Ex Premier League manager Martin Jol returns to the UK as visitors Hamburg look to build on their 3-1 lead on Manchester City at Eastlands tonight in the UEFA Cup quarter final second leg. Jol’s German team are third in the Bundesliga, only 3 points off of top, so his objective will be the winning the double. They’ll fancy their chances against an off form Manchester City, that’s for sure.
Strange season for Manchester City really. Loaded with their new owners, Mark Hughes perhaps wouldn’t have rushed into Brazilian virtuoso Robinho who doesn’t look happy. It has been suggested that he is an ‘icing on the cake’ player, that he would have been more suited to a well established team like Chelsea. That said, he is more than capable of wondrous footballing feats, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he scores a goal or creates one tonight. Stephen Ireland has probably been their player of the season and Hughes has bought well but City aren’t performing right now. Defensively, Man City could be exposed tonight and Hamburg in the last half hour will look to counter attack but overall will be looking to stifle the home fans by regimented German defending and playing the possession game.
Hamburg have captain David Jarolim back strengthening the German side that lost on the weekend without him. I think this could be a draw.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
FA Cup News
Unless you've been living in a cave, you'll know that last night's Champion League action has set the scene nicely for an all English semi final. Looking at the stats, the two legs of the tie, on 29 April at Old Trafford and 5 May at the Emirates, will be the first time the two fierce rivals have met on the European stage. However in all other competitions the 2 managers have met 37 times, with the spoils split pretty much evenly (United 14, Arsenal 15, draws 8). Arsenal beat Manchester United 2-1 at The Emirates earlier this season, and the teams will meet at Old Trafford on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season. Both teams are currently playing well in the FA Cup and the League, with cup semi-finals 10 days before the Old Trafford encounter and challenging end-of-season run-ins.
Arsenal's next match is at Wembley on Saturday, when they face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals and they are also playing Liverpool and Middlesbrough in the league before they face Ferguson's team. Both these matches are likely to be tough, with Liverpool desperate to catch Man United at the top to secure some silverware this season and Boro fighting for sheer survival. Arguably United have the slightly easier run in, meeting Everton this weekend in the last four of the FA Cup before facing Portsmouth and Tottenham in the league.
Currently both teams and managers are professing their pleasure at meeting domestic opposition in the Champion's League and are very complementary about each other. However as we approach the ties, I'm sure that the niceties will be replaced with the usual media warfare. Unfortunately the 2 clubs also have a history of conflict on the pitch, with large fines and bans being handed out to Arsenal in Autumn 2003 after certain Gunners decided to rough up Van Nistelrooy for his part in getting Viera sent off. The following year saw "Pizzagate" (also known as "battle of the buffet") when allegedly a slice of Pizza was thrown in the tunnel at Ferguson. Over the years the 2 managers have also let their emotions spill over, but as Wenger once said "What would I do if Sir Alex wasn't around? I would have no one to keep me on my toes or to fight. I enjoy our rivalry. It is good for Arsenal, good for Manchester United and good for both of us."
It is certainly good for the neutral!
Arsenal's next match is at Wembley on Saturday, when they face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals and they are also playing Liverpool and Middlesbrough in the league before they face Ferguson's team. Both these matches are likely to be tough, with Liverpool desperate to catch Man United at the top to secure some silverware this season and Boro fighting for sheer survival. Arguably United have the slightly easier run in, meeting Everton this weekend in the last four of the FA Cup before facing Portsmouth and Tottenham in the league.
Currently both teams and managers are professing their pleasure at meeting domestic opposition in the Champion's League and are very complementary about each other. However as we approach the ties, I'm sure that the niceties will be replaced with the usual media warfare. Unfortunately the 2 clubs also have a history of conflict on the pitch, with large fines and bans being handed out to Arsenal in Autumn 2003 after certain Gunners decided to rough up Van Nistelrooy for his part in getting Viera sent off. The following year saw "Pizzagate" (also known as "battle of the buffet") when allegedly a slice of Pizza was thrown in the tunnel at Ferguson. Over the years the 2 managers have also let their emotions spill over, but as Wenger once said "What would I do if Sir Alex wasn't around? I would have no one to keep me on my toes or to fight. I enjoy our rivalry. It is good for Arsenal, good for Manchester United and good for both of us."
