This year's Confederations Cup in Brazil starts with one of the best matchups in the draw: Uruguay vs. Spain; the defending Copa America champions versus the World Cup and two-time defending European Cup champions. With star studded lineups on both ends of the pitch, this match is sure to be a fantastic spectacle of football and one that will hopefully get the world even more excited for next summer's World Cup.
Really interesting stats from whoscored.com comparing Xavi's 2011/12 season versus last season. And the comparison does not make good reading.
While Xavi maintained the highest pass success rate in Europe last season with an unbelievable 94.8% accuracy, his average rating per match dropped from 7.
Cesc Fabregas yesterday distanced himself from a move to Manchester United, insisting he wants to prove himself at Barcelona and that he's not considering a return to Premier League. The former Arsenal captain had been linked with a £25m move to Old Trafford but, in an interview with Spanish radio Onda Cera, he categorically dismissed [.
Why Arsenal have to use their money to re-sign Fabregas - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Arsenal now have no excuse for failure to re-sign former midfielder Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona should he become available.
Arsenal's chief executive Ivan Gazidis made the club's prominent financial position quite clear last week with comments that Arsenal could match any other big clubs in terms of financial muscle.
Barcelona reached 100 points on the final day of the season in Spain, while Jose Mourinho signed off with a win. Real Sociedad pipped Valencia to the final Champions League place, but Mallorca, Zaragoza and Deportivo La Coruna were all relegated.
Goals from David Villa, Cesc Fabregas, Martin Montoya and Andres Iniesta gave Barcelona a resounding 4-1 win over Malaga at Camp Nou to bring up 100 points for the season, matching Real Madrid's achievement of last season.
Barcelona reached 100 points on the final day of the season in Spain, while Jose Mourinho signed off with a win. Real Sociedad pipped Valencia to the final Champions League place, but Mallorca, Zaragoza and Deportivo La Coruna were all relegated.
Goals from David Villa, Cesc Fabregas, Martin Montoya and Andres Iniesta gave Barcelona a resounding 4-1 win over Malaga at Camp Nou to bring up 100 points for the season, matching Real Madrid's achievement of last season.
Well we've certainly got an exciting transfer window ahead this summer. Some of the biggest names in world football are thought to be on the move, with several already having completed moves to their new clubs. Names like Radamel Falcao, Edinson Cavani, Robert Lewandowski, and Neymar have been all the buzz as of late, with additional names like Wayne Rooney Cesc Fabregas, and Fernando Torres filling in the gaps.
Barcelona vs Espanyol Copa Catalunya 2013 Highlights 1-1 Penalties Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Barcelona vs Espanyol Copa Catalunya 2013 Highlights 1-1 Penalties Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Barcelona vs Espanyol 2013 ( Barca Espanyol VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Barcelona vs Espanyol 1-1 ( Fabregas/ Simao) Copa Catalunya- 29 May, 2013 Cesc Fabregas' late goal cancels out Simao's opener for [.
Can former Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas be Manchester United's new Paul Scholes? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
The British media have been full of rumours as the transfer window's reopening looms, however one that catches the eye in particular is the future of former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas.
Can former Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas be Manchester United's new Paul Scholes? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
The British media have been full of rumours as the transfer window's reopening looms, however one that catches the eye in particular is the future of former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas.
Spain v Ireland in New York a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Barcelona and Real Madrid stars - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Football fans in New York are set to be spoiled this summer, with two high-profile games to be played at the Yankee Stadium in the European off-season. Chelsea and Manchester City are set to do battle on May 25th, and the first international fixture at the historic stadium is set to be played between world champions Spain and Ireland on June 11th.
Liverpool has won the race to sign Spanish attacker Sergi Canos after it was revealed that the youngster had rejected a new contract with Barcelona in order to make the move to Merseyside. A number of weeks ago it was reported in Spanish newspaper Sport that Liverpool had been in contact with representatives of the youngster for some time as they attempted to convince him to reject a new deal at Barcelona.
Interesting stories out of Spain about Cesc Fabregas. While Fabregas was a favorite of former Barca coach Pep Guardiola, he is not of current boss Tito Vilanova.
Fabregas has spent much of the season alongside Alex Song on the Barcelona bench. While he says that he wants to stay and fight for is place at Barca, the fact is, that as long as Xavi and Iniesta are fit, Fabregas will be a reserve under Vilanova.
Arsenal can look forward to spending another £2 million in the summer transfer window, as they have just received this windfall from past sales. The Premier League outfit inserted clauses into the deal that took Cesc Fabregas to the Camp Nou. As a result of Barcelona winning the league title this season, Arsenal will be eligible to receive around £2 million in bonuses.
Manchester United are reported to be looking at a shock transfer for former Arsenal star and current FC Barcelona midfielder, Cesc Fabregas. According to reports from the Independent on May 13, 2013, David Moyes is eying up Fabregas as a potential long term replacement for want away forward Wayne Rooney.
Manchester United are prepared to make a huge signal of intent by signing Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas as David Moyes's first new player of the season, according to the Evening Standardnewspaper.
United have reportedly been in contact with Barcelona regarding the fee for Fabregas. The Spanish midfielder joined Barcelona two years ago for £35 million, but Barcelona still owe Arsenal £5 million, and want to recoup at least £20 million for the talented former Arsenal captain.
