Round of 16 Champions League Draw 2013/14

UEFA recently held their ceremonial drawing of the Champions League round of 16 stage, and there's a variety of enticing draws especially for Arsenal and Manchester City. Here's the results of the draw below:

Manchester City FC v FC Barcelona
Olympiacos FC v Manchester United FC
AC Milan v Club Atlético de Madrid
Bayer 04 Leverkusen v Paris Saint-Germain
Galatasaray AŞ v Chelsea FC
FC Schalke 04 v Real Madrid CF
FC Zenit v Borussia Dortmund
Arsenal FC v FC Bayern München

Although there's a definite excitement about the Arsenal v Bayern and Manchester City v Barcelona, I'm really looking forward to see AC Milan v Atletico Madrid. A stern test for Diego Simeone's team to really start the knockout phase of the competition on a strong foot, and to prove that Atletico Madrid can contend for a variety of silverware. There's also something to be said about Drogba getting a chance to return to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea hasn't quite managed to truly find its groove, but Mourinho will have a chance to show if he can conquer Europe again like he did back with Inter Milan and Porto.

What are your favourite ties? Share your thoughts and predictions in the comments.

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.

What is Wrong with Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea?

A man in a difficult position, Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti was a made man. He sat at the top of the Premier League having seen his side score more than 100 goals in a season – the first time since the great Spurs side of the 60’s –, a £9 million contract in the bag, and the promise of a serious assault on the Champions League in the 2010/11 season. This year should have seen football bets placed in favour of the Blues winning the Premier League cashed in.

It is not as if it all went wrong overnight. Chelsea started the season on fire; 25 goals in their first 6 matches. These goals showed a team that looked to shaking of the restrictions of Ancelotti’s diamond formation from the previous season. A balance was found as a team relatively devoid of width excelled with a three man attack of Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda, the third who was allowed to drift into dangerous wide positions.

But slowly but surely Chelsea have seized up and grinded to a halt, and with their future at Europe’s top table threatened, their long term strategy has been somewhat exposed.

Ancelotti’s men have suffered from a certain degree of short sightedness. The attempts to inject young blood into the squad have failed, with the likes of Gael Kakuta and Daniel Sturridge unable to work their way past established stars into the first team – so much so that they have been shipped out on loan. This is all well and good in that it helps them gain experience, but now that Chelsea’s older stars are struggling, there is no one there to step in to help, no plan B. Without Abramovich’s backing in the summer transfer market before the president exploded into life in January, Ancelotti will have been frustrated with a club that looks to have stagnated.

While Jack Wilshere excels for Arsenal and Javier Hernandez and Rafael Da Silva are given opportunities to play first team football at Manchester United, there is not a single young player making their way through to the first team of Chelsea.

The unproven Spaniard

The Italian manager has also had problems thrust upon him in the shape of Fernando Torres. The Spaniard is a shadow of his former self, unrecognisable from his Liverpool pomp. The £50 million pound man has to play, simply put, for both his sake and the sake of the club – but that leaves Ancelotti with a headache. The previously employed threesome of Anelka, Drogba and Malouda worked well, with Malouda drifting off the front two while Anelka occasionally dropped slightly deeper, meaning there was some variation in their attacks.

With Torres in place of Malouda, Ancelotti has three very similar strikers. All three men are quite adept at playing on the shoulder of the last defender and often look to make runs in behind the defence. The problem is that in their last Premier League game against Fulham, the distance between the three was minimal as they bunched together to no great effect. Anelka is forced to go deeper in search of the ball, curbing his creativity in a role he is no more than adequate in, while Drogba and Torres attempt similar movements. Chelsea’s threat has receded and their variation diminishes. Torres may still come good this season, but on this form he is unlikely to be installed as football betting favourite for the top scorer award any time soon.

Of course injuries have played their part, the loss of Drogba and Frank Lampard for large portions of the season have hurt the team. And perhaps the greatest loss of all has been Michael Essien, who still looks short of form in midfield. In their absence, some of Chelsea’s play has been ponderous at best.