It is certainly good for the neutral!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Champions League results 15th April Porto 0 Manchester United 1
Despite all the pre-match negativity, Ronaldo silenced his critics and the hostile Porto fans after just 5 minutes by scoring a thunderbolt from 40 yards to give Man U the perfect start. Exquisite!! From that point on Man United looked strong affording Porto very few attempts on goal. Just before half time it should have been 2-0 to United with a John O'Shea flick on from Ryan Giggs' corner, however Vidic shot over the bar from five yards. The defender understandably held his head in his hands. Just as at the Emirates, United were controlling the match in the first half but appeared to lack urgency.
Throughout the second half the Porto substitute Mariano caused problems for United, pushing Evra into a number of unnecessary errors. 10 minutes in, Porto had a decent chance as Mariano jumped between John O'Shea and Rio Ferdinand to connect with a deep Raul Meireles cross, which fortunately went wide. Two minutes later Patrice Evra was booked for clattering into Mariano. A nervous Evra again failed to close Mariano down at 85 minutes but fortunately Lopez sidefooted Mariano’s cross straight to Van de Sar. These were tense times for United fans, with both teams painfully aware that United’s lead was very fragile with a single goal from Porto being enough for the home side.
However Manchester United managed to hold on to set up a mouth watering all English semi with Arsenal. For the fifth season in a row English football is guaranteed a representative in the final, which is further evidence of the quality of the beautiful game in our green and pleasant land. If only more of the players in our top clubs were English, but that is a debate for another time ...
Throughout the second half the Porto substitute Mariano caused problems for United, pushing Evra into a number of unnecessary errors. 10 minutes in, Porto had a decent chance as Mariano jumped between John O'Shea and Rio Ferdinand to connect with a deep Raul Meireles cross, which fortunately went wide. Two minutes later Patrice Evra was booked for clattering into Mariano. A nervous Evra again failed to close Mariano down at 85 minutes but fortunately Lopez sidefooted Mariano’s cross straight to Van de Sar. These were tense times for United fans, with both teams painfully aware that United’s lead was very fragile with a single goal from Porto being enough for the home side.
However Manchester United managed to hold on to set up a mouth watering all English semi with Arsenal. For the fifth season in a row English football is guaranteed a representative in the final, which is further evidence of the quality of the beautiful game in our green and pleasant land. If only more of the players in our top clubs were English, but that is a debate for another time ...
Champions League Quarter Final Result 15th April Arsenal 3 Villareal 0
The pre-match ovation for Pires was a nice touch from the Arsenal fans and well deserved by the veteran of over 300 games in the Arsenal kit. Despite his disparaging comments in the week about the youth of Arsenal’s team, Pires also said that if he scored he wouldn’t celebrate out of respect for his old club. The Arsenal fans were of course hoping not to witness that gesture as with only the single away goal under their belts, Arsenal really didn’t want Villareal to score at the Emirates.
Arsenal started very brightly with a handful of attempts on goal in the few minutes and rightfully deserved to go ahead after 10 minutes with Walcott skilfully converting a cheeky flick from Fabregas. Throughout the first half Walcott looked threatening on the right with Adebayor also pushing forward strongly. Arsenal thought they’d scored a second after 28 mins when Adebayor followed up a free kick from Van Persie, but despite howlers from the Villareal defence the ball didn’t quite go over the line.
Villareal did begin to wake up as the half progressed. Although they never looked convincing at the back with Gonzalo in particular making a number of errors, Villareal did start to look dangerous going forward. Arsenal had a nervy end to the first half with Villareal conceding a corner, which fortunately was headed over the crossbar.
Arsenal started well in the second half but hit a nervous patch as the first hour approached by conceding a number of free kicks. However Arsenal answered any accusations of fielding too inexperienced a team when Adebayor got on the end of a great pass from Van Persie and scored just before the first hour.
