Some Tables of Leagues

Here are some tables of the leagues I am following for your reference

Midweek Action in Europe

This would be a busy week in Europe with Carling Cup in England, Spainish La Liga and Serie A action.

All this are building for the big clash in the EPL between Man Utd and Arsenal this sunday.

Round up of the weekend action. Most of the big boys did their round with the exception of AC Milan, Inter Milan and Bayern. Overall it is a nice weekend of soccer action where the big surprise is 6-0 trashing of Man City by Chelsea. Whom would see that coming?

Carling Cup

Bolton 1-2 Man City
Chelsea 4-0 Leicester City
Liverpool 2-0 Cardiff City
Luton Town 0-1 Everton
Portsmouth 1-2 Blackburn
Sheff Utd 1-3 Arsenal
Tottenham 2-0 Blackpool

Tottenham should see off blackpool with speed to spare and giving Ramos his 1st win. But for Bolton, they are up against Man City who should be wanting to clear away the 6-0 trashing by Chelsea in the weekend.

As for Portsmouth and Blackburn, both are on a good run of form. Hence should be close one with Blackburn maybe nicking this one.

Would Arsenal with its youngsters to defeat Sheff United? Very likely as they are all fighting for a first XI position.

With the visit of Cardiff, liverpool has a chance to rebuild their confidence against weaker opposition though the return of Fowler to his old hunting round would be interesting.

Chelsea should dismanthle Leicester with gas to spare. While Luton may prove a stiff test for Everton's small squad, my only major concern for an upset is here as Luton won 5 of 7 home games in League 1 so far and Everton are not good travellers.

Best Bet: Chelsea to win by a 3-0 margin.

Spanish La Liga

Almeria 1-2 Real Zaragoza
Atletico Madrid 2-1 Sevilla
Deportivo La Coruna 0-1 Mallorca
Espanyol 2-0 Murcia
Getafe 1-1 Atheltic Bilbao
Real Betis 2-2 Osasuna
Recreativo Huelva 1-2 Racing Santander
Valencia 1-2 Real Madrid
Villarreal 2-0 Levante

Italian Serie A

Atalanta 1-1 Cagliari
Fiorentina 2-1 Napoli
Inter-Milan 2-0 Genoa
Juventus 2-1 Empoli
Palermo 1-1 Parma
Reggina 2-2 Livorno
Roma 1-0 Lazio
Sampdoria 1-2 AC Milan
Siena 1-2 Catania
Udinese 2-1 Torino

Back to the world of football action with some news now.

1. First up is the new gaffer at Spurs, Mr Ramos is looking at bringing the glory days to Spurs with his style of attacking football. First up would the carling clash vs Blackpool later tonight which should be easy for Ramos to nick his victory here.

2. To France, where Cisse came to rescue of Marseille in the France Cup with his goal to take the game into extra time vs Metz where Marseille prevail on penalties to set up a last eight meeting with Auxerre.

3. Also in Carling Cup action last night was West Ham with 2 late goals against Coventry City to secure their passage into the next round.

Major Leagues Predictions

It is the time of time again for my major leagues Predictions. Sorry about the no updates of my predictions for the CL league as was very busy with my other projects. Now for my predictions this week.

English Premiership

Birmingham 1-2 Wigan
Chelsea 1-1 Man City
Man Utd 2-0 Middlesbrough
Reading 1-2 Newcastle
Sunderland 1-1 Fulham
Portsmouth 2-1 West Ham
Bolton 0-1 Aston Villa
Derby 0-2 Everton
Tottenham 1-2 Blackburn
Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal

Big Matches: Chelsea vs Man City and Liverpool vs Arsenal are the big matches this week. One can add Tottenham in with Jol out and maybe his team might steal a win, but against blackburn a bit tough.

Best Bet: Man Utd and Everton to win by 2 clear goals. Small money on a man city or liverpool win.

Bundesliga

Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Hannover
Arminia Bielfeld 2-1 Energie Cottbus
Hansa Rostock 1-1 Karlsruhe
Hertha Berlin 2-1 Vfl Bochum
Schalke 2-3 Werder Bremen
VfB Stuttgart 1-2 Bayern Leverkusen
VfL Wolfsburg 1-2 Nurnberg
Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Bayern Munich
MSV Duisburg 1-2 Hamburg

Big Matches: Schalke vs Bremen, Stuttgart vs Leverkusen and Dortmund vs Munich. All may end in draws, but would be taking Munich to win.

