Tonight Rafa Benitez is on the managerial tightrope when his side faces Lyon in the Champions League. Liverpool have to win, if Fiorentina and Lyon win then Liverpool can say goodbye to major silverware this season and Benitez can probably say goodbye to his job.

Benitez's side is decimated by injuries and an awful lot of responsibility is on the shoulders of Fernando Torres tonight if he plays.

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I think I may have discovered what West Ham's problem is.
Their poor results may indeed be symptomatic of some problems with the manager, who some are suggesting is a leading contender for the sack race.
I think it is likely to have more to do with where the club focuses its attention, which it has to be said does not appear to feature football that predominantly. Click to continue reading...

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

The U.S. Under-17 national team won a World Cup game on Thursday, but for many American observers, the 1-0 victory against Malawi didn't quite feel like a triumph. The disappointing performance led to some criticism (from SBI among others), and while it might seem misguided to be critical of a team of teenagers, the fact remains that this U-17 squad isn't just some youth team.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

The U.S. Under-17 national team won a World Cup game on Thursday, but for many American observers, the 1-0 victory against Malawi didn't quite feel like a triumph. The disappointing performance led to some criticism (from SBI among others), and while it might seem misguided to be critical of a team of teenagers, the fact remains that this U-17 squad isn't just some youth team.

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What a bummer: all set to be a national; assessments in-hand and doing the physical (which are not located anywhere near this state) you yank a hamstring. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a pretty good definition of sucks. But he's a great referee, who on more than one occasion has helped me out (including one big ass saving), both on the field and off; I hope he'll get another chance next year. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has urged Reds fans to give fit-again Alberto Aquilani time to adapt to English football.
Aquilani, who joined the Reds in the summer from Roma, made his first appearance in a Liverpool shirt on Wednesday night for the reserves as he continues his recovery from ankle surgery. Click to continue reading...

At the Euro 2008 Semi Final, I love this picture! Thanks to whoever who took it.

Two of Arsenal's holy trinity have been nominated for this prestigious award. The third component of this trinity,� Robin� van Persie � curiously has been ignored.� Since November 2008,� Robin has� been the most consistent Gooner full stop.

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With the Ballon d'Or nominations finally releasing this weekend, the headlines have mostly been devoted to the fact that world champions Italy have no representation whatsoever. But why blame the press for paying excessive attention to an irrelevant detail? After all, the award itself is destined to be heading Lionel Messi's way, which means very little is there to be talked about in terms of debating the winner, right?

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Beyond the nation's borders, Italian football has certainly faded into the background in recent years. A devastating match-fixing scandal in 2006 bitterly overshadowed the country's World Cup triumph that year while the domestic league has clearly become a one-horse race ever since. Reigning champions Inter Milan have shown no signs of a slip up in the Serie A for the last three seasons and that trend continued with their strong start to the current season as well.

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So thats phase one of the international break over and done with and so far it seems we have no injuries, the Spanish squad has been ravished but Cesc Fabregas' withdrawal is down to serious family reasons, it is something that may have been affecting him for a while so I really hope its all going to be alright for him, hes not had the easiest of years has young Cesc.

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The FIFA U-20 world cup has been taking place in Egypt for the past 2 weeks and tonight we will know two semi-finalists. Korea face off with Ghana while Italy play hungary.

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Ghana is the sole remaining African team and they will have a lot of pressure on their shoulders when they play the Koreans.

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The sad part of it is that it has actually gotten to this point and he's still the coach. Argentina's messed up politics are so intertwined with its soccer, that even now Maradona's head is still sitting on his shoulders.
And the players? What can they say or do besides "supporting the coach"? Click to continue reading...

From last week's Copa Sudamericana second leg match between Universidad de Chile and Internacional Inter's Gonzalo Sorondo gets kicked square in the head by Universidad defender Osvaldo Gonzalez on his attempt to clear Sorondo's head from his shoulders the ball from inside the box. There are three insane things about this:

1.

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Arsenal midfielder Theo Walcott enjoyed the best possible comeback to football last Sunday as Arsenal trashed Blackburn 6-2 and scoring the Gunners' fifth goal.

The youngster, however, preferred to highlight the performance of captain Cesc Fabregas, rated 10/10 by many after his incredible performance made up of assists, brilliant deliveries and a goal.

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Arsenal midfielder Theo Walcott enjoyed the best possible comeback to football last Sunday as Arsenal trashed Blackburn 6-2 and scoring the Gunners' fifth goal.

The youngster, however, preferred to highlight the performance of captain Cesc Fabregas, rated 10/10 by many after his incredible performance made up of assists, brilliant deliveries and a goal.

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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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Ronaldinho. Here he is saving AC Milan from defeat with 6 minutes to go and the weight of the world's expectations not lived upto on his poor shoulders.

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Robert R Luker writes:

The MLS and Football in general is going in the right direction in North America. Because of this, MLS needs two things. First, they need to figure out what their goals are. I'm sure Don Garber has them written down, I would just like them to be more transparent to the public.

