Unpredictable City flying under the radar

Based on their unpredictable form since Manuel Pellegrini took charge at the Etihad, only Manchester City could beat the reigning European champions on their own ground and then still only make headlines for failing to win the game 4-2 rather than 3-2.

You just never know quite what to expect from this current Manchester City side, whose progression under Pellegrini this season has been sufficiently inconsistent that few commentators have marked them out as potential Premier League champions let alone Champions League destroyers.

That inconsistency was laid bare again last night in the space of 90 minutes against a Bayern side that was aiming to win its 10th straight Champions League match.

A second string City XI was torn apart multiple times in the opening 20 minutes, and fell behind to goals from Thomas Muller and Mario Gotze before striking back in the most unexpected manner through David Silva, Aleksandar Kolarov and James Milner.

As if to underline City's capriciousness, Milner's man-of-the-display was in stark contrast to his past 18 months of gradual slipping down the pecking order for club and country, with the former Aston Villa midfielder winning the penalty converted by Kolarov and striking the decisive winner.

Contextualising the performance and the result by a City side missing the likes of captain Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, Sergio Agüero and Alvaro Negredo, especially on the back being outclassed by Bayern in Manchester earlier in the group phase, is bordering on impossible.

Throw in the fact that Pellegrini's side have already lost four times on the road against Premier League sides this season - at Cardiff, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Sunderland - and the conundrum is complete.

Of course, City's unpredictability has been glaring in the past two seasons, too.

Under Roberto Mancini two years ago, they needed to close a seemingly impossible gap on rivals Manchester United and rely on a last minute Agüero winner against Sunderland to claim their first Premier League trophy.

The mediocrity of their title defence last season then led to Mancini's sacking.

Pellegrini has maintained that his focus remains on finding a pattern of play that suits his talented squad.

"We felt we needed revenge for what happened in Manchester because we played very bad. Winning here after being two goals behind is very good, I'm very happy," the Chilean said last night.

"It’s important for the team. I am trying to find a style of playing. I know some of the results in the Premier League playing away have not been what we want but it is more important we find a way to play.

"I thought this was the chance for players to demonstrate why they are in the squad so it was important to win without Kompany, Yaya, Agüero and Negredo."

Despite the numerous defensive lapses and the frequent high-profile mistakes of goalkeeper Joe Hart, City remain a potent threat going forward.

Their home form in the league is rampant, and has already included huge wins over Norwich (7-0), Tottenham (6-0), Manchester United (4-1) and Newcastle (4-0) this term.

Given their vast armoury in attack, maybe Pellegrini's so-called blunder at not realising that his enterprising side could top their Champions League group ahead of Bayern was actually a cunning plan to take just enough gloss off the side to keeping fooling the pundits.

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World Soccer football

Weekly Football News 10 December 2014

Celtic ban own supporters after violence

Celtic, the Scottish Premier League champions, have taken the remarkable step of banning over hundred of their own supporters from watching the side home and away.

Following the damage caused to Motherwell's Fir Park on Friday during Celtic’s 5-0 win, Celtic have suspended 128 fans from their matches and relocated another 250 season ticket holders.

The move has been taken is response to the rising levels of antisocial behaviour by a group of fans known as The Green Brigade, who attend home matches in Section 111 of the Celtic Park stadium.

Last month, the fan group unfurled political banners at Celtic's Champions League game against AC Milan, leading to the club being called before a Uefa disciplinary hearing.

Celtic have even threatened to close Section 111 in the past due to the group’s refusal to adhere to safety regulations.

In a statement, the club said that they had issued "precautionary suspensions against 128 individuals preventing them attending matches involving Celtic, pending further investigation".

Drop Vidic or Ferdinand: Savage

Former Manchester United midfielder Robbie Savage has urged boss David Moyes to drop either captain Nemanja Vidic or former England defender Rio Ferdinand and instead build a new back-line around Phil Jones.

Jones had played across the defence and in central midfield for both Manchester United and England in his short career to date, but arrived from Blackburn in 2011 as an accomplished central defender.

Savage said: "Moyes needs to establish his first-choice pair. When he does that, he has to think who he will be building his defence around in the future, and the answer is clearly not Ferdinand or Vidic.

