Furth near drop

           

  Sercan Sararer brought Furth back to within a goal, but they were unable to find an equaliser as they remain rooted to the foot of the Bundesliga, 14 points from safety with seven games left.Bayern smashed their opponents 9-2 at the Allianz Arena with Claudio Pizarro scoring four times and Arjen Robben twice.Frankfurt are now fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Schalke and still in the hunt for a place in the Champions League next season.Xherdan Shaqiri, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Franck Ribery were also on target for the rampant hosts, who led 5-0 at the break and refused to let up.Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking saw his side relinquish a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw against former club Nuremberg.They did it all without leading scorer Mario Mandzukic, who was left on the bench ahead of Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final meeting with Juventus.Diego and Ivica Olic had put the Wolves into a commanding position, but Nurnberg mounted a spirited comeback to take a share of the spoils thanks to second-half goals by Timmy Simons and Per Nilsson.Lukasz Piszczek gave Dortmund the lead in the 29th minute, but Alexandru Maxim's first Bundesliga goal brought the Swabians level before a red card to Georg Niedermeier tipped the scales back in Dortmund's favour.Brutal Bayern Munich produced a nine-goal annihilation of Hamburg to move to within one win of wrapping up the Bundesliga title.

Heynckes beaming

        

    Hamburg could only pull two goals back through Jeffrey Bruma and Heiko Westermann although the Dutchman's goal came after the away side were already down by seven goals in the 54th minute.You can see the players are enjoying their football, the movement is very good, and the passing too. We played our way out of our opponents' pressing game very well.It was a remarkable display of ruthless efficiency and Heynckes was happy that that all the theory studied ahead of the game was perfectly put into practice.With Juventus enjoying a similarly successful season in Serie A, with a nine-point lead at the top, Heynckes has warned not to expect them to roll over in the same way Hamburg did.We played textbook football at times," he said. "And that's basically what we have to do on Tuesday [against Juventus in the Champions League].Bayern's Peruvian striker had a match to remember with his four goals and he declared after the game that Bayern were confident of winning the DFB-Pokal and the Champions League trophy in the coming weeks.It was important to carry on just as we've been doing in recent weeks, by going out and winning our matches.

Dortmund claim dramatic win

         

Just over 10 minutes after being given a one-man advantage, Robert Lewandowski struck to earn Dortmund all three points and keep the title race alive, at least for a further seven days.Piszczek came on for the Germany international, and he had been on the field just five minutes when he headed Dortmund in front from Reus' cross.Dortmund knew that only a win would deny Bayern the chance of clinching the title with victory over Hamburg on Saturday evening, and they looked hungry for it.Stuttgart levelled in the 63rd minute with Maxim getting his name on the scoresheet for the first time in the Bundesliga, showing a composed finish when the ball fell to him somewhat fortunately.So too did Stuttgart, who are still not safe near the bottom of the table, and this ensured a dramatic game similar to the one which ended 4-4 between the two sides a year ago to the day.The chances of Stuttgart mounting a challenge for all three points were reduced in the 70th minute when Niedermeier picked up his second yellow card of the game to head for an early bath.Sven Ulreich denied Marco Reus in a one-on-one situation in the 11th minute before Marcel Schmelzer had to leave the field with a suspected broken nose after being caught in the face by the foot of Martin Harnik.

Reus not star struck

           

  The 23-year-old has not looked out of place on the pitch - even against Europe's elite.It's important to have somebody on the pitch who has the same ideas as you. And Mario has that. It's great fun to play alongside him.When I walked out onto the pitch for my first Champions League match and heard the anthem playing, it was a dream come true," he told the competition's website.Reus added: "It helped that I already knew some of the players from training and playing with the national team and I lived in Dortmund for many years.As a child I would sit in front of the TV on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings watching Champions League games and now I'm part of it.I played for the Dortmund youth team, so it was never a question for me whether I would fit in or not. I was just looking forward to the next adventure. I hope I continue to develop.Reus has looked so at home in Dortmund colours he recently earned praise from Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer for his link-up play with team-mate Mario Gotze.Dortmund travel to Spain for Wednesday's first leg against Malaga with the return leg in Germany set for April 9th.I don't have to say much about Mario. He is still a young player but he is so strong already. He is a very intelligent player and he seems to know where I will run in many situations, he said.

Liverpool ace sets

           The England international starred in the Reds’ 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon, scoring the winning goal and clearing a header off the line.The 33-year-old Anfield legend appeared to stop short of suggesting Brendan Rodgers’ side could catch fourth placed Chelsea and would be happy with Europa League qualification next season.We felt hard done-by to be trailing at half-time. We thought we should have been at least level. We needed to give an extra 10 per cent. We had to take a few more risks in their final third and it came off today.Gerrard picked up the man of the match award for his troubles, a performance which helped Liverpool move to within three points of sixth placed Everton and five points of fifth placed Arsenal.

Argentine ace

             The troubled striker has only played once for the Serie A outfit this season due to an ongoing dispute over his future at the club.The 26-year-old is starting to become a nuisance in the Italian outfit’s dressing room, becoming somewhat of a divisive figure, so Lazio have begun to seriously consider releasing him from his contract, which would make him eligible to join Spurs on a free transfer.Zarate is hopeful of getting his contract cancelled by mutual consent so that he can leave Lazio in the summer.This would come as a huge boost to Andre Villas-Boas who is a big fan of Zarate and is looking to consolidate his striking options as Tottenham’s lack of depth up front is a worry for the former Chelsea boss.If the former Birmingham City player fails to get his request granted, Lazio will allegedly ask for at least £5million for the Argentine ace.

Arsenal chasing

          There are bound to be plenty more twists and turns over the run-in, and Wenger wants his side to focus on delivering its own top performances to secure the necessary final outcome at full time on 19 May.Wenger feels having so many key games in quick succession could work either way - but will not get overly concerned with how anyone else is set to perform.We have the experience, we have done it before and is what we want to do again," said Wenger, whose side managed to overhaul Spurs last season and secure automatic qualification for the Champions League group stages.Cote d'Ivoire forward Gervinho certainly did that against the Royals, firing the home side into an early lead in what was one of his best recent displays.I am sure we will, but it demands a lot of dedication and nerves until the end.Wenger feels all of his current squad have what it takes to help the club move forwards, although he will look to strengthen the group in the northern summer.Chelsea tackles Premier League leader Manchester United in its FA Cup quarter-final replay on Monday lunchtime (local time) as part of a hectic fixture schedule in which it also will hope to progress in the UEFA Europa League.

