England aren't suited to playing good football, and they shouldn't bother trying
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/9/5/4696672/england-national-team-world-cup-qualifying-uefa

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Article: NBC announces first three weeks of EPL games

NBC announces first three weeks of EPL games
http://www.sbnation.com/2013/8/8/4602632/nbc-epl-schedule-part-one

Shared from Soccer on Flipboard. Download Flipboard for free here.

Charles M. Hedji

Article: 11 players to watch at the U-20 World Cup

11 players to watch at the U-20 World Cup
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/6/21/4448990/eleven-players-to-watch-at-the-u-20-world-cup

Charles M. Hedji

Goal.com News

Goal.com News

Mexico must turn to youth if they are to have any hope of impressing at the World Cup
http://www.goal.com/en/news/article?contentId

Andres Iniesta

Everyone likes to talk about the best player in the world.  But very often, people like to look at the one guy who is scoring a lot of goals.  This often leads people to look at players like Messi or Ronaldo, or even Falcao.  But for me Andres Iniesta is undoubtedly the best player on the planet.  Iniesta plays a bigger role for Barcelona than Messi does.  Sure Messi scores the goals, but you’d be hard pressed to find a better playmaker than Iniesta.  The way he moves with the ball is just fantastic.  He is able to dribble like a Brazilian and still has the close control and passing ability that has become synonymous with the Spanish game.  Every time Iniesta is on the field, his team is instantly in a better position to win the game.  It is unfortunate that he has not won the Ballon D’or, which says a lot about how dubious these awards are.  Those who vote for the awards essentially vote for the popular players and the players they like, rather than vote for the players that are at the top of their game.  It is rather tragic that Iniesta has not gotten the accolades that his famous teammate has gotten.  Watching Iniesta play is a true delight.  He makes the game tick like no other, and is a true example to young players all over the world that you do not have to be the strongest or tallest player in the world to be a great player.  How a World Cup and European Cup winner is not viewed as the best player, but a Portuguese diva and an Argentine who can’t replicate club form for country are the ones lauded for their endeavors is beyond me.  But I think true fans of the game will appreciate Iniesta much more than the people with the voting power.



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Goal.com News

Neymar won't be Barcelona's No.10 and he shouldn't be Brazil's
http://www.goal.com/en/news/article?contentId=4035487

Five Players That Can Make The Difference For Arsenal

With the Manchester clubs going through coaching changes, now is the time for the London clubs to step up and claim superiority in the English Premier League.  Arsenal, of all the London clubs, plays the best soccer and should take steps to make sure success is guaranteed for the next couple years.  Here we take a look at five players who can make a difference for the red side of London.

• Stefan Jovetic

There has been a lot of talk about Jovetic and his rumored move to Arsenal.  He is a player who could potentially change the effectiveness of Arsenal's Attack.  He has bags of skills on the ball, and has been able to score goals in a notoriously stingy Serie A.  He is exactly the type of player Arsenal tends to go for,.  And while the gunners missed out on the likes of Juan Mata and Eden Hazard, they should be careful not to miss out on a talented player like Jovetic.  He is the type of player who can help lift the burden placed on Santi Cazorla.  He can play as a striker, and in midfield which is a bonus any way you look at it.  He is also primed to join a big club.  He wants to consistently play in the Champions League which is something he is more likely to get at Arsenal than at Fiorentina.  Juventus is reported to be interested in him, but Fiorentina is not going to want to sell to a rival in Serie A, which should help Arsenal in presenting their case to the team. 

• Gonzalo Higuain

Gonzalo Higuain is a fantastic striker.  He may not always be a hit for Real Madrid, but he is one of the best strikers in the world.  His time in Madrid has been very odd, because he has always performed, but never really got the recognition he deserves.  In a team comprised of the like of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, Higuain still manages to score a lot of goals every year.  Now that he has made it clear that he wants to leave Real Madrid, there will be a lot of teams lining up for his services.  For all that has been reported, it looks as if he will be heading to Juventus, but that does not mean Arsenal should not bid for him.  He would be a fantastic addition to the Gunners's roster, and should relegate Giroud to the bench.  Higuain is strong in the air and has excellent technical abilities, something Giroud is missing.  London will also provide Higuain with a more relaxed atmosphere.  Arsenal does not have the historical context of Real Madrid to contend with so there will not be as much pressure on the Argentine to do the impossible.