Best Bet: Take Bremen and Munich to win by the odd goal.

Spanish La Liga

Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Real Betis
Barcelona 3-0 Almeria
Sevilla 1-1 Valencia
Levante 1-2 Athletic Madrid
Mallorca 2-1 Espanyol
Murcia 1-1 Recreativo Huelva
Osasuna 2-1 Valladolid
Racing Santander 1-2 Getafe
Real Madrid 2-1 Deportivo
Real Zaragoza 1-2 Villarreal

Big Match: Pick of the week would be the clash between Sevilla vs Valencia. Question here would be whether Ramos, Sevilla's coach, would be still around for this one?

Best Bet: Barcelona to win by 2, Madrid and Villarrel to win by a odd goal.

Serie A

Torino 2-1 Cagliari
Napoli 1-2 Juventus
AC Milan 1-0 Roma
Catnia Calcio 1-2 Sampdoria
Empoli 2-1 Atalanta
Lazio 2-1 Udineses
Palermo 1-2 Inter Milan
Parma 2-1 Livorno
Siena 1-1 Reggina
Genoa 1-2 Fiorentina

Big Match: AC Milan vs Roma is the cream of this weekend in Serie A. Would AC Milan finally "turn a corner" or would be it a 8 goal thriller?

Best Bet: Take Juventus, Inter and Fiorentina to win by one goal.

Enough of the boring stuff, now for some sporting news around the globe.

1. Cheers for Spur as Sevilla's coach Ramos have resigned in preparation for the Spurs Job. So the rumors are true; but a Spanish speaking boss with little english?? Can it work? Only time would tell on this one.

2. More bad news for the Reds as Pennant would be out for around 10 weeks after surgery on his right leg. Would there be a silver lining for the Reds at the weekend with a win over EPL leaders Arsenal?

3. Good News for the other Reds as Hargraves appear fit to make a return from injury for the Devils this weekend. How come the Devils are being the luckier reds?

4. Good News for AC Milan ahead for their clash with Roma is the injury of Totti for the Rome side. Would his absence allow Milan to seal a victory at home?

Predictions for UEFA Champions League

After a weekend of league action, our attention would be turned to Champions League action in midweek. And here are my predictions.

Champions League Predictions

Rangers 2-1 Barcelona
VfB Stuttgart 1-2 Lyon
Dynamo Kiev 1-1 Man Utd
Roma 1-0 Sporting Lisbon
CSKA Moscow 1-2 Inter Milan
PSV Eindhoven 2-1 Fenerbahce
Arsenal 3-1 Slavia Prague
Sevilla 3-1 Steaua Bucuresti
Beskitas 0-1 Liverpool
Marseille 1-0 Porto
Chelsea 1-1 Schalke
Rosenborg 1-2 Valencia
Real Madrid 2-0 Olympiakos
Werder Bremen 2-2 Lazio
AC Milan 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
Benfica 1-1 Celtic

Notes: The English Big four are looking to continue their good Champions League form to update except for Liverpool which must buck up if not, it would be facing elimination soon. As for Rangers, a visit by injured Barcelona may be a good time to nick a point or even a victory after a comprehensive 3-0 old firm victory. As for Celtic, travelling to Benfica where a point would be crucial. Real Madrid and Barcelona would be looking for a good result after league losses. AC Milan have to turn their season around as their form is on a roller coaster while it should be a breeze for Inter Milan. Lazio would face a tough trip to Bremen.

Top Bets: Take Arsenal, Sevilla to win. Go small for a Rangers draw or a Kiev draw.

Results of Major Leagues

Guys. Time for the results of the major leagues. Some major upsets except for the EPL, but that's life in the big leagues.

