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

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

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

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Savior Simeone Spearheads Atletico Revival

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

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

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

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

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

Bielsa Brings Belief to Bilbao

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

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

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

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

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

Final Prediction

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

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

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

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

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

If you’re a football fan, there’s a lot to look forward to in the remainder of November, as we will see some of the game’s biggest names go head-to-head on multiple fronts over the next week-plus.

Watch the best of Premier League action this Christmas with Sky HD. Already have Sky? Upgrade to Sky Sports online and save £5. Get Sky HD or upgrade to Sky Sports now.

English Premier League: Liverpool v Manchester City

The big match-up of the weekend takes place at Anfield, as Liverpool host Manchester City on Sunday at 4:00 pm BST in a clash that shouldn’t be short on action.

City currently sit top of the English Premier League, whereas Liverpool are sixth, a whopping 12 points behind City. However, Liverpool are coming off of a vital 2-1 win at Chelsea, so their confidence should be very high. That’s not Liverpool first’s noteworthy win of the season, as they won at Arsenal in August, so they’re certainly capable of not only hanging with City but defeating them as well.

Sunday, 27th November 3:30pm on Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports HD 1 and Sky 3D.

Spanish La Liga: Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid will host local rivals Atletico MAdrid on Saturday at the Santiago Benabeu. Real will hope to maintain the three point lead and Atletico will hope to take a step towards getting out of the middle of the table.

Despite featuring talented players like Fernando Torres, Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan in the past, they have failed to beat their rivals as a vast gap of funds has come between them. If things are ever going to change in this rivalry, this is certainly not the time.

Real Madrid will be and should be able to maintain their three point lead ahead of the mighty Barcelona as the Catalans will lock horns with Getafe later in the same day.

Angel Di Maria is expected to return after he has been out since early November when he suffered an injury in the 7-1 stomping of Osasuna. Brazilian midfielder Diego will have to play a key role if Atletico wants to unsettle the Galacticos.

Saturday, 26th November 7:00pm on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports HD 1.

Carling Cup: Arsenal v Manchester City

Next week marks the return of the Carling Cup, with the four quarterfinal matches set to take place on 29th and 30th November.

After their tough test at Liverpool, it doesn’t get any easier for Manchester City, as they must visit Arsenal in a Carling Cup quarterfinal, with the match kicking off at 8:00 pm BST. City haven’t won at Arsenal since a 3-2 win in October 1975, but if there’s ever a time and situation to do it, this is it.

But after a slow start, Arsenal have been one of the hottest teams in the Premier League, and they’ve been a strong team at home this season. And after falling agonizingly short of the trophy last season, you can be sure Arsenal won’t let the chance slip by this season, so the Gunners will certainly be gunning for the win at home.

Being that it’s the Carling Cup, we may not see either team put out the strongest starting XI possible, but we should still see quite a few notable names out there, so this should prove to be an exciting encounter.

Tuesday, 29th November 7:30pm on Sky Sports 2, Sky Sports HD 2 and Sky 3D.

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From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Al Ahli had fired their coach Ivan Hašek after a run of poor results in all competition. Losing from Al Shabab in the GCC Champions Cup ended the Czech manager 2nd stay with the Dubai based club who considered one of the top clubs in UAE Football.

In his first stay with Al Ahli from 2007 to 2009, Hašek could lead Al Ahli to the glory by winning the UAE President Cup in his first season and the Etisalat pro league the following season which gave Al Ahli the chance to play in 2009 FIFA Club World Cup. But things didn’t go well this season for Al Ahli’ hopeful management and fans as Hašek couldn’t find a way to improve his massive skilful squad and convert them into winners.

As a result of that, Al Ahli named Flores as their new coach to replace Ivan Hašek. The former Atletico Madrid coach was without a club since his departure from Spain due to his frequent argument with star striker Diego Forlán. The Spanish manager has a great CV. He took control of big clubs like Valencia, Benfica and Atletico Madrid where he won the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup.

I think Al Ahli made a wise decision in choosing Flores to replace Ivan Hašek. The Spanish manager is well-known of his attacking approach and Al Ahli fans can’t wait to see how their team will perform under the new management.

The club wouldn’t do the same mistake of last season when they kept former Leeds United manager David O’Leary for too long, so Hasek was dismissed after Al Ahli started the new season with just one win from their first five games, even with the recruitment of big-name stars Grafite, Luis Jimenez, Jaja Coelho and Youssef Mohamad. But this time, Al Ahli have trust in Quique to get the best out of the four stars and their Emirate team-mates.