Primera División table

#     Team                    MP     D        P
4     Real Sociedad      29     +14      48
5     Málaga                 29     +13      47
6     Valencia                29     +1        46
7     Real Betis             28     -3         43
8     Getafe                  28     -6         42

Simeone satisfied

           

Simeone's side trailed after five minutes in front of their Estadio Vicente Calderon faithful, but Radamel Falcao quickly levelled proceedings just 90 seconds later with a deft volley.We didn't perform well then but we were lucky and the most of the little chances we created making the first goal. After the break, we settled and we managed to turn the game in our favour," he said.The Spaniard declared he was 'proud' of his squad's effort to challenge the duopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid, with his side sitting in third place - only a point behind their city rivals.Picking up points is always important. We keep our gap with Valencia (sixth, 15 points behind). Sometimes if you can't win then a draw is OK.Valencia were better in the first half. I always warned about their skills," Simeone said.We were better in the first half. We controlled the game. So going into the break at 1-1 made us think they were going to put more pressure on us in the second," Valverde said.They have a good enough squad to be where they have always been. They are so competitive, skilful, balanced and they showed so in the first half. We had to limit ourselves in the centre because of their pressure. The first half was ours but you have to score. Simeone said the tide turned his side's way after the half-time interval, though, which he claimed was evident by rival coach Ernesto Valverde's tactical changes.

Reds surge

           

   As I watched United take on Sunderland, one significant point I noticed was how confident the team were. Not hesitating to go for the ball and working even harder off the ball, they were desperate to show the world why United deserve their 13th Premier League title. Michael Carrick was the best player on the pitch, while the rest of the squad were all out to prove a point. Perhaps revenge against Sunderland for the way their fans sang City songs in that unforgettable game? Whatever it was, it seems like it’s working for us. The first half own goal from Titus Bramble was later announced the winner. Robin van Persie, who took the deflected shot, has lately been a bit goal-shy as it has been 8 games without a goal for the Dutchman.Sunderland did however burst into life during the second half, making it harder for the Reds to dominate as they did in the first half. United could have done way better and even extended the lead as well, but hey the job was done. No regrets.Sir Alex fielded a rather unusual starting 11, leaving important and big-name players both on the bench and off the squad sheet. Fans around the world wondered why the boss has rested so many regulars in a game that was rather personal even for the manager himself. However, pundits believe it was an act of preparation for the games against Chelsea and Man City. Whatever the reason was, the boys on the pitch delivered as expected.

Mats Hummels father opens

         

  The cultured centre back, who is renowned for his ball-playing ability as much as he is his defensive capabilities, is often earmarked as a danger man thanks to his qualities at setting up attacks from deep appeared destined to move to Barcelona after Catalan publication Mundo Deportivo reported the deal as almost done.Sir Alex Ferguson’s rather public pursuit of a central defender has led his scouting team all over Europe and South America with Ezequiel Garay, Eliaquam Mangala, Frickson Erazo and Dede all being persistently linked with a move to the club in recent weeks.However, Hummels’ agent, who is also his father, has appeared to quash speculation over an impending move to the Spanish club.Despite United appearing to be coming on strong in the defensive area following 600 odd minutes without conceding a goal in the league and Evans, Vidic and Ferdinand all enjoying good seasons, Ferdinand is yet to agree a new deal and despite speculation mounting that he will soon sign on the dotted line, he will eventually need replacing.Speaking to Bild, he said; “I have had no contact with FC Barcelona. I’ve just heard the rumour.As he signed a new contract in the summer tying him to Dortmund until 2017, the 24-year-old would likely command a sizeable wedge and would certainly be more expensive than the other options that United appear to be exploring with a deal with Benfica over Garay appearing to be close.Every top footballer has ambitions to play sometime at some European clubs, which you can imagine. These include Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Manchester United.

Palermo get much

          

    Palermo are now three points shy of 17th-placed Genoa with eight games remaining while Roma drop to seventh.It was nearly 2-0 one minute later as Jasmin Kurtic seized on Michael Morganella's pass to slam the ball against a post.Palermo were well aware there were no easy games remaining in their late bid for survival and in-form Roma represented one of the more daunting fixtures from their last nine.A brief spell of visiting pressure followed as Marquinho skimmed a post before Francesco Totti saw his double salvo repelled by a resolute Stefano Sorrentino.The Sicilians, though, were the better side throughout and despite an early near miss from Alessandro Florenzi, Palermo would largely run Roma ragged.Palermo had weathered the storm and they pulled further ahead 10 minutes before the break, Ilicic's skilful run setting Miccoli away to smash the ball home despite the attentions of Nicolas Burdisso.Miccoli fired the first warning shot by clattering Maarten Stekelenburg's crossbar in the seventh minute and, 15 minutes later, the Rosanero took the lead.The Giallorossi were somewhat brighter after the interval but Palermo stayed strong, first closing Pablo Osvaldo into a weak effort before watching Miralem Pjanic's shot on the turn sail into the stands.The end of a fine solo run saw Ilicic step inside to beat the last man and coolly pass the ball underneath a diving Stekelenburg and into the bottom corner.

Lazio edge UCL

          

  Vladimir Petkovic's side were boosted by the return of 10-goal Germany striker Miroslav Klose, who returned to the bench after missing the last six weeks with a leg injury.Andujar's heroics were rewarded five minutes after the restart when Catania took the lead.Catania were without suspended defenders Nicolas Spolli and Alessandro Potenza, while Ciro Capuano, Fabio Sciacca and Blazej Augustyn missed the game through injury.After a scramble in the Lazio box the ball fell to Stefan Radu, whose shot was blocked, but the rebound fell to Isco whose effort beat Federico Marchetti.Candreva started the game brightly for the home side and an impressive effort from outside the box forced a good save from Mariano Andujar.The pressure finally told 11 minutes from time when Radu's cross was turned into his own net by Legrottaglie.The home side should have gone ahead after 17 minutes when Ogenyi Onazi's precise pass found Louis Saha who, despite having an open goal, somehow missed.And the home side were ahead two minutes later when Giuseppe Bellusci brought down Honorato Ederson inside the area, with Candreva slotting home the spot-kick.Lazio were well in control and Andujar was again called into action just before the half-hour mark, turning Lorik Cana's effort onto the bar.

