Roma relieved all pressure on their previously under-fire boss Luis Enrique with a Sunday evening victory at Napoli's San Paolo. Lining-up without regulars Miralem Pjanic, Fernando Gago and Simon Kjaer, the Giallorossi took the lead after just three minutes. Erik Lamela's cross deflected off Salvatore Aronica and bounced over the line after striking ‘keeper Morgan De Sanctis' arm: a freak goal,.

Another exciting match is upon on us Monday when two of the historically best teams in Italy collide in the country's capital, as Juventus travel to face Roma. This will be the Old Lady's fifth game in a little over two weeks. Juventus are coming in with blistering form as they continue to get positive results.

'Slave' Kuszczak has made his last United blunder by crossing Fergie

You would think that after all the reminiscing about Sir Alex Ferguson's 25 years, Tomasz Kuszczak would have realised the golden rule at Old Trafford. No-one crosses Fergie. Paul Ince, Jaap Stam, David Beckham, Gabriel Heinze, Ruud van Nistelrooy even Roy Keane in the end made that mistake.

Luís Enrique teve um currículo invejável enquanto atleta, tendo representado os dois colossos do futebol espanhol sempre a alto nível. Penduradas as chuteiras, o antigo jogador de Real Madrid e Barcelona aceitou o desafio de treinar a equipa B do clube catalão e o bom trabalho aí desenvolvido despertou o interesse da AS Roma que fez um esforço enorme para lhe dar um plantel recheado de craques.

Luís Enrique teve um currículo invejável enquanto atleta, tendo representado os dois colossos do futebol espanhol sempre a alto nível. Penduradas as chuteiras, o antigo jogador de Real Madrid e Barcelona aceitou o desafio de treinar a equipa B do clube catalão e o bom trabalho aí desenvolvido despertou o interesse da AS Roma que fez um esforço enorme para lhe dar um plantel recheado de craques.

It was another packed weekend in which Argentines around the world had a big say in footballing matters, so here's another dose of Argentines Abroad. Sergio Agüero hit a hat-trick for Manchester City, Fernando Belluschi for Porto and Javier Pastore ... Continue reading →

According to Transfermarkt, Juventus was the big spender in this summers transfer market, spending 85.7 million euros in total as the club completed full acquisitions on a number of players including Alessandro Matri and Fabio Quagliarella, who will be joined by fresh faces Arturo Vidal, Mirko Vucinic, Eljero Elia, Stephan Lichtsteiner and potentially the best deal, Andrea Pirlo, who arrived from Milan on a free transfer.

A.S. Roma have announced the capture of 21-year old starlet Miralem Pjanic from French giants Olympique Lyonnais for a transfer fee reported to be around £9 million .

Pjanic, who struggled to follow up to a sensation 2009-10 season last year, has attracted from the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea in the past but it turned out to be a revamped Giallorossi side that eventually swooped for him on the transfer deadline day.

You remember Maarten Stekelenburg don't you Kickettes? He of World Cup hottie status and butterfinger moments a la Ramos?

Having just signed a four-year deal with AS Roma, the Dutch international is taking each and every one of his delectable midsection treats to the Italian capital to enlist in Bojan Krkic and Gabriel Heinze's hot-to-trot newbies club.

Youthful exuberance is sweeping through Trigoria. Gone is the wizen Ranieri, replaced by the comparatively fresh-faced Luis Enrique – and accompanying the Spaniard is an armada of talent barely free from adolescence. But while fan's fervour is reserved for the nineteen year old Erik Lamela, along with Bojan Krcic and Loic Nego at just one year Lamela's senior, an investment in experience may.

Photo by tpower1978

Roma have grabbed the transfer spotlight as they have closed a deal to bring in Barcelona's Bojan Krkic. The transfer fee is reported to be 12 million euros, but it is a somewhat convoluted deal that includes a 13 million euro buy-back clause after the 2012-13 season that Roma can negate by paying an additional 28 million.

By FRANCO PANIZO

The Barcelona-Alexis Sanchez ordeal has come to a close, and Barcelona has gotten its man.

Barcelona officially signed Sanchez from Udinese, the Spanish club announced on its website on Thursday. The deal is for five years and the transfer fee was worth an estimated $42.

Alexander "Skip" Spence? No, it's Luka

Chelsea's £22m offer for Luka Modric is ridiculed by Harry Redknapp. The only player of genuine quality at Spurs is not exactly a wantaway so Chelsea will have to up their ante.

It maybe business as usual but the number of cases so far seem to suggest league rivals are more pro-active raiding the locker rooms of others in recent memory.

Long-term HEGS readers will remember that in 2007, 2008 and 2009 I ran an award to find the Best Argentine Abroad according to my readers. This year, in an attempt to widen the voting, the award (which in 2009 was the ... Continue reading →

The domestic football season has now come to an end across Europe, and also in Mexico. Argentines have been key to the denouements of leagues and cups across western Europe, so here's the rundown of who's won what from ... Continue reading →

MANCHESTER, England Javier Hernandez has capped a phenomenal debut season for United by scooping the prestigious Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award. The accolade is voted for by fans across the world on the club's official websites and honours United's best player in the 2010/11 campaign. Chicharito, who has scored 20 goals [.

In March 2006, The Republik of Mancunia blog was born. Having become tired of reading dross like this and this, I felt like something had to be written to counter act the doom and gloom that surrounded Manchester United in the press.

Martin Samuel, then at The Times, compared United's situation to that of the fall of the Roman Empire.

