Lukas Podolski has played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe and has even won a World Cup—this, however, was not one of his finest moments. 

The former Arsenal star produced a bafflingly bad corner during Inter Milan‘s Serie A clash with Fiorentina on Sunday evening. 

To make matters worse, Inter went on to lose the match 1-0. 

[Twitter, Vine]

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1EYRsfO
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Philippe Coutinho delivered a major blow to Manchester City’s hopes of retaining the Premier League title as his stunning 75th-minute strike claimed all three points for Liverpool at Anfield.

The Brazil international proved to be the difference as the Reds maintained their top-four challenge with the win.

Coutinho had been instrumental in the move, which led to Jordan Henderson opening the scoring with a superb curling shot in the 11th minute. But City hit back when Edin Dzeko slid Sergio Aguero’s superb ball past Simon Mignolet in the 25th minute.

However, with 15 minutes remaining, Raheem Sterling found Coutinho on the left corner of the City area, and the South American sent a brilliant curling effort beyond Joe Hart.

Daniel Sturridge started on the bench for Liverpool with Sterling playing a central role up front. Alberto Moreno came in for Jordon Ibe at left-back.

Yaya Toure made his return to Premier League action after African Cup of Nations duty, while Eliaquim Mangala replaced Martin Demichelis from the team which lost to Barcelona in the Champions League. Fernandinho came in for Fernando in midfield, with Aleksandar Kolarov in for Gael Clichy.

Great early play from Dzeko saw him roll the ball around Emre Can to find Aguero in the Liverpool area, but the striker was adjudged to be offside.

The home side had been on the backfoot in the opening stages, but a fine through ball from Coutinho freed Adam Lallana for a run on goal but the midfielder could only poke the ball at Hart, who saved comfortably.

Lallana had the ball in the net moments later, but was offside from Coutinho’s cross.

In the 11th minute, Liverpool took the lead courtesy of a Vincent Kompany error. The City captain mis-judged the ball on the halfway line, allowing Coutinho to steal possession.

The Brazilian found Sterling, who in turn played it to Henderson, and the Liverpool midfielder curled beyond Hart from the edge of the area.

At the other end, Liverpool goalkeeper Mignolet hesitated as David Silva played a long pass over the top to allow Aguero to rifle off a strike, which thundered off the post and away from danger.

The game was being played at break-neck speed in the opening stages with little time for either side to draw breath.

Another superb pass from Coutinho, with the outside of his right boot, set Sterling in motion in the 23rd minute, but there were no takers when the England international crossed into the City area. 

Liverpool had been in charge of the game, but conceded an equaliser to a great piece of City play in the 25th minute.

Toure’s long ball found David Silva in the Liverpool half, and he found a great pass to Aguero on the edge of the area.

The City striker held up the ball before placing a perfect pass into Dzeko in the area, and the Bosnian slid it under Mignolet. It was a barely deserved leveller, but its execution was excellent. 

Lazar Markovic almost set up Lallana with a clipped ball into the area, but the former Southampton man’s angled effort drifted just wide in the 35th minute.

Sterling looked to be on course to put Liverpool ahead in first-half injury-time, but he could not control Lallana’s backheel into his path to get a close-range shot off.

There was an early second-half opportunity for City when Pablo Zabaleta cut back a cross for Aguero, whose header narrowly flew over the crossbar.

But Liverpool proved they remained a threat when, after a great passing move, Lallana sent the ball over to Sterling inside the City area, but he could not find his feet under pressure from the visiting defence.

Lallana had the ball in the back of the net in the 54th minute, but Martin Skrtel was offside at the preceding free-kick.

Samir Nasri was cautioned for tripping Coutinho in the 58th minute. James Milner came on to replace Dzeko as Manuel Pellegrini sought to close down the spaces in midfield.

A series of mis-placed passes from both sides saw the game lose the speed of the first period, but the threat of a further goal remained.