Dzemaili hits hat-trick

       

  Marek Hamsik had missed his first-half spot-kick and it looked like Napoli would live to regret it as Riccardo Meggiorini gave Torino the lead midway through the second half.Napoli were given the chance to regain the lead again in the 39th minute when Christian Maggio was brought down inside the penalty area, but Hamsik's spot kick was pushed away by Gillet.But the introduction of Cavani from the bench inspired Dzemaili to a third goal before the Uruguay striker notched twice in the last six minutes to keep his side nine points behind leaders Juventus.Napoli did get back in front early in the second half with a similar goal to their first with Hamsik pulling the ball back for Dzemaili, who chose accuracy over power this time to thread a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner.Former Torino midfielder Dzemaili silenced the Olimpico in the 10th minute when he arrowed a 25-yard effort into the top left-hand corner of Jean-Francois Gillet's goal.Cavani was sent on by Mazzarri, who clearly wanted a third goal to see off Torino, but the move backfired initially as the Uruguayan handled the ball inside his own penalty area to give away a penalty in the 75th minuteTorino had looked the brighter up to that point, and they continued to threaten, getting a deserved equaliser after 30 minutes.Two minutes later, Dzemaili completed his hat-trick to bring Napoli level with another shot from outside the penalty area with the outside of his right boot.Napoli failed to clear their lines from a corner and Kamil Glik managed to thread the ball through to Barreto, whose shot went in despite Paolo Cannavaro's attempts to make a clearance off the goal line.

Montolivo strike wins

         

Chievo's woes were compounded by a red card for Dario Dainelli as they ended the day nine points above the drop zone.Thereau then tested Abbiati with a shot which lacked the pace to cause the Milan goalkeeper any problems.The rain, which never stopped falling throughout the 90 minutes, had already started to form puddles when the teams took to the field at the Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi.Mario Balotelli's free-kick was only parried by Christian Puggioni and Montolivo pounced on the loose ball to put the visitors in front.The stage was set for a scrap and Milan rose to the challenge to keep their slender title hopes alive.Another free-kick from Balotelli was spilled by Puggioni, who this time recovered the ball at the second time of asking.The first chance fell to Chievo in the 15th minute when Cyril Thereau's cross was diverted towards his own goal by Philippe Mexes, but Christian Abbiati was able to keep the ball out with Daniele Bonera clearing his lines.

Napoli win

        

  Despite Rodrigo Palacio's second-half equaliser, Inter could not break down a resilient Bianconeri defence and Alessandro Matri found a winner 30 minutes from time.Blerim Dzemaili saw the first of his two hat-trick goals at the Stadio Olimpico cancelled out by Paulo Barreto and then Jonathas from the penalty spot.Montolivo decided the game in the 25th minute as the Rossoneri responded to Juve's win over Inter before Napoli kicked off.Esteban Cambiasso was then dismissed for a foul on Sebastian Giovinco with Inter slumping to seventh.Marek Hamsik had missed his first-half spot-kick and it looked like Napoli would live to regret it as Riccardo Meggiorini gave Torino the lead midway through the second half.However, Lazio scored twice in two second-half minutes to snatch what could be a vital win as they moved onto 50 points.

Quagliarella

         

  The win - sealed by Alessandro Matri's effort 30 minutes from time - put Antonio Conte's men in a strong position to retain their Serie A title with a nine point lead with only eight games remaining.Nobody moans when they're not involved. The most important thing is to ensure you're ready when your time comes to play.Yet, there are question marks as to whether one of the stars of Saturday's Derby d'Italia will even start in Bavaria.Despite being a veteran of European Championships and World Cups with Italy, this season marked the first time Quagliarella has tasted Champions League football.Conte has favoured a rotation policy for his strikers meaning that the 30-year-old former Napoli and Sampdoria striker has found first-team opportunities limited.Quagliarella actually scored on his Champions League debut as Juventus came from behind to draw 2-2 at holders Chelsea in the group stage opener.Quagliarella, though, claims the whole team is "relaxed" about the situation.Juventus are in the Champions League quarter-finals for the eighth time in their history.The coach has been rotating the strikers for two years now, so we're all perfectly relaxed about it, Quagliarella said in his post-match interview.

Rio Helped Me To Forget Arsenal

                He told me it drove him bonkers at times. Then he said: ‘Once you’ve got that first big trophy in your hands, Robin, you get the taste of ­winning. A trophy in his first season at Old Trafford looks certain as Manchester United are miles away from the second placed City in the league table. United are still in FA cup too.That is the moment you want to keep going and keep winning titles. You want lots more in your career’.Anything less will not be good enough. Rio had to wait for a long time in his career and look what he’s won since.Rio also told me that once I win that first league title, I won’t settle for less,

Gunner reveals

       

   The north London side have struggled to keep hold of their big names in recent years, with Robin van Persie, Alex Song, Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri all leaving the club over the last two seasons.First you need to keep your best players, that’s so important. But Manchester United every year buy one or two players. They keep their best players, I think that’s the main thing,” Giroud told the Express.Giroud believes United continue to challenge year on year due to their positive activity in the transfer market and has revealed how important he believes it is to keep hold of your key players.Giroud has had a positive start to life at the Emirates, scoring 16 goals and setting up a further 10 in his first season in the Premier League.Arsene Wenger has tried to combat the losses by bringing in the likes of Giroud, Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski, but the Gunners have continued to fall further behind title challengers Manchester United and Manchester City.

Cambiasso tackle

        

      Fortunately, the former Parma player did not suffer any serious damage although Cambiasso's reputation has taken a severe hit outside of the club in the media.My past speaks for itself. They also understood the situation immediately. Then in addition to what happened on the pitch, I immediately went to the Juve dressing room to check up on his condition, which I knew wasn't the best after my foul," he said.It's the first time he's been sent off in his career, I heard that somebody on TV said he deserves a five-match ban. Let's not blow it out of proportion, come on.Inside the club, there is a sensible calm surrounding Cambiasso's first sending off.Luckily he wasn't in bad shape. I think you can study my history and see that I've never had the intention to hurt anyone. I hope he recovers quickly and is back on the pitch soon - better still if it's in Europe right away.It was just a nasty foul, he made a late challenge," Zanetti was quoted on the club's website as saying.Anyone who has played the game knows that if your intention is to hurt someone you go in higher up, and I believe everyone understood there was no ill intent there. I came in recklessly. I'm not going to tell you I didn't. But I think they understood it wasn't my intention.Cambiasso, to his credit,  apologised on the pitch for his actions and then later in the Juve dressing room again.

