Transfer Wrap Up: Toni Goes on Loan to Roma and Both Sides of Milan Looking at Liverpools Unhappy Gems

With most of the worlds football in a bit of a quiet moment, the transfer news and rumors are really starting to pick up, players are restless and want to be sure they can get in their national sides for the upcoming world cup.


Toni leaves Bayern on loan to Roma


It is official now, on Bayern Munich's official website it says,

"Luca Toni requested to be loaned to AS Roma until the end of the season for personal reasons"

and now Toni's wish was granted, the Italian striker has moved to Roma until the end of this season, hoping to get regular playing time so that he can enter the World Cup squad for 2010. Toni's personal reasons can probably explained by his minimal playing time with the first team, Bayern coach Louis Van Gaal and Toni often had disputes, and Toni was hoping Van Gaal would be sacked, but instead Toni left for Rome.


Beckham already training with AC Milan


Beckham has been reunited with AC Milan, and now the rossoneri's season might start looking up with the addition of the English midfielder. Beckham has high hopes of entering the England squad for 2010, and Capello has recently hinted to Beckham already being a certainty for South Africa 2010.


Inter Milan looking at Gerrard and AC Milan see Torres as an option

With Liverpool's bad spell of results, many of the top players are unsettled and restless, especially the spanish striker Fernando Torres who said that if Liverpool do not grab a Champions League spot then he will leave in the summer. While Torres shows his unhappiness, it seems that Gerrard is keeping his inside, with the bad results Liverpool has had, he might be looking to go abroad for what could be his last move in his career. Inter Milan are looking at Gerrard closely and have supposedly already sent officials to England to oversee the possible transfer.


Manchester City looking for big names to sign over the summer


With Roberto Mancini at the helm of Manchester's blue side, many more players are considering Manchester City a possible option for their career. Mancini has already targeted many Serie A players like Juventus' Buffon and Chiellini, Inter Milan's Cordoba, Napoli's Hamsik, and Palermo's Kjaer. But much bigger names could be on the way like Ribery, Lahm, Sergio Ramos, Gerrard, Mascherano, and Torres. If Manchester City can get Champions League football for next year, many of these players could consider City as a possible option.


Vidic could leave United for Real Madrid, to be replaced by Porto's Bruno Alves


Manchester United have put a 30 million price tag on Nemanja Vidic, and it is possible that the Serbian could leave for Madrid, as Real are having a lot of defensive troubles. If this move were to take place, United are looking at Bruno Alves as the possible replacement, the Porto defender has Champions League experience and could be looking for a big move. Another name for the future would be Palermo's Kjaer, the young Danish defender is tracked by many big clubs.

Goal of the Year Contender: A Spectacular Volley by Cozzolino

With 2009 ending soon, many awards will probably be decided, things like manager of the year, player of the year, team of the year, and goal of the year. While parusing through the internet I fell upon what for me is the goal of the year, what can only be described as an unsavable volley by Cozzolino for me is a serious contender for goal of the year. Lecco vs Como in Italy's Serie C2 provided this fantastic goal shown in the video below, a goal like this will probably never occur again, and this is why we should appreciate it.


What do you think of this goal? Is it worth goal of the year? Comment below!

Happy Holidays from SWU!

Soccer Wrap Up thanks all of its viewers for your support, the blog has grown a lot recently thanks to sites like www.serieatalk.com, www.premiershiptalk.com, www.soccerpro.com, and many more! Hopefully 2010 will be a year of even more views, comments, and more, so thanks for supporting and have happy holidays!

- SWU Staff

Messi Named FIFA World Player of the Year

Messi has conquered everything there is to conquer, after winning the Ballon D'Or, he snatches the FIFA World Player of the Year award, perfecting the year for him and his mates at Barcelona. It seemed obvious that the award would go to Messi, not only did he guide the phenomenal Barcelona team to the famed treble, but he gave Barca the World Club Cup, allowing Guardiola to say that every tournament he has entered with Barcelona in, he has won.

But this isn't the only news that comes out of the FIFA Gala, Marta, the woman player of the year won for the fourth time in a row, something that has never happened in womens or mens football.

And amidst these two fantastic winners, the World XI came out, with Barcelona dominating the list,

In goal is Real Madrid goalie Iker Casillas, with a back four of Dani Alves (Barcelona, right back), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United, center half), John Terry (Chelsea, center half), and Patrice Evra (Manchester United, left back). The midfield of three is composed of Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona), and Andres Iniesta (Barcelona). And finally, the three fantastic forwards are Fernando Torres (Liverpool), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), and Lionel Messi (Barcelona). The team made up of four Barcelona players is certainly powerful, but some wonder how Eto'o, Puyol, Ibrahimovic, Lampard, and Drogba didn't make the team.

What do you think of these awards? Comment below!