Then in the 75th minute, Coutinho produced a goal out of nothing to stun City. Sterling chased goalwards before finding the former Inter Milan man on the left corner of the City area. The South American looked up before sending a brilliant curling shot beyond Hart.

As Liverpool celebrated, manager Brendan Rodgers brought Sturridge on for Markovic. City responded by bringing Wilfried Bony on for Fernandinho.

Aguero worked himself some space in the 79th minute, but his angled shot drifted wide of Mignolet’s goal.

Milner was booked after a tangle with Sterling before Moreno came off as Kolo Toure lined up against his brother Yaya for the first time. Frank Lampard also made an appearance as he came on for Nasri.

Bony was fortunate to escape with just a yellow card after leading with his arm in a challenge on Lallana in the 85th minute.

Toure burst through in the final minute before Silva sent a shot wide of goal as City chased an equaliser.

However, Liverpool held on to bounce back from their midweek Europa League exit, while City were left to lick their wounds after the Champions League loss to Barcelona.

Selected Player Ratings

Philippe Coutinho: A+

The Liverpool midfielder ran the show early on and was the architect of Henderson’s goal. A superb display which proved the decision to rest him in the Europa League was worthwhile.

Vincent Kompany: B

Manchester City supporters must be wondering what has happened to their captain in recent weeks. But today provided a nadir for the Belgium international after being easily dispossessed for Liverpool’s opening goal.

Joe Allen: A

The Wales international might not be of the same caliber as Coutinho, but his role proved just as crucial for Liverpool as he marked the space City could utilise. Provided the blocking for the threat of David Silva in the opening period and rarely missed a pass.

Post-Match Reaction

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1aGN5Nc
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The rivalry between Premier League clubs Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur has intensified tremendously in the past decade, and with the Capital One Cup final just around the corner, Blues manager Jose Mourinho decided to put some more fuel on the fire.

As shared by ESPN FC, the Portuguese manager revealed he turned down Spurs after leaving the Blues in 2007. His contract contained an exit clause prohibiting him from coaching in England for two years, but even with Tottenham paying Chelsea compensation, he just couldn’t do it: “No, because I love Chelsea supporters too much.”

The news is eerily reminiscent of the sage surrounding Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who nearly invested his considerable funds in the north London club before purchasing their rivals from the west of the British capital.

Sven Goran Eriksson revealed back in 2013 that he talked the Russian billionaire out of his decision, as reported by the Daily Mail‘s Nik Simon:

In 2003 Roman wanted to buy a club in Russia. I went with him to Moscow to see the facilities at two or three other clubs.

But then he changed his mind and said he wanted to buy a club in London. He was thinking Chelsea or Tottenham.

He phoned me and said, “Who shall I buy?” 

I said if you want to win the league then Chelsea – because you only have to change half the team.

At that time with Tottenham maybe you would have had to change the whole team.

The story is well-known: Chelsea went on to become one of the top clubs in all of Europe, winning several Premier League titles and the Champions League under the guidance of up-and-coming manager Mourinho, while Tottenham remained a good, not great club fighting for a European ticket.

Mourinho left the club in 2007 for an Italian adventure with Inter Milan, leading the Nerazzurri to the treble—Serie A title, Coppa Italia and Champions League title—before moving on to Real Madrid.

One has to wonder what could have been should Mourinho have moved to north London instead, but as arguably the world’s most wanted manager back in 2007—a position he might still hold today—a move to Spurs would have seemed unlikely anyway.

Follow @ReverschPass

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1wyxEAK
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Liverpool have reportedly been cleared by UEFA of any financial fair play violations, as Sky Sports announced on Friday the investigation into the Premier League club has ended:

The Reds were part of a cluster of clubs being investigated while making their return to European competition, which limits the losses such a club may have.

But as reported by the Liverpool Echo‘s Martin Ziegler, Liverpool always felt comfortable facing those allegations and were widely expected to be exonerated:

The Reds have been one of a number of clubs absent from European competition last season who have been under investigation by the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB).