Liverpool talisman

       

  Brendan Rodgers wants a new deal to be offered to the Liverpool legend as soon as possible, which is likely to keep the midfielder at Anfield for the rest of his career.At 33-years-old the England skipper is still going strong, playing in every single minute of Liverpool’s Premier League campaign so far this season.Gerrard proved how valuable he is to the Liverpool cause on Sunday with a man of the match performance against Aston Villa, which saw him score one and clear another off the line to help his side to a 2-1 victory.Rodgers has revealed Gerrard has a year left on his current deal and is rumoured to be aiming to extend his contract by another two or three years which could keep the midfielder at Anfield until 2017.

Roar out to prove a point

        

Mulvey said his side will be back to its best in the finals, starting with the elimination clash with Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium on Sunday.We have momentum and I think that counts for a lot because it brings strong self belief and the ability to keep doing what you do well," Mulvey said.We are disappointed in terms of our overall season. We'd prefer to be up the table," Mulvey said.What is difficult in any finals system is to come from fifth or sixth and win the grand final," he said.But we are coming good at the right end of the season.The victory capped a remarkable rise since Mulvey took over from Rado Vidosic as interim coach in December, with Roar only one point clear of last place.We want to make amends for what has been a largely disappointing season.Mulvey watched over the weekend to see whether Roar went to Adelaide or took on Victory in Melbourne on Friday night in their elimination final.We turned the corner some time ago and the players deserve credit for that.It didn't bother me who we play," he said. "I think you could see for both teams there are moments within their games that are not going so right.The good news is that there is still room for improvement.

Villas-Boas prioritises

       

    The former Chelsea boss has become a hit at White Hart Lane this season and is in a good position to deliver Champions League qualification for the north London side.Spurs are set to face Basel in the first leg of their Quarter Final tie on Thursday and while Villas-Boas has confirmed their upcoming ties against Chelsea, Everton and Manchester City are more important.However, he also has a rather welcome distraction in that Spurs are in the Quarter Finals of the Europa League following two excellent victories over Lyon and Inter Milan.The fact that we are going to be third this week doesn’t put more or less doubt on ourselves or make us over-confident. We have to continue to do our job.Tottenham’s 2-1 victory over Swansea City at the weekend saw them leapfrog Chelsea into third place and edge even closer to a possible top four finish with just seven games remaining.

Abou Diaby injury

       

    Diaby’s Arsenal career has been blighted by injury but Wenger admitted his shock after hearing the news of the midfielder’s latest “demoralising” setback.Diaby’s progress at Arsenal has been severely hampered by injuries in recent seasons. He has been limited to just 14 appearances in all competitions this term after missing large portions of the campaign due to a hip problem and only played five games.“I hope he will find the resources and the strength to come back because he was quite down.That was the shock of the week for us, because I thought originally it was just a little twist of the knee,” said Wenger.The France midfielder tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in Arsenal training on Wednesday and the club confirmed the 26-year-old will require surgery and face a lengthy lay-off.When they told me it was a rupture of his cruciate, and when you know what this guy has gone through, how many times he has worked day and night to come back in rehab, it is just demoralising.

Jordi Alba back for Barcelona

        

   Goalkeeper Victor Valdes, who was suspended against Celta Vigo, is available.Barcelona, 13 points clear at the top of La Liga, are looking to win the Champions League for the fourth time in eight seasons. Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova is also due to travel to Paris as he steadily works his way back into the job after two months in New York receiving cancer treatment.Lionel Messi heads for France having become the first player in Spanish football history to score against every other team in La Liga consecutively. Vilanova returned to Barcelona last week after a 10-week medical stay, but missed the Celta game.

FIFA warn South Africa

             Several of South Africa’s warm-ups before they hosted the 2010 World Cup were found to have been fixed, which led to the brief suspension of senior South African Football Association (SAFA) officials, including its president Kirsten Nematandani.Nematandani and four other top officials were briefly suspended following the handing over in December by FIFA to SAFA of a 500-page investigation into the activities of Wilson Raj Perumal and his Football 4U organisation.South Africa’s Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) recommended a judicial commission of inquiry but FIFA warned them of possible consequences should the government be seen to be intervening in football matters.FIFA found the results of pre-World Cup warm-up matches against Thailand, Bulgaria, Colombia and Guatemala in the weeks leading up the 2010 finals were fixed.South Africa’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula told local media he would travel to FIFA headquarters in Zurich next week to discuss the issue with world football’s governing body.SASCOC have made a recommendation to us that we must go ahead with a judicial commission of inquiry into the matter," Mbalula said.Allegations of match-fixing were first revealed in the South African press in July 2011 year but SAFA did not immediately act, only raising the issue once FIFA had incorporated the country into a wider investigation into Perumal’s activities.Match-fixing is about fraud, corruption and mismanagement. There is a rule of law in South Africa. Where there are suspicions, they must be investigated. SAFA must understand that you can’t be a referee and player at the same time," he said.JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – FIFA have written to the South African government warning them against a judicial inquiry into the recent football match-fixing scandals, saying the matter should rather be handled by the country’s football association.SAFA vice president Danny Jordaan told Reuters his organisation had already asked police to investigate the matter.

Alba back for Barca’s

        

   They were left out of the leaders’ squad for their 2-2 draw away to Celta Vigo in La Liga on Saturday.The duo returned injured from international duty with Spain – Alba after the World Cup qualifying draw with Finland a week ago, and Xavi after helping the world champions to get a 1-0 win away to France.Coach Tito Vilanova took charge of Sunday’s training session as he steadily works his way back into the job after two months in New York receiving cancer treatment.Barcelona’s Xavi and Jordi Alba have both recovered from hamstring strains and were included in their squad on Sunday for the trip to play Paris St Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals.Vilanova returned to Barcelona last week and missed the Celta game but, all being well, is expected to travel to Paris with the team for Tuesday’s first leg.

Liverpool hit back to increase

        

  Henderson equalised on 47 minutes and Gerrard fired home a penalty on the hour to leave Villa stuck in the bottom three.Belgium striker Christian Benteke, with his 14th league goal of the season, fired Villa into a first-half lead but the game changed in the first 15 minutes of the second half.Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard struck second-half goals for Liverpool who increased Aston Villa’s Premier League relegation fears by recovering from going behind to secure a 2-1 away victory on Sunday.Reading prop up the standings on 23 points from 31 games, with Queens Park Rangers, who play away at Fulham on Monday, on 23 from 30. Villa have 30 from 31, with Wigan sitting just above the drop zone.

