Chelsea's Strengthening Starts with Diego Costa

After having completed medical examinations in London, Diego Costa looks set to join Chelsea for next season. The English club will be matching the release clause on Diego Costa's contract, paying 42 million Euros to Atletico Madrid with the added possibility of a Chelsea player being exchanged to Atletico. With 35 goals this season in all competitions, and an upcoming World Cup for Spain in which he'll be competing for a starting spot, Diego Costa looks like he will be the true goalscorer Mourinho has been calling for. 

Jose Mourinho has already gotten to work on strengthening his Chelsea side for next season, with the toughest task that of ensuring Eden Hazard remains at Stamford Bridge. After PSG's 75 million Euro bid for the Belgian starlet, Chelsea have managed to fend off the French club by giving Hazard the number ten jersey. With the frontline combo of Hazard, Diego Costa, and Willian, Chelsea now have to plug some holes in the midfield and defence during the transfer window. 

Due to Frank Lampard's departure and the disappointing season of Ramires, reinforcements in the centre of the midfield are required, especially considering Mourinho's tactical dependence on a strong midfield. Although there have been rumblings about a return to Stamford Bridge for Atletico Madrid's Tiago, it seems like Mourinho would prefer the either of the Brazilians, Sandro or Paulinho from Tottenham (most likely with an exchange including John Obi Mikel), or Juventus' Paul Pogba. There's also the possibility of a thirty to forty million Euro move for Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona, however it has been reported that Mourinho isn't completely convinced by the Spaniard and that Pogba remains at the top of his midfield list. 

In terms of the defence, Chelsea have been looking to address their weakness at left back and to replace the spot left by David Luiz after his move to PSG. Real Madrid's Raphael Varane is a strong candidate for the center of defence, however certain reports suggest that the 21 year-old might not be interested in a move to Chelsea. The other names for defence continue to come from Atletico Madrid with Diego Godin a possibility at the centre and Filipe Luis for left back. Atletico Madrid had their offer of around 8-10 million Euros for Granada's left back Siqueira (who playing on loan at Benfica this past season) accepted, possibly in preparation for Filipe Luis' departure. Atleti's other recent signing of Getafe keeper Miguel Angel Moya points to Thibaut Courtois' return to Chelsea, however it seems like the keeper still hasn't decided whether or not to end his loan spell at Atletico Madrid.

With the possibility of five new signings from Atletico Madrid (Diego Costa, Tiago, Godin, Filipe Luis, and Courtois), Chelsea have started the summer transfer window with swift plans to bolster the starting eleven with a set of hungry and passionate players. Whether or not Mourinho will be able to bring out the best from a set of players who were incredibly connected to their coach Diego Simeone is difficult to predict. For now, what remains certain is that Chelsea intend on strengthening every part of the squad with some of the best La Liga players around in order to claim the Premier League and Champions League next season.

New Year, New Faces?

Written by Ashwin Raja.

The end of the year always brings with it a feeling of joy and optimism. After all, it's the season of hope and merriment. It's no different for the footballing world either. The teams that are riding on a high will hope to see their form continue, and bear fruit as silverware at the end of the season. On the other hand, those at the deep end of things will be praying for a re-invigoration of spirit; a fresh lease on life so to speak.

The footballing community have not just the opening of the transfer window to look forward to, but also the beginning of a World Cup year. The January window can be an incredibly trying, but also a promising time for clubs and players alike. For clubs, their relative activity or inactivity can make a world of difference whether they are in a title scrap or relegation dog-fight. For players, the choice of club can either make or break them. Take for instance, Andy Carroll and Fernando Torres who both made big money moves in January that proved to be ill-fated. However don't let the stories of Carroll and Torres fool you, there have always been a few diamonds in the rough. Edin Dzeko, Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge, are just a few.

 Here are eight of the top names that could swap clubs:


1. Iker Casillas (Real Madrid):

Saint Iker, as he is affectionately known by the Madridistas continues to find himself on the bench even after the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti. Such has been the form of Diego Lopez, that he has hardly been able to force his way back into the starting eleven, with the exception of the Champions League matches. With the re-emergence of Victor Valdes, his spot in the Spanish national team that has for a long time been set in stone is now under threat. Nothing but regular playing time can allay his fears.Though he has made public his desire to stay and help Madrid achieve La Decima, he has embraced that a move away would be his best option. Though a permanent move may not be on the cards, a loan is certainly a possibility.


2. Leighton Baines (Everton):

After holding on to their star left back in the summer, Everton's resolve will once again be put to the test as David Moyes will look to infuse some quality into a lack-lustre Manchester United team. Despite Baines being nowhere near his best so far, Everton boast the strongest defense in the Premier League alongside leaders Arsenal and are sitting pretty in 4th spot. Seamus Coleman has been a revelation this season and if Baines does go to United, they can be content knowing they may potentially have a player of his ilk already coming up.


3. Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid):

If there is one constant in football's ever changing landscape, it has to be Atletico Madrid having a world class striker. Fernando Torres, Sergio Aguero, Diego Forlan, Radamel Falcao and now Diego Costa. The powerful Brazilian has been in scintillating form hitting the 20 goal mark in no time at all. Granted that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been hampered by injuries, it still takes something speical to be topping the goal scoring charts half way through the season, and it will not have gone unnoticed by the top clubs in Europe.