Against Fulham last week, Chelsea seemed happy to shift the ball slowly between midfield and defence, and teams have been quick to figure out that two simple, well organised banks of four would deal with the slowly attacking team. Without the physical presence of Drogba, who looks to still be recovering from his bout of malaria, and the attacking link up play of Frank Lampard so crucial to Chelsea, the team's attacking threat curbed further.

A disappointed team, recently knocked out of the FA Cup

But where does that leave Ancelotti? Well on the brink, truth be told. Owner Roman Abramovich will not tolerate their under-performing for much longer and their Champions League tie against Copenhagen is a must win, yet ironically remains a lose-lose situation for Ancelotti. A comprehensive victory over both legs will be expected as a given, anything less will be pounced upon.

Those placing football bets know that Ancelotti is a fine coach with an excellent record, and the signing of David Luiz looks to be a good one. But his squad needs addressing, both in terms of balance and personnel.

Ancelotti has recently set his sights on a top four finish, and after the FA Cup defeat against Everton and the Premier League title out of reach, the Champions League looks to be the only competition in which his side can make an impact. If Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t overcome Copenhagen easily, then he will be in serious trouble.

Chelsea Coming Together For Final Push

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti spoke of "turning corners" and of having brought to an end a "difficult moment which went on too long", following their much-needed victory over Bolton Wanderers. The Blues won in a one-sided affair at the Reebok Stadium with unanswered goals from Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and Ramires, and the result marks the first time that they have won back-to-back Premier League wins since the end of October.

Chelsea are finally looking more like their former selves following a poor run of results which included losses against Sunderland, Birmingham and Wolves, and will now be looking to put together a run of victories in a bid to charge back up the table and into a position to challenge Manchester United for the title, who are most people's football betting tips for the league right now. At present they trail the Old Trafford outfit by seven points having played one more game, but with both fixtures between the pair still yet to be played. Their captain John Terry remains upbeat about their chances of retaining their title,

"In the past we've never given up. Manchester United are getting the right results and a little bit of luck - maybe that will turn. We still have to play them twice and if we can then we'll be back in it,"

Tuesday night's performance would suggest that Chelsea have managed to shake the sense of lethargy from their limbs, and their spirited, determined and ruthless display against a strong Bolton side will have been exactly what their fans would have been praying for. But if this is to be more than a flash-in-the-pan recovery then the Blues will have to keep their concentration, as their next three fixtures consist of challenging games against Everton, Sunderland and Liverpool and the football betting indicates all three sides will give them a match.

One factor which suggests that Chelsea might just be back to their best was the sublime strike by Didier Drogba to open the scoring against Bolton. The goal marks his first for the club since he managed to fully shake a bout of malaria which he admitted to playing through, despite him suffering symptoms for over two months. With Essien back, Drogba fit and Ramires finally opening his account for his new club, the future looks far brighter.

Premiership starts with United and Chelsea on another level

Berbatov scored?!

The Premiership has started, now all of the preseason enigmas will slowly be solved until we finally realize who's the best team in England.

While Chelsea hasn't changed much from last season, they're still a very powerful team, and they could retain the title if they continue like they started. Manchester United has left me a very good impression, I think that they're going to win the title this year, an emerging Rooney, along with Nani, and great subs like Hernandez and Macheda who know how to score goals. As for Arsenal, while they've reinforced with Chamakh and Koscielny (smart signings yet again from Mr. Wenger), they still don't seem able to compete with physical clubs.

As for Liverpool, Tottenham, and Manchester City, they'll be fighting it out for the fourth spot, and in my opinion it's this battle that will be the most exciting. While for me it will probably be Manchester City that will reach the fourth spot this season, Roy Hodgson's Liverpool doesn't seem weak at all.

