Sitting through the four respective last-ditch World Cup 2018 pitches this morning was nigh-on insufferable at times, as if trapped in a hellish junior management sales exposition that was doomed to cycle on for the rest of human existence.

First up, Holland and Belgium, who’s bid president Ruud Gullit opened up by informing the room that their option would be ‘safe’ and very little else, with luminaries such as Johan Cruyff (to warn the ancient FIFA delegates about the adverse effects that PlayStations can have on a child’s life prospects) and Guus Hiddink (who flatly regaled us with memories of Euro 2000 – not the best strategy considering that, if I recall correctly, it wasn’t all that long ago) following closely behind.

In short, if the Dutch/Belgians manage to pull this one out of the bag, you better start battening down the hatches, as some kind of Faustian evil will surely be unleashed upon the world as part of the bargain.

Next came the Spain/Portugal bid, in which Spain’s FIFA ExCo member Angel Villar Llona blatantly tried to exacerbate any anti-English swell within the FIFA ranks by issuing a timely reminder that their rival’s national media had called the organisation a lot of nasty names over the past few months:

“I love Fifa dearly but those I love the most are my colleagues in the ExCo. Recently we have been criticised by many media outlets. Unfortunately for them Fifa is a clean institution.

Fifa values honesty, Fifa works for football and for the world and all my colleagues here present are all honest, hard-working football people and the people not here are also honest and hard-working.

You have already heard enough slander in the media, the bidding process is clean regardless of what they say.”

What’s the Spanish for ‘kiss-arse’?

Portuguese prime minister Jose Socrates and Spanish president Jose Luis Zapatero then rounded out the fairly uneventful showcase by reminding the world that their respective countries currently enjoy more sunshine than Russia and England combined, fairly punctual trains and a swathe of middling, moderately priced hotels.

With Cristiano Ronaldo pulling out at the last minute and their dual footballing heritage large left untouched, it’s little wonder that the Iberian effort has slipped so readily into third place in the betting – and that’s despite all that Qatari ‘help’ they may or may not have received along the way.

England's 'Three Lions': Prince William, Cameron and Beckham

Third onto the podium was jolly old England who, thanks largely to a sob story from David Beckham, five minutes of dead-pan stand-up comedy from Prince William and some politely conniving sales patter from prime minister David Cameron, produced a hideously pandering, yet undoubtedly effective pitch to the gathered FIFA representatives.

For all the plaudits shovelled upon England’s ‘three lions’, the hub of the entire pitch was arguably Manchester City’s community bod Eddie Afekafe, who seemingly came from nowhere only to convincingly hammer home the important role that football continues to play in the lower strata of English society:

“Football changed my life. I grew up in one of the roughest parts of Manchester, most of the guys I grew up with were in gangs – some still are, some are in prison. What they didn’t get, but I got, was an opportunity – and that was through football.

“I’m just one story, choose England today and England will deliver many more stories like mine. It’s a new idea, it’s a big idea and it’s one everyone supports – from the prime minister to the Football Association, from the Premier League to the players.”

FIFA president Sepp Blatter immediately praised the English presentation, calling it both ‘excellent’ and ‘remarkable’ – thus resulting in a flurry of betting on England, as they quickly became installed as bookmaker’s favourites to be bestowed with the 2018 hosting duties later this afternoon.

And if gambling surges don’t constitute clear harbingers of impending doom these days, then I really don’t know what do.

Russia rounded up the morning’s entertainment with a bizarre, Putin-less display of diabetes-inducing B-movies set to terrible Euro-house, screaming female pole vaulters, Winston Churchill mis-quotations, hearts, minds and a series of strange allegories between winning the right to host a World Cup and the fall of the Berlin Wall 21-years ago.

As always, answers on a postcard please.

UPDATE: FIFA have just confirmed that Russia will be hosting the 2018 World Cup and that Qatar will be hosting the out-of-the-box 2022 tournament. What a wonderful advertisement for the power of the petro/gaz/oil dollar.

Roll on 2026!

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

In a turn of phrase more befitting an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E than an interview regarding the upcoming World Cup 2018 voting ceremony in Zurich, the chief executive of the Spain/Portgual bid, Miguel Angel Lopez, has claimed that ‘all the fish are sold’ and that the Iberian campaign may have already (theoretically) garnered at least 7 and as many as 8 of the 22 votes available.

Lopez, who had previously allowed Spanish FIFA executive committee member Angel Maria Villar Llona to deal with the public duties relating to the Spain/Portugal bid, insisted that he is now ‘moderately confident’ of securing the next World Cup – although he also acknowledged, during an extremely brief interview with Bloomberg, that the voting which is scheduled to take place in Zurich next week is almost bound to be a close-run contest:

“It won’t be a big win in our favour or a big loss against us.”

England’s bid team are hoping that a last-minute lobbying offensive from the likes of prime minister David Cameron, England’s gilded show pony David Beckham and heir to throne Prince William may be enough to claw back the ground (i.e. votes) that they seem to have lost thanks to the various corruption exposés carried out by the British media into FIFA’s particular modus operandi – although Lopez believes that it will be a case of too little too late.

Indeed Spain/Portugal are intending to roll out their footballing big guns for the final push, with Lopez formally asking Real Madrid to let Cristiano Ronaldo and Iker Casillas (the captains of Portugal and Spain respectively) to attend the vote – with Real manager Jose Mourinho also invited to tag along.

Real Madrid pair Cristiano Ronaldo and Iker Casillas

However, even if the Merengues trio are freed up to travel to Zurich, Lopez admitted that their appearance would probably be too late to still have any kind of influence on the vote, adding cryptically:

“All the fish are sold.”

…before presumably using the one hand he wasn’t using to conceal the hilt of a pistol to slide an unmarked briefcase, filled to the hilt with incriminating documents pertaining to the Cold War, across the large formica table at which he was huddled.

‘Twas not so very long ago that the Spain/Portugal bid was investigated by FIFA following claims of collusion with Qatar’s 2022 bid, in which it was alledged that the Iberians may have secured an ill-gotten bloc of at least seven votes.

However, FIFA’s Ethics committee ruled last week that there were no ‘sufficient grounds’ to provide a ruling either way, a dead rubber that Lopez is taking as a sign of definite absolution:

“If there was something to find, [FIFA] would have done more. They did what was necessary, but their procedures showed nothing.”

Yet still, Lopez retains a high level of optimism over the fact that he can count on the support of the four Asian delegates that currently sit on the FIFA executive committee – namely president of the Asian Football Confederation Mohamed Bin Hammam, Thailand’s Worawi Makudi, Japan’s Junji Orgura and South Korea’s Chung Mong Joon.

Spain/Portugal are also hoping to capitalise on the hard work of their conquistador forefathers, in claiming the manifest rights to the votes of the  three South American executives involved, as Latin America is, according to Lopez, their ‘natural territory’.

So, as you can delineate for yourselves, thanks to FIFA’s exhaustive investigation into the Spain/Portugal/Qatar bids (which consisted of two emails being sent, in case your were wondering) there is absolutely no room left for collusion in the World Cup voting system.

Aren’t they good?

Also See:

FIFA World Cup Voters
Vote Rigging 101

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

In a development that reveals just how low they now deem themselves to have sunk in FIFA’s estimations (and how far back they have fallen back in terms of the impending vote), England 2018 have written to every voting member on the organisation’s executive committee (EC), pleading with them to not to punish the bid team for the actions of the nation’s independent media and press.

Being the self-serving preservationists as they are, FIFA have been understandably irked by the ongoing investigations being made into the corruption embedded within their corridors of power, carried out chiefly by covert staff of the Sunday Times newspaper (which resulted in the high-profile provisional suspension of EC members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii last month).

According to reports in today’s broadsheets, the simpering letter declares England 2018‘s ‘solidarity and support’ for the way in which FIFA responded to the allegations levied at them by the Sunday Times, distances them from a forthcoming BBC Panorama exposé (that has tentatively been scheduled to air just three days before the vote in Zurich on December 2nd) and also refers to suspended duo Adamu and Temarii as ‘our (England’s) friends’.

The Guardian are also suggesting that bid insiders have informed them that the letter ‘represents a calculated risk’ by attempting to closely align England 2018 with a both a process and an organisation that are now teetering so precariously thanks to their recently highlighted vulnerabilities to exploitation.

England 2018's international chairman David Dein flies the flag

Whilst the England 2018 bid team have openly acknowledged that the myriad of recent corruption allegations should be fully investigated by FIFA’s in-house ethics committee, the campaign hierarchy are now wholly more concerned about the potentially devastating effect that the Panorama programme could have on their chances of success – with worries that the BBC could cost them huge swathes of votes in their race to pip Russia, Spain/Portugal and Holland/Belgium to the prize.

However, England 2018 are thought to believe that Panorama will largely be retreading the existing allegations, rather than indulging in any of their own sh*t-flicking.

As such, should there be no new scandal then it would seem that the BBC are merely chasing publicity (and, by-proxy, those ever-precious ratings) by choosing to broadcast the programme in such close proximity to the FIFA vote.

This from the Daily Telegraph:

“It is thought Panorama has been seeking comment on familiar allegations arising from the collapse in 2001 of marketing company (and sports agency) ISL.

The BBC has sent 16 questions largely relating to ISL to FIFA president Sepp Blatter ‘as well as a request for an interview’.

England 2018 also expect Fifa vice-president Jack Warner’s well-documented involvement in black-market ticket sales to be revisited, which could antagonise one of their most influential potential supporters.”

England 2018 chairman Geoff Thompson and international chairman David Dein have already failed in their joint attempts to rally BBC director-general Mark Thompson into rescheduling, postponing and/or cancelling the broadcast date of the Panorama ‘investigation’, and it now looks at though they have taken the logical progression and begun to harass the electorate.

After all this snivelling, pandering and the attrocious fallacy that they are simply ‘acting in the public’s interest’, England 2018 barely deserve to host the World Cup any more than FIFA deserve their honour of bestowing it upon anybody.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The 2010 FIFA World Cup was a great platform in which many of the games youth prospects were given a stage to shine and introduce the new wave of football’s talent. With many of the past decade’s superstar players now officially “over-the-hill”, players  such as Thierry Henry, Clarence Seedorf, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Alessandro Del Piero and Michael Ballack to name a few, has given way for football’s young talent to shine through and try to establish themselves as the game’s next legend.

Below are twenty-one of the games hottest prospects 21-years-old or younger. The top ten are in no particular order as are the honorable mentions. Various factors went into creating this list including number of league, cup and senior international appearances along with statistics such as goals and assists coupled with the impact the player has had on their club and national teams alike.