Gignac goal lifts

           

  Gignac headed home a Mathieu Valbuena corner kick in the 15th minute, which was enough to secure the win and lift Marseille to 54 points from 30 games. They hold a one-point lead over Olympique Lyon who host strugglers Sochaux in the day’s late kickoff."There are still eight games left and we will have to fight hard to stay on the podium.Marseille’s eighth away win of the season took them a step closer to Champions League qualification as they are four points above fourth-ranked St Etienne and six ahead of Nice.Lille can climb up to fifth if they win at Stade Brest later on Sunday.The visiting team took advantage of their first chance after a tense opening 15 minutes during which the referee had to break up an on-pitch clash between Nkoulou and striker Dario Cvitanich.We have been criticised but we have shown the same quality since the season started," OM coach Elie Baup told French channel beIN Sport.Gignac wasted two further scoring chances and although the home team piled on the pressure throughout the second half, they slumped to their third defeat in four games.It was not all good news for Marseille, however, as key centre back Nicolas Nkoulou had to leave the pitch in the second half with a thigh problem.

Simeone as a player

           

   Simeone was a tough player who gave a lot of character to Sevilla when I faced him as a player.  It’s the impression I have of him and watching Atletico now is like a translation of Simeone as a player.Valverde then praised the season of striker, Diego Costa, who has overshadowed Radamel Falcao to some degree.Falcao is a great player and Diego Costa is having a great moment.  We know them well, but for as well as you know them, it makes them even more difficult to stop, because the qualities each player brings to the match.  Atletico is not just Falcao, he’s the icing on the cake, but Atletico is much more because they have a spirit that is the reason they are where they are.They’ll squeeze you from the first minute, which puts you in constant danger.They have enviable spirit, the whole team is involved, Simeone has given them a lot of character.

Makoun transfer

            

      Makoun, 29, joined Aston Villa in 2011 but failed to make an impact and already spent last season on loan at Greek side Olympiakos Piraeus. He has signed for the next two seasons with Rennes.Rennes are 10th in the French league standings and will face St Etienne in the League Cup final next month.

Comeback kids delight

           An elated Rodgers told Sky Sports after the match: "Our character was outstanding today. I thought we played reasonably well in the first half but we made a mistake and were punished by a good finish from Benteke.He added: "The pass (from Coutinho) and the actual run from Henderson, his determination and desire to go and run forward was outstanding. A wonderful pass and fantastic finish. I'm really pleased for him and young Philippe has great, great quality.I thought we created chances in the first half and second half we upped the tempo and going forward we were excellent. Defensively we were nice and solid so it was a terrific win for us. Paul's (Lambert) teams always go right to the end and it was tough for us.The Reds were staring down the barrel of back-to-back defeats for the first time under Rodgers when Christian Benteke fired relegation-threatened Villa into a 1-0 lead at half-time.Rodgers reserved special praise for midfield duo Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson after the pair linked up clinically for Liverpool's equaliser.Our quality was there as was our drive and determination. I thought that tactically we adapted very well and overall I'm very, very pleased. After losing the previous game (against Southampton) you want to bounce back and we did that.

Penalty award

           

    Gary Hooper almost scored inside three minutes with an audacious chip from just inside the penalty area which had St Mirren keeper Craig Samson well beaten.Celtic had lost Commons when he was carried off with an ankle injury after an accidental tangle with Kayal, before Wanyama (55) was harshly given a straight red card for catching McGowan on the shin as they challenged for a bobbling ball.Samson was helpless again three minutes later as the Buddies failed to clear the danger from a Celtic corner and Efe Ambrose lofted the ball into the box for Commons to plant a downward header into the corner of the net.The visitors appeared to be seeing the game out when Madden pointed to the spot after Esmael Goncalves hit the turf in a tussle with Emilio Izaguirre, and McGowan drilled the penalty home.St Mirren responded strongly as Fraser Forster deflected Paul Dummett's net-bound shot past the post with his thigh, and Marc McAusland's header was cleared off the line by Beram Kayal at the back post.Kris Commons scored after just six minutes at St Mirren Park in a match that saw Victor Wanyama dismissed early in the second half before referee Bobby Madden was at the centre of further drama with the spot-kick award.Dummett bundled Forster into the net before the ball followed as St Mirren continued to press, and the hosts also had a penalty claim waved away when the ball hit Georgios Samaras on the shoulder.

Gerrard keeps Villa

       

The result keeps Villa in the bottom three on goal-difference, while seventh-placed Liverpool slashed the gap to Merseyside rivals Everton to three points.But Liverpool hit back two minutes after half-time through Jordan Henderson's well-taken chip and Steven Gerrard then stepped up on the hour to convert a penalty after Luis Suarez had been felled inside the box.Villa posed plenty of problems for Liverpool in the first half and Gabriel Agbonlahor should have put the hosts ahead after 17 minutes but fired his close-range shot straight at Pepe Reina.Ashley Westwood's long ball was turned back by Agbonlahor to Benteke who drilled a fierce shot past Reina who got a hand on the ball but could not keep it out of the net. It was the 18th goal of the season from the Belgian international.Benteke had scored twice in the 3-1 win at Anfield earlier in the season and after 31 minutes he put Villa ahead.Liverpool failed to level before the break but did so soon after when Philippe Coutinho's defence-splitting pass was seized on by Henderson who flicked the ball over Guzan into the corner of the net for his fourth goal of the season.Ashley Westwood's long ball was turned back by Agbonlahor to Benteke who drilled a fierce shot past Reina who got a hand on the ball but could not keep it out of the net. It was the 18th goal of the season from the Belgian international.

Wenger expects

          

  With Chelsea losing at Southampton, the Gunners are now just two points behind the Blues, and four off third-placed Tottenham - on whom they hold a game in hand.Wenger feels having so many key games in quick succession could work either way - but will not get overly concerned with how anyone else is set to perform.There are bound to be plenty more twists and turns over the run-in, and Wenger wants his side to focus on delivering their own top performances to secure the necessary final outcome at full time on May 19.But let's just take care of the way we play, take care of our spirit and give it our all.We have the experience, we have done it before and what we want is to do again," said Wenger, whose side managed to overhaul Spurs last season and secure automatic qualification for the Champions League group stages.Ivory Coast forward Gervinho certainly did that against the Royals, firing the home side into an early lead in what was one of his best recent displays.I am sure we will, but it demands a lot of dedication and nerves until the end.Wenger feels all of his current squad have what it takes to help the club move forwards, although he will look to strengthen the group in the summer.Chelsea tackle Premier League leaders Manchester United in their FA Cup quarter-final replay on Monday as part of a hectic fixture schedule in which they also will hope to progress in the Europa League.

