Football Rumbling

Isco calls his dog 'Messi'

2013-06-29T14:41:00.002-07:00

Not a few days ago, Real Madrid have officially announced the capture of highly-rated Spanish international, Isco (21). Youngster was a long-term target for Manchester City and newly-appointed City coach, Manuel Pellegrini was left disappointed to find out his former star has chosen another club. Despite his release clause being around £30M, the clubs have reached an agreement around £23M.

Controversy was up in the air when it was found out, from his previous interviews from his Valencia days, that Isco was a self-proclaimed anti-Madrista due to Real Madrid's apparent arrogance and bad attitude towards the game.

Now, on a bit of a lighter note, Isco has explained why he calls his dog 'Messi' when questioned about it: "I named my dog 'Messi' because Messi is the best in the world, and so is my dog".

Isco has also revealed his admiration for Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, while also claiming that Ronaldinho is an inspiration.

Fernandinho v Paulinho: Who's a better deal?

2013-06-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

After 8 seasons spent in Ukraine, high-profile playmaker Fernandinho (28) has made a £30M switch to Manchester City. He was a first major acquisition for the Etihad-based side, who were looking to add depth in their aging midfield, with Gareth Barry's City future in doubt.

Having made his debut for the national side in 2011, it is fair to assume that Fernandinho was not a favored pick for the majority of Seleção coaches. So far he has made just 5 appearances for Brazil and hasn't been a part of any major tournaments the nation has participated in.

Paulinho, his 25 year old counterpart, on the other hand, appears to be rated quite highly at his homeland. He made his debut in 2011 as well, but has been a major part of the national side ever since, making 15 appearances and finding the net on 4 occasions. Still a Corinthians player, Paulinho is expected to make a move to Manchester City's Premier League rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, who have matched his release clause which states he can leave the club if a £17M offer is submitted.

Being significantly younger, more consistent with the national side, a lot cheaper and arguably more complete player than Fernandinho, given the comparison, it would seem that Tottenham are about to pull yet another major coup in his signing.

Top 10 summer transfer fees (so far)

2013-06-04T11:04:00.001-07:00

With almost a full month for the transfer window to open, several high-profile deals have already been concluded in what promises to be one thrilling transfer window. So far the total amount of money spent on fees across Europe exceeds a sum of €400M. Listed below are the highest-paid transfers of the 2013/14 summer transfer window (figures are listed in European euros):

Falcao (60M) - Atletico Madrid (SPA) to Monaco (FRA)

Neymar (57M) - Santos (BRA) to Barcelona (SPA)

James Rodriguez (45M) - FC Porto (POR) to Monaco (FRA)

Mario Götze (37M) - Borussia Dortmund (GER) to Bayern Munich (GER)

João Moutinho (25M) - FC Porto (POR) to Monaco (FRA)

Ricky van Wolfswinkel (10M) - Sporting (POR) to Norwich (ENG)

Sokratis Papastathopoulos (9.5M) - Werder Bremen (GER) to Borussia Dortmund (GER)

Diego Reyes (7M) - CF América (MEX) to FC Porto (POR)

Daniel Carvajal (6.5M) - Bayer Leverkusen (GER) to Real Madrid (SPA)

Aurélien Chedjou (6.3M) - Lille (FRA) to Galatasaray (TUR)

London battle for the Champions League entrance

2013-04-21T08:18:00.002-07:00

It is a well-known fact how intense the battles are in the EPL, when the Champions League places are at stake and it's been known to derail the focus from the title with the intesity of competitiveness. With just a handful of games to be played, nothing is clear regarding the 3rd and 4th spot. Three of London's biggest clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, are all going head to head in the thrilling rush for the Champions League extasy and bellow you'll find the situation the teams are in.

