Barcelona's Dani Alves on cheat allegations and the final against United

In an exclusive interview, Dani Alves talks to Fernando Duarte about his move to Barcelona, the prospect of a first Champions League final – and his contempt for those cheat allegations.






Nice earrings, buddy...

Come back home! Old boys Jose and Hiddink in frame as Carlo is axed

Chelsea have turned their attention to Guus Hiddink and the shock name of Jose Mourinho as they seek a replacement for the sacked Carlo Ancelotti. Hiddink remains favourite to replace the Italian, who was dismissed at Goodison Park on Sunday night after a 1-0 defeat by Everton, but Real Madrid's Mourinho and Roman Abramovich have patched up the differences which ended the Portuguese coach's first spell at Stamford Bridge in 2007.

AFC Wimbledon glad to 'give the FA a bloody nose' after winning their place in the Football League

Sports psychologists would go many a mile to simulate the power of a good grievance. Unfortunately, you can’t create that all-important feeling without suffering a miscarriage of justice - as the fans of AFC Wimbledon will attest.

Spain: La Liga Weekend Review + Final Table

Cristiano Ronaldo broke the single-season Primera Division scoring record and Emmanuel Adebayor struck a hat-trick as Real Madrid signed off their campaign with an emphatic home 8-1 win over relegated Almeria. But the night was not so good for 1999-00 La Liga champions Deportivo who filled the last relegation place after they lost 2-0 to Valencia. Aritz Aduriz got the crucial goal, before Roberto Soldado netted with the last kick of the game as Depor went down after Real Zaragoza picked up a win over Levante and Real Sociedad drew with Getafe.

Review

FINAL TABLE

CLUB	P	W	D	L	GD	PTS
Barcelona	38	30	6	2	74	96
Real Madrid	38	29	5	4	69	92
Valencia	38	21	8	9	20	71
Villarreal	38	18	8	12	10	62
Sevilla	38	17	7	14	1	58
Athletic	38	18	4	16	4	58
Atlético	38	17	7	14	9	58
Espanyol	38	15	4	19	-9	49
Osasuna	38	13	8	17	-1	47
Sporting	38	11	14	13	-7	47
Málaga	38	13	7	18	-14	46
Racing	38	12	10	16	-15	46
R Zaragoza	38	12	9	17	-13	45
Levante	38	12	9	17	-11	45
R Sociedad	38	14	3	21	-17	45
Getafe	38	12	8	18	-11	44
Mallorca	38	12	8	18	-15	44
Deportivo	38	10	13	15	-16	43
Hercules	38	9	8	21	-24	35
Almeria	38	6	12	20	-34	30

Italy: Serie A Weekend Review + Final Table

Juventus twice came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Champions League qualifiers Napoli on the final day of the Serie A season, but it was not enough to put them in the Europa League. Goals from Christian Maggio and Cristiano Lucarelli had given the visitors the lead on two occasions but Giorgio Chiellini and Alessandro Matri levelled the scores. The result means Juventus finish seventh while Napoli had already made sure of third place with only the Milan duo finishing above them.

Review




Final Table

CLUB	P	W	D	L	GD	PTS
Milan	38	24	10	4	41	82
Inter	38	23	7	8	27	76
Napoli	38	21	7	10	20	70
Udinese	38	20	6	12	22	66
Lazio	38	20	6	12	16	66
AS Roma	38	18	9	11	7	63
Juventus	38	15	13	10	10	58
Palermo	38	17	5	16	-5	56
Fiorentina	38	12	15	11	5	51
Genoa	38	14	9	15	-2	51
Chievo	38	11	13	14	-2	46
Parma	38	11	13	14	-8	46
Catania	38	12	10	16	-12	46
Cagliari	38	12	9	17	-7	45
Cesena	38	11	10	17	-12	43
Bologna	38	11	12	15	-17	42
Lecce	38	11	8	19	-20	41
Sampdoria	38	8	12	18	-16	36
Brescia	38	7	11	20	-18	32
Bari	38	5	9	24	-29	24

England: Garth Crooks' Team of the Season

No players from Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal make my team of the season - and that tells its own story. It has been the city of Manchester that has dominated the headlines in 2010/11. Notable mentions must go to goalkeepers Ben Foster and Ali Al Habsi, who figured prominently in my team of the week selections but failed to convince me they were more effective than Edwin Van der Sar. Congratulations also to Peter Odemwingie, who transformed West Bromwich Albion's season but missed out to fellow strikers whose exploits won their teams trophies.