I also took in to account the level of competition the players have encountered, for example someone who scores 20 goals in 60 caps in the English Premier League gained more clout than someone who scored 25 goals in 55 caps in the Swiss Super League. Although there was no mathematical formula to creating this list it was still unbelievably hard to narrow it down to just twenty-one players, and here they are.

Eden Hazard

Age: 19

Position: Midfielder

Country: Belgium

Club: Lille OSC

Hazard has been quite established for some time now in France, being the reigning Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year for the past two season’s, the only player to win the award twice. At only 19 years old, Hazard is one of the youngest already established players in European football and it’s only a matter of time before his talents are harvested by a top Premier League or La Liga club.

His natural position on the pitch is as an attacking midfielder, much like a younger Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard but has the flare of a Ronaldo or Messi. Hazard is also highly versatile, able to operate on either side of the pitch or as a supporting striker as well. His brilliant technical skill, combined with his speed and creativity makes him one of football’s most elegant young prospects to watch play, not to mention he holds the personal “stamp-of-approval” from French legend Zinedine Zidane who personally pitched Hazard to Real Madrid last summer.

Neymar

Age: 18

Position: Striker

Country: Brazil

Club: Santos FC

Neymar has gained a lot of notoriety over the summer with his alleged transfer to Chelsea, however the £28.6 million deal fell through and the Brazilian will continue to play in his native Brazil. However, despite not playing in Europe, Neymar is still one of the hottest prospects in football and most popular among transfer rumors next summer.

Unlike most of the other players on this list, Neymar was not part of his national team’s 2010 World Cup squad, where former Brazil coach Dunga choose to keep the 18-year-old off of his roster in a very controversial move which ignited much animosity with Brazilian fans. However, current Selecao boss Mano Menezes has called up the young phenom among others, such as Real Madrid’s Marcelo, in a roster overhaul of young talent where Neymar lived up to his hype scoring in his first cap against the United States last month.

During his time at Santos, Neymar has recorded 35 goals in 61 appearances and has drawn comparisons to fellow teammate Robinho by fans. Neymar is an explosive foward who can play as a lone striker or on either wing and equipped with natural Brazilian flare, speed and finishing makes him undoubtedly one of this decades soon to be superstars.

Thomas Muller

Age: 21

Position: Foward

Country: Germany

Club: Bayern Munich

Muller has made quite a name for himself in the past year racking up both domestic and international honors most 21-year-old’s only dream of. During Germany’s third place finish in South Africa, Muller was the team’s most consistent player and finished with five goals and three assists which earned both the tournament’s Young Player and Golden Boot award, in the latter edging out superstar’s such as Diego Forlan, Wesley Sneijder and David Villa among others.

Muller also had a fantastic Bundesliga performance in the 2009-2010 season as Bayern Munich was able to capture the German championship with Muller scoring twelve goals in the process. Muller also found success in Bayern’s Champions League campaign in which they placed second to Inter Milan.

Muller had yet another brilliant tournament scoring two goals and providing much support to teammates Arjen Robben, Ivica Olic and Miroslav Klose. As one of the most established players on this list, Muller already hold’s respectable career honor’s at only 21 and is developing into one of the game’s finest finishers.

Mesut Ozil

Age: 21

Position: Midfielder

Country: Germany

Club: Real Madrid

Ozil bears much similarities to his fellow countryman Muller, as it seems Germany was a breeding ground of football success in the late 80′s. Ozil is more of a deep-lying player than Muller, with his natural position as the playmaker or attacking midfielder, but can also operate as a winger as he mainly does for his national team. Like Muller, Ozil made his mark on the football world during the World Cup with his brilliant crosses and run’s down the wing.

The 21-year-old finished the tournament with two goals and provided huge assists for Die Mannschaft during their knockout stage win’s against England and Argentina, a performance that earned him a Golden Ball nomination. However after the conclusion of the World Cup, Ozil was the topic of many transfer rumor’s as many believed his skill to be sold to one of Europe’s elite clubs.

In August, Ozil was sold to Real Madrid from Werder Bremen for a fee in the region of €15 million. Ozil has all the tools in place to become a superstar, including the “Special One” as his skipper and a lineup around him that has the potential to play together for half a decade.

Holger Badstuber

Age: 21

Position: Defender

Country: Germany

Club: Bayern Munich

Badstuber is your typical German defender and is well on his way to becoming the next Jurgen Kohler. Badstuber began his career with Bayern Munich’s youth academy at age 16 quickly being promoted to their reserve team. He spent two season’s with Bayern’s youth team gaining 55 caps and scoring 7 goals.

In 2009, he signed his professional contract with Bayern’s senior squad along with teammate Thomas Muller. Since his signing Badstuber has been a regular fixture in Bayern’s starting eleven and is one of three players along with Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger to have started every game in their 2009-10 Bundesliga campaign.

Badstuber was first called up to Germany’s senior side in their provincial World Cup squad after impressive performances with their U-21 team. Badstuber was eventually selected by coach Joachim Löw for Germany’s 2010 World Cup squad where he started two games and made appearances in all six of them.

At only 21-years-old, Badstuber has already won one Bundesliga title, a bronze medal in the FIFA World Cup and was a runner-up in the UEFA Champions League. Standing at 6’2.5″ (1.89m), Badstuber is a strong physical presence who possess exceptional speed, passing and free-kick ability making him one of the most dangerous young defenders in football.

Romelu Lukaku

Age: 17

Position: Striker

Country: Belgium

Club: RSC Anderlecht

Although only 17 years of age, Lukaku has caught the attention of many club scouts and football connoisseurs alike with his flashy Youtube highlight reels and dominating performances. During the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League, Lukaku became the third youngest player to score a goal in the prestigious tournament at only 16 years 218 days old.

During his youth career, Lukaku averaged more than a goal per game including 121 goals in 88 matches with RSC Anderlecht’s youth outfit. Despite his early success, many speculated Lukaku to become a flop, however he finished among the Belgian Pro League elite last season scoring 15 goals in 25 league matches.

Standing at 6’3″ (1.91m) tall, Lukaku is a dominating physical presence and a nightmare for opposing teams in the air. Known for his breakaway speed, technical ability and prolific finishing it’s no wonder why he is already being referenced as a young Didier Drogba, or at least a distant relative.

Simon Kjær

Age: 21

Position: Defender

Country: Denmark

Club: VfL Wolfsburg

Kjær gained national attention with his brilliant performance with Denmark’s senior side during the 2010 World Cup which showcased his outstanding defensive abilities. Kjær started off with local Danish Superliga club FC Midtjylland where he shined during their 2007-08 season attracting attention from numerous European clubs including Lille OSC, Middlesbrough, Tottenham and Chelsea.

However, Kjær ultimately signed with Italian club Palermo in 2008 where he developed into one of Serie A’s most talented young players. During his 2-year stint at Palermo, Kjær recorded 62 caps with 5 goals which helped him win the 2009 Danish Talent of the Year award. In 2010, Kjær left Serie A and signed with Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg in a 4-year, £12 million deal in an effort to improve one of Germany’s worst defensive clubs.

Kjær is also a very important component in Denmark’s national side being called up after coach Morten Olsen was impressed by his play with Palermo and the Danish youth sides. Kjær established himself on the starting eleven after brilliant performances with Denmark during the 2010 World Cup qualifiers after replacing an injured Per Kroldrup.

During the 2010 World Cup, Kjær was a major force in Denmark’s defense starting the first two games but missed out on the third due to two yellow cards however his play spoke for itself and it was easy to see that Kjær is one of football’s finest young defenders.

Theo Walcott

Age: 21

Position: Winger

Country: England

Club: Arsenal

Despite being only 21-years-old, Walcott has already made quite a name for himself with his play for Arsenal and the English national team. Walcott debuted at only 16 years and 143 days for Southampton’s first team in 2006, making him the youngest in the clubs history. He managed to net four goals his first year which attracted the attention of his current club, Arsenal, who signed Walcott on his seventeenth birthday.

Walcott was also part of the English national team during the 2006 World Cup in a very controversial move where many believed his inexperience and age to be too few compared to other alternatives such as Darren Bent and Jermaine Defoe. Walcott also became the youngest player ever in England’s history to play a full international cap which came against Hungary in a friendly at Old Trafford, he was only 17 years and 75 days old.

Walcott has had a brilliant start to the 2010-11 season where he already found the net four times and has been moving to a more secure spot in The Gunners starting eleven.

Alexandre Pato

Age: 21

Position: Striker

Country: Brazil

Club: AC Milan

My personal favorite out of all the prospects in football, Alexandre Pato is your typical Brazilian foward; flare, speed and technical skill all intertwined into a South American football machine. Pato arrived in Milan back in 2007 on a €22 million transfer to the then, European champions, despite a €14 million bid from Manchester United.

Despite his high expectations, relative inexperience combined with the intimidation of San Siro, Pato lived up to his hype by becoming Milan’s top goal scorer by netting 18 total goals in his first full season with the club, a feat that earned him 2009 Serie A Young Player of the Year award.

After a brilliant start to the 2009-10 season, Pato was plagued by a hamstring injury that resulted in only 20 appearances. However, Pato is now in full health and has been called up to the revamped Brazilian national side under new coach Mano Menezes. Is Pato the next Ronaldo? maybe not, however he possesses all necessary attributes for the perfect foward; aerial ability, speed, finishing and Brazilian ethnicity which makes him one of football’s deadliest prospects.

Mario Balotelli

Age: 20

Position: Striker

Country: Italy

Club: Manchester City

I think we can all agree that Balotelli is not a “fan favorite” and you will certainly not find me playing with him in FIFA 11, however, we can all agree this half Ghanaian, half Italian hybrid does have talent. Balotelli eventually landed in Milan with Internazionale after a failed trial at Barcelona. After impressive performances with Inter’s youth Primavera squad, Balotelli eventually landed in their first team for the 2007-08 season in which he was deployed as both a late game substitute and occasional starter.

During the 2008-09 season Balotelli became the youngest player ever to score in a UEFA Champions League match being 18 years and 85 days old. However drama soon followed after a fall-out between him and former Inter boss, Jose Mourinho occurred regarding his disciplinary problems and lack of effort in training sessions.

The tensions carried into the 2009-10 season as team captain Javier Zanetti and veteran Marco Materazzi both showed their concerns with the young striker as well as Inter faithful’s after Balotelli was seen sporting a AC Milan jersey on the Italian show Striscia la Notizia. After being frozen out of Inter’s lineup, Balotelli returned with even more drama after he threw his jersey to ground after their Champions League match against Barcelona in response to fan’s criticism of him.

