Table toppers Roma lost 1-0 after playing with 10-men at Udinese on Wednesday, but still managed to secure a place in their fifth Italian Cup final in six years. That too will be against Inter on May 5.

The day before, Inter crushed Barcelona 3-1 in the first leg of their Champions League Semi-Final, and did so despite the tantrums of their young star Mario Balotelli who reacted to abuse from the crowd by throwing his shirt on the ground as he left the field. Marco Materazzi took this as you would expect and the two clashed in the tunnel. This has led to transfer rumours and one story that the whole thing has been orchestrated by Milan, who openly covet the player.

“Oi Matrix, outside!”

An ongoing criminal trial in Naples seems likely to reopen the Calciopoli scandal of 2006, with lawyers working for former Juve director Luciano Moggi implicating almost everyone ever connected with Italian football.

All of this however, has not distracted serious fans from another high-voltage Serie A weekend that sees Roma hold a one-point lead on reigning champions Inter with just four games to go. This is when games that previously looked “”easy” become tough, and anything can, and usually does, happen.

Roma are unbeaten in 24 games, but need a home win against fourth place Sampdoria late Sunday to make sure they remain above Inter, who host troubled Atalanta. That wait may prove difficult, but Ranieri’s men overcame the same nerves last weekend.

Jose Mourinho has to balance the Scudetto race against the return match with Barcelona to come on Wednesday. Saturday afternoon’s biggest question is will he field Balotelli against an Atalanta in order to rest his other forwards. The Bergamo side will be desperate to escape the drop zone and boost their chances of survival, hoping Inter minds are elsewhere.

The Saturday evening match is between Palermo and Milan, and is usually a highly entertaining fixture. The Sicilian’s lie fifth and want the fourth Champions League berth, while Milan will want to rally after slipping seven points from the top. Losing to Sampdoria last week means points are vital to retain third place and the last automatic Champions League spot.

Sunday sees Napoli host Cagliari in a southern derby, Juventus welcome Bari with their own hopes of playing in the Champions League next season all but gone, given their six-point gap to fourth place. Genoa welcome Lazio, who are just three points above the drop zone after losing to Roma. Fiorentina take on Chievo and Bologna could get in serious trouble if they lose to Parma. Bottom side Livorno host Catania who are already safe and second-last Siena visit Udinese.

Buckle up, it looks like another roller-coaster weekend in the Bel Paese!

A local lad, Jack Rodwell joined the Everton youth system at a young age and made his first Under-18 appearance aged 14. At aged 15 he made his first appearance for Everton’s Reserves, replacing David Weir. Then at 16 years and 284 days, Rodwell broke the then record for the youngest Everton player to play in European competition when he came on as a substitute against AZ Alkmaar.

All these facts are well and good, but who is the boy and the player behind them? Many commentators get lost in the hype, it’s quite easy when you have another 18 year old Evertonian being linked with a move to Manchester United. However, much like Rooney before him, Rodwell is more than capable of proving the hype right.

Now aged 19, Rodwell stands at a commanding 6ft 2in, complete with a strong, built physique. Rodwell also packs speed and stamina. Added to this, his captain at Everton, Phil Neville called Rodwell: “The most naturally two-footed player I’ve ever played with” which is quite a compliment when you’ve played with a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.

Originally considered by many at Everton, including manager David Moyes, to be a future world class centre-back in the mold of Rio Ferdinand, Rodwell’s assured performances in centre midfield have led many to consider his future to be in midfield.  His physical presence, dynamism and work-rate coupled to his sharp, crisp and confident passing and ball work have earned him many plaudits.

He is not an overly creative player like Mikel Arteta or Steven Pienaar, his Everton midfield team-mates, but he is very neat and tidy with the ball at his feet, his first touch is sharp and the young lad from Southport is comfortable and graceful in possession and seems to effortlessly glide around the pitch with that confident manner that only the top players seem to carry themselves with.

Recently, Rodwell has found himself deployed in more attacking roles and he has excelled there also. Following 2 fantastic long-range efforts against Sigma Olomouc, Rodwell has scored against Manchester United and Hull City. His goal against United may be considered the moment that Jack Rodwell really broke onto the scene. After surging past the United midfield, Rodwell burst into the box, turning Jonny Evans and flying past him to fire home into the far corner. The goal highlighted how Rodwell’s sheer athelticism was more than a match for even a world-class defence.

Just how good is Jack Rodwell? Only time will tell, but for now his performances have been enough to earn him the screaming adoration of the Goodison crowd, the talk of him being the new Rooney, the new Gerrard or the new Lampard and whispers of a prospective £20 million bid from Manchester United.

Pinto, Dalmau, Adriano, Muniesa, Espasandin, Rueda, Keita, Jonathan, Jeffren, Rochina, Oriol.

Seydou Keita is arguably the least flashy member of the current Barcelona first team lineup, operating largely in the background as his more prominent team-mates take centre stage, but his name positively leaps out of those listed above.

You might also recognise Copa del Rey keeper José Manuel Pinto and the Latin American duo of Jonathan Dos Santos and Jeffren Suarez, who have both enjoyed goalscoring run-outs for the Blaugrana this season. If you can identify anyone else, you win a gold star.

