Serie A Wrap Up: Inter Provide Spectacular 5-3 Win Over Palermo

The Italian Serie A kicked off with a round of midweek games, many spectacular not only results wise, but also the repurcussions that the results will have. Here is a wrap up of the biggest games of this matchday.




Inter Milan faced off against Palermo, providing an eight goal thriller with the final score being 5-3 to the neroazzurri. Scoring four goals in the first half, Inter seemed calm and collected, but after halftime Palermo scored three goals making it 4-3. Diego Milito comes on for Inter and scores the killer goal with a sublime assist by Maicon.




Juventus demolished Sampdoria 5-1, Amauri getting on the scoresheet twice along with Chiellini, Camoranesi, and Trezeguet. Pazzini scored a goal when Sampdoria were four down, but it was too little too late, this performance by Sampdoria will not help convince Lippi to call up Cassano and Pazzini.

AC Milan gave away two points to Napoli, starting off well with Inzaghi and Pato both scoring a goal in the early minutes, AC Milan should have held on to the win. But in the 89th minute, Ignazio Abate is sent off, and not long after, Cigarini scores a cracker. A spectacular missile volley by Cigarini leaves Napoli trailing by only a goal, and soon after in injury time, German Denis scores a header, conquering a point for Napoli, and taking two away from AC Milan.

Parma have reached fourth place thanks to a win over Bari, 2-0, with the young Paloschi getting on the scoresheet with one of his signature headers. Parma have been stringing good results one after another with Francesco Guidolin, can they continue and maybe even conquer a spot in Europe?

Genoa claim an important win, 2-1 over Fiorentina, a sublime backheel by Palladino puts Genoa in front, but Marchionni is able to tie the scores up at 1-1. Mesto replaces Palladino and as a super-sub should, he scores the winner, ending the bad spell of results Genoa have had.

What do you think of this Serie A matchday? Comment Below!

Quote of the Week: Sir Alex Ferguson

This week's QOTW is a very controversial quote by Sir Alex Ferguson, head honcho at Manchester United. After a 2-2 draw Sir Alex Ferguson commented on the fitness levels of the referee Alan Wiley, here is his quote so you can see what the scottish boss said about Alan Wiley.

"He just wasn't fit enough for a game of that standard," Ferguson said. "The fitness of the players, the pace of the game demanded a referee who was fit. He took 30 seconds to book a player, I think he's taking a rest writing down names on his card."

- Sir Alex Ferguson

What do you think about Sir Alex's comments? Should this be allowed? Should Fergie be fined for these comments? Comment below!

Major European Leagues Wrap Up: Liverpool overcome Manchester United, 2-0

This weekend was full of action, not only were there big games between top tier teams, but some matches were just as important for the other teams.

For full match reports, click read more.

In England, the weakened Liverpool side that was ready to crack overcomes Manchester United winning 2-0, this win lets Chelsea stay top of the table, and will hopefully revive the Reds. Chelsea overpower Blackburn 5-0, an own goal from Givet started the scoring for the Blues. A huge game for Hull City and
Portsmouth ends 0-0, in what could be described as an unimaginative match, could Phil Brown be in the sack race? Tottenham lose to Stoke City 1-0, and the Gunners are held to a draw by a revitalized West Ham side, with the North London Derby coming up next week for Arsenal and Tottenham, the pressure could be starting to rise.

In Spain, Barcelona entertain the crowd while getting the result, a 6-1 win against Real Zaragoza leaves Real Madrid three points behind after drawing 0-0 with Sporting Gijon. Sevilla are also held to a 0-0 draw by Espanyol, while Valencia win against Almeria 3-0. Atletico Madrid who have recently replaced Michael Laudrup with Quique Flores drew 1-1 against a rising Mallorca team, leaving them 17th, just out of relegation's reach.

In Italy, Sampdoria easily take care of Bologna 4-1 thanks to spectacular contributions by Cassano and Pazzini, and Inter Milan remain at the top of the Serie A with a 2-1 victory over Catania, Sneijder an instrumental player again. Genoa are beaten 3-2 by Cagliari and Lazio are beaten 2-0 by Bari, both results where the underdog was dominant. AC Milan continue their good form and beat ChievoVerona 2-1 thanks to an eternal Nesta, and Roma continue their terrible form, losing 1-0 to Livorno at home. Fiorentina lose to Napoli which is guided by Maggio, and Juventus are able to triumph over Siena even though the team is missing Iaquinta.


For full match reports, click read more.

Latest Serie A Talk article is out: Is Genoa Crumbling?

My latest Serie A talk article is out, it is about the difficulties that Genoa have been having with consistency.

Check it out at www.serieatalk.com

Champions League and Europa League Wrap Up: Small Teams Prosper

Halfway now, halfway across the Champions League group stages, while many teams look ahead to the following games, many are looking behind at the many own goals and more that cost them points.

