Talk Football

Top billings - Feb 25 - 26, 2012

2012-02-23T10:08:00.001-08:00

After a super Midweek filled with exciting Champions League and Europa League action, the domestic leagues will now be back in action.

Top billing of the week - AC Milan vs Juventus

The battle between the Serie A heavyweights will be intense as the two teams continue to battle for the top spot. Pirlo, the ex Milan man, will undoubtedly draw a lot of attention from the Milan faithfuls as he returns to San Siro!
Fixture: 7.45pm GMT, Saturday
Other good Fixture: Napoli vs Internazionale

Top Billing in La Liga - Atletico Madrid - Barcelona!
Barcelona are off pace this season and this game will be no easy encounter.
Fixture: 8.30pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixtures: Valencia vs Sevilla

Top Billing in Premier League - Arsenal vs Tottenham
After tumbling out of the FA cup and a being thrashed 4 - 0 in the Champions League tie at San Siro, Arsenal will look to put their troubles behind them and try to narrow the wide gap in the League between them and the third placed Spurs.
Fixture: 1.30pm GMT, Saturday
Note: The game between Liverpool and Everton has been postponed as the Reds take on Cardiff City in the Carling Cup Final on Sunday, 26th February, 2012 at Wembley.

Top Billing in Bundesliga - Bayern Munich vs Schalke
With just a point difference between the Bavarians and Schalke, this game will be a game changer for both the teams.
Fixture: 2.30pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixtures: Dortmund vs Hannover

Top Billing in League 1 - Lyon vs PSG
The last time the two teams met this season in their League 1 encounter, the game ended in a 1 -1 draw.
Fixture: 8pm GMT, Saturday
Other good Fixtures: Montpellier vs Bordeaux!

A super weekend with Big ties in Italy, England, France and Germany!

Top billings - Feb 14 - 16, 2012

2012-02-14T06:38:00.000-08:00

Midweek Action

The Champions League Round of 16:
First leg - 14/15 February
Second leg - 21/22 February

The Europa League Knockout Round:
First leg - 14/16 February
Second leg - 22/23 February

Champions League Top billing - AC Milan vs Arsenal

Billed as he Tie of the round, it is touted to be a classy contest!
Fixture: 20.45pm GMT, Wednesday
Other good Fixture: Napoli vs Chelsea

Europa League Top Billing - Ajax - Manchester United
This will be the first time the Man Utd will play in the Europa League and Sir Alex Ferguson has made it pretty clear that he would field a strong team as the Red Devils set their sights on adding another trophy to their shimmering cabinet.
Fixture: 18pm GMT, Thursday
Other good Fixtures: Porto vs Man City

Should be a cracker of a midweek!

Review - Feb 11 - 13, 2012

2012-02-14T05:12:00.000-08:00

England:
The top billing of the weekend began in a dramatic fashion as Suarez refused to shake Patrice Evra's hand. The game ended in a 2 - 1 victory for the Red devils with Rooney (brace) and Suarez etching their names on the score sheet.

Photo courtesy: Manutd.com
Elsewhere, Tottenham smashed 5 past a lackluster Newcastle (final score 5 - 0) and Chelsea suffered a 2 - 0 defeat to Everton.

Spain:
Barcelona suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Osasuna, a team that was humiliated 8 - 0 in the previous meeting of the teams in La Liga this season!
The Madridistas took full advantage to widen the gap at the top to 10 points with a 4 - 2 victory over fourth placed Levante, the team that defeated Madrid in their previous La Liga encounter.

Ronaldo moved clear in the Golden Shoe race after bagging a hat-trick and a stunning third goal that was also the 4000th Liga goal at Santiago Bernabeu

Italy:
AC Milan sealed a crucial victory vs Udinese to go atop the Searie A while Juventus have two games in hand, whereas Inter were stunned with a defeat to Novara at home!

Germany:
In the big weekend in Germany, Mönchengladbach secured a 3 - 0 victory over Schalke while Dortmund secured a narrow 1 - 0 victory over Leverkusen.