This weekend sees Argentina face the United States of America in a friendly on Saturday, so this week's Argentines Abroad acts as a bit of a prelude to that, in many ways. One player not included in Sergio Batista's squad ... Continue reading →

July 15th 1962: Denis Law
Denis Law relaxes watches Club Secretary Les Olive complete his new contract following his complicated transfer from Italian club Torino.

May 8th 2003: Quinton Fortune
Four years in to his time at United, Fortune signs a three year extension deal.

Former Manchester United full-back Gabriel Heinze regrets having a row with Sir Alex Ferguson over him wanting a £9m move to Anfield while at Old Trafford but he also believes United are only human and can be beaten to-night by Marseille.

French champions Olympique Marseille will be looking to secure a favourable result as they host Manchester United in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Last 16 tie.

‘Franglais' is the term used to describe a concocted mixture of the finest in the French and English language.

Gabriel Heinze had admitted his fall out with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the biggest regrets of his career as he prepares to renew acquaintances with his former boss in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Gabriel Heinze, who spent three years at Manchester United before two seasons at Real Madrid, winning the league at both, has claimed that United is the most special club in the world.

"I cannot wait for the chance to go back onto the pitch at Old Trafford because this is the most special club of all, and I include Real Madrid in this list," said Heinze.

Patrice Evra claims that Gabriel Heinze, whose place he took in the team, will receive a standing ovation from Manchester United fans when he plays at Old Trafford.

I can only assume Evra is underestimating the feelings Heinze's demand to join Liverpool inspired in United fans.

"Gaby has been playing well for Marseille," he said.

Gabriel Heinze had been a fans' favourite at Old Trafford, with the crowd loving him for his strong tackling and tough nature. "Argentina!" we would chant when he got stuck in to a really meaty challenge. After Patrice Evra became Manchester United's first choice left-back, Gabriel Heinze wasn't prepared to work for his place in the team, and he was off.

"I love United but I'm sick of Manchester" one first team player confessed last week. Respected journalist Andy Mitten has revealed in FourFourTwo magazine that "Like Gabriel Heinze before him, he...
Continue to the full story

There's football in everything.

• Football's worst nightmare. (Total Soccer Show)
• Gabriel Heinze: knob. (Confessions of a Correspondent)
• Confessions of a romantic. (Guardian)
• Football and philosophy. (IBWM)
• Europe's high-flyers. (The Best Eleven)
• Importing the fans.

There's football in everything.

• Football's worst nightmare. (Total Soccer Show)
• Gabriel Heinze: knob. (Confessions of a Correspondent)
• Confessions of a romantic. (Guardian)
• Football and philosophy. (IBWM)
• Europe's high-flyers. (The Best Eleven)
• Importing the fans.

He's not in Argentina's squad to face Portugal on Wednesday, of course, but Carlos Tevez celebrated his birthday on Saturday with a first half hat trick against West Brom for Manchester City, and on the very same day the world's ... Continue reading →

01- Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/POR): 12 millones de euros al año02- Wayne Rooney (Manchester United/ING): 11,503- Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona/ARG): 1104- Yaya Touré (Manchester City/CMA): 10,805- Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milán/ITA): 10,506- Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Múnich/ALE): 9,707- Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Milan AC/SUE): 908- Kaká (Real Madrid/BRA): 909- John Terry (Chelsea/ING): 910- Emmanuel Adebayor (Manchester City/TOG): 8,411- Franck Ribéry (Bayern Múnich/FRA): 812- Fernando Torres (Liverpool/ESP): 7,813- Steven Gerrard (Liverpool/ING): 7,614- Carlos Tevez (Manchester City/ARG): 7,615- Frank Lampard (Chelsea/ING): 7,5716- Xavi Hernandez (FC Barcelona/ESP): 7,517- Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona/ESP): 718- Didier Drogba (Chelsea/CMA): 6,519- Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United/ING): 6,520- Andréa Pirlo (Milan AC/ITA): 621- David Villa (FC Barcelona/ESP): 622- Iker Casillas (Real Madrid/ESP): 623- Frédéric Kanouté (FC Sevilla/MAL): 624- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/FRA): 625- Gigi Buffon (Juventus/ITA): 626- Patrick Vieira (Manchester City/FRA): 5,7227- Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milán/HOL): 5,528- Garreth Barry (Manchester City/ING): 5,529- Arjen Robben (Bayern Múnich/HOL): 5,530- Asley Cole (Chelsea/ING): 5,4131- Joe Cole (Liverpool/ING): 5,232- Diego Milito (Inter Milán/ARG): 533- David Silva (Manchester City/ESP): 534- Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona/ESP): 535- Kolo Touré (Manchester City/CMA): 536- Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid/ARG): 537- Francesco Totti (Roma/ITA): 4,938- Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United/BUL): 4,8739- Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal/RUS): 4,8740- Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea/FRA): 4,841- Yoann Gourcuff (Lyon/FRA): 4,842- Paul Scholes (Manchester United/ING): 4,843- Daniele de Rossi (Roma/ITA): 4,644- Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid/ESP): 4,645- Jamie Carragher (Liverpool/ING): 4,646- Ryan Giggs (Manchester United/GAL): 4,647- Julio Cesar (Inter Milan/BRA): 4,548- Diego Forlan (Atlético Madrid/URU): 4,549- Alessandro Nesta (Milan/ITA): 4,550- Gabriel Heinze (Marseilla/ARG): 4,5
Estudio realizado por la revista belga «Sport Foot Magazine».

No matter how ridiculous some of its claims may be, the Sunday newspaper transfer mill just can't be ignored and until January fades into February, names linked with Spurs have to be analysed.

Some players mentioned last week such as Luis Suarez and Wes Brown have come up again, while the price tag placed on Andy Carroll, which now seems to have risen to £30m, appears to have put an end to that speculation.