At 66 minutes Walcott won a penalty after being brought down by Godin. The Villareal players protested strongly with Eguren pushing the referee too far and ending up with a red card for his trouble. Van Persie sent it screaming into the top right corner to shatter 10 man Villareal’s hopes for the tie and to set Arsenal up for a semi final with Manchester United. Should be a great tie!
Arsenal started very brightly with a handful of attempts on goal in the few minutes and rightfully deserved to go ahead after 10 minutes with Walcott skilfully converting a cheeky flick from Fabregas. Throughout the first half Walcott looked threatening on the right with Adebayor also pushing forward strongly. Arsenal thought they’d scored a second after 28 mins when Adebayor followed up a free kick from Van Persie, but despite howlers from the Villareal defence the ball didn’t quite go over the line.
Villareal did begin to wake up as the half progressed. Although they never looked convincing at the back with Gonzalo in particular making a number of errors, Villareal did start to look dangerous going forward. Arsenal had a nervy end to the first half with Villareal conceding a corner, which fortunately was headed over the crossbar.
Arsenal started well in the second half but hit a nervous patch as the first hour approached by conceding a number of free kicks. However Arsenal answered any accusations of fielding too inexperienced a team when Adebayor got on the end of a great pass from Van Persie and scored just before the first hour.
At 66 minutes Walcott won a penalty after being brought down by Godin. The Villareal players protested strongly with Eguren pushing the referee too far and ending up with a red card for his trouble. Van Persie sent it screaming into the top right corner to shatter 10 man Villareal’s hopes for the tie and to set Arsenal up for a semi final with Manchester United. Should be a great tie!
Champions League Quarter Final News 15th April
After last night's champion's league thriller, it's difficult to imagine that tonight's games will be as exciting. However for the fans of both Man United and Arsenal, tonight is definitely a pivotal night in their seasons. Man U of course already have a couple of trophies in the cabinet this season and a fighting chance of winning 3 more, although they've certainly made things difficult for themselves by conceding 2 goals at home to Porto last week. To reach the semi-finals United must win at the Estadio do Dragao, which is something no English side has managed before. However after last night's performances by Liverpool and Chelsea, it feels like anything is possible. United fans will also look to 1999, when United overcame the odds to beat Turin 2:3 after drawing at home and then trailing 0:2 away and then of course went on to win the Champions League final after a dramatic come back against Bayern Munich.
Arsenal only have a mathematical possibility of winning the league this year, although are still in with a chance of winning the FA Cup this year. However the Champions League is particularly poignant to many Arsenal fans, who are still hurting from 2006, when due to Jens Lehman's sending off after 18 minutes, many Gooners feel they never had a proper crack at bringing the trophy back to North London. The 4-1 win against Wigan at the weekend means that, after a poor start to the season, Gunners' only loss this year has been at Roma (a tie they eventually won on penalties). Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger certainly believes his side have the mental strength to beat Villarreal tonight and the Gunners have the advantage of an away goal after drawing 1-1 in the first leg. Arsenal will however be without defenders Johan Djourou and Gael Clichy, which further weakens the Gunners backline in the absence of William Gallas. Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia's ankle also rules him out of tonight's match.
However Villarreal are also under strength, missing midfielder Marcos Senna, the goal scorer of the first leg, who limped off at the weekend with a hamstring injury in a 2-0 defeat by Malaga. The Primera Liga side's midfield is also weakened, with Santi Cazorla injured and wingers Cani and Mati Fernandez doubtful. It will therefore be fascinating night of football. My prediction is that Man United will pull it off tonight by beating Porto 1:2 and that Arsenal will go through by scoring a single goal at the Emirates. So less of a goal fest than last night but all the elements will be in place for a fascinating semi final!