Plenty of action in the Midweek as the Champions League and the Europa League resume!

Top billings - Feb 11 - 13, 2012

2012-02-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

Top billing of the week - Manchester United vs Liverpool

With Suarez back from the eight match ban. served for racial abuse on Evra, the atmosphere will be pretty charged up.
Fixture: 12.45pm GMT, Saturday
Other good Fixture: Tottenham vs Newcastle

Top Billing in La Liga - Real Madrid - Levante!
Levante beat Madrid in their previous La Liga encounter earlier in the season, but Madrid should do much better this time in this game at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Fixture: 8.30pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixtures: Not Really!

Top Billing in Serie A - Udinese vs AC Milan
Udinese lag one point behind the third placed Lazio while Milan lag a point behind the first placed Juventus, so both team would look to go for a killing.
Fixture: 5pm GMT, Saturday
Other good Fixture: Not Really!

Top Billing in Bundesliga - Mönchengladbach vs Schalke
A big weekend in Germany. With only a single point difference between gladbach and the oh fours, the game is important for both the teams to strengthen their hold to the third or even second place as the Bavarians currently hold the second place with the same points as Schalke.
Fixture: 5.30pm GMT, Saturday
Other good Fixtures: Dortmund vs Leverkusen

Top Billing in League 1 - Lille vs Bordeaux
The last time the two teams met this season in their League 1 encounter, the game ended in a 1 -1 draw.
Fixture: 2pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixtures: Not Really!

A super weekend with Big ties in England and Germany!!

Review - Feb 4 - 6, 2012

2012-02-10T22:01:00.000-08:00

England:
Manchester United - The comeback Kings!
United recover from a 3 goal deficit to secure a draw at the Stamford Bridge.

Photo courtesy: Manutd.com
Elsewhere, the Liverpool - Tottenham game ends in a goalless draw.

Italy:
Roma hit four past Inter to secure a 4 - 0 victory while AC Milan only manage to secure a single point in a goalless draw with Napoli.

Spain:
Atletico Madrid hold Valencia to a goalless draw while Athletic Bilbao draw 3 - 3 with Espanyol.

Germany:
The game between Wolfsburg vs Mönchengladbach ends in a 0 - 0 stalemate while the game between Leverkusen vs Stuttgart ends in a 2 - 2 stalemate.

More action next Weekend!

Top billings - Feb 4 - 6, 2012

2012-02-03T06:11:00.000-08:00

Top billing of the week - Manchester United vs Chelsea

Its a big week with big matches across Europe, but this one clearly leads the pile.
Fixture: 4pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixture: Liverpool vs Tottenham

Top Billing in La Liga - Athletic Bilbao vs Espanyol
With only a two point difference between the two teams, this game will be the difference maker for the teams in their league positions.
Fixture: 5pm GMT, Saturday
Other good Fixtures: Atletico Madrid vs Valencia

Top Billing in Serie A - AC Milan vs Napoli
A big weekend in Italy! The big games this weekend for the Milanese clubs should give them stern tests.
Note: The game timings in Italy have been revised due to heavy snowfall.
Fixture: 3pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixture: Fiorentina vs Udinese

Top Billing in Bundesliga - Wolfsburg vs Mönchengladbach
The Bundesliga title is a four ways race with the top three teams leveled at same points! The top team now need to avoid any slip ups to remain in the chase!
Fixture: 2.30pm GMT, Saturday
Other good Fixtures: Leverkusen vs Stuttgart

Top Billing in League 1 - Marseille vs Lyon
Marseille lag only a point behind Lyon and will look to surge past them with a win.
Fixture: 8pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixtures: Not Really!

A super weekend with Big ties in England, France and Italy!!!

Review - Jan 28 - 29, 2012

2012-01-30T13:57:00.000-08:00

England:
Liverpool advance to the next stage of the FA Cup with a 2 - 1 win over Manchester United at Anfield in the biggest match of the weekend.

