The Eredivisie season 12/13 is drawing to its end, with only three games remaining, Ajax’s four point lead seem sufficient to win their third consecutive title. The most exciting Eredivisie title race in years is over, however the season 12/13 did bring some surprises. The most noteworthy one is Vitesse’s stable performances and indomitable form.
Every year, upon the start of the European football calendar after each Summer, names are touted around of suggestions and hot tips for the new campaign’s “breakout stars”. 8 months ago, few people would’ve paid any attention to the name - Marcos Aoás Corrêa - on Italian outfit AS Roma’s “Transfer Ins” list. Signed on
Rewind to the early 2000s, it was all about Arsenal and Manchester United, later Chelsea came into the equation. Fast forward to 2013 and all you see is an Arsenal decline. The team which used to compete for all the top domestic honours have been reduced to mere challengers for a place among the top
Football has changed in many ways over the last three decades and not wholly for the better. The big clubs have got stronger, the small clubs weaker and the players are now paid a ludicrous amount of money. Loyalty seems to have gone out of the window and cheating is rife. Having said that the
EL Cholo Simeone has done great things at the Calderon since he took over in 2011. The ex-Argentine Midfielder succeeded Gregorio Manzano in December 2011 after a poor run of form that saw the capital club flirting with relegation at some point, going winless for long stretches. He steadied the ship and brought joy to
Video games and football have gone hand in hand for decades, with games like FIFA 13, Pro Evolution Soccer and Football Manager hitting the bestseller lists year on year, giving players the chance to play at managing or playing as their favourite teams. A new game that is currently under development aims to turn the
In the Bernabeu on Saturday night, Real Madrid signed off from domestic duty for their Champions League semi-final with Borussia Dortmund by recording a fairly comfortable victory over Real Betis. Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t add to his mammoth 47 goal tally for the season you’d be surprised to hear, but Madrid possessed enough quality, most noticeably
Arsenal fans tend to be hostile sometimes. The frustration of not winning a silver-ware for eight years seems to be its toll on them. And when you criticize their players - you are dead meat. Olivier Giroud, as I have said countless times, has struggled to replicate the form Robin Van Persie once displayed at
Brazil have created some of the most talented and gifted footballers over the years. The likes of Pele, Falcao, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo have all dazzled the world with their samba brilliance, yet their footballing history has possibly been too top heavy. Too many attackers, not enough defenders to be held in such wondrous regard. Even
An enthralling and exciting semi-final slam awaits us. Four European giants, who play some of the most brilliant football ever seen throughout, battle it out for the chance, the opportunity to take the most prestigious club competition on the continent. Who are the favorites? Who are the underdogs? Here’s our world-class (somewhat) preview of what
There was only one thing for Bayern Munich to do after storming to the Bundesliga title by a margin of 20 points with 6 games left, and that was to exercise their financial muscle in order to get even stronger in anticipation for the arrival of Pep Guardiola in the summer. A campaign in which
Football hooliganism is something which plagues the sport all around the world, but in England, it is something which is hoped to be just about extinguished. Long gone are the terraces which were last seen years ago with the Hillsborough disaster being the trigger for the reform in the English footballing culture , and in
After months of speculation, it appears Chelsea are really making some significant headway in completing the signing of German striker Andre Schürrle from Bayer Leverkusen. If the German does join, he will be the fourth striker at Chelsea next season, with Romelu Lukaku set to return after his successful loan spell at West Brom, in
From Sir Geoff Hurst’s infamous strike versus Germany in the 1966 World Cup final to Frank Lampard’s disallowed lob against the same opposition in the second round of the 2010 event, it has been a debate that has spanned generations. The ball and the goal-line, did it cross it or not? In the case of
In sporting circles, one of the accompanying features of Margaret Thatcher’s death has been the retrospective look at how the culture of football shifted under the former Prime Minister from a game tarred with hooliganism and violence to one that could be embraced by all ages and backgrounds. Last weekend, it seemed as if football
Since the Moyes dynasty started in 2002, the Toffees have not defeated Arsenal in the Premier League either at Highbury or the Emirates. Tonight, the Scotsman and his boys will attempt to end that horrible away record tonight when they face 3rd placed Arsenal. Everton are back in the hunt for the race
Despite Malaga’s dramatic late exit from the Champions League last week their season will still be regarded as a huge success. With the doom and despair that the club found themselves surrounded by before the season commenced they have been inspired this season. One of the key members of the side has been the Frenchman
Juventus have set the pace in Serie A yet again. The Old Lady of Turin currently hold a 9 point lead over second placed Napoli and could see this increase if results go their way tonight. The Juventini will be looking to get back to winning ways after suffering elimination from the Champions League in
They were all sent out on loan for different reasons, and with competition for a place in the Arsenal starting line-up looking feisty, I have listed in a short and plain method of how their Arsenal future might look like when they eventually return. 1) Marouane Chamakh After securing the signature of French-born striker
As a result of a drastically slashed budget and wage bill at Villa Park this season, Paul Lambert, in his first year in charge, has had to resort to young, unproven talent in order to form his squad that remains in transition. Ashley Westwood, Joe Bennett and Matthew Lowton arrived from the Football League whilst