Garth's Team of the Season

England: Premier League Weekend Review, Reports, Analyses & Final Table

A predictably tense and frenetic Survival Sunday proved to be a dark one for Blackpool and Birmingham as they drew the curtain on their respective standings as Premier League outfits. Despite forging into a 2-1 lead at one point at Manchester United the Seasiders waved goodbye to life in the top flight after eventually going down 4-2. Birmingham joined Blackpool in being relegated as Alex McLeish's side went down 2-1 at Tottenham; a result that secured Spurs fifth place as Liverpool lost 1-0 at Aston Villa. Wolves lost 3-2 at Molineux to Blackburn but both sides still stayed up, as two second half efforts from the home side breathed fresh life into their effort to retain their Premier League place. Wigan were the big away day winners as they earned survival with a 1-0 win at Stoke City, a game that saw Hugo Rodallega emerge as a late life-saver for the Latics.

Review

Manchester United 4 - 2 Blackpool
Richard Williams at Old Trafford
Richard Jolly at Old Trafford

Wolverhampton 2 - 3 Blackburn
Jonathan Stevenson at Molineux

Tottenham 2 - 1 Birmingham City
Kevin McCarra at White Hart Lane

Everton 1 - 0 Chelsea
Dominic Fifield at Goodison Park

Fulham 2 - 2 Arsenal
Paul Doyle at Craven Cottage

Five Things We Learned
Five Things We Learned II

FINAL TABLE

CLUB	P	W	D	L	GD	PTS
Man Utd	38	23	11	4	41	80
Chelsea	38	21	8	9	36	71
Man City	38	21	8	9	27	71
Arsenal	38	19	11	8	29	68
Tottenham	38	16	14	8	9	62
Liverpool	38	17	7	14	15	58
Everton	38	13	15	10	6	54
Fulham	38	11	16	11	6	49
Aston Villa	38	12	12	14	-11	48
Sunderland	38	12	11	15	-11	47
West Brom	38	12	11	15	-15	47
Newcastle	38	11	13	14	-1	46
Stoke	38	13	7	18	-2	46
Bolton	38	12	10	16	-4	46
Blackburn	38	11	10	17	-13	43
Wigan	38	9	15	14	-21	42
Wolves	38	11	7	20	-20	40
Birmingham	38	8	15	15	-21	39
Blackpool	38	10	9	19	-23	39
West Ham	38	7	12	19	-27	33

Chelsea Fire Ancelotti

A statement on the club's website revealed they had parted company with the Italian, who led Chelsea to a Premier League and FA Cup double last season.

Lionel Messi: Boy Genius

Given a rare night on the Barcelona bench last Sunday, Lionel Messi yanked on the seat in front of him, hunched his shoulders over the chair back and kicked it with his cleats. He seemed not so much the world’s best soccer player as a restless kid in a movie theater. He is 23, with a grown-up’s income reported to exceed $43 million this year. Yet Messi still has a boy’s floppy bangs, a boy’s slight build and a boy’s nickname, the Flea. Even the ball stays on his feet like a shy child clinging to his father’s legs.





Everyone's already read this but just in case...

The Fifth Official

Few of us like Monday but The Fifth Official does, for it brings with it a chance for him to point the finger and laugh. Here he pulls out the pretty, the puzzling and the downright pig-ugly from a week brimming with potential victims.

Italy: Serie A Weekend Preview

Udinese and Lazio are fighting until the final minute of the Serie A season to try to grab the fourth and final Champions League qualifying spot against two teams who will be in a jolly mood on Sunday.