4. Koke (Atletico Madrid):

It is rather poetic that Koke, who also goes by his birth-name of Jorge Resurrección Merodio, could be the man that completes the mid-season resurrection of Manchester United. After a horrendous start to the season that many attributed to the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, the glue that has bonded the United dressing room for as long as memory can serve, they have staged a commendable recovery. In the absence of Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney has certainly come to the fore. Nonetheless, David Moyes will have noted the appalling lack of creativity in midfield and Koke could be the answer.


5. Dimitar Berbatov (Fulham):

Despite having a below par season the previous year, it came as a bit of a surprise when Manchester United let Berbatov go in the summer of 2012. United's record signing since joining Fulham hasn't set the goal scoring charts ablaze, but has shown flashes of brilliance, albeit too sporadically. His astute awareness, finishing and aerial ability do not seemed to have deserted him however. With Fulham struggling to avoid relegation, Berbatov will certainly be weighing up his options and a move to Arsenal is not unfathomable. With an abundance of flair and creativity in the Gunners' midfield he will not be left wanting of service and at the same time solve their problem of sparse attacking options besides Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski, who prefers a wide role rather than the number nine role of late.


6. Adam Lallana (Southampton):

It has been a stellar year for Adam Lallana, having won his first England call up and spear heading Southampton's charge for a top 7 finish. Ever since, Maurecio Pochettino arrived on the south coast, Southampton have been playing some vibrant, attacking football, and none have benefited from that more than Adam Lallana. His natural drive and vision go hand in glove with Pochettino's style of play and he has been a regular goal scorer and creator. His age (25) is also a big point in his favor as he continues to notch up admirers that include Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and David Moyes. It may be a long shot, but if not now, the top clubs will definitely come calling in the summer.


7. Daniel Agger (Liverpool):

Napoli have strongly been linked the Danish center back and could take advantage of his lack of game time at Liverpool. Following a freak gym injury, Agger has had a hard time to break back into the starting eleven as Brendan Rodgers continues to persist with Mamadou Sakho and Martin Skrtel in the center of defense. His allegiance to Liverpool is unquestionable, but a reunion with Rafa Benitez could be tempting as he looks for some game time ahead of the World Cup.


8. Mohamed Salah (FC Basel):

Dubbed the 'Egyptian Messi' in following with the customary tradition these days of likening any up and coming talent with the Argentinian, Mohamed Salah has impressed with a series of consistent, if not spectacular performances for Basel in both the domestic league as well as the Champions League. His performance against Chelsea caught the eye as he tormented the Blues' defense with some real pace and trickery and scored in both legs. Liverpool are believed to firm favorites to snap him up as they look to offset their lack of wide options.

Three Lessons from the Midweek's Champions League Action

As the Champions League group stage continues to unravel, so do plenty of the teams in the competition. It has been a rough awakening for a few sides as they begin to understand that this year's group stage is no joke. Every team is prepared to make their statement, and as the "underdogs" continue to pull out big results, some age-old titans aren't quite yet ready to concede their positions as the top dogs of Europe (although there are some which begin to quaver). There's an incredible amount of things to cover, so we might as well begin with these three lessons from the Champions League:

1. Italian clubs continue to struggle 

After Napoli's dreamy victory over Borussia Dortmund, everyone had practically forgotten about Italy's inefficiency when it comes to European competition these past few years. Well fear not, all three Italian sides in the Champions League managed to underachieve in one way or another. Perhaps most at fault are Juventus who hosted Galatasaraay at home, the match finishing a 2-2 draw. After Bonucci gifted Drogba the opener, Juve clawed their way back to a 2-1 lead thanks to Quagliarella's 87th minute header. Only one minute later Juventus's atrocious defending allowed unmarked Bulut to equalize, nabbing an important point for the Turkish side.

AC Milan and Napoli didn't do too well either. The rossoneri could only manage a 1-1 draw at Ajax thanks to a late and non-existent penalty by Balotelli, and Napoli crumbled against the fantastic display that Arsenal put on at the Emirates. Of course there will be plenty of excuses (No Higuain for Napoli, Milan's extensive injury list, and who knows what else), Italian sides are staying consistent with their inability to put on a proper display in Europe. 

2. Bayern Munich (current European champions) are only getting stronger.

There was a lot of uncertainty at the start of the season with Pep Guardiola's appointment as Bayern Munich coach, and after their mere 1-0 victory in the weekend over Wolfsburg there were grumblings about whether the new coach was actually improving the side. It's fair to say that after their latest display, Guardiola will get a bit more breathing room (only for a while though). A dominant 3-1 away victory over Manchester City showed that combining last year's Champions League winning squad with Guardiola's tactics and philosophy of play was undoubtedly the right move for Bayern. 

While Joe Hart gave the Germans a helping hand with a poor display, nothing can be taken away from Bayern as they out-pressured, out-passed, and out-played Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City. While City was looking to perhaps insert itself amongst the highest-echelon of European clubs, Bayern and Pep showed them that they've still got a long way to go. Now we can only wonder what heights this Bayern Munich side can reach, and whether they'll be the first team to retain the Champions League trophy.