Arsenal - 63 points

Games played: 34

Form: WDWWW

Remaining schedule: Man Utd (H), QPR (A), Wigan (H), Newcastle (A)

Chelsea - 61 points

Games played: 32

Form: WWLWW

Remaining schedule: Liverpool (A), Swansea (H), Man Utd (A), Tottenham (H), Aston Villa (A), Everton (H)

Tottenham - 61 points

Games played: 33

Form: WDWLL

Remaining schedule: Wigan (A), Southampton (H), Chelsea (A), Stoke (A), Sunderland (H)

Bale's (lack of) display shows how dependent Tottenham is on him

2013-03-18T04:12:00.001-07:00

Something over a week ago, Tottenham were strongly cemented in the 3rd position ahead of London rivals, Chelsea and Arsenal. Gareth Bale was leading Spurs to a Champions League finish and all looked too good for the Lillywhites, who were 7 points ahead of Arsenal.

Game against Liverpool could have gone in their favor, but for some horrific blunders from the defence that gave Liverpool the opportunity to tie the result and then take the lead from the spot kick, which they did on both occasions. Liverpool game was a disappointment, as it always is to drop the lead in the last quarter of the game, but the real disappointment and the ugly truth came next week against Fulham, game Spurs lost on their home turf with Berbatov scoring the only goal of the game after a counter attack that was enabled by the immobility of the Spurs defence.

AVB refused to blame fatigue of Europa League on the loss, even though the players endured a living hell at San Siro, just barely managing to get through to quarter-finals of the competition, after 120 minutes of intense pressure from the hostile and apparently racist crowd. Though the real problem seemed to be lack of motivation in a game against the Cottagers, mainly for the main threat, Gareth Bale, who's touch was shockingly off. His dribbling was well bellow par, as he was frequently being dispossessed and his unwillingness to instigate anything was rather surprising from the ex-Southampton man. Gareth Bale missed the 2nd leg clash against Inter Milan, due to a yellow-card suspension, therefore fatigue cannot be taken into factor when questioning his sub-par performance. Mousa Dembele, who has not had a breather for a while now has still managed to deliver in the midfield, even though he played the whole 120 minutes in Milan and was Spurs' best player in a 4:1 loss that saw them progress via away goal rule.

Before the Liverpool tie, Bale has carried Spurs on his back, netting 6 times in the 4 previous encounters, which Spurs managed to win, but when Bale was unable to find the net against Liverpool, or his game altogether against Fulham, Spurs have dropped the points and slipped behind Chelsea, who even have a game in hand and a point more than their rivals.

Lack of ability in the attacking area for Spurs has been quite notable this season, as Defoe and Adebayor, particularly, have been unable to find their best form. Defoe has started his season brightly, netting a total of 10 times so far, being the clubs 2nd best goalscorer behind Bale, but has picked up an injury and hasn't been able to find his form since, while Adebayor is constantly being criticized for his abysmal displays this season.

Tottenham find themselves in the 4th spot at the moment, but with a tough schedule ahead, question remains: Can someone else step up and be a hero or is it all up to Bale?

Where did it all go wrong for Inter?

2013-02-23T08:55:00.000-08:00

Inter have been in decline for the better part of almost 3 seasons now, and after winning every competition in the 2009/10 season, one would not foresee a future like this for the Nerazurri.

Club president Massimo Moratti is well known as one of the stingier presidents, when it comes to splashing money on high-profile names, but Mourinho, unlike any of his predecessors or successors, has managed to convince the oil tycoon to open the wallet, after the sale of Ibrahimovic to Barcleona for €69.5M. The club acquired the services of Samuel Eto'o as a part of Ibrahimovic deal, Diego Milito and Thiago Motta from Genoa for €35M, Sneijder from Real Madrid, paid for with €15M and Lucio, who was dubbed an outcast at Bayern Munich, but, like everyone else from the list, came to have an unbelievable season with Inter, winning the treble and World Cup Championship afterwards.

Inter were flying as high as a club can, but when Mourinho left to coach Real Madrid, the end of an era began. Current Chelsea interim manager, Rafa Benitez was brought in as a replacement for Mourinho and was not able to replicate the high standards of Portuguese coach. He was sacked at the end of the season, and his successors, Leonardo, Gian Piero Pellegrini and Claudio Ranieri had the similar fate.