Preview

Spain: La Liga Weekend Preview & Eduardo Alvarez's Quiniela

The final week of the 2010-11 season brings us one, and only one, major question: Who will be the third relegated side? Up to six clubs have struggled for months, only to arrive to the very last date of the calendar with still 90 minutes of guaranteed suffering. Intrigued to know the answer to the puzzle?


Preview

Quiniela

England: Premier League Weekend Previews & Predictions

The Premier League's relegation battle reaches a climax this weekend as the final day of the season brings Survival Sunday. Five teams at the bottom of the table are fighting to avoid joining West Ham in the Championship next term with Wigan, Blackpool, Birmingham, Blackburn and Wolves all in the mire. Wolves and Blackburn meet at Molineux but their position is not as precarious as the other sides involved in the battle to stay in the top flight. Birmingham face an extremely tough trip to Tottenham, while Blackpool, despite a fine win last time out, are up against it as they go to champions Manchester United. Meanwhile, can Wigan produce another big effort when they travel to FA Cup finalists Stoke? It is all set up for a nervy afternoon.

Preview

Martin Lipton's Preview & Predictions

Lawro's Predictions

The Special 1 TV: All In

Sid Lowe: Schalke move has revitalized Raúl

Victory comes in many guises and doesn't always depend on the result. One man's success is another man's failure, always measured against expectation. A Wednesday night in May and Manchester United had just reached the Champions League final. Despite resting a number of its most important players, United had defeated Schalke 04. Hammered it, in fact. But there were no recriminations and no complaints, no anger from the players in blue, no bitterness as to what could have been. There was success in their failure. This was the German club's first semifinal and these players never expected to get this far.

For one man in particular, this was a monumental moment. Raúl González Blanco said that reaching the final would have been the leche

Friday MLS Forecast

The Forecast ponders the meaning of a pair of high-profile absences in the league before discussing the weekend fixture list.

Premier League relegation: where the season went wrong for the threatened five

Telegraph Sport looks at key moments in the season where the tide turned for the worst...

Paolo Di Canio to replace Paul Hart as Swindon Town manager

Paolo Di Canio is to become the new manager of Swindon Town. The 42-year-old Italian is set to replace Paul Hart, who left three weeks ago, as the Robins prepare for life in the bottom tier of the Football League following relegation this season.



Awesome...!

England: The £60 Million Drop

The Premier League relegation battle has always promised to go down to the wire and it could barely be closer with five teams separated by a solitary point. ESPNsoccernet looks at the permutations for those clubs battling to remain among England's elite.



Final table:
15 - Wolves - 43 points
16 - Wigan - 42 points
17 - Blackburn - 40 points
18 - Blackpool - 40 points
19 - Birmingham - 39 points

The Joy of Six: Moments of the 2010-11 Football Season

From El Clásico No1 to FC United, via women's football in England and the Old Firm, here are half a dozen highlights.

Dominic Raynor: Off The Ball

Off The Ball never rests in its mission to scratch around the underbelly of professional football to find the most bizarre, humorous and inexplicable stories.

This week, 'Crazy' Jesus Corona headbutts the opposition manager, Arsenal spy on their players with a GPS tracking system, Diego Maradona is in it for the money at Al Wasl, daring Manchester United fans unveil a '19 times' banner at Anfield and the most ingenious set-piece routine of the season.

Denilson: I'll quit Arsenal this summer

Brazilian midfielder Denilson has revealed in a heartfelt interview that he will leave Arsenal in the summer, after a "shameful" season that has been the "worst" of his career. Denilson has known for eight months that he is leaving, having already cleared his exit with Arsene Wenger. The 23-year-old cites a desire to win trophies and cement his place in Brazil's first XI, admitting nobody at Arsenal knows the answer to their six-year trophy drought.

First XI: Great Escapes

For this week's First XI, we have selected some of the most dramatic escapes from relegation in English football.

Who the top six sides in the Premier League will be chasing this summer

With the league season ending on Sunday English football's big guns are in for a busy close season.