3. Atletico Madrid show no signs of slowing down.

La Liga has always been an extremely difficult league for clubs (that aren't Real Madrid and Barcelona) to properly establish themselves within, and if you have dreams of aiming for the top, then tough luck. Yet if there's a team that is looking to make a dent in the big two's perfect record of domination, it's Atletico Madrid. After having defeated Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu over the weekend, the midweek trip to Portugal to face Porto seemed a daunting task. Yet Diego Simeone's men maintained their undefeated start to the season in another impressive away victory.

While this time Diego Costa wasn't amongst the goalscorers, after having conceded early in the first half Atleti fought to come back with two second half goals, Arda Turan scoring the 86th minute winner from a sneaky free kick. It's been quite the season thus far for Atletico Madrid fans, their team currently undefeated, top of their Champions League group, and second in La Liga only by goal difference to Barcelona. If Diego Simeone can keep his side concentrated, then perhaps a new contender for La Liga's title (and perhaps even the European title) will emerge. 

Lastly, I want to leave you with an interesting infographic about the Champions League. Take a look below and share your thoughts and predictions regarding the Champions League in the comments!

You can find out more about the infographic and spread betting at Spreadex.

Atletico Madrid Could Lose David De Gea and Sergio "Kun" Aguero

David De Gea has apparently already joined Man Utd.

Atletico Madrid have had a fairly quiet season, especially compared to last season when they won the Europa League. While at the beginning of this season Atletico won the UEFA European Supercup over Inter Milan, after that they went on to place seventh in La Liga, not qualifying for any European competitions for next season.

In that European Super Cup victory two stars played exceptionally, helping Atleti win the trophy. Sergio Aguero scored one of the goals in the 2-0 victory, and David De Gea saved a crucial penalty taken by Diego Milito. Now, Atletico Madrid could see both of those key players leave the club over the summer. Throughout this season, Sergio Aguero and David De Gea have proved to be important, maybe even irreplaceable players.

Aguero has scored 27 goals in all competitions for Atletico Madrid while providing six assists as well. As the season's top goalscorer for Atleti, Aguero has dribbled around the best defenders in the Champions League and La Liga, attracting the attention of many clubs for years now. He's still a young player soon turning 23 years-old, and while about a month ago he said he wanted to stay at Atletico Madrid, he has now seemingly changed his mind.

Aguero might sign for city rivals Real Madrid!

He says it's the right time to go for him, and that it has nothing to do with money. While Atletico Madrid fans might be slightly confused and unhappy with the mixed messages the Argentine has been sending out, it's important to remember that Aguero has scored over 100 goals for Atletico since joining the club.

Atletico might be losing Kun, and it's almost certain that their 19 year-old David De Gea will be leaving Madrid. It has been revealed that he has practically already signed for Manchester United, and all that is missing are the official announcements. The fee is rumored to be around 16-19 million Pounds, with which potential added bonuses could turn out to be quite a hefty profit for Atletico Madrid. While De Gea has a few things to sort out with his agent, Sir Alex Ferguson seems happy to have signed what should be Edwin van der Saar's replacement.

Regarding who Atletico Madrid could buy to replace the pair, most of the news has been about replacing "Kun" Aguero. Espanyol's Italian-Argentine Osvaldo could join Atletico for around 10 million Euros, but there have also been murmurs regarding Diego from Wolfsburg and Porto's Falcao or maybe even Hulk.

It will be a big blow for Atletico losing Aguero, especially if he joins the city rivals Real Madrid. But there are other clubs keeping an eye on him, including Chelsea who want the player to take a pay cut to join. If "Kun" decides to sign for Real Madrid, we could be in for a few very interesting upcoming Madrid derbys. And if Aguero does join Real, and De Gea leaves for Manchester United, who will be between the sticks to stop Aguero from scoring against his former club?

If you're interested in following all things Atletico Madrid, check out Madrid Atleticos. Some great writers there who report anything regarding Atleti.

Liverpool Defeat Chelsea with Torres Brace

A week literally full of action! Two fantastic derbies in the Serie A and La Liga, and then a wonderful match between Liverpool and Chelsea. Funnily enough, all three of the matches ended 2-0, and all three of them were entertaining.

Liverpool - Chelsea


While some people think that Chelsea will just run away with the title (I think that it'll be Manchester United who wins it this year), the blues have been halted, by Liverpool! Carlo Ancelotti's team travelled to Anfield to face Roy Hodgson's side which had just defeated Napoli 3-1 in the Europa League in the midweek.

The first half wasn't dominated by any of the two sides, it was more just Chelsea being surprised by Liverpool's intensity and work-rate. These two factors, along with the home crowd spurred the reds to score within the first eleven minutes. Kuyt lifting a good ball for Fernando Torres who controls, stays standing with Cole and Ivanovic on his back, and promptly does the business in front of Cech, giving Liverpool the lead.

There were a couple of okay chances for both sides, but nothing notable as Liverpool played with heart, spirit, and intensity not letting Chelsea get into their stride. And when Fernando Torres scored for a second time for Liverpool, right before halftime, Anfield exploded with joy. The Spaniard received the ball out on the left wing, he cuts in, and then curls a delightful shot onto the far post, unsavable for Cech.

But the second half had Chelsea display more conviction, and Liverpool suffer from the Blues's constant attacks. Reina was forced to make a great save from Zhirkov's close range shot towards the near post, and then Reina pulled off a mind-blowing parry against Malouda who thought he'd tapped in a goal from about a yard from the goal-line.