English Premership

Everton 1-2 Liverpool
Arsenal 2-0 Bolton
Blackburn 4-2 Reading
Fulham 0-0 Derby
Manchester City 1-0 Birmingham
Middlesbrough 0-2 Chelsea
Wigan 0-2 Portsmouth
Aston Villa 1-4 Manchester United
West Ham 3-1 Sunderland

Bundesliga

Energie Cottbus 1-2 MSV Duisburg
Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Borussia Dortmund
Hamburg 4-1 VfB Stuttgart
Hansa Rostock 1-1 Schalke
Nurnberg 5-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
VfL Bochum 1-2 Bayern Munich
Werder Bremen 3-2 Hertha Berlin
Hannover 2-2 VfL Wolfsburg
Karlsruhe 0-0 Arminia Bielefeld

Spainish La Liga

Almeria 2-0 Osasuna
Atletico Madrid 4-0 Real Zaragoza
Deportivo 2-4 Valencia
Espanyol 2-1 Real Madrid
Getafe 2-0 Murcia
Levante 1-2 Sevilla
Real Betis 1-1 Racing Santander
Recreativo Huelva 0-2 Mallorca
Valladolid 1-2 Atheltic Bilbao
Villarreal 3-1 Barcelona

Serie A

AC Milan 0-1 Empoli
Atalanta 2-2 Torino
Cagliari 1-1 Catania
Fiorentina 3-0 Siena
Juventus 1-0 Genoa
Livorno 0-1 Lazio
Reggina 0-1 Inter Milan
Roma 4-4 Napoli
Sampdoria 3-0 Parma
Udinese 1-1 Palermo

Legend for Analysis of Predictions

CP: Correct Predictions based on 1x2 System
WP: Wrong Predictions based on 1x2 system
CR: Correct Result Predicted

English Premership

Everton 1-2 Liverpool (CP,CR)
Arsenal 3-1 Bolton (CP)
Blackburn 1-0 Reading (CP)
Fulham 2-1 Derby (WP)
Manchester City 2-1 Birmingham (CP)
Middlesbrough 1-2 Chelsea (CP)
Wigan 1-1 Portsmouth (WP)
Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester United (WP)
West Ham 2-2 Sunderland (WP)

Bundesliga

Energie Cottbus 1-2 MSV Duisburg (CP,CR)
Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Borussia Dortmund (WP)
Hamburg 2-1 VfB Stuttgart (CR)
Hansa Rostock 1-2 Schalke (WP)
Nurnberg 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt (WP)
VfL Bochum 0-3 Bayern Munich (CP)
Werder Bremen 2-0 Hertha Berlin (CP)
Hannover 1-1 VfL Wolfsburg (CP)
Karlsruhe 2-1 Arminia Bielefeld (WP)

Spainish La Liga

Almeria 1-2 Osasuna (WP)
Atletico Madrid 2-1 Real Zaragoza (CP)
Deportivo 1-2 Valencia (CP)
Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid (WP)
Getafe 2-1 Murcia (CP)
Levante 1-2 Sevilla (CP)
Real Betis 1-1 Racing Santander (CP,CR)
Recreativo Huelva 1-1 Mallorca (WP)
Valladolid 1-2 Atheltic Bilbao (CP,CR)
Villarreal 2-1 Barcelona (CP)

Serie A

AC Milan 2-0 Empoli (WP)
Atalanta 1-1 Torino (CP)
Cagliari 1-1 Catania (CP,CR)
Fiorentina 2-1 Siena (CP)
Juventus 2-0 Genoa (CP)
Livorno 1-1 Lazio (WP)
Reggina 0-2 Inter Milan (CP)
Roma 2-0 Napoli (WP)
Sampdoria 1-1 Parma (WP)
Udinese 1-2 Palermo (WP)

Results of Analysis

Total No. of Matches Predicted: 38
Total No. of CP: 21 (55.26%)
Total No. of WP: 17 (44.74%)
Total No. of CR: 4 (10.52%)

For the EPL, there were no major upsets this week, the big 5 of Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal all won through different manners. Got it wrong for Man Utd; Aston Villa started so brilliant only to end with 4-1 loss and 9 men on the field.

As for the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich is running away as a 6 ponts lead has been opened up by them. Only Hamburg and Bremen should be the contenders other than Munich at this point.

In the Spanish League, let I said that Villarreal might upset Barcelona and true indeed they came out and did it. As for Real Madrid, it was a another upset at Espanyol. Bright spark though is the victories for Sevilla, Valencia and A. Madrid.

