Sanford's Soccer Net

Friday, March 04, 2011

Red vs. Red: Ten Best of the Premier League Era

One of the greatest rivalries in football will resume on Sunday when Liverpool welcome Manchester United to Anfield.

No game between these sides needs extra spice to make it special but the clash this weekend is also significant in the context of this season, as Sir Alex Ferguson's men look to recover from losing to Chelsea in midweek to get their title bid back on track.

Liverpool, meanwhile, will also be determined to bounce back from defeat to West Ham last Sunday and continue their upward curve under Kenny Dalglish.

Whichever group of supporters manages to secure North West bragging rights for the next few months, it promises to be the latest in a series of thrilling fixtures.

There have been so many classic encounters over the years that narrowing it down to the ten best of all time would be a mind-boggling exercise, so skysports.com is instead recalling some of the most memorable since the Premier League started.

Nasri: We had an argument but Thierry was cool - then I had a problem with Gallas

Samir Nasri has nothing to hide — not even the ‘dark side’ he says exists in all the people of Marseille. ‘Zidane, Cantona, me as well,’ he says with a hint of pride.

‘It is because of where we are from; because when you grow up on the street you have to defend yourself. You have to fight; show your character.’

Attack on fan was a 'dream' for supporters, admits Eric Cantona

"I think that may be it's like a dream for some people sometimes, to kick these kinds of people. So I did it for them. So they are happy," Cantona said. "It's a kind of freedom for them. So they speak about that because maybe they felt something special, physically. It's a great feeling but difficult."

The Joy of Six: Freaky Goals

From a gale-force own goal to Stan Collymore's divot diversion, half a dozen gloriously unorthodox goals.

England: Premier League Previews & Predictions

Manchester United's trip to Liverpool on Sunday takes centre stage but Arsenal can cut their lead at the summit to just a point with victory over Sunderland on Saturday. Manchester City will continue their pursuit of the top two with a home date against rock-bottom Wigan, while Tottenham can move above Chelsea and back into fourth if they overcome struggling Wolves. Birmingham must swiftly forget their Carling Cup success and return to the grit of a relegation scrap as they host Midlands rivals West Brom, while Aston Villa's line-up is sure to be scrutinised as they travel to Bolton. West Ham could scramble out of the bottom three if they can see off Stoke at Upton Park, Newcastle welcome a dejected Everton to St James' Park and Blackburn will be keen to arrest their slide down the table when they make the trip to Fulham.

Preview

Team News

Birmingham vs. West Brom: Paul Merson's Preview

Manchester City vs. Wigan Athletic: Preview

Liverpool vs. Manchester United: Preview

Lawro's Predictions

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

Sevilla have the chance to further push their bid for a European berth this weekend when they take on Athletic Bilbao. Bilbao's own hopes of a top-six finish are suddenly in danger after a dramatic recent reversal of form. Atletico Madrid are in a similar situation to Sevilla as they welcome Villarreal to the Vicente Calderon on Saturday. On Sunday, second-placed Real Madrid make the potentially difficult trip to Racing Santander, who have been one of La Liga`s most improved sides over the last few weeks. At the top of the table, Barcelona will look to move a step closer to their third successive Primera Division title when they host Real Zaragoza, although they could be without coach Pep Guardiola on the bench for that game.

Preview

Eduardo Alvarez's Quiniela

Italy: Serie A Weekend Preview

Juventus believes they need to have a flawless game on Saturday if they want to upset Serie A leaders AC Milan.

The Bianconeri go into the encounter at Turin's Olympic Stadium having lost four of their last six league games.

Scudetto contenders Inter will be hoping Juve win as they look to cut the gap on their city rivals.

Leonardo's men host Genoa looking to make it four wins in a row.

Napoli, who are one point behind Inter, will be boosted by a strong home record as they look to bounce back immediately from the disappointment at the San Siro.

Walter Mazzarri's men are unbeaten at the San Paolo Stadium since October 25, with eight wins from nine games.