Monaco, Roma, Besiktas, Inter Milan, Krasnodar and Sporting Lisbon were also among those asked to supply further information about their finances last September

The CFCB will meet on Friday and is expected to announce that investigations into Liverpool have ended without any sanctions to be brought against the Anfield hierarchy.

The ECHO reported last year that Liverpool officials remained unconcerned and were happy they haven’t broken rules which state that all clubs competing in Europe must limit losses to £35.4m over two seasons.

According to Ziegler, the club has been able to write many of its losses off as stadium expenditure and the likes, a likely reason why the Club Financial Control Body felt comfortable ending its investigation into Liverpool.

As shared by The Times‘ Tony Barrett, club chief executive Ian Ayre was relieved to hear the announcement but kept his comments brief:

Hull City face a small fine, per Sky Sports, while many other top clubs like AS Roma, Monaco and Inter Milan will remain under investigation.

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1AhDeSt
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The draw for the last 16 of the Europa League was made in Nyon on Friday, as the teams left in the competition—exhausted by Thursday evening’s efforts to even get through to this stage—discovered who their next opponents on the long road to May’s final will be.

With plenty of big names left in the competition, there was great scope for some intriguing ties to be made—and special guest Jerzy Dudek did not disappoint, as he pulled out some brilliant matchups.

Full Europa League Last-16 Draw

Everton vs. Dynamo Kyiv
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk vs. Ajax
Zenit Saint Petersburg vs. Torino
Wolfsburg vs. Inter Milan
Villarreal vs. Sevilla
Napoli vs. Dinamo Moscow
Club Brugge vs. Besiktas
Fiorentina vs. Roma

(Teams named first play first leg at home. Ties to be played on March 12 and 19.)

Click on for some winners and losers from the draw.

Begin Slideshow

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1DZi95h
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

It wasn’t Inter’s finest hour. That they needed to labour to a 1-0 win at home to a side from the periphery of European football says a lot about how far the Nerazzurri still have to go, but during Thursday’s Europa League clash with Celtic there were some signs of new life at the San Siro.

There was a look of stoic resignation to the Scottish side’s play after Virgil van Dijk was sent off in the first half, but the 2010 European champions still needed another 52 minutes, and a piece of improbable individual skill from Fredy Guarin, to score against their visitors.

88′ – GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! @fguarin13! #InterCeltic 1-0 #UEL http://ift.tt/1LRk7Hw

— F.C. Internazionale (@Inter) February 26, 2015

The Colombian’s wonderful strike came just two minutes from the end, a singular flash of brilliance that cancelled out 90 minutes of communal mediocrity and secured progression to the last 16. Which, in a nutshell, is the defining problem with Inter. 

For all of the current squad’s many flaws, it’s not without talent. There’s sometimes been a tendency to tar them all with the same brush in recent seasons, but there is a core of valuable, talented players currently at Roberto Mancini’s disposal. 

The issue is whether the 50-year-old can add depth to that spine before they’re lured off elsewhere by the promise of silverware. 

Guarin, Mateo Kovacic, Mauro Icardi, Gary Medel, Samir Handanovic, Xherdan Shaqiri, Lukas Podolski—all gifted footballers who would be useful to most top European teams. Even the likes of Hernanes and Rodrigo Palacio are functional. The trouble is that once you look past that handful of stars, the Inter squad is shockingly impotent. 

Massimo Moratti’s final years at the helm of the good ship Inter were characterised by under-investment and misguided faith in ailing abilities. Wanting to balance the books is fine—more than that, it’s admirable—but several clubs in Italy and abroad have shown that it is possible to be competitive without spending a fortune, once your club is managed well. 

And that’s something that Inter hasn’t been over the last few campaigns. The post-Mourinho hangover has now lasted almost five years—an eternity in modern football. The glory of that Champions League final night in Madrid has long since faded, and now all that remains are a few lingering recollections of what it was like at the top of the game.