During the 2010 summer transfer window Balotelli completed his inevitable move away from San Siro to City of Manchester in a deal worth an estimated £24 million. However despite his issues Balotelli is still one of the games top prospects. During his time at Inter he recorded 20 goals in 59 appearances including three Serie A championships, one Coppa Italia title and one UEFA Champions League title, quite an impressive resume for a 20-year-old.

Honorable mentions:

• Andre Ayew (20, Ghana, Olympique de Marseille)
• Javier Pastore (20, Argentina, Palermo)
• Bojan Krkic (20, Spain, FC Barcelona)
• Phillippe Coutinho (18, Brazil, Inter Milan)
• Ricky van Wolfswinkel (21, Netherlands, FC Utrecht)
• Yann M’Vila (21, France, Stade Rennais)
• Giovani dos Santos (21, Mexico, Tottenham Hotspur)
• Mamadou Sakho (20, France, Paris Saint-Germain)
• Carlos Vela (21, Mexico, Arsenal)
• Sergio Canales (19, Spain, Real Madrid)
• Miralem Pjanic (21, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Olympique Lyonnais)

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The draw for the Euro 2012 qualifying stages was held today in Warsaw and the resulting groups left us with few possibilities of upsets.

England missed out on qualification last time around but have a relatively easy group to negotiate with the likes of Wales, Montenegro and Bulgaria standing in their way. Switzerland round up the group which will provide for an interesting but relatively straight-forward qualification.

Hosts Poland and Ukraine get a bye to the finals, while European champions Spain have the Czech Republic and Scotland in their group.

Fifty-one countries participated in the draw, forming 6 groups of 6 teams and 3 groups of 5 teams each. The groups will be contested according to a league system on a home-and-away basis, with games scheduled between September 2010 and October 2011.

The nine winners and the runner-up with the best record against the top five sides in their pool qualify directly for the final tournament, the last before the championship is expanded to 24 teams. The eight remaining runners-up go into play-off matches in November 2011 to decide the final four sides to join co-hosts Poland and Ukraine.

Euro 2012 Qualifying Groups

Group A: Germany, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan

Group B: Russia, Slovakia, Republic of Ireland, Macedonia, Armenia, Andorra

Group C: Italy, Serbia, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Estonia, Faroe Islands

Group D: France, Romania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Belarus, Albania, Luxembourg

Group E: Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Moldova, San Marino

Group F: Croatia, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Georgia, Malta

Group G: England, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Wales, Montenegro

Group H: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Cyprus, Iceland

Group I: Spain, Czech Republic, Scotland, Lithuania, Liechtenstein

Euro 2012 Qualifying Fixtures

GROUP A

03.09.10
Belgium v Germany
Kazakhstan v Turkey

07.09.10
Germany v Azerbaijan
Austria v Kazakhstan
Turkey v Belgium

08.10.10
Kazakhstan v Belgium
Austria v Azerbaijan
Germany v Turkey

12.10.10
Kazakhstan v Germany
Belgium v Austria
Azerbaijan v Turkey

25.03.11
Austria v Belgium
Germany v Kazakhstan

29.03.11
Turkey v Austria
Belgium v Azerbaijan

03.06.11
Belgium v Turkey
Austria v Germany
Kazakhstan v Azerbaijan

07.06.11
Azerbaijan v Germany

02.09.11
Azerbaijan v Belgium
Germany v Austria
Turkey v Kazakhstan

06.09.11
Austria v Turkey
Azerbaijan v Kazakhstan

07.10.11
Azerbaijan v Austria
Belgium v Kazakhstan
Turkey v Germany

11.10.11
Germany v Belgium
Turkey v Azerbaijan
Kazakhstan v Austria

GROUP B

03.09.10
Armenia v Ireland
Andorra v Russia
Slovakia v Macedonia

07.09.10
Ireland v Andorra
Russia v Slovakia
Macedonia v Armenia

08.10.10
Armenia v Slovakia
Ireland v Russia
Andorra v Macedonia

12.10.10
Armenia v Andorra
Slovakia v Ireland
Macedonia v Russia

26.03.11
Ireland v Macedonia
Andorra v Slovakia
Russia v Armenia

04.06.11
Armenia v Russia
Slovakia v Andorra
Macedonia v Ireland

02.09.11
Ireland v Slovakia
Andorra v Armenia
Russia v Macedonia

06.09.11
Russia v Ireland
Slovakia v Armenia
Macedonia v Andorra

07.10.11
Armenia v Macedonia
Andorra v Ireland
Slovakia v Russia

11.10.11
Ireland v Armenia
Russia v Andorra
Macedonia v Slovakia

GROUP C

11.08.10
Estonia v Faroe Islands

03.09.10
Slovenia v Northern Ireland
Estonia v Italy
Faroe Islands v Serbia

07.09.10
Serbia v Slovenia
Italy v Faroe Islands

08.10.10
Slovenia v Faroe Islands
Serbia v Estonia
Northern Ireland v Italy

12.10.10
Faroe Islands v Northern Ireland
Estonia v Slovenia
Italy v Serbia

25.03.11
Slovenia v Italy
Serbia v Northern Ireland

29.03.11
Northern Ireland v Slovenia
Estonia v Serbia

03.06.11
Faroe Islands v Slovenia
Italy v Estonia

07.06.11
Faroe Islands v Estonia

10.08.11
Northern Ireland v Faroe Islands

02.09.11
Slovenia v Estonia
Faroe Islands v Italy
Northern Ireland v Serbia

06.09.11
Italy v Slovenia
Serbia v Faroe Islands
Estonia v Northern Ireland

07.10.11
Northern Ireland v Estonia
Serbia v Italy

11.10.11
Italy v Northern Ireland
Slovenia v Serbia

GROUP D

03.09.10
France v Belarus
Romania v Albania
Luxembourg v Bosnia

07.09.10
Albania v Luxembourg
Bosnia v France
Belarus v Romania

08.10.10
Albania v Bosnia
Luxembourg v Belarus

09.10.10
France v Romania

12.10.10
Belarus v Albania
France v Luxembourg

25.03.11
Luxembourg v France

26.03.11
Bosnia v Romania
Albania v Belarus

29.03.11
Romania v Luxembourg

03.06.11
Belarus v France
Romania v Bosnia

07.06.11
Belarus v Luxembourg
Bosnia v Albania

02.09.11
Luxembourg v Romania
Belarus v Bosnia
Albania v France

06.09.11
Romania v France
Bosnia v Belarus
Luxembourg v Albania

07.10.11
Bosnia v Luxembourg
France v Albania
Romania v Belarus

11.10.11
France v Bosnia
Albania v Romania

GROUP E

03.09.10
Sweden v Hungary
Moldova v Finland
San Marino v Netherlands

07.09.10
Netherlands v Finland
Sweden v San Marino
Hungary v Moldova

08.10.10
Hungary v San Marino
Moldova v Netherlands

12.10.10
Netherlands v Sweden
Finland v Hungary
San Marino v Moldova

17.11.10
Finland v San Marino

25.03.11
Hungary v Netherlands

29.03.11
Netherlands v Hungary
Sweden v Moldova

03.06.11
Moldova v Sweden
San Marino v Finland

07.06.11
Sweden v Finland
San Marino v Hungary

02.09.11
Netherlands v San Marino
Finland v Moldova
Hungary v Sweden

06.09.11
Finland v Netherlands
Moldova v Hungary
San Marino v Sweden

07.10.11
Netherlands v Moldova
Finland v Sweden

11.10.11
Sweden v Netherlands
Hungary v Finland
Moldova v San Marino

GROUP F

03.09.10
Greece v Georgia
Israel v Malta
Latvia v Croatia

07.09.10
Georgia v Israel
Malta v Latvia
Croatia v Greece

08.10.10
Greece v Latvia
Georgia v Malta
Israel v Croatia

12.10.10
Greece v Israel
Latvia v Georgia
Croatia v Malta

26.03.11
Georgia v Croatia
Israel v Latvia
Malta v Greece

04.06.11
Greece v Malta
Latvia v Israel
Croatia v Georgia

02.09.11
Georgia v Latvia
Israel v Greece
Malta v Croatia

06.09.11
Malta v Georgia
Latvia v Greece
Croatia v Israel

07.10.11
Greece v Croatia
Israel v Georgia
Latvia v Malta

11.10.11
Georgia v Greece
Malta v Israel
Croatia v Latvia

GROUP G

03.09.10
Montenegro v Wales
England v Bulgaria

07.09.10
Bulgaria v Montenegro
Switzerland v England

08.10.10
Montenegro v Switzerland
Wales v Bulgaria

12.10.10
England v Montenegro
Switzerland v Wales

26.03.11
Wales v England
Bulgaria v Switzerland

04.06.11
Montenegro v Bulgaria
England v Switzerland

02.09.11
Wales v Montenegro
Bulgaria v England

06.09.11
England v Wales
Switzerland v Bulgaria

07.10.11
Montenegro v England
Wales v Switzerland

11.10.11
Bulgaria v Wales
Switzerland v Montenegro

GROUP H

03.09.10
Portugal v Cyprus
Iceland v Norway

07.09.10
Norway v Portugal
Denmark v Iceland

08.10.10
Portugal v Denmark
Cyprus v Norway

12.10.10
Iceland v Portugal
Denmark v Cyprus

26.03.11
Cyprus v Iceland
Norway v Denmark

04.06.11
Portugal v Norway
Iceland v Denmark

02.09.11
Cyprus v Portugal
Norway v Iceland

06.09.11
Iceland v Cyprus
Denmark v Norway

07.10.11
Portugal v Iceland
Cyprus v Denmark

11.10.11
Norway v Cyprus
Denmark v Portugal

GROUP I

03.09.10
Lithuania v Scotland
Liechtenstein v Spain

07.09.10
Czech Republic v Lithuania
Scotland v Liechtenstein

08.10.10
Spain v Lithuania
Czech Republic v Scotland

12.10.10
Scotland v Spain
Liechtenstein v Czech Republic

25.03.11
Spain v Czech Republic

29.03.11
Czech Republic v Liechtenstein
Lithuania v Spain

03.06.11
Liechtenstein v Lithuania

02.09.11
Lithuania v Liechtenstein

03.09.11
Scotland v Czech Republic

06.09.11
Spain v Liechtenstein
Scotland v Lithuania

07.10.11
Czech Republic v Spain

08.10.11
Liechtenstein v Scotland

11.10.11
Spain v Scotland
Lithuania v Czech Republic

The following dates are reserved for the play-off matches between the remaining eight runners-up:

a) 11/12 November 2011
b) 15 November 2011

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Watch World Cup qualifiers live here.