Inter's transfer market policy has changed and it's starting to resemble Liverpool's strategy with no particular goal, just buying out of impulse, though spending less money.

They've started 2012/13 promisingly with their young coach, Andrea Stramaccioni, who made them look like genuine Serie A title contestants when they were just one point behind Juventus, but since, Inter's form has dipped and Champions League qualification looks highly unlikely now for Internazionale.

Moratti's lack of spending may be attributed to the stadium plans club has, following the footsteps of Juventus, who have enjoyed financial boost from the ticket revenue ever since they revealed their new stadium, though stadium isn't expected to be functional till 2018, and one must wonder, what will happen to Inter, if the club policy remains unaltered.

Jack Wilshere substituted with thigh injury

2013-02-09T08:49:00.001-08:00

Just as he was making his way back to the stardom, Jack Wilshere's injury concerns can't seem to go away. Midfielder was praised recently for his performances, most notably in England's 2:1 win over Brazil, where Arsenal star was declared man of the match.

Wilshere was brought down by Alfred N'Diaye right at the beginning of the second half, after which he was taken out of play, though the seriousness of the injury is yet to be determined.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has already been concerned with Jack's workload after the return from a 19-month injury.

Wilshere has made his debut for Gunners in 2008 as a 16 year old and has so far made 49 league appearances, making the scoresheet 5 times.

Should Spurs sign a striker in January?

2013-01-29T03:55:00.001-08:00

Looking back 3 years or so, Spurs' were tipped to spend big on a striker in almost every transfer window, but Daniel Levy remains patient, though this time it looks as though the team is rather short on their frontmen, with Adebayor absent on International duty and Defoe battling with an apparent injury, which saw him miss FA clash against Leeds United, which Spurs lost 2:1 with Dempsey playing as a lone forward.

Dempsey is quite versatile, being able to play on the left wing, behind the strikers and as one, but it's hardly a solution.

Spurs have been monitoring several targets, some of them go back a few seasons, particularly Leandro Damiao, whose move to White Hart Lane appears to be dead yet again, with the striker unwilling to move aboard and Internacionals reluctance to sell.

Tottenham have been monitoring Loic Remy for quite some time now, but have dropped interest since the summer, due to players poor form and problems with injury.

Most recent name to be linked with them is Celtic's Gary Hooper, 25 year old English striker who bagged 57 goals in 82 appearances for Celtic during his 2 and a half year spell with the Scottish champions and has caught the attention of many Premier League clubs. Hooper made his first footballing steps at Tottenham, but left the academy at the age of 14. Celtic demands at least £7M for the striker, after rejecting a £5M bid from Norwich.

Sevilla's Alvaro Negredo has been a constant presence on La Liga top score sheets, with the player scoring 54 goals in 122 appearances. Sevilla has been in a tough financial situation for some time now and could be looking to raise funds by selling their star player and Tottenham have been keen for quite some time now, timing could not be better for the Spanish striker to move on.

Spurs' boss, Andre Villas-Boas claims that he's quite happy with the current squad, though with Levy, it is rather hard to predict the future. Will Spurs sign another striker? I guess we'll wait till the very end to find out.

Is Arsenal doing the right thing keeping Walcott?

2013-01-18T06:31:00.002-08:00

Despite being just 23 years old, name Theo Walcott goes back a long time, considering how long the talented ex-Southampton player has been under the spotlight. Walcott is Southamptons youngest first team player, making his debut as a 16 year old. He is also the record holder for the youngest player to play a competitive match for a senior England national team, being just 17 years and 75 days old.

It was becoming quickly obvious that pacey striker was not going to stay with the Saints for a prolonged period and in winter of 2006, Arsenal lured him with a £5M bid, potentially rising to £12M.

Comparisons with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry were inevitable, but Walcott's progress at Arsenal has stalled to say the least, but he featured for Arsenal on regular basis, making over 20 league appearances every season since his arrival.

Due to his quick feet and ability on the ball, Walcott was often deployed as a winger on the right side of the pitch, which he disliked, but it made more sense for a player of his physicality to be operating on the wings, rather than the middle of attack.