Wayne Rooney tells Twitter abuser: 'I'll put you asleep in 10 seconds'

The England international came in for late-night abuse from a follower who taunted him: "Rooney ya fat whore ill smash ya head in with a pitchin wedge an bury ya with a ballast fork ya fat ugly lil n***e."

UEFA Europa League: Final Reports

Porto 1 - 0 Braga
Dominic Fifield at the Aviva Stadium
John Brewin at the Aviva Stadium

Italy: Serie A Team of the Season

While Milan sealed the Scudetto after all their challengers fell away, the Champions League and relegation battle in Italy's top division seem set to go to the last week of fixtures. Superb seasons from Udinese, Napoli and Lazio have been in stark contrast to poor showings from Juventus, Inter and, most disappointingly, Sampdoria. With just one game left to play, we thought it would be a good time to pick the best starting XI in the league. There's a caveat: We limited ourselves to one player per team, so that we could recognise the outstanding contributions of players no matter where their teams happen to be in the Serie A table. So here is our Serie A Best XI:

Roberto Gotta in Italy

There was a time, back in the summer of 1991, when Massimiliano Allegri was "the other guy" in a deal that took Frederic Massara from Pavia to Serie B Pescara. As then-Pescara sporting director Pierpaolo Marino wrote last March in a column for Italian website Tuttomercatoweb, the Pavia owners had already promised Massara to Venezia (then owned by Maurizio Zamparini, the current Palermo chairman), but adding another player and valuing him at nearly half a million lira would increase the total value of the transfer and thus allow Pavia a good excuse to back away from the verbal agreement with Venezia.

Norman Hubbard: Parker can be short-term fix for Arsenal

As a half-empty Emirates Stadium witnessed Arsenal embarking upon what, technically speaking, has to be termed a lap of honour - although the grim expressions on their faces indicated otherwise - a typical Arsene Wenger signing had just completed a virtuoso performance 200 miles further north.

Young, quick and French, Charles N'Zogbia appears a prototype of Arsenal recruits (although the cynical might argue that, with his end-of-season excellence, he would be an exception in the current crop of Gunners). Yet while N'Zogbia's scintillating performance on Sunday handed Wigan a lifeline and helped relegate West Ham, it should prompt Wenger to act in a very different way.

Experienced, English and vocal, Scott Parker is everything the majority of the Arsenal team are not.

Tim Vickery in South America

I was talking to an American recently who got into soccer as a result of watching Ronaldinho at his extraordinary best -- which seems a long time ago. Now he is not sure whether to feel angry with the player for spending so long betraying his own almost unparalleled talent, or grateful that for a few years Ronaldinho hit a peak of performance that few have ever matched.

It is a dilemma which will be familiar to fans of Flamengo, Ronaldinho's current club, and one which may be solved one way or the other during the course of the Brazilian championship, which kicks off this weekend.

Who are the best and worst of the 2010-11 Premier League?

Welcome to guardian.co.uk's review of the 2010-11 Premier League season. As the campaign draws to a close, we want you to help us find the most spectacular goal, biggest flop and best signing, as well as the winner in seven other categories. Our writers have nominated some contenders, but this is just the starting point for the conversation: we would like your suggestions so that we can compile the best into final polls that you can vote on. As the season obviously doesn't finish until Sunday afternoon, the nomination blogs will be open until later that evening, with the polls then open from Monday 23 May.

Thanks.

Here are links to the blogs for each category:

UEFA Europa League: Final Preview

Dublin will play host to the first all-Portuguese Europa League final when Porto meet Braga at the Aviva Stadium on May 18 but the near neighbours couldn't be more different in terms of style and history.

Porto coach Andre Villas-Boas has constructed a fluid, attacking side, built around a hard-working midfield, that romped to the Portuguese Liga title with a massive 21-point margin over second-placed Benfica and scored three or more goals on eight occasions en route to this European final.

Pires Reveals MLS Interest

"Thierry has phoned me. He called me up and said 'come over and play with me' but there are no real offers yet,'' Pires told the Birmingham Mail.

