SoccerNet Live Miscellaneous Ramblings on Soccer News. Lots of EPL, La Liga, Serie A actions.

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Will Wenger Loosen Up After Flamini’s Departure?
2008-05-10 09:52:53
Mathieu Flaimini’s decision to seek greener pastures at AC Milan has caused a massive upheaval for the Gunners. Despite forging a formidable midfield partnership with Cesc Fabregas, Flamini chose to forsake his blossoming career by cashing in on his status as a free agent. Is he right to do so? I will say yes, considering how [...] ...

Is Eriksson Good Enough For Another Season?
2008-05-06 15:28:37
While Manchester United celebrated their progress in the Champions League finals and have one hand on the Premier League title, their derby rival Manchester City are following in Liverpool’s footsteps by snatching headlines on internal conflicts. Rumors of the imminent departure of manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, gain traction by the day. Ever since owner Thaksin Shinawatra indicated [...] ...

Chelsea Meets Manchester United In Champions League Finals
2008-05-01 18:37:02
The moment of truth will be out soon for the Special One. Even if Avram Grant wins nothing, he has already gone one up over his predecessor, Jose Mourinho, by getting the better of Liverpool. Chelsea finally gained sweet revenge for three disappointments in four years. Grant just about deserved the plaudits in this pulsating outing, [...] ...

Penalty Decides Manchester United vs Chelsea Showdown
2008-04-27 14:38:04
The Premier League title race was blown wide open by Chelsea who mustered a dramatic 2-1 win over Manchester United. The latter’s surge towards their second consecutive title (10th in 16 seasons) has faded in recent weeks after draws against Middlesbrough and Blackburn. All is not lost yet with the latest defeat but there is [...] ...

Chelsea Snatched A Champions League Lifeline
2008-04-23 18:50:57
Liverpool were given a taste of their own medicine as they ended the Champions League semi-final first leg vexed - John Arne Riise scored a last-gasp own goal to hand Chelsea the advantage in a 1-1 draw. The match was clouded by security concerns because of the arrival of an unwelcome man, Tom Hicks. There was [...] ...

Liverpool In-fighting Rumbles On
2008-04-19 06:59:54
Despite the boardroom soap opera hogging the headlines again, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is adamant about staying on at Anfield, saying: “At this moment I have two years on my contract. I am really happy here and want to stay.” The petty bickering between Hicks and Gillett, both owning 50-50 share in Liverpool as a result [...] ...

Real Madrid Close In On La Liga Title
2008-04-14 16:45:34
Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard says his team needs to start killing teams off, if they hope to lift the Spanish title this season. I can’t agree more, after watching how Recreativo Huelva shared the spoils despite falling behind twice. The title is almost out of reach for Barcelona now but the careless manner in which points [...] ...

Thierry Henry To Prepare For Ignominous Exit From Barcelona
2008-04-12 14:50:28
Barcelona are poised for a lip-smacking showdown with Manchester United in the Champions League semi-finals. The entertaining football will be value for money and I am sure the Red Devils will relish this encounter after fond memories of clearing the Catalan hurdle en-route to lifting the Champions League crown in 1999. For Barcelona, there may be [...] ...

Liverpool Ready To Face Chelsea After Exhilarating Win
2008-04-09 18:18:08
It should come as no surprise that Liverpool pulled off another enthralling European night of drama. For the third time in four seasons, the Reds reached the Champions League semi-finals, after beating Arsenal 4-2 (5-3 on aggregate) at Anfield. Chelsea, having been vanquished twice (2005 and 2006) at the same stage by Liverpool, now await [...] ...

Portsmouth Power Into FA Cup Final
2008-04-07 03:34:05
Portsmouth have been toiling away, achieving a lofty sixth position in the Premier League table, but until they win some silverware, nobody takes them seriously. Perceptions of mediocrity could change in the coming weeks, now that they advanced into the FA Cup final for the first time in 69 years. A solitary goal by Nwankwo [...] ...

Manchester United A Shoo-In For the Titles?
2008-04-04 18:42:44
Manchester United are in such devastating form, it is hard to believe their trophy cabinet will be empty this season. Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney scored in the 2-0 victory over AS Roma and with the fabulous R&R in full flow, the second leg battle seems to be a mere formality. In the other matches, Chelsea [...] ...

Liverpool Must Brace For A Champions League Upset
2008-04-02 03:14:05
Over the past few weeks, punters who placed their faith on Arsenal had their fingers burnt badly. The Gunners slumped into a crisis, blew their five points advantage, and now languish six points behind league leader Manchester United. Some injured pride was healed in the 3-2 victory over Bolton which, in the words of Wenger, [...] ...

The Birth of Harchester United
2008-03-30 03:23:12
This article will have done well if it came out on Tuesday (April’s Fool). John Batchelor, former owner of York City, wants to buy Mansfield Town and to rename it Harchester United, taking inspiration from Sky series The Dream Team, after he gained control. Batchelor had submitted a bid to majority shareholder Keith Haslam and Sky [...] ...

Tame England Have Plenty To Learn In French Friendly
2008-03-28 01:31:42
If you read all the pre-match reports, the central theme is invariably David Beckham rather than tactical affairs. England’s obsession with Beckham is likely to continue until the day he retires. Just as well that Fabio Capello handed him his 100th cap and a generous ovation for Beckham’s 60 minutes of service brought the curtain [...] ...

