The FIFA backed "International Federation of Football History & Statistics" (IFFHS) has released
its Top 10 list of World Football Coaches & Managers, with Scotsman & Manchester United
Coach/Manager Sir Alex Ferguson as the Top placed (Nº 1) so far this 21st Century. Ferguson leads
by just 1 point Arsenal Coach/Manager Arsene Wenger with Real Madrid Coach Jose Mourinho in 3rd
place.
Despite the importance of club football, Euro 2012 dominates the majority of the continent's
players' thoughts going into the second half of the season. Italian football has had it's share of
ups and downs over the last decade, with the elation of winning the World Cup in 2006 counteracted
by scandal in the domestic game; Italy need a strong performance in the tournament.
COPA DEL RAYReal Madrid vs Barcelona 22:00
Lo maravilloso!! The Day of Reckoning has arrived. Put away your
Vicente Del Bosque Panini stickers right NOW because the first el
clasico of the year between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be fought out at
the Bernabeu tonight.
With world champions Spain firm favourites to retain their European crown, it's probably no
surprise that their record scorer David Villa features heavily in the betting to be Euro 2012′s
leading marksman.
The Barcelona striker is 10/1 to be the tournament's top scorer but will the 30-year-old be in
Vicente del Bosque's squad?
Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has been handed a stern warning by his national team coach
Vicente Del Bosque to shape up or suffer missing an inclusion in his Euro 2012 squad.
Torres has struggled to replicate his Liverpool form since his record £50 million move last
January having managed to score only 3 goals in all appearances.
Liverpool's Jose Enrique insists he should be given a chance to prove his worth in the Spanish
national team ahead of next summer's European Championships.
The left-back has impressed at Anfield since joining from Newcastle United in the summer, but as of
yet has failed to feature for his country above under-21 level.
Liverpool's Jose Enrique insists he 'deserves a chance' to prove his worth for Spain
ahead of Euro 2012
The full-back has never featured for his national side above under-21 level, but believes his
Anfield exploits should gain the attention of boss Vicente del Bosque
View the full story here: Goal
A news article on 2011-12-27 11:40:00 from: Goal
This news item has been reproduced from today's media.
L'Equipe seems to have loads of credibility, a word rarely attributed to sport-based broadsheets
in general. That may or may not extend to their ability to whittle the great from the good, but it
sure allows them the opportunity to try.
There are due to be bajillions yes of year end lists coming out over the next week plus.
Chelsea's £50million striker Fernando Torres has brushed off reports that the Blues could be
looking to cut their losses and sell him in January.
The Spain international has endured a torrid time at Stamford Bridge since arriving from Anfield in
January for a record-breaking fee, with goals and confidence in short supply.
Fernando Torres attacks Liverpool's 'lies' over transfer to Chelsea
• Striker says Liverpool fans do not know truth about move • 'I was let down and don't
understand why the fans hate me' Fernando Torres has repeated his attack on Liverpool's conduct
ahead of his transfer to Chelsea 11 months ago, claiming his old club's fans do not know the truth
about the move.
Fernando Torres doesn't often speak to the media but when he does we sit up and take notice. If you
are a Chelsea fan reading this blog post, you will know that Torres hasn't started a game for
Chelsea in weeks now and it must be frustrating.
Torres's future at our club was called into question last week with reports that he would be
sold for £20m in January which was denied by AVB stating that
he is not for sale!
Spain and Barcelona striker David Villa's season has come to a premature end after fracturing
his Tibia in his side's 4-0 win over Al Saad in the FIFA World Club Championships yesterday.
The striker will now be out for 5 months and fears are starting to emerge in the Spanish
national side as to whether the 30 year old will recover in time for the Euro 2012 tournament.
While Manchester City are in one of the toughest Champions League groups in recent memory, their
performances have shown that while money may be able to buy domestic success, European pedigree is
a priceless commodity.
Just ask Roman Abramovich. He and Jose Mourinho brought Premier League titles and FA Cups to
Stamford Bridge almost immediately after the Russian oligarch pumped many millions into the club,
but the Champions League title remains elusive to this day.
Hace dos años el balón Jabulani causaba furor pro primera vez en México en este espacio
futblog.net de ahi salio a la luz y otros medios replicaron el rebote del polemico Jabulani.
En estos momentos el Tango 12 rodara por la Euro 2012 este viernes en Kiev Ucrania desde el
estadio olimpico fue la presentación y estuve presente para contarte los por menores del
evento.