This is the team that Pep Guardiola fielded at Wembley Stadium for the second half of Barca’s pre-season exercise against Tottenham Hotspur. The inexperienced side could not prevent Harry Redknapp’s full-strength Spurs from bagging a late equaliser but their control of the ball and youthful exuberance illuminated a dull day in North London.

While Pinto, Keita, Jonathan and Jeffren have been on first team duty with Barca this season, it has been a different story for the other young men that graced the Wembley turf last summer. For the likes of Víctor Manuel Espasandín Facal, José Manuel Rueda Sanpedro and Eduard Oriol Gracia, the grim reality over the last few months has been time spent in the stiffs. That may be a slight misrepresentation, given that life as a reserve team player is a relatively glamorous affair if you are lucky enough to play for Barcelona.

FC Barcelona Atlètic play in the Spanish Segunda Division B Group 3. Understandably, league rules dictate that they will never be permitted to reach the dizzy heights of the top flight. They are nevertheless a fascinating subject to consider. The side currently lie second in their league with three games remaining, seven points behind their near neighbours Sant Andreu. Despite the almost unbridgeable gap to first position, they may still achieve promotion as this is decided by a post-season play-off involving the top four teams.

Barca Atlètic’s coach is none other than former Spanish international Luis Enrique and they play their home games at the remarkable Mini Estadi, which holds more than 15,000 people and is conveniently located just yards from the majestic Camp Nou. The proximity of the two stadia offers more than mere convenience to the Atlètic squad. Even their oldest players this season are just 25 years old, but most are far younger and therefore have one eye firmly on the prospect of playing across the road.

The conveyor belt of talent, from the club’s La Masia youth academy through Atlètic to the world famous first team, shows no signs of slowing. Since his appointment in the summer of 2008, Guardiola has not just blooded Sergio Busquets and Pedro Rodriguez but placed them in positions of trust. Names as renowned as Yaya Toure and Thierry Henry now play second fiddle to these Atlètic graduates.

Another prospect, Brazil-born midfielder Thiago Alcantara, has already featured for Barca’s first team despite being the youngest member of the second string, having only turned 19 last week. Of course, Guardiola himself has twice made the step up to the twin peaks of player and coach at the Camp Nou, something which must encourage ex-Barca star Enrique in his current role.

It is one thing to possess a strong youth academy, quite another to produce ready-made solutions to first team problems on a consistent basis. The lighting-quick Pedro made fourteen appearances last season as Barca breezed to a terrific treble. He often looked raw and ineffective in comparison with the devastating trio of Henry, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o. This season, he has excelled.

Defeat in the San Siro was a collective disappointment but signalled a huge personal milestone for Pedro. The Canary Islander netted his 20^th goal of a magnificent season. They haven’t just been any old goals. They have usually been big goals, some spectacular and some important, each one contributing to the case against Barca’s desire to buy a replacement for Henry.

As Barca head into one of the most important games in their history next Wednesday against an Italian side packed with South Americans and coached by their Portuguese former interpreter, they may yet turn to the Ivorian Toure or the Frenchman Henry.

The smart money, however, is on Guardiola persisting with Busquets and Pedro in a side desperate for goals. Just across the street, the next generation will gain even more inspiration in pursuit of a goal of their own.

The 2009/10 Premier League season has been set upon by sports journalists as one of the ‘greatest ever’, with its unpredictable and rollercoaster-like nature seeming a major positive in the eyes of most football supporters. After a weekend where Chelsea would have liked their favourite hunting ground to swallow them up in a 2-1 away defeat to Tottenham, and Arsenal seemed to lose all focus and ability in ten dreadful minutes against Wigan, the disappearance of any English presence in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2002/03 makes more sense by the weekend. Whilst this season may be the ‘greatest’ in terms of entertainment for the armchair fan, could it produce the worst Premier League Champions since the league’s inception?

Of course, at the moment, we don’t know who will lift the title in May. After said capitulation to Wigan, Arsenal seem to have reduced the competition to a two-horse race between Manchester United and Chelsea. However, for the sake of argument, let us analyse all three of the teams that have topped the table for long periods of the season in an attempt to understand just how this season’s showing has been so unpredictable, and at times, the football from our top sides has been so dreadful.

The favourites, by the skin of their teeth, are Chelsea. The positive points of Chelsea’s play and squad are there for all to see. Didier Drogba sits just below the PFA’s Player of the Year-elect in terms of goals, Florent Malouda has come on leaps and bounds and a few more leaps, whilst Frank Lampard has been consistent in honouring Chelsea’s faith in him in the face of offers from around Europe for the aging playmaker. Chelsea have also played on relatively unfazed without key players in Jose Bosingwa and Michael Essien, whilst also dealing with an African-exodus in early January. In the final of the FA Cup, and sitting at the top of the league with three games remaining in Carlo Ancellotti’s debut season, what could possibly be wrong at Stamford Bridge?

The problems at Chelsea lies twofold. Firstly, there are former key players (most of whom are aging) who simply do not perform at the high level they have done in the past for either Chelsea or previous clubs. Michael Ballack lacks any form of pace or the ability to track back in place of the missing Essien. Gone is Deco’s magical distribution seen earlier in his career, and similarly misplaced is the ability of Joe Cole to take on a full back without resorting to a wild shot at the first sign of contact. Ricardo Carvalho, despite performing when he plays, seems unable to play more than one game at a time in a consistent lack of fitness. If Chelsea are to challenge for the title in 2011, changes must surely be afoot for Carlo Ancellotti’s side.