International press conferences at the best of times tend to be mundane, by the numbers affairs filled with platitudes by the key figures within the national side. Not much changes when it comes to conferences prior to World Cup qualifiers, or even the finals itself, but within the words always lies a common train of thought: There are few, if any greater honours in football than representing your country at the World Cup.

England press conferences are laced with references to qualification, how much being at the World Cup means to the players and what winning the trophy would mean to their careers. The same reverence for the competition can be found in the words of any major national side, so for the smaller nations, imagine the honour of being one of the 32 teams going to the finals.

The role played by the lesser nations in World Cup finals down the years has been one of the factors which has helped the competition reach such a status in the minds of players and fans alike. Think about the likes of North Korea in 1966, Bulgaria in 1994 and Senegal in 2002, all three, along with many others, have left a mark on the finals which remains in the national and international consciousness to this day.

In the build-up to the critical juncture for sides still harbouring ambitions of following in their footsteps by qualifying for South Africa in 2010, this article takes a look at some of the other sides in international football looking to make the finals. Some will be more familiar than others, some have already left their mark on the finals in years gone by, while others are looking to secure their place for the very first time. But irrespective of the history, the ambition remains the same amongst these sides as it does in the major nations: represent your country at the World Cup.

Africa

5 sides will join South Africa in the finals on the home continent, with Ghana looking fairly assured of their place in the finals going into this weekend’s fixtures. Group 2 also looks to be a straight fight between Tunisia and Nigeria for the qualifying berth, while the Ivory Coast also appear to be headed for their second straight finals. The Elephants will all but secure qualification with a win at home today, but they need to overcome Burkina Faso, second in the group, three points behind the Ivory Coast with three games left.

Les Etalons are no strangers to the final round of African qualifying, but this represents their first real opportunity to make the finals, after securing wins away in Malawi and a surprise 4-2 win in the Burkinase capital of Ouagadougou against Guinea. Defeat against the Ivory Coast put a severe dent in their ambitions to make the finals, and defeat in Abidjan this afternoon will all but extinguish their hopes, but they will hope to replicate the kind of performances which have taken them to this stage, which include going unbeaten in the previous stage of qualifying in a group including Tunisia. If the Stallions want to put themselves back in with a shout of qualifying, they will need to rely heavily on the influence of Hamburg’s Jonathan Pitropia in midfield, along with CFR Cluj’s Yssouf Kone up front. At best, it seems a long shot for Burkina Faso, but to still be in with a shout at this stage represents significant progress for a side who haven’t come close to qualifying for the finals previously.

In with a far better shout are the somewhat more familiar name of Algeria, who have their own place in World Cup history for both the right and wrong reasons. The Desert Foxes made the finals in both 1982 and 1986, defeating eventual finalists West Germany 2-1 in their opening match of the former, which remains one of the major shocks in finals history. However, the Algerians were then the victims of the infamous agreement between the West Germans and Austrians in the final match of the group, which allowed both sides to advance to the second phase as a consequence of a 1-0 victory for the West Germans. The fix sparked international outrage, but ultimately little was done to help the Algerians, with a revision of the scheduling for the final group matches the end result of the shambolic events. Algeria never reached such a stage again, a draw against Northern Ireland in Mexico four years later proving to be their only point of the group.

Since then, qualifying for the World Cup has been a mixture of near misses (defeat over two legs against Egypt denying them a place at Italia 90) and humiliation (Defeat to Kenya over two legs in the opening stage of qualification for France 98). In the period, they also managed to win their first and only African Cup of Nations on home soil in 1990, but Algeria have toiled somewhat since that famous day in Gijon 27 years ago.

Now they probably find themselves two wins away from the World Cup finals, with home fixtures agaisnt Zambia and Rwanda coming up, which should allow them to further increase their advantage in goal difference over the Egyptians before their potentially deciding contest in Cairo on the 14th November. If the Algerians manage to win their next two games, then chances are they will go to the Egyptian capital with a near unassailable goal difference, along with a three-point lead over the reigning African Cup of Nations champions, making qualification all but guaranteed. With a couple of familiar names within their ranks, such as Portsmouth’s Nadir Belhadj, Blackpool’s Hamuer Bouazza and Hull’s new recruit Kamil Ghilas, along with lynchpin Karim Ziani, currently playing for Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg, things are looking good for the Algerians in their bid to make the finals for the first time in 24 years.

Perhaps the side with the greatest chance of upsetting the odds however is Gabon, with the national side’s progress on the pitch reflecting the prosperity the country is experiencing off it. The Black Panthers’ progress since their first attempt to qualify for the finals in 1990 has been marked, going from relative also-rans up to now, where they still face a difficult task in qualifying top of Group A, but after wins in Morocco and at home to Togo, they find themselves two points clear of the latter with a game in hand to come. Four points over their next two games, home and away to Cameroon, should put them in a commanding position on top of the group ahead of a visit to Togo in October, with a home tie in Libraville against Morocco to finish their campaign.

Save for three African Cup of Nations appearances (With a fourth guaranteed due to their co-hosting with Equatorial Guinea in 2012), Gabon have largely failed to leave an impact upon African football since their introduction nearly 50 years ago. Now, with former French international Alain Giresse at the helm, and Hull’s Daniel Cousin spearheading the attack, the Azingo Nationale could be about to upset the odds, after starting out their group percieved as the weakest and least experienced of the quartet looking to secure top spot. Of all the three ‘outsiders’ in with a genuine shout of qualification, Gabon probably represent the best chance of success, along with one of the more interesting stories, given the relatively unheralded nature of the team.

Asia

Qualification for the Asian nations has been all but concluded, with Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Australia (despite their tenous claims to Asian residency) making up four of the potential five sides from Asia who can make it to South Africa next year. One spot remains available to the AFC however, with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain due to contest a play-off for 5th place, with the first leg in Riffa later, with the return in Riyadh on Wednesday, the winner going on to play New Zealand for a place in the finals.

For Al-Ahmar, who will start as underdogs against the experienced Saudi Arabians, victory would provide them with a fantastic opportunity to make the finals and finally break through into the ranks of the top Asian teams, after years of threatening to make the step up. Thus far, Bahrain’s international history has been littered with near-misses, casting themselves as the bridesmaids of the Asian Federation.

Three times the Reds have finished as runners up in the Gulf Cup of Nations since the inaugural competition in 1970. Twice they have been defeated in the final of the Arab Nations Cup since 1985. Their record in the Asian Cup was unremarkable for many years, prior to the 2004 edition in China, where the Bahrainis twice led against Japan in the semi-finals, only to concede a stoppage time equaliser and go down 4-3 after extra time, eventually finishing 4th overall.

Probably the biggest disappointment came four years ago in qualification for the last World Cup, where a play-off victory over Uzbekistan took them into a two-legged qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago, with the winner going to Germany. A 1-0 defeat away in the first leg was recovered by half-time in the return leg in Manama, before Dennis Lawrence ended the Gulf state’s hopes of making the final with the crucial away goal, The Soca Warriors winning the tie 2-1 on aggregate. Now, Bahrain potentially find themselves two wins away from their debut appearance at the finals, but with plenty of work to do to overcome the Saudi Arabians in the first instance, they could be in for another disappointment, it will be up to star turn Mahmood ‘Ringo’ Abdulrahman to upset the Saudi Arabians and take Bahrain to the brink of qualification for South Africa.

Europe

With 13 places at stake, and only the Netherlands thus far qualified for the finals, Europe remains the most open of all the continental qualifying zones. Expect to see the Dutch joined over the next few days by the likes of Germany, Spain and England over the next few days, but otherwise the groups remain open, with a few old names and new sides making an impact in their bid to make it to South Africa next June.

Hungary are probably the most notable of the ‘outsiders’ looking to make it to the finals, with a track record in international football that matches up to most, however it has been a long time since they had their moment in the spotlight. Along with the Dutch finalists of 1974 and ’78 and Brazil’s 1950 runners-up, Hungary’s ‘Magical Magyars’ of 1954 probably represent one of the greatest teams to play at the World Cup who failed to come away with the title.With the likes of Sandor Kocsis, Nandor Hidegkuti and Ferenc Puskas in their ranks, the Hungarians went on an unbeaten run of 32 games, spanning over 4 years, all the way to the final, where they fell victim to the ‘Miracle of Berne’, losing to a West German side who they had defeated 8-3 in the group stages a fortnight earlier. Combined with their defeat to the Italians after extra time in the 1934 final, the Hungarians, much like the Bahrainis, have the feel of a nearly-side, although on a far grander scale.

Since the heady days of the 50′s, Hungarian football has gradually declined from World Cup finals, European Championship semi-finals in 1964 and 1972, and Honved’s status as one of the greatest European club teams, to no World Cup appearances in 23 years, no European Championship finals in 37 years, and the nadir of a 2-1 defeat to Malta in qualification for Euro 2008. Since that infamous night nearly three years ago, Hungarian football has been undergoing something of a renaissance at club and international level, although the Magyars still face an uphill battle to follow in the footsteps of domestic champions Debrecni in breaking the glass ceiling of qualification for the Champions’ League group stages.

Wins over Albania, Malta and a draw at home to Denmark have put the Hungarians in a good position to at least make the play-offs through Group 1, exploiting the slip-ups by favourites Portugal and Sweden thus far. With four games to go, the Magyars still face home and away fixtures against Portugal, a trip to Copenhagen to face the group leaders and a crucial tie at home to Sweden this evening, looking to avenge their only defeat thus far, 2-1 at the Rasunda Stadium. With an in-form Denmark still to host Portugal and Sweden, a few positive results for the Hungarians should see them into the play-offs, a few other positive results may even see them qualify automatically, heralding a remarkable return to form after a long barren spell. You get the impression that while their resurgence may be stopped in it’s tracks were they to make it to the finals, a return to the main stage for the Hungarians may provide a point of interest, even if it comes at the expense of the prescence of Cristiano Ronaldo or Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Africa.

Group 3 remains wide open, with five sides still potentially in with a shout of making it to the play-offs or qualifying automatically, with Slovenia, Poland and the Czech Republic looking to build upon recent visits to the finals. For Slovakia and Northern Ireland however, filling the top two spots in the group at this late stage represents something new in the first instance, and a welcome return to form for the Northern Irish.

