When Manchester United line-up against Barcelona next week, the focus will be on how the Premier League champions can keep Lionel Messi from having too much of an impact on proceedings. Many teams have tried and failed to stop the Argentinean from weaving his magic and if United don't manage it, then it is hard to see any other result than a Barca win.

Well, I am not much of a transfer speculation/discussion guy but today's game and a highly unrealistic transfer rumour about a Nasri-Tevez swap got me thinking.

First, let me just mention why I don't see any sense in the swap deal with Tevez. The Argentinean is a world-class player but I don't see him fitting into the Arsenal style.

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As we build up to Wednesday's massive Arsenal v Barcelona match, here's a look at the some of the head 2 head stats between Barcelona and Arsenal players.

Robin van Persie v Lionel Messi

In Robin Van Persie, Arsenal have a striker in the form of his career, with the Dutchman netting a fantastic 10 goals in the league in 2011 so far.

Liverpool has been alerted to the availability of Sevilla winger Diego Perotti after the Spanish side agreed to sign German international Piotr Trochowski in the summer.
According to reports in tribalfootball.com, Sevilla are prepared to listen to offers for the Argentinean winger who has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League.

It's that time of year. A time for rumour mongering and acres of fresh effluvium churned out hourly. It can't be avoided. We'll try to make this something less than entirely painful:

Sergio Aguero

"I said long ago that when I wanted to go, I would say so publicly," said Aguero in a statement on his website.

Leaping across the border, today we look at the New York Times online Soccer page. Sustainable or no, the Times has the sort of resources newspapers like the Globe and Mail can only dream about. But the difference here is one of degree, not of philosophy.
As with the Globe, the mainpage is littered with Reuters and AP wire reports, although the layout is much more attractive and the news more up-to-date.

Real Madrid's signing of Emmanuel Adebayor has been as shocking as it is brilliant by Mourinho and co. at The Bernabeu. Since his arrival at the Spanish capital in the summer of 2010, the Portuguese tactician has gone about strengthening areas that needed development bringing in the likes of Angel Di Maria, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil to name but three players that have arrived in the Spanish capital over the past six months.

It has been revealed that Barcelona and Pep Guardiola have reached an agreement to renew his contract with the club until June 30th, 2012.

Guardiola is developing into a club legend after an illustrious career as a player, guiding the reserve team to promotion as a coach and then taking over as the head coach of Barcelona and bringing trophy after trophy to Nou Camp.

Look back at the usual starting eleven under Benitez in the 2008/2009 season, the season which we mounted our strongest Premier League title challenge yet finishing 2nd. The usual players (not in order of any sort) where:

Pepe Reina (Spanish)
Andrea Dossena (Italian)
Sami Hyypia (Finnish)
Steven Gerrard (English)
Daniel Agger (Danish)
Jamie Carragher (English)
Xabi Alonso (Spanish)
Yossi Benayoun (Israeli)
Albert Riera (Spanish)
David Ngog (French)
Fernando Torres (Spanish)
Emilano Insua (Argentinean)
Javier Mascherano (Argentinean)
Lucas Leiva (Brazillian)

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Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has enjoyed a well-earned break on his cattle ranch after a tough season with the Anfield club.
This picture of Lucas, who was a stand-out player in an otherwise underwhelming campaign for the Reds, has gone viral, with Liverpool fans quick to comment on the South American star's choice of summer holiday destination.

Manchester City once again showed their high ambition with another transfer market coup this summer with the signing of Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero, who earlier this month was also linked with the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea and Juventus but the Argentinean opted the Eastlands instead.

Liverpool hijack Arsenal's Lucas Biglia bid

Liverpool are rivalling Arsenal for the signature of Argentinean midfielder Lucas Biglia as they prepare to let Lucas Leiva leave on loan.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-08-05 11:01:08 from: The Mail

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Milton Caraglio's first two MLS goals put the New England Revolution up 2-0 at halftime, but the New York Red Bulls would have their say in the second half, finding the back of the net twice to leave Foxborough with a 2-2 draw. The draw extends the Revs winless streak to six games and New York's to seven.

Both of Liverpool's goals against Chelsea were fantastic, strikes which have an excellent chance of showing up on various best-of-season lists. The first showed the benefits of pressing from the front and quick pass and move football, the second direct football at its finest: a cross-field diagonal opening up acres of space for an attacking full-back bombing forward.

Why you've got to work extra hard to be sent off for swearing

Playing against Mauricio Taricco was enough to make a saint swear. We used to kick lumps out of each other back in the old days. But bad language was back on the agenda for the veteran Argentinean, now at Brighton, last weekend when he was sent off (pictured) for swearing at Peter Walton.