Spanish fullback Jose Enrique has revealed his Liverpool team-mates are trying to persuade him to
switch allegiance and play for England.
Enrique, 25, has impressed at Anfield following his summer transfer from Newcastle United but has
yet to win a cap for Spain, the current European and world champions.
Liverpool's director of football Damien Comolli has identified Valencia's in form striker Roberto
Soldado as a target he feels will give his Anfield side a much needed injection of fire-power.
The 26 year old former Real Madrid man has got his career back on track in the last three years
after stagnating at the Bernabeu and is now attracting the attention of many prospective suitors
and is fighting his way back to the fringes of the Spanish national team set-up.
Euro 2012 Nations A team by team preview - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Update: Groups Draw details and the official match ball of Euro 2012 added.
Scroll down to view.
With the 16 teams competing in Euro 2012 now selected and the qualifying process complete, all
eyes look to Poland and Ukraine as time ticks down.
Spain's 2-2 draw with Costa Rica last night, and their 1-0 loss to England on the weekend,
suggest that the European and World champions have become too predictable. Only a David Villa goal
three minutes into injury time in San Jose prevented them from being embarrassed twice in four
days.
Spain's poor form in friendlies continued Tuesday when they needed a stoppage-time goal from
David Villa ij order to get a 2-2 draw at Costa Rica.
Spain fell behind after an uncharacteristic howler from captain Iker Casillas. The Real Madrid
goalkeeper miscontrolled the ball near the edge of the penalty area just after the half hour,
allowing Randall Brenes to lift the ball into the empty net.
There are only two thoughts that may be going through your head : "Are Spain trying
to be National Yearbook Photo Kings?" or "I'd die to be Laura Chinchilla
(Costa Rica's president) right now!" Either way, the Spaniards are relieved that the
Costa Ricans are still in love with them despite their 0-1 loss to England over the weekend.
Capello taking a Ledley risk by playing Jones in midfield
There always seems to be a late starter before every major tournament. Theo Walcott, Paul
Gascoigne, David Platt, Aaron Lennon, Owen Hargreaves and even Gary Lineker staked their claims
late on before previous tournaments.
David Villa signs for Benitez
Spain are in London this weekend to face England in the friendly at Wembley but Rafael BenÃtez
caught up with the squad before their trip and persuaded a number of them to sign football shirts
for him to be auctioned for charity. As already mentioned on this site, a shirt signed by Spain's
World Cup winning coach Vicente Del Bosque is up for auction and all proceeds from the sale will go
the various charities that the Montse BenÃtez Foundation (MBF) raises funds for.
By Chris Wright
From a home perspective, the good news seems to be that Vicente Del Bosque is going to give some
of his 'second string' a run out against England at Wembley on Saturday afternoon. The depressingly
bad news being that most of said second string would probably, nay definitely, meander straight
into Fabio Capello's first XI.
Charlie thought eating Luka would prevent him leaving Spurs
Maybe it's the many, many years of crushing disappointment but, a decade or so ago and beyond, the
international break seemed far more exciting. England were preparing for tournaments we thought we
could actually win by finishing second in competitions like 1995's ‘Umbro Cup' – who could
forget Tottenham hero Darren Anderton's stoppage-time-woodwork-pinball-volley against Sweden – or
triumphing in ‘Le Tournoi', a trophy made famous largely by Roberto Carlos's other-worldly
free-kick against France.
Revealed: The stats that show why England are miles behind Spain... and the man who aims
to put it right
We all know how big the gap is on the field, a fact likely to be reinforced at Wembley Saturday.
While Spain bask in the glories of their world and European titles, reaching the last eight in
three successive tournaments under Sven Goran Eriksson up to 2006 is starting to look like
England's second golden era.
SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM Selector & Coach Vicente Del Bosque has handed in his list of 23
players that will make up the National Squad for their two upcoming International Friendlies.
Spain travels to London to play England on the 12th of November & then hosts Costa Rica on the 15th
of November.
Wayne Rooney is the only British player to make the Ballon d'Or World Footballer of the Year
shortlist. In addition to Rooney, there are three other Premier League stars nominated: Nani (Man
Utd), Luis Suarez (Liverpool) and Sergio Aguero (Man City).
It is no surprise that Barcelona lead all teams with eight players on the list, including Lionel
Messi, who has won the award for the past two seasons.