Finally, in Serie A, AC Milan would be kissing their title dreams gone as they are already 10 points behind Inter; mostly a top four placing, but they must put up their socks for it. Looks like a two horse race between Juventus and Inter for the title.

Now for some soccer news around the globe.

1. First up with a 1-0 loss to Chicago Fire, Galaxy just miss out on a play off place this season. Better luck next season, Mr Beckham.

2. Now to France, although Lyon started slowly this season, but it would seen that service is resumed as they head up the ligue 1 in France with a 3-1 win over Monaco while Nancy could only draw 1-1 with Sochaux. It would take something special to dethrone Lyon.

3. Onwards to Spain where a 5 star performance for Altetico Madrid see them climb up the table to 6th place and forget the loss to Barcelona a fortnight ago.

Major Leagues Predictions

After a week of Internationals, it is back to leagues for the players. And it is also back to work for me.

English Premership

Everton 1-2 Liverpool
Arsenal 3-1 Bolton
Blackburn 1-0 Reading
Fulham 2-1 Derby
Manchester City 2-1 Birmingham
Middlesbrough 1-2 Chelsea
Wigan 1-1 Portsmouth
Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester United
West Ham 2-2 Sunderland
Newscastle 2-1 Tottenham

Pick of the matches: would be the clash between Liverpool and Everton and Aston Villa vs Man united. A slip of either clubs would dent their title dreams.
Best Bet: Man City and Arsenal at home to win.

Bundesliga

Energie Cottbus 1-2 MSV Duisburg
Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
Hamburg 2-1 VfB Stuttgart
Hansa Rostock 1-2 Schalke
Nurnberg 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
VfL Bochum 0-3 Bayern Munich
Werder Bremen 2-0 Hertha Berlin
Hannover 1-1 VfL Wolfsburg
Karlsruhe 2-1 Arminia Bielefeld

Best Bet: Bayern Munich to win by 2 goals.

Spainish La Liga

Almeria 1-2 Osasuna
Atletico Madrid 2-1 Real Zaragoza
Deportivo 1-2 Valencia
Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid
Getafe 2-1 Murcia
Levante 1-2 Sevilla
Real Betis 1-1 Racing Santander
Recreativo Huelva 1-1 Mallorca
Valladolid 1-2 Atheltic Bilbao
Villarreal 2-1 Barcelona

Pick of Match: Villarreal at home to Barcelona. A win for submariners is needed to get back into the hunt. Hence a upset may be on the cards.
Best Bet: Real Madrid to continue its winning ways.

Serie A

AC Milan 2-0 Empoli
Atalanta 1-1 Torino
Cagliari 1-1 Catania
Fiorentina 2-1 Siena
Juventus 2-0 Genoa
Livorno 1-1 Lazio
Reggina 0-2 Inter Milan
Roma 2-0 Napoli
Sampdoria 1-1 Parma
Udinese 1-2 Palermo

Best Bets: The big boys all should pick up 3 points this weekend. Take Inter and AC to win by 2 goals.

Enough of the boring matters. Now for some interesting news on the soccer site.

1. News out of England suggests that Paul Jewell would be taking over at Bolton, replacing Sammy Lee after a miserable start to the season by Bolton.

2. Former England boss Graham Taylor has came out to suggest that current England boss McClaren would be facing the sack if they fail to qualify for Euro 2008 after a 2-1 loss in Russia.

3. Current Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is tipped for further glory with a potential board position after his retirement at Arsenal by Peter Hill-Wood.

Results of Euro 2008 Matches

Yes, results of the latest round of Euro 2008 qualifiers are out. And what a round it was, with Czech crushing the Germans 3-0, heartbreak for England and the Scotland losing 2-1 and 2-0 respectively. Here are the scores then below for your reference.

Euro 2008 Qualifiers

Azerbaijan 1-6 Serbia
Belgium 3-0 Armenia
Kazakhstan 1-2 Portugal
France 2-0 Lithuania
Georgia 1-2 Scotland
Ukraine 5-0 Faroe Islands
Bosnia 0-2 Norway
Malta 2-3 Moldova
Turkey 0-1 Greece
Germany 0-3 Czech Republic
Ireland 1-1 Cyprus
San Marino 1-2 Wales
Macedonaia 3-0 Andorra
Russia 2-1 England
Denmark 3-1 Lativa
Liechtenstein 3-0 Iceland
Sweden 1-1 Norther Ireland
Albania 1-1 Bulgaria
Holland 2-0 Slovenia
Luxembourg 0-2 Romania

Key to Predictions Analysis
CP: Correction Predictions based on 1x2 system
WP: Wrong Predictions based on 1x2 system
CR: Correct Results Predictions

Euro 2008 Qualifiers

Azerbaijan 0-2 Serbia (CP)
Belgium 2-0 Armenia (CP)
Kazakhstan 0-2 Portugal (CP)
France 2-0 Lithuania (CP,CR)
Georgia 1-2 Scotland (WP)
Ukraine 3-0 Faroe Islands (CP)
Bosnia 2-2 Norway (WP)
Malta 1-2 Moldova (CP)
Germany 1-1 Czech Republic (WP)
Ireland 2-1 Cyprus (WP)
San Marino 0-3 Wales (CP)
Macedonaia 2-1 Andorra (CP)
Russia 1-2 England (WP)
Denmark 2-0 Lativa (CP)
Liechtenstein 0-2 Iceland (WP)
Sweden 2-1 Norther Ireland (WP)
Albania 1-2 Bulgaria (WP)
Holland 1-0 Slovenia (CP)
Luxembourg 0-2 Romania (CP, CR)

Results of Analysis of Predictions

Total No. of Matches Predicted: 19
Total No. of CP: 11 (57.89%)
Total No. of WP: 8 (42.11%)
Total No. of CR: 2 (10.52%)

Notes: What a interesting round. If Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Iceland and England, the CP ratio would be higher. Disappointing loss for Germany though losing 3-0 at home to the Czech Republic.

Group A:

With 2 games to go, the top four are separated by just 4 points. Mistakes for Poland and Portugal in next games, would open the way for Finland or Serbia to seak through. Poland and Portugal remain favorites to go through however.

Group B:

With the surprising Scotland's loss, the next game with Italy is a must win for Scotland to have a chance. France just require a draw to go through while 4 points would do it for the Italians.

Group C:

Greece is through, leaving Norway and Turkey to fight it out for the remaining place in the group. Mostly likely the winner of their next match would have an edge.

Group D:

Czech Rep and Germany are through with 2 games to spare.

Group E:

Russia would require min of four points to make sure of their qualification while a point for Croatia would do it. As for England, it is a must win against Croatia.

Group F:

With Sweden's draw with N Ireland, a point is required while for Spain, 3 points would seal it. For N Ireland and Denmark, they only stand an outside chance now.

Group G:

Romania is through, leaving Holland and Bulgaria to fight it out for the remaining place with Holland in pole position; requiring a single point to nick it.

Now for some news and reactions to games played yesterday.

1. In Sunny Brazil, the Samba kings cruised to a emphatic 5-0 victory over Ecuador in the WC qualifier after a disappointing draw with Columbia.

2. With non qualification staring in his face after a 2-1 loss in Russia, England coach McClaren is looking to fight on and for Israel for a favor in defeating the Russia.

3. More bad news for United Kingdom teams, with Scotland and England losing yesterday while Wales, N Ireland and Ireland are all but out of Euro 2008, leaving a chance that no United Kingdom would be in next summer edition. As for the defending champions, Grecce is through after a 1-0 win vs Turkey.

4. Great news for france with the loss of Scotland. Henry also became the leading scorer for France after a brace in the winner vs Lithuania, replacing Platini at the top of the scorer list.

5. Lastly the proud Germans are finally beaten. But to lose at home 3-0 to the visiting Czeh Republic must be a pain in the neck for the Germans which had not lost before in the qualifiers.

Predictions for Euro 2008 Midweek Actions

Hi Guys, It is predictions time again here at my blog. Euro 2008 actions heading our way midweek where some key games coming up. So Stayed tuned.

