Month: February 2011

Watching their respective seasons unfold, it seems unlikely that either Chelsea or Manchester United will be celebrating at Wembley come 28 May 2011. It’s not to say that they’re not capable of winning the Champions League – only Arsenal, Barcelona, Real Madrid and…ahem…Tottenham stand as genuine contenders alongside them – but all signs so far point to an almighty struggle to reach their league objectives and no luck on the European front.

Having said that, if you had to bet on the two Premier League teams most likely to win the Champions League at the start of the season, it would have been Manchester United and Chelsea, and if they can turn their average form around and their players start earning their hefty paycheques, a last-eight / last-four berth awaits at least one of these two sides.

Hey, at least they’ve got it easier than Arsenal, right?

We’ve heard it all before – Madrid will finally end Lyon’s unbeaten run against them. No, seriously, with Jose Mourinho at the helm, Madrid can really beat Lyon. Except we heard that with Barcelona, too, and no points for guessing how that went.

Madrid have new players, they have Mourinho, and they have all the expectations in the world weighing on them. It’s the kind of game Madrid need to win if they are to be taken as seriously as they tend to take themselves (actually, the game to win would be Barcelona at Camp Nou, but Madrid aren’t in a position to pick and choose).

A 1-1 draw then?

adidas is offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to the UK public by inviting them to name the official football that will be used at the London 2012 Olympic…

Now that we are done with the 2010 World Cup and the adidas Jabulani, lets move on to the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. adidas was, again, handed the responsibility…

Welcome to the latest brand new episode of the fastest growing football podcast around, 3 Up Front! In today’s jam-packed show Adrian Clarke guides Iain Spragg and Iain Macintosh through a…

As the footballing sphere bids farewell to one of it’s greatest ever patrons, legendary Brazilian forward Ronaldo, we at Soccerlens thought it high time to compile a concise list of our top five ‘strikers in world football’ – with the only stipulation being that any nominee must have played ‘up top’ and have had been in their prime at some point during the last two decades.

Welcome to the latest brand new episode of the fastest growing football podcast around, 3 Up Front! In today’s jam-packed show Adrian Clarke guides Iain Spragg and Iain Macintosh through a…

Why Arsenal didn’t have to charge at Barcelona like Vikings to beat them.

If it hadn’t have been for Warner Brothers President Steve Ross, the New York Cosmos and its legacy may have been nothing more than a distant dream. Twenty-six years on…

After Wayne Rooney reminded us all that he used to be a fairly decent professional footballer with his derby day belter against Manchester City last Saturday, the received (Sky Sports-infused) wisdom seems to be that the decidedly off-colour striker’s effort was, without need for second thought, the greatest overhead kick ever scored by anyone, anywhere, ever.

However, that’s not quite the case – as the following, ten-strong video essay will hopefully attest to.

The dubious honour of receiving the quickest red card goes to Chippenham Town striker David Pratt, who was sent off only three seconds into his side’s loss at Bashley back…

David Villa scored the first goal of the game, capping off a pass from Lionel Messi in the 26th minute and Barcelona were cruising to an away win until halftime….

A good interview by @FootballBarbie1 for Real Madrid TV with Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho:

Following on from yesterday’s article looking at Barcelona’s hypocrisy, it’s worth looking at Arsene Wenger’s reply to comments made by Barcelona’s ex-president Joan Laporta and current VP Javier Faus about…

Tottenham recorded a memorable 1-0 win over AC Milan last night and put themselves in a very strong position ahead of the return leg at White Hart Lane. Milan had…

What should be regarded as an upset, Tottenham got away from San Siro with an away goal lead whereas AC Milan should have just gone for the kill – they…

Arsenal used to be the self-proclaimed ‘masters’ of playing ‘pretty football’ until their English rivals forced them to seek balance and Barcelona usurped them on the pitch, with two Champions…

As we build up to Wednesday’s massive Arsenal v Barcelona match, here’s a look at the some of the head 2 head stats between Barcelona and Arsenal players.

The UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine between 8 June to 1 July 2012, will cost as little as €30 to watch live. UEFA.com announced the…

Roma go into their Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk on the back of indifferent form in the domestic league, but manager Ranieri knows that a series of good results (and progress to the Champions League quarterfinals will breathe life back into a faltering campaign. Shakhtar, Champions League newcomers, topped their group (beating Arsenal along the way) and will be aiming for a better result than the 4-0 defeat in 2006.

Valencia host Schalke in the first leg of their Champions League second round tie. Valencia, 3rd in La Liga, will be aiming to stifle the in-form Schalke strikers and keep a clean sheet going into the return leg. The Champions League represents Schalke’s best chance for bringing some respectability into a season that saw them flirt with relegation before rising back to the top 10 of the Bundesliga.

The 2010/2011 Champions League knockout stages kick off this week with the second round matches to be played from 15th February to 16th March. 16 teams will be looking to…

The famous gap toothed grin will be a thing of the past as Brazilian superstar Ronaldo has announced his retirement after a storied career that has seen him revered as…

The game started with Iker Casillas getting his marching orders in the second minute when Jose Callejon beat the offside trap and Casillas was forced to come out of the…

Juventus hosted the game against Inter Milan at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino and Inter’s new boss Leonardo failed to make an instant impact. The only goal of the game…

It has been revealed that Barcelona and Pep Guardiola have reached an agreement to renew his contract with the club until June 30th, 2012. Guardiola is developing into a club…

Barcelona’s record 16 games winning streak finally comes to an end against Sporting Gijon at El Molinon. A game that saw Barcelona pick up six yellow cards, David Villa was…