Goals:
Suarez 47'
Just good enough. The difference that taking just one of those oft-mentioned chances makes.
25 shots, eight on target, with the woodwork hit twice. 62% possession, 21 chances created. A handful of impressive, out-of-character saves by the opposition goalkeeper.

Leaping across the border, today we look at the New York Times online Soccer page. Sustainable or no, the Times has the sort of resources newspapers like the Globe and Mail can only dream about. But the difference here is one of degree, not of philosophy.
As with the Globe, the mainpage is littered with Reuters and AP wire reports, although the layout is much more attractive and the news more up-to-date.

Trouble In Paradise?

It's no secret that Mourinho is butting heads with some of the Executive members of Real Madrid but is his presence also having an impact on the players as well? Although some players praise the Portuguese coach and some even considering the best coach in the world, Higuain's latest statement is sparking a little interest in the eyes of many journalists' in Spain.

Gonzalo Higuain is out for the remainder of the season after undergoing a injury in Chicago and although it was reported that the Argentinean can return in 4 months, it will be a year before he is back to full fitness.

"The operation lasted one hour and 15 minutes.

MANCHESTER, England A last-gasp Aleksandar Kolarov effort ended Leicester City's threatened fightback and saw Manchester City progress into the fourth round of the FA Cup. Carlos Tevez had put the hosts ahead after 15 minutes before Paul Gallagher equalised from the penalty spot four minutes later after Lloyd Dyer had been felled by Patrick [.

Reina
Carragher Skrtel Agger
Kelly Gerrard Lucas Maxi Johnson
Meireles
Kuyt
Goals:
Meireles 69'
"Down Goes Frazier! Down Goes Frazier! Down Goes Frazier!" Yet again, David beats Goliath. And it couldn't have been sweeter.
So much for not seeing three at the back for a second-straight match.

The second Manchester derby of the season awaits us tomorrow afternoon at Old Trafford as a beaten Manchester United side look to bounce back against a Manchester City team in some indifferent form.

It is a match where the stakes are raised higher each year, and most will remember the two excellent Carling Cup matched last season, where United only made it through to the final thanks to a lat minute Wayne Rooney strike.

Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi sit atop football's Everest as the world's two supreme players. Some observers have tentatively suggested others are equally deserving of breathing such rarefied air. Messi's team mates at Barcelona, Xavi and Iniestia, are certainly frequently mentioned in such regard.

Palermo have suggested they are expecting bids from a number of English clubs including Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea for midfielder Javier Pastore in the summer, according to reports.
Sources close to the Sicilian club have been quoted in the Italian press, suggesting the three Premier League giants are set to go head to head to sign Pastore, 21.

ESPN The Mag has a special issue on newstands right now, and they're speaking the international language: scrilla.

What they've done is taken the salary or guesstimated income of all the top athletes in the world to determine the highest earners in each of 182 countries. The mere concept is interesting and the list itself, more so.

1pm, live in the US on DirecTV channel 481 (HD on 481-1)
0-0 on aggregate
Group Stage Results:
Liverpool: 0-0 Utrecht (h); 1-1 Steaua (a); 3-1 Napoli (a); 0-0 Napoli (a); 0-0 Utrecht (a); 4-1 Steaua (h)
Sparta: 1-1 CSKA Moscow (h); 2-2 Palermo (a); 3-1 Lausanne (a); 3-3 Lausanne (h); 0-3 CSKA Moscow; 3-2 Palermo (h)
Last three matches:
Liverpool: 0-0 Sparta (a); 1-1 Wigan (h); 1-0 Chelsea (a)
Sparta: 0-0 Liverpool (h); 1-1 CSKA Moscow (h); 2-2 Palermo (a)
Goalscorers (Europe):
Liverpool: Ngog 5; Gerrard 4; Babel, Cole, Jovanovic, Kuyt, Lucas 1
Sparta: Kadlec, Kladrubsky 2; Kweuke 1
Referee: Milorad Mažić (SRB)
Guess at a lineup:
Reina
Carragher Skrtel Agger
Kelly Lucas Spearing Johnson
Meireles Cole
Kuyt
With the resumption of league matches on Sunday after a two-week respite, pre-match questions remain the same.

Barcelona – Osasuna may not attract the same audiences as the Madrid derby or El Clasico but for fans who watched the Catalan's 2-0 win last night would have witnessed history in the process. Lionel Messi became the first player to score 50 goals in a Spanish season and, as a result, broke Ferenc Puskas' record of 49 goals in the 1949/50 season.

Reina
Johnson Carragher Skrtel Flanagan
Spearing Lucas
Kuyt Meireles Maxi
Suarez
Goals:
Maxi 1' 7' 70'
Kuyt 16'
Dembele 57'
Suarez 76'
After months of anger, disappointment and regrets, now we're wishing the season wasn't about to end.

