Sabotage Times, We can't Concentrate so Why Should You?

Samid Yesil is a goal poacher in the classic mould of Gerd Müller – could he be the solution to Liverpool’s goal-scoring problems?

As Liverpool embark on their Europa campaign tonight, I urge them not to whinge about the competition. Last season it was responsible for rekindling my love for the beautiful game.

The fanfare for Spain’s three tournament wins in a row will take a while to die down, but these five games show that it isn’t all about 20-year coaching strategies, sometimes you’ve got to learn on the job…

Bayern Munich have been close to a deal for Athletic Bilbao’s Javi Martinez for a while, but Manchester United and Arsenal should should try their hardest to bring him to England. Here’s why the next Xabi Alonso is worth £32m…

Xabi bizarrely receives criticism from the Spanish press while Iniesta and Xavi getting all the plaudits, but the bearded Basque is the most integral component of Spain’s midfield, and their whole footballing philosophy would suffer without him.

Familiarity breeds contempt and after four years of Spanish dominance the knives are out, which is nonsense from where I’m sitting…

It could still go horribly downhill from here on in, but UEFA EURO 2012 has been an expectation-topping blast so far, with not a cagey 0-0 draw in sight.

RVP’s blistering goal, with his right foot no less, wasn’t enough to salvage a point against a brilliant German side. If the Arsenal man had better service throughout, then maybe Holland would be celebrating this morning…

Manning the terraces, side by side with the enemy and one fateful cheer away from either victory or a head-kicking.

A tribute to an Old Trafford legend who scored some of the sweetest goals of the 80s and 90s. And none of them off his shin either. Here are 10 of the best.

Having scored a goal every 40 minutes at the U-17 World Cup, Ivory Coast sensation Souleymane Coulibaly could be the new Didier Drogba. Tottenham Hotspur who have just snapped him up certainly hope so.

Can Lionel Messi really turn it on for Argentina? Judging by his performance against an admittedly inexperienced Costa Rica side in the wee small hours of Tuesday, he most definitely can.

The ex-Manchester United star and England ladies manager have both had a pop, but is shooting from the hip really the way to solve the problems with English football?

England face Germany after ending their spot-kick hoodoo, the Central Asians ooze potential, and Ivory Coast’s Souleymane Coulibaly has the makings of a superstar, as long as he stays away from Real Madrid for the time being.

A rousing defence of international football and why, in Argentina at least, Lionel Messi needs to win it to prove he is no pecho frio…

With his two goals against Real Madrid in the first leg, Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi showed he is now ready to be compared to the greatest player the world has ever seen.

As Manchester United and Barcelona prepare to lock horns, I’m ready to blow a gasket at their holier-than-thou posturing about values…

The FA Cup final is big for success starved Manchester City and Stoke City, but as these past goals and celebrations show, it has definitely lost some of its lustre…

The moaning, whinging and diving of the cluster of El Clasico’s is one thing, but is the wedge driven between the Spanish players from Barcelona and Real Madrid all part of Jose Mourinho’s master plan to win the World Cup with Portugal in 2014?

We’d all be talking about Mourinho again were it not for Messi, a comic book hero on a night when Real Madrid and Barcelona stank the house out.

Real Madrid might have won the Spanish Cup but if Mourinho is going to seize La Liga crown from Barcelona then he needs to rescue Fernando Torres from Chelsea.

The great rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona will be duking it out in their sixth Copa del Rey final tonight, their first for 21 years. As an appetiser for round two of their 2011 quadrilogy, here’s the story of the fixture so far.

For all their success in Europe, English sides have also suffered some nasty kickings in the competition. Following on from Spurs’ bashing at the Bernabeu, here are six of the worst.

England’s knackered voyagers have entertained us royally in an epic winter. But after a ten-wicket shoeing from Sri Lanka and their colourful fans, they can make like Ulysses and head home at last.

Madrid now look like a Mourinho side rather than the bunch of flakes that have flopped out of the Champions League for the last six years.

As Liverpool and Man City prepare to play continental opposition this evening, here are good reasons why UEFA’s marketing wizards can sex up the Europa League all they like, but it’ll never hold a candle to the imperious UEFA Cup.

Australia has been a world of pain for England on their last five Ashes tours. Here are ten reasons why this time will be different.

One of the upsides of reaching a World Cup final is getting to put your arsey predecessor nicely back in his place. Just ask Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque.