EPL: Manchester United vs. Chelsea Tactical Preview

Manchester United takes on Chelsea at Old Trafford in a game that for many will decide the destination of the English Premier League title for this season.

With just three games to go, the two teams left standing after all the dust has settled are just separated by three points with an equal goal difference.

In other words, whoever wins this game should take the title and when all is said and done, this game for all intents and purposes is a final.

EPL: Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur: Blues Win Thanks to Gomes and Controversy

Two controversial goals from Frank Lampard and Saloman Kalou were the difference between winning and losing and seeing their title challenge end for Chelsea against Tottenham Hotspur. Harry Redknapp's side had taken the lead against the run of play when Sandro scored a screamer from fully 30-yards before the latest in a long line of howlers from Heurelho Gomes allowed the Pensioners back into the game.

Frank Lampard's speculative shot, right on the stroke of half time, was straight at the haphazard 'keeper who allowed the ball to squirm through his hands and between his legs to agonizingly roll towards the goal. Gomes then dived to save the ball before it rolled over the line only for the linesman to rule that a goal had been scored. Television replays then proved that the goal should not have stood as the whole of the ball did not cross the goal line.

To rub salt into Spurs' wounds, Kalou then popped up to score an offside goal to win the game, keeping up the Blues' hope of catching Manchester United but also condemning the Lilywhites who now have virtually no chance of finishing in the Champions League positions.

Fernando Torres Signing For Chelsea Will Get Carlo Ancelotti The Sack

Chelsea FC pulled off one of the biggest transfers of all time recently, when they took Fernando Torres from Liverpool for £50 million. The move was seen by many as Roman Abramovich flexing his financial might to not only get the Pensioners back in the title race, but also as a way of bringing the Champions League to Stamford Bridge.

However, while that may have been the Russian Oligarch's main aim, what he has achieved is a further erosion of the fragile foundation under Carlo Ancelotti's feet.

As the league table stands, Chelsea has 44 points and is a full 10 points behind the leaders, Manchester United, with just 13 games to go. Considering that the Red Devils have only lost one game from the previous 25, it looks highly unlikely that Alex Ferguson would allow his team to lose four games from their remaining fixtures to leave the Blues with a chance at retaining their title.

This, of course, means that Chelsea's only real aim for the rest of the season is the trophy that Roman Abramovich craves so much...the Champions League.

Last season, as Chelsea was eliminated from the Champions League by Jose Mourinho and Inter Milan, an incandescent Roman Abramovich issued an ultimatum to Carlo Ancelotti:

Win the league, or else.

At the time, a Chelsea insider told ESPN "[Ancelotti's future] now depends on the league. He will need to win the league to survive."

So, it is not beyond the realms of imagination to think that the Chelsea owner has issued a similar demand about the Champions League this time around.

The insider also told Soccernet that Abramovich wanted to bring Fernando Torres to the club next season, despite other areas of the team needing renewal.

"Of course Roman wants Torres, but he will not pay even £50 million for him, and Liverpool will be asking more than that."

“If the situation stays the same at Liverpool, then they will have to consider selling Torres, but you will not be able to get him for £50 million.

"How much? No one knows yet, as Liverpool has yet to decide to sell him."

Just last week, Roman Abramovich fulfilled one of his footballing ambitions when he bought the services of Fernando Torres for the £50 million mentioned last March.

With that, there are a number of things to be taken from the purchase of the Spanish striker.

The foremost is Torres was an Abramovich signing, and Carlo Ancelotti was not consulted on the addition of another striker. With that in mind, you can see how Abramovich sees himself as the manager of the club and that Ancelotti is little more than a coach with no say in the matter.

If Ancelotti had been consulted, then he would surely have looked at bringing some much needed creativity into midfield. This is an area where Chelsea are weakest, as the defeat to Liverpool showed.

The Reds used an unconventional 3-6-1 or 5-3-1-1, depending upon your point of view, to stifle Chelsea’s powerhouse midfield. With the Blues' lack of creativity, Kenny Dalglish’s side basically strangled the life out of the defending champions.

The Liverpool defeat, albeit with Torres on the team, demonstrated all the main reasons Chelsea’s season has come undone and why they will probably finish the season trophy-less.

They are an incredibly cohesive unit and every move has the look of a well-worked training-ground set piece. If those do not work, they lack a creative player in the midfield who can find teammates in dangerous areas of the pitch.

While the Pensioners midfield is their greatest asset, it is also a liability against teams that are well organised and who, most importantly, pack midfield.

It speaks volumes that Liverpool’s caretaker manager chose to take Chelsea on where they are physically strongest, because he was full in the knowledge that once that area of the pitch was won, Chelsea had no other routes to victory.

In essence, the supply lines to Didier Drogba and Torres were cut off completely.

Even if Carlo Ancelotti had acted more quickly to bring on Malouda and Kalou, the game was up, as both of those players are wide forwards rather than wide midfielders. Thus, the personnel up front would make no difference to the outcome of the game, as midfield was where the game needed to be changed.