Secondly, the problem lies with Ancellotti himself. As conjectured by @zonal_marking and many regulars at Stamford Bridge, the debutant manager seems entirely befuddled by which system actually works for Chelsea. On one hand, he has a top-scoring striker in Didier Drogba who many would believe simply has to lead the line. However, as any Joe Statistician would tell you, Chelsea play far better with a single striker flanked by Florent Malouda and one of Joe Cole or Solomon Kalou, and that single striker is a seemingly misfiring Nicolas Anelka. Fuelled by this anomaly, Ancellotti’s worst decisions of the season have come from panicking at the first hint of defeat, and falling into the trap of playing Anelka with Drogba in a wide, and essentially useless, position. We have seen this in poor results at White Hart Lane, Ewood Park, in both legs against Manchester City and in frequent other scraped victories at Stamford Bridge. If Chelsea finish as champions, one must feel that sheer brute force in drilling home victories will be the reason, as opposed to any form of tactical nous from Carlo Ancellotti.

Chelsea lifting the trophy would also surely fuel Manchester United to wonder where on earth they went wrong. After losing Cristiano Ronaldo, United have seen Antonio Valencia show signs of growing into his wide role, whilst Wayne Rooney has taken the rare step of scoring more goals than he has made television advertisements. A revolving door at centre-back has still seen United concede only 25 goals, seven less than leaders Chelsea, whilst the Premier League’s oldest goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar has proved he still has at least another season left in him.

Therefore, finding problems with Sir Alex’s set-up becomes a game of ‘avoid the obvious’, in a desperate attempt not to put all of United’s failings down to the fact they cannot seem to score goals without Wayne Rooney on the pitch. To put it kindly, Dimitar Berbatov has not found his feet in two years at Old Trafford, and to put it less kindly, seems to have not found his boots, his head, or any of his team-mates to pass to in the last two years either. The absence of Ronaldo has extinguished the spark of the past three years at Old Trafford, and that spark has been replaced by three defeats by the ‘big four’ from six, a humbling away fixture at Fulham unlike any defeat seen in Ferguson’s tenure, and ‘Own Goals’ sitting proudly at second place in the United scoring charts. A one-two combo similar to the likes of Ibrahimovic/Messi, Milito/Eto’o and even Ribery/Robben simply does not exist at United anymore, and as their great white hope hobbled around the Old Trafford surface at home to Bayern Munich in their crushing quarter-final European defeat, the worrying gulf between Europe’s top sides and Manchester United became ever more apparent.

Another victim of the current gulf between Europe and the Premier League crop are third-placed Arsenal. A humbling defeat at the hands of Barcelona (read: Lionel Messi) did not do justice to the talent that the Gunners currently possess within their ranks. Cesc Fabregas has scored and set up more goals in the Premier League than any other midfielder this season, and in a national sense is unlucky to have grown up in an era with Xavi and Iniesta standing above him in the Spanish pecking order. Nicklas Bendtner has tried to follow the Adebayor route at Arsenal in moving from a figure of fun to a respected goalscorer, whilst Theo Walcott continues to prove himself as a player that can take on all-comers if his head is in the right place. Thomas Vermaelen, along with Richard Johnson and Michael Dawson, will also rightfully take his place as one of the defenders in many pundits’ team of the season.

It is, however, no coincidence that Arsenal’s display against Wigan at the DW Stadium provides the perfect window into what is wrong at the Emirates, and the reason that Arsenal will not be winning the title this season despite showing such potential. Firstly, to win the league in 2010, the unfortunate fact is that a team needs to spend. Arsenal have a system of youth development in place that is second to none in England, and have a fine establishment in North London to pay for, but the mistakes made at Wigan can be pinpointed to individual positions in which Arsenal have not invested, and it has cost them. Manual Alumunia and Lucasz Fabianski have combined to make more mistakes that have been costly to Arsenal that perhaps any single goalkeeper in the league, and the Jens Lehmann-shaped hole in between the sticks is there for all to see.

Depth in other positions is severely lacking also. The combination of Silvestre and Campbell (despite Campbell’s performances being far better than expected) in the absence of their top two centre backs is trumped by Chelsea, United, Tottenham and even Liverpool due to its inadequacy. Andrei Arshavin’s use as a striker in the absence of Robin Van Persie sapped one of Arsenal’s most volatile playmakers of any flair and confidence due to his use in a position he is vastly inexperienced in, and despite the growth of Alex Song, the Vieira/Gilberto/Flamini position has still yet to be filled in the holding midfield role. Arsenal, like Chelsea, will surely be forced to spend more than in any of the last three summers to challenge for the title next season.

The major inadequacies shown by the three challengers above (and the many more minor ones which remain unmentioned) have combined to allow the top-three-topplers such as Fulham, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Wigan a chance to cash-in and increase the ‘rollercoaster’ nature of this year’s Premier League. But whilst winning a championship will still induce the same pride and elation from the supporters of Chelsea or Manchester United, it is completely irrational to believe that the class of 2010 will be remembered as any sort of dream team amongst the club’s supporters, due to the gaping holes described by the evidence above. Gone are the Arsenal invincibles , the United treble-winners and the Special One’s record-breakers, and without major changes in summer for all three sides, we will continue to applaud a picture of mediocrity lift the trophy in May 2011.