Photo courtesy: Manutd.com
Elsewhere, Arsenal and Chelsea scrape through narrow wins.
Other FA Cup fourth round Results:
QPR 0 - 1 Chelsea
Arsenal 3 - 2 Aston Villa

Italy:
Juventus secured a win versus Udinese in the top game of Serie A over the weekend while Napoli and Inter both lost their away games.

Spain:
Barcelona drew with Villarreal and Madrid secured a win after falling back to Zaragoza early in the game. The gap at the top now widens to 7 points between the top two of La Liga.

Germany:
The top three teams in Germany (Bayern Munich, Dortmund and Schalke) all secure wins over the weekend.

More action in the Midweek with the EPL resuming and the semifinal clashes in the Copa del Ray, especially the one between Valencia and Barcelona!

Top billings - 31 Jan - 1 Feb, 2012

2012-01-30T13:23:00.000-08:00

The top billing of the week - Valencia vs Barcelona

Former Valencia player David Villa (R) of Barcelona greets his old teammate Pablo Hernandez of Valencia during the la Liga match between Valencia and Barcelona at Estadio Mestalla on March 2, 2011 in Valencia, Spain.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images Europe)

The first leg of the Copa del Ray semifinal clash between the Spanish heavyweights. An increasing gap at the top in the La Liga and ultra competitiveness in the Champions League mean that this Cup offers the only real chance for the Catalans to get a trophy this season to Camp Nou!
Fixture: 8pm GMT, 1st Feb

The top Billing of the Premier League - Everton vs Manchester City
With FA Cup action over the past weekend, the EPL resumes in the midweek.
Fixture: 8pm GMT, 31st Jan
Other good Fixtures: Manchester United vs Stoke City

The top Billing of the Serie A - Lazio vs AC Milan!
Milan are one point adrift from the top spot in the table and would look to keep the pressure at the top.
Fixture: 7.45pm GMT, 1st Feb

Another interesting midweek!!!

Review - Jan 20 - 22, 2012

2012-01-25T11:27:00.000-08:00

England:
Manchester United pull off a 2 - 1 win at he Emirates in the biggest match of the weekend.

Photo courtesy: Manutd.com
Elsewhere, City scrape through a 3 - 2 win versus Tottenham.

Italy:
Inter clinched a 2 -1 win versus Lazio to extend their unbeaten run to eight games now.

Spain:
Barcelona and Madrid recorded comfortable wins versus Malga and Bilbao respectively. And Messi scored another hat-trick!

Germany:
Monchengladbach stunned Bayern Munich with a 3 - 1 win while Schalke registered a win over Stuttgart with goals from youngsters Joel Matip, Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Julian Draxler (all under 21 starlets!)

Big action in the Midweek with the El Clasico in the Copa del Ray second leg of the quarterfinals at Camp Nou and Barca going in with a one goal lead!

Top billings - Jan 20 - 22, 2012

2012-01-20T02:39:00.000-08:00

The top billing of the week - Arsenal vs Manchester United

Undoubtedly the most anticipated match after the 8-2 drubbing of Arsenal at Old Trafford earlier in the season.
Fixture: 4pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixture: Manchester City vs Tottenham

The top Billing of the La Liga - Malga vs Barcelona
Barcelona are in high form after winning the El Clasico in the midweek for the first leg of the Copa Del Ray quarterfinals.
Fixture: 5pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixtures: Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao

The top Billing of the Serie A - Inter vs Lazio!
Inter are placed fifth and Lazio fourth in the league table. So, an important match for both.
Fixture: 7.45pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixture: Not really!

The top Billing of the Bundesliga - Mönchengladbach vs Bayern Munich
Gladbach sit in the fourth position and are only four points away from the Bavarians, who sit atop the league table.
Fixture: 7.30pm GMT, Friday
Other good Fixtures: Schalke vs Stuttgart

Another interesting weekend ahead!!!

Top Billings - 18th January, 2012

2012-01-17T01:48:00.000-08:00

A top billing in the midweek - El Clasico!