Somewhere between then and now, the Nerazzurri took a wrong turn. Mancini is the seventh manager to sit on the bench since Mourinho left, and they’re without a trophy since the 2011 Coppa Italia. For a team that won so much in the last decade, that scarcity of success should have had alarm bells ringing much sooner.

The jury’s still out on whether or not Mancini is really the man to turn things around. The ex-Manchester City boss enjoyed a triumphant four years at the San Siro during his first tenure, but that was a very different time. 

In the post-calciopoli mire, only Luciano Spalletti’s Roma could muster any kind of challenge to Inter’s hegemony in Serie A. And the Sensi family’s money problems meant that the Giallorossi were never really able to make that final step from contenders to champions, so the Nerazzurri were largely in a league of their own. 

Now, Mancini finds himself in different circumstances. There’s a different owner, and instead of taking over a squad full of players at the height of their powers, as he had in 2004, he’s now in charge of an extremely patchy group of players who are wallowing mid-table. 

On the face of it, Mancini wasn’t the most obvious candidate for Erick Thohir to hire to pick up the pieces at a club down on its luck. His critics would say that he’s always preferred the easy jobs, and despite his success he’s never really been tested. It’s likely that his first Inter, and his Manchester City, would have won anyway, almost regardless of who was on the bench. 

The 1997 Serie A Footballer of the Year does have an affinity with the club though, and it’s likely that his disappointing spell at Galatasaray has created a desire to prove himself. If Mancini can return La Beneamata to winning ways, it will silence the doubters and end the debate about his abilities as a manager. It might even get him the Italy job, something you get the feeling he’d relish. 

The second leg against Celtic wasn’t the first improvement that Inter have shown since Mancio took the reins, but it was perhaps the most characteristic. Up until now, there were still timorous echoes of the disorganised mess that had cost Walter Mazzarri his job. 

Against the Scottish, by contrast, the Nerazzurri looked like Mancini’s old Inter, albeit with fewer star players. They were solid without being spectacular, tight at the back, calm in possession and ultimately clinical when a slim chance presented itself. And they looked confident, which is probably the biggest turnaround. If they can keep it up, they might yet end the season on an unlikely high note. 

Aside from the obvious lure of a medal, continuing this run also represents their best chance at qualifying for European football next term, because currently Inter are four points and three places off Fiorentina, who occupy the last qualification spot in Serie A. Even if it’s the ugly sister of continental competition, it can be a valuable proving ground for Mancini and a useful way to restore a winning mentality in Milan. 

There’s a long way to go from narrowly beating a side from the SPL in the Europa League’s Round of 32 to being competitive at the sharp end of the Champions League again, but for now, Interisti will take what they can get. It might not be much, but it’s a start.  

Follow @ColliOBrien

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1DZi0yR
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Wolfsburg’s battle against Inter Milan headlines an exciting Europa League round-of-16 draw. Friday’s ceremony also pitted Sevilla against Villarreal in an all-Spanish tie, while Italian rivals Fiorentina and Roma are set to do battle.

Here’s a look at the full draw, per the competition’s official Twitter account:

It’s worth noting that Russian and Ukrainian teams still couldn’t be paired together due to the difficult political climate between the two nations, reported by Football Italia. First-leg ties will be played on March 12, with the second legs taking place a week later, per UEFA.

2015 Europa League Favourites

Wolfsburg

It’s likely to surprise many people that Wolfsburg are behind only Napoli as favourites for the tournament, as demonstrated by Oddschecker.

The Partenopei and Roma are perhaps the more obvious contenders—especially as they both have recent Champions League experience—but Dieter Hecking’s side have seriously improved since the early stages of the season.

Since losing 4-1 to Everton in September, Wolfsburg have lost just three of their proceeding 27 matches in all competitions, winning 19, per WhoScored.com. This run includes an impressive 4-1 thrashing of Bayern Munich, an enthralling 5-4 away win over Bayer Leverkusen and the side’s recent Europa League dismantling of Sporting Lisbon, which finished 2-0 on aggregate in the round of 32.

