Not sure why Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas is so shy, he's been in top form lately. We'll have to set aside some special one-on-one confidence-building activities to help him get over this.

Let's check in with the rest of the visuals from yesterday's cracking games, shall we?

When Fernando Torres is left barely able to bitchface, no one is happy.

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Not sure why Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas is so shy, he's been in top form lately. We'll have to set aside some special one-on-one confidence-building activities to help him get over this.

Let's check in with the rest of the visuals from yesterday's cracking games, shall we?

When Fernando Torres is left barely able to bitchface, no one is happy.

Click to continue reading...

Although we are only 10 games into the season, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is starting to look more and more like a big flop. 15 million euro were spent on the Dutch striker, and even if he reaches 5 goals this season it would seem like a big achievement. Sure you can say that he needs time to adapt to a new style of play, new language, new culture, but it's already November almost and we still have not seen Huntelaar's name on the score sheet.

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A new look at Bayern Munich and Oktoberfest.
Kickette also has the pictures of booze and cleavage too.
If you're into that.
Now the links:

• Lotsa great high-quality goals. [101 Great Goals]
  
• Wicks suspended for Montero stomp. [Goff]
  
• USMNT ain't likely to get a W.

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Did you miss the Champions League group stage action last night? Not to worry: we've compiled a short montage of the key moments.

And by key moments, we mean gratuitous shots of men focused on doing their jobs as professional athletes that we have turned into cheap tawdry moments of objectification for our own entertainment.

Click to continue reading...

Did you miss the Champions League group stage action last night? Not to worry: we've compiled a short montage of the key moments.

And by key moments, we mean gratuitous shots of men focused on doing their jobs as professional athletes that we have turned into cheap, tawdry moments of objectification for our own amusement.

Click to continue reading...

What more can be said about Arthur Fonzarelli's Liverpool (and Fernando Torres) on the weekend? A combination of relentless attacking football and a team clearly out of sorts at the back ("Kettle, you're black") left Liverpool three points back from the top with a Sunday trip to Stamford Bridge looming large in league.

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The over-riding reaction at seeing Fiorentina's name being drawn in Liverpool's Champions League group was something of a surprise. Perhaps it is an indication of the falling standards of the Serie A that, where once Italian teams were feared now they are met with a feeling that is somewhat akin to relief. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool will be without midfielders Javier Mascherano and Yossi Benayoun for Tuesday's Champions League Group E clash with Fiorentina.
Mascherano is sick and Benayoun picked up a leg injury against Hull in the 6-1 thrashing of Hull on Saturday.
Mascherano's absence means winger Albert Riera is likely to start. Click to continue reading...

Torres is in find form for the Reds.

This should be an interesting match. You have to think, given Liverpool's Champions League pedigree, that they should not have much of a problem with Italian side Fiorentina.

I wouldn't be so sure.

Fiorentina are an impressive fourth place in the Serie A at this point in the season and have been playing some brilliant football despite losing Melo to Juventus during the summer.

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Adrian Mutu takes some time off cocaine to sniff out these links One less fat bastard for football. Are you watching Sepp Blatter? [Chelsea FC] The boyhood teams of some the game's biggest names [The Spoiler] Besiktas fans are no joke [The Original Winger] How Dunga finally got his team right [See The Cup] The Mirror's own version of alternative [. Click to continue reading...

Wow, writing this match preview feels like déjà vu. Oh wait, it's because I wrote one exactly a year ago, involving the exact same teams and coaches. So here's hoping the outcome (which was a 2-2 last season) is at least more in our favor this time.

September 16, 2009
Stade de Gerland, Lyon
2:45 PM ET (20:45 CET, 19:45 GMT)

Match Background:

I was sorely tempted to copy and paste what I wrote about Fiorentina last year, simply because their squad hasn't gone through any drastic changes since then.

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This is few days old, mind you.

Adrian Mutu, after having two appeals against his FIFA fine for breach of contract dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), is now seeking another alternative to paying the 17-plus million euro fine to his former club, Chelsea.

Now he wants to make a substantial donation to several charities, including one of Chelsea's choice.

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Don't know about you gals, but at Kickette HQ, the past week has been excruciatingly craptastic; the one thing we were excited about was the Juventus display of machismo we were able to put together for your viewing pleasure.

Soz for the tardiness but let's rise above like Vicky B's breasts and get on with it, shall we?

Click to continue reading...

Don't know about you gals, but at Kickette HQ, the past week has been excruciatingly craptastic; the one thing we were excited about was the Juventus display of machismo we were able to put together for your viewing pleasure.

Soz for the tardiness but let's rise above like Vicky B's breasts and get on with it, shall we?

Click to continue reading...

Russia's Mens National team made it through the international break unscathed. Now the stage is set for October 10th's battle with Germany in Moscow. On third episode of Russian Football Now's podcast, hosts Chris Riordan and Richard Farley discuss Russia's qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Wales as well as all the latest rumors surrounding the likes to Luciano Spalletti and Adrian Mutu's moves to the Premier League.

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I hate that I do!

Right, it's been a while since my last rant so here goes!

Ehup, this week I call to the stand Patrick Joseph "Paddy" Kenny your honour.

After the Blades' clash with Preston in May 2009, Paddy was found to have traces of the banned substance ephedrine present.

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Brazil legend, former CSKA manager Zico faired much worse this week than the Russian National Team

In partnership with Russian Football Now, EPL Talk presents the third episode of RNF's podcast.