Wenger Lost Tactically To Grant?
2008-03-25 18:39:38
A few days of exuberance later, I still believe Avram Grant is a man blessed with extraordinary luck. Even with his famous 2-1 victory over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge last week, his tactics and decision making still doesn’t inspire confidence… that is until the day he adds to the trophy cabinet. So near and yet [...] ...

Kevin Keegan Finally Gets First Win
2008-03-23 10:01:44
Beating the likes of Fulham rarely brings such joy. Goals from Mark Viduka and Michael Owen gave Kevin Keegan his first win since his second coming. In his tenth attempt (after 3 draws and 6 losses), Keegan finally ended a 13 Premier League game malaise and eased relegation fears for the Magpies. Keegan adopted the same [...] ...

Chelsea Not Good Enough To Win Anything
2008-03-21 06:21:24
Open any Chelsea blogs these days and you are likely to find a groundswell of disapproval for Avram Grant. The circumstances in which Chelsea drew 4-4 with Tottenham Hotspur in this “entertaining” London derby has won Grant few fans and belief in his ability to fill the trophy cabinet is waning. A victory will put Chelsea [...] ...

Can Manchester United Do Without Cristiano Ronaldo?
2008-03-17 15:34:54
All eyes were on Manchester United to bounce back in style against Derby after being eliminated from the FA Cup by Portsmouth - spurned chances cost them dearly. This match was no different and it is discomfiting to know that their success now rest heavily on the shoulders of one man: Cristiano Ronaldo. Manchester United had [...] ...

Young Gunners Have Little Room For Error
2008-03-15 15:44:38
There was a serious Europe hangover for Premier League teams last week. Manchester United and Chelsea crashed out of the FA Cup and Arsenal could only manage a draw against Wigan in the Premier League. Only Liverpool bucked the trend and peaked at the right time, notching six wins on the trot. For Arsenal, there is [...] ...

New-Look Tottenham After UEFA Cup Elimination
2008-03-14 15:02:19
You win some, you lose some. Juande Ramos was stoic in defeat as Tottenham were eliminated from the Uefa Cup after a nail-biting penalty shootout. An English team dumped out on penalties, is it a surprise? For those who follow football, they will know that anything associated with “England” and the word “penalty” doesn’t look [...] ...

Inter Milan No Match For Liverpool
2008-03-13 01:42:05
Rafael Benitez finally put a finger on why his team is overachieving in Europe but not doing well domestically. In 2005, his team clinched the Champions League, were runners-up last year, and have, this season, embarked on a remarkable comeback. Yet they struggled to win against weaklings and top guns in the Premier League. It is [...] ...

Manchester United Undone By the Referee?
2008-03-11 02:45:44
The annihilation of Manchester United and Chelsea in the FA Cup last week leaves the Big Four unrepresented in the semi-finals, a phenomenon not seen since 1987. All four are still in the Champions League but the domestic competition which prides itself on producing spectacular drama and upsets are raising doubts on their superiority. The 1-0 [...] ...

Mourinho Keen To Kill Chelsea
2008-03-07 16:06:19
Jose Mourinho, unemployed since leaving Stamford Bridge, barged into our consciousness on Friday when he remarked that he is keen to “kill” his old club if he meets them in next season’s Champions League. Apparently, he was still on speaking terms with Roman Abramovich and Peter Kenyon, dispelling rumors of a fallout since he was given [...] ...

Torres Second Hat-trick Destroys West Ham
2008-03-07 01:34:07
A week in football can promise much. Arsenal defeated AC Milan famously at San Siro, swept aside their gloom and got their season back on track. For Liverpool, the season just seems to get better. Last week, some semblance of peace descended on Anfield after Benitez and Hicks called for ceasefire. The manager was offered a [...] ...

Cristiano Ronaldo Propels United Into Last Eight
2008-03-05 14:48:19
Ninety minutes of decent football, if you can call it that. Manchester United remain conservative in Europe rather than adopting a swashbuckling style, but this bland performance hardly justifies the money spent on amassing the plethora of attacking talents. The 1-0 victory for the Red Devils came from Cristiano Ronaldo in the first half, and it [...] ...

Celtic Ready To Upset Barcelona
2008-03-04 14:29:21
Despite drawing a metaphor for the conquest of Barcelona to climbing Mount Everest, an apt description given the Catalans’ abundance of talents and illustrious track record, I believe Celtic is quietly confident of plotting a major upset. A 3-2 first leg deficit in the Champions League last 16 has to be overturned first. Though Celtic’s away [...] ...

AS Roma Edge Out Real Madrid
2008-02-20 16:23:57
AS Roma came from behind to take a 2-1 advantage over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Stadio Olimpico. David Pizarro and Alessandro Mancini were the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] ...
Madrid  Real Madrid 

Chelsea Aims for Quadruple After Huddersfield
2008-02-19 14:15:23
I do not know if Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant ever see eye to eye on team issues but one thing is for sure, both are loathe to see Frank Lampard leave Chelsea. Indeed, the Blues will be keen to get... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] ...
Chelsea 

Mighty Liverpool Crash Out of FA Cup
2008-02-17 12:51:14
There is simply no end to Liverpool’s dismal season. Barnsley advanced into the last eight of the FA Cup in dramatic fashion after coming from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1 with virtually the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] ...
Crash  Liverpool  Mighty 

Wenger’s Selection Problems Ahead of FA Cup clash
2008-02-16 14:38:06
So near and yet so far… a few more steps on the tightrope and the coveted prizes will be in their grasp. Arsenal are peaking at the right time but an Achilles’ heel which can derail hopes... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] ...
Ahead