Flores will have some headache in choosing his starting XI as Al Ahli squad is considered as one of the best in term of quality and quantity. Two good goalkeepers in Yousif Abdulla and ex-international Obaid Al Taweela, Experienced defenders like Mohammad Qassim, Lebanese Youssef Mohamad and Obaid Khalefa.

In the middle there are many names which any coach wishes to have in his team such as the flamboyant Ismaeel Al Hamadi, Chilean playmaker Luis Jimenez and promising youngsters Tariq Ahmed and Majed Hassan. The biggest force of Al Ahli can be found up front with Ahmed Khalil, best Asian Young Footballer of 2008, Grafite, 2009 Bundesliga Top Scorer, and Jaja Coelho.

Flores promised in his first press conference to bring Al Ahli back into the winning way. He also asked the fans to give him only one month to see the results of his instructions. He also confirmed that the mentality of the players will make the difference, in addition to the commitment and discipline in the training sessions.

Flores said:
“We will work hard during the coming period and those features will appear within a month from now”.

Can Al Ahli win somthing with Quique Flores?

Check more similar stories at Emirates Football Talk.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Sergio Aguero has been a long-term target for both Manchester City and Real Madrid for the past few months, ever since the Argentine announced his intentions to leave Atletico Madrid back in May. Manchester City see him as an ideal replacement for Carlos Tevez, and someone who is much less of a problem off the pitch.

Real Madrid on the other hand have been on the lookout for a new striker for quite some time, and Aguero’s track record against Barcelona, not to mention his overall technical abilities, would make him the ideal choice for Madrid.

And the hype surrounding the player isn’t undeserved – he has powerful stats to back him up.

AGÜERO’S UNIQUE SCORING RUN

Between March and April 2011, Sergio Agüero scored in seven consecutive league appearances. Stats show that he was the only player across the top five European leagues to achieve such a run.

Longest scoring runs in top five European leagues 2010-11

*At the time of the scoring runs

The 23 year-old Atlético Madrid forward scored consecutively against Villarreal, Almería, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Espanyol, Levante and Deportivo La Coruña.

Sergio Agüero’s 2010-11 Liga season

Sergio Agüero scored 20 goals last season in the Spanish league, his most prolific campaign. The highly-coveted striker was also one of Argentina’s rare shining lights at the 2011 Copa América, netting three goals in four appearances at a rate of one every 72 minutes.

Manchester City are reportedly the closest to signing Aguero, having officially begun talks with Atletico Madrid. However, as with the case of Alexis Sanchez, if a bigger club was to show their interest (Real Madrid) and Aguero’s goal was to win, and not just line his pockets (unlike a certain Samir Nasri), City might end up empty handed. Having said that, Madrid’s supposed pursuit of Neymar could allow City to bring Aguero to Manchester and do away with their reliance on Tevez once and for all.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Argentine giants River Plate are enduring the bleakest period in its 110 year existence after succumbing to what seemed nothing more than an improbable assumption, relegation to the second tier of their domestic game. The thought of one of South America’s premier entities falling from grace  would have seemed an absurd thought, yet the old cliché of ‘anything can happen in football’ has certainly echoed its purpose. Bearing that in mind, Los Millonarios are not the first, nor the last, big name club to fall below the trap door.

Soccerlens takes a look back at some of the star studded clubs that have slipped through the cracks from their top tier leagues and into the lower echelons of their domestic game.

River Plate: 2011

Where else to begin other than with South America’s wounded animal. Daniel Passarella was once idolised as a player at the Estadio Monumental Antonio, as well as across the whole of his native Argentina having lead his nation to their inaugural World Cup triumph on home soil in 1978.  Now he is being lambasted with criticism as the River club president is having the finger well and truly pointed at him for the club’s plight.

River failed to overturn a two goal deficit from their first-leg with Belgrano in Sunday’s promotion/relegation play-off, resigning them to National B. Playing at home, the team in red and white could only salvage a 1-1 draw with the game being called off a minute from time as trouble flared in the stands. The home supporters vented their anger, leading to 89 people being injured as trouble spilled onto the streets of Buenos Aires.

River have been Argentine champions a record 33 times. It remains to be seen just how long it will be before they can contemplate claiming another.