Alfredo Di Stefano – Millionarios to Real Madrid – 1953

The first great footballer of the post war era, Alfredo Di Stefano not only helped Real Madrid to a still-record five consecutive European Cups, but his transfer from Colombian side Millianarios also helped to spark one of the fiercest rivalries in football. Confusion over whether it was Millianarios or River Plate who actually owned Di Stefano, combined with his signing of contracts with both Madrid and Barcelona meant that the Spanish FA had to step in and offer a co-ownership deal where he would play two seasons with one side and then two with the other. Barcelona rejected the offer, and to this day what Madrid achieved with the “Blond Arrow” still rankles with Los Cules.

Johan Cruyff – Ajax to Barcelona – 1973

Never has one player done so much to define a club. Giving Barcelona their first league title in 14 years in the season after his arrival at the Nou Camp following his ousting as Ajax captain by a team vote may have been enough for most people, but not Johan Cruyff. Not only did he become the embodiment of the club that is more than a club, even turning out for Catalonia, he also laid out the way of playing football that has stuck with the team for almost 40 years, work that he continued during a spell as manager when he won four league titles and a European Cup and that now expresses itself in one of the greatest teams ever to play the game.

Ricky Villa/Ossie Ardiles – Racing Club/Huracan to Tottenham – 1978

Although there had been South American players in the English  league before the Argentinean pair arrived on the back of their World  Cup success, none had managed to permeate English football’s  identity. Simply, none had been as good or as likeable, and none did  more to pave the way for the mass of foreign talent plying its trade in  today’s Premier League. Ardiles formed a very creative central  midfield partnership with future England manager Glenn Hoddle, and  while Villa had to spend a lot of time on the bench as second fiddle to  Hoddle his second goal in the 1981 FA Cup Final Replay alone ensured  he will be remembered long after many more recent imports.

Diego Maradona – Barcelona to Napoli – 1984

One of the greatest players ever was never better than when he had an entire team built around his immense talent. After suffering through a torrid couple of seasons at Barcelona, where he had his leg broken by Athletic Bilbao defender Andoni Goikoetxea, and by the time Napoli, then a relatively average Serie A team, he was all too ready to move on. Napoli broke the world transfer record with a £5 million bid (Barcelona had also broken the record in buying Maradona from Boca Juniors). Maradona was taken into Neapolitan hearts like no other player before or since, although it no doubt helped that with him the club won their only two Scudetti to date, as well as the 88-89 UEFA cup.

Ruud Gullit/Marco van Basten/Frank Rijkaard – PSV/Ajax/Sporting CP to AC Milan -1987/88

Although the main credit for Milan’s extraordinary successes in the late 80s and early 90s must go to their revolutionary coach Arrigo Sacchi, and after him Fabio Capello, there was no doubt that the signing of this Dutch trio helped. Before their arrival Milan had nothing to show for their previous twenty years but two League titles and a single Cup Winners’ Cup. By the time they had left in 1993, the Rossoneri had won three further league titles and back to back European Cups, the three Dutchmen all scoring in one or other of the finals. However, more important was the manner of these victories, Sacchi’s innovative style of co-ordinated pressing and movement of the players within the framework of the team produced an intoxicating brand of football that few teams can claim to have matched, let alone surpassed.

Jean-Marc Bosman – RFC Liege to Dunkirk – 1990

The early 90’s was very much a time of transition for football. The European Cup was rebranded and the Premier League established. But perhaps the most important development was the transfer of a little known Belgian footballer. Bosman’s contract with Liege had run out, and Dunkirk had agreed a fee to buy him. However, Liege then raised their demands, at which point Dunkirk pulled out of the deal, and as he was at the end of his contract, Bosman was put onto reduced wages and demoted to the reserve team. He appealed his case to the European Court of Justice, and in 1995 finally won the right for all EU nationality players to a free transfer after the expiration of their contracts. This lead to a rapid inflation of players’ wages to previously unimaginable levels, a gravy train that Bosman never got to ride.

Eric Cantona – Leeds to Manchester United – 1992

Love them or loathe them (and most people do one or the other), Manchester United have been the dominant team in English football over the last two decades. And it was “King Eric” who kickstarted it all, and who symbolised their growing influence over the game. The Frenchman famously signed after Alex Ferguson heard United chairman Martin Edwards on the phone to his Leeds counterpart and hastily scribbled “ask him about Cantona”. As well known for controversy, including spitting at a Leeds fan on his return to Elland Road and that kung fu kick, as he was for his majestic and game-changing performances, Cantona might not have been the greatest United player ever, but he was certainly the most interesting.

Lionel Messi – Newell’s Old Boys to Barcelona – 2000

Undoubtedly the best player in the world right now, it is almost  impossible to think what could have happened had Barcelona not  stepped in and offered to pay for Messi’s hormone treatment (he was  diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency aged 11) after River Plate,  who had been interested, decided they could not afford the £500 a  month. Undoubtedly Messi would still be a very good player, but  could he have developed into one of the finest players the world has  ever seen without the years spent in Barcelona’s youth teams? As it  was, Messi and his parents moved to Catalonia and Messi started  training at the club’s La Masia academy. And, as they say, the rest is history.