But Cech had to make a couple of great saves as well, he had to stop Dirk Kuyt's close range volley from a corner by spreading his legs to inhumane lengths. Yet Chelsea continued to push, forcing Liverpool on the back foot, and the reds had some luck when Anelka's low rocket bounced under Reina's body and onto the bottom of the crossbar and back into play. Liverpool finished the match with a counter-attack which ended with Maxi Rodriguez one on one with Cech, but the Argentine gets the ball flicked away from him by Cech's fingers as he tries to earn a penalty with a desperate dive.

And so Liverpool pull off a fantastic result with the team playing with an intensity unseen before this season. Torres is a player reborn as well, a fantastic performance by him is what truly helped Liverpool gather these three important points which raise them up to 9th in the table. Is this the rebirth of Liverpool? And where will Chelsea go from here? The Blues are still top of the table, but Manchester United are just two points away from them. Comment your thoughts regarding this game below!

Real Madrid - Atletico Madrid


And now onto a derby, the Madrid derby! First of all, a quick link to my good friends over at Madrid Atleticos, my favorite Atletico Madrid blog, and certainly one of the best La Liga blogs there is. So if you're looking for an Atleti point of view, go visit them there.

But now onto the game which ended 2-0 for Jose Mourinho's team. They started with a goal in the 13th minute, with Ricardo Carvalho played through into the box and the center-back finishing like a veteran striker past David De Gea. The second goal arrived about six minutes later with Mesut Ozil drilling in a puzzling free kick from the right of the penalty area.

But Aletico Madrid created opportunities as well, first Forlan sent an tap-in wide, and then Casillas had to produce a fantastic save from a corner. After that the Real goalkeeper had to save a curling shot from Reyes which seemed destined for the back of the net.

In the second half Higuain hit the post with a rocket volley, and the Atletico goalkeeper David De Gea was rooted to the spot, only able to watch the ball smash his far post. But minutes later Forlan hit the post as well with a volley from the top of the box, and although Casillas dove to save it, he was about half a meter from the ball when it hit the post.

While there were more opportunities for both sides, in the end Real Madrid created many more dangerous moments for the Atelti faithful. A fantastic win for Jose Mourinho's side, and with El Clasico against Barcelona coming up in a couple of weeks, Real Madrid are looking very powerful at the top of the La Liga table.

Lazio - Roma


There was another derby this weekend, the very exciting Rome derby! And it was all the more exciting with Lazio top of the table, and Roma being on a winning streak. But the match was slightly disappointing, while there were plenty of chances created by both sides, the 2-0 scoreline was marked by two penalties for the giallorossi.

The first was at the beginning of the second half, and Marco Borriello stepped up to take it. Lazio's goalkeeper guessed the direction, and even got to the ball, but unluckily for him, it slipped underneath his body and trickled over the goal-line. The second penalty was awarded in the 87th minute, and this time Mirko Vucinic took it. Muslera didn't get it right this time, and Vucinic scored the penalty easily sending the young Uruguayan keeper the wrong way.

But Lazio fans will be severely disappointed, they had a chance where a player was blatantly brought down in front of goal, but no penalty was awarded. If the two penalties for Roma were penalties, then this chance for Lazio should've been awarded with a penalty.

What are your thoughts regarding all these derbies? Did you expect Liverpool to beat Chelsea? Share your thoughts by commenting below!

Nike Safari Collection Released!

Nike have released their latest colorway for their soccer cleats, and this time it's the Safari colorway! Cristiano Ronaldo is the posterboy for this campaign, and I'm not sure who else will be wearing these unique shoes.

Nike have only released three models with this colorway, the Mercurial Superfly II's, the Mercurial Vapor VI's, and the Lunar Gato! While you might know what the first two shoes are, the Lunar Gato are a "street" shoe, for those who love playing footy in the streets, wherever they go.

So you'll probably be asking, "What's the big deal about these new cleats?" Well, the main attention grabber is the fact that they're spotted.  But these cleats aren't just spotted, they feature shiny stripes on the side which you'll notice under certain lighting. These are supposed to flicker and make the player's feet more visible, therefore to the player passes will be more precise and accurate.

The other big feature with these new cleats is the fact that they were designed to the exact specifications of Cristiano Ronaldo. So it must feel pretty cool to wear the cleats designed with Cristiano Ronaldo's specifications. But this feature will probably make Nike raise the cost of the cleats, probably more than what most are willing to spend.

The stripes are on the inside and outside of the boot

Right now you can pre-order the boots, and they'll be available in shops on November 15th. While I don't know how many people will be willing to spend around 400$ for this new colorway, I think that it's a great move from Nike to introduce such a unique aspect in their gear.

Cristiano Ronaldo will be debuting the new cleats on November 7th when Real Madrid host Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu for the Madrid derby. While I don't think it'll be that noticeable compared to the Pink cleats that he's been wearing, I think he'll still be as flashy as ever in his new Nike cleats.

The video below is very interesting and it talks about the boots and how the design originated.






















My personal opinion on these shoes isn't very critical. While some say that they're the ugliest boots they've ever seen, I actually don't mind them that much. But what about you? What do you think about these new Nike cleats? Please comment below!

Atletico Madrid conquer UEFA Supercup over flat Inter

Second trophy of the year, more to come this season?

