Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman made headlines today with a scathing critique of former teammate Ross Barkley, saying: “He’s been playing in the first team since he was 17 or 18. That’s a long time to have been playing in the Premier League and not kicked on, and not made that next step. It’s worrying that he’s still being talked about as a young player and ‘give him time’.”
After a sensational season with Nice last season, Hatem Ben Arfa earned his dream move to Paris Saint-Germain. That dream has since turned into a nightmare for the French dribbling wizard. His many brief cameos as a substitute in league play this season have resulted in none of the magic that typified his year with Nice.
Without a doubt, FC Dallas gave the best account of MLS in the history of the CONCACAF Champions League over the course of their two-legged semifinal with Pachuca. However, it sill wasn’t enough as Hirving Lozano snatched victory for Pachuca at the death when we looked headed for extra time.
Bayern Munich finally faltered in the Bundesliga and lost to TSG Hoffenheim by a final score of 1-0 on Tuesday. The loss comes at the start of a difficult period for the Bavarians. They will take on arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund on April 8th, as well as play Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on April 12th.
According to Manchester United, the club boasts 659 million followers worldwide. Of that number, 109,000 international visitors make the journey to Old Trafford every year to see their beloved Red Devils play according to the Office for National Statistics.
As a 24-year-old, the sky was the limit for Italian American forward Giuseppe Rossi. Having come through the youth ranks at Parma and Manchester United, he was now flourishing in La Liga with Villarreal. In four seasons, he’d seen his goal totals gradually increase with the club: 13, 15, 17 and then a staggering 32 in the 2010-11 season.
Just scoring a goal in De Klassieker, the biggest club football rivalry in the Netherlands pitting Amsterdam’s Ajax and Rotterdam’s Feyenoord, is grounds for footballing legend. Factor in the additional importance of this early goal being the impetus for Ajax’s 2-1 victory, a result which saw them close the gap on their most hated rival to only three points at the top of the Eredivisie table, and it’s bordering on folkloric status.
Another match day, another performance that left many questions over Barcelona’s ability in a season that still has them fighting for the treble, which is a ridiculous thing to say. At times, this Barcelona side looks as good as any from the past 13 years, but they’re also more than capable of ringing their own death knell and signaling a need for transformation.
Against relegation certainties Granada, anything less than a comprehensive victory, even without the suspended Lionel Messi, would’ve had Blaugrana supporters looking towards Sevilla’s midweek visit with angst.
Aviles Hurtado is awfully coordinated.
The Xolos midfielder got on his bike and scored what will almost certainly end up being the goal of the Liga MX season Sunday against Atlas.
The Chicago Fire are well and truly on their way to winning the World Cup if Bastian Schweinsteiger’s debut is anything to go by. The former German international took all of 17 minutes to open his MLS account with Chicago after planting a header into the net from a superb David Accam cross.