Russia's Mens National team made it through the international break unscathed.

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Fiorentina forward Adrian Mutu has offered to make a huge donation to charity if his former employer's Chelsea are prepared to waive his 17million euro fine. Mutu was handed the huge fine by Fifa for breaching his contract at Stamford Bridge after he tested positive for cocaine in 2004.

Mutu took his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but they upheld Fifa's ruling.

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Rory Delap throws some links at you If footballers were star signs [The Sun] Liverpool join Chelsea, Manchester United, and City in poaching accusations [The Spoiler] Adrian Mutu leaves long trail of dirt [The Independent], appeals to Chelsea with open letter [Caught Offside] Chelsea choose peculiar pose for team photo [MRWF] Czech player dies after scoring own goal [Dirty Tackle] [. Click to continue reading...

Nope, this is not a joke!

Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu is pledging to fight against the order to pay Chelsea €17million compensation as he issues an open letter to FIFA, Sep Blatter, and the English club, according to the Italian media.

The striker was ordered to pay the mega sum following his drugs taking case which dates back to October 2004.

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At risk of getting any details wrong, I'll hand over to a respectable news source to explain the "Holy f**k!" news about Chelsea FC that broke a couple of hours ago. Take it away, Associated Press:
Quote: Chelsea was banned from signing any new players for a year because it encouraged a teenager to break his contract with a French team and sign with the English soccer power. Click to continue reading...

It's a witch hunt I tell you! Wait...wrong one. A @#$%ing disgrace! Chelsea Football Club have been banned by FIFA - not UEFA, it's important to note - from the registeration of new players for one year for once again illegaly tapping up a player (remember Cashley?) and inducing him to break his contract. Click to continue reading...

It's funny how karma works. Chelsea took an inhumanely stern line with Adrian Mutu, and now FIFA has taken a stern line with them.

The Blues have been found guilty of "inducing" French midfielder Gael Kakuta to break his contract with Lens in 2007. FIFA has forbid them to participate in the next two transfer windows, barring them from signing a player until 2011.

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Sacked former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu is on the verge of bankruptcy and retirement from football after the well-documented verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The disgraced darling of Romanian football, currently plying his trade at Serie A club Fiorentina, has been ordered to pay $23.

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Andrey Arshavin presents us with his best poker-face at the "Poker with Arshavin" project presentation at the Royal Bar of Moscow.

Even those of us that work in the fashion and/or marketing field are stumped by Victoria Beckham's new ad for her signature line. It makes the Marc Jacob ads look sane.

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Andrey Arshavin presents us with his best poker-face at the "Poker with Arshavin" project presentation at the Royal Bar of Moscow.

Even those of us that work in the fashion and/or marketing field are stumped by Victoria Beckham's new ad for her signature line. It makes the Marc Jacob ads look sane.

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Una de esas historias trágicas y tristes del fútbol internacional:

Adrian Mutu (Rumanía, 8 de enero de 1979) tiene hasta las 24:00 de hoy para pagarle al Chelsea los 17 millones de euros que la FIFA considera que debe recibir el club inglés en base a lo que había pagado por él al Parma (22,8 millones de euros) y a las ganancias que dejó de tener al despedirle por estar sancionado por consumo de cocaína.

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Serie A is back which means Goals of the Week is back! You can't always expect the first day of the season to have the greatest goals, as the teams are just starting to get all their summer rust off and haven't hit their peak yet. But there were still some nice goals for us to watch this past weekend.

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Adrian Mutu has a £14.6m debt to Chelsea hanging over his head, but this weekend Fiorentina reaped the benefits.
Mutu finds peace only on the pitch as Serie A kicks off. Click to continue reading...

The Italian Serie A kicked off its 2009-10 season on Saturday with two matches. The first was Bologna v Fiorentina and the other was Siena v AC Milan. The majority of the matches are set for Sunday. Here's a recap of Saturday's matches along with video highlights.

Bologna and Fiorentina draw 1-1 Video Highlights

Bologna and Fiorentina opened up their 2009-10 Serie A season with a 1-1 draw.

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Si haci como lo leen, para el agrado de Adrian Mutu, Abel Xavier y muchos mas parece que hay una barra en La Paz, Bolivia llamada Route 36 donde un mesero te sirve cocaina con toda normalidad, como si fueran papas fritas. Desafortunadamente no pude encontrar el articulo en castellano. Buuu!
-theoriginalwinger- Click to continue reading...

The CL draw will take place today. The choices are Fiorentina, Atletico Madrid, Celtic FC, RSC Anderlecht, and FC Timisoara. So who will it be?

Fiorentina: The Violas were in the news recently with a possible Felipe Melo transfer to Arsenal which fell through. He eventually went to Juve. The club finished fourth in the Serie.

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This week, the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected Adrian Mutu's appeal against an order to pay Chelsea damages after his sacking in 2004 for riding the white horse.

Having a snowcone. Dating the peruvian lady. Taking a sleigh ride. You get the idea.

Mutu, who was with the Blues for one season (03-04), now must cough up £14.

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Drugs in sports is a big topic at the moment, but the news that Adrian Mutu must pay Chelsea 17million euros in damages for breach of contract due to a failed drug test, has to send shock waves throughout sports.

Adrian Mutu was signed by Chelsea in 2003 for £15m. A year later he tested positive for cocaine and was given a seven-month worldwide football ban.

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