"Hand of God", by Balakov on FlickrThere's been lots of ink & pixels spilled about Thierry Henry's handball. Let me add to the clamor a little bit. I mean, why have a blog, if you can't spout off whenever you feel like it?
This Twohundredpercent piece, Trying To Dissect The Thierry Henry Handball, sums up the rational, measured response. Click to continue reading...

Welcome to another edition of Groan in Brief, the weekly look at the world of football in bullet point form. Today, we tackle the Worst Handball Ever in History And Time Itself ™, and the curiosity of Egypt's continued absence from the grandest stage of international football.

'That' handball

Whenever the media decide to jump on a story, what transpires is the most unsightly of feeding frenzies, each reporter seeking to trump the last.

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Above average finishing ability, Average rat-tail, Below average fitness history
The Premier League is back, and while the World Cup is still top of mind (especially for those Irish and French fans), the greatest league in the world is back from a two week hiatus. Let's get to it:
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Glen Johnson and Fabio Aurelio have become the latest Liverpool players to visit radical therapist Mariana Kovacevic in an attempt to end their injury problems.
Albert Riera and Yossi Benayoun flew to Belgrade earlier this week to see Kovacevic, who has become famous for treating sportsmen with the liquid from horse placenta. Click to continue reading...

This fairy tale story had to come to and end at some point and it did on Sunday night when Nigeria's golden eaglets were humbled 1-0 by Switzerland in� Abuja.

Nigeria who were looking to emulate their west African counterparts Ghana who won the U-20 World Cup in Egypt in October however had to taste the bitter pill of defeat in their own home stadium.

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Van Persie was stretchered off against Italy.

Going into the international break this weekend, I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen. It's the feeling that many football fans have before every international week; the feeling of impending disaster as we wait to see who the victims of these meaningless matches are.

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Arsenal have been rocked by an injury to star striker Robin van Persie which could see the Dutchman ruled out of action for around two months.

Van Persie was stretchered off during Holland's goalless friendly draw in Italy on Saturday night.

He damaged his ankle in a challenge with Giorgio Chiellini in the early stages of the clash.

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Watch Spain Vs Argentina Live Now

Spain v Argentina Live Streaming & Match Preview
International Friendly Spain vs Argentina Live Online
Saturday, 13th November 2009
Kick Off : 21:00 GMT
Venue : Madrid, Spain

Argentina make the long trip to Madrid to face Spain in this International friendly match, with Argetine legend Diego Maradona returning to the country where he played for Barcelona in part of his incredible career.

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West Ham United have told Liverpool that Carlton Cole will cost an astonishing £20million.
The East Londoners are desperate to keep hold of the England striker, who only signed a lucrative four-year deal at the club 12 months ago.
Cole, 26 today, has been a revelation since Gianfranco Zola's arrival last season and is firmly in the running for a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has explained that his side will take things one game at a time as they look to overcome a miserable run of results - the latest being a 2-2 draw against Birmingham City at Anfield.
The Reds are enduring their worst spell in decades, as they have only one victory from nine outings in all competitions. Click to continue reading...

Sergio Aguero inherited the mantle of star striker at Atletico Madrid from Fernando Torres and on Tuesday night he showed exactly why, scoring two excellent goals in a 2-2 draw against Chelsea in the Champions League.

Aguero has been the subject of intense transfer speculation in the last 18 months, and there were claims by Atletico Madrid this summer that they rejected a £42m bid for the Argentina international.

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Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has lost two further players to injury ahead of Wednesday's crucial Champions League Group E tie in France.

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Lyon insist they will not be lulled into a false sense of security ahead of their crucial Champions League clash with Liverpool.
The English giants are staring at a premature exit after Lyon's 2-1 victory at Anfield a fortnight ago left them with two defeats from three in Group E.
Rafa Benitez's men were reduced to nine as they suffered a 3-1 defeat at Fulham on Saturday - their fifth loss in 11 Premier League games - and have a host of injury problems for the trip to France. Click to continue reading...

A young Torres in the good old days before incessant groin problems
Liverpool's star striker Fernando Torres faces 2 months out as he could be in line for a hernia option if the situation with his problematic groin does not improve.
While Torres will travel to France with the rest of his teammates to face off against Lyon in a crucial Champions League clash on Wednesday, Rafa Benitez has confirmed that surgery is a very realistic possibility. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool are facing the prospect of their worst run of results since the Bill Shankly era started 50 years ago - but under-fire boss Rafael Benitez has received backing from an Anfield legend.
Benitez is battling to overcome a horror injury list ahead of the make-or-break Champions League showdown in Lyon on Wednesday. Click to continue reading...

Steve Bruce has already shown what he is capable of after immediately transforming Sunderland from the eternal strugglers to the league's surprise package. The Black Cats have ensured that the Stadium of Light remains a fortress this season as they have not lost at home since their opening home fixture against league leaders Chelsea.