Manchester City Sack Hughes and Roberto Mancini Comes In

Mark Hughes says, "I was given no warning" but nonetheless he is now without a job, after being sacked by the head boss, Khaldoon Al Mubarak. Manchester City were hoping for a better start to their season, and even though they won against Sunderland with a fantastic 4-3 scoreline, head boss says,“

"A return of two wins in 11 Premier League games is clearly not in line with the targets that were agreed and set.  Sheikh Mansour and the Board felt that there was no evidence that the situation would fundamentally change."

Now that Hughes is out, Man City found a manager with a much better international reputation, Roberto Mancini, who by the way will be paid the large sum of 3 million pounds a year until 2013. But the catch in this wonder contract is that if after 6 months Man City isn't seeing Champions League in the near future, then the contract can be terminated. To take on this mission, Mancini has brought with him assistant manager Brian Kidd, formerly of Manchester United.

Can Roberto Mancini bring Champions League to the blue side of Manchester? Comment below and vote in the poll!

Barcelona Conquer the World Club Cup and Messi Wins Player of the Tournament

Barcelona now rule the world thanks to a nail-biting win over Veron's Estudiantes, the tense final of the FIFA World Club Cup started off with a goal for the Argentinean side by Boselli in the 37th minute. But Guardiola made a key substitution in the 46th minute, subbing Pedro in for Seydou Keita, and in the 89th minute Pedrito scores letting Barcelona go to extra time. With the sides evenly matched, the deadlock of extra time was broken ten minutes before the end by Messi, unmarked in the box, he somehow gets the ball in the back of the net.

Messi won the Adidas Golden Ball of the tournament with Veron coming second to win the Silver Ball, with Xavi following as third, winning the Bronze ball of the FIFA World Club Cup.

Now that Barcelona have conquered yet another trophy, it seems that nothing can stop them from reconquering everything again,

What do you think? Comment below!

Champions League Knockout Stage Draw Brings Back Memories for Mourinho and Beckham

The draw for the Champions League knockout stages was held and some fantastic matches will be played, some interesting Europa League draws are also included at the bottom.

Stuttgart - Barcelona
Olympiacos - Bordeaux
Inter Milan - Chelsea
Bayern Munich - Fiorentina
CSKA Moskva - Sevilla
Olympique Lyon - Real Madrid
FC Porto - Arsenal
AC Milan - Manchester United



AC Milan and Manchester United have played each other often throughout the years, and the Italian giants have often come out on top. And not only will the draw be difficult for both, but Beckham will be returning to his beloved Manchester and a free kick in the 90th minute could be deadly for United. Lyon and Real Madrid is another historical draw in which Lyon has often dominated, but the return of Karim Benzema could kill Lyon off. Fiorentina could be deemed unlucky with their draw, a tough Bayern team who just took out Juventus will be licking their lips for some more Italian blood. Barcelona, Arsenal, Sevilla, and Bordeaux all seem to have simple draws but upsets could be imminent. And probably the biggest draw is Inter Milan against Chelsea, with Mourinho returning to London, he can finally kill off all his past by getting past the blues.

Some Europa League draws are:

Villareal - Wolfsburg
Panathinaikos - Roma
Atletico Madrid - Galatasaray
Ajax - Juventus
Fulham - Shakhtar Donetsk
Liverpool - Unirea Urziceni
Everton - Sporting Lisbon

Premiership Wrap Up - Tottenham's Kranjcar nabs 3-0 win over Manchester City

The Premiership's double week was fantastic, causing some upsets and switches, but here are the biggest results.

A match with probably the two biggest challengers for fourth, Tottenham prove their solidity while revealing Manchester City's cracks with a fantastic 3-0 victory. Kranjcar scored the two most valuable goals; the first in the 37th minute (followed by Defoe's goal), and the third in the 90th, putting the killer nail in Manchester City's coffin.

Burnley continue their fantastic results with a draw against Arsenal, and although both teams played well, the draw seemed the right result. At the end of the match, Arsene Wenger (Arsenal manager) complained about the pitch and other conditions of Burnley's Turf Moor. Arsenal show their inconsistency with the injuries the squad has, and Burnley prove that they can stay in the Premiership.

Manchester United had no trouble with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford, a 3-0 victory lets them stay right next to table leaders Chelsea. But much of the conversation came about the fact that Wolverhampton sent what could be described as a 2nd or 3rd string team out on the field. After beating Tottenham, many thought Wolves would try to upset the Red Devils but Mick McCarthy sent an entirely different team up to Manchester, upsetting many traveling fans.

The rest of the results are:

Liverpool 2-1 Wigan
Chelsea 2-1 Portsmouth
Bolton 3-1 West Ham United
Birmingham 2-1 Blackburn Rovers
Sunderland 0-2 Aston Villa
Hull City 3-2 Everton

What do you think of these Premiership results? Comment below!

Champions League Wrap Up: Group Stages Done with Juventus Out and Bayern In

To see the results and qualified teams, click read more below.