Arsenal only have a mathematical possibility of winning the league this year, although are still in with a chance of winning the FA Cup this year. However the Champions League is particularly poignant to many Arsenal fans, who are still hurting from 2006, when due to Jens Lehman's sending off after 18 minutes, many Gooners feel they never had a proper crack at bringing the trophy back to North London. The 4-1 win against Wigan at the weekend means that, after a poor start to the season, Gunners' only loss this year has been at Roma (a tie they eventually won on penalties). Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger certainly believes his side have the mental strength to beat Villarreal tonight and the Gunners have the advantage of an away goal after drawing 1-1 in the first leg. Arsenal will however be without defenders Johan Djourou and Gael Clichy, which further weakens the Gunners backline in the absence of William Gallas. Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia's ankle also rules him out of tonight's match.
However Villarreal are also under strength, missing midfielder Marcos Senna, the goal scorer of the first leg, who limped off at the weekend with a hamstring injury in a 2-0 defeat by Malaga. The Primera Liga side's midfield is also weakened, with Santi Cazorla injured and wingers Cani and Mati Fernandez doubtful. It will therefore be fascinating night of football. My prediction is that Man United will pull it off tonight by beating Porto 1:2 and that Arsenal will go through by scoring a single goal at the Emirates. So less of a goal fest than last night but all the elements will be in place for a fascinating semi final!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Champions League Football Results 13th April
Football Results - Champions League
Bayern Munich 1 Barcelona 1 (agg 1-5)
Chelsea 5 Liverpool 4 (agg 7-5)
Well as there were 12 goals in total and it was the game I watched, I want to talk about Chelsea's victory against Liverpool. Similarly to the first match it was Liverpool in the first half that bossed the match. However in this match, it was even more accentuated, with one chance for Torres after the first goal from a free kick that left me completely speechless (check this spectacular one out on you tube...Aurelio in the 19th minute) that on a different night would have got them to 2-0. However shortly after that there was a penalty kick awarded to the visitors which I thought seemed a tad harsh - Alonso cracked a great penalty in to get the Reds square on aggregate.
In the second half, Chelsea looked like Guus Hiddink may have had a 'chat' with the players who were out on the football pitch 5 minutes prior to the second half kick off. After some great wing play from substitute Nicola Anelka it was striker that converted the cross from point blank range to get Chelsea right back into this 2nd leg.
Drogba then had a chance to score a second with a fiercely struck free kick that skimmed the side netting. Shortly after this, Chelsea were presented with another free kick which Alex stepped forward to place the ball on the pitch. He unleashed a firebolt of a free kick, smashing the ball into the Liverpool night - again people, you've gotta youtube this one!!
Lampard then made it 3-2 from a close range shot that was nearly saved. Incredibly, Liverpool then netted twice in 81st and 82nd minutes with Lucas and Kuyt respectively. Chelsea stayed resolute for a few minutes, then captain Frank Lampard then made it 4-4 on the night to put it out of the reach with a top class curled effort in the 89th minute.
Probably the best game of the season...its games like this that remind you why we love football.
Bayern Munich 1 Barcelona 1 (agg 1-5)
Chelsea 5 Liverpool 4 (agg 7-5)
Well as there were 12 goals in total and it was the game I watched, I want to talk about Chelsea's victory against Liverpool. Similarly to the first match it was Liverpool in the first half that bossed the match. However in this match, it was even more accentuated, with one chance for Torres after the first goal from a free kick that left me completely speechless (check this spectacular one out on you tube...Aurelio in the 19th minute) that on a different night would have got them to 2-0. However shortly after that there was a penalty kick awarded to the visitors which I thought seemed a tad harsh - Alonso cracked a great penalty in to get the Reds square on aggregate.
In the second half, Chelsea looked like Guus Hiddink may have had a 'chat' with the players who were out on the football pitch 5 minutes prior to the second half kick off. After some great wing play from substitute Nicola Anelka it was striker that converted the cross from point blank range to get Chelsea right back into this 2nd leg.
Drogba then had a chance to score a second with a fiercely struck free kick that skimmed the side netting. Shortly after this, Chelsea were presented with another free kick which Alex stepped forward to place the ball on the pitch. He unleashed a firebolt of a free kick, smashing the ball into the Liverpool night - again people, you've gotta youtube this one!!