But now, enough of my thoughts, lets see what happened the first day of the Premiership:

Liverpool haven't appealed against Cole's red card

Chelsea hammered West Bromwich Albion 6-0 with Didier Drogba scoring a hat-trick, Drogba scored a hat trick on the last day against Wigan last season, and now one on the first day against West Brom. Manchester United had little trouble with Newcastle, Berbatov scored in the 3-0 victory which included silky smooth one-touch passing along with Javier Hernandez's debut in the Premier League. Arsenal and Liverpool drew 1-1 with Roy Hodgson's team playing much better, but when Joe Cole was harshly sent off with a direct red, the match became tough for the reds. N'Gog opened the scoring, putting Liverpool ahead with just 10 men, but then Pepe Reina scored the own goal of the season, worse than Green at the World Cup. Reina's blunder gave Arsenal a lucky point, but Hodgson refuses to blame individuals for the draw. Wigan were defeated 4-0 by newly promoted Blackpool, a fine show of attacking football from Holloway's side which demolished Roberto Martinez's team at the DW Stadium. Tottenham and Manchester City drew 0-0 and so did Bolton against Fulham, the only goal-less matches this season so far. And the surprise result has to be Blackburn defeating Everton 1-0 at Ewood park, it was Kalinic who secured Blackburn the win.

When will it end?

It was exciting, it was scintillating, and it was full of goals, there were 26 goals scored in the first day of the Premiership, a very positive statistic. And the league already has controversy mixed in well, Blackpool 2nd in the table, can they continue? Joe Cole gets a red on the first day for the reds, a harsh decision from Atkinson to say the least. Chelsea dominate, will they be unbeatable this season? Bellamy has left City to go on loan to Cardiff, and Joey Barton won't shave until Newcastle get their first win in the Premier League, oh dear... What are your thoughts on the first day of the Premier League? Comment below!

Portugal advance with Brazil after 0-0 draw

A dull game, it was to be expected because Portugal were practically through along with Brazil. Ivory Coast on the other hand played to have fun, the chains off and the Ivory Coast really showed their attacking prowess.

Nilmar's shot saved and onto the crossbar

Portugal - Brazil

It was a tight first half, Nilmar had a good chance after breaking through on the left, redirecting a shot on goal only to see Eduardo tip it just enough so that it bounced off the upright. It was one of the few opportunities in a half littered with fouls, dives, and yellow cards. Then in the 39th Maicon's cross to unmarked Luis Fabiano at the back post who somehow missed the header.

The second half was also forgettable, the biggest chance came thanks to Lucio clearing the ball across his own box for Mereiles to jump onto and have his shot saved by a brave Julio Cesar. Brazil also had a chance with Ramires having shot deflected which slightly troubled Eduardo, but the Portuguese kept the score at 0-0. Dull match, hope to see better from both teams throughout the tournament.

Yaya Toure's shot which ends up in the back of the net

Korea DPR - Ivory Coast


The Ivory Coast finally dominated a game, their first match against Portugal they were cagey and afraid, and in the second against Brazil was just impossible. The Ivory Coast showed why many consider them the best African nation in this tournament, plenty of possession and shots on target as they crushed DPR Korea 3-0.

The first half started well, Drogba getting a goal disallowed for offside, and after that they found the opener with Yaya Toure in the 14th. A pinpoint cutback from Boka on the left which Yaya Toure passed into the bottom left corner. Six minutes later Drogba thundered a shot onto the crossbar from point-blank range to then have Romaric follow up with a header giving the Ivory Coast goal number two.

The third goal came late into the second half, Kalou was brought on as a substitute in the 64th, and then in the 82nd the Chelsea winger got the final goal. A cross which Kalou anticipated perfectly to tuck away, then the Ivory Coast had another disallowed goal from Dindane who finished off a cross which was just tipped by a teammate when he was in an offside position. A good score-line for a team people certainly would've wanted to see more of.

