Roberto Mancini makes his bow as Manchester City manager on Boxing Day then 24 hours later Arsenal host Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium. Elsewhere on this festive weekend of footballing action, bottom two teams West Ham United and Portsmouth go head-to-head, league leaders Chelsea make the trip to Birmingham City, out-of-form Liverpool lock horns with in-form Wolverhampton Wanderers while Fulham meet London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
SSN is a digest of the day's soccer/football/futbol articles with a focus on the top European leagues and the United States National Team. Below, you’ll find links to articles and video, as well as additional features and commentary. We locate the top news of the day so you can stay updated with ease.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
England: Premier League Weekend Preview
Roberto Mancini makes his bow as Manchester City manager on Boxing Day then 24 hours later Arsenal host Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium. Elsewhere on this festive weekend of footballing action, bottom two teams West Ham United and Portsmouth go head-to-head, league leaders Chelsea make the trip to Birmingham City, out-of-form Liverpool lock horns with in-form Wolverhampton Wanderers while Fulham meet London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Enjoying the Holidays
And some much needed time off. Still not much going on in the world so it's fine time to relax. Some big matches this weekend that I'll preview at some point.
Until then...
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Sid Lowe in Spain
Real Madrid's 6-0 thrashing of Real Zaragoza showed the team in fine form as the Spanish season reached the halfway mark.
Real Madrid finally win and convince but Barcelona still lead the way.
Raphael Honigstein in Germany
The perennial runners-up dubbed Neverkusen have broken the mould but have a lot to do to still be top in May.
Autumn champions Leverkusen are still tipped for a fall.
Paolo Bandini in Italy
The under-fire coach has vowed to fight on despite the 2-1 home defeat to Catania – Juve's fifth loss in six matches.
Big chill hits Serie A but Ciro Ferrara refuses to be frozen out at Juventus.
Americans On The Continent: Bad Break
Michael Bradley and Steve Cherundolo were unable to end 2009 with a victory as their respective sides both fell 3-2 over the weekend in the last matches before the winter break.
The Rest
Arsène Wenger fears US tourist trap for Arsenal
The biggest single shareholder, Stan Kroenke, is exerting the kind of influence over the club that suggests his full ownership will only be a matter of time, and the American wants Arsenal stateside next summer.
Carlisle: Europe no longer a straightforward decision for MLS players
"Should I stay or should I go?" is a question usually reserved for people in rocky relationships or legendary punk rock bands. But with the World Cup now a scant six months away, it's an issue facing several members of the U.S. men's national team, especially those MLS performers currently pondering moves to overseas clubs.
Dominic Raynor: Ten Best Players of the Decade
Whittling the best footballers of the decade down to just ten representatives was something of an arduous, if enjoyable, task here at Soccernet towers. But, following plenty of arguments, rolling of eyes and whistles of disbelief we eventually settled on the final ten...
Phil Ball Not in Spain
Do you want to hear about Brent Cross Shopping Centre in London, on a snowy Monday afternoon? Didn't think you did. But it's part the reason for the late delivery of this week's La Liga piece. It never fails to amaze me in England, but the appearance of a few snowflakes seems to convert the county into a collective hissy-fit, as if it had never seen the stuff before. Whilst in Scandinavia all functions smoothly at 20 below, and in any other European country with a vaguely organized infrastructure life goes on without a shrug, in England the whole thing comes to a neurotic halt. Bizarre. It makes Spain look like a pillar of organization.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Five things we learned from the Premier League this weekend
Who's a canny manager then? Avram Grant, Mick McCarthy, Roy Hodgson and Steve Bruce all pass muster while on the pitch Michael Owen continues to miss his targets.
Kris Boyd backs DaMarcus Beasley to make World Cup squad
DaMarcus Beasley could play himself into a World Cup encounter with England this summer and save his Rangers career at the same time, according to his Ibrox team-mate, Kris Boyd, who watched the United States player score his second goal in two games.
Monday MLS Breakdown: A Snowy Weekend Reminder for Sepp Blatter
FIFA president Sepp Blatter believes MLS should eventually transition to the European calendar. This weekend's Nor'easter is just one example of why Blatter is off the mark, according to Kyle McCarthy.
Spain: La Liga Weekend Reviews
Italy: Serie A Weekend Review + Team of the Week
League leaders Inter Milan claimed the spoils at home to struggling Lazio to open up an eight-point lead at the Serie A summit.
Elsewhere, Juventus suffered a shock home defeat at the hands of Catania, Roma climbed above Parma and Livorno triumphed against Sampdoria.
England: Premier League Weekend Review + Table
The Manchester City axe that fell on manager Mark Hughes helped detract from another shocking result for Liverpool and a heavy defeat suffered by the Premier League champions Manchester United.
Review
| Pos | Team | Played | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 18 | 41 |
| 2 | Manchester United | 18 | 37 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 17 | 35 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 18 | 35 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 18 | 33 |
| 6 | Manchester City | 17 | 29 |
| 7 | Birmingham City | 18 | 28 |
| 8 | Liverpool | 18 | 27 |
| 9 | Fulham | 17 | 26 |
| 10 | Sunderland | 18 | 21 |
| 11 | Stoke City | 17 | 21 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 18 | 19 |
| 13 | Blackburn Rovers | 18 | 19 |
| 14 | Burnley | 18 | 19 |
| 15 | Everton | 17 | 18 |
| 16 | Wigan Athletic | 17 | 18 |
| 17 | Hull City | 18 | 17 |
| 18 | Bolton Wanderers | 16 | 16 |
| 19 | West Ham United | 18 | 15 |
| 20 | Portsmouth | 18 | 14 |
England: Premier League Special Reports
Fulham 3 - 0 Manchester UnitedWilliams: No quick fix for broken defense
West Ham 1 - 1 Chelsea
McCarra: A tale of two penalties
Blackburn 0 - 2 Tottenham
Jolly: Typical Tottenham change the record
Arsenal 3 - 0 Hull City
Palmer: Gunners show much needed grit
Sparky's dream ends as Hughes is axed by Manchester City
In a statement issued by the League Managers' Association he said: "Notwithstanding media coverage to the contrary I was given no forewarning as to the club's decision.
"Given the speed with which my successor's appointment was announced it would appear the club had made its decision some considerable time ago.
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