Let's keep Carroll

        

   He has struggled with injury and form at times with the Hammers, but has been firing on all cylinders again of late and netted a crucial double in a 3-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.Andy showed today that he is not just a threat in the air, but is very good on the ground as well. His volleyed goal was fantastic technique.Allardyce had called on his strikers to start delivering prior to that fixture, and he has now revealed that he is hoping to wrap up a deal for Carroll when the transfer window re-opens.In fact, we scored three fantastic goals. I was delighted with our display and it moves us closer to the 39 points that will make us safe.He said: "Would I like him here next season? The answer is yes.Carroll arrived at Upton Park last summer on a deal from Liverpool which dictated that he would spend the entire 2012/13 campaign in the capital.But there are a lot of things that need to be done. We will look at that at the end of the season. There is always a possibility.

Barca and Real

         

  The Argentina international is no stranger to treading new ground and his 73rd-minute goal meant he has scored in 19 successive Primera Division matches.However, like Barca, they had to settle for just a point with Rodri putting Zaragoza ahead early on before Cristiano Ronaldo levelled things up just before the break with his 28th La Liga goal of the campaign.In doing so he has found the net against every other side in the competition - the first player to ever do that in consecutive matches - and he has 29 goals from his last 19.Neither side could go on to force a winner in the second half, with Marcelo hitting the post for Madrid and both goalkeepers making a number of vital interventions.It would not be the winner, though, with Borja Oubina's late header earning Celta a point, with Naxto Insa's opener having been earlier scrubbed out by Cristian Tello's goal.Former Real Madrid forward Julio Baptista scored his first goal in 18 months to restore Malaga's lead early in the second half before Pedro Morales secured all three points with a wonderful goal.Real Madrid missed the chance to make things slightly less comfortable for Barca at the top of the standings as they were held by relegation-fighting Real Zaragoza at La Romareda.Lionel Messi again made history but his goal was not enough to earn Barcelona a win over relegation-threatened Celta Vigo as their showdown ended in a 2-2 draw.Madrid could have trimmed their arch rivals' lead to 11 points if they could beat Zaragoza and claim a seventh successive league victory

City cruise to win

      

   David Silva added another before the interval and further goals from returning captain Vincent Kompany and a James Perch own goal after he deflected Yaya Toure's cross were just reward for City's dominance.Tevez and Barry combined well on the edge of the box to play in Silva on 38 minutes, but he swept home from an offside position before City deservedly went ahead four minutes before half-time.The first half had reached the midway point before anything noteworthy happened when a rare foray forward by Newcastle ended with Papiss Cisse striking the post from a narrow angle following a fine pass by Vurnon Anita.Silva was in the thick of things again as he released Clichy on the left and the full-back's teasing low cross was forced home at the far post by Tevez.City responded immediately and should have taken the lead, only for Gareth Barry to side-foot over from close range after Edin Dzeko's shot had been blocked by Newcastle keeper Rob Elliot.Things got worse for Newcastle on 69 minutes when Toure muscled his way into the box, and his attempted cross deflected off half-time substitute James Perch and flew beyond Elliot.The hosts were in control of the game and Gael Clichy's well-struck effort was beaten out by Elliot, who was spoken to by referee Neil Swarbrick on 36 minutes for timewasting.

Mirallas magic floors

                        

  Everton welcomed goalkeeper Tim Howard and Phil Jagielka back into their starting line-up and they were joined in the team by Nikica Jelavic as Moyes made three changes and opted for a 3-5-2 formation with Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar suspended.Stoke selected centre-back Robert Huth after his three-game ban as he replaced the injured Matt Etherington, with the German helping the Potters go close to opening the scoring with just three minutes gone.The Belgian collected possession deep inside his own half as Howard fisted away a Stoke free-kick, wriggling away from the attentions of Steven N'Zonzi before switching on the after-burners and embarrassing Geoff Cameron as he turned the last defender inside and out before slotting under Begovic.Ryan Shotton's long throw into the box was met by Huth's head with Howard palming it away as he threw himself to his left, with Jon Walters, who lined up in midfield in Tony Pulis' 4-4-2 formation, scrambling his follow-up effort against the underside of the bar.Stoke continued to create decent openings after the interval with Huth's downward header from Whelan's free-kick in the 57th minute whistling the wrong side of Howard's upright, while Shotton could not control his chance at the far post soon after as Marc Wilson's cross flicked off Distin.Leighton Baines had come close to providing Jelavic with the ammunition to test Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic on more than one occasion before Everton took the lead courtesy of a majestic solo effort from Mirallas.

Gervinho earns

                 He is what you want from a striker, dangerous, he scored and gave assists," Wenger told Sky Sports after the game.Reading kept going but our technical quality today was very, very good. We also had a lot of imagination, sometimes a little bit too much but that is what you want from your team.The only regret is that he had a few more chances to score, but you cannot fault his performance today, he was absolutely outstanding.The win keeps up the pressure on north London rivals Tottenham in the race for a top four place, though Wenger insists he is not worrying about other teams' results at present.Speaking of the team's display in general, Wenger added: "It was a good performance. Technically sound, serious, always focused and a very creative performance as well because we created many shots and chances - that is what you want.We are focused just on winning our games," he said. "We have a clear target, we don't need to look around us because at the moment we are still behind. We just want to win our games.We kept our focus and fortunately we scored early in the second half, that killed the game a little bit.

Chelsea win

         

    The result sees Chelsea drop to fourth in the Premier League table and they remain in danger of dropping out of the Champions League places with Arsenal now just two points behind in fifth.The European champions were level just after the half-hour mark when Terry headed home a corner from Marko Marin after Jos Hooiveld had slipped to allow the Blues skipper space.Southampton started the brighter and had two early chances with Rodriguez seeing a sidefooted effort saved comfortably by Petr Cech before Branislav Ivanovic blocked well from Lambert.This was only Terry's second Premier League start under Rafael Benitez but any hopes the goal would kick-start Chelsea's afternoon were soon dashed as they were behind again within minutes.But Ivanovic was caught out by quality movement from Rodriguez for the opener when he played a crisp one-two with Steven Davis before slotting the ball calmly past Cech to give Saints the lead.Saints were awarded a free-kick in a good position and Lambert whipped the ball over Torres in the Chelsea wall, and Cech was unable to scramble to keep it out of the net.Fernando Torres, again preferred to Demba Ba in attack, was struggling to get in the game at the other end but did have a goal correctly ruled out for handball shortly afterwards.