Euro 2008 Qualifiers

Azerbaijan 0-2 Serbia
Belgium 2-0 Armenia
Kazakhstan 0-2 Portugal
France 2-0 Lithuania
Georgia 1-2 Scotland
Ukraine 3-0 Faroe Islands
Bosnia 2-2 Norway
Malta 1-2 Moldova
Germany 1-1 Czech Republic
Ireland 2-1 Cyprus
San Marino 0-3 Wales
Macedonaia 2-1 Andorra
Russia 1-2 England
Denmark 2-0 Lativa
Liechtenstein 0-2 Iceland
Sweden 2-1 Norther Ireland
Albania 1-2 Bulgaria
Holland 1-0 Slovenia
Luxembourg 0-2 Romania

Some other Predictions of interest:

Olympics Qualifiers

DPR Korea 1-1 Iraq
Syria 0-1 Korea
Bahrain 1-1 Uzbekistan
Lebannon 1-2 Australia
Qatar 0-1 Japan
Saudia Arabia 2-0 Vietnam

Up now are some news regarding games for midweek euro actions

1. First is German No.1 Lehman is to miss the Germany's match with Czech Republic through suspension while also trying to get his No.1 place back with his club Arsenal.

2. His German team mate Klose is hoping to get back to action for Munich's match with Bochum this weekend.

3. As for England, it is bad news for McClaren who would be without Ashley Cole for the crucial away game to Russia mid week. How much an impact may Cole's absence be on wednesday remains to be seen? Only interesting issue is who would McClaren plays there?

4. As for Olymapic Qualifiers 2008, Ghana has taken a great stride towards it with a 3-1 victory over South Africa. With a win in November vs Nigeria, Ghana would have a five points lead in Group A; making it likely that they would qualify.

5. Back to the game vs Russia midweek, England defender Rio Ferdinand is sure that England would not be affected by playing on an artifical pitch. THis is a game where anything but a positive results would not do for England.

Results of Euro 2008 Matches

Here are the results of Euro 2008 matches played on saturday

Euro 2008 Results

Armenia 0-0 Serbia
Azerbaijan 0-2 Portugal
Belgium 0-0 Finland
Poland 3-11Kazakhstan
Faroe Islands 0-6 France
Italy 2-0 Georgia
Scotland 3-1 Ukraine
Greece 3-2 Bosnia
Hungry 2-0 Malta
Molodva 1-1 Turkey
Cyprus 3-1 Wales
Ireland 0-0 Germany
Slovakia 7-0 San Mrino
Croatia 1-0 Israel
England 3-0 Estonia
Denmark 1-3 Spain
Iceland 2-4 Lativa
Liechtenstein 0-3 Sweden
Belarus 0-1 Luxembourg
Romania 1-0 Holland
Slovenia 0-0 Albania

Analysis of Predictions

CP: Correct Predictions based on 1x2 system
WP: Wrong Predictions based on 1x2 system
CR: Correct Result Predictions

Euro 2008 Predictions

Armenia 0-2 Serbia (WP)
Azerbaijan 0-3 Portugal (CP)
Belgium 1-2 Finland (WP)
Poland 2-0 Kazakhstan (CP)
Faroe Islands 0-3 France (CP)
Italy 2-1 Georgia (CP)
Scotland 1-0 Ukraine (CP)
Greece 1-0 Bosnia (CP)
Hungry 3-0 Malta (CP)
Molodva 0-2 Turkey (WP)
Cyprus 0-2 Wales (WP)
Ireland 1-2 Germany (WP)
Slovakia 2-0 San Mrino (CP)
Croatia 1-1 Israel (WP)
England 2-0 Estonia (CP)
Denmark 1-2 Spain (CP)
Iceland 1-1 Lativa (WP)
Liechtenstein 0-3 Sweden (CP, CR)
Belarus 2-0 Luxembourg (WP)
Romania 0-1 Holland (WP)
Slovenia 1-0 Albania (WP)

Results of analysis of Predictions

Total No. of Matches Predicted: 21
Total No. of CP: 11 (52.38%)
Total No. of WP: 10 (47.62%)
Total No. of CR: 1 (4.76%)

Some major surprises in this round of Euro 2008 actions where Wales again crushed to Cyprus, Romania edging Holland 1-0, failure of Germany to win vs Ireland, Turkey drawing with Moldava and the biggest surprise where Luxembourg managed the 1st of its campagin vs Belarus and an away encounter to boot. Luckily most of the big guns come into the gate for a winning percentage of 52.38% this week.

Stay tuned for midweek action too.

Group Analysis:

Group A - Poland required a win from its last 2 games to qualify where Portugal must at least achieve min of 2 wins to go through. As for Finland, two wins out of two are required while hoping for Portugal to drop points for a chance through.