Brazil shines as Kaka is sent off in 3-1 victory

A great match, star names, beautiful football, and that little bit of controversy which helps spark the World Cup fever around the world even more. While Portugal will be playing DPR Korea tomorrow, here's the Brazil vs Ivory Coast match report.

Brazil - Ivory Coast


This match started with the Ivory Coast pushing for the opening goal, Brazil looked clumsy at the beginning as the Ivory Coast tried to create something. But this didn't last long, in the 25th minute as Brazil were entering their stride, some great passing between Robinho, Kaka, and Luis Fabiano led to the Brazilian striker being played through one on one. From there, Luis Fabiano just blasts the ball into the top of the net over Ivory Coast keeper Barry's head for a wonderful opening goal.

Brazil kept possession throughout the game as they went on to score again with Luis Fabiano in the 50th minute, a true center-forward's goal except with a little bit of Brazilian flair added to it. Fabiano all alone with a high ball played to him, he controls, flicks it over one defender, two defender, and then a left foot volley which Barry couldn't handle.

Then just 12 minutes later Kaka running towards the penalty box cutting in from the left, a simple cut-back allows Elano to come in and tap in a third neat and tidy goal. Wonderful playing from Kaka as he set up Elano, but just minutes later Elano goes into a slide tackle and has his shin stepped on, he's taken off for Dani Alves as he limped towards the treatment room.

But the Ivory Coast weren't done, substitute Gervinho with a blistering run all along against two Brazilian defenders eventually finds himself in a corner of Brazil's side, he passes it to Yaya Toure who then chips it for an oncoming Drogba who just has to nod his head for the consolation goal.

But the match wasn't over, Kaka got his first yellow in the 85th minute for pushing and putting his hands on Keita, and then in the 88th Kaka sticks out his elbow just enough to give Keita the chance to dive. The African player is on the floor with almost both teams surrounding him as everyone is arguing and fighting as they push and lay hands on each other. Kaka in the meantime got as far away as he could from the situation, but referee Lannoy made sure that Kaka received his second yellow card as he sent the Brazilian off.

A great match full of controversy, be sure to share your thoughts below about it!

Slovakia and New Zealand draw along with Ivory Coast and Portugal

Two draws which leave their groups open and very undecided, while they could be considered as just more disappointing results for this tournament, hopefully the Brazil - DPR Korea match will be exciting and scintillating.

Reid's equalizer for New Zealand

New Zealand - Slovakia 


After Italy's draw with Paraguay yesterday (if you want a full break-down on that match you can also check this out), New Zealand and Slovakia had the feeling that if they could grab a win, it would be monumental. They could've taken first place in the group over the world champions, invigorating their country as they tried to get through the group stages. Sadly this didn't happen, but what did happen was an exciting 1-1 draw between the two.

The first goal was a header by Vittek for Slovakia, a well worked goal which put the Slovakians in front, they were overjoyed to score as the entire team celebrated together their speculative three points. Slovakia were neat and tidy with their passing, but New Zealand eventually found the equalizer deep into stoppage time. Another header from a good cross gave New Zealand an epic draw, Reid was the hero as he took off his shirt and wildly ran as everyone of the All-whites cheered. Group F now has everyone in the exact same position with one point, one goal for, and one goal against.

Ronaldo being fouled outside the box, but he didn't get the free kick....

Ivory Coast - Portugal


This was a highly anticipated, not to say that people were let down by it, but it ended in a bit of a disappointing 0-0 draw, with Didier Drogba starting from the bench because of his broken/fractured (I'm not sure...) elbow. But even though we were missing probably the best African player, we saw the world's most expensive player strut his stuff. Cristiano Ronaldo right from the beginning was electrifying, in the 11th minute he rocketed a shot onto the post, warning the Ivory Coast of things to come.

