Chelsea v Arsenal Special: Top 10 Players To Play For Both Blues & Gunners

Ahead of Sunday's derby, we look at the players who represented both teams.

Italians amused and bewildered by English hypocrisy over John Terry

The relaxed attitude to footballers' private lives in Italy means England's moral dilemma over John Terry is hard to fathom.







Rosaria Cannavo: a "friend" of both Panucci and Cassano...

England: Premier League Weekend Previews & Predictions

Saturday sees Liverpool host Everton in the Merseyside derby before on Sunday, Premier League leaders Chelsea tackle London foes Arsenal. Elsewhere on a weekend that boasts a full programme of top-flight fixtures, bottom-of-the-table Portsmouth make the daunting trip to Old Trafford, ambitious pair Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa clash, Hull City entertain fourth-placed contenders Manchester City while Birmingham City meet Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Preview I
Preview II
Preview III



Liverpool vs. Everton (7:45 EST on ESPN2): Preview
Tottenham vs. Aston Villa: Preview
Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Preview

Paul Merson's Previews & Predictions
Lawro's Predictions

Italy: Serie A Weekend Preview

Roma coach Claudio Ranieri insists his team is still alive in the race for the Serie A title.

The Giallorossi, who travel to Tuscany to face Fiorentina on Sunday, are nine points behind league leaders Inter Milan, with the latter having a game in hand.

Preview

Spain: La Liga Weekend Preview

Real Madrid will look to build on last weekend's morale-boosting victory over Deportivo La Coruna with an 11th successive home win on Saturday when they welcome Espanyol to the Bernabeu. Whilst Madrid will be looking to put one over Barcelona's city rivals this weekend, Pellegrini's men will also be hoping their neighbours Getafe can do them a favour when they take on Pep Guardiola's side.

Preview

Germany: Bundesliga Weekend Preview

Leverkusen head to Bochum, Wolfsburg host Bayern, and Schalke pay a visit to Freiburg in this weekend’s matches.

Friday
Werder Bremen – Hertha Berlin

Saturday
Koeln – Hamburg
Freiburg – Schalke
Hoffenheim – Hannover
Bochum – Bayer Leverkusen
Wolfsburg – Bayern Munich
Nuernberg – Stuttgart

Sunday
Mainz – Borussia M’gladbach
Borussia Dortmund – Eintracht Frankfurt

Boy killed in Argentina fan bus shooting

A 14-year-old fan died on Thursday after being shot along with two men when their bus was attacked on the way back to Rosario from a match in Buenos Aires, local media reported.

Arshavin: Sol is the hard man, Cesc is slow, and we enjoy naked dancing

The Week That Was

This was the week in which John Terry was very naughty boy, Arjen Robben was told to change his underwear, Guti became the best player in Spain, Robinho received a hero's welcome in Santos and Tim Cahill proved he was better than a flea.

Tim Vickery in South America

Rene has walked away. And like the empty sidewalks in the old Four Tops hit, football is not the same. The game will miss Rene Higuita.

The eccentric Colombian keeper bid farewell with an exhibition match last week.

Video

England: Wednesday's Premier League Report

Fulham 1 - 0 Portsmouth
Jonathan Greening saves Stefano Okaka as Fulham end losing run.

Portsmouth in fresh turmoil after Avram Grant named over 'brothel' visit

Troubled Portsmouth have been hit by a triple whammy in the past 24 hours as it was revealed that their manager, Avram Grant, was the Premier League manager seen visiting a massage parlour in December.

Aston Villa ban player from Carling Cup final after Facebook ticket sales

Aston Villa have banned one of their own players from attending the Carling Cup final after he was caught selling tickets for the Wembley showpiece on Facebook. Nathan Baker, an England Under-19 international who is currently on loan at Lincoln City, was forced to issue an apology after Villa learned that he had sold his five tickets for the match against Manchester United for £200 each on the social networking site.

Norman Hubbard: Wenger's No.1 Priority

Brian Clough once said that a goalkeeper could be worth 15 points in a season. If, like many of Clough's comments, it contained an element of hyperbole, Peter Shilton came close to justifying it during his days at Nottingham Forest. So did Manchester United's Peter Schmeichel, especially in the 1995-96 season.

None now may be worth more than five, but that is still substantial; the league table would look altogether healthier for Wenger with an extra few points, especially if they had come at the expense of rivals.

Kevin Palmer: Time for Wenger to Swallow his Pride

So where does this leave Arsenal's season? In truth, the Arsenal of 2010 have all of the same deficiencies as the sides that have come up short in the last few years and the manager has to take his share of the blame for those failings.

They may only be six points behind Chelsea as we speak, but it feels as if the gap is so much bigger and it may be that the biggest mistake Wenger made this season was not taking heed of the scale of the hiding Carlo Ancelotti's men gave his troops a couple of months back.