Walcott saga is one of the many in Arsenal's recent times, but it looks as though this one is here to stay, with him finally agreeing on a 5-year deal which will make him one of Arsenal's top earners, making £100,000 per week, after rejecting a £75,000 per week deal in summer.

But the question is, does a player of his (in)consistency really deserve £5M annually, same sum his former teammate, Gareth Bale, is making with Arsenal's arch-rivals, Tottenham.

Walcott tends to be overshadowed far too often and his scoring record is rather poor for a striker, scoring just 34 league goals in 166 league appearances for the Gunners, though it is fair to point out that Walcott has spent a good deal on the wing, and even more on the bench.

Could have Arsenal spent their money wiser? It remains to be seen by Walcott's performances.

Is Daniel Sturridge the solution to Liverpool's woes?

2013-01-02T10:34:00.000-08:00

It has been officially confirmed, so far the biggest transfer of the January window (exception to the previous arranged transfer of Lucas Moura to PSG) is newly-announced Liverpool signing, 23 year old Daniel Sturridge.

Sturridge has started his professional career with Manchester City, where he made his debut almost 6 years ago as a 17 year old, coming on from the bench against Reading. Sturridge wasn't a preferred choice and was regarded as a backup at City and one for the future. Unhappy with his status, Sturridge ran down his contract and moved to Chelsea upon expiring, though Chelsea was due compensation to City, which they paid in various installments.

He wasn't given many opportunities at Chelsea, either, and was loaned to Bolton, where he caught the eye of the media, scoring 8 times in 12 appearances and upon his arrival back to Chelsea, Daniel saw his playing time dramatically increased. His natural position is a striker, though Andre Villas-Boas preferred to play him on the wing in favor of Torres and Drogba, who occupied the central roles. He ended up playing 30 games in the season 2011/12, but has made just 7 league appearances in the 2012/13 and, frustrated with the lack of game time yet again, made a switch to Liverpool for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £12M (€15M).

Liverpool have been abysmal this season and are more and more in decline, with their expensive Englishmen signings not producing what was expected of them. Currently laying on the 10th place of the EPL, with 28 points from 20 games, it is evident that a change is needed within the squad and purchase of Sturridge could be just what they're were looking for.

Sturridge main qualities are speed and trickery, along with decent finishing ability and versatility, he'll be able to provide cover on the wings, if needed, but he was often accused of being a rather selfish player. His goalscoring record at Chelsea, where he netted 13 times in 61 appearances suggest Sturridge operated on the wings more frequently, though it is fair to point out that most of his appearances came from the bench. Liverpool are looking for a partner for Luis Suarez, after Andy Carroll failed to fill that role, it is up to a Sturridge to try his luck with Merseyside and watching him playing beside Luis Suarez will be entertaining to say the least.

What can Sneijder offer to Tottenham?

2012-12-25T09:36:00.003-08:00

Sneijder has been linked with a move out of San Siro in just about every transfer window in the previous 3 years, but it looks as though he could finally make an exit from Italy after serving the Nerazzurri for 3 and a half seasons, though he only featured 6 times this term.

Dutchman has gotten into a dispute with club directors over his wages, as they tried to reduce his annual salary from €6M to €4M, though Sneijder didn't share the same vision and has since been frozen out and told he would not feature for the club until he accepts the wage reduction.

With just a week away from the beginning of January transfer window, various reports from Italy have emerged linking Sneijder to Premiership, but this time, his suitor is not Sir Alex, who followed Sneijder for quite some time now and has agreed a deal with Inter at one point, but the deal never materialized due to wage demands. Now appears that London-based club, Tottenham Hotspur, is close to signing the ex-Ballon d'Or candidate and have, apparently, managed to agree terms with Sneijder, and just need to agree a transfer fee for him.

Spurs are not known for their high wage bills, with their top earner, Gareth Bale earning £100k-per-week, it becomes fairly obvious that Sneijder will take a wage cut, should the deal go through.