Ronaldo and Demel having a shouting contest
which earned them both yellow cards

Even if there was a super-Ronaldo on the field, the Ivory Coast worked more as a team, while Portugal wanted to thread everything through Ronaldo, the Ivory Coast were building confidence as they worked together. Young Gervinho was very dangerous on the left as he often dribbled well, followed by shots for the Ivorians, certainly one to watch Gervinho who plays for Lille. While Cristiano Ronaldo dived often and effectively, he also didn't get a free kick he wanted from right outside the box because of his notorious reputation. Instead, he decided to almost pick a fight with Demel, which earned both of them yellow cards as they swore at each other.

Didier Drogba came on in the 66th and pumped up the African crowd with just his presence, and in the dying minutes of the match, Drogba missed a great chance right in front of Portugal keeper Eduardo. Overall a rather entertaining match, but without goals, and while we can expect Brazil to score five or six  against DPR Korea (full match report will be on SWU), this World Cup continues to disappoint just a little bit.

Chelsea and Bayern win titles, and La Liga and Serie A down to last day

It's sad to see the season finishing off, it's almost as if you've ended a long relationship with a lover which has had it's ups and downs. And although European leagues are finishing off, there are the attractions of the MLS, and the Brazilian Championship which are beginning, but it just doesn't feel the same...
Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea has won the Premier League title in his first season on the final match-day while Portsmouth, Hull City, and Burnley are relegated to the Championship for next season.

In Germany, Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga mathematically two days in advance, the 22nd title in the club's history. It seemed like Felix Magath's Schalke 04 could pull off a heroic finish to claim first, but Bayern Munich's might was too much and the Bavarian's will be looking ahead at their Champions League final date against Inter Milan May 22nd.

Sevilla - Barcelona


If there was to be a match where Barcelona slipped and gave Real Madrid a chance, it was supposed to be this one, yet the Catalans managed a shaky 3-2 win. It seemed the usual stuff for Barca as they scored in the 5th minute with Messi controlling an indescribable pass/volley by Xavi and slotting it into the net. Krkic followed soon after with another routine goal, but Barcelona was wasting many chances as the match went on. After the interval Sevilla had Konko sent off and it seemed impossible for them to do anything after Pedro drilled in a volley for the third. But sleepy defending by the Barcelona back-line allowed two quick goals by Kanoute and Luis Fabiano to put Barcelona in a shaky state for the final 20 minutes. Sevilla pressed on and Barcelona continued to waste opportunities, eventually the final whistle came and the Catalans narrowly escaped from what could've been a fatal draw.

In England, Manchester United defeated Stoke 4-0 but didn't claim the title, Berbatov was missing goals for fun but eventually Fletcher tapped in a goal to ease the tension, Giggs, an own goal by Higginbotham and Ji-Sung Park followed. Chelsea on the other hand won with double the goals to extravagantly claim the title, Wigan were defeated 8-0 with Drogba getting a hat-trick to win the top-scorer of the league ahead of Wayne Rooney. Tottenham crash after their fantastic sprint for fourth at Turf Moor against relegated Burnley, Spurs went two up in the first half but were met with a four goal comeback by Burnley.

In Italy, the title race goes down to the next and final matchday, Roma came back against Cagliari with a Totti double letting them stay in the race behind Inter. Inter Milan on the other hand won with the extravagant score-line of 4-3 over Chievoverona, it seemed like everything was fine at 4-1, but Chievo gave the nerazzurri a scare in the final minutes after coming back with two goals. The battle for fourth between Sampdoria and Palermo ended up in a 1-1 draw, a tight and exciting match which favors Sampdoria in the table, and we could be seeing Cassano back in the Champions League next year. AC Milan continue their disappointing season after losing 1-0 against Genoa and Udinese and Bari ended their match 3-3, with Di Natale breaking 100 goals in Serie A.

In Spain, Real Madrid continue to press on for the title after they won 5-1 against Athletic Bilbao, it seemed like a tight match at 1-1 up till the 73rd minute until Higuain started the scoring with Sergio Ramos, Benzema, and Marcelo following for the easy win. Villareal won 2-0 against Valencia even if they were in 9 men for about 15 minutes with Llorente and Capdevila sent off, but the Italian Rossi had already scored along with the later sent off Llorente to take 3 important points as Villareal push for Europa League football next season.