Beasley reveals shock after fire attack on car

SHOCKED Rangers star DaMarcus Beasley has vowed that the thugs who firebombed his car will not force him out of Glasgow.

The Record revealed yesterday that the American winger's £65,000 BMW had been torched outside his flat in the city's west end.

And in an exclusive interview last night, shaken Beasley said he was relieved the attackers targeted his car and not him personally.

Beasley said he had no idea about the motive for the bombing, amid claims it could be an Old Firm hate attack or a personal grudge.

The Sun's Article

A Plug for my buddy's great new site: mbasoccer.org

The MBA Soccer website is now up and running at www.mbasoccer.org. This site belongs to the MBA soccer club community to discuss the business of soccer with professors and sports business professionals, link the four annual MBA soccer tournaments through a point system, and promote the good work of effective non-profits.

What you will notice:
· A comment from US Soccer president Sunil Gulati

· An original article on Soccernomics’ opinion that the Spanish national team “overachieves”

· An interview with Prof. Simon Chadwick on soccer sponsorships

· Four effective soccer non-profits highlighted

· Proposed rankings from the Yale and UCLA MBA soccer tournaments

What’s to come:

· An interview with Prof. Bill Gerrard and his application of Moneyball to determine the performance of professional soccer players

· An original article on why foreign domestic leagues should adopt American-style all-star games to generate more revenue

· Your contributions and thoughts to build a stronger foundation for our soccer clubs

Follow our updated articles, interviews and post on Twitter and Facebook:

· Twitter: www.twitter.com/MBASoccer

· Facebook: www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/pages/MBA-Soccer-Championship-Series/130025601566?ref=ts

The Fiver: A (TRANSFER DEADLINE) DAY IN THE LIFE OF ROBERT DAVID KEANE (AGED 29)

1.30pm: Knock on lid of sunbed and ask Claudine where designer washbag is. She says she'll pack it for me when she's finished topping up her tan. She's been a massive fan of UV rays, going back to when she was a kid growing up in Dublin.

The Rest of the Day

ACN Analysis: Egypt worthy winners of disappointing tournament

Unlike previous tournaments, this Africa Cup of Nations was not so much a 'football festival' and far more, it often seemed, a three-week advert for hosts Angola. After the final, I asked the local organising committee's executive director whether the 2010 Nations Cup would be remembered for the football or the deadly attack on Togo, to which Antonio Mangueira replied 'the football and we had some wonderful fireworks too'.

Fireworks were not going to make anyone forget Cabinda - unless they had happened on the pitch of course which, by and large, they didn't.

Quotes & Chants of the Week

"The sandwiches were fantastic today - all the lads made a comment because they didn't think they were going to get any!"
Neil Warnock on a roll after troubled Crystal Palace's 2-0 defeat of Peterborough.

"Perhaps they should call me Moses, as I led them out of the wilderness."
Bolton boss Owen Coyle cranks up the biblical references after Burnley fans taunted him with chants of "Judas" during their meeting at the Reebok.

"The scarf is cool. I want one. Mancini is certainly cooler than that Taggart from across the road. He's a good manager but he looks like a dustbin man."
Some might say there's no love lost between Liam Gallagher and Sir Alex Ferguson.

"Philippe was as good as we were going to get in our situation."
Philippe Senderos gets a ringing endorsement from new boss David Moyes after joining Everton on loan from Arsenal.

"90 years old, that's fantastic. If I can even get halfway there I'd be happy."
A not-so-optimistic Steve Bull, who turns 45 in March, talking about Wolves legend Bert Williams turning 90.

"Same old Terry, always cheating."
Burnley fans after John Terry committed a foul.

The Rest

England: Wednesday's Premier League Preview

Fulham vs. Portsmouth:
Duo set for Fulham debuts

Europe's Top Transfer Deals

The recent trend of high-profile European movers appeared to come to an end in this transfer window as the money dried up, but that has not stopped some of the continent's best clubs snatching themselves a few bargains.

Here are some of the biggest deals from the winter window that have happened across Europe:

England: Tuesday's Premier League Report + Top of the Table

Hull City 1 - 1 Chelsea:
Gutsy Hull hold Terry and Chelsea

Ancelotti clears way for Terry to take a break

February 3, 2010	P	Pts
Chelsea	24	55
Manchester United	24	53
Arsenal	24	49
Tottenham Hotspur	24	42
Liverpool	24	41
Manchester City	22	41
Aston Villa	23	40

Coach says alleged affair hurt '98 US soccer team

Breaking more than a decade of silence, former U.S. soccer coach Steve Sampson said Tuesday he dropped John Harkes from the national team roster two months before the 1998 World Cup because the American captain was having an affair with the wife of teammate Eric Wynalda.

Harkes has long denied having an affair with Amy Wynalda.

Wynalda brought up the situation Monday night during a discussion on "Fox Football Fone-In" about a scandal in England over an alleged relationship between current English captain John Terry and the former partner of Wayne Bridge, his teammate on the national squad.