"Instead he needs to look to Phil Jones. His best position is going to be at centre half and that is where Moyes needs to play him now if he is to make the most of his talent.

"If that means playing Jones regularly there for the rest of this season, then Moyes has to do it. Even if Jones plays badly there, he cannot do much worse than United are doing at the moment."

We can still improve: Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has demanded that Bayern Munich continue to work towards correcting their faults despite their record-breaking runs in both the domestic league and the Champions League.

Bayern extended their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to 40 matches with Saturday’s 7-0 rout of Werder Bremen, while the European champions are also on a record run of 10 consecutive Champions League victories.

Furthermore, if they beat Manchester City on Tuesday they will top Group D with 18 points, something they failed to achieve last season under former coach Jupp Heynckes despite winning the title.

Nevertheless, Guardiola remains on the quest for perfection.

"We lose the ball too often over 90 minutes. I can't stand losing possession," he said.

"A 7-0 win at Bremen is good for the confidence, but they had their chances in the first half.

"We have to keep improving and that's why we are here.

Forget Belgium, we're favourites, says Capello

Russia manager Fabio Capello has claimed that it is Russia rather than Belgium that are favourites to progress out of Group H in the World Cup finals next year.

"Everybody is saying that Belgium are the favourites in our group, but I feel that it’s Russia who are the true favourites," Capello was quoted as saying by Sport Express daily. However, he added: "Belgium are an excellent team consisting of young and skilled players. We will need to find the means to cope with them."

South Korea and Algeria make up the remainder of the group.

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World Soccer football

CRISTIANO RONALDO - RIBERY - MESSI FINALISTS UEFA PLAYER OF THE YEAR

UEFA has handed in their list of the three candidates up for the "UEFA Player of the Year" season 2012-2013. The three chosen are:

Cristiano Ronaldo ( Real Madrid CF)
Franck Ribery ( Bayern Munich)
Lionel Messi ( FC Barcelona)


The winner will be announced the 29th of August in Monaco where 29 leading Football journalists will vote live & direct via an electronic voting system.






Cristiano

PRE-SEASON GAME RESULTS | FC BARCELONA LOSES REAL MADRID DRAWS

Pre-season games & tests for Spanish Football Clubs FC Barcelona & Real Madrid. The first travelled to Munich to face Bayern, while the second flew to Lyon to play Olympique. The non-Spanish Clubs are fitter with more pre-season training & with more matches under their belts & in both cases it showed as the Spanish Teams have only been training for just more than a week. Added to this the Spanish

BAYERN MUNICH SIGNS FC BARCELONA THIAGO FOR 25M€

FC Barcelona & German Club Bayern Munich have made official the transfer & signing of Spanish International midfielder & "Spanish Football Pearl" Thiago Alcantara. The communication was made at 20.00 & the transfer figure negotiated is 25M€. This way Bayern Munich earns some money from the VAT % that is equivalent to the contract release clause of 18M€, & Barça gets some more cash after some

BAYERN MUNICH GUARDIOLA CONVINCES FC BARCELONA THIAGO ALCANTARA

The voted MVP of the last UEFA U-21 European Championships, FC Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara, has a "bargain basement" contract release clause of "only" 18M€. That figure climbs back up to 90M€ on the 1st of August, thus the big European Clubs are talking with the player in an attempt to convince him to sign with them.

Everything was pointing towards English Premier League Club

FC BARCELONA THIAGO | MANCHESTER UNITED OR BAYERN MUNICH ?

The UEFA U-21 European Championships was an authentic showcase of talent. In the Spanish Football , case which won the title yesterday 2 - 4 in the Final against Italy, the mayor European Clubs are now in the market offering succulent offers for the youngsters.

Malaga FC player Isco, who was voted MVP of the tournament, is experiencing a tug-of-war between Real Madrid & Manchester City. Real

LEWANDOWSKI - REAL MADRID | WHERE THERE IS HOPE ...

Borussia Dortmund striker Lewandowski is back in the pages of the Spanish Sports papers. The Polish forward & his future is uncertain & this has given some hope to Real Madrid in contemplating a possible signing. I did say hope, although still difficult. Lets get into the context.