Benitez bemoans

        In the first half we did not play with the intensity required. In the second half we were much better and had more chances but the decisions in the final third were wrong. At least we had chances.Asked if he now considers dissenting voices a normal part of life at the club, Benitez said: I concentrate on the game. That is it.We knew we were in a really good position and we're still in a good position but in the remaining games we must do something more and win.The travelling Chelsea supporters were again left frustrated by the manager's substitutions as Demba Ba was left on the bench despite the team trailing.We have to start thinking about the next game as we cannot change the result now.First-half goals from Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert either side of John Terry's header ensured it was Saints who claimed the points and Benitez admitted the performance was not good enough as they dropped to fourth.That next game is an FA Cup quarter-final replay against Manchester United on Monday and that fixture surely played its part in Chelsea making seven changes for the game at St Mary's.Asked if he had been forced into resting the likes of Eden Hazard, Benitez said: "You say it, we were forced to do it and we did it.

Cup date not ideal

        

  With Fulham playing in the evening, the kick-off even had to be brought forward so the teams will meet at lunchtime.United have not won the competition since 2004 and Van Persie hopes the squad will be inspired to move one step closer to the double, with the Premier League title seemingly in the bag."We just have to deal with it. People have to realise they can't expect a great game of football because it is not possible.It is not ideal, Van Persie told MUTV. "Normally on the second day your muscles are quite bad but now we have to play at this certain time.It has been a while," he said. "It has been nine years since we last won it and we want to win the double.It is a shame but we can't do anything about it because there are Champions League games in midweek and Chelsea are still in the Europa League.We made a big step today but we want to go for both. We have a chance to reach the semi-final against City.If it happens I am glad, but don't expect it because these games are just too close to each other.

Hernandez going

            

  He was not involved in either leg of the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid and with Robin van Persie now installed as Old Trafford's leading marksman, it is difficult to see the situation getting any better for Hernandez.He does something different from the other strikers and any time he comes into a game he changes it.That's been the benefit of having a strong squad - it gives us an advantage over the other teams.Little wonder therefore that the Mexican has been linked with a move away from United, who he joined as a virtual unknown from Chivas for just £7million in 2010.It's not easy for me to leave him out because a 16-goal tally against the number of games he has started is a fantastic record.However, Ferguson has told any potential suitors not to waste their time by even making an inquiry.

Sunderland

           

Sunderland chairman Ellis Short said earlier on Sunday that he was keen to make a quick appointment after taking the tough decision to let O'Neill leave in the wake of the 1-0 defeat by Manchester United.He recently stated he was ready to make the step up to the Premier League, saying on his BBC blog: "I have already proven my ability in League Two and League One, where there are many arrogant and average players and I was able to turn their mentality and help them become better footballers.That defeat left the Black Cats precariously positioned one point outside the bottom three in the Premier League table with seven games left in the season and time running out to turn their form around.My plan for now is only to watch the top level of football - Premier League and Championship - because the next step for me is important.Di Canio was among the early favourites to take over, along with Roberto Di Matteo and Steve McClaren, but the support increased for him on Sunday morning with punters snapping up every price all the way down to odds-on.The right place for me is the place that has the ambition and the staff who want to bring in a winning mentality.He had recently been linked with the vacancy at Reading after leaving Swindon towards the end of February, in the wake of a row over the club selling winger Matt Ritchie to one of their main rivals in League One, Bournemouth, behind his back.

Easter Egg Gossip

          

  The England captain, who has one more season remaining on his £130,000-a-week contract, will be 33 in May but Rodgers believes he can play at the top for several more years,' report the Mirror.Meanwhile, the Daily Star believe Liverpool will consider offers of around £40million for Luis Suarez in the summer to allow Brendan Rodgers the funds to rebuild his squad.And Reds legend Gerrard is the man Rodgers may rely on to lure former team-mate Alonso back to the club and thrill the fans. The Reds have been looking into the transfer since learning that talks between the 31-year-old midfielder and Real Madrid over a new deal had stalled.We doubt there is much truth in the story, especially seeing as it appears to be entirely based on this quote from former Reds heavyweight Jan Molby: "If someone offers over £40million, Liverpool will have a big decision to make.Liverpool are believed to have made contact with Alonso's agent, with talk of an £80,000-a-week deal on the table

Barclays Premier League

               Team     P     GD     PTS
1     Man Utd       30     39     77
2     Man City      30     29     62
3     Tottenham     31     15     57
4     Chelsea        30     27     55
5     Arsenal         30     26     53
6     Everton        30     12     51
7     Liverpool      31     19     48
8     West Brom    31     0     44
9     Swansea        31     1     40
10     Fulham        29     -4     36
11     West Ham    30     -9     36
12     Southampto  31     -9     34
13     Stoke City    31     -9     34
14     Norwich       31     -19     34
15     Newcastle    31     -15     33
16     Sunderland   31     -10     31
17     Wigan          30     -20     30
18     A Villa          31     -26     30
19     QPR            30     -22     23
20     Reading       31     -25     23

Sunderland wrong

        

  Former Republic of Ireland international Kilbane, who played 124 games for the Black Cats between 1999 and 2003, added: "As a whole, they've struggled this season. They've had a few injury problems which have not helped their cause.Paolo Di Canio, 44, is the bookmakers favourite to succeed O'Neill. Other names in the frame include ex-Queens Park Rangers and Manchester City manager Mark Hughes and Roberto Di Matteo, who won the Champions League and FA Cup as Chelsea's interim manager last season. The timing is bizarre," the Premier League's record's goalscorer said. "He is usually upbeat, but he seemed down and not his usual energetic self recently. Whether he knew something was happening behind the scenes, I do not know.Now they've made the change and you've got to respect the owners for doing that, but I don't think it's the right decision to make.It just hasn't been good enough far too often this year. The players have stuck together pretty well, we haven't been humiliated in too many games but it just hasn't been good enough to turn decent, stubborn performances into points and that's probably what the new manager will need to do.I think they should have continued with Martin O'Neill until the end of the season and tried to establish themselves in the Premier League, but this puts everything back up in the air again.

Chelsea's hopes of qualifying

               

   This was not the way Benitez intended to start Chelsea's most crucial spell of the season.The 31-year-old former Bristol Rovers and Rochdale striker marked the 500th league appearance of his career with a terrific curling free-kick which Chelsea keeper Petr Cech could do little about. With an FA Cup tie against Manchester United on Monday, Chelsea made seven changes to the side that overcame West Ham on their last Premier League outing.Saints fans responded with chants of "Lambert for England" after the striker took his Premier League goal tally for the season to 14. Yet Benitez will have expected much more from those on duty, as Southampton, who had 24 points fewer than their opponents before the start, showed more hunger and desire.But Chelsea still could not muster an equaliser, Victor Moses coming closest with a swerving effort which former Sunderland stopper Davies did well to tip over the bar. Chelsea, who also face a crucial Europa League game against Rubin Kazan on Thursday, failed to heed the warning signs even after Rodriguez produced a fine finish following a clever build-up involving Davis and Lambert.Rodriguez opened the scoring with a composed 23rd-minute finish after good work by Lambert and Steven Davis. The lead lasted just 10 minutes as Terry was allowed to head his second league goal of the season following poor defending from a corner.