Juventus: 2006

The most successful team in calico ended up winning yet another league title in 2006 – only to end up playing in Serie B three months later. The Old Lady’s performances on the pitch did not culminate in their demise, but instead from the overtures of wrong doing by personnel off it.

Calciopoli, the Italian match fixing scandal that tainted the home nation’s World Cup celebrations in the summer of 2006, resulted in Juve being hung out to dry following claims that general manager Luciano Moggi had been in dialogue with referees to influence the outcome of matches – which ultimately proved to be accurate. The club was originally demoted to Serie C1 but following an appeal, were instead relegated to the second-tier of Serie B. They were also stripped off their 2005 and 2006 league titles

Despite a nine point deduction, the club came straight back up in its first attempt having held onto star names such as Pavel Nedved and Alessandro Del Piero – who ended up being top-scorer with 21 goals. However, despite being runners-up in the Scudetto in 2009, the club has failed to reach the dizzy heights it once gravitated, with last season’s failure to qualify for Europe a clear indication.

Leeds United: 2004

Leeds United, a proper football club. Steeped in history and tradition, the Whites were on the verge of ruling Europe in 1975 but just fell short to Franz Beckenbauer’s Bayern Munich. Fast forward 29-years and the proud Yorkshire club were consigned to relegation.

Big money transfers and high wages resulted in Leeds’ demise. Then chairman Peter Ridsdale assumed his benefactor like stance would result in a period of success as he borrowed from banks to fund big money names such as Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Keane and Robbie Fowler – to name a few. Despite getting to the semi-finals of the Champions League and presenting genuine title charges, the results began to flounder and missed out on qualification for Europe’s premier competition in 2002.

That began a real domino effect as manager David O’Leary was axed along with a mass sale of players to try and ease their crippling debts. The failure to make it into the Champions League had proved to be catastrophic and Ridsdale’s reckless spending had been nothing more but suicidal.

They were relegated in 2004, a shadow of the team that had contested on the grandest stage of European football three years prior.  The club were even forced to sell their training ground and Elland Road to pay back loans. They went into administration in 2007 resulting in a 10 point deduction and subjecting them to the third tier of English football for the first time in their history.

Atletico Madrid: 1999

After narrowly avoiding the drop in 1995, Atletico went under a renaissance to lift the La Liga title the following year under the stewardship of Radomir Antic. Not only that, they completed the double by clinching the Cop del Rey thanks to an extra-time winner by Milinko Pantic against Barcelona.

The future looked bright for Los Rojiblanocs as they hoped to dislodge themselves from the shadow of neighbours Real Madrid. However, despite huge investment in a number of players including Christian Vieri, it would prove to be their downfall. An array of changes in the dugout along with uncertainty in the boardroom resulted in one of the marquee names of Spanish football to slip through the cracks in 2000 and into the Segunda Division.

Club president Jesus Gil came under scrutiny as he was suspended for misusing club funds – ultimately leading to his departure after 13 years at the helm. Those series of events more or less hammered the nail in Atleti’s coffin.

Napoli: 1998

Much like Nottingham Forest (to come), Napoli were the equivalent from the peninsula. A small southern Italian club would rise above their northern counterparts and bath in a period of greatness in the late eighties. The acquisition of Diego Maradona in 1984 would culminate in him leading the Neapolitans from the depths of obscurity and into the promise land. The Aquile would end up clinching two Scudetto, the Coppa Italia and a UEFA Cup.

However the club gradually began to fall from grace. The departure of Maradona and host of integral names culminated into a domino effect as Napoli began to languish in mid-table throughout the nineties. Financial constraints saw a lack of investment which resulted in the club being relegated to Serie B in 1998, having only won two games all season. They did gain promotion two years later but ended up going straight back down. This heaped more misery on the club as financial turmoil threatened to diminish its existence. Upon its bankruptcy the FIGC relegated the club to Serie C1 despite achieving safety in Serie B. If that was not bad enough the club was robbed of its history. Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli was seemingly no more.

That was until Aurelio De Laurentiis arrived, a successful businessman and a Neapolitan who funded a new club in Naples under the name of Napoli Soccer. He wanted his beloved city to behold a football club and even under its new name the club still drew in 50,000 fans into the Stadio San Paolo, shattering Serie C1 records. Amazingly the club had the highest average attendance in the whole of Italian football. Just behind the two Milanese clubs in Milan and Inter.

