A dream come true?

What exactly is the point of such friendly internationals in these current days of bloated fixture list and ever increasing physical demands on players? Well, according to Manchester United’s Michael Carrick, the Germany - England fixture is “…the stuff of dreams.” He went on to claim that “If you ask any player if they want to play in England against Germany they will tell you it is a massive game. It is one I watched when I was growing up and wished that I would one day play in. It is not a hindrance at all, it is a massive honour. It is England versus Germany in Berlin at Olympic Stadium. The players are desperate to be a part of it.”

Liverpool

Liverpool enjoyed an excellent start to their campaign the victory over United was the first at Anfield for a number of years and better was to follow as they snapped Chelsea’s four-year unbeaten home run at Stamford Bridge. A 0-0 home draw with Stoke, seemed like a blip and their first defeat didn’t arrive until November at White Hart Lane, but their challenge has been undermined by three successive home draws to Fulham, West Ham and Hull - all teams that the Reds would expect to beat at Anfield. Incredibly, following their last four games, despite taking only six points from a possible 12, they have actually moved up from second to top spot in the Premier league.

Bye bye Carlos, Hello Mickey!

For United the departure of Carlos Queiroz to replace Scolari as manager of Portugal has left a coaching gap which Mike Phelan may not be the man to fill. It is an open secret that Queiroz was responsible for much of the defensive tactics and training that served United so well last season, especially in Europe. The partnership of Vidic and Ferdinand was immense last season, but this season there have been some slips from the pair. Another problem for United this season is Cristiano Ronaldo. Apart from his injuries which restricted his appearances early in the campaign, he has failed to reproduce the glittering form that he showed consistently last season. And no wonder! He was so good last season that it would be virtually impossible for him to better, or even equal it. Ferguson may have been better to sell him to Real over the summer as it is unlikely he will ever command such a high fee again as Real were willing to pay.

What gifts will the ‘big four be offering this Christmas?

With Christmas fast approaching the race is wide open - even Aston Villa might start thinking they are in with a shout should their good form continue and those above them continue to falter. Arsenal need to beat Liverpool this weekend to resurrect their challenge for the third time already this season, whilst Chelsea and Liverpool will be desperate to sort out their home form. United have an enforced break and could find themselves with a lot of ground to make up when they return from Japan. Will all four continue to be so generous over the Christmas season, or will the spirit of Scrooge overtake them as they start to rack up the points?

Manchester United

Champions Manchester United started badly, drawing at home to Newcastle on opening day and then losing to Liverpool at Anfield in September. They went on to drop points at Chelsea and Spurs and all three at Arsenal. Recently they laboured to victory over managerless Sunderland - Nemanja Vidic slotting in a 90th minute winner - and have closed the gap on Liverpool and Chelsea to a manageable number, but now they are in Japan and could find themselves well behind when they return.

Serie A Match Day 16 - Results

Simply awesome weekend of football and what an incredible goal fest with 41 in total, that alone should put the myth to bed about which first-tier league is more attack oriented. Juventus win against AC Milan and some unlikely candidates got on the score sheet with Georgio Chiellini and Massimo Ambrosini hitting the back netting. Chiellini’s goal was quite amazing a header down and away, keeper Christian Abbiati had no chance. (see the goal highlight(s) below)

Brilliant Deco sends Chelsea to Premier League summit

WIGAN, England (AFP) - A goal of pure quality from Deco sent Chelsea to the top of the Premier League, although Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side made heavy weather of overcoming a determined Wigan side 1-0 at the JJB Stadium on Sunday.
The Brazilian-born Portuguese international, a summer signing from Barcelona, made it two goals in two games for his new club with a sublime finish from an early free-kick.
But Wigan refused to surrender and it required a string of fine saves from Czech Republic keeper Petr Cech before Chelsea could celebrate a win which leaves them five points above reigning champions Manchester United, who are away at Portsmouth on Monday.
England manager Fabio Capello was present to cast his eye over John Terry, the newly-installed England captain, and Frank Lampard but neither really sparkled. Indeed, Terry was booked in front of his international boss as Chelsea laboured to victory.
Unlike the four-goal drubbing of Portsmouth seven days earlier, this was a hard-earned three points for Scolari’s team.
Wigan, already denied the services of Austrian defender Paul Scharner to injury, were dealt a severe blow before the match had started when keeper Chris Kirkland was injured in the pre-match warm-up.
That paved the way for second-choice stopper Mike Pollitt to make his first Premier League start since conceding two goals against Arsenal nine months ago.
Yet the 36-year-old’s first touch was to fish the ball from the back of his net after Deco’s magnificently executed set-piece on four minutes.
It was conceded by Lee Cattermole, making his home debut for Wigan following a move from Middlesbrough in the summer, who handled just outside his own area and Deco did the rest.
Having spent four years watching Ronaldinho hammer home free-kicks for fun for Barcelona, finally Deco is first-choice and he is clearly determined to make up for lost time. Pollitt’s positioning was not great but that should not take the gloss off what was a fabulous goal.
But, as Chelsea discovered to their cost four months ago, Wigan are not short of character or spirit.
Back in April, Emile Heskey snatched an unlikely stoppage time equaliser at Stamford Bridge to all but end Chelsea’s title aspirations.
This time Wigan failed to find the Chelsea net, but it certainly was not for want of trying.
Within two minutes of falling behind, Cech was forced into the first of three excellent first-half saves after Honduras international Wilson Palacios cut inside from the left before testing the keeper.
The high-tempo start continued in the eighth minute when Amr Zaki, Wigan’s new Egyptian striker, found himself with a great scoring chance only to be thwarted by Cech’s body.
Then a fine one-touch move resulted in the dangerous Zaki having another effort parried away by the busy Chelsea keeper.
Wigan, who narrowly avoided relegation last season, continued to plug away in the second half without success.
They are without a point after two games yet manager Steve Bruce will not be too concerned as long as his players take the positives of this game into the rest of the season.
Scolari, on the other hand, will hope to see a bit more quality from his expensively-assembled squad in next week’s London derby with Tottenham.
While pleased to see Chelsea sitting at the top of the table so early into his reign, the former Portugal coach knows now that the hard work is only just beginning if his first season at Stamford Bridge is to end in success