Formed out of the Czechoslovakian split in 1993, the Slovakians have on a number of occasions threatened to make an impression in qualifying, none more so than in making the play-offs for the first time in a major competition four years ago, before going down to a rampant Spain over two legs. Their current situation undoubtedly presents their greatest opportunity to date however, with the Slovakians going on a remarkable run of form over the last two years.

The Repre have only managed draws with Hungary and Iceland in their last nine friendlies, with defeats to the Icelandics and away to Cyprus in amongst the seven defeats. However, their six matches in qualification have produced 5 wins and only one defeat, away to Slovenia almost a year ago. With victories in Prague against the Czechs, along with home wins against fellow group rivals Poland and Northern Ireland, the Slovaks find themselves two points ahead of the chasing pack, with a game in hand over the Northern Irish and Slovenians.

With renowned talent throughout the side, such as Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel, Napoli’s Marek Hamsik and leading goalscorer Stanislav Sestak, Slovakia certainly have what it takes to pick up the necessary points from their remaining four matches to make their inaugural appearance at the finals, and trouble a few teams if and when they reach that stage.

The Northern Irish probably present the greatest threat to the Slovakians chances of finishing top of Group 3. For Nigel Worthington’s men, to even be at this stage given their position only a few years ago marks them out as possibly the most improved side in Europe over recent years. Qualification for Euro 2004 saw the Northern Irish finish rock bottom of group 6, home and away defeats to Armenia being one of the lowest moments in international history for a side famed for their exploits in knocking out the hosts against the odds at the World Cup in 1982. Ranked 45th out of 52 UEFA nations, scoring a goal to end a 1,298 minute drought in a 4-1 defeat to Norway sparked embarrasingly jubilant celebration amongst the Windsor Park faithful during a friendly in February 2004. Little were we to know at the time that would be the catalyst for the Wee Nation’s stunning revival.

Wins followed. Qualifying wins followed. Qualification wins against Denmark, Spain, England followed. Northern Ireland became competitive again. Windsor Park became a fortress. Windsor Park remains a fortress, thus far unbreached in this qualifying campaign. Suddenly, the momentum has led to the point where the team finds itself in the best position to secure a play-off spot, with a two-point advantage over Slovenia and three over Poland, but having played a game more. In order to all but secure their spot in the play-offs, the Northern Irish must build upon a poor away record with positive results in Chorzow today and in concluding their campaign in the Czech Republic a month from now. With a visit by leaders Slovakia sandwiched in between, five points should see Northern Ireland into the play-offs and given them a genuine shout of making the finals for the first time since 1986. Nine points, and the resurgence for one of Europe’s trickier outfits will be complete.

A side quickly establishing a similar reputation for itself in UEFA are the relative newcomers Bosnia-Herzegovina, currently second in Group 6, behind European champions Spain, with the focus upon retaining their play-off spot, with a four-point gap to nearest rivals Turkey. The Bosnians, much like Slovakia, came into being in 1993 and have since then developed into a side shot through with talented players, forming a cohesive unit backed by fervent support which has made visits to Sarajevo and Zenica tricky for any side, 3 defeats in 12 years and 17 World Cup qualifiers in Bosnia telling their own story.

One goal away from qualification for Euro 2004, clearly the Balkan nation are a side who have the knack for qualification campaigns, a trait which should eventually see them rewarded with a trip to a major finals. Now may be the moment for them, with Turkey stuttering badly and Belgium a former shadow of themselves, evidence coming in their 2-1 defeat in Zenica in April, off the back of a stunning 4-2 win in Genk for the Bosnians four days earlier. The double against such famous opposition has put them in great shape, ahead of a visit to Armenia later on, with Turkey and Spain still to make the trip to Southern Europe. Led by sought-after Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko, with support in the shape of Lyon starlet Miralem Pjanic and Hoffenheim’s recovering marksman Vedad Ibisevic, Bosnia should at least secure themselves a play-off position given their run of fixtures remaining in the group, a two-legged tie no-one will fancy, especially given the daunting task of having to get something positive from an away day in Sarajevo or Zenica.

North America

By and large, it’s a case of the usual suspects in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying, with three of the top four spots in almost certain to be filled by the United States, Costa Rica and Mexico, with the fourth placed side in the group advancing to a two-legged play-off against fifth place from the South American equivalent. Looking to disrupt the established order of the last two qualifying campaigns are Honduras, who are beginning to convert their long-held promise into tangible results, with World Cup qualification beckoning for La Bicolor.

The Hondurans aren’t complete strangers to success, with one finals appearance to their name, making a decent account of themselves in Group 5 during Espana ’82, coming off the back of a CONCACAF title (The prelude to the Gold Cup) a year earlier. Combined with two UNCAF championships in the early 1990′s, as the best side in the Central Americas region, Honduras have a decent track record of success by comparative standards in the North American region. Since their second UNCAF title in 1993 though, results have been patchy for Los Catrachos. Near misses, such as with qualifying for Japan/Korea in 2002 and finishing 3rd in the 2001 Copa America have been followed up with bad campaigns in attempting to make the finals in 1998 and 2006.

They have maintained good form all the way throughout their qualifying run up to this stage in a bid to make South Africa, and with a perfect record from three home games thus far in the final group, coupled with a draw away to 2006 finalists Trinidad and Tobago, the Hondurans have 10 points from 6 games, leading the United States by virtue of goal difference, one point clear of 4th placed Mexico. With four games remaining, including a visit to Mexico and hosting the USA, Honduras are not yet guaranteed a place in South Africa, but the signs look good. With a young side finding places within important European and world clubs (Wilson Palacios at Spurs, Ramon Nunez at Cruz Azul and David Suazo still at Inter Milan), Honduras are slowly beginning to make their prescence felt on the world stage. Qualification for South Africa next year may give this burgeoning side a chance to test their mettle against the best there is, and see how far they have improved from the inconsistent unit which characterised the last two decades for the Hondurans.

Oceania

The defection of Australia to the Asian confederation has opened the door for New Zealand to assume dominance of a confederation painfully thin on competition. Typically, the All Whites’ World Cup campaign would be long ended by now, given the sheer dominance of the Socceroos over many years in the OFC, a domination only broken once, when the New Zealanders advanced to the World Cup finals in Mexico 23 years ago, only to be hammered by the Scots, Soviets and Brazilians en route to bottom place in their group. The low point for the national side came only five years ago, when the Solomon Islands finished second in the final OFC phase of qualifying, pipping New Zealand to the right to being beaten by Australia in the final play-off.

The departure of the Australians to Asian qualifying has given New Zealand their opportunity, one seized, along with the OFC Nations Cup last year, topping a group including New Caledonia, Fiji and Vanuatu, guaranteeing themselves a play-off against either Bahrain or Saudi Arabia for the right to go to South Africa. Victory in the continental competition gave us a chance to see the New Zealanders in action at the Confederations Cup held as a dry run for the finals in June/July. Unfortunately, there was little promise shown throughout the All Whites’ three group games, unsurprisingly being on the recieving end of a drubbing by Spain, followed by lifeless performances in losing to the hosts, and getting a point against an equally uninspiring Iraq team. As a warm-up for the serious business of the two-legged play-off to come in October and November, it was not promising for the New Zealanders.

It would be wrong to be entirely negative however, as worse sides have gone to the World Cup in years gone by (A hopelessly out of depth Zaire in 1978 and an equally bad El Salvador in 1986) and worse sides will probably go to the World Cup in the future. For New Zealand, to even be at this stage can only be a positive experience, and two positive results are all that stand between them and a prestigious spot in the finals, an achievable target, especially if the likes of Blackburn’s Ryan Nelsen, Celtic Chris Killen and San Jose Earthquakes’ Simon Elliott are on form. Beyond the qualification process, you fear for what damage could be inflicted to this New Zealand side if paired up against a serious contender, but when you relate back to the concept of the honour in representing your nation at the World Cup finals, such worries can be negated somewhat.

South Africa

With the focus firmly on the twin powers of Brazil and Argentina, particularly with the latter’s struggles to qualify for the finals, every other contender for one of the top four automatic spots, or the 5th place which will take them into a play-off against the fourth placed side from North America, has been allowed to progress through qualifying without much focus on their performance. Clearly this has helped Chile in their bid to return to the finals for the first time since France ’98, with their impressive results which have taken them to the brink of qualification relatively unheralded amongst the South American media.

With four games remaining in the group, La Roja find themselves six points clear of Ecuador in 5th place. With two wins this week, tonight against a struggling Venezuelan team in Santiago and away to Bolivia on Wednesday, Chile will all but guarantee qualification for the finals, a reward for their brand of attractive football pursued under Argentinean Marcelo Bielsa since he took the job in 2007. It will signal a return to the finals for a Chilean team with a chequered history in the competition, famous more for their anecdotal history and low points rather than their performances in the competition.

A run to the semi-finals on home soil in 1962, made famous by the oft-repeated story about beating teams after eating or drinking steretypical food or drink from their country, was marred by the ‘Battle of Santiago’, when their match against Italy descended into an all-out brawl, defined as the “most stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition in football.” Combined with the ban the Chileans recieved from trying to qualify for USA ’94 after goalkeeper Roberto Rojas cut himself with a blade to make it seem as if he had been hit by a missile from the Brazilian crowd behind him during a crucial Italia ’90 qualifier, and Chile’s record of one semi-final, one second round finish and four other first round appearances soon pale into comparison.

This time around, Chile have the potential to make the headlines for the right reasons. Gone are the twin towers of Marcelo Salas and Ivan Zamorano leading the line for the Chileans, replaced by players of lesser calibre, but who have collectively unified to produce a strong team, accounting for Argentina, Paraguay and Colombia throughout the qualifying process. Although unremarkable talents on their own, the likes of Boca Juniors midfielder Gary Medel, Sporting Lisbon winger Matias Fernandez and Monterrey striker Humerto Suazo have all contributed to put Chile on the verge of making it back to the finals. Come South Africa, they will hope to make the headlines for all the right reasons.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

This Community Shield match is from a previous season. Watch the latest Community Shield match here and the latest Manchester United v Chelsea match here.

Watch Manchester United v Chelsea in the Community Shield live on your PC.

Manchester United (Nani 10′, Rooney 90′ + 2) 2-2 Chelsea (Carvalho 52′, Lampard 71′) (Chelsea win, 4-1, on penalties)
Competition: F.A. Community Shield
Stadium: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Date: 9 August 2009
Kickoff: 14:00 GMT, 10:00 EST

Manchester United equalized late but Chelsea triumphed on penalty kicks to win the 2009 Community Shield! Soccerlens brought you the action live! Click below for the live-blog and feel free to leave comments below!

