There Is Only One Sinnacle

Hopefully Thierry Henry doesn’t blow out his knee the week after making his home coming back at Arsenal like David Beckham did soon after returning to Old Trafford. You know to believe that of all the clubs Barcelona wanted to avoid, Arsenal would be the one due to playing such a similar brand of football. Considering Barcelona vs Arsenal is in the same pairing as Inter-CSKA Moscow I’ll be rooting for Arsenal to pull off the upset as I’d love to see a Inter-Arsenal semi finals….if Inter handle there business against CSKA first.

Manchester United can’t be too happy either drawing Bayern Munich who are playing some of the best football from Novemeber onwards either. Also good for French football that Lyon and Bordeaux will go head to head which will ensure one French club making it to the semi’s.

QUARTER-FINALS: March 30 & 31 plus April 6 & 7

Lyon v Bordeaux
Bayern Munich v Manchester United
Arsenal v Barcelona
Internazionale v CSKA Moscow

SEMI-FINALS: April 20 & 21 plus April 27 & 28

Bayern Munich or Manchester United v Lyon or Bordeaux
Internazionale or CSKA Moscow v Arsenal or Barcelona

Must admit I’m looking for to the Benfica v Liverpool Europa League encounter. Hopefully Benfica can repeat the form they displayed against Liverpool cross town rivals Everton. All and in I have good recent memories of Benfica-Liverpool matches as it was Benfica who knocked out Liverpool from the Champions League the year after they won in Istanbul

Too bad Simao isn’t around anymore.

Too bad Miccoli isn’t around either.

QUARTER-FINALS: April 1 & 8

Fulham v Wolfsburg
Hamburg v Standard Liege
Valencia v Atletico Madrid
Benfica v Liverpool

SEMI-FINALS: April 22 & 29

Hamburg or Standard Liege v Fulham or Wolfsburg

Valencia or Atletico Madrid v Benfica or Liverpool
(Talk about a very tough group of four games to make it out of)

Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has dismissed press speculation that he might be heading for Chelsea in the summer. IMscouting.com

Schweinsteiger would be a perfect player for Chelsea but he is too important for Bayern Munich to sell. Ribery may go to the highest bidder, Schweinsteiger will not.

Arsenal and Manchester City target Yaya Toure has ruled out a move to the Premier League. The midfielder insists he is settled at Barcelona. Daily Mail

Unless you are Samuel Eto’o you don’t leave a club like Barcelona unless you are told to leave.

Liverpool winger Albert Riera could leave Anfield within weeks after his outburst against manager Rafael Benitez. CSKA Moscow and Spartak Moscow are tracking the 27-year-old and may match Liverpool’s £8m valuation. The Times

If either of those clubs pay 8 million for Albert Riera, his outburst would be a blessing in disguise for Liverpool.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will invest in young talent rather than high-profile big names in the summer as he attempts to drive down the age of his ageing squad. (Daily Star)

Chelsea sure as hell can’t produce young talent so might as well go the Arsenal route and try to buy young talent a year or two before they are ready.

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is keen to sign on-loan full-back Alan Hutton on a permanent £6m deal from Tottenham. The transfer may help rebuild the relationship between the two clubs after Darren Bent’s protracted move to the Stadium of Light last summer. Daily Mirror

I’m sure Tottenham would love to get back most of the 7 million transfer fee they paid Rangers when they signed Hutton.

Portsmouth manager Avram Grant has threatened to field weakened teams for the remainder of the season with his side all-but relegated following a nine point penalty for entering administration. Daily Mail

All about the FA Cup going forward.

Hull City must continue to pay Phil Brown as, although he is on gardening leave, he technically remains their manager. Iain Dowie has been appointed as “football management consultant”. Daily Mail

The least Hull could do considering Phil Brown took them to the top division for the first time in club history. If I was Phil Brown I’d be going mad that Iain Dowie replaced me. Dowie’s resume isn’t all that impressive, a coach like Mark Hughes or Alan Curbishley you could understand being replaced with. Iain Dowie however is enough to make you go mad.

It’s been a good day personally as Benfica overcome a late 1-0 deficit to come back and earn a spot in Europa League semi finals by beating Marseille 2-1. Even more encouraging in new signing Alan Kardec did something that previous loan signing Keirrison failed to do which is score. My pick for the Europa League is still alive as I’m been enjoying watching Benfica play football all season long.

To Sporting, good try. Too much Sergio Agüero as Atletico Madrid booked there place to the final eight, advancing by away goal in there 2-2 draw this afternoon.