Luis Figo – Barcelona to Real Madrid – 2000

Of all the transfers between these two great rivals, Figo’s is probably the one that sparks the most anger. Having spent five successful seasons with Barcelona, winning two league titles and endearing himself to fans with his displays of tremendous attacking wing play, his world record transfer of £37 million to become the first of Madrid’s Galacticos ensured that his name will forever be spoken with bitterness in the Catalan capital. And his place in Clasico history was cemented in the goalless draw between the two clubs in November 2002, when a pig’s head was thrown at the Portuguese winger during a game that was suspended by the referee for sixteen minutes due to fears surrounding players’ safety.

Damien Duff – Blackburn Rovers to Chelsea – 2003

With the backing of Roman Abramovich Chelsea have bought better and more expensive players than the Irish winger, but it was Duff’s signing from Blackburn for £17 million that really served notice of the West London club’s intent to challenge a decade of domestic dominance by the reds of Manchester United and Arsenal. Blackburn had renewed Duff’s contract after the 2002 World Cup, and while he had insisted on a minimum fee release clause, Rovers set it at £17 million, at the time an unthinkable amount of money for an English club to spend on a player unproven at the top level of football. But then along came Abramovich, as the first billionaire owner of an English team, and changed the face of English football.

The sight of Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne juggling a football while singing to a song by New Order in a music video was the very definition of early 1990s cool, even if the image was somewhat tarnished by the sight of John Barnes uncomfortably miming a rap in the very same video.

England’s World Cup song for Italia ‘90 remains the benchmark against which all novelty tournament songs should be measured, and it is again about to be brought to the fore with the news that Mars have contracted Barnes to reprise his role for an upcoming television ad.

As if it wasn’t cheesy enough in the first place, Mars have insisted on incorporating their brand into the rap, and Barnes will now sing “Three Lions on our Mars” as opposed to the original “Three Lions on my chest”.

Horrible stuff.

However, Barnes feels the legendary status of the song is more than enough of a justifcation for this reprisal.

“It’s a great song and it was an iconic moment in football and music history if you like, so it is a great idea (to recreate it),” Barnes told Eurosport.

“In 1990 it really helped the players and the fans to inspire the team and hopefully it can do the same this year.”

Barnes also explained that it was between himself, Gascoigne, Steve McMahon and Peter Beardsley for the gig.

Now whatever about Gazza trying to be Eminem before Eminem even existed, one can just imagine the awkward and lispy Beardsley or rigid hardman McMahon giving it a go.

Maybe Barnes’ effort isn’t so bad when you consider those alternatives.

The song was New Order’s only ever UK number one single, and also made it to number seven in the Irish charts surprisingly enough.

It was planned to have David Beckham perform the rap on a version released for the 2002 World Cup but those spoilsports at the FA shot down the idea.

The song returned to popular culture recently when James Corden’s character ‘Smithy’ from the hit tv show Gavin & Stacey broke into an impromtu rendition of the rap in an episode of the second series.

You’ve got to hold and give
But do it at the right time
You can be slow or fast
But you must get to the line
They’ll always hit you and hurt you
Defend and attack
Theres only one way to beat them
Get round the back
Catch me if you can
Cos’ I’m the England man
And what you’re looking at
Is the master plan
We ain’t no hooligans
This ain’t a football song
Three lions on my chest
I know we can’t go wrong

The continent’s most engaging league lived up to its reputation this weekend. Goals that range from the ridiculous to the sublime continue to fly in past some of the world’s best net-tenders – there’ve only been 3 stalemates in the last 65 matches, the latter 9 giving us 32 strikes. Compound that with soap opera-esque drama (late winners, surprise point-takers), and more fluctuation in the standings than a Diversity dance routine. The title race may only involve 2 sides, but with just 3 fixtures each to fulfill, 4 sides have a chance at nabbing Germany’s final Champions League ticket. At the bottom, 5 sides remain relegation-threatened – 4 of whom are separated by just a solitary point! Kaiserslautern, St. Pauli, and Augsburg are primed to replace the lousiest 60% of that quintet. As ever, the round was stretched from Friday-Sunday, and preceded European semi-finals for southerners Bayern Munich, and northerners Hamburg.

16/04/2010

FC Köln 2 – 0 Bochum

Round 31 began with a set of hosts confirming upper-tier status for 2010/11, and their beleaguered North Rhine-Westphalian sibling praying next week’s match with Stuttgart bears some fruit. This encounter could be interpreted as a Shakespearian play; The Tale of Two Right-Midfielders! Bochum’s former Parma starlet, Zlatko Dedič, eroded memories of last week’s explosiveness by frequently conceding possession. Such on-ball action was rare for the guests in territory of worth, but they were too reliant on piano-carrying quarterback  Miloš Marić anyway. His neat, albeit deep bridges were never complemented by penetrative darts or final-third number-floods.

On the other hand, Köln were far more fluid in the danger zones. Playing Podolski off the selfless Milivoje Novakovič, Zvonimir Soldo and Heiko Herrlich engaged in some kind of 4-4-1-1 orgy-cum-duel. The face-off was settled by a blossoming, Manchester United-owned left-footed right-winger named Tošić – Zoran, to his mother. His sheer presence meant that Bochum played two left-backs on that flank. Alas, in a bid to keep the formation tight, the rest of the team dropped and lingered too deep. Feeding off through-balls from Yalcin and Podolski respectively, the on-loan Serb twice arrowed through the ‘D’ to calmly increase Koln’s meagre ‘Goals For’ column from 29 to 31.