The Galacticos will hope to wreck maximum damage unto their Catalan rivals in the first leg of the Cpa Del Ray quarterfinals at the Santiago Bernabeu. Securing a lead would be vital for Murinho's men before travelling to Camp Nou on the 25th January, 2012.

Fixture: 18th January, 2012 @ 9pm GMT.

Review - Jan 14 - 15, 2012

2012-01-17T01:26:00.000-08:00

Italy:
The Derby Della Madonnina, the biggest draw of the weekend proved to be a pretty entertaining affair where Milito sealed the victory for Inter after striking the lone goal of the game!

Result: AC Milan 0 - 1 Inter Milan

Spain:
Sevilla play out a 0 - 0 stalemate with Espanyol.
Falcao, with his brace, and Diego help Atletico Madrid ease past Villarreal.

France:
There was some big action in France over the weekend.
Montpellier secure a vital win over Lyon and create a four point lead over Lille, who stumbled versus Marseille.
The game between Marseille and Lille ended at 2 - 0.

Big action in the Midweek!

Top billings - Jan 14 - 15, 2012

2012-01-13T12:24:00.000-08:00

The top billing of the week - AC Milan vs Inter Milan

After a mouth watering Manchester derby last weekend it time for the Milan derby this weekend!
With Inter sitting in the fifth spot in the league table, it is important for them to triumph at the San Siro.
Fixture: 7.45pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixture: Not really!

The top Billing of the La Liga - Sevilla vs Espanyol
After snatching a point versus Barca last weekend, Espanyol would be looking to register another victory over the team with whom they sit level on points in the table.
Fixture: 5pm GMT, Saturday
Other good Fixtures: Atletico Madrid vs Villarreal

The top Billing of the Premier League - No real big one!
The big six all would be looking to register comfortable wins this weekend.
Other good Fixture: Oh really!

The top Billing of the League 1 - Montpellier vs Lyon
A big weekend in the french top flight with games between the four of the top six teams!
Fixture: 8pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixtures: Marseille vs Lille

The Bundesliga remains on a winter break until 20th January.

Another interesting weekend ahead!!!

Review - Jan 7 - 8, 2012

2012-01-11T22:42:00.000-08:00

A Big weekend for United, City, Arsenal and Barcelona!

Manchester United triumph in their hotly contested FA cup third round match with Manchester City.
In a fiery contest Rooney shines for United with a brace as the City captain, Kompany sees a red for a serious challenge on Nani.
Result - Manchester City 2 - 3 Manchester United - Scorers - Rooney (brace), Welbeck, Kolarov and Aguero.

Thierry Henry makes a dream return to Arsenal with a winning goal in their FA Cup tie with Championship side Leeds United to help his team progress to the Fourth Round of the Cup.

Photo courtesy - goal.com

Espanyol folk out a 1 - 1 draw with Barcelona after grasping a last minute equalizer.
Elsewhere Real Madrid extend their lead at the top of La Liga with a thumping 5 - 1 victory over minnows Granada. Barca now trail Real by 5 points.
The tie between Villarreal and Valencia ends in a 2 - 2 draw and the tie between Malga and Atletico Madrid ends in a goalless draw.

All big teams in Serie A register comfortable victories with Inter recording a 5 - 0 win over minnows Parma.

Big action in Serie A at the coming weekend!!

Top billings - Jan 7 - 8, 2012

2012-01-06T23:32:00.000-08:00

The Italian and Spainish top flight action returns with the end of the winter break!

The top billing of the week - Manchester City vs Manchester United

A mouth watering tie between the Manchester Clubs in the FA Cup!
To remind you folks why so:
One, who would forget the 6 - 1 mauling of United at the hands of City and that too at Old Trafford
Two, Rooney gets nominated for the Puskás Award (http://www.fifa.com/ballondor/puskasaward/index.html) for scoring the decisive goal last year, last season in the League tie!
League Table!!
Fixture: 1pm GMT, Sunday
Other Big FA Cup ties: Arsenal v/s Leeds and Chelsea v/s Portsmouth

The top Billing of the La Liga - Espanyol vs Barcelona
Barcelona would look to continue their form from the midweek Copa del Ray encounter vs Osasuna.
Fixture: 8.30pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixtures: Villarreal vs Valencia and Malga vs Atletico Madrid

The top Billing of the Seria A - No real big one!
With AC Milan and Juventus locked in at the top of the table with same points, any slip up would be costly by either.
Other good Fixture: Oh really!

