For those not invited to celebrate the birthday of Robert Pires
The U17 World Cup continues at 3pm on Eurosport 2, as Italy’s nippers attempt to take revenge for 2002 and all that, by beating some South Korean children.
Three matches this evening covering a range of footballing competition. If you like your football young, catch Wales vs Scotland in the Victory Shield at 7:40pm on Sky Sports 1. If you like your football second-rate, Man United reserves try to take their own revenge against the Liverpool counterparts, MUTV from 7.
And finally, if you like your football preening, the Special One hosts Walter Zenga’s Palermo, looking to go four points clear at the top of Serie A. The game is on ESPN at 7:45.
Eight games across Europe on the gogglebox this evening, but surely none as critical as Liverpool’s home match with Lyon. Having finished third in le Championnat last season, OL are certainly are not the force they once were back in the days of Juninho, Florent Malouda and Michael Essien. Nevertheless they should have more than enough to trouble Liverpool’s back-line, with Lisandro Lopez (pictured) a particular threat. In the other Group E match, Fiorentina should just about see off Debrecen.
Home wins at the ready for Barcelona (Rubin Kazan) and Inter Milan (Dinamo Kiev) in Group F tonight, whilst Rangers must beat Unirea Urziceni to sustain their interest, at least for a few more weeks. Stuttgart vs Sevilla in that same group, should be a comfortable away win, leaving the Reds coach Markus Babbel in even more toil and trouble.
If you like to watch your contests unbalanced, whilst all the time being patronisingly told what great football you’re watching, AZ Alkmaar vs Arsenal is on Sky Sports Xtra. Olympiacos vs Standard Liege, the very definition of making up the numbers, is the final match of the night.
Cagliari’s Daniele Dessena, on loan from Sampdoria, shows once more why he is one of the brightest young things in Italian football right now, with this overhead kick against Catania.
John Goosens started his professional career with Ajax, where the famous academy obviously taught him to do things like this.
We here at thespoiler can never get enough of goalkeepers scoring goals, so we loved this one from the Portugese Cup.
Inter’s splattering of Genoa on Saturday night was unquestionably the performance of the weekend in Europe, and Dejan Stankovic’s long-range effort, probably the goal of the weekend in Europe.
The latest transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies
Maicon to Manchester United / City
Expect a lot of these over the summer. As soon as United make a move for anyone at all, City will come barging in flashing cash, purely to antagonise their neighbours.
Thespoiler truth-ometer: Both clubs need a right full-back, and Maicon is probably the best in the world right now (sorry Glen.) Another season of European failure for Inter could see one of these deals happen.
Cesc Fabregas to Real Madrid
Seething from the defeat against Seville, Madrid supremo Florentino Perez has swiftly identified the problem, and the solution - another lightweight creative midfielder. The Daily Mail no less, reports that Madrid may even make a move in January, so as to get in ahead of Barca who are unlikely to do any business before the summer.
Thespoiler truth-ometer: Cesc is a proud Catalan, and unlikely to want to join their fiercest rivals. It is also questionable whether Madrid can find the room to squeeze him in, with Diarra and Alonso having started brightly in the centre of their midfield.
Nilton to Liverpool
Having yesterday highlighted the brilliance of the young Vasco striker (see here), thespoiler is proud that Rafa Benitez has picked up the hint, and according to the Daily Mirror, is keen to bring him to Anfield in January.
Thespoiler truth-ometer: Rafa’s transfer policy is never the easiest to predict. One week its Nilton, the next Peter Shilton, the next Paris Hilton. We’re staying non-committal on this one.
FIFA are killing football, says Giovanni Trapattoni
[Goal.com]
Arsenal track a pair of Bari defenders
[Daily Mail]
There is plenty more to life if I’m not picked in the England squad,” says Michael Owen, who is desperately trying to get into the England squad
[The Mirror]
Are Manchester Utd looking to sign Inter’s Maicon?
[Betfair Football]
This was meant to be the season where Ben Foster established himself as Man United and England number one. The way things are going he won’t even be at Old Trafford for much longer…
Last March, Ben Foster had only ever started one league game for Manchester United and yet somehow, on the strength of one penalty save in the Carling Cup Final, developed a reputation as a superstar.
Fabio Capello was wowed by the display and breached his own guidelines later that month to cap Foster in a friendly against Slovakia, despite the fact he wasn’t playing regular club football.
Being talked up so much in the press without actually achieving much was always going to prove problematic, especially when an Edwin van der Sar injury in pre-season provoked articles about how Foster would prove so successful that the Dutchman would never get the shirt back.
When Capello was asked what had impressed him about the 26-year-old, he said: “He plays without fear and with confidence.” His assuredness has since been eroded though by a series of horrendous blunders.
First there was the embarrassing pre-season mistake against a Malaysia XI where he failed to control a backpass, then disaster in the Community Shield, later followed by humiliation against Manchester City and most recently the screw-up for Sunderland’s second last weekend. Rumours in the press suggest the latter was the catalyst for a “furious dressing room bust-up” between the keeper and Sir Alex Ferguson.
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