Lampard then made it 3-2 from a close range shot that was nearly saved. Incredibly, Liverpool then netted twice in 81st and 82nd minutes with Lucas and Kuyt respectively. Chelsea stayed resolute for a few minutes, then captain Frank Lampard then made it 4-4 on the night to put it out of the reach with a top class curled effort in the 89th minute.
Probably the best game of the season...its games like this that remind you why we love football.
2nd leg Champions League Chelsea vs Liverpool Quarter final
Champions League 2nd Leg Quarter final at Stamford Bridge 14th April Chelsea vs Liverpool
( first leg score: Liverpool 1-3 Chelsea)
I thought the first leg of Liverpool v Chelsea at Anfield thoroughly lived up to my expectations of top quality Champions League football. I thought that FC Porto are the team of the round so far last week but Chelsea in the second half against Liverpool were back to their best.
John Terry's out because of yellow card offences but with Carvalho joining Alex in the centre of defence I think that Chelsea will hold the Reds to a draw. Steven Gerrard is still out with a groin strain and I think this will allow Chelsea to control the possession enough to slow things up enough from the home team's perspective. Should be a great tie, but I think Chelsea would be happy with it being a relatively dull affair. Liverpool have the best striker in the league for it...Chelsea will need to keep Torres tightly marked and physically challenged as often as possible without picking up yellow cards.
My prediction would be either 0-0 or 1-1.
( first leg score: Liverpool 1-3 Chelsea)
I thought the first leg of Liverpool v Chelsea at Anfield thoroughly lived up to my expectations of top quality Champions League football. I thought that FC Porto are the team of the round so far last week but Chelsea in the second half against Liverpool were back to their best.
John Terry's out because of yellow card offences but with Carvalho joining Alex in the centre of defence I think that Chelsea will hold the Reds to a draw. Steven Gerrard is still out with a groin strain and I think this will allow Chelsea to control the possession enough to slow things up enough from the home team's perspective. Should be a great tie, but I think Chelsea would be happy with it being a relatively dull affair. Liverpool have the best striker in the league for it...Chelsea will need to keep Torres tightly marked and physically challenged as often as possible without picking up yellow cards.
My prediction would be either 0-0 or 1-1.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Saturday 11 April Premier League action
This is my 100th blog! Thank you to any readers that have commented ove the past 6 months on my footie posts - also please note that guest bloggers are welcome to write about any aspect of the beautiful game.
All grounds will be paying tribute to the Hillsborough 20th anniversary today. I still can't believe that sad day happened 20 years ago...we should be thankful that modern football facilities have moved on so much.
Today's games:
Premier League 11th April fixtures
Chelsea v Bolton
Liverpool v Blackburn
Middlesbrough v Hull
Portsmouth v West Brom
Stoke v Newcastle
Sunderland v Man Utd
Tottenham v West Ham
Wigan v Arsenal
Chelsea and Liverpool could put pressure on Sir Alex's men again this weekend, I think they'll both bag 3 points. I think the Tigers will get an away win at the Riverside, Stoke v Newcastle to draw in their relegation scrap.
Big shout for Spurs today at home against the Hammers....COYS!!!
All grounds will be paying tribute to the Hillsborough 20th anniversary today. I still can't believe that sad day happened 20 years ago...we should be thankful that modern football facilities have moved on so much.
Today's games:
Premier League 11th April fixtures
Chelsea v Bolton
Liverpool v Blackburn
Middlesbrough v Hull
Portsmouth v West Brom
Stoke v Newcastle
Sunderland v Man Utd
Tottenham v West Ham
Wigan v Arsenal
Chelsea and Liverpool could put pressure on Sir Alex's men again this weekend, I think they'll both bag 3 points. I think the Tigers will get an away win at the Riverside, Stoke v Newcastle to draw in their relegation scrap.
