top form, with five goals and three assists in only seven appearances. With an impressive 21% chance conversion rate and 58% shooting accuracy in the Champions League, Milan’s hopes lie firmly on the shoulders of their enigmatic talisman.

Barcelona should be able to see off Milan at the Camp Nou, but it may well depend on the first goal, and just as you saw Milan going for the attack in the first few minutes at the San Siro last week (something other teams have tried – and failed – such as Manchester United in their last two Champions League finals), if Milan can score an early goal it will be a much more open game.

If they don’t, however, the game is likely to swing Barcelona way as they keep possession and build pressure on the Milan midfield and defence.

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From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Castrol EDGE Performance data shows that Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robin van Persie will be crucial in determining the outcome of the UEFA Champions League tie between AC Milan and Arsenal.

With 22 goals, van Persie is the Premier League’s top scorer this season, and his record compares favourably to Ibrahimovic’s 15 goals in Serie A.  Moreover, excluding penalties, the Dutchman has also been more prolific than Cristiano Ronaldo this season, scoring the same number of league goals as Lionel Messi (21).

However, Ibrahimovic is the only player who has managed to score in four consecutive Champions League appearances this season, and his average of a goal per 90 mins is superior to van Persie’s average of a goal per 104 mins. In spite of this, van Persie’s impressive shooting accuracy (80%) in the Champions League is far superior to Ibrahimovic’s (59%), resulting in the Dutchman having a better chance conversion rate as well (30%).

Ibrahimovic and van Persie in the Champions League 2011/12

Top goal scorers excluding penalties – Top 5 European Leagues 2011/12

Champions League – best goal scoring runs in 2011/12

From Soccerlens.com - Football News