Lewandowski has another season of contract with Dortmund. If Dortmund are to get money they must sell the player

The Ultimate Battle for German Supremacy Takes Center Stage at Champions League Final

Bayern Munich is far and away the most prestigious club in German soccer. With a record 23 Bundesliga championships and having consistently dominated the league while accumulating the best of Germany's talent, they are truly the pride of the nation.

But recently, a rival club has emerged to shake up the foundation. Borussia Dortmund has assembled a squad of talented youngsters that has provided a true test for Bayern Munich.

Borussia Dortmund won the Bundesliga last season, and although Bayern Munich did reclaim the title this year, the ultimate prize for both teams is the Champions League Final. These teams are now set to play in the final for the greatest of glory and bragging rights in Germany.

Bayern Munich has been a team of disappointment in recent Champions League Finals. Losing the 2010 final to Inter Milan was heartbreaking, but even worse was the final last year when Chelsea equalized at the end of regulation and ended up winning the title on penalties, in the home stadium of Bayern Munich no less.

Having been so disappointed in themselves, the club roared into action this season and claimed the Bundesliga crown in record time.

In the Champions League, Bayern Munich has been ruthless, dispatching of Arsenal, Juventus, and Barcelona often in quite decisive fashion. Their victory over Barcelona was legendary as Bayern Munich won with a 7-0 aggregate score, proving their worth with every goal.

But as impressive as Bayern Munich has been, Borussia Dortmund has been exciting. Topping the "group of death" consisting of Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Ajax, Borussia Dortmund then went on to defeat Shaktar Donetsk, Malaga, and Real Madrid, often in quite thrilling fashion. Their victory over Malaga was most exciting as two stoppage time goals pushed the side through in the tie.

Against Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund won commandingly at home 4-1 with Robert Lewandowksi the hero scoring all 4 goals. For the return leg they thwarted a late Real Madrid charge and held on to secure a place in the final.

And now the two clubs will play for the largest of stakes at Wembley Stadium in London, and will lay to rest the argument over which club is the king of Germany.

There is always an added element of excitement when a Champions League Final is between two teams of the same country, as the players, coaches, and fans truly know each other inside and out. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have met twice so far this season, with both matches ending in 1-1 draws.

However, the Champions League Final will require a winner, and both teams have more than enough players that are capable of sparking such a victorious moment in the match.

Bayern Munich is a team built around speed and ruthless power. Wide players like Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery often lead the attacks and send in passes to players like Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller to finish off for goals.

With so much offensive creativity, Munich is excellent at manufacturing quick goals. With other German international stars like Phillip Lahm, Manuel Neuer, and Bastian Schweinsteiger, Munich is a well-balanced and organized team. Bayern Munich has had one of their best years in history and has only lost 3 total games in all their competitions. To wrap up their fine year with a Champions League trophy is now an obsession and any failure to do so would result in a sad end to such a fine season.

Additionally, Bayern Munich will say farewell to manager Jupp Heynckes at the end of the season, who is to be replaced by former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola. Heynckes will surely want to become a Bayern Munich legend by winning the trophy, especially having seen his team come so close a year ago.

Borussia Dortmund is also a team devoted to speed and quick breaks. They have brilliantly amassed a team of young players that are a sure bet to become world-renowned stars in the coming years.

Leading the frontline is Robert Lewandowski, a very talented Polish goal scorer with 35 goals on the season. Additionally, the team houses a great deal of Germany’s best young talent with midfielders Mario Gotze and Marco Reus.

The defense is manned by Mats Hummels who is a superstar defender in the making. Manager Jurgen Klopp must be praised for his ability to mold this young crop of players into Champions League contenders. Dortmund is experiencing a great upheaval though and will lose several key players next year.

Lewandowski has been linked away for a while and is expected to depart soon. Mario Gotze broke the hearts of fans when it was recently announced that he is already headed for Bayern Munich this summer in a big money deal.

Such a transfer is a sad affair for the player, especially considering this massive game between the two clubs. For Borussia Dortmund, one has the feeling that winning the Champions League is a now or never proposition. Bayern Munich has great talent and is widely expected to simply bring in more star players, so we should expect their dominance to continue.