When the summer transfer window first opened, both Manchester United and Chelsea had grand plans to acquire some of the best and brightest available talent. Manchester United were resigned to losing Cristiano Ronaldo, but were looking forward to throwing around some of that king’s ransom they got from Real Madrid to replenish the ranks. Chelsea, meanwhile, finally lured Carlo Ancelotti from AC Milan and hoped that their newfound stability (as well as Roman Abramovich’s billions) would allow them to recruit enough world-class talent to finally overtake their bitter rivals to the northwest. Both clubs were maneuvering for gifted French playmaker Franck Ribery and both clubs had their eyes on rising young Argentine phenom Sergio Aguero. Chelsea also looked to acquire David Villa from Valencia and Andrea Pirlo from AC Milan while United bid for Karim Benzema and were linked to the likes of Samuel Eto’o and Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Indeed, it seemed as if the Community Shield would allow both clubs to show off their wares while introducing a number of European superstars to the English game.

Only that’s not what happened.

Chelsea were able to acquire Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow and Daniel Sturridge from Manchester City, however they struck out on all of their big-time targets (although Pirlo could be on the way). In fact, the biggest story at Chelsea all summer was not who might be coming in but who might be leaving. John Terry, Mr. Chelsea and long-time captain, flirted with Manchester City for weeks before finally declaring his allegiance to the only club he’s ever played for. His loyalty, however, came with a price: improved terms and a commitment to bringing in more big-name talent for the rapidly aging squad. The latter could be difficult, especially with Ribery looking like a future Galactico and Villa wanting to remain in Spain. Plus, it remains to be seen whether Terry’s actions will have any effect on the locker room.

As for Manchester United, they must have felt like a leper at a nudist colony since they had all the money in the world after selling Ronaldo to Real Madrid and no one to spend it on. They were outbid for Benzema, they never really wanted Eto’o, and they were rebuffed by Bayern Munich for Ribery. In the end, they were only able to acquire Antonio Valencia from Wigan Athletic and former all-world striker, Michael Owen, on a free transfer from Newcastle (as well as young Gabriel Obertan from Bordeaux and Mame Biram Diouf from Molde). Nevertheless, there’s reason to be optimistic if you’re a Manchester United fan. Owen and Dimitar Berbatov have looked sensational in the preseason and Ronaldo’s departure means Wayne Rooney can assume his natural position down the center. And, of course, Manchester United still have Sir Alex Ferguson, and if we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that you count them out at your own peril.

These two squads are veterans of the Community Shield, with at least one of these clubs having appeared in 12 out of the last 13. They last met in the 2007 Community Shield, which Manchester United won on penalties after Edwin Van der Sar memorably pitched a shutout against Chelsea. Van der Sar won’t be around, this time, as he broke his hand and will be out for two months. Will that be enough of a difference for Chelsea to topple the defending champs? Or will Manchester United show that they’re still the kings of England? Tune in and find out!

Lineups:

Manchester United: Foster, O’Shea, Ferdinand (c), Evans, Evra, Park, Fletcher, Carrick, Nani, Rooney, Berbatov.
Subs: Kuszczak, Owen, Giggs, Scholes, Fabio Da Silva, Valencia, Gibson.

As expected, Van der Sar, Neville, Brown, and Vidic will all miss out with injuries. Anderson and Macheda will also miss out, which is a surprise. Also a surprise is that Sir Alex won’t start either of his new signees, Owen or Valencia. Foster despite making a horrendous howler against the Malaysian XI, will get the start over Kuszczak. All eyes will be on the front line of Rooney and Berbatov to see if they can start to make United fans forget about whats-his-name who plays in Spain now.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry (c), Carvalho, A. Cole, Mikel, Essien, Lampard, Malouda, Drogba, Anelka.
Subs: Hilario, Ballack, Bosingwa, Deco, Kalou, Alex, Belletti.

As expected, new signee Zhirkov will miss out with an injury. Carvalho will start at center-back, which seems to indicate that he’s back in the team’s good graces. Mikel will play the role that was saved for Pirlo, sending Ballack to the bench. Bosingwa (who might be on the outs) and Deco (who is definitely on the outs) will come off the bench while Shevchenko (who would be on the outs if anyone wanted him) will miss out completely.

Minute-by-Minute:

Fourth Kick Deco steps up, but wait, he hands it off to Kalou. He steps up and he beats Foster easily to the top right corner. Chelsea win, 4-1 on penalties! Congrats to them for winning the Community Shield! If the season is as exciting as this game, then we should be in for a real treat.

Third Kick Drogba (who famously did not take part in the last shootout between these two) goes the same way Ballack did, and Foster was completely fooled. Evra will step up and he’ll try and beat Cech. His tame effort is easily saved by Cech and that was a horrible kick. That one made Berbatov’s against Everton look like a brilliant rocket of a shot. Seriously, I’m not sure what he was trying to do there. That was like a back-pass. Chelsea lead 3-1 and are clearly in the driver’s seat.

Second Kick Terry is talking to the troops, and I have a feeling he won’t be taking any penalty kicks unless absolutely necessary. Ballack is next for Chelsea and he deposits it in the lower left corner and Foster guessed correctly but couldn’t stop it. Carrick will try to get on the board for United. He goes to his right and Cech guesses correctly, but it’s just over his outstretched arm. 2-1, Chelsea.

First Kick Chelsea will go first as Lampard will start it out against Foster. Lampard fires a shot down the middle and beats Foster, who dove to his left. Giggs will go for United and he went right against Chelsea during the CL Final. Giggs turns and fires his shot down the middle, but Cech kicks it away. Advantage Chelsea, 1-0.

The book on Cech is that he’s not good at stopping penalty kicks. He’s lost the aforementioned Community Shield and Champions League Final. He also came up short against Liverpool in the 2006 Champions League semifinal. Foster is 1-1 in shootouts, winning the Carling Cup Final but losing in the FA Cup Semifinals.

Penalty Kicks – No extra time in the Community Shield, so we get a shootout. Manchester United have triumphed in their last two shootouts against Chelsea. Will that hold up today? Or will Chelsea finally atone for the 2007 Community Shield and the 2008 Champions League Final?

90′ + 3 Well, we’re getting some bonus football as we’re going to penalty kicks! Don’t go away!

90′ + 2 GOAL! Wow! Just when you thought it was over, Wayne Rooney begged to differ. Giggs springs him with a great pass and Rooney beats Bosingwa into the box and draws Cech out. He slips it under the diving keeper and it’s level! It looks like Rooney might have been offside, but Cole was slightly off the line and may have been playing him onside.

90′ + 1 Valencia sends a nice pass down the right for Owen. Carvalho impedes him and United will have a chance from about 35 yards out. He sends it into the box and Cech catches it easily. That’s probably all she wrote.

88′ Valencia gets fouled by Kalou and United try to take it quickly. Foy blows it dead, though, and will make them set up from about 35 yards out. Sir Alex is not going to be happy about Chris Foy, I can tell you that. Giggs sends it into the box for Owen and Cech comes out for it. He punches it up into the air and he gets stranded in no-man’s land, but luckily for him, Ferdinand’s header is nowhere near the mark.

87′ This ref is a little card happy today. Do these cards carry over into the season?

86′ Long pass to Owen and he and Terry both go for it. Owen touches it with his hand and he’s booked.

85′ Poor pass from Kalou into the United box and Fabio gets it. He nearly gives it back to Lampard, but is able to get it away.

84′ Anelka will come off for Kalou. Fabio sends a long cross from the right flank and Rooney heads it just over the cross-bar.

83′ Ballack and Evra clash again and Ballack is called for the foul. Well, the Germans and the French do have a lot of history with each other…

82′ Really long pass to Owen, and he catches up to it, but it’s too deep and he can’t do anything with it. Good pace, though, and that’s an encouraging sign for United fans. Maybe he didn’t lose his pace during his years at Newcastle. Maybe he was just dogging it.

80′ Evra hits Ballack with a hard and late tackle that sends Ballack flying. Evra is clearly wound up and he’ll be lucky if he can avoid a red here. Foy gives him a yellow, which is a little surprising, and Evra will get to play on. I bet that was a makeup call for earlier, when he failed to call a foul by Ballack that led to Chelsea’s goal.

79′ United have been unable to do much in the final third of the field. That lack of creativity will surely sound some alarm bells for Sir Alex. Someone get Franck Ribery’s agent on the phone!

77′ Malouda comes off for Chelsea and he’ll be replaced by Deco.

76′ Drogba catches United’s defense napping and he fires a dangerous shot that forces a great save from Foster.

75′ Four Manchester United subs at once as Giggs replaces Park, Owen replaces Berbatov, Scholes replaces Fletcher, and Fabio comes on for O’Shea.

74′ Berbatov does his best Ronaldo as he kicks the ball up to himself and fires it towards goal. It’s blocked, though, and Chelsea escape.

73′ Evra charges down the left with intent and he wins a corner for his troubles. Rooney’s corner goes towards Evans, but his shot is weak and easily taken by Cech.

72′ Well, United have to play to the whistle, but they’ll have a case here since Foy stopped play a few minutes earlier when Ballack went down in his own half, short-circuiting a United surge.

71′ GOAL! Evra is down on the pitch after Ballack shoves him to the ground and the ref won’t stop play. Drogba leads the counterattack and Chelsea have a three-on-two. He sends it to Lampard who is unmarked on the inside right edge of the box, and he fires a shot that Foster gets a glove on but can’t keep from going over the line. Evra is fuming at the non-call and he has to be separated from Foy by some of his teammates, including Rooney (which is somewhat ironic).

69′ Fancy play from Berbatov, but Park gives it away. Park hasn’t done well this half and should probably come off soon.

68′ Valencia shows his pace and bursts into the box. He tries to send a cross towards Berbatov in front of goal, but he can’t handle it.

67′ Evra and Ballack collide and Ballack stays down smartly as Evra had broken into Chelsea territory. The ref stops play and, sure enough, Ballack is okay. Chelsea give it back to United, of course, by booming it back towards Foster.

65′ Ballack will replace Mikel. Not sure if Ballack will take Mikel’s defensive midfield role or if Essien will switch over and Ballack play down the right.

64′ Valencia’s first touch is a forgettable one. He tries to work on Ashley Cole, but the defender easily picks his pocket.