Big shout for Spurs today at home against the Hammers....COYS!!!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Champions League Quarter Final Latest
Half time Champions League latest Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea ... the Battle of Britain has lived up to its expectations in the Champions League Quarter final tonight. The second half I think will go to the home side.....Bet on this game now
Quarter Final Champions League results 7th April
1st leg Manchester United 2 FC Porto 2
1st leg Villareal 1 Arsenal 1
Intriguing Champions League action tonight, this competition is really starting to come to life...shame you have to endure the group stages really!
Manchester United were outplayed by FC Porto and were fortunate to go in at half time 1-1. FC Porto controlled possession and broke quickly. Ronaldo and Rooney always looked dangerous on the break and Rooney scored from close range in the first half which saw my 'dead cert' Rooney to score anytime bet come in. Tevez scored a tasty little goal from a cool flick on from Wayne Rooney but FC Porto squared it to 2-2 which was the mininum that the visitors deserved.
Arsenal also struggled by all accounts in the first half of their 1st leg away at Villareal, with injuries to Almunia and Gallas rubbing salt into the wounds with Villareal scoring an absolute beauty rom Spanish international Marcos Senna. The Gunners had to be be happy to be in it at half time and were a completely different team in the second half. The could have scored several times but it was Adebayor who acrobatically equalised with a chest trap and bicycle kick finish, definitely one to youtube.
Quarter Final Champions League results 7th April
1st leg Manchester United 2 FC Porto 2
1st leg Villareal 1 Arsenal 1
Intriguing Champions League action tonight, this competition is really starting to come to life...shame you have to endure the group stages really!
Manchester United were outplayed by FC Porto and were fortunate to go in at half time 1-1. FC Porto controlled possession and broke quickly. Ronaldo and Rooney always looked dangerous on the break and Rooney scored from close range in the first half which saw my 'dead cert' Rooney to score anytime bet come in. Tevez scored a tasty little goal from a cool flick on from Wayne Rooney but FC Porto squared it to 2-2 which was the mininum that the visitors deserved.
Arsenal also struggled by all accounts in the first half of their 1st leg away at Villareal, with injuries to Almunia and Gallas rubbing salt into the wounds with Villareal scoring an absolute beauty rom Spanish international Marcos Senna. The Gunners had to be be happy to be in it at half time and were a completely different team in the second half. The could have scored several times but it was Adebayor who acrobatically equalised with a chest trap and bicycle kick finish, definitely one to youtube.
Champions League Quarter Finals news
Tonight's Quarter final (first leg) Champions League ties:
Man Utd v FC Porto
Villarreal v Arsenal
After the fun and games at Old Trafford on Sunday, you would think that Rooney will add the spark to the party and United will win at home against FC Porto. 17 year old Maceda's debut goal reminds you of a young Rooney hitting the Premier League scene in an Everton shirt...I think Rooney to score anytime is well worth a bet.
For a quick online SkyBet - click here and register now!
Arsenal have a real tough one away at Villarreal, I really wouldn't want to attempt predicting the result in terms of win/lose/draw but I think an under 2.5 goal bet is worth a go.
Tomorrow's matches:
Wednesday, 8 April 2009 Quarter final 1st Leg Champions League
Barcelona v Bayern Munich (Kick-off time: 19:45)
Liverpool v Chelsea (Kick-off time: 19:45)
Man Utd v FC Porto
Villarreal v Arsenal
After the fun and games at Old Trafford on Sunday, you would think that Rooney will add the spark to the party and United will win at home against FC Porto. 17 year old Maceda's debut goal reminds you of a young Rooney hitting the Premier League scene in an Everton shirt...I think Rooney to score anytime is well worth a bet.
For a quick online SkyBet - click here and register now!
Arsenal have a real tough one away at Villarreal, I really wouldn't want to attempt predicting the result in terms of win/lose/draw but I think an under 2.5 goal bet is worth a go.
Tomorrow's matches:
Wednesday, 8 April 2009 Quarter final 1st Leg Champions League
Barcelona v Bayern Munich (Kick-off time: 19:45)
Liverpool v Chelsea (Kick-off time: 19:45)
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