Liverpool vs Middlesbrough: Rafa seeking to maintain a good start

Liverpool vs Middlesbrough is a tricky one for Rafa, particularly in the white hot pressure of the Premier League. The expectations on Liverpool are such that Rafa Benitez is one bad result from a wave of pressure, particularly at the start of the season. Click to continue reading...

Martin Samuel from the London Times writes about how England are lacking in quality forwards and I agree with him. Wayne Rooney can't carry the team upfront by himself, and he really does seem to be more of a setup man then an out and out finisher. With Michael Owen not being fit again, I think Fabio Capello needs to look at either Jermain Defoe or Darren Bent. Click to continue reading...

A look at the scores and match reports from this weekend's games in Major League Soccer. Columbus 2 FC Dallas 1 Jeff Cunningham became the fourth player in MLS history to reach 100 goals when he scored in his first game for FC Dallas, but midfielders Brian Carroll and Brad Evans netted second-half goals to give [. Click to continue reading...

Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has named a 22 man squad for the August 20 senior international friendly against Norway in Oslo.

The squad includes six players who were not involved in the May internationals against Serbia and Colombia.

Among this group is Liverpool defender Steve Finnan who has responded positively to Trapattoni's request to reverse his decision to retire from international football. Click to continue reading...

Who's in your engine room? Pies picks six midfielders who will strengthen your fantasy XI 1. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) Pros Last season, Cesc added goals to assists. Set to improve this season. If fit, will surely play every league game.... Click to continue reading...

There is an old adage in football that says "the best 11 players in the world don't make the best team." And it's true. How often do we see teams of talented players seemingly just thrown together with no thought of how they will play together struggle against "weaker" but well organized teams? If you need an example think of any England team over the last five years and compare them with Greece of 2004 or Turkey this summer. Click to continue reading...

Gooners

Not pretty but got the job done. It is the first competitive match, and in Europe against sides usually more technically gifted than most EPL teams, it will always be tricky. I won't buy into that young mantra, but players in key positions that have not played together at this level will always going to be tough for the team to get going. Click to continue reading...

Well well well!

Rafa and the boys had a bit of a run for their money tonight didn't they?

I know Liverpool were missing a couple of midfielders to the Olympics but deary me! Those Belgians were all over them. They were very unlucky not to have been awarded that first goal attempt which hit the post but in my view was batted away by the goalie over his own line and should therefore have been allowed. Click to continue reading...

Never give too much importance to the results of pre-season friendlies. Regardless of what name is given to these games or the size of tin pot cups handed out to the winners at the end, they remain glorified training sessions where the intensity of training undergone by each side is likely to play a determining role

What can be taken out of these games are indications and sensations on the overall ability of a team, what their potential is for the coming season. Click to continue reading...

Aston Villa

2007-08 RECORD League 6th FA Cup3rd round Carling Cup3rd round

Manager Martin O'Neill. Had a difficult summer, paying £5m for a Chelsea reserve and £2m for a 37-year-old and handling the Gareth Barry situation with less than his customary aplomb. Click to continue reading...

After the Championship play-off final all media coverage fell upon one man: Dean Windass. Heaps of praise for the player who had scored such a fantastic winning goal for his home club was tempered by equal amounts of press coverage scorn on the idea of a 40 year old striker in the Premier League.

The fact that Dean is only going to get a bit part role makes no matter to these journalists, the thought of the big man in the league is little more than a joke. Click to continue reading...

With Arsene Wenger warning that no business will be done while he prepares for the start of both the Champions League and Premier League campaigns for Arsenal, he didn't rule out that he still would shop. One of the midfielders... Click to continue reading...

Just under a year ago we had so many central midfielders we didn't know what to do with them. Some played at right back, some didn't play at all, some played out on the wing.

Now we're as short of central midfielders as Sp*rs are of league titles won in the era of colour television.

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The Wizards reserves made it a clean sweep this weekend for the Wizards. One night after the first team beat Chivas USA 3-2, the reserves came out today and beat Rockhurst University 4-0 in a friendly game. The Rockhurst team while having Rockhurst players on it, also had some players from other schools as well. Click to continue reading...

I got to see most of this game, man it was fun to watch Barca move the ball. Here's an AP recap.

Very reminiscient of Euros, with Xavi and Iniesta dominating the run of play.