Blues pair accused of late-night drinking

Becky Doyle wrote on her Twitter feed: "F***d off with my husband getting in at 4am with fossy [Foster] and waking me up. Celebrate next week when your safe. Have some respect."

Although she later deleted her comment, Mrs Doyle was unrepentant. She wrote that she was "so angry, what's the point of Twitter if your not allowed to write what you want on it". She later added: "Golf bag and clubs still for sale. Comes with one hung-over husband."

England:The Worst Football Kits Ever

A collection of the worst football kits ever inflicted on the long suffering fans. It is no coincidence that most of these are from the 1990s, the decade that style forgot. There have been, of course, many change strips that were worse than the kits shown here but these are beyond the scope of this site.

Arsenal prepared to sell Andrey Arshavin to fund new signings

Wenger has felt that Arshavin's mercurial genius can compensate for the negatives but his patience has worn thin.

England: Monday's Premier League Report

Manchester City
3 - 0
Stoke City

Daniel Taylor at Eastlands

Sid Lowe in Spain

Getafe's win over Osasuna provided relief but not redemption: they're one of six teams who could be relegated on the final day.

From one in nine to one in six: who is going down in La Liga?

Freddy Adu: Returning to MLS wouldn't be easy and I would like to stay at Rizespor

The American, who credits U.S. coach Bob Bradley for his recent success, says he's happy in Turkey but considered a return to Major League Soccer in this exclusive feature.

Diego Maradona to coach Dubai-based club Al Wasl

Over-large suits, heavy petting on the pitch and lewd suggestions to journalists after crucial victories are about to come back into fashion: Diego Maradona has secured a return to management after agreeing a two-year deal with the Dubai-based club, Al Wasl.

Raphael Honigstein in Germany

Frankfurt were handily placed in seventh at Christmas but after Christoph Daum was appointed in March they picked up three points from seven games.

Eintracht Frankfurt taken down a notch for fourth time in 15 years.

Paolo Bandini in Italy

Udinese are on the verge of making the Champions League qualifiers – but Sampdoria's relegation offers a cautionary tale.

Udinese close to 'paradise', but Sampdoria's despair offers a warning.

Which of Sir Alex Ferguson's titles with Manchester United was the best?

Some were won at a canter and with a swagger, while others were industrial and hard fought.

Kevin McCarra on West Ham's Relegation

It took persistence by West Ham to finish bottom of the Premier League.

The Hammers' relegation was caused by the brittleness and unreliability of players whose standards should be much higher.

Ajax's Maarten Stekelenberg drops Eredivisie trophy from team bus

Ajax's Maarten Stekelenberg has added his name to the growing list of butter-fingered players capable of winning trophies but seemingly unable to hold on to them.

West Ham United party brawl sparked by alleged racist abuse of player

The West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan has claimed that a drunken supporter racially abused a player, sparking the brawl that marred the club's end-of-season dinner on Monday night. The event was spoiled by a disturbance between supporters and players which caused the police to be called to the Grosvenor Hotel in central London.

********

Plates and glasses were apparently broken in the brief fracas that followed, with a group of supporters running from the function suite out of the hotel, pursued by security staff.

Actors from EastEnders and The Bill tried to put on straight faces when they presented Scott Parker with an award after the fighting has stopped.

********

"One fan walked past Demba Ba and said, 'Can I have your autograph?' Ba turned round and said, 'I'm too tired'.

"That triggered the mayhem. The fan went berserk, shouting and screaming at Ba, hurling all sorts of racist insults at him - and Ba looked like he was about to lash out when Danny Gabbidon separated them.

Steve Davis: Projecting the U.S. Gold Cup Roster

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is vital for its ultimate reward, a berth in the 2013 Confederations Cup. It's darned serious business, not to be taken as some summery, playful distraction. Even if you don't think so, U.S. Soccer certainly does. Coach Bob Bradley and his staff have made the strategic choice that Gold Cup glory must be claimed.

So, by extension, the looming Gold Cup roster selection is critical, too. The announcement will land on or close to May 23, according to U.S. Soccer. (The same selections will also have a tuneup against Spain on June 4, three days before the U.S. opens the tournament against Canada.) Let the speculation begin ...