Uzbek footballer Server Dzheparov named best player in Asia

The Asian Football Conference (AFC) award ceremony took place in Shanghai on Nov. 25. Many commentators considered the top contenders for the best player in Asia title to be Japan’s Yasuhito Endo from Gamba Osaka and Yuji Nakasawa from Yokohama F Marinos. AFC President Mohammad Bin Hamman surprised many by naming Server Dzheparov, captain of Tashkent’s Bunyodkor, the 2008 Best Player in Asia making him the first Uzbek footballer to earn that honour.
The 26-year-old began his professional career with Namagansk’s Navbakhor in 2000. From 2002 to 2007 he played for Pakhtakor in Tashkent and started playing for Bunyodkor this year. Among the halfback’s chief accomplishments are being a seven-time national champion and a four-time winner of the National Cup. He has been named the best player in the championship three times.
Under the leadership of Brazilian coach Ziko, Bunyodkor reached the Asian Champions League semi-final, won the Uzbek championship and became the holder of the National Cup. Dzheparov was also the top striker in the Uzbek championship, scoring 19 goals. This season alone, including the qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup, he has won 47 games and scored 25 goals.
“Bundyokor has many talented footballers who could successfully play for any European team. Among them are Server Dzheparov, Aziz Khaidarov and Timur Kapadze,” according to Brazilian veteran Rivaldo, who recently joined the Uzbek club with coach Ziko.
After the award, journalists pressed Dzheparov about moving on to play with a European club. The best footballer in Asia answered that while he wasn’t thinking about it, a Russian team would be his destination of choice if the possibility arose. In 2007, the Uzbek footballer tried out for Kazan’s Rubin, but the teams could not agree on a transfer price.
Part of the prize for winning the title is a month-long training with London’s Chelsea FC. Keeping Dzheparov company in London will be the 17-year-old U.A.E. footballer Ahmed Halil, who received the title of best young player on the continent in 2008.

Aktobe achieves hat-trick

ALMATY - On Nov. 20 Aktobe beat Tobol of Kostanay in a penalty shoot-out to become the 2008 Kazakh football league champions, rounding off a hat-trick of trophy wins this season that also included the Cup of Kazakhstan and the Super Cup.
The “golden match” was the sixth time the two sides faced each other during the year, with two draws, two victories for Aktobe and one for Tobol. The end-of-season match was attended by 16,000 supporters at Almaty’s Central Stadium. A violent battle began as soon as the starting whistle blew, with eleven yellow cards and one red being handed out by the referee. It was Kostanay who looked more enterprising in attack, with Dmitry Ogai’s protégés causing some concern for the Aktobe defenders and goalkeeper, but on the whole there were few dangerous moments during the first 45 minutes. A long-range shot by Tobol captain Nurbol Jumaskaliyev was warded off by Aktobe goalie Andrei Sidelnikov before the teams left the field after a goalless first half.
Tobol once again surged forward in the second half, and in the 49th minute they profited from a corner when Moldovan forward Aleksandr Golban scored with a header. Aktobe then attempted to turn the tables on their opponents and power forward, but were held back in mid-field due to pressure from their opponents. Eventually an equaliser came when Marat Hairullin was brought down in the box in the 69th minute. The ensuing penalty shot was put into the back of the net by Aktobe captain Samat Smakov. Tobol then went harder on the offensive, but no further goals were scored. Both teams played very cautiously in extra time.
In the end Aktobe won the penalty shoot-out 4-2. Tobol’s manager did not attend the post-match press conference. Vladimir Mukhanov, the manager of Aktobe, stated: “Although people say that penalty shoot-outs are a lottery, I think we won fair and square. We’ve won all three trophies this season, the Cup of Kazakhstan, the Super Cup and now the League.”