Click read more for a wrap up on the two European Tournaments

Quote of the Week: Leonardo

This week's QOTW is Leonardo talking about Pato and AC Milan's victory splendid 3-2 over Real Madrid.

"Pato? It's not a surprise that he's a great player, anyway the things that he is done tonight have definitely consecrated him. What we have told each other in the mid time will remain a secret."

-Leonardo 


Pato is no doubt a great player, and hopefully under Leonardo's he could become one of the world's top players, the young brazilian could be AC Milan's guiding light this year, and hopefully the Rossoneri can keep him over the summer.


What do you think of this week's QOTW? Have your say and comment below!

Major European Leagues Wrap Up: Inter Milan, Manchester United, and Barcelona All First

Lots of big matches this weekend, especially in Seria A, while in England, Blackburn claims the East Lancashire derby against Burnley, and in Spain, Barca stay top even with a draw, while Raul breaks all records with his 711th match for Real Madrid in which he scored a brace.

Click Read More to read full reports and reviews on all three leagues.

Nominee List for 2009 Ballon D'Or Released

 

France Football magazine has announced the following 30 nominees for their 2009 Golden Ball (Ballon D'Or) Award:

Andrei Arshavin (Russia and Arsenal)

Karim Benzema (France and OL/Real Madrid)

Iker Casillas (Spain and Real Madrid)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal and Manchester United/Real Madrid)

Diego (Brazil and Werder Bremen/Juventus)

Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast and Chelsea)

Edin Dzeko (Bosnia and Wolfsburg)

Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon and Barcelona/Inter Milan)

Cesc Fabregas (Spain and Arsenal)

Fernando Torres (Spain and Liverpool)

Diego Forlan (Uruguay and Atletico Madrid)

Steven Gerrard (England and Liverpool)

Ryan Giggs (Wales and Manchester United)

Yoann Gourcuff (France and Bordeaux)

Thierry Henry (France and Barcelona)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden and Inter Milan/Barcelona)

Andres Iniesta (Spain and Barcelona)

Julio Cesar (Brazil and Inter Milan)

Kaka' (Brazil and AC Milan/Real Madrid)

Frank Lampard (England and Chelsea)

Maicon (Brazil and Inter Milan)

Lionel Messi (Argentina and Barcelona)

Luis Fabiano (Brazil and FC Seville)

Franck Ribery (France and Bayern Munich)

Wayne Rooney (England and Manchester United)

John Terry (England and Chelsea)

Nemanja Vidic (Serbia and Manchester United)

David Villa (Spain and Valencia)


What do you think of the following list? Are they really the top 30 players in the world right now? 
Comment Below!

Ghana is U20 World Cup Winner

Ghana wins the 2009 Egypt Under 20 World Cup, Ghana is the first African team to win the trophy, and certainly will not be the last. Against a tough Brazil side, Ghana was able to defend well after losing Daniel Addo in the 37th minute because of a red card. Ghana held out until the penalty shootout, where goalkeeper Agyei brilliantly saved Teixeira's penalty, helping Ghana reach the famed trophy. At first Brazil dominated, but little by little, Ghana came out of their shell, and started to attack. As Ghana improved, Brazil became sloppier, and eventually both teams were fighting it out. Brazil missed some great chances, and the ones they took were stopped by Agyei, and although Brazil was more offensive overall, Ghana were able to claim the trophy with patience. Ghana's striker Adiyiah through great playing and goalscoring received two awards, Top Scorer, and the Competitions Best Player. The striker was Ghana's main attack force against Brazil, and scored a penalty in the shootout, helping his team be the first African team to win the U20 World Cup.

2010 WC Qualifiers Wrap Up

The Qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup are over, except for the playoff games which will determine the last batch of teams that will travel to South Africa. Here is a breakdown of the qualified teams, and the teams that will fight for a spot in the playoffs.




Europe


Qualified teams: Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland, England, Italy, Serbia, Spain

Playoff teams: Portugal, Greece, Slovenia, Russia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine, France, Republic of Ireland

Many big teams had difficulty in Europe, Portugal and Sweden struggled, and eventually Portugal prevailed, leaving Sweden and Ibrahimovic out of the 2010 World Cup. France struggled to get in the playoffs as well, but great playing by Gignac and Benzema helped save them a spot in the playoffs. Italy made it through, but coach Marcello Lippi was met with heavy controversy by Italian journalists for leaving Cassano out of the squad. England cruised through qualifications with new coach Fabio Capello, and Spain and the Netherlands had little trouble qualifying too.


South America


Qualified teams: Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina

Playoff team: Uruguay

Only one change in the four qualified teams from the last World Cup, Chile takes the place of Ecuador in the top four. Chile is well known for their extremely attacking play, playing with the 3-3-1-3 formation Chile seems to be one of the teams that will add spice to this upcoming World Cup. Argentina makes it in at the last with controversial comments from Maradona. It seemed that Argentina might not qualify because of the constant change in the squad.