Wolfsburg have found consistency at the back—conceding more than one goal just once in their last eight matches—and a prolific goalscorer up front. Bas Dost has seemingly come from nowhere to score 12 goals in his last eight matches, generating plenty of buzz on the continent.

His quality is highlighted below:

Dost has a conversation rate of 45.8 per cent in front of goal this season, according to WhoScored, and he is feeding brilliantly off Kevin De Bruyne’s creative output. The Belgian has assisted three and scored three in eight competition appearances this term, with those figures standing at 11 and 15 respectively when Bundesliga fixtures are added, per WhoScored.

The same outlet highlighted Wolfsburg’s ability to create opportunities:

These players can go about their jobs freely, knowing the anchor of Luiz Gustavo will keep things ticking over behind them. The Germans have top quality running throughout their side, with Naldo and Ricardo Rodriguez also consistently proving their worth. Throw in the January signing of Andre Schurrle, and this is an incredibly tough team to beat.

Inter Milan are improving by the week—aided by the decent form of players such as Mauro Icardi, Fredy Guarin and Xherdan Shaqiri—and will prove difficult to overcome, but Wolfsburg continue to demonstrate a palpable collective resiliency.

Dark Horses

Sevilla

There’s no doubt Sevilla are equipped to go a long way in the tournament. This is a club that has won the competition three times in the last decade, and the defending champions have a habit of quietly gaining momentum in the latter stages.

Unai Emery’s team are also progressing well in La Liga, currently sat in fifth with 14 wins from 24 matches. They beat Villarreal, 2-1, earlier in the season and will be confident of moving beyond their familiar opponents in the continental clash.

Although there are stronger teams on paper remaining in the competition, when things click for Sevilla, they have the capacity to upset anyone still standing. Sports writer Kieran Canning suggests that the draw is unlucky for both teams, however:

Sevilla’s output is dependent on striker Carlos Bacca, someone who stretches the play with ambitious forward runs. He scored the important opener in the second leg of the 4-2 aggregate win over Borussia Monchengladbach, working ruthlessly ahead of quality players such as Aleix Vidal and Vitolo, both of whom contributed to the success.

Emery has drilled his team to squeeze opponents out of possession while taking control with the ball at their feet. Sevilla are also used to springing forward on the counter, making them lethal if play breaks down in the centre. As dark horses, this combination of tournament experience and ambition could be key.

The round-of-16 ties are sure to serve up plenty of drama, with sides such as Wolfsburg and Sevilla now looking to make a run to the final eight and, ultimately, the crown.

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1AgyrAU
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The draw for the last 16 of the Europa League took place in Nyon on Friday, as teams discovered their next opponent on the path to May’s final in Warsaw.

Here is how the draw unfolded (first team named will play first leg at home). 

Last-16 draw

Everton vs Dynamo Kiev
Dnipro vs Ajax
Wolfsburg vs Inter Milan
Zenit vs Torino

Villarreal vs Sevilla
Club Brugge vs Besiktas
Napoli vs Dinamo Moscow
Fiorentina vs Roma

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1AzJqdD
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This dress above has, for reasons best known to the Internet, driven everybody to distraction, as some insist it is white and gold, while others contend that it is black and blue.

You’d think, for once, that even if we can’t agree on the colour scheme, we could all accept there was no sports angle. But Manchester United couldn’t resist joining in:

We still love last season’s white and gold kit… #whiteandgold #blueandblack #TheDress http://ift.tt/1AzJs5f

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 27, 2015

And not everyone thought their participation was quite as fun as the club themselves did: 

Go back to your lives, citizens. The fun’s over. https://t.co/whnddljnC9

— Andrew Thomas (@andi_thomas) February 27, 2015

We await the view from Inter Milan on the colours of their kit:

The dress when worn is clearly black and blue @Inter http://ift.tt/1DgNH2F

— Giovanni (@Gio_Trombetta) February 27, 2015

 [Twitter]

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1DgNEnK
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J