The match should be an exciting, fast paced affair with two teams that will go for it. Based on their incredible season domestically, and with the dominance showed against Barcelona in both legs of their semi-final matchup, I feel that Bayern Munich are the favorites in this game. Borussia Dortmund is a great test though and will provide an enthralling match.

Additionally, one would have to be brave to put money on Munich considering their two recent Champions League Final defeats. Truth be told, this is a total toss-up of a match with two teams that play free-flowing soccer. I envision Bayern Munich winning it late, 3-2.

Nicholas Spiller

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World Soccer football

Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich Live Streaming

Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich qualified for the Champions League Final this week; resulting in an all-German final at Wembley on 25th May.

What you may not have realised is that the very same pair lock horns in the domestic Bundesliga tomorrow afternoon at 17:30pm!

Not only this, the match is available live and direct to UK customers from the brilliant bet365 live streaming service.

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German Soccer football

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI RESULT | FC BARCELONA 0 BAYERN MUNICH 3 ( 0 - 7 AGG FOR BAYERN )

FC Barcelona joins rival Real Madrid at the doors of the UEFA Champions League Final after losing 0 - 3 to German Club Bayern Munich. The overall aggregate score ends up 0 - 7 in favour of the Germans & this in itself is news. Many see this as an end of a "golden period for Barça", while others see the need to clean the "house up" for next season. 

There was´nt the intensity or seeming "spirit"

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL | POSSIBLE STARTING 11 LINE-UPS FC BARCELONA - BAYERN MUNICH

More Spanish Football heroics called for tonight when FC Barcelona host German Club Bayern Munich in the 2º leg of UEFA Champions League semi-finals. The Germans visit with a 4 - 0 aggregate advantage & were Barça needs a 4-0 scoreline to force extra-time or 5-0 to qualify. A daunting objective that is out of reach for nearly most Clubs in World Football except perhaps FC Barcelona. However,

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 1º SEMI FINAL | BAYERN MUNICH 4 FC BARCELONA 0

First semi-final of the UEFA Champions League with the 1º st leg match between Bayern Munich & FC Barcelona. The final result a 4 - 0 drubbing by the Germans that virtually gives them a place in the final, barring a "miracle" from FC Barcelona in the return leg. A scenario very unlikely after what was witnessed tonight in the Allianz Arena.

A match that Barcelona will claim has been harsh on

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL | POSSIBLE STARTING 11 LINE-UPS | BAYERN MUNICH - FC BARCELONA

UEFA Champions League enters the semi-finals stage with 1º leg matches schedule tomorrow & Wednesday night. Serious & do or die Football with the first semi down between European giants Bayern Munich & FC Barcelona. The following day we have another high voltage match between Borussia Dortmund & Real Madrid, but for this post & today we will look at the Bayern-Barça encounter.

FC Barcelona come

ATLETICO DE MADRID | THE MARIO GOMEZ OPTION

ATLETICO DE MADRID does not want to be caught off-side with the possible departure of their star forward FALCAO. The Colombian International looks more than likely to be leaving the Spanish Football Club at the end of this season. The two Clubs being talked about as possible destinations are Real Madrid & Chelsea FC, with the latter gaining strength in the last weeks.Atletico has began to scout

GARETH BALE | REAL MADRID - BAYERN MUNICH INTEREST

Yesterday we mentioned the interest of REAL MADRID for the Welsh International & TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS player GARETH BALE. Also mentioned were the consistent rumours that are now weekly & soon to be daily as the front cover of Spanish Sports daily "Marca" highlights today.The new twist is that BAYERN MUNICH has entered the picture. New Coach Pep Guardiola also considers the players a priority.

BAYERN MUNICH GUARDIOLA HAS MICHU ON LIST ?

Spanish & Swansea forward MICHU is firing with plenty of goals in the English Premier League. The ex-Rayo Vallecano striker was signed by the English Club this season whose manager Laudrup is very familiar with the Spanish Football scene.Last night on a popular late night Spanish Football TV show, a regular guest mentioned that he has information from a person very close to Michu, that newly