63′ Drogba gets it down the left and he centers it to Lampard. He sends it back to Essien, who is on the edge of the box and has put those away in the past. Evans rushes out and is able to block his shot.

62′ Nani is finally up and he’s favoring his shoulder. He’ll be replaced by Valencia, and we’ll get a look at the new-boy.

61′ Nani has it and Terry tackles him from behind. Nani is down on the pitch but Terry got the ball, so no foul. Meanwhile, it looks like Valencia will be coming on for United.

60′ Lampard flicks it into the box for Anelka, but Ferdinand is there with him. Anelka has to send it back out and eventually, Cole sends a dangerous pass into the center of goal for Drogba. Evans impedes him just enough for Drogba to miss the header attempt, otherwise it would have been 2-1, Chelsea.

59′ Evra works on Essien down the left and he sends a cross to the far post that is easily handled by Cech. A lot of guys are warming up along the touchline, but I can’t see who they are.

56′ Anelka with a hard shot on goal that Foster is able to parry away. Very shaky outing from Foster so far. He’s not going to be the England Number 1 if he keeps playing like this.

52′ GOAL! Evans tries to pass it to Evra, but it’s long and Chelsea have it in a dangerous area. Evans atones for the mistake by hitting Lampard with a hard but clean tackle on the edge of the box. Malouda gets it and works around Evans and gives it to Lampard in the box. He gives it back to Malouda, who chests it down to his leg and serves it up to Drogba, who is in front of the net. He and Foster collide and the ball trickles to an unmarked Carvalho. He heads it into the open net and there’s the equalizer!

50′ Berbatov chips a clever ball into the box and Park taps it to Rooney. He has some space to shoot, but his shot gets blocked by Cole. Great piece of defense there by the much maligned Cole.

49′ Bosingwa gets it and has some space on the right flank. He tries a cross it into the box for the trailing Drogba, but he puts too much on it and Foster has it easily.

48′ Fletcher tries to challenge Bosingwa down the left, but Bosingwa is equal to it and Fletcher loses it for a goal-kick.

47′ Lampard sends it through into the box for Malouda. He tries to create some space inside the box, but Carrick stays with him and forces the turnover. Good defensive play by Carrick there.

46′ United kick off and we’re underway with the second half! Berbatov with another great touch as he always seems to be able to control those long passes. Anyway, he gets fouled from about 30 yards out on the right side. Nani serves this one into the box and Drogba heads it away. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Nani should have gone for goal there.

46′ It will be Bosingwa coming on for Ivanovic and we’ll see if the Portuguese international can do a better job against his countryman, Nani.

46′ Not sure what’s going on with Bosingwa. I thought he played well for Chelsea last year. However, Chelsea seemed keen on dumping him for Glen Johnson before he ended up going to Liverpool. Now Bosingwa starts out on the bench in favor of Ivanovic. Not sure who he pissed off at Stamford Bridge. Maybe it’s the unibrow.

It was an eventual first-half and both sides had their chances. United probably deserve their lead, but Chelsea certainly looked dangerous at times. Ivanovic is getting torched by Nani, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bosingwa in the second half (in fact, I’m not sure why the latter didn’t start today). United have some issues at goal as Foster had a shaky first half, and they’ve had some problems defending corners. Sir Alex might be concerned about that, but not enough to do anything about it. After all, their best guy on corners (Vidic) is injured. I’d expect to see Valencia and Owen at some point, especially the former since he’s hardly played in the preseason.

45′ + 2 Nani takes it short once again and it’s nothing doing as O’Shea loses it out of bounds for a goal-kick. Cech booms it away to see if Chelsea can make one last charge. They can’t do much as there’s the whistle and we’re at halftime!

45′ + 1 United win a corner and they take their time setting up There will be two minutes of added time.

45′ Great counterattack chance for United as Nani is all by himself in the Chelsea box. Rooney’s pass is cut out, though, and Chelsea escape. They come back and win a corner and Lampard decides to test Foster’s mettle by sending into the six-yard area. Foster is up for it, though, and handles it easily.

44′ Lampard heads Nani’s corner away and Chelsea go on the attack. Everytime Ashley Cole gets it, he’s booed heavily by the crowd. It helps with the play-by-play, that’s for sure.

43′ Great burst of speed from Evra and Rooney makes a nice chip pass into his left-back’s path. Evra sends it to Berbatov at the center of goal, and he wins a corner. On the ensuing corner, they play it short to Fletcher, who fires a great shot from inside the left edge of the box. It’s about to tuck in at the top right corner, but Cech just gets a hand on it to concede another corner. Great save there.

41′ Great try by Anelka as he gets a pass from A. Cole on the edge of the box. Fletcher is late to close him down and Anelka fires a low shot at the far post that beats Foster but just trickles wide.

36′ Dangerous moment as Ferdinand heads it away for a corner and nearly puts it past his keeper. Lampard sends in the corner, but Carvalho is called for the foul.

34′ Nani tries to take on three defenders and ends up hitting the side netting from a difficult angle. Clearly, his confidence is sky-high right now. Not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing for United.

33′ A couple of shaky moments for Foster as he muffs his clearances and nearly gives it to Drogba on two occasions. Is it nerves or lack of experience? United hope its just nerves.

31′ A. Cole slips on the pitch but still gets the cross from deep down the left. Essien gets a free header, but it’s just over the crossbar.

29′ Malouda crashes into Fletcher, and Fletcher is down on the pitch. He looks okay, though, and United will kick it away.

28′ Lampard sizes it up and then hits the wall. Drogba gets a cross on the right edge of the box and volleys a cross to the far post where an unmarked Malouda just shanks it wide of the mark. Nani then comes back on the counterattack and he’s causing all kinds of problems down that left flank. Park gets it on the right edge of the box and he takes his time to set up his shot. It’s wide of the near post, though, and, well, they don’t pay Park to score goals, do they?

27′ Mikel gets it and makes the run towards the United box. Berbatov bumps him from behind, and Chelsea will have a chance from about 35 yards out.

26′ Nani sends a corner into the six-yard box, and Cech take it easily.

25′ Park somehow gets into the box and splits the defense. Carvalho is able to knock it out before Park can go for goal and he concedes the corner.

23′ Berbatov’s touch fails him here as he tries to bring it down and ends up missing most of the ball and giving it to Mikel. Hey, not all of his touches can be silky smooth, right?

21′ Atypical selfish play from Rooney as Berbatov shows off his great touch and eases it to Evra. He gives it to Rooney and he takes a shot from long-range when he really should have passed it back to Berbatov. Rooney’s shot is easily blocked and Chelsea have it.

20′ Berbatov already looks like a different man from last year. If he plays up to his potential, then watch out.

18′ Great move from Berbatov as he lulls Mikel to sleep and then beats him into the box and gets the return pass from Park. Berbatov can’t beat Cech, though, and Park whiffs on the follow-through as Cech sacrifices his body to dive on the ball. Wow. What a breathtaking couple of plays by both sides.

17′ Great passing from United as Berbatov sends a great cross from the right to Rooney at the far post. He heads it into the center for Park, but Park can’t handle it. Cech was all tied up there and if Park had put anything on it, he would have beaten him. Chelsea come back and Drogba makes a run into the United box. He gets around Evans, but his low shot is saved by Foster.

16′ Evans and Drogba collide in midair, and Drogba goes down like he’s been shot. Some things never change. Who had 16 minutes in the pool?

14′ Great chance for United here as they’re right on the left edge of the box. Nani tries to serve into the box for Ferdinand, and Chelsea clear it away. Not sure why he didn’t go for goal there.

13′ Nani’s low effort finds Rooney, but he can’t do anything with it. He heads it down feebly and Chelsea easily clear it away. United gets it back and Evra makes a great run towards the box after receiving the pass from Nani. Ivanovic fouls him on the edge of the box, and the Serb will go into the book here.

12′ Ivanovic fouls Evra deep down the left and United will have a dangerous free kick here.

11′ Wow, to say that goal came from nothing at all is an understatement. The run of play was strongly in Chelsea’s favor and United had barely mustered any kind of rhythm on offense.

10′ GOAL! No question about it: Chelsea are outplaying Manchester United right now. Just as I say that, Nani gets it on the left edge of the penalty area after getting the cross from Fletcher. He runs across the edge of the box and fires a low shot to the far post that easily beats a shocked Cech! Wow! That’s one way to make the fans forget about whats-his-name.

9′ Great pass from Essien near the center line that nearly gets through to Anelka. Ferdinand does well to cut it out, otherwise Anelka would have been through on goal.

8′ Evra chips in the shot/pass from the left flank and he forces an overly acrobatic save from Cech.

7′ Fabio Capello is in the house. No doubt he’s there to ignore Michael Owen.

6′ On the ensuing corner, Ivanovic gets a header on target but Evra heads it against the underside of his own crossbar. United are able to clear it from danger, but that put a charge into the game.

5′ Rooney sends it into the box for Berbatov, but Terry is able to clear it from danger. Malouda sends it to Drogba down the left flank and the pressure causes Ferdinand to make the mistake as he tries to kick it back to Foster. He concedes the needless corner and Chelsea will have a chance here.

4′ Early booking for Berbatov as he gets hit in the back of the head on a free kick and he takes exception to it. A yellow card four minutes into the match? For that? Are you kidding me?

3′ Berbatov tries to get around John Terry and makes a run across the edge of the box before losing it over the touchline.

2′ Lampard gets it near the centerline and sends a long pass to Drogba, who is on the edge of the United box. He fires a shot on target, but Foster makes a diving, albeit comfortable, save.

1′ Chelsea will kick off and we’re underway! Great to be back! Should be a great match today! Chris Foy is our ref. Rooney gets it in Chelsea territory and tries to spring Park. Park sends it back to Carrick, but it’s out of his reach and Carrick slips on the pitch. This pitch was heavily criticized during the F.A. Cup last season, so we’ll see if it’s gotten any better today.

0′ Man, those new United kits are ugly. That black “V” really does nothing for me.

0′ Big season for Nani. He’s going to have to step up if United are to have any chance at winning silverware. It’s not fair to put it all on him as Rooney, Berbatov, Anderson, Carrick, and Owen are all going to have to step up as well. But Nani’s going to be the one under the most pressure since he’s Portuguese and possesses a lot of the same talents and skills as Ronaldo. Plus, he regressed last year to the point where Sir Alex wouldn’t play him in big games. Ronaldo went through the same issues during his first couple of years at Old Trafford, and I think it really helped him to have Carlos Queiroz around. Nani won’t have that luxury (although it Portugal continues playing the way they are, then Carlos might be back at Old Trafford before you know it).

0′ So, no new signings in either team’s starting lineup. That’s weird. I guess these two teams wanted to see what would happen if they played with last year’s squads. You know, other than that guy who used to play for United. I can’t think of his name. The one who likes to take off his shirt and hit on anything that moves.

0′ This is the year that order is restored in the Community Shield. It was weird seeing Pompey in the Shield last year, wasn’t it?

0′ Sometimes, I think Michael Ballack is finished, and then he goes out and shows that he’s still world class. Sometimes, I think Michael Ballack is great, and then he goes out and is a complete nonfactor for the entire match and nearly assaults a referee (or a teammate). I guess the lesson is to manage your expectations when it comes to Ballack.

0′ And, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this will be the first real test for Michael Owen since he turned into Judas in the eyes of Liverpool fans. He missed a few sitters against Valencia that probably didn’t do him any favors with Fabio Capello. It’s one thing to score against the Malaysian XI and the Hangzhou Greentown. It’s another thing to score against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.

0′ Looks like Andrea Pirlo won’t be coming to Stamford Bridge after all. That might be good news for Chelsea. They already have a crowded midfield, and adding Pirlo would have been a case of having too many chefs to cook the soup. They look like they’re going with a diamond formation with Lampard at the head of it, Essien on one side, Zhirkov on the other and then Pirlo would have been at the base, thereby relegating Ballack, Mikel, Joe Cole, Malouda, and Deco (assuming he stays) to the bench. That would be a headache that Carlo Ancelotti would not want.

0′ Should be an interesting match between two teams that could finish first and second in the EPL this season. Chelsea has to be the favorite for the EPL title right now, but you can never count out Manchester United. They still have all that money to play with and they’re probably not done shopping. It could very well be Sergio Aguero, who looked great against Liverpool yesterday for Atletico Madrid.

0′ Hello everyone and welcome to another exciting season of football! It’s been a long summer and I know I’m glad that football is back and that the action will be on the pitch instead of in the boardrooms. As always, I’m Victor and I’ll be your liveblogger for today’s match, which pits Manchester United against Chelsea for the 2009 Community Shield! I’m contractually obligated to inform you that if you wish to watch this match online, then you can go to the top of this page and click on the link for http://www.free-football.tv. If that doesn’t meet your requirements, then you can always consult this article for available streaming TV network options or this article for FREE P2P options.

Match Review:

It was an exciting Community Shield (which was a welcome change from last year’s snoozer) and both sides really showed their mettle. Chelsea came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to take the lead and were within a minute of wrapping it up in regulation. However, as they’ve learned all too painfully over the years, it’s never over until the ref’s whistle blows, and Manchester United were able to steal one at the end. Both sides have some things to work on. After all, this is the preseason. United ran circles around Chelsea early in the first half and their lack of youth could come back to bite them as the season drags on. United have some question marks too, and they are sure to be concerned about their lack of creativity in the final third. Still, there’s plenty to be happy about for both sides, and as we’re all well aware, there are three weeks left before the transfer window slams shut.

Man of the Match:

Ricardo Carvalho

Both clubs had no shortage of worthy candidates. Lampard was quiet for the first half but responded with a dominant second half as he asserted himself on the United defense. Malouda, Drogba, and Anelka all looked dangerous at times, and Cole played very well at left-back. As for United, Rooney and Berbatov played well and gave Sir Alex some hope as they look to move forward after losing Ronaldo. Nani played well until he left with an injury while Evans did a solid job in the back. Still, the Man of the Match was Carvalho, which must have been sweet for the man who became a bit of a forgotten figure last year. He did his usual solid job in the back and snuffed out numerous opportunities while demonstrating his scoring chops on the other end. Carvalho went a long way towards reminding everyone that he, and not John Terry, is the team’s best center-back when healthy.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

So Arsène Wenger has done it again. Not content with making one big money, straight-to-first-team signing this year, he has gone and produced another.

The need for a new centre half at the Emirates has been well documented (and slightly exaggerated if you ask me) of late, with Kolo Touré’s alarming loss of form, William Gallas’ injury and temperament issues, and Mikaël Silvestre’s…well, everything. Yes Johann Djourou has come on a fair bit over the past year or so, and yes Phillipe Senderos is expected to return from his largely unsuccessful sabbatical in Milan to add competition for the centre back spot, but that is hardly great news for Arsenal fans is it?

So what of their latest capture then? Thomas Vermaelen has pedigree. He is a Belgian international, twenty-one caps to his name. He made his debut for Dutch giants Ajax in February 2004, aged just 18. Last season he was named captain at the ArenA, and leaves Holland having made 94 Eredivisie appearances and scored 8 goals.

And he has a fan in former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam, who said of the 23 year-old, “I liked the way he was defending as a youngster, I think he was only 19 when he had made his debut. But he was a quick learner and strong in tackles.”

Being quick at learning may well be of vital importance to a player slotting into the current Arsenal side. Wenger has long been queried over his tendency to prefer projects to ready-made first teamers, and in splashing out a fee thought to be around £8.45m initially (rising to more than £10m depending on appearances), there is a sense that Vermaelen will fall into the latter category. With Gallas set to turn 32 in August, Silvestre some way past his best, Touré searching for the form that made him such a valued player at the club during their “Invincibles” campaign in 2004, and Senderos & Djourou still to prove themselves, Vermaelen will be under pressure to hit the ground running.

Wenger has, predictably, been full of praise for his latest capture, saying:

“Thomas is a solid performer with good experience of Champions League and UEFA Cup football and is also a regular with the Belgium national team, he is strong technically with a positive winner’s attitude and I have no doubt his arrival will strengthen our team. Thomas is primarily a left-footed centre-back, but he is multi-functional and can also play at left-back.”

With Wenger believed to have initially favoured a move for the more imposing figure of Fulham’s Brede Hangeland, there are some question marks over the physical stature of his second-choice, with Vermaelen measuring in at less than 6ft his arrival would appear unlikely to add the height and power long sought after in this part of North London. Indeed, former Gunners skipper Tony Adams voiced as much when discussing the move.

“Thomas is a very good player but I don’t think he’s ready for the Arsenal. I don’t think the punters at Arsenal would like another small one. I have been looking at the Dutch league, but it’s been decimated. It’s a poor league at the moment, there’s one or two players but they’re leaving too early as well.”

Of course it is too early to say whether the Belgian will prove another Wenger gem or another Wenger gaffe, but certainly his range of passing, reading of the game, and eye for a goal is pretty impressive. He has been criticised at times in his homeland for possessing a perceived complacency and for a tendency to switch off at times, but Gunners fans will be hoping that he can develop under Wenger and add some organisational skills to a defence that too often seems composed of individuals, whilst Vermaelen himself is hopeful, and confident, that his new club can challenge for honours, saying:

“Everything is set up for Arsenal to be very successful for years to come and I joined this club because I know Arsenal will be challenging for trophies.”

Will Vermaelen be a success at Arsenal and shore up the defence? Who will Wenger sign next? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Young Axel Witsel has certainly got a lot of courtship at the moment: he’s being closely monitored by top European clubs (Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal and Inter MIlan), and everyone tags him as the next big hope of Belgian football. Could this Diable Rouge soon make his big move to the Premier League, and become a “Red Devil” (the English version) of his own right?
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Axel Witsel Biography

Axel Witsel (born January 12, 1989) is a Belgian football player of French origin who currently plays for Standard Liège in Belgium. His natural position is right-winger but he can easily also play on the left wing or central midfield. His father has roots in Martinique (French Caribbean) and is a former football player.

Witsel started his career in the youth squad of Standard when he was just 9 years old, after being spotted while playing for RCS Visé. At age 15, he was linked to prestigious clubs like Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Feyenoord, but eventually decided to finish his training in his home country.

In September 2006 a 17-year-old Witsel made his debut in a competitive game against FC Brussels when he replaced Steven Defour in the 89^th minute. Eleven days later he made his European debut as a substitute against Chorley Fc.

During the 2007-2008 season, at 18 years of age, he was a key member in the team that won the Belgian League title. During this year, he formed the very young midfield together with other Belgian talents such as Marouane Fellaini (19 at the time, and now in full force at EPL club Everton) and Steven Defour (also 19 at the time).

In March 2008, after a long spell in the U-21 squad (in which he often appeared, but apparently never played) he was called up for the first time in the Belgian national team, scheduled to play a friendly match against Morocco. Witsel made his first senior apperance that game, also scoring his first goal just minutes after coming on.

Early in the current (2008/09) season, his good performances for Standard Liège against Liverpool and Everton (Champions League qualifiers and UEFA Cup), as well as his matches with Belgium against Estonia and Spain, earned him the attention of big European clubs.

Information taken from the English and French Wikipedia pages of Axel Witsel.
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AXEL WITSEL PROFILE
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	.	Full name:	Axel Witsel
		Date of birth:	12-Jan-1989 (age 19)
		Place of birth:	Liège, Belgium
		Height:	1.83m / 6.0ft.
		Weight:	73kg / 160lbs
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		Playing position:	Right/Central Midfielder
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		Agent:	Vidal Correa Jorge
		Status	Under contract
		Contract:	Expires 2011/2012
		Est. market value:	€6.5m (£5.4m)

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HONOURS
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Standard Liège
Belgian League winner:	2007/08
Belgian Cup runner-up:	2006/07
Belgian Young Footballer of the Year:	2007/08
Belgian Supercup:	2008
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National youth team
U-17 Euro 2006 (Luxembourg, first round)
U-21 Euro 2007 (Netherlands, semi-finals)
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National team
First selection and cap:	2008-Mar-26 (vs. Morocco)
First international goal:	2008-Mar-26 (vs. Morocco)

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AXEL WITSEL PLAYING STATS
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All-Time Club Performance
Club	Season	Domestic League		Domestic Cup		European Competition		Total
		App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Standard Liège	2008/09	11	2	/	/	5	1	16	3
	2007/08	33	7	6	1	3	2	42	10
	2006/07	16	2	5	1	1	0	22	3
Total		60	11	11	2	9	3	80	16
Career Totals		60	11	11	2	9	3	80	16
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Statistics (updated to November 13, 2008) courtesy of Wikipedia and IMScouting.com

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AXEL WITSEL VIDEOS

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AXEL WITSEL TRANSFER RUMOURS

Football clubs Axel Witsel has been linked with:

Arsenal
Manchester United
Manchester City
Inter Milan
Bolton
Marseille
Middlesbrough

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

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