De Laurentiis reacquired Napoli’s history in 2006 as he succeeded in getting the club’s name restored to Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli. The club was well and truly back on track under his ownership and the Azzurri got promoted to Serie B in 2006 before finally returning to the dizzy heights of Serie A in 2007 where they have gradually progressed in the last four years.

Nottingham Forest: 1993

Forest was nothing more than a mediocre club languishing in England’s second-tier prior to the arrival of manager Brian Clough in 1975. ‘Old Big Head’ went on to create what can only be described as a miracle. Within five years the club not only gained promotion to the top flight, they went on to win it at the first attempt – capturing the European Cup the following year – and then succeeded in defending it. To put into context just how big an achievement that was, it would be like Norwich City replicating the exact same feat within the next few years.

Having picked up their second European Cup in Madrid, the club had cemented a legacy. The team that consisted of John Robertson, Garry Birtles, John McGovern and Peter Shilton will go down as one of the greatest in English football – no doubt. However, as magical as Clough’s time had been he was unable to prevent their relegation during the inaugural season of the Premier League in 1993.

It would turn out to be Clough’s final campaign and although the devastation of relegation was bad enough, Reds fans were more stricken over the departure of their manager of 18 years. Had it not been for him, Nottingham Forest would never have achieved those epic feats.

Aston Villa: 1987

The Birmingham club enjoyed its defining era in the early eighties. Ron Saunders guided the club to its first domestic league championship in 71 years and entry into the European Cup. Although the defence of their title did not go according to plan – accompanied with tension between Saunders and the board that reached breaking point – they went on to win club football’s most coveted prize and a place in the history books. Saunders didn’t foresee the European Cup win as he tendered his resignation. His assistant Tony Barton subsequently filled the managerial void.

Despite their success on the field, the club were in the red financially with a debt of £1.6m (astronomical money back in those days). This was down to high wages along with money being borrowed to renovate the North Stand at Villa Park. Chairman Ron Bendall sold his 42% stake to former chairman Doug Ellis prior to the club’s UEFA Super Cup victory over Barcelona but it would end up being that generation’s last hurrah as the likes of Tony Morley and Dennis Mortimer parted company with the club.

Villa’s decline continued through the mid-eighties and subsequently succumbed to relegation in 1987 – five years after being champions of Europe.

Manchester United: 1974

Sir Matt Busby guided The Red Devils to a long overdue European Cup triumph in 1968 and becoming the first English club to win the coveted cup. The great man resigned a year later, marking the end of an era as the likes of Bobby Charlton and George Best entered their twilight years.

United would begin to diminish following Busby’s departure and despite a brief stint back in the dugout it was not enough to overturn the club’s fortunes. Tommy Docherty took over the reins from Frank O’Farrell in 1972 and saved the club from relegation, but failed to do so the following year in 1974.

They were all but mathematically down prior to their relegation as club legend Denis Law, who was then playing for the blue half of the city, sealed his old club’s fate in a 1-0 win. United were down, six years after being European champions.

Follow Ross on Twitter: @RossMackiewicz

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

As the dust settles on Barcelona’s fantastic 3-1 demolition of Manchester United in the Champions League Final, and the national side recently so effortlessly thumped the United States 4-0, one thing is for certain – Spain are the best footballing nation in the world at this moment in time.

Spanish football’s contemporary success is hugely desirable: the national team are the current holders of both the European Championships and the World Cup, after victories in both 2008 and 2010 respectively. Spanish club Barcelona have won the Champions League twice in the last three years, and both Sevilla and Athletico Madrid have triumphed in the Europa League in the last five years.

Spain’s Primera Liga is producing fantastic, world-class players – every single player in Spain’s starting line-up for the World Cup Final belonged to a La Liga club. Eight of Barcelona’s first eleven for the Champions League Final progressed through the Barcelona academy. And for the last two years, the Ballon D’Or has been graced exclusively by players currently playing in Spain: Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Cristiano Ronaldo, and current holder Lionel Messi. The standard set by the Spanish league can only be envied by their counterparts. Which begs the question – what makes Spain such a fantastic footballing nation?