Concacaf


Qualified teams: USA, Mexico, Honduras

Playoff team: Costa Rica

The USA did well in these qualifiers, immediately solidifying its position, and their rival Mexico tried to overcome them, but were short one point. Honduras overcame Costa Rica thanks to a late goal by USA International Bornstein.


Africa

Qualified teams: Ghana, Ivory Coast

The African qualifiers haven't finished, and so far only two teams are qualified, Ghana and Ivory Coast. South Africa is already qualified because it is the host nation.


Asia

Qualified teams: Australia, Japan, Korea Republic, Korea DPR

Playoff teams: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia


The Asian qualifiers were quickly dominated by Australia and the Korea Republic, both having lost no games, they came first in their respective groups. A very tight competition between Korea DPR, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, all within one point of each other, Iran was unable to qualify.


Oceania


Playoff team: New Zealand

In Oceania, no direct qualification, the winner of the group of four teams goes in the playoff stages, New Zealand dominated the group with almost double points compared to New Caledonia who came second.

What do you think of the 2010 WC Qualifiers? Comment below!

Quote of the Week: Roy Keane and USA Team News

This week's Quote of the Week comes with some bad news; Charlie Davies, USA International striker, was in a car accident  and received serious injuries. While this news is bad, there is worse, he was in the car with two other people, one of which died. Ashley J. Roberta, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, the only details on the third person, who was also the driver, are it is a female. Charlie Davies has received multiple injuries, and after around three hours of surgery, it is clear that he will not play in the 2010 World Cup. A diagnosis states that it will be 6-12 months before he is fit, this is a great loss for the USA national team, but it is also sad that a young woman lost her life.

Here is this weeks Quote of the Week,

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

Roy Keane 

Roy Keane, current coach of Ipswich said this very short and simple phrase which explains football preparation well. 

What do you think of this week's QOTW and the bad news that has come with it? Comment below!

My First Article on Serie A Talk is Out

Serie A Talk: Mazzarri Takes on Napoli job

I just wanted to let everyone know that my first article at Serie A Talk is out, it is about the dilemma of Italian football club Napoli, and the managerial problems they have had.

If the link at the top doesn't work, go to http://www.serieatalk.com/mazzarri-takes-on-napoli-job/1698 to read it.

Quote of the Week: George Graham

This weeks quote of the week is by George Graham, Scottish football player and manager who is best known for when he played for Arsenal. He describes the system of football and the teams job with this unique quote

The goalkeeper is the jewel in the crown and getting at him should be almost impossible. It's the biggest sin in football to make him do any work.

- George Graham

And there is your Quote of the Week, what do you think about it ? Comment below!

Napoli Kick Donadoni Out After Disappointing Start: Mazzarri the New Coach

Napoli's head coach Roberto Donadoni has been sacked by president De Laurentis after a disappointing start to the season, two won, one drawn, and four lost, Napoli is now 15th in the Serie A. The club was looking to have a powerful start to the season with new players like Quagliarella, De Sanctis, and Cigarini, but the team was not producing results under Donadoni. Donadoni was replaced by Walter Mazzarri, ex Reggina and Sampdoria coach, well known for having tamed Cassano.

Mazzarri will be looking to revolutionize this team, and hopefully will turn around the spell of bad results.

Can Mazzarri turn this Napoli around? Have your say and comment below!

SWU is now Listed on Soccer Blogs!

Soccer Blogs
SWU on Soccer Blogs

Soccer Wrap Up has now been added to www.soccerblogs.net, check out Soccer Wrap Up's page on Soccer Blogs at http://soccerblogs.net/blog/profile/798-soccer_wrap_up or use the links at the top of the post.

If you have a soccer website or blog that you want to recommend, go to www.soccerblogs.net.

Major Leagues Wrap Up: Chelsea Overpowers Liverpool to go to Top of the Table

In England, Liverpool is beaten 2-0 by a powerful Chelsea side which moves to the top of the Premiership. 
In Italy, Italian champions Inter Milan move to the top of the Serie A beating Udinese 2-1 with a late winner by Sneijder in stoppage time. 
In Spain, Real Madrid is taken down by Sevilla 2-1, while Barcelona struggle with Almeira winning 1-0 with Pedro scoring. 
And in the Scottish Premier League, Rangers win the Old Firm derby at home, beating Celtic 2-1, with Miller scoring a brace for Rangers and McGeady scoring a penalty.

For match reports, click read more...

What did you think of this week of football action? Could Arsenal win a trophy? Comment below!

Indonesia Quake Kills Over 1000; SWU Hopes Everyone is Okay

A quake recently struck Indonesia near the city of Padang, since SWU has some followers that follow from Indonesia, we hope everything is okay, and that there will be a quick recovery in Indonesia.