The top Billing of the Copa del Ray - Malga vs Real Madrid
The second legs of the Copa Del Ray will be played on the 10th & 11th January.
Other good Fixtures: Sevilla vs Valencia

The Bundesliga remains on a winter break until 20th January.

Another interesting weekend ahead!!!

Review - Jan 2 - 4, 2012

2012-01-05T00:43:00.000-08:00

A mixed week for the Big teams in EPL.

Arsenal, Liverpool and United suffer defeats while Chelsea, Tottenham and City triumph!

Results:

Wolves 1 - 2 Chelsea - Scorers - Ramires, Stephen Ward and Lampard

Fulham 2 - 1 Arsenal - Scorers - Koscielny, Sidwell, Zamora

Tottenham 1 - 0 West Brom - Scorers - Defoe

Man City 3 - 0 Liverpool - Scorers - Aguero, Yaya Toure, Milner

Newcastle United 0 - 3 Manchester United - Scorers - Ba, Cabaye, Jones (Own Goal)

Elsewhere Real Madrid and Barcelona triumphed in their first leg ties of the Copa del Ray

Results:

Real 3 - 2 Malga - Scorers - Sanchez, Demichelis, Khedira, Higuain and Benzema

Barca 4 - 0 Ossasuna - Scorers - Fabregas (brace) and Messi (brace)

Valencia and Sevilla meet today on the 5th for their first leg encounter in the Copa del Ray.
There will be much action this weekend with the juicy Manchester Derby amongst other games in the Third round of the FA Cup!

Top billings - Jan 2 - 4, 2012

2012-01-03T02:44:00.000-08:00

All leagues except for the Barclays Premier League remain on a winter break^, so, a look at the Top Billings in the EPL this weekend.

Top Billing of the week - Manchester City vs Liverpool
Liverpool put forward a brilliant performance at the weekend vs Newcastle. Another big game on the stretch and Liverpool would look to stamp their re-arrival at the top stage with a win at the Etihad stadium.
Fixture: 8pm GMT, 3rd January, 2012

Other major fixtures - 2nd Jan, 2012 and 4th Jan, 2012:

Monday Action:

Wolves host Chelsea - 3pm GMT

Fulham host Arsenal - 5:30pm GMT

Tuesday Action:

Tottenham host West Brom - 7:45pm GMT

Man City host Liverpool - 8pm GMT

Wednesday Action:

Newcastle host Man Utd - 8pm GMT

After shock defeats at the weekend, top teams Chelsea, United and City would be desperate to turn the tides, whereas Liverpool and Arsenal will look to continue the good run!

^The Winter Break in Serie A and La Liga lasts until January 7, 2012 while in League 1 until January 14, 2012 and in Bundesliga until January 20, 2012.

Review - 30 Dec, 2011 - 1 Jan, 2012

2012-01-03T02:28:00.000-08:00

A stunning week for the Big teams!

City, United and Chelsea all suffer shock defeats at the hands of minnows!

Elsewhere, Arsenal and Liverpool snatch victories.

Results:

Liverpool win 3 - 1 over Newcastle at Anfield

Manchester United lose 2 - 3 to Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford

Arsenal win 1 - 0 over QPR at Emirates

Chelsea lose 1 - 3 to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge

Swansea 1 - 1 with Tottenham

Sunderland win 1 - 0 over Manchester City at the Stadium of Light with an injury time last minute winner from Ji!

The next set of action unfolds pretty soon with the next gameweek starting on Monday, January 2, 2012!

Top billings - 30 Dec, 2011 - 1 Jan, 2012

2011-12-30T03:01:00.000-08:00

All leagues except for the Barclays Premier League remain on a winter break^, so, a look at the Top Billings in the EPL this weekend.