This immediately points to the two areas Ancelotti would have strengthened before even looking at bringing in another centre forward, particularly one with such a poor track record at finding a partner.

Chelsea needs a creative central midfielder and a wide midfielder.

The defeat to Liverpool effectively ended Chelsea’s slim title hopes, and now Carlo Ancelotti’s job is dependent upon winning the Champions League.

The Italian can rightly feel aggrieved with Abramovich. Even though he has done a superb job since joining the club from AC Milan, winning the double in his first year, that hasn’t stopped Abramovich from seemingly undermining his head coach at every opportunity.

The first example was last March when he told Ancelotti he would be sacked if he did not deliver the league title. This effectively sent the message out to the players that, with anything less than a 100 percent success rate, they would have a new boss. Every player worth his salt knows that this demand is impossible over the fullness of time.

The next step was the disgraceful sacking of Ray Wilkins.

Regardless of what Wilkins’ role was at the club and whether Abramovich thought he was needed or not, Wilkins was Ancelotti’s man. By unceremoniously sacking him in the manner that he did, Abramovich sent another two messages out to the team:

1. Roman Abramovich is the main man at Chelsea, not Carlo Ancelotti.
2. Ancelotti is in an uncertain position and is not important enough to consult on the team’s direction, never mind the club’s direction.

Shortly after Wilkins’ removal, Ancelotti was inflicted with Michael Emanalo, a coach with very little experience of football at the highest level.

His installation as Ancelotti’s right-hand man is seen with distrust by all involved in the first-team set-up. Emanalo is thought of as little more than a spy for Roman Abramovich, and Ancelotti has done his best to distance himself from the new appointee.

This also means Ancelotti is now completely alone at Stamford Bridge, with no one to turn to for advice or to brainstorm with.

It is in this atmosphere that Carlo Ancelotti approached the League Managers Association in late November, to seek advice on his standing and employment rights at Chelsea.

He spoke on the matter and offered a frank opinion on where he stands at the club and how his role is completely different than the one enjoyed by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

He said, "You compare me with Ferguson, it's a different position. Ferguson has total control of the team. I have just technical direction. Full-stop.”

This was a clear indication that Ancelotti has no say or power at the club and that every signing is chosen for him, regardless of how he feels about the matter.

Now, the latest step in the constant disruption of Carlo Ancelotti has seen Roman Abramovich buy Fernando Torres.

There can be little doubt that the Chelsea manager would not have chosen Fernando Torres as a player to bring in.

The ex-Liverpool striker has a fearsome reputation in front of goal, but his link-up play outside the box is average and his past history has shown that he is a striker who plays best by himself, in a counter-attacking team where he can come onto the ball rather than playing with his back to goal.

If anything, Ancelotti would have tried to buy Andy Carroll, as the ex-Newcastle No. 9 is as close a player to a young Didier Drogba as you’re going to find.

He would have fit in at Chelsea seamlessly.

It is clear for all to see that Carlo Ancelotti is living on borrowed time at Chelsea. The ironic twist in all of this is that the newest catalyst of erosion, Torres, is also the only man who can save his job.

Given Chelsea’s and Torres’ form over the last couple of months, it seems highly unlikely that things will click in time to win Ancelotti and Abramovich the Champions League.

First up is FC Copenhagen in two weeks time. The Danish club are seen by many as the weakest team in the Last 16, but the short time frame leaves Ancelotti struggling for answers.

The likeliest result is that Chelsea will beat FC Copenhagen, with or without Fernando Torres. However, the real test of the new partnership with Drogba and Anelka is likely to happen in April in the quarterfinal, just eight games away.

To go any further, the Blues will be hoping for another good draw. But, considering that the waiting teams are likely to include Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United, amongst others, their chances won’t be good.

Looking at their current form and the type of player that Torres is, it is very hard to see that particular partnership working, and it looks increasingly likely that Chelsea will not win the Champions League this year.
Should that happen, Roman Abramovich is almost certain to send Carlo Ancelotti back to Italy, with AS Roma as his likeliest destination.

The irony for Carlo Ancelotti is that the last signing by Roman Abramovich, Fernando Torres, said, “If you don’t play in the Champions League, it is as if you don’t exist.”

He’ll find that, as far as Abramovich is concerned, that quote is very true indeed.

Steven Pienaar's Move to Spurs Means The End of the Road for Aaron Lennon

Despite Chelsea making a last ditch, £6 million, 11th hour bid for Steven Pienaar's services, it now looks very likely that the Everton midfielder will be winging his way to Tottenham Hotspur. Harry Redknapp has been tracking the South African midfielder for some time and his impending arrival at White Hart Lane should by all accounts speed up the exit of Aaron Lennon from the club...

Premier League Sack Race: Odds For Every Manager

Who will be the next manager to get the sack in the English Premier League? Are Avram Grant’s days numbered? Does Wenger have to win a trophy? Can Roy Hodgson turn Liverpool around?
You wait around all season for the first EPL manager to be sacked and then two happen within the space of a week.