But the question remains: Can Sneijder replicate his form yet again and beat the odds, as he did when he made a move from Madrid to Inter, when he was also dubbed a surplus at the club that didn't want him. His talent remains indisputable, but his injury problems have kept him out through several periods, as he never managed to make more than 26 league appearances for Inter.

Spurs are in need of some creativity in their midfield, considering the poor run of form during Dembele's injury problems. Summer signing from Hoffenheim, Gylfi Sigurðsson wasn't able to reproduce his last season form and has seen his chances limited, though at 22, he's seen as a future of the club and Sneijder's arrival could mean an instant boost for the Champions League hopefuls.

Inter have valued their star playmaker at €40M at one point, but will have to accept a significantly smaller sum and Daniel Levy, chairman of Tottenam, is well known for his bargaining skills, so you can expect Spurs to pull of quite a coup with Sneijder deal.

Jack Wilshere ready to sign new Arsenal deal

2012-12-15T17:14:00.002-08:00

In the recent weeks, sun has definitely not been shining on the Emirates, as Arsenal continues their struggle in the league, making just 24 points out of 16 games so far, and the biggest shocker came on on Tuesday night, when Gunners were knocked out of the Capital One Cup, after losing on penalties to a low-tier team Bradford. After a poor league run so far and the unexpected early exit form the cup, people have started questioning Wenger's methods yet again, wondering if he's the right man for the job.

Despite the negative energy circulating among the supporters, there is a timid light in the darkness, as their most promising star is ready to commit to a club and accept the offer of £80,000 a week contract in the duration of 5 years, meaning he'll earn somewhere around £20M during the time span, provided that he does see out his contract.

He has recently recovered from a serious ankle injury, which eventually required operation and kept young Englishman from the pitch for almost 15 months now. Before the blow, he was considered to be the most promising player England had, though expectations faded away, as the injury dragged on.

Wilshere has made his debut for London-based club in 2008 as a 16 year old and has so far made 49 league appearances, scoring just once. He also had a loan spell with Bolton Wanderers, scoring also one in the 14 league appearances he made.

Cesc Fabregas out for a month with hamstring injury

2012-12-09T14:21:00.001-08:00

Barcelona playmaker, Cesc Fabregas, was forced off the field in a match against Betis and it looks as though former Arsenal captain could face a spell on the sidelines for up to a month.

Cesc was replaced by Alexis Sanchez just 10 minutes into the game and Barcelona went on to win the game 2:1, without the help of Fabregas.

Barcelona medical staff were quick to react and after a scan, they revealed publicly that he'll be out of action for about a month, due to a ruptured hamstring in his left thigh.

Fabregas rejoined his boyhood club in the summer of 2011 for a reported fee of €34M, and has since made a total of 69 appearances for Catalonians, netting 22 times.

What's next for Fernando Llorente?

2012-12-02T07:54:00.005-08:00

There has been much speculation lately about the future of Basque attacker, Fernando Llorente, who is out of contract with Athletic Bilbao in summer 2013. Llorente, being 27, has declared his intention to leave Bilbao by rejecting a contract extension.

This being his 9th senior season at the club, could be his last, as big fish are lurking around, looking for a bargain in January, with various reports saying Llorente could leave the club for a lot less then speculated in the previous transfer window, when he was linked to Italian giants, Juventus, who had a bid of €20M rejected. It is said that Juventus have not given up hope of signing Llorente, and are preparing a new bid, though it'll surely come shy of €20M offered in the summer, but they're likely to face competition, as both Barcelona and Real Madrid are interested in the powerful forward.

Llorente was also monitored by several English clubs during the summer, primarily London-based clubs, Arsenal and Tottenham, who were also unsuccessful with their approaches. Move to Tottenham seems unlikely at the moment, due to a big competition for his signature and player's wage demands that would exceed Spurs's wage cap.

Fernando was arguably the most influential player Athletic has had in the past couple of seasons, with him making over 300 appearances, netting 115 goals, but after his public declaration, his playing time was limited in favor of Arduiz. Llorente featured just 8 times this season, mostly coming on as a substitute.