Top Billing of the week - Liverpool vs Newcastle United
Liverpool sit one position higher than Newcastle in the table with only a single point difference. So a win for Newcastle, who have been surprisingly impressive this season, will turn the tables! A stern test for the Reds to show their mettle.
Fixture: 7:45pm GMT, 30th Dec, 2011

Other major fixtures - 31st Dec, 2011 and 1st Jan, 2012:

Saturday Action:

Man Utd host Blackburn Rovers - 12:45pm GMT

Arsenal host QPR - 3pm GMT

Chelsea host Aston Villa - 3pm GMT

Swansea host Tottenham - 3pm GMT

Sunday Action:

Sunderland host Man City - 3pm GMT

Chelsea and Arsenal both face pretty tough opponents. Also, both teams have a difference of only one point between them. Now that makes an interesting bet on who'd enter 2012 sitting in the coveted Fourth place!

^The Winter Break in Serie A and La Liga lasts until January 7, 2012 while in League 1 until January 14, 2012 and in Bundesliga until January 20, 2012.

Review - Dec 26 - 27, 2011

2011-12-28T02:21:00.000-08:00

Plenty of Action on Boxing Day!

Five star United, again!
After last weeks 5 - 0 thrashing of Fulham, United continue the scoring spree. This time Berba scores a hat-trick while Park and Valencia too get on the score sheet to put Wigan to the blade in an entertaining 5 - 0 victory.

At the Hawthorns, Manchester City find it difficult to break the deadlock and salvage only a single point versus West Brom.

While this draw puts United joint top with City in the rankings table, the Citizens would surely now feel more heat with only the goal difference keeping them ahead of United.

Elsewhere Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all draw their matches.

Chelsea draw 1 - 1 with Fulham - Scorers - Mata and Dempsey

Arsenal draw 1 - 1 with Wolves - Scorers - Grevinho and Fletcher

Liverpool draw 1 - 1 with Blackburn Rovers - Scorers - Adam (own goal) and Maxi

Bale fires a brace and the only goals in Tottenham's 2- 0 rout of Norwich City. The flying winger keeps imposing his authority and remains a major threat for opposing teams.

The next set of action on the New Years weekend!

Top billings - Dec 26 - 27, 2011

2011-12-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

Top billings - Dec 26-27

With all leagues but the Barclays Premier League going on winter break^, lets have a look at the Top Billings in the EPL.

No top team is playing each other, so the biggies would be looking to keep their positions in the Table intact.

The Matches will be played on Monday and Tuesday (26th and 27th).

The Big Games:

Monday Action:

Chelsea host Fulham - 1pm GMT

Liverpool host Blackburn - 3pm GMT

Man Utd host Wigan Athletic - 3pm GMT

West Bromwich Albion host City - 3pm GMT

Tuesday Action:

Arsenal host Wolves - 3pm GMT

^The Winter Break in Serie A and La Liga lasts until January 7, 2012 while in League 1 until January 14, 2012 and in Bundesliga until January 20, 2012.

Midweek Review - Dec 21-22, 2011

2011-12-22T00:48:00.000-08:00

Review for 21 Dec - 22 Dec, 2011

England:

United's High Five - Five star Manchester United hit 5 goals in their game vs the cottagers at craven cottage. Welbeck, Rooney, Nani, Giggs and Berbatov all add their name to the scoresheet.

Arsenal secure a 1 - 2 away win, with Van Persie and Benayoun scoring for the Gunners.

Liverpool held for a goalless draw vs Wigan

The Big game of the midweek, Tottenham vs Chelsea ends in s exciting 1 - 1 Draw, with Adebayor giving Spurs the lead after only 8 minutes, only for the in form Sturridge to equalize at 23 minutes.