This was probably one of the most interesting UEFA Supercups I've seen, while some might have expected domination from the Champions League winners, it was Atletico Madrid who bossed the game and won 2-0. And although it's strange to think that this year Atletico Madrid have won more trophies than Barcelona, it's true. If you happen to be an Atletico fan, or if you're interested in a good blog to read about the UEFA Supercup winners, check out Madrid Atleticos.

Inter Milan - Atletico Madrid

While the match began relatively evenly, both teams were unable to put together many memorable opportunities. They were both solid in defense, with Atletico causing more problems than Inter was, but in the end there were only some shots which fizzed wide from Eto'o and Aguero in the first half.

Reyes celebrating the first goal

The second half was a different affair, Atletico began to keep possession, they created more and more chances, keeping the ball away from Inter's front line. Diego Milito barely touched the ball, Eto'o was dangerous but isolated, and Stankovic wasn't a smart choice for starter from Rafa Benitez. Eventually the breakthrough came, Julio Cesar had already saved a couple of insidious shots, but Reyes found a way to slip it past him in the 62nd minute.

There wasn't a reaction from the Inter players, Benitez took off Stankovic and put on Pandev, giving a bit of creativity, but soon enough the Macedonian found himself unable to change the situation. Then the Inter coach decided to take out a disappointing Sneijder and put in the young Brazilian talent, Philippe Coutinho. But right after the switch, Atletico scored again with Aguero. A simple tap-in which was due to Inter's back line falling asleep, Chivu ignored the Argentinean's run into the six yard box and basically let him finish off the team.

There was more reaction after this goal from the Inter player than the first, they pushed more, and eventually substitute Coutinho almost unlocked the situation, creating an attack which earned Inter a penalty in the dying minutes. Diego Milito stepped up to take it, but David De Gea parried the shot well, keeping a clean sheet for Atletico as they went on to defeat the Champions League winners, and conquer the UEFA Supercup.

David Villa to Barcelona and Sevilla win Copa del Rey

Two big chunks of news from Spain, and more self-advertisement (except this time I'll put the link up), I've written another article on Serie A Talk about Luigi Del Neri going to Juventus along with their presidential change and other changes taking place at the club. Check it out here.

David Villa to Barcelona (and maybe Fabregas...)

the first is that David Villa, former Valencia striker has finalized the transfer to Barcelona. It was mostly Barcelona that was chasing him, but I'm sure he wasn't against the idea of going to a club that has won 7 trophies in 2 seasons. The fee seems to be for 32 million Euros which will be paid in the form of 6 million every season over the course of 4 seasons, and this money will surely help Valencia who will also have money from the Champions League of next season.

This signing is the Barcelona president Joan Laporta's good-bye signing, but he might make a second who would be Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal. The rumors on that deal are that Barca want to offer about 30 million Euros along with Yaya Toure (A player Arsenal would find very useful), but Wenger wants about 50 million, and apparently Toure doesn't want to be part of a player swap... Interesting indeed...

Sevilla win Copa del Rey over Atletico Madrid

Sevilla have won the Copa del Rey 2-0 over Atletico Madrid, an early goal in the 5th minute by Diego Capel and a late goal in the 90th by Jesus Navas sealed the cup for Sevilla who will compete in the Champions League next season. Atletico on the other hand have had a terribly strange season, they've won the Europa league and arrived close to a double with the Copa del Rey, but they arrived 9th in La Liga.

What do you think about Villa to Barca and maybe Fabregas? Comment below!

Atletico Madrid conquer Europa League with Forlan double

The Europa League final has ended 2-1 for Atletico Madrid, both teams were going for the trophy 100% considering that Fulham finished 12th in the Premier League and Atletico Madrid are 9th in La Liga. Here's SWU's match report.

Atletico Madrid - Fulham

Forlan tapping in the winner past Schwarzer

While some will complain that this match was not as entertaining as most, the tension and passion was certainly there to be seen in Hamburg. In the first half, Atletico were strong and convincing, they manouvered well creating space with Aguero who fed Forlan along with Reyes and Simao. The first goal eventually came after Aguero's failed shot which Forlan leaped on and put in the back of the net, but Fulham were beginning to rise. Eventually Fulham found the goal before halftime with Davies who from close range near the post volleyed in a shot which restored everything back to parity. After halftime Fulham began to raise the tempo of the match, causing Atletico problems with the subbed on Dempsey for Zamora. De Gea was fantastic at stopping attempts from Davies and the Englishmen, but it eventually went to extra time. While Fulham were happily waiting for it to go to penalties, Atletico (and Forlan) stepped up their game big time, first the Uruguyan striker played a golden pass to Salvio who wasted the opportunity, then Diego did the work himself and tapped Aguero's cross in to give the trophy to the Spaniards.


What are your reactions to the match? Comment below!

Liverpool and Fulham advance with Atletico Madrid and Hamburg

In the Europa League some fantastic matches took place which decide the semi-finalists which will be Fulham vs Hamburg and Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool. We could see an all English final, which would starkly contrast to the Champions League.

Liverpool overcame Benfica 4-1 at Anfield thanks to a double by Fernando Torres. Fulham keep it clean in Germany and win 1-0, goal scored by Bobby Zamora. Atletico hold it to a 0-0 draw and go through on away goals, and Hamburg overcome Standard Liege 3-1 away from home. For more info on the Standard-Hamburg match be sure to check this post out by Hagibest.

What do you think of the Europa League? Do you care about it? Comment below!

Europa League ignites with open results

This mid-week was filled with fantastic Champions League and Europa League action, not only will we have the second legs next week to check out, but this weekend in the EPL Manchester United are playing Chelsea, and the weekend after El Classico takes place in the Santiago Bernabeu.

And for some important news about two major players for both club and country, Wayne Rooney will be out for an estimated 2-4 weeks, and Cesc Fabregas will be out for about 6 weeks. Both of these are massive blows for their respective clubs, and could affect the Premiership title heavily.

And for all you people wondering where the Champions League is, I've listed the scores below the Europa League wrap up, without a match analysis due to partial laziness and the fact that the Europa League is majority under-covered. So hopefully this will spur all you footy fans to check out some Europa League action as well as all the Champions League action.

Europa League

The first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals ended with some pretty open results, none of the ties seem finished or settled at all.

Fulham got an important 2-1 win against Wolfsburg at Craven Cottage, although they conceded a late away goal to the Germans scored by Madlung, Zamora and Duff scored in the 60th and 63rd, making this tie tip slightly in favor to the Cottagers.

Hamburg are continuing their strong push to the Europa League final which will be held in their stadium thanks to a 2-1 comeback against Standard Liege. Standard took the lead in the 31st with Mbokani, but a Petric penalty in the 42nd and a goal by Ruud Van Nilsterooy in the 44th sealed the comeback.

Liverpool suffered a 2-1 loss against Benfica in the Estadio da Luz, everything seemed fine for the Reds after Agger scored in just 9 minutes, but Ryan Babel was sent off with a straight red changing the match completely. After halftime, two penalties by Cardozo sealed an important comeback for Benfica.

Probably the biggest tie ended with the biggest scoreline, Valencia - Atletico Madrid ended 2-2 after a great match between the two. All of the goals came in the second half with Forlan scoring the first, Manuel Fernandes came up with the equalizer only to have Lopez give the lead to Atletico again. It took a goal by David Villa to equalize the score-line, Atletico will be happy with the result, and hope to make the two away goals count in the return leg.

Champions League results


Olympique Lyon - Bordeaux: 3-1
Bayern Munich - Manchester United: 2-1
Arsenal - Barcelona: 2-2
Inter Milan - CSKA Moscow: 1-0

Roma only a point away from top and Real win Madrid Derby

Two epic matches this weekend which help shape the future of their leagues, not only this, but the so-called smaller matches also provide an insight to maybe how positions will shift in the table...

Roma - Inter Milan


This match was being described as the biggest match of the year in Italian press, and although 2-1 may seem like a rather dull score-line, it was full of action. Roma started firing on all cylinders, and in the 17th minute, Julio Cesar fumbles a simple catch and De Rossi is able to nip in with his toe to claim the first. With spirits high, Roma went on to play well, but Inter grew with time, not only did Samuel hit the crossbar, but Eto'o scuffed a couple of chances, and Diego Milito forced a great save from Julio Sergio. After halftime, Inter found the equalizer with Diego Milito slapping in a close cross from Sneijder, but just about 5 minutes later, Toni was left unmarked at the top of the box, and the striker turned and struck the ball into the bottom right corner, giving Roma the winner. But Inter came close with their final attacks, so close that Diego Milito even volleyed the ball at close range right into the post, and although Roma won, Inter had more chances which they didn't put away. This win re-opens the Serie A with Roma just one point away from the nerazzurri, hopefully making for a tight finish at the end of the season.

Real Madrid - Atletico Madrid


A fantastic must-win derby for Real Madrid ended up 3-2 for Los Blancos, things were looking good for Atleti when Reyes scored a precision shot which snuck past Casillas from outside of the box. It took Real the rest of the half to get in the game, and after the interval Xabi Alonso tapped one in from the back post, then Arbeloa finished one after some great dribbling, and Higuain took advantage of mistakes made from Atletico's defense, completing the comeback. Although it seemed like Atletico's night after a wonderful blocked shot off the line from Higuain, Forlan's goal from the penalty spot wasn't enough to spur Atletico Madrid for the final comeback, letting Real Madrid keep up with Barcelona.

In England,  Chelsea had no trouble at all with Aston Villa, an easy 7-1 win at Stamford Bridge was marked by a Lampard poker (two penalties), two goals from Malouda, and one from Kalou. Manchester United keep their title push strong against Bolton Wanderers pulling off a 4-0 win without Rooney, Berbatov scored two, Gibson one, and Samuel scored an own goal. The gunners were halted in their race for first after getting a 1-1 draw with Birmingham, a late goal from subbed on Nasri seemed the clincher, but Philips equalized in the last minutes making it 1-1. Liverpool got a comfy 3-0 win over Sunderland, a must-see wondergoal from Torres started the scoring, the Spaniard dribbled through the left flank then lashed out a shot which looped over Gordon, a sure contender for goal of the season. Johnson soon followed with a deflected effort from outside the box, and Torres scored another after scrambling an elegant finish to make it 3-0 for the reds.

In Italy, AC Milan failed to capitalize on Inter's slip, a 1-1 draw against Lazio was all they could manage, Borriello put them in front with a penalty, but Lichtsteiner equalized soon after giving Lazio an important point. Fiorentina got a great 4-1 win over Udinese, at halftime it seemed all equal after a goal from Vargas and one from Pepe, but Fiorentina came back rejuvenated after the half, first Gilardino, then Santana, and finally Jovetic completed the extravagant win for the Viola.