Today Match

Aston Villa       v      Liverpool            13.30

Fantasy Football League

            

This probably came to its zenith with Euro 96. By this point, England had a football team and a manager that people generally liked, the Premiership had exciting foreign talent but still enough relatable English players of the old skool and attending a match was not the physically hazardous business it had been in the 1980s.While we were told at the time that there was a revival of lad culture, many of us couldn't quite see how the new lad culture was any different from old lad culture, centred as it was and still is around drinking, women and sport. FFL was, at the time, seen as an expression of this; an off-shoot of the Loaded generation but the one thing that strikes us as we re-watch it now is just how un-laddish it really is. It's more nerdy and childish than alpha male and happily so The era of the Baby Bentley/Spit-Roasting 19-year-old multimillionaire sociopath footballer of today's popular imagination had not yet begun, and while football was slickly and successfully whoring itself to sell any product you like, it hadn't yet achieved the all-pervasive corporate cynicism of the ensuing couple of decades.Like a lot of successful TV shows, we reckon that the slightly shambolic, studenty vibe of FFL made it look a hell of a lot easier than it actually was, and that's testament to the excellence of David Baddiel and, especially, Frank Skinner. The WBA fan occupies a unique place for us in managing to be genuinely funny, filthy and somewhat risk-taking while occupying the same comic mainstream as the likes of Michael McIntyre and John Bishop. It took two very talented comedians to create FFL, which may be why, in the intervening years, so few other examples of funny football programmes have emerged.Rather like the biggest band of the mid-1990s, Oasis, FFL had a swagger and a rough-and-ready around the edges charm that hid an intuitive intelligence. The format had initially been based on the idea of fantasy football, getting celebrities to talk about their teams and picks, but later evolved into a chaotic but often successful chat show and sketch show.

Battles Left To Fight

          

  Valencia are two points behind Real Sociedad, and whilst not being nearly as exciting and joyous to behold in La Primera this season, the Mestalla side have the experience to grind out enough points to take fourth spot and a place in next season's Champions League qualifying stage. Nevertheless, there may be a bit of catching up to do with the first of the remaining ten games being a visit to Atlético Madrid.One place and three points above Deportivo are fellow Galicians, Celta Vigo, who imploded in the local derby before the international break, losing 3-1 to Deportivo, and are having to play the next four matches without top scorer, Iago Aspas, after the feisty forward decided to head-butt Carlos Marchena. The worry with Celta is that the stuffing may have been knocked out of them owing to the derby defeat.The latter scenario would potentially leave a spot free for a number of teams sniffing around the European places. Betis have had a troubled recent past due to a financial meltdown but a return to the big time would be an excellent reward for fans who have never stopped supporting the side. Getafe, on 42 points, have a chance to push on if the players can be motivated enough - always an issue at the club - whilst Rayo may want to keep on going, although a European campaign as well as a domestic one might be a disastrous idea for a club with very scant resources.Málaga's future is rather uncertain and dependent on how long the team's Champions League run continues - something that has put a dampener on the southern side's league form which has produced just two points from the last 12 available. There's also the matter of a ban from UEFA competitions from next season, a suspension currently being appealed through the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Success might give Málaga the motivation they need for a late push - possibly combined with a Champions League exit to Borussia Dortmund - but failure could see spirits drop.

History Be Kinder

        

       While that may be an unrealistic target, seven wins from the remaining nine games will see Sir Alex Ferguson's side hit the record. In Premier League terms, they have little else to concern them. They have already opened up a 15-point gap over Manchester City and victory over their rivals at Old Trafford next month would raise the possibility of also breaking the record for the biggest winning margin ever.Even the mere mention of Cantona will have many United supporters longing for teams of the past. It was the Frenchman who inspired that first title for 26 years back in 1993. Then there was the 1999 side with its fabled midfield quartet and the four strikers to which all future squads must be compared. As recently as 2008, United fans could boast a fluid front-three of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez. How can this version possibly compare.And yet, there remains a reluctance to praise this Manchester United vintage. The feeling persists that this is not a classic year and not just because Martin Tyler is unlikely to be yelling like a madman on the final day.Everyone remembers that United were without the suspended duo of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes for their memorable Champions League triumph in 1999. But their replacements featured more often than is sometimes portrayed. Hit-and-miss winger Jesper Blomqvist started the majority of Premier League matches that season, as did functional midfielder Nicky Butt. The presence of fifth-choice Jonathan Greening on the bench that evening puts the current obsession with a paucity of options into some perspective. The quality of the league is being questioned. "I think standard-wise this has been one of the worst ever," said Alan Shearer, the Premier League's all-time top-scorer.

Tennis Ball Idea

             

  Why does the mail claim that the singing of the Bonfire song is new, why do you suddenly say it is wrong and not banter to sing about burning people. This song has been sung for as long as I can remember just with Scousers in the place of Rio. How can you or anyone claim it is racist or just plain wrong now. Surely it has been just as wrong for the past decades when it has been sung about one particular group of people. Surely if England get punished it is only logical to give the exact same punishment to Man Utd who came up with the original version of the song.Interesting discussions on coaching in England going on in the mailbox over the last couple of days. Yes, the FA have done something about this, which is great to see. However, I'm not convinced by what I perceive to be an insistence that England copy/aspire to the way Spain play.I don't think you could ever make technique the main thing for kids, because kids don't want to be the one with the highest pass completion rates. Kids, in the UK anyway, always want to be the one to smash in the most goals, or to be stronger or faster than anyone else. I think that is intrinsically in culture here, so while children's technique can be developed, kids want to tell their mates how hard they can hit it.The other concern is this. English people are physically different to Spanish people. England have a lot of players from Caribbean heritage, mixed into the traditional northern European lineage. We are probably somewhere between France (with their African players), the Netherlands and Germany in terms of the physical makeup of our team. In my opinion, we should be moulding a way of playing that supplements that, and I'm concerned that we're trying to fit our players to a way of playing that may not suit them. I would say that. I would imagine that looking to the Netherlands and Germany for inspiration would be more successful than looking towards Iberia.