17/04/2010

Schalke 04 3 – 1 Mönchengladbach

Ivan Rakitić. A forename and a surname may not constitute a sentence, but his moniker offers a succinct match summary such was the clinicality of his finishing. Nevertheless, I’ll pursue some gap-filling and invite Die Fohlen’s centre-halfs, former Grasshopper of the non-insect kind Raúl Marcelo Bobadilla, Mario Gavranović, and Kevin Kurányi to join the Croatian on stage. Each weekend, Felix Magath introduces a different, exciting and young talent from the bench. This week it was the turn of the Swiss, U21 international, Gavranović. Round 30 had seen Hao Junmin plucked from the sub-seats. Eschewing your generic Mars, Kit-Kat and Snickers bars, this inevitable child-in-a-chocolate-shop analogy sees last year’s title-winning coach opt to pick his candy bar/player replacements straight outta left-wing: think Flyte, Munchies, or other oft-neglected cocoa treats such as Picnic bars!

The former AC Lugano talent was introduced late in the game to run riot on the counter-attack: assisting the more elderly Kurányi who likewise dictated matters in and around the final third. Prior to this, Dante and Roel Brouwers displayed great positional and upper-body strengths to nullify the man every Die Mannschaft supporter hopes Jogi Löw selects this summer. Alas, despite Bobadilla’s great goal (the Argentine showed hunger and guile to outleap the double air-attack threat of Rafinha and Höwedes, before rounding a surging Neuer and composedly finishing), Gladbach’s centre-backs began to lose control much in the way their side lost a grip on the spiralling scoreline.

Rakitić’s thunderbolt and coolly converted penalty kick, plus Farfan’s fox-in-the-box prod saw Schalke briefly head the standings! Alas, a certain game in Bavaria kicked off later in the day. Meanwhile Mönchengladbach may have sod-all to play for, but they displayed here that an attacking-edge remains sharp; their players seek goal-bonuses that can be squandered on the upcoming summer holidays!

Bayern Munich 7 – 0 Hannover 96

Mirko Slomka sent out his Hannover side in the most cynical kind of 4-5-soooooooo isolated 1 imaginable. Their gameplan was exemplified when Hanno Balitsch reprimanded his DM colleague Manuel Schmiedebach for tempestuously leaving the quagmired-5 to hassle the man stroking that thing you play the sport with. That’s it… the ball! Whenever Bayern – determined to kill the tie dead as early as possible with Lyon looming – made it into the final-third, van Bommel and the centre-backs had wasted territory by dinking over needlessly hurried through-balls. van Gaal’s men continued to negate the ball’s way through the bodies from deep, as whenever they carried it nearer Fromlowitz’s goal, the likes of Schulz and Cherundolo bulldozed into no-nonsense tackles. Elsewhere, Olić and Müller weren’t operating on the same wavelength, and Ribery and Robben’s cut-ins were corked.

Inevitably, Bayern grew restless, and Hannover (who in their last two outings had beaten Schalke and held Hamburg) began to creep upfield. They craftily tried working the ball down the right (rolled goal-kicks to Schulz at LB, a curled low-ish hoof down the line for LM Djakpa to dummy and Pinto to diagonally-dart on to), but Lahm persistently read and intercepted. So, 96 began probing other areas. After Pinto won, and then shaved the post with a centrally-aligned 40-yard free-kick, they picked on stifled, ball-delegating left-back Diego Contento. Ya Konan, Balitsch, and Cherundolo worked a superb triangle to set the latter for a pull-back from the goal-line. Alas, Bayern expended enough energy to flood back and congregate Butt’s box.

And then they scored (Olić). And then they scored again (Robben). And then again (Müller). Unsatisfied, they enacted this precise pattern in the second-half, but in a mere 13-minute spell rather than the opening stanza’s 21′-44′ gap. Finally, in stoppage time, Robben made sure he left with the match-ball. 17th placed Hannover now have the worst goal difference in the league, and may rue this surrender given that the drop is likely to be decided beyond mere league points. Olympique Lyonnais famously played out a 5-5 draw with Olympique de Marseille earlier on in the season. Hold on to your hats folks – Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League semi-final might just be well, volcanic!

Freiburg 2 – 1 Nuremberg

A game more sweet n’ sour than a Chinese dish for the Maroh family. Nuremberg’s Dominic Maroh opened Freiburg’s account by bizarrely turning an innocuous free-kick into his own net – before the defender’ shaky positioning allowed on-fire Papiss Cissé to net the hosts’ second. The sugar? A late consolation that means although the sides are level on points, Nuremberg boast a goal difference that’s better by 5. Freiburg looked very cohesive and fluid, and seem to be backing up comments I made in round 29:

“[A] cosmopolitan squad comprising 17 different nationalities seems to be bonding and blending at just the right time. Robin Dutt’s vision of incorporating more youthful players into the system seems to be paying off. Freiburg attacked with gusto, as well as showing discipline to enact some training ground moves. Sure, Bochum are no great shakes, and Philipp Heerwagen flapped like a flag in the wind – but Freiburg are the league’s lowest scorers, and they needed a game like this as momentum in gelling as a better-drilled attacking unit.”

Wolfsburg 2 – 4 Werder Bremen

Normally, two clever Misimović through-balls (helped along by two batches of suspect Naldo positioning) for assured Džeko and Grafite finishes at the Volkswagen Arena equates to an easy win for Wolfsburg. Not this time however!  A scruffy, jerky Torsten Frings burst-through/bury-in the box, and an equally laborious penalty kick complemented Pizarro and Almeida’s ruthless finishes and super-assistant Ozil’s inbuilt-radar of a left-foot. This foursome drove Bremen up to third place in the division, albeit temporarily (or maybe not…).

On another day, Fabian Johnson would not have been playing at right-back. Given that it was Johnson’s bundle on Marin that gave away a spot-shot, and his shoddy marking which led to Pizarro scoring, this supposed other day would probably have resulted in Wolfsburg’s aforementioned front-trio steering Lorenz-Günter Köstner’s ship to victory.

Stuttgart 2 – 1 Leverkusen

It feels bizarre to posit the notion that Leverkusen were once credible league-winners. Although Barnetta’s early red card didn’t help matters, 3 months ago they’d have drawn this game. Before Barnetta’s exit, Kießling had put the visitors 1-0 ahead on the back of an excellent little-toed glance-one-way-pass-the-other (GAWPTO) through-ball by Reinartz. Correspondingly, Stuttgart looked suspect: Lehmann was characteristically erratic, and the primary centre-back (Delpierre) and centre-forward (Cacau) were on yellow cards.

Unfortunately for Jupp Heynckes, the latterly mentioned striker decided to offer Die Roten’s fans a parting gift – out of contract this summer, he’s made clear his intentions to head for pastures new. Leverkusen opted to play a 4-3-2 with the narrowest possible middle-trio: Hans Sarpei was introduced immediately after the sending-off in place of Castro, killing any hope travelling fans had of seeing courageous full-back bursts. Stuttgart – Gerbhart in particular – seized the initiative and ran riot down the channels. A series of testing pullbacks and crosses put Werkself under the kosh, and Rene Adler was like a one-man rearguard-protector.

Ultimately however, both goals were provided from the left-flank rather than Gebhart’s right. The first came on 29′, when no defenders commandeered a slow-ish Molinaro bobbler across the six-yard-box, and Cacau popped up at the backpost to tuck in. He was at it again on 85′, vanquishing any lingering hopes Leverkusen still had of the title amongst a crowded box.

Hamburg 0 – 1 Mainz

With focus firmly on the week’s European semi-final tie against Fulham (a side who’ve mustered just 1 shot at goal in their last two domestic outings), Labbadia’s losers were rightly booed off after this lacklustre showing. By losing to Bance’s decisive dispatching of a deadly high-defence-splitter (Schürrle), Hamburg denied themselves a challenge for the 3rd and final Champions League spot – not to mention relinquishing any control over a place in the 2010/11 Europa League! Despite peppering former St Pauli ‘keeper Müller’s goal (the burly #33 displayed outstanding instincts and reflexes), one was always aware that a certain match set to be played at the soon-to-be-named Imtech Arena matters most to those in blue – the 2009/10 Europa League final.

18/04/2010

Dortmund 1 – 1 Hoffenheim

Knowing that a win against the division’s penultimately ranked out-of-form side – Leverkusen and Bochum now share the *honour*, but prior to this game Hoffenheim’s attack-heavy system had scored 1 goal in 5 games – would lift them to that much coveted final Champions League qualification spot, 1997s world champions bottled it. How they could have done with a Stéphane Chapuisat here – Großkreutz and Barrios both culpable in Dortmund’s profligacy on the back of some stodgily-carved, but carved nonetheless moves. As often as Dedê did his best Roberto Carlos impression, or as frequently as Kuba exposed the lack of protection Carlos Eduardo offered Andreas Ibertsberger, the Brazilian’s blockbusters and the Pole’s channel-slaloms went unrewarded until a tidy Valdez chest-trap and volley.

Perhaps shaken by game-ending injuries to Nuri Şahin (broken nose), and critically, Mohamed Zidan (ligament damage – 6 months out!!!!), Dortmund sat on their slender lead and allowed Hoffenheim to remember what finding the net’s like. Eduardo square, Ibišević tap-in. It was like the halcyon winter-months of 2008/09 all over again!

Frankfurt 2 – 2 Hertha Berlin

This split of the spoils was statistically even – as well as goals scored, the pair shared identical figures in pass completion, shots, and possession. However, watching the match made it obvious as to who was the more desperate. Michael Skibbe’s side played at a high tempo: boasting 45 league points, it was a carefree tempo that came with a metaphorical smug smirk attached. As for Hertha Berlin (indebted to some key Jaroslav Drobný saves), final balls were either daftly delayed, or met by incorrectly-timed bursts. Resultantly, nerves burgeoned. Despite another vintage Raffael showing – plus goals from he and Gojko Kačar – the side who’ve been rock-bottom since September’s round 6 thrashing by Freiburg look set to stay there.