What do you think of the season finale? Comment below!

Barca Destroy Stuttgart and Inter Overpower Chelsea

A fantastic end to the Champions league round of 16, and now we finally know all of the quarter finalists, Europa League will be added on tomorrow after the matches, and when the draw happens on friday, you'll know where to find it, right here on SWU.

Chelsea - Inter Milan: Aggregate 1-3

Inter Milan simply overpowered Chelsea throughout the match, of course the blues looked dangerous sometimes, but fantastic resolute defending by Samuel, Lucio (who will miss the next Champions League match), and Maicon stopped Drogba in his tracks. Sneijder was magical, spreading passes which created 4 or 5 great scoring opportunities for Eto'o, Milito, and Pandev, but the magical moment was when Sneijder launched a beautiful ball with his left foot for Eto'o, and Eto'o did what he does best, score. At the end, it seemed that Drogba lost his cool, and kicked Thiago Motta who had fallen over, causing the Ivorian to be sent off in the final minutes of the match. Chelsea had some penalty shouts, but Inter severely overpowered Chelsea, completeing Jose Mourinho's epic return to Stamford Bridge.


Barcelona - Stuttgart: Aggregate 5-1

Barcelona were inspired by a brilliant Messi yet again, the Argentinean decided to take the ball and stroke it into the top left corner of Lehman's net in the 14th minute, and although Stuttgart pressed, it already seemed decided. Messi inspired Pedro's after a brilliant through pass to Toure Yaya who squared the ball to Pedro for the tap in, and Messi scored a third after quickly turning around at the top of the box, and stroking yet another beautiful ball in the bottom right corner this time. Bojan came on in the 88th for a wonderful Iniesta, and scored a minute later after a good pass from Ibrahimovic, Bojan slid it past Lehman to complete a fantastic night at the Camp Nou.


Sevilla - CSKA Moskva: Aggregate 2-3

This match was decided thanks to some horrendous goalkeeping by Palop, Necid quickly grabbed a goal in the first half, but Perotti quickly equalized after some great work by Navas on the right wing. Then came the goal which marked Palop's game, Keisuke Honda shot a good free kick which Palop punched right into his own net. Sevilla were unable to get the needed goals to go through after the mess-up from their keeper in the 55th minute, letting CSKA Moskva go through


Olympiakos - Bordeaux:  Aggregate 1 -3

Bordeaux were led by a fantastic Gourcuff away from home, the young frenchman inspired his side with a free kick which looped over the keeper giving his side a crucial goal in the 5th minute of the match. Derbyshire was ssent off for Olympiakos, but they equalized soon after in the second half after a great volley by Mitroglou, seemingly restoring things for the Greek champions. Diarra was sent off for the French champions, and eventually Chamakh grabbed an important goal, a powerful header in the 88th which assured Bordeaux a spot among the quarter finalists.

Major League Wrap Up: Drogba Doubles Down to Pummel Arsenal

A weekend with great action, this could be the resurgence of Liverpool, and downfall of Arsenal, especially seeing that the two teams will play each other next week.

Chelsea - Arsenal


Drogba never misses a chance to destroy Arsenal, it doesn't matter that he has just come back from the African Cup of Nations, Didier rolls his sleeves up and provides us with two goals that could spell the end of the title challenge for Arsenal. Drogba's first goal was off a corner, John Terry gets to it first, and Drogba ghosts in at the back post for an easy tap in, but it was the second goal that highlighted what Arsenal is missing, a true striker. Drogba takes the ball on the right side of the area, turns two defenders inside out as he cuts in, and blasts the ball past Almunia with his left foot. A spectacular goal that highlights Arsenal's weakness. But the Drogba show wasn't over, near the end of the match, Drogba blasts a free kick into the crossbar which is still shaking, and Almunia hadn't taken a step until the defense cleared the ball. Arsenal had few chances, with Arshavin either missing most of them, or being stopped by a phenomenal Cech, but it seemed like all Chelsea needed on the field to defeat Arsenal  was Cech and Drogba.
Final score 2-0