EPL Preview 2010/11: Chelsea's Pensioners Not Too Old for Another Title

Carlo Ancellotti's may side have won the title on the last day of the season with an 8-0 demolition of Wigan but the real truth is that Blues were by far and away the best team in the league last year and will be the team to beat once again.

Chelsea All But Win The EPL Title at Liverpool, Where To Now For Rafael Benitez?

After beating Stoke City 7-0 last week, Chelsea strolled to an even easier win today by triumphing 2-0 over a sterile Liverpool side at Anfield. In the run up to the game many pundits had questioned if the Reds would roll over and have their bellies tickled, well they did that, and more.

First Arsenal, and Now Chelsea, Super Spurs Go Marching on Towards Fourth in EPL

While volcanic ash from Iceland reduced flights all across Europe, high-flying Tottenham Hotspur picked up their second significant win in a week by easily beating current Premier League leaders Chelsea 2-1 at White Hart Lane.

With Manchester United having beaten Manchester City 1-0 in the lunchtime kickoff, Spurs duly returned the favour and beat the Red Devils' title rivals as they moved back into fourth, two points ahead of City.

Spurs swept the Premier League leaders aside with a performance of sheer brilliance and it was only an 92nd minute Frank Lampard effort that put any kind of gloss on the game for Chelsea.

Goals from Jermain Defoe, his 30th of the season, and the in-form Gareth Bale had given Spurs a two-goal lead before John Terry was sent off for a selfish, arrogant challenge in the corner as Bale threatened to break clear. The English international mouthed the words "that's the second time I touched the ball" to the referee. In truth, Terry could have received three or four yellow cards today, such was his wayward defending.

Defoe and Pavlyuchenko were superb up-front and their partnership bordered on telepathic, as one chose the perfect moment to drop deep while the other occupied the Blues' defence.

With the two forwards dropping off into the inside-right and inside-left channels Chelsea were exposed, as Tottenham always seemed to have a spare man through the middle and their play, both on and off the ball, was simply outstanding.

It left Terry and Alex stranded time and time again as they struggled to follow their opponents. Both players were more than aware of their lack of pace against Spurs' most potent threats.

To say Tottenham dominated the game is an understatement, and the manner of their last two victories will have many pundits reaching for their thesauruses to describe the breath-taking nature of their play.

The energy levels shown from Tottenham were incredible. To a man they ran their hearts out and put Chelsea off their game thanks to a high-tempo, high-level, closing-down game. None more than the phenomenal Gareth Bale, who put in twice the average work rate of a normal player.

It left the Blues rudderless, as they simply did not know what to do with the ball when they eventually did have time on it. Chelsea's lack of creativity from central midfield stifled their play as much as Spurs' good defending.

In a tight game, having leaders and players who can create something from nothing is crucial, and today Chelsea were lacking in both departments. Frank Lampard is a phenomenon at coming on to the ball and there is no one better than him in the English game at arriving late in the box and scoring from nothing. But he is not the man to turn to when the chips are down, his range of passing is average at best while he is by far the best midfielder Chelsea have available to them.

To win any game you have to first win the battle, and central midfield is always the most important part of the field to win. Today, Tom Huddlestone and Luka Modric did everything right, just as they did against Arsenal.
They out-battled, out-fought, and most importantly, out-thought Chelsea's entire midfield time and time again, releasing Gareth Bale, David Bentley, Defoe, and Pavlyuchenko to great effect.

Meanwhile the disinterested Didier Drogba barely received a pass from any of his midfielders.

In defence, Michael Dawson was once again immense, and he shepparded Drogba throughout the match, leaving the Ivorian striker little more than a spectator.

When Chelsea did briefly get into the final third they crashed upon a glass wall of which their was no way through.

While at the opposite end of the pitch, Spurs ran amok.

They really should have wrapped the game up and won by three, four, or even five goals before Frank Lampard's late consolation.

Chelsea were rattled by Spurs, and as their game plan went out the window they resorted to giving away needless free kicks, as Deco picked up a yellow card for himself in a particularly petulant challenge on Huddlestone.

Prime evidence that the hulking youngster was bossing the game over his international peers, Luka Modric's intelligence was there for all to see and the little Croatian's passing was sublime as he picked the ball up in tight situations and spread it wide time and time again.

With players like Huddlestone and Modric willing to take responsibility in tight situations Spurs look like a completely different team. Opponents are never given a rest, because they have to remain vigilant at all times. If they don't then these two can cut a team open with one swift move.

Such was Spurs' dominence even the Chelsea fans acknowledged them somewhat unknowingly when they started singing "Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be. We're going to Wembley, que sera, sera." This was after just 20 minutes...

One of Tottenham's biggest criticisms over the years is the lack of a mental aptitude for the game. Today it was Chelsea's players who shirked the responsibility and honesty needed to win the game, while Spurs denied everyone the chance to write the expected headlines by producing their best performance in years.

It has moved them two points clear of Manchester City with both sides having four games left. City travel to the Emirates next week while Spurs make their way into the lion's den that is Old Trafford.

Having dumped Arsenal out of the title race on Wednesday, Spurs allowed their North London rivals a glimmer of hope by beating Chelsea today. Next week they take on Manchester United, and a win either way will have a huge say in the destiny of the title.