Atheltic Bilbao are yet to comment on availability of the player and have been dismissive of suggestions of him leaving in January, but it would be sensible to sell the player in January, instead of letting him walk for free in summer, when his professional obligation with the club comes to an end.

RVP pulls out of Netherlands squad with thigh injury

2012-11-12T05:10:00.001-08:00

Manchester Striker striker, Robin van Persie has been withdrawn from Netherlands squad, after picking up a thigh injury against Aston Villa in United's 3:2 away win.

Former Arsenal captain will miss a friendly between Netherlands and Germany. It is still unknown how long van Persie will be out, but he'll probably miss Manchester United's next weeks clash against Norwich.

Wolfsburg striker, Bas Dost, has been called by Louis van Gaal to replace van Persie, as Netherlands take on Germany on Wedneseday at Amsterdam Arena.

Alen Halilovic - the next big thing from Croatia

2012-11-10T12:30:00.000-08:00

Alen Halilovic first caught the attention of the media worldwide not few weeks ago when he made his Champions League debut for Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb, against French giants, Paris Saint-Germain.

At the tender age of 16, young Halilovic has managed to break into Dinamo Zagreb squad, which is no short of talent and is posing himself as one of the most promising youngsters world of football has to offer. Halilovic is often compared to his compatriot, Luka Modric, not just for the looks, but also the his football strengths. He's great on the ball, possesses a great vision and has an eye for a goal.

Young Croat has appeared for Croatian U17 side 6 times and has netted 2 goals so far. His impressive performances have not gone unnoticed by the bigger sides, as Manchester duo, United and City are believed to be preparing offers around £6M, though it is understood that Dinamo is looking a lot more than the quoted sum.

Video highlighting his talents can be seen bellow:

Falcao arrival at Chelsea could mean game over for Torres

2012-10-30T11:54:00.003-07:00

According to various reports, Falcao is number 1 target for the European Champions. Colombian has been sensational since his switch from Porto in summer 2011, bagging a total of 49 goals in 59 appearances and helping them win Europa League last term.

Currently considered among the utmost best goalscorers in the world of football, you'd expect a player of his standing to be playing for a club stronger than Atletico Madrid, who, despite their European success last term, have failed to challenge domestically in a long while now.

Chelsea are preparing a bid around £50M, same sum they shelled out for Fernando Torres, who turned out to be one of the most disappointing signings in Abramovich's reign at London club. Spaniard never really rediscovered his Liverpool form in the blue shirt and has scored only 18 goals in 82 appearances.

The two are arguably very alike, in their style of play, though Falcao's stats speak for themselves, as do Torres's. Bringing Falcao to Stamford Bridge would definitely mean trouble for Torres, who hasn't really shone lately and is doing little to convince Roberto Di Matteo he's worthy of being Chelsea's lone striker in their 4-3-3 system.

Fernando was the reason why Drogba left for China, despite his performances in the Champions League that helped Londoners lift the title and later being named in the Ballon d'Or shortlist. Torres could face the same fate as Ivorian, should Falcao arrive.

Atletico are keen to keep their star man, but Falcao himself declared he's unsure of what the future holds. Should the Spanish team manage to keep him at Vicente Calderón, they'll face an even bigger challenge to keep him in the summer.

Tottenham looking stronger than Arsenal at the moment

2012-10-20T10:17:00.001-07:00

These two teams are obviously biggest contenders for that 4th spot that leads to Champions League and it feels that Spurs are ahead of them at the moment, form-wise judging from their last 5 games, in which they've managed to win 4 and today showed a lot of quality against Chelsea, while missing 4 key players.

Last year, there's little doubt that Arsenal we're incredibly dependent on Robin van Persie. Now they appear to be even weaker than last season. Sure Cazora has been magnificent for them, and Podolski is looking good, but Giroud doesn't look as good of a signing, judging from these few games so far. They've also lost Song and replaced him with injury-prone Diaby at the center.

On the other hand, Tottenham are looking way stronger, defence was never as strong, provided players stay fit and Dembele appears to be on par with Modric's contribution, plus return to form of Defoe and Lennon is really showing lately. Probably would have been better off with keeping VDV and, but I'm sure, given time, Dempsey will find a way to slot into our system, scoring 17 goals in EPL for a mid-table team is certainly not a coincidence.

January could be season-changing moment for both clubs, with funds available to spend. Arsenal have identified Atletico Madrid's Adrian as their primary target and could snare him if they meet the release clause in his contract which states that Adrian can leave Madrid for €18M. Spurs could be back on their summer targets, but a push for Moutinho appears unlikely. It wouldn't be a surprise if they went for Remy, though, as Marseille is looking to sell some of their star players due to debt and Remy, as well as Andre Ayew, who was previously linked to Arsenal and whose price tag stands at €14M.

Can diving be justified?

2012-10-15T12:06:00.003-07:00

Players who tend to dive rarely get media backing for their actions and are often universally hated for their actions, but one must wonder, are those actions justified to some degree?

There's no doubt football has changed a whole lot when compared to several years ago in both good and bad way. Managers significance during the game has increased with tactical preparation being the key to winning matches and not all choose to go about it in a fair way.

We've seen a lot of talented players just vanish and disappear from the face of the earth within a couple of seasons, particularly in the English Premier League, due to the rough reputation it has earned, where fouls can be often overlooked in favor of defenders and some teams have found loopholes in the football rules to gain advantage. Stoke City comes to mind with them being one of the dirtiest team since their promotion. Even though team is arguably short of naturally talented players and has been since their fairly recent promotion to the EPL, they've managed to survive for 3 seasons now, courtesy of their defensive-minded approach to almost every match.

Liverpool's Luis Suarez has been causing a lot of controversy since his move from Ajax in January 2011, mostly attributed to his diving, but lately, Gareth Bale has been under fire from the media for his behavior, but Bale is one of the most fouled players in Premier League and probably often needs protection from the referees. He recently called out Charlie Adam for a rough tackle in friendly game between Tottenham and Liverpool during summer, this being Adam's second brutal challenge on Bale within a year.

Theatrics can often bring disgust to fans faces, but there's little doubt game could benefit from better player protection.

Kagawa vs Reus: Who represents a better value?

2012-10-06T02:27:00.000-07:00

In the summer of 2010, largely unknown Japanese made a €350,000 switch to Borussia Dortmund and hardly anyone could have expected Kagawa to reach the heights he has managed to and eventually earn himself a move to Old Trafford.

Kagawa wasn't a first team choice upon his arrival for Jürgen Klopp, but managed to have a fine season at Dortmund, bagging 12 goals in 28 appearances, though he spent half the season on the sidelines due to his injury he picked up playing for Japan national side. His next season was a lot more successful. Kagawa managed to make 43 appearances and score 17 goals, helping his team defend the Bundesliga title.

Having just 1 year remaining on his contract, Kagawa attracted a lot of attention, as many clubs wanted a bargain deal for the attacking midfielder. He eventually made a move to Manchester United for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of €15M, but Borussia wasted no time in finding a replacement. They activated a release clause in Marco Reus' contract and paid Borussia Mönchengladbach a sum of €17.1M for the German who scored 21 goals in 37 games for Mönchengladbach in season 2011/12.

Marco Reus has spent majority of his youth career at Borussia Dortmund, training with their youth system from ages 7 to 17, when he finally made a move to Rot Weiss Ahlen.

Both players have made strong starts for their clubs, Kagawa scoring twice in 5 league appearances for Man Utd, while Reus already has 4 goals to his tally in total of 6 games. There's little doubt that Dortmund will miss Kagawa's creativity, but it is fair to say that Reus' goalscoring ability will more than compensate for his departure, provided that Reus continues his fine form.