Anybody who watched any of Spain’s action from the World Cup will know that their ball retention is second to none. The Spaniards made 3597 passes, more than any other team at a World Cup since 1966. In the final, their passing accuracy was 84.2%, Holland’s 69%. Xavi, Spain’s midfield maestro, was simply impeccable – the Barcelona man made 57 attacking-half passes, compared to Wesley Sneijder’s measly 21. Spain retained possession like their lives depended on it, waiting patiently for an opportunity to pierce the Dutch defence. Barcelona replicated this passing accuracy last Saturday, and Xavi again proved to be the master of his art, with 95% accuracy.

This tireless attitude to ball retention is coached in Spain from a very young age. Every Barcelona team, from the academy teams to Messi and co. incorporate a 5v1 possession game known as ‘El Rondo’ into their training sessions. The players on the outside, the Rondistas, must keep possession from the middle player, as he tries to intercept their passes. It breeds quick passing, short-distance sprinting, stamina, intelligence of movement and speed of thought. Xavi said recently that players recognise the ‘shame’ of giving the ball away, even in training games such as this.

In La Liga, 77.1% of players are Spanish, one of the highest percentages of all of the top European leagues. Of all twenty squads in the Premier League, less than 40% of players are English. Spanish teams prefer to nurture players through academies before spending money on foreign players. Teams scour the local area for talent, rather than abroad like many English teams do. These Spanish academies strive to be more than just a football team (hence Barcelona’s motto ‘Mes Que Un Club’), and instead act as a family to these young players, developing their lifestyle and attitudes into those of professional footballers. The importance of education is impressed upon young players by the club until they have completed their studies, and by the age of 17 and 18, many of these prospects are ready to progress into first teams, integrating alongside the more experienced players in the team. Daniel Pacheco, a Barcelona youth team graduate said recently ‘they look after you as a person, not just a footballer’.

Spanish clubs’ scouts search for talented, ball-playing footballers. Those who are bigger, stronger and faster than the rest may be desirable in England, but in Spain they are simply disregarded, unless they are technically able too. Young players develop their skills by playing 5-a-side with friends, where a quality first touch and faultless ball mastery lead to success. Because of the Mediterranean weather, children can play all year long in Spain, whereas their English counterparts are resigned to the indoors, losing opportunity to become better technical footballers. However, Spain share their climate with numerous other countries including Portugal and Italy, yet none of those have found success in the way Spain has done. So is there a difference in the aspirations, dreams and desire between these young Spaniards and all other potential footballers?

Maybe so. Young, talented footballers are often offered lucrative contracts by English clubs in order to be prised away from their Spanish academies, in the way Cesc Fabregas was. Yet Fabregas remains the player who can’t budge the likes of Iniesta and Xavi, the guys who refused to leave Spain, off their perch. In England’s second tier, players earn between £3,000 and £10,000 a week, nearly three times what a player in Spain’s Segunda Division would expect. But the willingness to stick it out, play in B teams in lower leagues in the hope that one day, they may just follow in the footsteps of Ramos, Xavi and Villa, is what makes Spanish players the best in the world. And that is why Spain will continue producing the world’s best players for years to come.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

With the domestic leagues finished and only the Champions League final to play on Saturday, football fans across Europe are probably feeling a little blue this week. Work rumbles on, the newest Icelandic ash cloud threatens to disrupt our holidays and, most importantly, the new season won’t get underway until August!

But fear not! This could be one of the most exciting transfer windows for English clubs transfers in years, with clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool all looking to strengthen their squads considerably for the demands of an increasingly competitive domestic league. Here’s a look at some of the key transfers shaping up – make sure to add your own predictions in the comments!

The big three at this early stage of the summer are Atletico Madrid’s pair David De Gea and Sergio Aguero and Benfica’s left-back Fabio Coentrao.

Manchester United to sign David De Gea

Manchester United are painfully aware of criticism that, although they won their record 19^th Premier League title, it was with what some sections of the media regard as their weakest squad in years. They have rightly prioritised the replacement of retiring goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar. While Sir Alex Ferguson had all but confirmed the £18 million signing of De Gea, reports yesterday from De Gea’s representatives have suggested that a deal is far from being done.

United have also been linked with a move for Raphael Varane with the deal expected to be decided one way or the other in the next couple of weeks, and the Red Devils are also in the market for a creative midfielder, with Ashley Young, Samir Nasri and Luka Modric all mentioned. My money is on a younger player, so Nasri might fit the bill unless Fergie pulls a coup and brings in someone like Eden Hazard.

Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid chase Sergio Aguero

Sergio Aguero

The pressure is on Manchester City’s Roberto Mancini to challenge for the Premier League title next season, so big things can be expected of them.

Following Aguero’s statement that he wants to leave Atletico, the smart money is on him moving to the blue half of Manchester, possibly to replace Carlos Tevez, with Sheikh Mansour’s deep pockets capable of meeting the transfer fee and Aguero’s wage demands.

Potential rivals for his signature are Chelsea, with Roman Abramovich seemingly ready to splash the cash in a bid to sit atop the Premier League again; Real Madrid, who have been tipped as a likely destination by those close to the Argentine.

Barcelona and Juventus have also been linked although smart money is on one of these three clubs signing him this summer.

Liverpool to sign Fabio Coentrao?

Fabio Coentrao

Fabio Coentrao, the highly-rated Portuguese, also seems set to seal a big-money move, though his destination is far more difficult to predict. Conflicting reports coming out of Portugal indicate Real Madrid and Liverpool as front-runners for his signature, with both clubs apparently having offers of around £25 million accepted. With Marcelo currently unshakeable in Real’s left-back position, however, the guarantee of first-team football at Liverpool may be the deciding factor.

Who’s the next Chelsea manager?

As well as players moving on, we will also see a couple of managerial vacancies filled. With Antonio Conte taking over at Juventus, there is now only really only one job up for grabs that will be a guaranteed talking point when it’s eventually filled and that’s…West Ham! Actually, it’s not. Sorry West Ham fans. It’s Chelsea, of course, and they do not seem to be short of options.

Guus Hiddink, who made a good impression with his FA Cup-winning six-month stint at Stamford Bridge in 2009 is the bookies’ favourite after admitting that he misses day-to-day club management in his international capacity with Turkey. Other names in the frame are Manuel Pellegrini, who continually crops up as a candidate for big teams needing a manager despite his never having won a major domestic or European trophy; Marco van Basten, same story and, in what would be THE story of the summer, Jose Mourinho, who could be tempted back to his former club after a reported bust-up with Cristiano Ronaldo.

And this is without mentioning Arsenal’s rebuilding efforts and Harry Redknapp’s challenge of injecting fresh blood into a Spurs side that looked increasingly jaded as the season drew to a close. What are your transfer tips this summer? I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague broke the news on Revista de la Liga that Manchester United prospect David de Gea will be in the Old Trafford nets next season. The 20 year old goalkeeper should be unveiled in the near future as a United player for around £17 million and will be seen as an immediate replacement to retiring goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

There has been a hefty amount of interest from the newly crowned Premier League champions about signing the highly-rated youngster and it seems like these rumours are definite now, according to Balague. Balague said that United wanted to keep the deal under wraps until next Monday, but the story was leaked and now the reports will be out at whether de Gea is too young for United at the moment and whether he can handle the pressure of the Premier League.

The Spaniard is a product of the Atletico Madrid youth system and holds eight caps for his national country. De Gea has represented his country at all four youth levels and has won the under 17 European Championship in 2007. Manchester United will be wary of replacing Van der Sar, after the horrendous time they had once replacing Peter Schmeichel back in 1999. After Schmeichel’s departure, United had goalkeeper trouble until 2006 when they acquired Van der Sar. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will hope that de Gea can step into the breach and have a long and successful time at the club and be the next big goalkeeper for the Red Devils.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Player transfer fees and their larger than life wage bills are a common topic of discussion for a football fan of today. From Wayne Rooney threatening to quit to oil-rich owners going on shopping sprees, the footballers have now become spoilt and they now know that their high demands will be met at their current club or the next.

It is especially easy to get a huge wage offer for those who possess skill and/or experience. Yaya Toure moved from Spain to England with a wage demand that even England’s best Rooney was not getting at the time.

For the smaller clubs, it has become far more difficult to move into the top-flight and pose a threat to the top teams in their own country, let alone go on a Euro trip.

We have taken the liberty to skim out the football clubs out of the ESPN’s 200 best-paying teams in the world and present a list to you of 66 best-paying football teams in the world.

If you’re gifted with football, this is who will show you the money:

The Leagues and Countries: Bundesliga (Germany), EPL (English Premier League, England), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy) & SPL (Scottish Premier League, Scotland).

Also see: Best Paid Footballers By Country

From Soccerlens.com - Football News