This video may not stay online for another hour but what a beautiful goal Clint Dempsey chipped in to lift Fulham to a memorable 4-1 victory over Juventus. Just image what would be written about Serie A if Inter didn’t beat Chelsea mid week. You would have had A.C Milan, Inter and Juventus losing to English teams, one of them being Fulham who will cherish this victory for along time.

Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain To Be Sold In Summer – Report

Having scored some of the club’s most decisive goals since arriving at Real Madrid, Gonzalo Higuain has grown into one of the Madridistas’ favourite players.

But according to a report by Don Balon, the rapidly rising star will be sold this summer as Florentino Perez hopes to recoup some capital with the aim of bringing another Galactico to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Article

Real Madrid have never been a club to sell high. In fact they are usually the ones buying players at their highest value. With a rumoured rift between Higuain and Ronaldo, just ask Ruud van Nistelrooy how that will end up. Despite having a great season, Higuain isn’t a Florentino Pérez Galáctico so let me just throw the rumour out there of a return to Real Madrid by Robinho in a swap deal for Higuain.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has sanctioned a £50m bid for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Not going to happen.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has been assured that he will keep his job, despite a clear-out of the playing staff that will result in midfielders Joe Cole and Deco heading through the Stamford Bridge exit.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Deco is never fit but he hasn’t been half bad this year. At the very least you can’t say Michael Ballack has been head and shoulders better than Deco.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas could be one of the new arrivals at Chelsea having fallen out of favour with the Bernabeu hierarchy. imscouting.com

More crazy talk.

Celtic’s hopes of hanging on to on-loan striker Robbie Keane may be over, with Aston Villa targeting a £9m summer move for the Tottenham player. Daily Mirror

Celtic was never going to come up with the money Tottenham would want for Keane and even if they did Keane would have to bite a big bullet in accepting a much lower salary.

Alternatively, Villa could make a move for Wigan’s £15m-rated forward Hugo Rodallega. Daily Mail

I like Rodallega but he isn’t a £15 million pound striker.

Juventus president Jean Claude Blanc has quashed Arsenal’s hopes of reviving a bid for midfield anchorman Felipe Melo. (The Sun)

Don’t picture Arsenal losing too much sleep over this news.

Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko wants to help Spurs secure a Champions League place but admits he may not be at the club next season. Daily Mail

Keep scoring and he will be.

Liverpool winger Albert Riera has hit out at manager Rafael Benitez and said: “His dialogue with the players is practically zero.” Riera also branded the Reds a “sinking ship”. Marca (in Spanish)

Benitez he a master at x’s and o’s, no denying that but a coach needs to inspire his players to go through a wall for him. You can tell these Liverpool players don’t like Benitez enough to do that.

The Glazer family are weighing up another round of refinancing to stave off the challenge to their ownership of Manchester United posed by a group of businessmen dubbed the Red Knights.
Full story: The Times

Prospective Portsmouth owner Rob Lloyd remains optimistic he can clinch a deal for the troubled club, despite administrator Andrew Andronikou’s doubts over the group he fronts.
Full story: The Telegraph

Shrugs shoulders, same old, same old.

Rap star P Diddy is considering a bid to buy struggling Championship club Crystal Palace. The American musician and business mogul is in the market for an English football team and has set his sights on the Eagles after running the rule over cash-strapped Portsmouth. The Sun

This news would make me throw up. What is Ma$e going to be the half time performer/ticket taker?

Arsenal left-back Armand Traore says Paris St Germain are the “club of his dreams” and insists that he will play for them one day. (Le Parisien)

Maybe when Traore turns 30 and Arsene Wenger has no use for him anymore.

Real Madrid are keen on Chelsea defender Ashley Cole, who is thought to be interested in such a move, with Manchester United’s Patrice Evra a back-up target if the Spanish club fail to land the England international. Daily Mirror

Why don’t Real Madrid make an offer to every player on the Manchester United 2008 Champions League side?

Juventus midfielder Felipe Melo, who is a target for Arsenal, could be on his way out of the Italian club after arguing with fans during the draw with Siena last weekend. Daily Mail

Wenger must of been watching tapes of Melo last year when he said he liked him. This year has been mostly a write off for the former Fiorentina man.

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has told midfielder David Beckham, who had been on loan at the Italian club from Los Angeles Galaxy, he can return next year if he wants to after recovering from his Achilles tendon injury. Daily Star

Galliani said the same thing to Ronaldo when he blew out his knee.