Diogo celebrating his goal for Zaragoza

In Spain, Villareal move up the table after a 3-0 win over Sevilla, the two teams are now just 5 points apart, and it seems like Sevilla's push for Champions League football is weakening. Rossi started the scoring, and Llorente followed up soon after, both of them fed by Nilmar. Pires put the icing on the cake after being subbed on with a sublime finish past Palop, giving Villareal three important points. Real Zaragoza complete a difficult feat, a 3-0 win over Valencia which was spurred thanks to goals from Diogo, Arizmendi, Jarosik, and Zigic's expulsion, Valencia will be trying to prepare themselves after this bad defeat for Atletico Madrid in the Europa league this wednesday. Barcelona pull off a 1-0 win over Mallorca thanks to Ibrahimovic (or as I like to say: Zibra), the Swede tapped the winner in after Puyol had his effort saved from Aouate. But the biggest news won't be about Zibra, it'll be about Iniesta being out for the Champions League fixture against Arsenal, surely the first leg, and probably the second.

What do you think of this week's action? Will Iniesta's injury hurt Barca in their push for the Champions League? Comment below!

Fantastic Fulham Knock Juve out, and Liverpool Pummel Lille

The Europa League has no trouble making itself known, with some fantastic results and upsets, it really seems to be heating up in the race for the cup.

Hamburger get past Anderlecht with a fantastic aggregate scoreline of 6-5 in favour to the Germans.

Wolfsburg are able to go through against Rubin Kazan, a 2-1 win at home in extra time helped clinch the next round.

Atletico Madrid go through on away goals, after a tense 0-0 at home, Atletico were able to get a 2-2 draw in Lisbon and go through on away goals.

Liverpool have no trouble with Lille, after a disappointing 1-0 defeat, the reds unleashed a 3-0 win at Anfield with two from Torres, and one from Gerrard.

Benfica slip through Olympique Marseille with a 3-2 aggregate scoreline, and Standard Liege have little difficulty with Panathinaikos, getting a 4-1 aggregate scoreline.

Fulham pull off a fantastic comeback, after losing 3-1 in Turin, they went back to Craven Cottage and won 4-1, with a beautiful goal by Dempsey who chipped it into the top left corner, helping Fulham go through with 5-4 on aggregate.

Valencia and Werder Bremen fight one of the best games of the season, a 4-4 draw which was preceded by a 1-1 draw let the Spaniards go through on away goals, David Villa got a hat trick, reminding us all that he could be one to look out for in the upcoming World Cup.

What do you think of the Europa League results? Comment below!

Blogroll Updated: check out Livin La Liga and Madrid Atleticos, and other Miscellaneous News

Just some miscellaneous news for all the SWU followers out there,

• Blogroll updated, added some new sites that you should certainly check out like Livin La Liga, the best La Liga blog around, Madrid Atleticos, a fantastic Atletico Madrid blog, and Serie A Talk, one of the best places around for Serie A articles.
• For all of the World Soccer Daily followers, in case you didn't know, World Soccer Daily has returned as World Football Daily, they have a different system now (no more Sirius), and although it is payment for the full show, it is totally worth it with tons of new content, guests, and giveaways like an Ipad, it is the best soccer podcast around.
• Europa League update: here are the Europa League scores from the first leg of the knockout round,

Everton - Sporting Lisbon: 2-1

Rubin Kazan - Hapoel Tel Aviv: 3-0

Lille - Fenerbache: 2-1

Twente - Werder Bremen: 1-0

Standard Liege - Salzburg: 3-2

Ajax - Juventus: 1-2

Club Brugge - Valencia: 1-0

Villareal - Wolfsburg: 2-2

Hamburg - PSV Eindhoven: 1-0

Liverpool - Unirea Urziceni: 1-0

Fulham - Shakhtar Donetsk: 2-1

Atletico Madrid - Galatasaray: 1-1

Panathinaikos - Roma: 3-2

Kobenhavn - Olympique Marseille: 1-3

Athletic Bilbao - Anderlecht: 1-1

Hertha Berlin - Benfica: 1-1 

• And finally, remember to keep following Soccer Wrap Up, we are growing little by little (very little by little), and it is up to you to comment and spread the word about SWU.

Atletico Stun Barca and Inter Slips as Juventus Returns

A weekend with no English action, but there was plenty in the Spanish and Italian leagues.

Atletico Madrid - Barcelona

Atletico Madrid re-opened the title race after defeating Barcelona 2-1, Barcelona had a makeshift back four with Jeffren at right-back, Puyol and Milito center-backs, and Maxwell at left-back. Barca also suffered after Keita limped off being substituted by Pedro, Atletico ruthlessly pressured the Catalans, and when Reyes released Forland with a fantastic through ball, the Uruguayan striker slotted it past Valdes. When Aguero was also released 1 on 1 with Valdes, he didn't have the tenacity that Forlan did, Aguero wasted a perfect opportunity by trying to pass it to a teammate, which was intercepted. Simao doubled the lead after he curled a beautiful free kick past Valdes who took a step too much in the wrong direction, making him unable to reach the ball.  Ibrahimovic equalized for  Barcelona with a volley at the far post, and although Barca pressed for a draw, Atletico held on for a fantastic win.

