It took four rounds of play but the Champions League group stages is finally heating up.

If the group stages finished as they are now, then Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Liverpool would all be playing in the Europa League.

Jose Mourinho and Inter Milan were five minutes away from an 9th consecutive Champions League game without a win, when two late goals not only gave Inter the win, but also propelled them to first place in the group.

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It seems that whenever I write an article for this site it's about one of two things; Scottish football's decline or uprising. No prizes for guessing which one this falls under, with the issues surrounding that of Rangers dominating the back pages north of the border for most of the past few weeks.

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With the first quarter of football almost over in most leagues around Europe, now is a good time to measure the current progress of some of the giant clubs on the continent. Actually, analyzing the success or failure of clubs in general won't be nearly as exciting as identifying a more specific object of analysis.

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. Prior to this game, Manchester United had won only once in their last four trips to Turkey, but they turned that into two from five, owing to a header by Paul Scholes with less than 15 minutes to go. After a lengthy unbeaten run in the Champions League, ending in a bitter defeat against Barcelona in [. Click to continue reading...

Earlier today Sports Illustrated soccer writer Grant Wahl mentioned on Twitter that he plans to watch every Barcelona and Real Madrid match this season. That's not a bad idea because following the two Spanish giants should give you the entire story of the upcoming La Liga season.
Depending on your perspective, the campaign will be a predictable two-team runaway or a compelling battle between two of the game's marquee squads. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool as top seeds in Group E of the Champions League have drawn: French Champions Lyon, Italy's Fiorentina and Hungary's Debreceni.
First impressions are that its not a bad group all in all, Kenny Dalgleish is there watching for Liverpool FC.
Matches start next month, lets hope for more European glory this season. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool have come a long way since Rafa Benitez last took his side to White Hart Lane on the opening day of the Premier League season.
August 14 2004 was the Spaniard's first competitive domestic assignment in the Anfield hot-seat but he headed to the capital with Gerard Houllier's team. Click to continue reading...

The English Premier League kicks off its 2009-2010 season this weekend and it promises to be an enthralling season again in Europe's top league. So far we have looked at the likely relegation battle candidates and those teams who are destined to be middle of the table and the Europa League contenders.

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Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. | Teaching Ideas

Former England manager Sir Bobby Robson died last weekend. In this post we take a look back at one of the most respected English managers in the game. Vocabulary in bold is explained at the end of the post to help you with comprehension.

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Hello Diary!

Things just seem to keep getting better for yours truly.

Since the wonderful tour that nobody kicked me off of in the United States of America, I have caught the return flight home by a whisker, this time in Mr. Malouda's giant purse, and have found myself back in my adopted home of London, England.

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Joan Laporta has confirmed yesterday that the club has agreed on principle with Inter about a deal which will see Zlatan Ibrahmovic moving to Barcelona for exchange of Eto and some cash. There are rumours flying in plenty for sometime and the latest rumours suggests that Barca will give 40 million plus the service of both Eto and Hleb on loan. Click to continue reading...

Well, for United fans this was a bitter pill to swallow after such a succesful season. For the Azulgrana faithful, it was a majestic moment as Iniesta and Xavi again combined to lead a group of Spaniards to European glory... Click to continue reading...

Chelsea will again start a Premier League season with a new manager. Carlo Ancelotti might have been brought in to win the Champions League, but the new boss knows domestic success will earn him another chance at European glory if he is not successful at his first attempt.

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France / Ligue 1
Bordeaux are the new Ligue 1 champions following their 1-0 win over Caen at the weekend. Yoan Gouffran's goal after 49 minutes not only sealed his team's first championship win in ten years but also confirmed Caen's relegation to Ligue 2.
Olympique Marseille went into their final game knowing they could only win Ligue 1 if they beat Stade Rennes and Bordeaux lost to Caen. Click to continue reading...

It's a small consolation of course. Having left Arsenal to seek European glory, Thierry Henry has now fulfilled his dream. I just wish he did it with us, of course.

The optimistic might say he will now come back but I don't think that will happen.

I strongly believe the two sides which deserved the most reached the final.

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At a press conference on Wednesday, Ryan Giggs told of his delight at the pairing of the two best teams in Europe in next Wednesday's Final and also stated his belief that if United win in Rome, they could dominate Europe for years to come. While Barcelona probably have the same designs in their mind, it's hard to deny that given the age of the squads, and the talent there that the winner could rule Europe for a few years to come.

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Naive lapses leave Arsenal looking to the future again
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A terrible error from the youngest player on the pitch set Manchester United on the way to victory last night, ­condemning Arsenal to another season without reward and the umpteenth reopening of the debate over Arsène Wenger's disinclination to recruit experienced players in his efforts to bring the European Cup to north London.

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What the English press is saying two days before Chelsea hosts Barcelona in their Champions League semifinal second leg at Stamford Bridge:

• Even Sid Lowe, with his supreme Spanish bias, admits the task ahead of Barcelona is a difficult one the Guardian
• Buoyant Barcelona give Guus Hiddink bad dreams the Times
• Let's hope cynicism doesn't rule the day at Stamford Bridge the Times
• Lampard determined to secure European glory the Independent
• Messi: Chelsea scared to attack the Sun
• Barca seek revenge in blame game the Times
• Intrigue over Henry's fitness the Guardian

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Guus Hiddink masterminded his side to a famous victory at Anfield at the end of which the visitors deservedly won 3-1 and have one foot in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Following this upset at Merseyside, many fans had hoped that the Reds would summon the grit and determination that saw them lift the trophy in 2005 after being three goals down at halftime.

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