Beating Arsenal and Chelsea will mean very little if Spurs do not travel to Manchester and keep their performance levels high.

Victory is not imperative against United, although the three points would be more than welcome. No, Tottenham and Harry Redknapp's main task will be to keep the momentum going, to play well at Old Trafford, and to keep the resounding manner of their recent performances going strong.

There are only four games to go for Spurs this season: away to Manchester United next weekend, home to Bolton a week later, then another trip to Manchester when they take on City in what will be one of the league's most important matches of the season, and finally Burnley at home.

Taking three points from United will be incredibly tough, but so was taking six points from Arsenal and Chelsea.

However, if Spurs can keep the momentum going there is no reason why they cannot take a maximum of points from their remaining fixtures.

Manchester City remain in pole position to finish fourth, but Spurs have only lost once in their last 10 league games, and qualifying for the Champions League is very much in their own hands.

Relegated Portsmouth Beat Spurs, Set Up Fairytale Cup Final With Chelsea

Just over 24 hours after being relegated to the Championship, Portsmouth pulled off the most unlikely of results and beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Wembley after extra time, goals coming from Frederic Piquionne and ex-Spurs star Kevin Prince-Boateng.

It was fitting that the winning goal came Boateng's right foot as the young German fired home the final nail in the coffin of Harry Redknapp and Spurs from the penalty spot with just three minutes to go from a pulsating 120.

Piquionne had put Pompey into the lead after he latched onto Boateng's lofted free kick, following Michael Dawson's inopportune slip in the six yard box.

It was a fully deserved win for Avram Grant's side as they Spurs all the way in a real end-to-end game that brought the best from both 'keepers. While Spurs tore into Pompey from the off, the recently relegated side fought back to leave their ex-managers side on the ropes as the sides headed towards halftime.

The second half was almost a mirrored image of the first with Portsmouth dominating the early exchanges before Spurs came strongly back into the game.

With nothing between the two sides as the game headed towards extra time, it took the wrong footing of one of Spurs' best players on the day, Michael Dawson, to gift Piquionne with a goal-scoring chance. The French striker had received close attention all day from the defender chasing a ticket on the plane to South Africa and it was a cruel way to lose the lead.

Portsmouth's fans had cheered every pass, every tackle, every run, and every block that their team made on the day and they took every opportunity they had to boo their ex-players, of which there is a sizeable contingent at Spurs.

Not only is the current Spurs boss, Harry Redknapp, the man who brought Portsmouth to FA Cup glory in 2008, there. But he has also raided the South Coast club for some of their best players. Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch, Niko Krancjar, and Younnes Kaboul have all joined Redknapp at Tottenham over the last 18 months.

It was therefore somewhat ironic that the man that Redknapp deemed as little more than a troubled makeweight scored what was effectively the winning goal.

Kevin Prince-Boateng did not enjoy the best of times under Juande Ramos or Harry Redknapp, and when the Spurs boss sold him to Portsmouth he would have never figured in his wildest dreams that he would be the player to ruin Tottenham's chances of getting to the final.

The attacking midfielder has been one of Portsmouth's best players in a disastrous season for the club. He has maintained a high standard while many of Pompey's players have struggled under the weight of administration. When Avram Grant took over the full running of the club he signalled that hope way the key.

To Read Portsmouth's FA Cup Shawshank Redemption, click the link.

Stating that the fear of relegation was holding them prisoner but that the hope of an FA Cup Final appearance could set them free.

To win the game in the manner that they did is the stuff of dreams, to win it over your ex-manager and ex-players is right out of a fairytale.

As the final whistle blew, Portsmouth's fans literally turned the air blue as Pompey jerseys and scarves soared high into the Wembley sky. By that stage there were precious few Tottenham fans left in the arena, and as Harry Redknapp choked back his disappointment and hugged his friend Avram Grant, it was Pompey who could look forward to the final.

To have the game against Chelsea, Grant's ex-employers who sacked him after losing the Champions League Final to Manchester United, is just another chapter in a season like no other.

Karma?

English Premier League Finances 2010, Every Single Clubs Financial Report

Portsmouth are on the verge of becoming the first Premier League club to go into administration, and if many fans fears are to be believed Pompey may not be the first to go.

Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool are all under the heavy weight of massive debt. Such is the level of debt in the Premier League that it makes up 56% of all the debt in European football, some £3.5 billion.

The really shocking indictment of that ludicrous figure is that the traditional top four Chelsea, United, Liverpool, and Arsenal own almost £2 billion of that total figure. Meaning that just four clubs own 36% of all the debt in Europe.

It is something that Michel Platini and UEFA are trying to clamp down upon. There has been one of these English teams in every one of the Champions League Finals since 2004.

Obviously UEFA feel that the EPL teams enjoy far greater freedom to run into debt, and that the EPL as a management body are happy not to police the sector as it brings much more coverage to the league.

Here are the annual accounts for every single Premier League team.

Read them and weep...




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Premier League Rejects Playoff Proposal

Premier League chairmen have rejected the idea of a introducing a play-off to decide who takes the fourth UEFA Champions League place. The motion was beaten after it failed to gather the 14 votes it needed to pass.

The controversial idea of introducing play-offs for the final Champions League spot was proposed last month. Under it's premise teams finishing between fourth to seventh place would then go into a playoff to decide the leagues last place in the Champions League.

At best the proposal received a mixed reception from Premier League managers with some very much for the idea while others were dead set against it.

The idea was examined by Premier League chairmen at their meeting on London on Thursday after Peter Scudamore brought forward a mandate for the proposal and they have voted against it, meaning the status quo will stay as is.

While managers from Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool were vehemant opposers to the proposition, they were the four clubs with the most to lose, they were also somewhat ironically the four clubs who would have gained most.

Given the finances that the four clubs enjoy over every other team it is highly unlikely that any of these clubs would have finished outside the top seven positions in the short to medium term future.






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Real Madrid and Barcelona Head Football's Rich List, Arsenal Up To Fifth

Manchester United have dropped out of the top two richest teams in the world for the first time as Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona, have established themselves as the new dominant financial forces in football.

Seven of the top 20 richest teams in the world are based in the English Premier League, but it now looks as if La Liga is where the real power lies.

Over the last 18 months, La Liga has seen itself attract some of the best talent in the world, some of it from the EPL, and become the new dominant league in Europe, and the world.

Rising tax rates in Britain combined with an ailing currency have become a vital ingredient in seeing Spain become the destination of choice for footballers.

Currently the high tax rate in Britain is 50 percent, meaning that half of everything a player earns goes directly to the government. While this has been going on in England, the Spanish government has reduced the tax rate for "foreign executives" down to an amazing 24 percent.

This in turn enables Spanish teams to attract bigger names and pay bigger wages. This then returns to the clubs through advertising and merchandise revenue streams making Spanish teams winners on every angle.

English football also has another cross to bear.

The current amount of debt the Premiership owes is £3.5billion.

Incredibly, that is 56 percent of all the debt owed by football teams in the whole of Europe. And £2billion of that total is owed by just four teams, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool.

Barcelona's rise on the list is due to their phenomenal success on the pitch over the last two seasons, and last year in particular.

In the 2009/10 season, Barcelona entered six competitions, and won every single trophy available. Something no other team in world football has ever matched before.

This has sent their annual income soaring above previous high levels.

Alan Switzer, director of Deloitte's sports business group, warned: "Real Madrid and Barcelona have created a clear revenue gap between themselves and their main competitors.

"They look set to contest the top two positions in the money league for the foreseeable future, particularly if the pound doesn't strengthen against the euro."

Dan Jones, a partner in Deloitte's sports business group, added: "Just like it was in Rome last May, Barcelona just proved too strong for United. Like other English clubs, United were impacted by the continued depreciation of sterling - and the scale of this is shown by the fact that, if exchange rates remained at their June 2007 level, they would be top of the money league table."

Real, whose new class of Galacticos include the £80million Cristiano Ronaldo, became the first club to generate more than €400 million of revenue in 2008-09.

Despite the drop seen by most Premiership clubs, Arsenal have replaced Chelsea as the fifth richest club in world football. Returning the favour for the Pensioners taking their place over the last couple of years.

This is quite remarkable especially when you consider that the Gunners are trophy-less for the past five seasons.

A prudent financial footing and a huge revenue creating stadium the main reasons why Arsenal have moved back up. However, the Gunners do have large debts hanging over them, although they look well placed to deal with them if they continue with their current policies.

In recent times speculation has begun to mount about an American consortium being interested in acquiring Arsenal. This rumour spread after Liam Brady resigned from his post as Assistant Manager to Giovani Trappatoni, the Irish national team manager.

Speculation is rife that Arsene Wenger was happy to let Brady double job, the Irishman is in an extremely important job at Arsenal as "Head of Youth Development", but that he was put under pressure by the board to resign as they did not want to be seen to be allowing an important member of staff to take his eye of the main job at hand.

Despite the top fours empires being built on massive debt, Jones believes leading English clubs are still well-placed to survive.

With speculation arising that the EPL will sign a £1 billion TV deal, Jones said: "While there has been much recent comment on the finances of English clubs, we believe problems are experienced at the very highest level are more likely to be a result of mismanagement, weak cost control or a lack of credit than any problems with revenue generation."

How will Premier League teams survive their massive debt strains and still be competitive in Europe is something that will occupy the minds of many owners and chairmen over the next couple of years.

Already, the league has proposed a "39th game" which would be played outside England in the hope of each Premiership team being allowed to generate millions as cities bid to have certain teams play there.

That idea was scrapped but another has surfaced in it's place. A set of playoffs between the four teams who finished from fourth to seventh, allowing the winner to play in the Champions League.

As these playoffs would be outside a normal season they could be brought abroad to the highest bidder...

Either way, the EPL has some way to go to gain on La Liga, whilst Serie A is in real danger of becoming a mid-tier league in Europe.

The pressure is on for all European teams in Serie A. The league faces losing it's coveted fourth Champions League place next year unless an Italian team wins in Europa and every German team gets knocked out in the current rounds of competition.

Given the strong cases being built by Bundesliga teams, that looks a distant prospect.

The power in football is currently residing in Spain, it will stay there for some time until it finds a new lover, expect the new mistress in the coming years to speak German, the Bundesliga is a league on the up.



The Top 20 Rich List:

Position Club Revenue (£m)

1 (1) Real Madrid 341.9

2 (3) FC Barcelona 311.7

3 (2) Manchester United 278.5

4 (4) Bayern Munich 246.6

5 (6) Arsenal 224.0

6 (5) Chelsea 206.4

7 (8) Liverpool 184.8

8 (11) Juventus 173.1

9 (10) Internazionale 167.4

10 (7) AC Milan 167.4

11 (15) Hamburger SV 124.9

12 (9) AS Roma 124.7

13 (12) Olympique Lyonnais 118.9

14 (16) Olympique de Marseille 113.5

15 (14) Tottenham Hotspur 113.0

16 (13) Schalke 04 106.0

17 (n/a) Werder Bremen 97.7

18 (20) Borussia Dortmund 88.1

19 (n/a) Manchester City 87.0

20 (17) Newcastle United 86.0

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Watch Wayne Bridge Blank John Terry's Handshake

While the duo used to be friends, that has all gone out the window since John Terry had an affair with Bridge's ex, Vanessa Perroncel.

Here, John Terry tries to take the moral high ground by offering his hand...


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Craig Bellamy Inspired Manchester City Run Riot In 4-2 Win Over Suicidal Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

A Craig Bellamy inspired Manchester City team ran riot against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge today as Roberto Mancini's men hammered the nine men Blues 4-1. Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan had shown that the Blues were beatable midweek, but City ripped them apart.

The Pensioners contributed to their own downfall as much as City's good play, making school boy errors that were beyond belief, as well as two players getting sent off for the most ridiculous of challenges.

The first half was a pretty turgid affair with Chelsea dominating play and Henrique Hilario was little more than a spectator in the error ridden half.

It could be summed up perfectly by Didier Drogba rising to meet a deep cross from the left. He missed the ball but managed to clash heads with Pablo Zabaleta before striking the terrified Micah Richards under the chin with a knee, leaving all three players on the ground in a heap.

Frank Lampard's contribution was negligible before he ran onto Joe Cole's perfectly weighted pass to fire home and give the Blues a deserved lead.

Despite the poor game on show, Chelsea's dominance had to show at some stage. The lack of ambition and deep lying defence of City gave all the impetus to the Blues and the goal came as no surprise.

Mere minutes later and City were unbelievably level. The goal was a real shocker and Carlo Ancellotti will be fuming as to how easy his Chelsea team made it for Tevez to score.

Chelsea were on the attack, Joe Cole's shot was weak and was deflected out to Lampard who was beaten to the ball by Richards who hoofed the ball clear. Under no pressure what-so-ever, Jon Obi-Mikel decided to head the ball back to his 'keeper from the halfway line...

John Terry then made an absolute mess of his clearance as Carlo Tevez raced onto the ball. He then scuffed his shot that seemed to throw Hilario off as the ball bobbled slowly into the net.

It was a terrible sequence of errors culminating in Petr Cech's awful mistake. The great Czech is badly missed and if this is an example of Hilario, the next four weeks could make for dismal viewing for Chelsea fans.

All of a sudden Manchester City were in the game and they almost took the lead on the stroke of halftime after Jolean Lescott's header glided just wide of the far post.

In the space of four minutes the game had flip flopped and Chelsea were now the ones hanging on. Changes had to be made at half time. John Terry was having another nightmare, while Florent Malouda was anonymous.

The second half kicked off without either manager making a change and it was City who took the game to their title challenging hosts.

John Terry receiving a yellow card for tripping Adam Johnson while the ex-Middlesbrough man was in full flight.

The interviews for Fabio Capello's England team were progressing well for Gareth Barry who was beginning to get on top of the poor Lampard and it was his beautiful ball down the left that released Craig Bellamy for City's second goal.

The Welsh flyer flew onto the ball like a bat out of hell while Jon Obi-Mikel strangely chose to run beside him rather than make a challenge. Bellamy made it into the box past the young Nigerian and scored after another dreadful positioning error by the 'keeper.

Chelsea were rattled and had no answers to City's penetration or pace so they decided to try and kick their way back into the game. A flurry of yellow cards followed before Carlo Tevez and John Terry clashed in the corner following a through ball.

It was a sign that teh usually calm Terry was completely off his game and that Tevez had managed to get under his skin.

Every time Terry had the ball the energetic Argentinian was at his heels and when Tevez was in possession, his low centre of gravity was causing the England and Chelsea captain all sorts of problems.

Frustration began to seep into every Chelsea player and they challenged the referee on every decision and made a whole series of niggling tackles.

Sensing that the game was there for the taking, Mancini made a change and brought Shawn Wright-Phillips on to further expose Malouda at left full. Moments later, Michael Ballack picked up his first yellow card of the day after screaming at the referee following his decision to give City a kick out. It was gross unprofessionalism from the German captain who seemed to have let the occasion get to him.

By this stage Ancellotti had managed to see that his team were having a bad day at the office and he made a couple of substitutions in an effort to turn the tide back to his team.

To no avail, a rampant Gareth Barry raced into the box and was upended by Juliano Belletti in a dreadfully mistimed challenge, leaving the referee with no choice but to award the penalty and send the ex-Barcelona player off.

Tevez stepped up and smashed the ball home, leaving Chelsea with an insurmountable mountain to climb at 3-1.

Wayne Bridge then made way for Roque Santa Cruz, the ex-Chelsea player was cheered off by every City fan and a few Chelsea fans and it is somewhat disappointing that so many of the home teams fans chose to boo him as his left the field of play.

Insult was added to injury when Michael Ballack picked up his marching orders after an absolutely ridiculous challenge. Knowing he was on a yellow card, all the German international had to do was jockey the ball, instead he launched himself into a challenge he was never going to win. A deserved red card, and a big let down for his team.

City then added a fourth as Wright-Phillips found the rampant Bellamy unmarked in the box and the Welsh striker stroked the ball home to make it 4-1.

Frank Lampard did manage to find the net through a penalty to reduce the deficit but it was litlle more than a consolation goal.

All talk of Mancini facing a dressing room uprising will be put to bed this week, but the Italian's job still rides on City finishing fourth.

For Chelsea this game is a watershed moment. Carlo Ancellotti will be forced to call a team meeting on Monday and certain players could be forced to face a few home truths.

Since all the affair scandal hit the newspapers John Terry's form has been abysmal, and the Blues captain is one of the worst offenders in this current downward slide.

Yuri Zhirkov needs to be fast tracked off the treatment table and Alex now deserves a chance at centre half more than ever. There is nothing that can be done about Cech's injury so Ancellotti will have to make do with Hilario over the next month. But the odds of winning all three trophies have lengthened considerably.

The invention of Deco and the resistance of Essien are both badly missed, and it is a damning statistic, that only Lampard has really contributed anything from midfield this season.

Luckily for Ancellotti and Chelsea they have no Premier League match next weekend and certain players could be rested or dropped to give them the symbolic kick in the behind they need.

The Blues season is now threatening to implode, and it has very little to do with matters on the pitch.

The first real test of Carlo Ancellotti's Chelsea career.

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Big Four Monopoly To End? English Premier League Clubs To Vote On Proposed Champions League Playoffs in April

The monopoly that Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea have enjoyed for the last ten years looks set to end. The Premier League are considering the introduction of a playoff for the last Champions League place, meaning a team as low as 7th could play in Europe's foremost trophy.

Premier League sources have confirmed that the play-off system proposal was presented to all at the most recent meeting of EPL clubs, on 4 February. As with his mandate of Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, now has until the next meeting in April to produce a proposal that would be acceptable to the teams of the EPL.

Under the proposal, a playoff would be played at the end of the season between the teams that finished 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th. The matches would take the form of two semi finals and a final, with the winner progressing towards the Champions League as reward.

One major obstacle that the likes of Liverpool and United will hope to exploit is the lack of fixture time between the end of the league season, the start of May, and the traditional end of the season, the FA Cup Final.

The proposal is still in it's infancy but with 16 teams backing the initial plan, it looks as if a solution should easily be found around the sticky situations of home and away legs, or seeding.

Or even God forbid if England's UEFA co-efficient should drop and only three, not four teams were eligible for Champions League football.

These topics will be picked over by Scudamore over the next month as he readies his proposal.
The move has been met with open arms by the vast majority of clubs plying their trade in England's upper echelon, with only four dissenting voices to be heard, those of Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea...The four clubs with the most to lose.

It is not known which chairman raised the issue but it is safe to say that he was not from one of the leagues top four teams. And only needing a majority of 14 it looks as if this proposal could be implemented by as early as next season.

The move was sparked by the aforementioned clubs domination of the the league since the Premier League's inception in 1992.

Since then debt has spiralled out of control in English football, but in the Premier League in particular.

As it stands the 20 teams in the EPL owe around £3 billion in debt, with £2 billion of that total being spread amongst the monopoly on top. Manchester United, famously in debt for £716m recently set up a £500m bond trust to push them further into debt.

Chelsea were smarter and used slight of hand to remove their £700m debt by giving Roman Abrahmovich sole ownership of the club, as owner the debt is now his, and as the Pensioners owed him the money in the first place the slate is wiped clean...

Liverpool came within hours of going under last summer only for RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) to baulk at the last moment and give them a one year reprieve. The Reds now have until June to find over £100m from a £290m debt.

The Gunners have been more spendthrift than their rivals but are still in debt to the region of £400m with a £25m mortgage to pay on the Emitates stadium for the next 24 years. This despite a recent £150m share issue that saw Bank of Ireland take on shares at the club to quash their debt.

Should other plans by Michel Platini come into fruition then Arsenal could be further plunged into debt as their property company Arsenal Holdings is struggling under the debt they accrued in the development of apartments at Highbury.

Meaning that the other £1billion is spread between the other 16 clubs. When you realise that newly promoted sides like Birmingham and Burnley are reletively debt free it shows that the leagues leading clubs have been allowed to exploit their stature by going further into debt and that the rest are playing an impossible game of catch up.

The fact that these four clubs are the only opposing faction speaks volumes of how this little clique see themselves as being above every other club. Their flat refusal to share the spoils of European football is pure indication that their monopoly is under threat and that the EPL are moving to breakup their strangle hold for the good of the game in England.

Ironically this latest move by the EPL comes as Manchester City enter the fray as the world's richest club and as such are insulated against giant debt. On top of that, Liverpool's traditional placing at the top of the EPL table is under threat from three different sources for the first time in decades.

The top fours opposition to the playoff system is obviously driven by self interest, but their argument that such vast rewards should not be given to a team as low as seventh do not wash as Liverpool themselves won the trophy whilst finishing in fifth place in the league. Add this to the fact that very few champions have actually won the Champion League and finishing seventh is no different than finishing fourth.

The proposal  will of course have massive implications for both the Carling and FA Cups and the relevant teams who have enjoyed their stay at the top of the league.

The two cups have already been devalued by almost every team in English football, attendances show that from the FA Premier League all the way down to League Two that gates have reduced for the cups by almost 20 percent since the 80's.

The new proposed playoff system means a further devaluation to the once great trophies, as EPL teams will now have very little incentive to win the cup as finishing seventh could bring greater glory than winning a cup.
But why introduce a playoff system after almost 20 years of Premier League action?

Is it a reflex reply to the scathing criticism that the 39th game received? In a way one could easily come to this conclusion.

The EPL is the most watched league in the world and the introduction of a "cup" involving four teams with everything to play for at the end of the season would be sure to spark major interest around the world.

At the moment the Championship Playoff Final is labelled as the most lucrative match in world football with an estimated £40m waiting for the winner. How much would the Champions League Playoff be worth?

Currently the top fours budgets earn almost 15 percent of their turnover from the Champions League. Just on television rights alone a trek to the final could be worth almost £40m, and that is before prize money and gate receipts are taken into account.

This season Liverpool were eliminated from the Champions League in the group stages and were dumped into the Europa League. Should Liverpool win every match in Europe's second trophy and lay claim to the trophy, nine matches, they will still pick up less money than they would have earned from playing in the CL Last 16 alone.

In short, the Champions League is huge, and the money earned there is massive. Little wonder that the top four are obsessed with keeping the league in it's current status quo.

If there is one competition that is more drenched in money than the English Premier League, it is the UEFA Champions League.

And now the lower lights in the EPL want their say, will they have the moral courage to break such a powerful monopoly?

Doing it in paper is one thing, doing it on the pitch is another...

Who Will Win The EPL? Analysis of Every Remaining Fixture For Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United

Is the title race back on for Arsenal? Do Chelsea have the bottle to hold on to first? Is Manchester United's ominous form an indicator of where they'll eventually finish? Here we look at the three pretenders remaining fixtures.

Wednesday's midweek English Premier League matches produced the biggest set of shocks in a long time. From title chasing teams to relegation fodder to the battle for fourth, there was all kinds of results that left football experts scratching their heads and reaching for calculators...

Chelsea, Spurs, and Lyon Battle For Dynamo Zagreb Starlet Dejan Lovren

As the January Transfer window gets moving, it now appears that Tottenham, Chelsea, and Olympique Lyonnais are chasing the highly rated Dynamo Zagreb centre half Dejan Lovren.

The 20-year-old Croatian international has caught the eye over the last couple of seasons as a player of some potential. Clubs throughout Europe have monitored the youngster's progress since 2004 when he first broke into the Croatian U-17 team.

Patrick Vieira, A January Transfer Target For Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Spurs

With only a few weeks until the January Transfer Window opens, the rumours are beginning to surface. But the most surprising of which sees 33 year old Patrick Vieira at the centre of a five-way tug of war between Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Spurs.

After the Chelsea Defeat, How Far Are Arsenal From Challenging For The Title?

Arsene Wenger must be wondering what he has to do after Chelsea and Didier Drogba produced a masterclass in efficiency, intelligence, and ruthlessness at the Emirates as they ripped Arsenal to shreds and in effect, ended the Gunners slim chances of becoming Premier League Champions.

EPL Preview: Arsenal vs. Chelsea: Pensioners to End Gunners Slim Hopes

There are a couple of massive matches in the Premiership this weekend, Liverpool take on Everton in the Merseyside Derby, Spurs travel to Villa, but most eyes will be on the Emirates as Chelsea seek to extend their grip on the EPL title, and end Arsenal's slims hopes into the bargain.

So far this season the Pensioners have been the team to beat, bar two strangely muted performances that resulted in defeat against Aston Villa and Wigan, who were beaten by Spurs 9-1 last week...