Eto'o looked to be in fine form and maybe the Spanish side could make a splash in the Champions League and dethrone Real. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool are sweating on the fitness of captain Steven Gerrard for their Champions League qualifier in Belgium next week as their skipper faces a race against time to be fit against Standard Liege.

Gerrard's injury was the only low spot of an otherwise successful evening for Rafael Benitez's side last night as they cruised to a 4-1 friendly victory over Norwegian club Valerenga in Oslo . Click to continue reading...

The most profitable single game in the world was won by...no, not Manchester United...no, not the New York Giants...Hull City last season, as the Tigers' 1-0 Coca-Cola Championship playoff final victory over Bristol City at Wembley will net the East Yorkshire club an estimated $120 million when all is said and done. Click to continue reading...

Transfer rumours are all well and good, but fans like to see real signings and Arsene Wenger has just made one for Arsenal. Many Gooners are worried by the lack of midfielders currently at the club, although the Frenchman has moved to allay those fears by signing a young player ... Click to continue reading...

Midfielders Rodrigo Possebon and Tom Cleverley, as well as defender Craig Cathcart, were flown out last week to South Africa to join the first team in their pre-season. With an hour played last Saturday, Cleverley was on the scoresheet in United's 4-0 win over the Kaizer Chiefs, after putting away the ball from a Danny Simpson [. Click to continue reading...

With the departure of midfielder Gilberto to Panathinaikos this month, Arsenal supporters have come to the realisation that they stand to lose at least four top-class midfielders. While Gilberto claims he left because he wasn't guaranteed first-team football next year, the former Arsenal stalwart claims he's still befuddled as to . Click to continue reading...

Cameroon's Olympic football squad for Beijing 2008: Coach: Jules Frédéric Nyongha (62) Goalkeepers: Amour Patrick Tingyemb (23) (Tonnerre Yaoundé) Joslain Mayebi (21) (Hakoah Maccabi Amidar Ramat Gan, Israel) Defenders: Antonio Ghomsy (24) (Messina, Italy) André Bikey (23) (Reading, England) Alexandre Song (20) (Arsenal, England) Paul Rolland Bebey Kingué (21) (Les Astres) Nicolas Nkoulou (18) (Monaco, France) Alexis Enam (21) (Club Africain, Tunisia) Midfielders: Albert Baning (23) (Paris Saint-Germain, France) Stéphane [. Click to continue reading...

Nigeria's Olympic Football squad for Beijing 2008: Coach: Samson Siasia (43) Goalkeepers: Ambruse Vanzekin (22) (Akwa United) Ezenwa Ikechukwu (19) (Ocean Boys) Defenders: Chibuzor Okonkwo (?) (Bayelsa United) Taye Taiwo (23) (Olympique Marsielle, France) Onyekachi Apam (22) (Nice, France) Dele Adeleye (19) (Sparta Rotterdam, Netherlands) James Monday (22) (Bayelsa United) Adefemi Olubayo (22) (Hapoel Jerusalem, Israel) Efe Ambrose (19) (Kaduna United) Midfielders: Sani Kaita (22) (Sparta Rotterdam, Netherlands) Isaac Promise (20) [. Click to continue reading...

The Ivory Coast Olympic football squad for Beijing 2008: Coach: Gérard Gili (55) Goalkeepers: Vincent de Paul Angban (23) (ASEC Mimosas) Christian Fabrice Okoua (16) (Africa Sports) Defenders: Serges Wawa (22) (ASEC Mimosas) Ousmane Viera Diarrassouba (21) (CFR Cluj, Romania) Souleymane Bamba (23) (Dunfermline, Scotland) Angoua Brou Benjamin (21) (Budapest Honvéd, Hungary) Mamadou Bagayoko (18) (Africa Sports) Mekeme Tamla Ladji (22) (Beveren, Belgium) Midfielders: Hervé Kambou (23) (Charleloi, Belgium) Kafoumba [. Click to continue reading...

Jose Francisco Torres passed on the US Olympic team so he could play more for Pachuca. On Saturday, we'll learn if that was a good decision.

Torres was in a preseason battle with plenty of other talented players for a starting spot in Pachuca's loaded midfield, and while he doesn't bring years of experience to the table, he has plenty of other qualities that make him appealing. Click to continue reading...

Whilst the players have been going through their paces in Austria, Arsene Wegner has been going through his book of possible midfielders to bring to the club.  Having seen the paucity of players available to him, the Arsenal manager must be regretting allowing Lassana Diarra to leave in January. Wenger would like to bring someone in [. Click to continue reading...