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On Sunday morning, Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner sustained cuts to his knees and pain in his shoulders, as he crashed his Aston Martin on his way to training. As he was unable to undergo full training on Sunday, he will not take part in today's Champions League encounter against Olympiacos at the Emirates Stadium. Click to continue reading...

"Seeing these smiling faces is the greatest pleasure. They have been magnificent all season. They have been our 12th man. I have always said our fans are the best in England. Now I know they are the best in Europe too." (Rafa Benitez)

Yes indeed, Rafa Benitez may be many things but naiive he most definitely is not!

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Lionel Messi is one of the most accomplished young football players in La Liga� history.� Last season was of course Messi's miraculous� treble winning year and the forward was awarded both� the UEFA Footballer and Forward� of the Year Awards for achieving the most goals of any player in the world in the UEFA� Champions League tournament.

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Before I say anything else, please accept my apologies for the site having been down for much of this afternoon and this evening. It's an issue related to the hosts' servers and I think it has now been resolved. Normal service resumes here.

As summer starts to meld into the autumn, the nights draw in and the daggers start to become drawn.

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Just six games in to the season and there will be some people who are totally baffled by Manchester United's start to the season. We were supposed to struggle to find the back of the net in Cristiano Ronaldo's absence but have already achieved in six matches what it took us ten games to do last season, by scoring 15 goals.

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The Minnesota Gophers opened their Big 10 season on Thursday evening with a 1-0 win against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The contest seemed to take on a life of it's own with plenty of ebbs and flows and tactical changes. The home team dominated large portions of the contest and the statistics proved that point, but no matter how much the Lady Gophers pressed the Hawkeye defense, it didn't seem they would find the key that would unlock the game and allow Minnesota to score.

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The Minnesota Gophers opened their Big 10 season on Thursday evening with a 1-0 win against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The contest seemed to take on a life of its own with plenty of ebbs and flows and tactical changes. The home team dominated large portions of the contest and the statistics proved that point, but no matter how much the Lady Gophers pressed the Hawkeye defense, it didn't seem they would find the key that would unlock the game and allow Minnesota to score.

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The morning after the day before and the finger pointing of blame has begun following the shambolic collapse against West Bromwich Albion. The brunt, no pun intended, of the vitriol seems to be aimed fairly and squarely on the shoulders of manager Gareth Southgate, but for me the players who took to the field yesterday let themselves, the club and the fans badly down.

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Getting better all the time.

A lot was made about the horrific challenge Robin Van Persie received during Arsenal's defeat at Man City but the Dutchman also put away a very typical finish that illustrated just how instinctive and lethal he can be in front of goal, he then went on to close on two or three more occasions as the game to a close and further showed why, now in his sixth season at the north London club, he may be hitting his best form, the form that could well get the Gunners purring again.

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Ahead of our first Champions League game of the new campaign against Besiktas tonight, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra have reflected on the pain defeat in Rome caused.

"Having lost a Champions League final, I know what it feels like," said Rio. "It was sickening in Rome because we felt we were on the cusp of greatness, so to lose the way we did was really difficult.

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A few quick thoughts after the final whistle at RSL, I am pleased.

I must admit that I am pretty impressed with Chicago's performance tonight despite coming away with a point that could have been three. The Fire were able to dominate for the first 70 minutes of play and I was very excited to see some great one-touch play from the youthful squad.

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11. Has to give Ali Gerba hairstyle tips
10. Not allowed to Wikipedia "Kevin Keegan"
9. Has to be Prom DJ at MLSE exec's kids' high schools
8. Must let Mo Johnston sit on his shoulders during all future press conferences.
7. Can challenge Pinball Clemons to a wrestle
6. Gets to live in CNE's Food Building
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August has been short but sweet for Wayne Rooney as his consistency in front of goal is exactly what was needed of him with even more responsibility on his shoulders due to the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rooney has looked all the more dangerous this year, and stats don't lie, with five goals in five games so far this term.

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Stillkicking is lost in the North Woods this weekend, so I'll be filling in for the time being.
What is there really to say about this game? Personally I had a new experience during this one, I managed to sleep through most of the second half, something I have never done before. At least during a TFC game. Click to continue reading...

Amid the ‘stories' of bids for David Villa and Franck Ribery, Liverpool spent a considerable amount of money on the comparatively unknown Alberto Aquilani. Already, the former Roma player is charged with saving Liverpool's supposedly ‘faltering' title hopes, but could the expectation placed on his shoulders prove to be counter-productive? Click to continue reading...

PAUL ANDERSON, Orrell Park
Should anyone out there still actually be backing our American owners surely the moment the transfer window slammed shut on Tuesday was the final insult and enough to make them lower their star-spangled banner.
The most deceptive statistic of the season so far shows that Liverpool were the second biggest spenders in the league. Click to continue reading...

World football's hottest property Christiano Ronaldo got off to a flying start for his new club with a debut goal on the opening day of La Liga. Real Madrid's most high profile "Galactico" acquisition of the summer scored from the spot in a 3 - 2 opening day thriller against Deportivo to make a dream start to his football career at his self confessed dream club. Click to continue reading...