• Mats Hummels

Mats Hummels is by far the most improbable of possible Arsenal players.  The German center back is a player in high demand.  He is technically sound, and has a knack for perfect tackles.  Arsenal has some good center backs, but none of them can compare with the technically astute German.  He has shown in his games for the national team and for Dortmund that he can contest with the best players out there.  He can also score goals which is always a plus.  With Thomas Vermaelen not at his best recently, a player like Hummels would be fantastic in the heart of the Arsenal defense.  He is good at organizing, and he can be the difference maker when faced one on one with an opponent.  On top of that, he does not appear to be as clumsy as a certain German giant currently plying his trade in London.

• Victor Valdes

Victor Valdes should be number one on Arsenal's list of potential recruits.  The Barcelona goalkeeper is not a young man, but he is very experienced and very good at what he does.  He has stated that he plans on leaving the Catalan club this summer, which would work in Arsenal's favor.  He is looking for a challenge, and the gunners can use an experienced head in the back when the games get tough.  He can be inspirational for Arsenal's youngsters, because he has won a lot of trophies throughout his career with Barcelona and Spain.  While Arsenal can put faith in their young goalkeepers, it is time they take the risk of hiring a player who has won a lot and knows how to close out games.  Valdes will not be an expensive recruit and Arsenal will instantly look like a better team with him in goal.

• Clement Grenier

Clement Grenier is not the finished article.  But only a fool would doubt just how good this kid is.  In his young career, he has already shown that he can perform under pressure.  He is one of the best players in a Lyon squad that includes former prodigy Yoann Gourcuff.  He has a tremendous shot and is strong on the ball.  With the likes of Diaby unable to cut it anymore, and Rocicky coming closer to the end of his career, Grenier can be groomed to be one of the leaders of the gunners squad next to Wilshere and Ramsey.  Arsene Wenger has already shown interest in the youngster, and Grenier is more than ready to step up to the Premier League.  He is used to having competition, and is strong willed so he is not going to crash like so many foreign players who move to the English Premier League.

Neymar's New Chapter

Neymar's eminent move to Barcelona is undoubtedly the story of the summer. The long drawn out saga of the Brazilian's move to Europe has come to an end despite the fact that Neymar said he would remain with Santos until after the 2014 World Cup.  Now that the move has been confirmed, it is time for Neymar to prove to the world that he can stand on his own on the same stage as the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. It is time for him to show the world that Brazil still produces the best players around.

But while fans of the Catalan side can be excited by the prospect of having Neymar in their side, they must also wonder about how he is going to gel with Lionel Messi.  The oft lauded Argentine is without doubt the star of the Barcelona side.  Neymar must learn to coexist with a player of Messi's stature. He is about to join a team of established players who have been playing together for years.  He is traveling on a road taken by other Brazilian stars before him. The difference between them being that those who came before him were the definite stars of the teams they played in. Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, and Romario were all the main players in the Barcelona teams they played in.

I'm convinced that Neymar is going to be a success for Barcelona. He will add an extra dimension to their play, but he has to learn to deal with the fact that every play is not going to go through him.  He has to deal with the fact that he will not always get the ball.  If Neymar can accept being second fiddle to Messi, then he just might last at Barcelona unlike Ibrahimovic.

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Goal.com News

Pires backs Zidane for Real Madrid role
http://www.goal.com/en/news/article?contentId=4005899

This would be a smart move on Madrid's part to bring Zizou back into the fold. I don't know what happened between him and Mourinho but he would be a good figure to have around.

Wayne Rooney On The Move?

There's been quite a lot of talk about Wayne Rooney and what he is going to do with his future lately.  It seems Mr. Rooney is unsettled at Manchester United, which is absurd.  He is one of the most well paid footballers on the planet.  He plays for the most popular team and one of the most successful teams on the entire planet.  Rooney is acting like a petulant child.  If money is what he is after, he will find plenty of it in places like Paris Saint Germain or Monaco, or even Manchester City.  But what Manchester United has in history and accolade, none of those teams will be able to offer him.  And it does not look like Real Madrid or Barcelona will be lining up anytime soon to get him out of Manchester.  Rooney might feel it is time for him to try his hand in a new league, but he should aim for big clubs, like Milan, or Inter, Roma, Madrid, Barcelona.  These new teams have a lot of money, but it should take much more than the promise of millions to draw a big player like Rooney away from Manchester United.