Grant Wahl's Column

Less than three weeks before FIFA's presidential election, U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati revealed the U.S. will not be told how to vote by CONCACAF president Jack Warner, the most powerful figure in the U.S.' home confederation. Gulati's move is a public show of independence by U.S. Soccer after Warner had announced all 35 CONCACAF members (including the U.S.) would vote as a bloc in the FIFA election, which pits incumbent Sepp Blatter of Switzerland against Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar.

Rooney a cut above after close shave at Blackburn

Wayne Rooney showed he was a cut above with the shave of the season.

Minutes after scoring a penalty to seal a 1-1 draw at Blackburn, which confirmed United as champions, Rooney posted a picture of himself on Twitter with '19' emblazoned in his chest hair.

Team-mate Michael Owen tweeted back: "None of us thought Wazza would send that picture! He is madder than we thought!"

Uli Hesse in Germany

Looking back on the past nine months of Bundesliga football, it somehow seems as if I found myself on a radio show or a podcast every other week, yet could rarely say anything more substantial than how unbelievable it all was. But that's what it was like, week in and week out, as Europe's most unpredictable league proved once more why some people love it and others are frustrated by it. I mean, I wouldn't want to be a Bundesliga bookie, not when a team that had only ten points after the first half of the season is, as we speak, still in the Bundesliga while a team that had 26 has been relegated.

Phil Ball in Spain

Sometimes La Liga can drive you nuts. It's difficult to imagine any other country on earth putting on its entire league programme at 9pm on a Sunday, but as the old refrain goes, Spain is different. Football's a family game? Pull the other one. Match over by 11pm, kids tucked up in bed around midnight if you've been to the stadium, all well prepared for school on the Monday.

Out Of The Office For A Few Days

Back soon...

European Weekend Review

AC Milan secured the Serie A title and their seven-year wait for the Scudetto is over following a draw at Roma. Barcelona only need one more point to clinch glory in Spain although Cristiano Ronaldo scored four for Real Madrid as they thrashed Sevilla. Twente defied Ajax with a stunning comeback in the Dutch Cup while Marseille lost ground on Lille in France.

Review

England: Premier League Weekend Review, Reports & Analyses

Manchester United are on the verge of a 19th league title after their showdown against Chelsea ended in a 2-1 victory for the home side. The relegation battle at the other end took another twist as West Ham could only manage a 1-1 stalemate with Blackburn, as Wigan and Blackpool also drew. Wolves were the big movers on Sunday as Mick McCarthy's men dragged themselves out of the relegation zone with an emphatic Black Country derby success over West Brom. Elsewhere, Arsenal were well beaten at Stoke while Everton came from behind to triumph over top-four hopefuls Manchester City.

Review

Manchester United 2 - 1 Chelsea
Kevin McCarra at Old Trafford
Richard Jolly at Old Trafford
Richard Williams at Old Trafford
Phil McNulty at Old Trafford

Everton 2 - 1 Manchester City
Tim Rich at Goodison Park

Stoke City 3 - 1 Arsenal
Joe Lovejoy at the Britannia Stadium

Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 - 1 West Brom
Stuart James at Molineux

Tottenham 1 - 1 Blackpool
Kevin Palmer at White Hart Lane

Blackpool banner taunting Preston North End to be investigated by CAA

The Blackpool supporters' stunt is to be examined to determine whether the low-flying plane breached regulations. The aircraft trailed two banners over the ground, reading: "Poor little Preston enjoy League One" and "We are superior love Blackpool FC."

Redknapp: Bale out for the season

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp does not expect Gareth Bale to play any part in the rest of season after the winger picked up an ankle injury following a challenge from Blackpool's Charlie Adam at the weekend.

The Fifth Official

Few of us like Monday but The Fifth Official does, for it brings with it a chance for him to point the finger and laugh. Here he pulls out the pretty, the puzzling and the downright pig-ugly from a week brimming with potential victims.