Burnley have already started their search for a new manager as current boss Brian Laws is on the brink of getting the boot at Turf Moor. The Sun

Laws should of never been hired in the first place. He didn’t succeed at Sheffield Wednesday, why in the world did Burnley thing he’d do better coaching in the Premier league.

Italy’s World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi says he is unimpressed by the success of English clubs in the Champions League as there is nothing English about them. He also says Italy’s top teams are similarly unrepresentative of the country. Daily Mail

Meow

Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson could be at the World Cup as manager of the Ivory Coast but faces competition from ex-France coach Philippe Troussier. Daily Mirror

Anyone but Hiddink.

Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli may leave the Italian club this summer, with both Arsenal and Manchester City rumoured to be interested in his signature. imscouting

Even with Balotelli not starting against Chelsea today doesn’t mean Inter are going to sell him.

Juventus are set to make an audacious bid for Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, according to Italian Turin based newspaper Tuttosport.

Guess Tuttosport needed a flashy headline for today’s newspaper.

Real Madrid are eyeing Chelsea’s left-sided England defender Ashley Cole to boost their back line for next season, according to Madrid based newspaper Marca. (AFP news agency)

Ronaldo would be happy to hear this as Ashley Cole was one of the few left backs to have any success in marking Ronaldo.

The agent of Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has dismissed rumours linking the 32-year-old with a move to Manchester City. Silvano Martina told calciomercato.il that Buffon “is very annoyed” about the rumours “because they are baseless.” imscouting.com

Shay Given should also be very annoyed at this rumours.

England boss Fabio Capello has told David Beckham he can still travel with the World Cup squad this summer, despite being ruled out of the tournament through injury. The midfielder had an operation on Monday on the Achilles tendon he ruptured playing for AC Milan on Sunday, which will keep him out for at least three months. The Sun

Something like this would drive a lesser man to drink. I wouldn’t know how Beckham could handle being at the World Cup. Nice gesture by Capello however.

As well as backing midfielder James Milner for a place in Capello’s World Cup squad, Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill believes two of his other midfielders, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing, are capable of ‘playing very well indeed’ in the right-sided midfield role that is up for grabs in the England squad after David Beckham’s injury blow. Daily Mail

Couldn’t O’Neill wait for the body to turn cold before trying to pimp out his players for the England team?

Mark Hughes has already turned down the Hull City job but chairman Adam Pearson hopes a face-to-face meeting with the former Manchester City boss will persuade the Welshman to change his mind. Daily Mail

Mark Hughes would be wise to avoid Hull City. Hughes is another manager who a foreign job would do his career some good.

Alternatively, the man Hull want to lead their fight against relegation is former England boss Terry Venables, who answered a similar crisis call from Middlesbrough nine years ago and saved them from the drop. The Sun

Key word there is nine years ago.

The Tigers could turn to former Crystal Palace and QPR manager Iain Dowie on a short-term deal.
Full story: The Times

These managers on Hull’s short list just keep getting worse and worse.

Portsmouth manager Avram Grant will leave Fratton Park in the summer after being ‘worn down’ by false promises at the crisis-hit south-coast club. Daily Mirror

I actually feel sorry for Grant over being sold a bill of goods when Portsmouth offered him the job. Hopefully Grant will be able to pick up another job somewhere down the road.

Rafael Benitez would earn an instant £16m payment if Liverpool sacked the under-pressure manager in the summer because of a clause in the Spaniard’s five-year contract. Daily Mail

In other words, Liverpool is hoping Real Madrid comes calling this summer.

Aston Villa are considering a move for Manchester United’s reserve Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak. Daily Mail

For Aston Villa to make this move must mean they don’t see Brad Guzan as a future number one goalie.

Reports in Italy claim Juventus would be prepared to let goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon sign for Manchester City for a fee in the region of £32m. (The Times)

Considering they bought Shay Given for £8 million there is no way Buffon is four times the goalie Given is.

French striker Frederic Piquionne wants to remain in England after his loan spell at Portsmouth finishes at the end of the season. The 31-year-old looks set to leave cash-strapped Pompey but does not want to return to his parent club Lyon. IM Scouting

I’m sure Lyon don’t want to see him back either and would love to get a couple of million for him.

Real Madrid’s sporting director Jorge Valdano has said that he would like Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain to spend the rest of his career with the Spanish side. Manchester City are reportedly interested in the 22-year-old, who has scored 21 goals in 27 games for Real this season. IM Scouting

Unless you are Spanish and even then it’s slim, a player doesn’t play his entire career at Real Madrid.