Post Ferguson

I have to admit Arsenal happens to be one of my favorite soccer teams. There are of course several other teams that I like, including Juventus, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. But at the end of the day Arsenal is where my heart is. And because of this, I find it disheartening that year after year, the people who run the club are perfectly fine with aiming for fourth place. There is nothing wrong with playing in the Champions League every year, but it is quite apparent that there is a real dearth of ambition at Arsenal.

It is difficult to blame Arsene Wenger for Arsenal's woes, but I would like to blame him for signing players who have zero heart.  When you watch Arsenal play, you often wonder if some of these players even care about the club they're playing for or if they're there just to collect a fat paycheck.

As the summer approaches, it is my hope and the hope of all Arsenal fans everywhere that Arsene is given money to improve the team.  And it is my hope that the oft lauded manager become a bit more ruthless and gut the team, removing all non essential players and removing players who just don't have the heart to play for a team like Arsenal.

In the post Ferguson era, there is a real opportunity for another team to usurp Manchester United, and Arsenal needs to take advantage of that.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Since Sir Alex Ferguson has announced his retirement, there has been no shortage of praise for the Manchester United manager.  But it goes without saying that the United manager does not need all the praise he has been receiving   Alex Ferguson has built an incredible reputation for himself.  It is unbelievably clear that Ferguson is the best manager working right now.  He has been among the best for decades now.  What people have to focus on right now is the man who will replace Fergie. Sterling Silver Soccer Ball Charm (Google Affiliate Ad)

Following in the footsteps of a manager as venerable as Ferguson is not going to be easy at all.  A manager will have to be half crazy to go ahead and claim his desire to replace the lauded manager.  A lot of talk has been bandied about David Moyes replacing Ferguson.  It would not be a terrible appointment to be honest.  Moyes has done a great deal with little money.  It would be great to see what Moyes can do with a team like United.  I for one I'm not too sure Moyes will be able to live up to Fergie's reputation, and with the elder-man still hanging around Old Trafford, it would be difficult for any manager to be a success.  Next season is going to be an interesting one without a doubt.

The Enigma of Karim Benzema

There's been a lot of talk about how much Wayne Rooney has not been able to perform for England, but it seems the French have a problem of their own.  It's not so much a problem as it is a curious case of a striker misfiring for his club team but putting the ball in the back of the net for his country. 

It's not easy following behind the likes of Henry or Zidane, but when you wear the number 10 jersey for France, it is expected that you bring out the sort of performances that Zidane was able to conjure throughout his playing days.  Benzema is no Zidane, but he is a formidable player in his own right, which makes it a bit troubling that he has not been able to get on the score sheet regularly for Real Madrid.  When he was at Lyon, he was surrounded by lesser players and was still scoring goals by the loads.  At Madrid, he is surrounded by fantastic players, both team and individual players, and Benzema has not been able to reproduce his France form for his club team.

With the national team, he is surrounded with equally fantastic players in the form of Nasri, Gourcuff and Ribery, and he seems to be up for the task.  Perhaps language is an issue at Madrid, but if Karim does not learn the language quickly, he is bound to get replaced.

Down to the wire!

That time of the year has arrived. The french league and the Dutch league are the only ones in which a champion has already been decided. The rest of the major leagues are still fighting it out to see who will be champions.

I don't particularly care which of Chelsea or United wins the EPL but it has been a very interesting year for a neutral. If either one of them lose this weekend and the other wins, a champion will be named.

In Germany, Bayern Munich has put a stronghold on the top of the table. They're most likely to win the league unless they find a way to shoot themselves in the foot.

For the longest time, the Serie A has been Inter Milan's to lose and that's still the case. They're one of few teams in Europe still fighting for a treble. They're most likely going to scoop up all the trophies they want under Jose Mourinho. Roma is going to push it to the end but there chances of winning the scudetto this year are very slim.