In England, the Merseyside derby was intense and full of fouls, but Liverpool did what it needed to do and came out with a 1-0 win thanks to a headed effort off a corner by Kuyt, putting the reds in fourth place. Tottenham and Aston Villa drew 0-0, and so did Bolton and Fulham, while Sunderland and Wigan drew 1-1. Hull City defeated Manchester City 2-1 after a goal by the american Jozy Altidore, and a rocket volley by Boateng, and although Adebayor scored with a tap in off a corner, and Vieira made his debut for Manchester City, they were disorganized, spraying passes everywhere without precision. Manchester United seem to have lost all their troubles thanks to a 5-0 win against Portsmouth where the Portsmouth defenders scored three own goals to help United keep the pressure on Chelsea for the title race.

In Italy, Juventus have dropped down to seventh after an extremely disappointing 1-1 draw with Livorno, with Felipe Melo being sent off, it doesn't seem like Juve will pick itself up anytime soon. Not only did Juventus slow down their challenge against Inter, but AC Milan drew 0-0 against Bologna, even though Milan had 17 shots, only four were on goal, with Ronaldinho skimming the crossbar. A team which has picked itself up is Roma, even though they were outplayed for most of the game against Fiorentina, they were still able to snag a 1-0 victory which raises them up to second, only 8 points away from Inter. Inter Milan instead continue their dominance with a fantastic 3-0 victory over Cagliari, Pandev played a spectacular game scoring and creating, Inter dominated, and they didn't even have their creative player, Sneijder.

In Spain, Valencia continue to march on thanks to a 2-0 victory over Real Valladolid, the young prospect Banega scored with a long range effort along with a bullett header by the unstoppable David Villa, this puts them in a solid third position, 8 points away from Real Madrid. Mallorca remain fourth thanks to a 1-0 victory over the ever-sinking Villareal, and Sevilla are fifth after losing to Real Zaragoza 2-1, Contini scored for Zaragoza, but Kanoute equalized minutes after, then Negredo scored an own goal, lowering Sevilla out of the Champions League spots. Barcelona won 2-1 against Getafe, Messi scored in the 7th minute making it seem all simple and easy for the Spanish champions, but when Pique was sent off in the 26th, Barcelona had to make sure they could hold on. Xavi scored another one in the 67th minute, but in the 90th, Soldado scored a penalty and Marquez was sent off, leaving Barca without two important defensive players for their next match against Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid won 3-0 against Espanyol with Kaka' scoring to end his barren run without goals, Ramos scored in the fifth with a header, then Kaka' followed and finally Higuain scored in the 90th minute, keeping los blancos within five points of the Catalan giants.



Just a quick question for the gooners who are disappointed with Wenger, if insanity is repetition of the same action expecting a different result, could we say that Arsene has finally lost it with his beautiful football? What do you think? Comment below!

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!

Final 10 Nominees for 2009 Ballon D'Or

The final ten nominees for the 2009 Ballon D'Or have been released, and Barcelona dominates the list with Messi favored to win the trophy.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Manchester United-Real Madrid)

Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea)

Samuel Eto'o (Camerun, Barcelona-Inter Milan)

Steven Gerrard (England, Liverpool)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden, Inter Milan-Barcelona)

Andres Iniesta (Spain, Barcelona)


Kaka (Brazil, AC Milan-Real Madrid)

Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona)

Wayne Rooney (England, Manchester United)

Xavi (Spain, Barcelona)




The winner of the Ballon D'Or is considered the best player in European football for that year, the winner is decided by a poll of football journalists compiled by France Football, the winner should be revealed Tuesday.