Italy:

The Juventus and Udinese game ends in a goalless draw

AC Milan score two vs Cagliari

Rooney - Chicharito Partnership, The Magic for United

2011-12-21T06:36:00.000-08:00

The United team this season has seemed to lack a play maker and many have speculated the addition of a big name to fill in a vital gap in the Red Devils' ranks.
Look back into the season thus far and there are a few important cues that come out coherently. Sir Alex has constantly claimed that he does not need to make any major additions to team. But most pundits (many self proclaimed) call this decision into question time and again. A deeper look into the team and its games over this season would show why Sir Alex cannot be wrong when it comes to the trade of football!

Consider this:
The Magic called Wazza and Chicha! - Sir Alex has played Ronney in many positions this season. That exercise has gone further than understanding whether Wazza can create a better play from the different positions tried. It has proved to be a yardstick to measure his effectiveness and bring out his best! Chicharito is known to terrorize defenses, a primary reason why he could cement his place on and dislodge Berba from the first team berth. The games this season have proven that Wazza can be the chief creator, but then without a dangerous striker, his efforts would all go in vain. The dangerous partnership that Wazza and Chicha have developed thrives on this very tenet. Rooney need not operate as a striker upfront. His role in the hole behind Hernandez becomes a lethal weapon that most opponents would find difficult to shield. A Messi or a Rooney or an RVP can be marked alone throughout the game, but a killer pair would become difficult to stop for even the best of the teams in the trade.
Wazza's creating and Chicha's ghosting are more than enough!

Nani's Brilliance! - One might think, what if Chicha is blocked just as other lethal strikers are in the modern game? That may be a valid question. But there is more to United than the lethal pair upfront. A creative Nani is another weapon in Sir Alex's armory and when unleashed to full potential can change the course of a game single handed. But that is not to say that Nani should alone shoulder the burden in a more telling game. If and when the Magical partnership doesn't click, a change in tactic to employ Wazza as front man and Nani as a creator would keep any opponent gasping! (Whom all will the ooponents mark - Chicha, Rooney or Nani??)

Valencia's super crosses and Jones' marauding runs cannot be undermined too. On the whole, there are plenty of channels and tactical measures under United's belt.

In Sir Alex's favourite formation of 4-4-2 United do not need to add any new creator. Relying on Rooney to sit in the hole, Hernandez to terrorize defenses, Nani to revel in creativity and the collective brilliance of the likes of Valenica, Jones, De Gea and in fact the Whole Team can help United reach the pinnacle and put behind it the Ghost of Champions League elimination!

Tags: Manchester United, Barclays Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd, Bayern Munich, Bavarians, Red Devils, Blues, Reds, Gunners, Rossoneri, Milan, Barca, Madridistas, Galacticos, Spurs, Champions League Rooney, Javier Hernandez, Nani, Antonio Valencia, Phill Jones, David De Gea, Sir Alex Ferguson, SAF

Top billings - Dec 20 - 22, 2011

2011-12-21T04:28:00.001-08:00

Top billings - 20 Dec - 22 Dec, 2011

Midweek Action for a change!

The top billing of the week - Tottenham vs Chelsea
Fixture: 8.00pm GMT, Thursday
Other good Fixtures: Fulham vs United and Aston Villa vs Arsenal

The top Billing of the La Liga - No Midweek Action
The Copa del Rey occupies the midweek slots
Fixture: N/A
Other good Fixtures: N/A

The top Billing of the Seria A - Udinese vs Juventus
Fixture: 5.00pm GMT, Wednesday
Other good Fixture: Cagliari vs AC Milan

The top billing of the Bundesliga - No Midweek Action
The DFB-Pokal occupies the midweek slots
Fixture: N/A
Other good Fixtures: N/A

Midweek Action!!!

Tags: Manchester United, Barclays Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd, Bayern Munich, Bavarians, Red Devils, Blues, Reds, Gunners, Rossoneri, Milan, Barca, Madridistas, Galacticos, Spurs

Review for game week 17 Dec - 18 Dec, 2011

2011-12-21T04:27:00.000-08:00

Review for game week 17 Dec - 18 Dec, 2011

City manage to bounce back from the previous week defeat to Chelsea with a narrow 1 - 0 win at their home.
United and Liverpool record wins vs QPR and Villa respectively and Chelsea draw to Wigan.