Many thought the group stages of the Champions League would be boring, but they entertained everyone, from the last match comeback of Bayern Munich to let them snatch Juventus' spot, to Fiorentina's last minute win to secure themselves to the top of their group.

The draws for the knockout stages will be on Friday December 18th in Nyon, Switzerland, SWU will have a full wrap up with the draw results and more when the draw results come out.

To see the results and qualified teams, click read more below.

Flamengo Wins Brazilian Championship, and Adriano Could Return to Europe

Adriano is now a shining star in Flamengo supporter's eyes, when he moved to Brazil he was hated at first, but as goals came, the supporters turned around. And now thanks to Adriano Flamengo has won an epic Brazilian Championship, with the help of his teammates, Adriano dominated in the Brazilian league, dribbling past defences and using his powerful left foot to stun goalkeepers. 


Although he had a few bright years at Inter Milan, he slowly started getting worse after the death of his father, who was one of the biggest reasons he played soccer. He eventually left the Serie A giants to go to Flamengo to hopefully restart his career, he was met with over 68,000 fans at his first game for Flamengo, all with different ideas of what he could do for them. Some sang "The Emperor is back" while others ignored his presence thinking of his possible imminent failure, but the emperor found his joy in Brazil and scored a large amount of crucial goals, allowing him to claim the top scorer of the Brazilian League.


But know rumors are being spread like wildfire, and Adriano's return could be imminent. It is a big year for him, and if he could possibly break through the starting eleven of the Selecao, that could only be achieved through constant successful playing in a big league. While Zola has kept his eye on him for a possible West Ham starter, Adriano's agent has said that all the rumors were possible because of the emperors great form.


Do you think Adriano return to the brazilian national side? Comment below and vote in our poll!

Major European Leagues Wrap Up: Juventus Overpowers Inter

A great weekend full of upsets and big matches and missed penalties, especially in the Premiership.

Roma - Lazio *ROMAN DERBY SPECIAL*

A derby which could be described as a game of two halves, the first half was rather dull and boring with both clubs unable to scare each other. Some of Zarate's spurts scared the Roma defense, and when Mexes was replaced by Cassetti because of a nasty injury the second half really kicked off. Zarate continues to scare but hits the post after a great dribbling through the sleeping Roma defense. But eventually, wonders happen and a cross goes to the top of the box, and the super-sub Cassetti volleys it in the net to give Roma the much needed victory.
Final score 1-0

Juventus - Inter Milan *DERBY D'ITALIA SPECIAL*


A match which could have distanced Inter Milan from all of their opponents, but a fantastic goal by Marchisio is what seperates the two sides. An extremely slow start by Inter, Juventus took the chance, Felipe Melo scores and a deflection stops Julio Cesar from stopping the ball from trickling over the line. A certain penalty wasn't called for the Italian champions and the free kick which Felipe Melo scored off was after a dodgy decision to ignore a tackle on an Inter player to then allow a free kick which was just as dodgy. Eto'o was able to make it even with a good header, but what seperates the two sides is pure italian talent by the name of Claudio Marchisio. After a save by Julio Cesar, Marchisio dribbles past Samuel in the six yard box and chips Julio Cesar with a fantastic left foot chip. Now the games are reopened and Juventus can really challenge for the Serie A title.
Final score 2-1




Some other interesting results are:

Deportivo La Coruna - Barcelona: 3-1
A double by Messi saves the Catalans with a late goal by Ibrahimovic.

Teal Madrid - Almeria: 4-2
From 2-1 down Real Madrid comes back to win 4-2, Cristiano Ronaldo is sent off and it won't help especially with Kaka' injured.

Manchester City - Chelsea: 2-1
A great result for Manchester City, and with a missed penalty by Lampard, Chelsea were not in form. Tevez puts the winner in from a free kick and this allows Man City to move ahead Liverpool in the table.

South Africa 2010 World Cup Groups Revealed

The groups for the South Africa 2010 World Cup have been drawn and it looks to be a fantastic world cup, in the group stages we'll have fixtures like England-USA, Germany-Ghana, Netherlands-Cameroon, Brazil-Portugal, and one of my favorites, Spain against Chile.

Check out the groups below and let us know what you think of them by commenting below.

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic, Greece
Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana,
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, Korea DPR, Côte d'Ivoire, Portugal
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

And in a more glamourous fashion below is the groups arranged in their respective tables.

Group A

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mexico	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Uruguay	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
France	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group B

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Argentina	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nigeria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Korea Republic	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Greece	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group C

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
England	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
USA	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Algeria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Slovenia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group D

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Germany	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Australia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Serbia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ghana	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group E

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Netherlands	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Denmark	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Japan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cameroon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group F

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Italy	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Paraguay	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
New Zealand	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Slovakia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group G

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Brazil	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Korea DPR	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Côte d'Ivoire	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Portugal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group H

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Switzerland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Honduras	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chile	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

What do you think of these groups? Comment below!