Pato Gets The Thumbs Up

02:52 PM, Monday, 18 December 2006

Hype is a tough thing to manage when writing about a player, if you indugle in it - no matter how deserved - legions of people will come out crying about how you've been brainwashed by the press. That 17 year old Pato is far from the level of Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Yes, I think we get that.... Posted by Chris · Comments (0) Topics: Spain,Champions League 2008,La Liga,FIFA Club World Cup 2008,Barcelona,FIFA,UEFA,CONMEBOL,Brazil,Serie A,Internacional

Champions' League Draw - first thoughts

12:40 AM, Monday, 18 December 2006

The cream has risen in Europe. At the end of the group stages, demotions, pre-qualifying and ancillary qualifying, the knockout rounds have been set. 16 teams in the Champions' League and 32 in the UEA cup will go head to head for the final chalice in their respective competitions. I for one,... Posted by Arjun · Comments (0) Topics: England,Arsenal,Chelsea,Manchester United,Liverpool,Champions League 2008,AC Milan,Inter,Barcelona,Real Madrid,Lyon,Celtic,FC Porto,UEFA,Roma,Bayern Munchen,Valencia,PSV Eindhoven,arsenal,barcelona,bayern,celtic,chelsea,inter,lille,liverpool,lyon,manchester united,milan,porto,psv,real,roma,valencia

UCL Last 16 draw: some reactions.

03:56 PM, Saturday, 16 December 2006

Porto vs Chelsea FC Mourinho is back. But Porto coach Jesualdo says “there’s nothing special in this. They are two times English Champions, one of the best teams in the world, I’m satisfied” Celtic vs AC Milan “We’ve been lucky –says AC Milan executive, Umberto Gandini- though Scottish team ha... Posted by Gabriele · Comments (0) Topics: Champions League 2008,ac milan,as roma,barcelona,bayern,celtic fc,chelsea,inter,lille,liverpool fc,lyon,manchester utd,porto,real madrid,uefa champions league,valencia

A dangerous draw for the Italian teams

10:25 PM, Friday, 15 December 2006

All draws are full of danger, but I think that tomorrow one is the worst. The issue is that games will be played after two months, the teams that are in good shape in December might be weaker in February. On the contrary, the easiest team to face now could become a hard nut to crack. For example... Posted by Gabriele · Comments (0) Topics: Champions League 2008,ac milan,as roma,champions league,draw,inter milan

Day 5 - Halftime Euphoria

12:20 PM, Friday, 15 December 2006

The atmosphere has been utterly brilliant. The stadium is majestic, and sold out. The press boxes are excellent with internet and power connections, hence this post. What more could we have asked for. Compared to the other games so far the atmosphere here is seriously good. All the Japanese fans... Posted by SM · Comments (0) Topics: Spain,Champions League 2008,La Liga,FIFA Club World Cup 2008,Barcelona,Japan,FIFA,UEFA,CONCACAF,CONCACAF Champions Cup 2008,Mexico,Apertura

Giuly's Masterclass In Midgetry

11:52 AM, Friday, 15 December 2006

Watching Aaron Lennon, Shaun Wright Philips, or Theo Walcott on the ball is one of the more exciting things in the Premiership. Speedy players who leave defenders in their wake is always good entertainment. But as I'm watching Barcelona midget Ludovic Giuly take on Club America in the FIFA WCC,... Posted by Chris · Comments (1) Topics: Spain,Champions League 2008,La Liga,FIFA Club World Cup 2008,Barcelona,FIFA,UEFA

Yokohama Stadium Is Insane

09:14 AM, Friday, 15 December 2006

Barcelona are in town and the everyone is giggling like school girls. The train ride over was buzzing, filled with Barca-clad Japanese youngsters while even the Yokohama station was filled with police screaming instructions on how to get to the stadium through megaphones. It was quite clear that... Posted by Chris · Comments (0) Topics: Spain,Champions League 2008,La Liga,FIFA Club World Cup 2008,Barcelona,FIFA,UEFA,ASIA

The Search For Ronaldinho

05:09 AM, Thursday, 14 December 2006

I won't lie, upon arriving at the FIFA Club World Cup here in Tokyo my head was immediately filled with delusions of grandeur. I dreamt of sitting down across from Ronaldinho, one on one, asking the tough questions that only his mother would dare pose Then, after the interview, defeating the... Posted by Chris · Comments (0) Topics: Spain,Champions League 2008,La Liga,FIFA Club World Cup 2008,Barcelona,FIFA,UEFA

Prelude to the Serengeti

06:58 PM, Tuesday, 28 November 2006

Prelude to the Serengeti - Matchday 5 Part 2 Group A If Mourinho had expected his declaration of taking the match seriously, to give Werder a filip, he was cruelly underestimating the Bundeliga side. Condescension has the habit of pulling the rug out from under your feet the odd time. And so it... Posted by Arjun · Comments (0) Topics: Chelsea,Liverpool,Champions League 2008,Inter,Barcelona,UEFA,Roma,Werder Bremen,Bayern Munchen,Spartak Moscow,Valencia,barcelona,bayern,bordeaux,chelsea,galatasaray,inter,levski,liverpool,olympiakos,psv,roma,shakhtar,spartak,sporting,valencia,werder bremen

The Summit Approaches

06:13 AM, Sunday, 26 November 2006

Group E: There was talk earlier this month of Mahamadou Diarra's contribution to Real Madrid. The exact question was "What exactly does he do?". Well, he was never brought in to liven up the proceedings with attacking guile and eye catching flair. He was brought in to do the dirty work. ... Posted by Arjun · Comments (2) Topics: England,Premiership,Arsenal,Manchester United,France,League 1,Italy,Spain,Champions League 2008,Scotland,Premier League,Serie A,La Liga,AC Milan,Real Madrid,Lyon,Celtic,Portugal,SuperLiga,Benfica,FC Porto,Russia,Russian Premier League,Germany,Bundesliga,CSKA Moscow,ac milan,aek athens,anderlecht,arsenal,benfica,celtic,cska moscow,dynamo kyiv,fc kobenhavn,hamburg,lille,lyon,manchester united,porto,real madrid,steaua bucharest