Eintracht stalwart Marco Russ and the Austrian Arshavin, Ümit Korkmaz (a backheader from a Kohler free-kick, and a fed box-ghost respectively) ensured that the hosts twice pegged back the visitors. In claiming that its a 5-way relegation slugfest, I misled y’all in this article’s introduction. With the 3 remaining games pitting Friedhelm’s Funkel’s flops against Bayern, Bayer, and Schalke, the 7/9 points Hertha require are unattainable. I do expect a rumbling of at least one of those sides however; giving their followers a final top-tier smile as they prepare to muster enthusiasm for Berlin derbies against Union, and journeys to Munich and Frankfurt for ties with 1860 and FSV instead. A Nicholas Lyndhurst-inspired reference can be used to wave off Die Alte Dame. Sleep tight, darling.

1	FC Bayern	31	63
2	Schalke 04	31	61
3	Werder	31	54
4	Bayer 04	31	54
5	Dortmund	31	53
6	Stuttgart	31	50
7	HSV	31	48
8	Wolfsburg	31	46
9	Eintracht	31	45
10	Mainz 05	31	44
11	1. FC Köln	31	37
12	M’gladbach	31	37
13	Hoffenheim	31	35
14	Nürnberg	31	28
15	Bochum	31	28
16	Freiburg	31	28
17	Hannover	31	27
18	Hertha BSC	31	23

Off the field, other factors are at play. No one should question the achievements of managers such as Phil Brown in achieving promotion to the top tier, and following that by remaining there, they deserve their success and I wish them all the best. However, there is something quite disheartening about the sight of thousands of empty seats week after week at grounds like the DW Stadium, Ewood Park, and the Reebok Stadium, all the more so because of the absence of clubs like Leeds, Nottm Forest and Newcastle from the top tier. All three clubs can boast big stadiums, passionate support, and rich histories, and in some cases long standing and bitter rivalries with other Premier League clubs.

Which brings me to the weekend’s results, and the news that Newcastle United have secured promotion at their first time of asking. Firstly, a moment to congratulate manager Chris Hughton: he faced a difficult task trying to rebuild a shattered club after relegation, not helped by a bungling chairman and the constant threat of a takeover and with it the prospect of his P45 and a handover to Alan Shearer, Guus Hiddink or whoever else was rumoured to be replacing him. That he managed to weld a team together under such pressure, and severe budgetary constraints, is a testament to his character. While the coming year will be a massive test of his managerial credentials, he has earned the right to face that test.

What is most welcome about this success is not the team returning to the Premier League, but the club. Newcastle fans have long been derided by opposition fans for their delusions of grandeur, and no doubt they will provide many opportunities for mirth in the coming season, but they cannot be faulted for their dedication to the cause. A sold out St James’ Park is an impressive sight, and the fans have a good reputation for travelling away in numbers. This is one thing the league can most definitely do with: as the lure of the English game for players diminishes, a couple of the unique selling points remaining are the atmosphere in stadiums, and a sense of tradition, both of which are served by the return of “big” clubs like Newcastle to the summit of the English game.

Let us be clear on one thing: football clubs deserve to compete wherever they find themselves. However, we should celebrate those occasions when success on the field yields the sort of results off that field that benefit the game on a grander scale, and long my this continue.

Last weekend a nervous win over Atalanta saw them finally overtake the Nerazzurri and lead the league for the first time in three years. Then on Friday night Inter re-took the lead, beating Juventus in an ill-tempered match which saw Momo Sissoko sent off in the first half and a stunning goal from Brazilian defender Maicon.

With the Rome Derby on Sunday evening, Ranieri had the chance to regain the lead, and send a powerful message that his Giallorossi were the real deal. One goal down at half time, both the game and the Scudetto hung in the balance.

The coach is widely believed to have sealed his fate as Chelsea boss during the 2004 Champions League Semi Final against AS Monaco. The Tinkerman lived up to his nickname that day, substituting Jesper Gronkjaer and introducing the much-maligned Juan Sebastian Veron at half time.

With far more than city bragging rights on the line, memories of that day were revived after the opening 45 minutes, with Lazio a goal up and looking like ruining the neighbours dream. More than a few Roma fans looked on in stunned silence as the teams entered the field for the second half.

Jeremy Menez and Rodrigo Taddei on. Captain, talisman, icon Francesco Totti and fellow Roman Daniele De Rossi off. Madness or genius? When Lazio won a penalty just a minute after the restart, it looked for all the world as though Mourinho’s opinion of Ranieri would hold true.

Yet as the half wore on, Roma were able to dictate the pace of game before hitting the opposition on the quick counter-attack. Menez and Taddei kept wing-backs Stephan Lichsteiner and Aleksandar Kolarov in check, the encounter swung in Roma’s favour as they emerged victorious once again.

Inter have the easier run-in on paper, but no matter how Mourinho’s men perform, Roma are a point ahead and if they win their last four games then they will become champions.

Elsewhere Milan’s title hopes were effectively ended once more after going down 2-1 to Sampdoria who solidified their position in fourth place. Palermo came from two goals down to earn an unlikely 2-2 draw at Cagliari to keep alive their own Champions League hopes. Napoli remain sixth spot after a 2-1 success at Bari. Genoa remain in the hunt for Europe with a 3-2 win at Parma.

Atalanta boosted their survival hopes with a surprise 2-1 victory over Fiorentina. Bottom club Livorno lost 2-0 at Chievo on Saturday, but survive another week after Bologna drew 1-1 at Udinese. Struggling Siena picked up a  point in a 2-2 draw at Catania.