They host relegation-threatened Brescia on Sunday.

Preview

Sid Lowe: No redemption for Manuel Pellegrini on a grim return to the Bernabéu

Two men can't fight if one does not want to – and the man with the bloodshot eye and the melancholic gaze didn't Instead, there was a quick, silent shake of the hand, a wordless greeting, and the white flag was raised. No resistance, and no mercy. Last night Real Madrid tore Málaga apart, battering them 7-0. But Málaga's manager did not care; or said he did not. Cunning or cowardice, that was the question.

Manchester City defender Kolo Toure fails drugs test

BBC sports news correspondent Dan Roan told BBC Radio 5 live: "A specified substance, according to Wada, is one more susceptible to a credible, non-doping explanation because of its general availability in medicines.

"It could be some kind of stimulant or dietary aid and that would tally with what I was told on Thursday night by sources close to Toure - who insists it was not deliberately performance enhancing or recreational.

"Given that Toure is a devout Muslim and is also teetotal and the fact he is regarded as a model professional and one of the quiet men of the Premier League, it seems to add up."

What Next For Kolo?

Arsene Wenger:

"He wants to control his weight a little bit because that's where he has some problems and he took the product off his wife," said the Arsenal boss.

"Never trust your wife! That is how he was caught."

Argentine ref issues 36 red cards in one match

An Argentine fifth-division match between Claypole and Victoriano Arenas turned into an awful day at work for the match official as play devolved into fights and gangs of people chasing after each other that resulted in 36 red cards.

Gabriele Marcotti: Porto cruising under Villas Boas

There's a team in Europe that is still in the hunt to win every competition this season. A club which is dominating its league, ahead of its perennial archrival, which itself is having, statistically at least, a great season. Its numbers, across all competitions, are frighteningly good: Played 40, Won 33, Drawn 4, Lost 3.

Another column extolling the virtues of Barcelona?

Japanese Influx to Europe Grows

Narita Airport has seen its fair share of soccer players pass through the arrival and departure halls over the years. It welcomed Japan back from a successful World Cup last summer and the Asian Cup trophy in January. In the past months, it has also seen a growing number of Japanese stars heading to Europe and Germany in particular.

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, Birmingham City's Craig Gardner thanks his lucky pants, Sao Paulo fans swim in the aisles of the club's Morumbi Stadium, an English club launches the most expensive season ticket in the world and Jose Mourinho takes aim at Real Madrid predecessor Manuel Pellegrini.

Thursday, March 03, 2011

Where do Everton and David Moyes go from here?

The Goodison Park club's manager is suffering from the same syndrome as Arsène Wenger at Arsenal, an inability to maintain the high standards of his early days.

Celebrity hotel bans defender Smalling hours after United defeat to Chelsea

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling has been banned from the May Fair Hotel in London after hosting a wild all-night party with a group of allegedly drunken girls - just hours after Tuesday's defeat to Chelsea.

The 21-year old conceded a penalty which led to Frank Lampard's late winner at Stamford Bridge.

But hours later he checked into a £2,000-a-night suite at the hotel popular with celebrities such as Lady GaGa and Paris Hilton, and partied until 4.30am.

Premier League Title Race: This is how it will finish (probably)

The Independent's Football Correspondent Sam Wallace looks at the issues facing the title contenders and predicts how they will affect the run-in.

Tom Adams: Rewind to 1991

Two decades at the top makes Ryan Giggs a freak of the modern game. Even when casting back through the English game's history, there are none whose careers have lasted so long at such a high level. Sir Stanley Matthews may have been playing at 50 but was not a stranger to the Second Division.

Steve Davis: Concerns linger after MLS tinkers with postseason format

If only the rest of us could gain an inner peace regarding the MLS playoffs as New York Red Bulls coach Hans Backe has.

The latest round of fussing and debating over the postseason structure commenced last week when the league announced a belated, revised format for 2011. This one was a double whammy. Not only were some of the unpopular elements retained, but the postseason for the 18-team league also was expanded to 10 clubs.