Sid Lowe in Spain

Having not beaten Depor in La Coruña since 1991, it took something special to help Madrid get the better of the meigas.

How 'the heel of God' broke Deportivo's curse on Real Madrid.

England: Tuesday's Premier League Preview

Hull City vs. Chelsea
KC Stadium, Hull, England
2:45pm EST
U.S. TV: Setanta
Preview

Former Eagle Flies High in Sweden

What is it with Boston College and Sweden?

Former Eagles star Charlie Davies made a name for himself at Hammarby, and Ghanaian Reuben Ayarna -- another BC alum -- is plying his trade at GAIS Gothenburg.

Add a third player to the list.

A night out in Alkmaar reveals all is not well for the reigning Dutch title holders

Before sampling the intensity of the Klassieker between Feyenoord and Ajax, Ben Findon visited the more sedate home of AZ Alkmaar, and found that all is not well on and off the pitch for last year’s Eredivisie champions.

Raphael Honigstein in Germany

In a league that is now more competitive for European spots, the margin of error for Thomas Schaaf has become much smaller.

Appetite for self-destruction leaves Werder Bremen's season on the brink.

Paolo Bandini in Italy

Time may be a luxury the new man in charge at the Stadio Olimpoco just does not have after Ciro Ferrara's departure.

Zaccheroni left clutching for positives as Juventus fluff their lines again.

Americans On The Continent: Greek Tragedy

Despite Aris Thessaloniki’s American pair linking up for a goal from the bench, the Thessalonian club limped to a 2-1 defeat against ten-man Xanthi.

The Rest

Americans In The UK: Dynamic Duo

Expert saves from Tim Howard coupled with Landon Donovan’s first English goal helped the Toffees earn two victories last week.

The Rest

The Mill + & Deadline Day Transfer List

Tuesday's Rumours


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Deadline Day List



This will be the last Mill until the next transfer window nears...

Phil Ball in Spain

If you were at all conscious this weekend and vaguely interested in football you will have seen the back-heeled pass that Real Madrid's Guti conjured up on Saturday night for Karim Benzema to score against Deportivo de La Coruña, up in windy Galicia. If not, take a look now.

Richard Williams on Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson has overseen a run that launches his team to the season's latter stages with their morale at a new peak.

Manchester United performance caps their best 10 days since 1999.

U.S. fans priced out of World Cup trip

Travel to South Africa, as exotic as it may sound, has turned out to be prohibitively expensive. Flights from New York to Johannesburg -- where most games, including the final, will be played -- would normally cost about $1,000, but they will set you back at least $2,500 if travelling during the World Cup.

Clough accused of 'cowardly' attack by Davies

Derby County 1 Nottingham Forest 0: Beaten Forest manager claims Rams counterpart assaulted him in 'poisonous' derby

The Mill +

Monday's Rumours



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John Terry's England position called into question by sports minister

Fabio Capello, England's coach, is to seek talks with Wayne Bridge to discuss the fall-out from Terry's alleged affair with the full-back's former partner, Vanessa Perroncel.

Terry's Wife Demands Divorce

Terry: Playing Away

Italy: Serie A Weekend Review

AC Milan missed the chance to close the gap on Inter Milan to six points as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Livorno. Milan move to eight points behind Inter, whose match at Parma was postponed due to snow, and, although they remain second, they have now been caught by Roma, who are level on points with the Rossoneri following victory over Siena. Roma, however, have played one more match than Milan. Juventus nudged up a place to fifth in Serie A, going above Palermo, after a 1-1 draw at home against lowly Lazio.

Review

Spain: La Liga Weekend Review

Sevilla jumped to fourth place in La Liga with a 2-1 home victory over Valencia. Barcelona preserved their five-point lead at the top with a 1-0 win at Sporting Gijon, while second-placed Real Madrid won 3-1 at Deportivo La Coruna and Espanyol defeated Athletic Bilbao 1-0.

Review

African Cup of Nations Final: Egypt 1 - 0 Ghana

Egypt win Africa Cup of Nations for record third consecutive time

Triumph highlights World Cup absence

Team of the Tournament

England: Premier League Weekend Review

Arsenal suffered an all too familiar humiliation at the hands of a title rival as Manchester United kept up the pressure on table-toppers Chelsea, who came through their test at Burnley.

Elsewhere, top-four contenders Liverpool and Manchester City were both victorious, Tottenham Hotspur dropped two points, Aston Villa inflicted a fifth straight loss on Fulham while Everton continued their resurgence.

Review

England: Premier League Special Reports

Arsenal 1 - 3 Manchester United
Harris: Rooney showing leadership credentials
McCarra: United outclass Arsenal
Kay: Nani adds extra dimension

Manchester City 2 - 0 Portsmouth
Jolly: Pompey lose rags vs. riches clash

Burnley 1 - 2 Chelsea
Kempson: Terry heads winner