The rumor mill has been churning out blockbuster moves of late, linking some of world football's biggest stars to some of Europe's biggest clubs. The most recent outlandish transfer rumor involves Spain international Cesc Fabregas in a proposed move to the Serie A, with AC Milan and Inter Milan rumored to be suitors, according to Football-Italia (via Corriere dello Sport).
Once again the top three in La Liga all registered wins at the weekend. Despite making hard work of beating Levante, Barcelona remain 13 points clear of Real Madrid with only 18 more points to play for.
With their impending Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich on his mind, Barca coach Tito Vilanova again rested key players and his depleted side struggled to break down a stubborn Levante at Camp Nou.
How Arsenal can become more Barcelona-like - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Arsenal came face-to-face with Barcelona in the final of the 2005-06 Champions League, but despite being beaten by the Spanish giants, they held their own and were good value for their place at Europe's top table.
FC Barcelona kept on with their march to the La Liga title with a 1-0 victory at home against Levante. We did left it pretty late with the deciding goal from Cesc Fabregas coming in the 84th minute. The scoreline did not exactly tell the story of the game as we dominated it from the beginning. We were sloppy in the second half, but Vilanova was smart enough to make the necessary substitution in order to secure the important three points.
I don't think I'm the only one in the world that appreciates the way Barcelona pass and move both on and off the ball these days. The Catalan giants possess a certain degree of patience that is rare in the game. Just as they are patient, however, they are also able to recognize when their opponents are at their weakest – perhaps a lapse in concentration here or the failure to get back into shape there.
I don't think I'm the only one in the world that appreciates the way Barcelona pass and move both on and off the ball these days. The Catalan giants possess a certain degree of patience that is rare in the game. Just as they are patient, however, they are also able to recognize when their opponents are at their weakest – perhaps a lapse in concentration here or the failure to get back into shape there.
Still dealing with a hamstring injury suffered during the first leg of Barcelona's Champions League quarterfinal against PSG, Lionel Messi did not start the second leg at the Camp Nou. This proved difficult for both Messi and his team as he squirmed on the bench and PSG took a 3-2 aggregate lead when Javier Pastore scored in the 50th minute.
What will we do without this Guy - Lionel Messi. There were debates going on about how much this Barca side depends on him. Going by the stats it looked like they could do without him, having a 78% win record when Messi does not start. But Jesus this match showed why we depend on him so much. he may not have scored but when we went down a goal, the first thing Vilanova did was to ask him to get ready.
La Liga outfit Sevilla are reportedly willing to negotiate with Liverpool over the transfer of Ivan Rakitic, it has emerged. The Spanish side had a poor season this year, finishing 9th in La Liga, and are expecting to face the departures of some key players, having already sold winger Jesus Navas to Manchester City for £14.
The focus of the video gaming world is on E3 today where Microsoft gave an exciting presentation to share more details about the games that will be on their Xbox One, which is scheduled for release this November. Meanwhile, Sony will be giving a presentation this evening to showcase the new games expected to be released on the PS4.
A year before the 2014 World Cup: Argentina are favourites - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
On Wednesday, it will officially be one year before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil gets under way. Despite a number of highly impressive sides around at the moment it is Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, who look favourites to lift the World Cup trophy on 13th July 2014.
After narrowly finishing in fourth and still without a trophy since their FA Cup victory in 2005, the Arsenal brass has given coach Arsene Wenger a transfer kitty of £70 million, in an attempt to bolster the squad ahead of the coming Premier League season. Though they have to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, the Gunners remain an attractive destination across Europe and have been linked with some huge names of late as Wenger looks primed to make impactful signings.
Wenger talks about Fabregas and Rooney, but Arsenal can't match their wages - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
When speaking to AlJazeera, Arsene Wenger was asked about Cesc Fabregas and Wayne Rooney. While any manager would show interest in 'unsettled' world-class players (unless you're Bayern), there's little to suggest that Arsenal can attract those players and will be looking at lower-value players during the Premier League transfer season.
During the course of the morning of 3 June several UK newspapers changed their web sites to reflect an interview with Arsène Wenger. The Daily Telegraph piece is by Nick Pearce and runs with the headline
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger hints at shock moves for Wayne Rooney and Cesc Fabregas
Gervinho has declared that he will not be leaving Arsenal this summer and intends to become a regular part of coach Arsene Wenger's starting line-up next season.
The 26-year-old Ivorian's wastefulness in front of goal has seen him linked with moves away from Emirates Stadium, but the player has made it clear that he isn't going anywhere.
In the 52nd minute at St. James' Park, the inevitable happened. Arsenal scored. Not many would have banked on the rejuvenated Laurent Koscielny to break the deadlock in such a fine fashion, putting his team firmly in the driving seat after a well taken half-volley, but it was no surprise to see another Wenger team heading for the Champions League (with the qualification round in their path) for the umpteenth time in a row (16 to be exact).
SWOL correspondent Nico Cantor reports from Fortaleza, Brazil and the Confederations Cup.
Goals from Neymar, Andrea Pirlo, Luis Suarez, and Soldado marked a fantastic opening weekend in the Confederations Cup. Brazil, Italy and Spain all recorded wins with Japan, Mexico, and Uruguay all losing in the process.
On second thoughts, we're not sure if it's wise to let Strootman and Phil Jones play together
Not that he's particularlykeen to talk about it, but it looks like Kevin Strootman may be on Manchester United's radar again this summer, with the PSV midfielder presenting an altogether cheaper and more attainable alternative to Cesc Fabregas, who is also being mentioned in passing perhaps more unrealistically.