In Spain, Madrid and Valencia both secure comfortable wins in their vital clashes and Barcelona cruise to a easy victory too at the weekend.

In Italy, Roma triumph over Napoli and the match between Lazio and Udinese ends in a 2-2 stalemate.

In Germany, Shalke stun Bremen 5-0 and Wolfsburg scrape a 1-0 victory over Stuttgart.

More action awaited during the Midweek Fixtures!

Top Billings

2011-12-16T05:49:00.000-08:00

Top billings - Dec 17-19

The top billing of the week - Arsenal v/s Manchester City

Arsenal will be out to show their revived metle whereas City would want to bury the last weeks disappointment. A loss for City and a win for United this weekend will change the contours of the Premier League Table!!
Fixture: 4.10pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixtures: QPR v/s United nd Aston Villa v/s Liverpool

The top Billing of the La Liga - Sevilla v/s Real Madrid
Madrid will face a big challenge to regain the summit in the La Liga.
Fixture: 9pm GMT, Saturday
Other good Fixtures: Valencia v/s Malga

The top Billing of the Seria A - Napoli v/s Roma
Napoli, the Champions League playing team, will be a big challenge for Roma, who would try to reach level with Napoli in Serie A with a win and three points.
Fixture: 7.45pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixture: Lazio v/s Udinese

The top billing of the Bundesliga - Shalke v/s Bremen
Big contenders in Germany Schalke face a stern test v/s Bremen.
Fixture: 5.30pm GMT, Saturday
Other good Fixture: Wolfsburg v/s Stuttgart

This sure would be another interesting weekend ahead!!!

Champions League Draw - Last 16

2011-12-16T05:14:00.000-08:00

The eagerly awaited draw has as usual sprung up quite a few interesting ties but the big interesting factor of this year's draw is the England v/s Italy contest!

AC Milan have been drawn with Arsenal

and Napoli have been drawn with Chelsea

another interesting draw is Basel v/s Bayern, the two most recent teams to have achieved the huge covet and a rare achievement of progressing at the expense of Manchester United in the Champions League!!

ok we should stop guessing the probable quarter finalists in our minds now!!

Top Billings

2011-12-09T02:05:00.001-08:00

The top top Billing of the week - the El Clásico!
Some call it Real v/s Barca others prefer Ronnie v/s Messiah, call it as you wish, the lovers of the game will simply admire the fierce contest, often touted as the crossroad and the stumbling block to the La Liga conquest!
The fixture slot being 9pm GMT on Saturday, most Asian lovers of the game would not mind sacrificing their sleep.
Fixture: 9pm GMT, Saturday
Other good Fixture: Espanyol v/s Atletico Madrid

The top Billing of the Premier League - Chelsea v/s City
Slated to be the last game for the matchday, the nervy encounter between the strugglers and the wannabes is also a late fixture but the only glitch - this one is on Monday.
Fixture: 8pm GMT, Monday
Other good Fixtures: Arsenal v/s Everton - stand out factor - RVP!
and Liverpool v/s QPR - stand out factor - resilient Pool v/s the stern Newbees (QPR gave City a torrid time earlier!)

The top Billing of the Seria A - Roma v/s Juventus
The rejuvenated Juventus v/s the self styled miracle awaiting ones (De Rossi of Roma stated in midweek that only some miracle could bring them the Seria A title now) is also a late show, and again, on Monday.
Fixture: 7.45pm GMT, Monday
Other good Fixture: Inter v/s Fiorentina

The top billing of the Bundesliga - no real big one!
The Bavarians will hope to continue their run at the top in Germany with a win over Stuttgart in what can be called one of the better fixtures of the week.
Other good Fixture: Oh Please!!

The Barca fans would want a repeat of the most recent Clasico (last seasons 3-2 for Barca) whereas the Real faithfuls will wish their team continues its superior form in the La Liga!
Villa Boas on the other side of the continent would want his Chelsea to continue its resurgence and dismantle City to halt their unbeaten run!
Definitely a very interesting weekend ahead!!!