Reina
Flanagan Carragher Skrtel Johnson
Meireles Lucas Spearing Maxi
Kuyt Suarez
Goals:
Maxi 10'
Kuyt 59' (pen)
Suarez 65'
There's no room for sentiment in football. Dalglish, the cold-eyed realist, left Liverpool's £35m Geordie on the bench against his old side, keeping faith with the surprise hat-trick hero.

7am ET, live in the US on FSC
Last four head-to-head:
1-3 Newcastle (a) 12.11.10
3-0 Liverpool (h) 05.03.09
5-1 Liverpool (a) 12.28.08
3-0 Liverpool (h) 03.08.08
Last three matches:
Liverpool: 5-0 Brum (h); 1-1 Arsenal (a); 3-0 City (h)
Newcastle: 1-1 Blackpool (a); 0-0 United (h): 0-1 Villa (a)
Goalscorers (league):
Liverpool: Kuyt 11; Maxi 6; Meireles 5; Gerrard 4; Carroll, Cole, Johnson, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Skrtel, Suarez 2
Newcastle: Nolan 12; Best 6; Ameobi, Lovenkrands 5; Barton 4; Coloccini, Jonas 2; Ben Arfa, Tiote 1
Referee: Peter Walton
Guess at a line-up:
Reina
Flanagan Carragher Skrtel Robinson
Kuyt Lucas Spearing Meireles
Suarez Carroll
Can you change a team that won its last game 5-0?

Reina
Flanagan Carragher Skrtel Aurelio
Kuyt Lucas Spearing Meireles
Carroll Suarez
Goals:
Carroll 13' 35'
Kuyt 34'
Revenge. Bettering City's 0-3 dominance in the reverse fixture, beating City as thoroughly as City beat Sunderland last week. Liverpool strolled for the final 55 minutes after Carroll tallied the third – his second of the match – the opposition, fully demoralized, fumbled aimlessly.

Manchester City are facing up to the fact that their influential skipper Carlos Tevez's participation in next weekend's FA Cup final is still under some serious doubt. The 27-year old suffered a hamstring injury last month against Liverpool, and it is still very much touch-and-go as to whether the Argentinean will be included in the match-day squad that travel to Wembley on May 14th.

Manchester City are still some way from being able to predict whether their captain Carlos Tevez will be available for selection for their FA Cup final on May 14th. The Argentinean striker suffered a hamstring injury last month and will face a real race against time to recover in time to lead his team out at Wembley for the season's showpiece final.

The recent never-ending blog carnival can't spoil historic practice. While I'm sure you're sick of overwrought dissection of the season that was (and there will be more), a top 10 video of Liverpool's goals of the season is tradition around this parts. Also, you should go read the Goal of the Season results that Paisley Gates posted this morning.

Last March there was a report coming out of Australia that Adelaide United player Marcos Flores could be heading to the Portland Timbers before the transfer window closes as the team's Designated Player. This report ended up being false, at least according to its time table. Yesterday a fresh report popped up on Adelaide Now (Adelaide's newspaper) that the Timbers might be interested in him.

Robin couldn't have put it any better

Arsenal are out of the Champions League. The challenge came unstuck once again at Barcelona and once again at the feet of Lionel Messi. The Argentinean maestro opened the scoring in first-half injury time and fired home the tie-clinching penalty in the 71st minute.

I am not a fan of the team, but know about football, so: How in the world can it be that River Plate, RIVER PLATE, has been relegated!?!?!!? After some meager years, this last tie 1-1 against Belgrano sealed the Argentinean giants' darkest chapter.River Plate is one of the most legendary clubs in the world.

Juventus are set to beat Liverpool to the signing of Argentine winger Diego Perotti.
It was thought that Kenny Dalglish had identified the Sevilla star as a contingency plan should his pursuit of Stewart Downing prove fruitless.
But reports in Spain have claimed that Liverpool, who are not prepared to pay more than £7.

Gossip Gordon has come out of retirement to address the pressing matters of the transfer market. Gordon knows that half of these rumours are probably made-up by the cleaner at The Sun or, in a bygone era, were probably found out by certain chaps listening in on intimidate phone calls between Kevin Keegan and Alan Shearer.

The un-clarity regarding Carlos Tevez's future at Manchester City has made Roberto Mancini's side raise their hunt in getting a quality replacement and the latest reports stated that they are very close in acquiring Sergio Aguero from Atletico Madrid.

After constant confirmation from Mancini about the club's interest on Aguero, recent rumors from Soccernet claimed that the agreement is very near as the Atletico star reportedly set to arrive at Manchester on Wednesday and seal the deal.