Of all the competitions, for me the most interesting battle is the one between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Madrid has the easier of the two, but Barcelona are probably going to lift the trophy if they get past a below par Sevilla side. It will definitely be a weekend worth watching.
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Inter seals finals berth as Liverpool fails to deliver.

It has been dubbed attack versus defense but in reality, it is simply tactical awareness versus passing. Barcelona has always been a great passing team, but it's not every day that they face a team that is as tactical as Inter Milan. In La Liga, teams aren't known for their defensive ability. The league has built a reputation for having some of the best passers in the world, but all that passing gets you nothing when you're facing a team as regimented as Inter. Jose Mourinho was always going to push his team to the champions league final and the difference between him and Guardiola is that his team has several plans and adapt to their situation and each game. Barca is known for playing beautiful football, but they're not Brazil and they must remember that if they're not out scoring their opponents then they need a plan B.

Over in England, Liverpool's season amounted to nothing once more. They're not likely to make it into the champions league next year and now they flopped when it came to making it in the Europa league. If they don't make some big changes before the start of the next season, Liverpool's decline will continue for the foreseeable future. Teams used to be afraid of coming to Anfield, but now no one takes the Mersey side team seriously. Congratulations to Fulham and Atletico Madrid for their achievements.
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Bayern books ticket to Bernabeu

Today Bayern Munich flexed their muscles and claimed a place in the Champions League final. Lyon never looked up to par against the Germans when they came out with their A-game.

Normally you'd expect either Arjen Robben or Frank Ribery to tear it up on the field, but today it wasn't the two usual suspects that carried the load. Ivica Olic brought the best he had to offer and bagged a treble against the unwilling french giants. To say Lyon were out of their element would be to put it lightly. They were served to the sword and has no answer for it. This loss proves that the french league teams are still a few quality players behind the rest of the big leagues. Some would argue that Bordeaux with the brilliant Blanc at the realm would have done better than Lyon but they must be reminded that it was Lyon who knocked Bordeaux out of the tournament and that says a lot.
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Barca's loss last night is proof that Barca's flaws are there to exploit.

Barcelona are not quite like the Arsenal invisibles of a few years ago in that their flaws are too easy to point out. They may still go on to win the return leg, but Inter showed yesterday that when barca are faced with a team that knows how to defend they don't really have a plan B.

Inter stuffed the game in a typically catenaccio fashion and took their chances on the counter attack. They did something the youngsters at Arsenal have always failed to do. They remained organized and followed their game plan despite what the blaugrana brought on them.

As for Barcelona, most of their fans don't want to accept that they were soundly beaten, but the truth is that Guardiola still has not brought much improvement to Rijkaard's team. The Dutch coach built this current Barca team and the style they play with and one would think the Spaniard would have introduced a plan B but he hasn't. When teams like Inter and Espanyol defend well and keep Barca from playing, they start to look like the youngsters at the Emirates, full of technique and finesse but without plan B or C.
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Barcelona struggles against Espanyol

Who would have thought that lowly Espanyol would frustrate mighty Barcelona. For some reason I'd like to think that Jose Mourinho was taking notes on how to keep the Catalans at bay.

This gives Real Madrid a sliver of hope for the title but a lot of that depends on Barcelona dropping a few more points. Real would still have to beat Valencia in order to get within a point of the current champions.
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Chelsea's loss has just made the premiership even more interesting.

just last week I was sure Chelsea was going to take the Premier League crown without much fuss after United drew with Blackburn and Arsenal lost to Spurs. But today, the less fancied londoners came out and showed the rest of the league how to go t Chelsea and make them earn their paychecks.

I can't say I wasn't surprised. Spurs have the talent to beat most teams and as Everton showed earlier in the season Chelsea are a team with flaws. When they are winning they can't seem to stop. But when they face a team more resilient then themselves, the Blues seem to lack the composure that Champions are made of. Spurs could have put the game beyond doubt but they couldn't manage to do it. Chelsea can't afford to lose another game, and they still have Liverpool to play. Chances are they are going to beat Liverpool but if they don't, United will be ready.
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