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Rafael Benitez's six seasons at Anfield have been marked by one consistent trend: when his team's fortunes appear bleakest, the Reds have the ability to summon their finest efforts. On Sunday the concept of "Rafaball" was once more on display.
The last time LFC lost four straight, Margaret Thatcher was enjoying high tea with Ronald Reagan. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool will be looking to kick-start their season when they welcome arch-rivals Manchester United to Anfield on Sunday.
The Reds' 2-1 reverse at home to Lyon in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday was their fourth consecutive loss - their worst run of results for 22 years - and defeat against United would further increase the pressure on manager Rafa Benitez. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool nation's hopes may ride on the back of Gerrard and Torres

Debrecen vs. Fiorentina

The Viola has to like their chances as Tuesday's game approaches. They have taken points from Liverpool and Juventus in recent matches and they face a team who haven't scored in their own two games in the Champions League this year.

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Chelsea was shocked at the hands of Aston Villa, as Martin O'Neil's side came off as 2-1 victors at Villa Park. Former West Ham United Defender, James Collins, scored his first goal for Aston Villa and handed Chelsea their second successive away defeat in the Premier League Championship. It did start well for the Blues, as star [. Click to continue reading...

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As U.S. men's national team players and fans continue to cope with the devastating developments of Charlie Davies' car accident, it is still tough for many to deal with the sad state of affairs that now has the young star striker in a Washington D.

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As U.S. men's national team players and fans continue to cope with the devastating developments of Charlie Davies' car accident, it is still tough for many to deal with the sad state of affairs that now has the young star striker in a Washington D.

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.Old Trafford is all set for another rollicking encounter on this Saturday, as Manchester United will lock horns with Gary Megson's Bolton on what would be a tough weekend for some of the top sides in the league. Red Devils would be playing without their star striker, Wayne Rooney. However, the team will have the services [. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool have endured a tense start to the 2009-10 Premier League season, losing three of their eight games so far - not to mention their Champions League defeat at the hands of Fiorentina.
The Reds lost just twice in the league last term as they pushed Manchester United right until the final weeks, but their tame 2-0 reverse at Chelsea a fortnight ago has left pundits and punters alike wondering aloud whether the men from Merseyside can match it with their Big Four rivals. Click to continue reading...

The Barcelona camp can heave a huge sigh of relief with the news that David Villa and Joaquin will both be absent for the clash at the Mestalla when La Liga resumes after the international break.Star striker Villa suffered a muscular injury in the game against Racing Santander and has been ruled out for three weeks, while Joaquin Sanchez has been ruled out for 20 days with a thigh problem. Click to continue reading...

Yesterday, Andriy Shevchenko scored the only goal in the Kiev derby, giving Dynamo the win over Arsenal:

And on the other side of the world, Adriano scored a brace to win Fla-Flu for Flamengo in front of 80,000 fans at the Maracanã:

Not a bad day to be a discarded star striker who has gone back to his home country after becoming world-famous in Milan.

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Lyon and Marseille are making Bordeaux's Ligue 1 title defence rather too easy this season. While Bordeaux continue to churn out one victory after another (and not always comfortably so), their main title rivals seem all too happy to drop points to ensure a safe passage for Laurent Blanc's men.
Prior to last weekend's matches, four teams had an unbeaten start to 2009/10, but two of them slipped up on Saturday and Sunday. Click to continue reading...

Following Sunderland's hard fought 5-2 win over Wolves, Darren Bent was in the spotlight once again. Not only did the English frontman grab a brace (although the second goal has since been declared an own goal by Wolves defender Michael Mancienne), but Bent stole the headlines with his generous act of handing teammate Kenwyne Jones a penalty.

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Torres is in find form for the Reds.

This should be an interesting match. You have to think, given Liverpool's Champions League pedigree, that they should not have much of a problem with Italian side Fiorentina.

I wouldn't be so sure.

Fiorentina are an impressive fourth place in the Serie A at this point in the season and have been playing some brilliant football despite losing Melo to Juventus during the summer.

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A week ago I said that Rafael Benitez will have been looking for more of his side other that Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to join Yossi Benayoun as match-winners but the Liverpool manager will still be delighted with his star striker's two-goal blast at West Ham.
It's not like the Spanish international has been struggling in front of goal so far this season – he netted in three consecutive Premier League games against Stoke, Aston Villa and Bolton last month – but his brace at Upton Park signalled a return to the kind of devastating form he is capable of. Click to continue reading...

OK, so we've discussed tonight's Carling Cup match, voice your opinion on who should start, and you've seen just what Leed's star striker, Jermaine Beckford, can really do. Now we want to know what your prediction is for the match.

Leave your score prediction in the comments!

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To say it's been a contrasting start to the season for the two major teams in Madrid would be a massive understatement. On one side, Real are already starting to look like the real deal and currently sit top of the La Liga table with 11 goals and 9 points from their opening three matches.

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Domenech reflects on his French future

With France's spot at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa still unclear, the FFF must surely be pointing the finger of blame at the manager rather than the squad. � Another draw last week leaves France chasing the leaders in the table and looking over their shoulders at who may take their place in the playoffs.

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Three games in and it's time to take a look at what's happening in Serie A, by most pundits reckoning the third strongest league in Europe behind the Premier League and la Liga.

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It is mouth-watering just to imagine a match featuring the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso and Karim Benzema taking on an opposing team which includes Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Xavi Hernandez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to name just a few.

The dream of many football fanatics has come true following a spending frenzy by Los Blancos which included the record signing of Portuguese Ronaldo from Manchester United.

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