Brilliant Deco sends Chelsea to Premier League summit

WIGAN, England (AFP) - A goal of pure quality from Deco sent Chelsea to the top of the Premier League, although Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side made heavy weather of overcoming a determined Wigan side 1-0 at the JJB Stadium on Sunday.
The Brazilian-born Portuguese international, a summer signing from Barcelona, made it two goals in two games for his new club with a sublime finish from an early free-kick.
But Wigan refused to surrender and it required a string of fine saves from Czech Republic keeper Petr Cech before Chelsea could celebrate a win which leaves them five points above reigning champions Manchester United, who are away at Portsmouth on Monday.
England manager Fabio Capello was present to cast his eye over John Terry, the newly-installed England captain, and Frank Lampard but neither really sparkled. Indeed, Terry was booked in front of his international boss as Chelsea laboured to victory.
Unlike the four-goal drubbing of Portsmouth seven days earlier, this was a hard-earned three points for Scolari’s team.
Wigan, already denied the services of Austrian defender Paul Scharner to injury, were dealt a severe blow before the match had started when keeper Chris Kirkland was injured in the pre-match warm-up.
That paved the way for second-choice stopper Mike Pollitt to make his first Premier League start since conceding two goals against Arsenal nine months ago.
Yet the 36-year-old’s first touch was to fish the ball from the back of his net after Deco’s magnificently executed set-piece on four minutes.
It was conceded by Lee Cattermole, making his home debut for Wigan following a move from Middlesbrough in the summer, who handled just outside his own area and Deco did the rest.
Having spent four years watching Ronaldinho hammer home free-kicks for fun for Barcelona, finally Deco is first-choice and he is clearly determined to make up for lost time. Pollitt’s positioning was not great but that should not take the gloss off what was a fabulous goal.
But, as Chelsea discovered to their cost four months ago, Wigan are not short of character or spirit.
Back in April, Emile Heskey snatched an unlikely stoppage time equaliser at Stamford Bridge to all but end Chelsea’s title aspirations.
This time Wigan failed to find the Chelsea net, but it certainly was not for want of trying.
Within two minutes of falling behind, Cech was forced into the first of three excellent first-half saves after Honduras international Wilson Palacios cut inside from the left before testing the keeper.
The high-tempo start continued in the eighth minute when Amr Zaki, Wigan’s new Egyptian striker, found himself with a great scoring chance only to be thwarted by Cech’s body.
Then a fine one-touch move resulted in the dangerous Zaki having another effort parried away by the busy Chelsea keeper.
Wigan, who narrowly avoided relegation last season, continued to plug away in the second half without success.
They are without a point after two games yet manager Steve Bruce will not be too concerned as long as his players take the positives of this game into the rest of the season.
Scolari, on the other hand, will hope to see a bit more quality from his expensively-assembled squad in next week’s London derby with Tottenham.
While pleased to see Chelsea sitting at the top of the table so early into his reign, the former Portugal coach knows now that the hard work is only just beginning if his first season at Stamford Bridge is to end in success.

Tim Cahill - Australia - Football Wallpaper

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Feeling icky!

I woke up this morning around 4am feeling like complete crap! My head hurt, my stomach ached and I felt like I was going to puke! I never did puke, happily, but both Caelie and I seem to have the stomach bug. She was home with me today and both of us just laid around on the couch all day long. At one point my head was hurting so badly I wanted to cry. Caelie seems to be better now - she’s been eating like crazy. I can’t eat though - just the thought of food makes me ill.
My neck is killing me too. I’ve been doing way too much these past few weeks when it comes to lifting heavy things and I’m paying for it. Plus, for some reason I’m back to sleeping on my stomach which doesn’t help my herniated disc at all. I need one of those bog body pillows to keep me on my side. Maybe Santie Claus will bring me one!

Real Madrid interested in Lassana Diarra

MADRID (SW) - Real Madrid are supposedly interested in the services of French midfielder Lassana Diarra. This is reported by sportspaper L’Equipe on Sunday.
The Spanish giants are looking to replace the other Diarra, Mahamadou, who could be out up to nine months following knee surgery.
Lassana Diarra, currently playing for Portsmouth, also attracted interest of sides as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City but Pompey would reportedly prefer to deal with Real Madrid.
The 23-year-old began his career at Le Havre in 2003 and earned a contract with Chelsea two years later. After a short spell at Arsenal, he eventually ended up at Portsmouth.
On the international level, Diarra formed part of the French national team 16 times.