In Spain, Real Madrid reduced the gap between them and Barcelona to two points after a comfortable win over Deportivo Xerez. Cristiano Ronaldo missed some great opportunites even though he scored two goals, Arbeloa started the scoring after sliding it into the goal after a dubious onside call. Cristiano Ronaldo doubled with a header and scored the third for Real after a blunder by the Xerez goalie. Villareal grab an important win against Athletic Bilbao, a 2-1 victory allows the yellow submarine to move up to ninth in the table.

In Italy, Milan, Juventus, and Roma all pull off wins, Milan beat Udinese 3-2 thanks to an inspiring Ronaldinho, Juventus beat Genoa 3-2 after what seemed like a dive from Del Piero for a late winning penalty, and Roma comfortably took care of Palermo 4-1 with two goals coming from a fantastic Brighi. Meanwhile, one of the best 0-0's all season took place in Naples, Napoli was able to hold off Inter, both teams hit the woodwork at least three times, lots of opportunities were wasted, and the two goalkeepers, Julio Cesar and De Sanctis were fantastic. Inter is only 7 points ahead of Roma, and 8 ahead of Milan which has a game in hand. It looks like the Serie A is really heating up and could easily re-open itself to a new winner.

What do you think of this week's soccer action? Comment below! 

Togo Team Attacked, City Sign Viera, Five EPL Matches Postponed, and More News

Lots of news has occured lately, and with a weekend of action coming up, five Premiership matches were postponed, here is a list of the matches postponed:

Hull City - Chelsea
Burnley - Stoke City
Sunderland - Bolton
Fulham - Portsmouth
Liverpool - Tottenham

Togo National Team Attacked on way to ANC Cup


The Togo National team bus was attacked by gunmen on their way to the African Nations Cup, the driver was killed, and two players were hit by bullets, goalkeeper Obilale Kossi, and Serge Akakpo. The two players seem to be in stable conditions, and the Togo and Manchester City striker Adebayor is not hurt. The bus was under fire for more that 20 minutes, and now it seems that Togo may decide to boycott the African Nations Cup due to security concerns. Hopefully events like this will not happen again.

City Sign Vieira and Napoli Sign Dossena


Manchester City have made their first signing of the winter transfer window, Patrick Vieira, formerly of Inter Milan, has joined Roberto Mancini in his conquest to claim Champions League soccer for Manchester City. Vieira seems happy to have joined City and returned to English football, and although some say he is old and unable to keep up with todays game, Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger and Tottenham coach Harry Redknapp, both say that it is a great signing.

Liverpool have also offloaded their Italian fullback Andrea Dossena to Napoli for 4.25 million euros, with the extra money, Liverpool may be able to put the finishing touches on the Rodriguez deal that could bring Maxi Rodriguez to Liverpool from Atletico Madrid soon.

Owen Coyle Leaves Burnley for Bolton Job


Owen Coyle has taken over at Bolton after Gary Megson was sacked, the Burnley manager was doing great things with Burnley, and it seemed that they would escape relegation. But once Megson was sacked, Coyle was determined to go to Bolton because of the resources the club might have over his former club.

Latest Quote of the Week Out!


Also remember to check out SWU's latest QOTW, this week it is controversial Newcastle player Joey Barton who said, "Most footballers are knobs" a bit ironic that it's Joey Barton saying this, but we accept the news happily, thank you Joey.

What do you think of the latest soccer news? Comment below!

Champions League Wrap Up

Here is a wrap up of the Champions League group stages,


Inter Milan hold Barcelona to a draw,

Eternal Inzaghi scores double to give AC Milan three points,

Juventus draws with Bordeaux giving both a slow start,

Real Madrid slaughters Zurich 5-2 with two goals by Ronaldo,

Chelsea get past Porto plain and simple 1-0,


Lyon shrugs off Fiorentina winning 1-0,


Arsenal come back from a two goal deficit to win 3-2, the third goal by Eduardo,


Manchester United struggles with Besiktas in Turkey,


Bayern Munich power through Maccabi Haifa 3-0,


and Liverpool get through Debrecen with a goal from Kuyt.



For more the group tables, and all match reports click on read more.

Teams that have qualified for Champions League group stages

The teams that have qualified for the Champions League group stages are:

Fiorentina

Olympiakos

Arsenal

Lyon

Stuttgart

Zurich

Atletico Madrid

Debreceni VSB

APOEL

Maccabi Haifa

Champions league qualifiers results: 1st leg

Timisora - VfB Stuttgart: 0-2

Sporting Lisbon - Fiorentina: 2-2

Olympique Lyonnais - Anderlecht: 5-1

FK Ventspils - Zurich: 0-3

Sheriff - Olympiakos Piraeus: 0-2

Kobenhavn - APOEL Nicosia: 1-0

Celtic - Arsenal: 0-2

Salzburg - Maccabi Haifa FC: 1-2

Panathinaikos - Atletico Madrid: 2-3

Levski Sofia - Debreceni VSC: 1-2

Manchester United wants Sergio "El Kun" Aguero for 53 million euros

According to Spanish newspaper, SPORT, Manchester United have offered 52 million euros to Atletico Madrid for Argentinian star forward Sergio "El Kun" Aguero.
The English champions have been looking for a proven goalscorer ever since cristiano Ronaldo went to Real Madrid.