La FIFA y la revista 'France Football' anunciaron este martes los nombres de los diez candidatos
a 'Entrenador Mundial 2011', entre los que se encuentran los finalistas que optaron al premio
el año pasado y que recayó en el entrenador del Real Madrid, José Mourinho.
Junto a él, estuvieron como aspirantes el seleccionador nacional español, Vicente del Bosque,
campeón del mundo en 2010, asà como el entrenador del FC Barcelona, Pep Guardiola, que la
pasada campaña conquistó de nuevo la Liga BBVA y la Liga de Campeones, entre otros trofeos, que
también aparecen en la lista.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo lead a stacked field of finalists for the Ballon d'Or, French
publication France Football announced on Tuesday.
A total of 23 finalists were revealed for the award, which Lionel Messi is considered the
favorite to win for the third straight year.
For the next couple of weeks the sporting world will be held in suspense as world football
governing body FIFA prepares to announce the best male and female player in 2011.
From the look of things, we should expect a new winner in both categories as the level of
competition has been extremely high through out the year.
"Who is the coach of the World and European Champions?"
If you are asked that question in a pub quiz, then you're going to be reasonably confident of
getting the answer right. No?
Vincente Del Bosque.
Right?
Wrong.
....That's what he used to be called, anyway, when he was a humble commoner.
La afición dejó ayer claro que le da igual si el partido de esta noche entre España y Escocia es
trascendente o no. Unos 12.000 seguidores presenciaron el entrenamiento en el estadio Rico Pérez.
Mientras tanto, Alicante se llena de kilts, la tradicional falda escocesa que, orgullosos,
lucen la mayorÃa de los miembros de la Tartan Army, la hinchada visitante.
So Gerard Pique has told Catalonia daily, El Mundo Deportivo big
'Waka Waka' fans, by the way that he hasn't been in tuned with all those
relationship rumours about Shakira and just wants to focus on Spain's campaign
ahead.
‘Jose Enrique should play for Spain' – Liverpool assistant manager Steve
Clarke
Former Newcastle United defender has represented his country at youth level yet has been
overlooked by national coach Vicente del Bosque despite impressive Premier League form
View the full story here: Goal
A news article on 2011-10-07 11:10:00 from: Goal
This news item has been reproduced from today's media.
‘Jose Enrique should play for Spain' – Liverpool assistant manager Steve
Clarke
Former Newcastle United defender has represented his country at youth level yet has been
overlooked by national coach Vicente del Bosque despite impressive Premier League form
View the full story here: Goal
A news article on 2011-10-07 11:10:00 from: Goal
This news item has been reproduced from today's media.
‘Jose Enrique should play for Spain' – Liverpool assistant manager Steve
Clarke
Former Newcastle United defender has represented his country at youth level yet has been
overlooked by national coach Vicente del Bosque despite impressive Premier League form
View the full story here: Goal
A news article on 2011-10-07 11:10:00 from: Goal
This news item has been reproduced from today's media.
‘Jose Enrique should play for Spain' – Liverpool assistant manager Steve
Clarke
Former Newcastle United defender has represented his country at youth level yet has been
overlooked by national coach Vicente del Bosque despite impressive Premier League form
View the full story here: Goal
A news article on 2011-10-07 11:10:00 from: Goal
This news item has been reproduced from today's media.
‘Jose Enrique should play for Spain' – Liverpool assistant manager Steve
Clarke
Former Newcastle United defender has represented his country at youth level yet has been
overlooked by national coach Vicente del Bosque despite impressive Premier League form
View the full story here: Goal
A news article on 2011-10-07 11:10:00 from: Goal
This news item has been reproduced from today's media.
‘Jose Enrique should play for Spain' – Liverpool assistant manager Steve
Clarke
Former Newcastle United defender has represented his country at youth level yet has been
overlooked by national coach Vicente del Bosque despite impressive Premier League form
View the full story here: Goal
A news article on 2011-10-07 11:10:00 from: Goal
This news item has been reproduced from today's media.
‘Jose Enrique should play for Spain' – Liverpool assistant manager Steve
Clarke
Former Newcastle United defender has represented his country at youth level yet has been
overlooked by national coach Vicente del Bosque despite impressive Premier League form
View the full story here: Goal
A news article on 2011-10-07 11:10:00 from: Goal
This news item has been reproduced from today's media.