Goal scored after just 2 seconds

2012-09-28T06:03:00.002-07:00

Football has a reputation of one of the slower sports, where goals come in not so often as you'd see in other sports, but in a low tier Serbian league, a player named Vuk Bakich has managed to pull off something you definitely don't see everyday. After just 2 seconds in the game, Bakich's half court effort ended up in the net, which is shown in the video bellow:

Chelsea preparing January bid for Falcao

2012-09-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

Colombian made a move to Madrid a season ago, replacing Sergio Aguero, who signed for Manchester City, and many were sceptical of Falcao's ability to replicate Aguero's form, but he managed to prove the doubters wrong and justify the €47M price tag, having an unbelievable first season, where he made 50 appearances and scored a total of 36 goals. Atletico Madrid went on to win the Europa League by beating Athletic Bilbao 3:0 in the final, with Falcao scoring 2 opening goals. Radamel has made 5 appearances so far this season for Atletico and bagged 8 goals.

There's little doubt that his impressive performances have caught the eye of the big sharks in the game, most notably Chelsea, who have been interested in Falcao during his term at Porto, and are rumored to be preparing a January bid worth £45M, though it could fall short of Atletico's valuation of the player. Real Madrid were also rumored to be interested for his services, with Falcao's father claiming his son always wanted to play for Atletico's arch rivals. Manchester City were also mentioned to be monitoring a highly rated striker.

Falcao has 4 more years left on his contract, but could go sooner, rather than later. Some would argue that a player of his quality deserves to be fighting for silverware, and though Atletico was quite successful in Europe, particularly last term, their domestic goals in the past few seasons were mainly Champions League qualification. His switch to EPL would definitely benefit the league, and would please many English fans. Abramovich is known for his lavish spending and could sanction an improved offer, should they fail to convince Atletico with £45M.

Roma rejected a €100M offer for De Rossi

2012-09-18T11:58:00.000-07:00

Roma general director, Franco Baldini said to Sky Sports Italia to have rejected an offer worth €100M for the holding midfielder, Daniele De Rossi. He also went on to claim that De Rossi is likely to spend his entire career at Rome, having recently signed a contract.

"De Rossi? He will stay at Roma his entire life. We rejected many approaches for him, including a €100M offer."

De Rossi has seen his value increase after impressive performances for Italy during the quest for the Euro 2012 glory, and has helped the club to the silver medal. Manchester City rumored to be interested in him yet again, but Mancini opted for a younger and cheaper alternative, having signed Javi Garcia from Benfica for £18M.

De Rossi has spent his entire career at Rome-based club, making his debut in 2001, at the age of 18. So far he has made 283 appearances for the club and bagged 33 goals during his career. He also made 80 appearances for the Italian national side, scoring eleven times.

Torres: I can fill in for Drogba

2012-09-16T06:32:00.000-07:00

Spanish striker is feeling confident ahead of the ongoing season and is determined to fill the gap left by the departure of Didier Drogba.

Torres had a slow start to his Chelsea career, falling under the £50M price tag pressure, but eventually improved and is looking for another successful season with the Blues after helping them win the Champions League last term.

Speaking about departed striker, Torres said: "Didier is not here anymore, so there is more responsibility for me and I'm ready for the challenge. Now I'm looking for new personal targets, like getting as many goals as possible, hopefully more than my best season at Liverpool."

He also spoke on the team goals this season: "I think all the fans are excited about the Premier League again, after a couple of years of not winning the trophy. So the Premier League is a big target and maybe we can become the first team to win two Champions Leagues in a row. I think it's a good time, especially for me, to give something back to the fans."

Robin van Persie forced off the field with an injury

2012-09-11T13:34:00.001-07:00

Newly signed Manchester United striker, Robin van Persie, who bagged 4 goals in 3 appearances for the Red Devils, has been taken of the field in a match Netherlands played against Hungary in their quest for World Cup qualification, after a disappointing Euro 2012 spell.

Ex-Arsenal captain was substituted at the half time by Klass-Jan Huntelar, after a challenge by Roland Juhasz. He is suspected to have a serious thigh injury, but the duration he'll be forced to spend on the sidelines is yet to be determined.

Van Persie was a scorer for Netherlands in their 2:0 victory against Turkey last friday.