Poland P12 Pts 24
Portugal P11 Pts 20
Finland P12 Pts 20

Group B - With 2 games remaining, it is still too close to call for Italy, Scotland and France with just 2 points between them. France must win both of its remaining matches while hopping for a draw between Italy and Scotland in the final round of games to go through. As for the fate of Italy and Scotland, the crucial game would be at Glasgow where winner takes all.

Scotland P10 Pts 24
Italy P10 Pts 23
France P10 Pts 22

Group C - Another five points from 3 games would secure qualifications for Euro 2004 champions Greece while the last place should be between Turkey and Norway with a point between them.

Greece P9 Pts 22
Turkey P9 Pts 18
Norway P9 Pts 17

Group D - With a draw with Ireland, Germany is the first team through Euro 2008. Czech Rep would just require one point from its last 3 matches to join the Germans.

Germany P9 Pts23
Czech Rep P9 Pts 20
Ireland P10 Pts 15

Group E - A win from last two games for either England and Croatia would see both teams through while Russia must win all their games to stand a chance.

Croatia P10 Pts 26
England P10 Pts 23
Russia P9 Pts 18

Group F - A similiar scenario for Sweden and Spain where min 4 points from their 3 and 2 games respectively would secure qualifications. Wheras Northern Ireland must win all 3 games to stand a chance.

Sweden P9 Pts 22
Spain P10 Pts 22
Northern Ireland P9 Pts 16

Group G - 4 points more would secure Romania's qualification where seven points would be required for Holland. As for Bulgaria, 3 wins out of 3 is necessary for them to stand a chance.

Romania P9 Pts 23
Holland P9 Pts 20
Bulgaria P9 Pts 18

Whoa....what an update, now for some news around the world

1. First up for the South America World Cup Qualifiers where a brillant free kick gave Venenzuela 1-0 victory over Educaor; bringing 3 valuable points for the team's hope of qualification for its 1st world cup appearance.

2. As for the African version of World Cup Qualifiers, Madagascar crushed Comoros Islands 6-2 in the first round. Winners of the first round would join the remaining 45 teams in the second round matches.

3. Germanys' coach Low is delighted to have qualified for Euro 2008 after a 0-0 draw with Republic of Ireland. Hence the Germans have became the first team to join hosts Austria and Switerland next summer.

10 Interesting Facts About FIFA Player of Year Award

Another article that is done by me in conjunction with the short list of FIFA Player of Award 2007. It is also published on Ezinearticles.

It is time of the year where the FIFA world player of the year award is decided by the votes of coaches and captains of national team worldwide.

An introduction of the mechanism of the system used to select the player of the year would be discussed first. The award was started in 1991 for the male player and in 2001 for the female player categories respectively. Basically, the coaches and national team captains would vote for players drawn by the technical committees of FIFA. The system used is called the Borda count where each coach and captain would get three votes (one of five points, one of three points and one of one point) to cast for the players of his choice. And the winner would be determined by the total of points received. The winner last year is Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro of Real Madrid.

And here are ten interesting things about the FIFA World Player of the Year Award

1. The winner of 2006 award, Fabio Cannavaro, is the first defender or a player other than a midfielder or striker to have ever won the award since its inception win by Lothar Matthaus in 1991. The closet any other defender or goalkeeper has came to the award before Cannavaro’s victory are Oliver Kahn (Goalkeeper, second in 2002), Roberto Carlos (Defender, second in 1997) and Paolo Maldini (Defender, second in 1995).

2. In the past sixteen editions of the awards, it had been won by strikers and midfielders for seven times each. Thus making outfield players with the exception of defenders, a more popular choice for the award. It is summarized that as strikers and midfielders hoard most of the glory in competitions, therefore their chances are equally higher than defenders and goalkeepers.

3. There are two triple winners of the awards since its inception in 1991. They are French Midfielder Zinedine Zidane (1998, 2000 and 2003) and Brazilian Striker Ronaldo (1996, 1997 and 2002). The other player who has won more than once is Brazilian Ronaldinho (2004 and 2005).

4. No player has ever won the award for three consecutive years in the roll. The closet any one have came to it are Ronaldo (1996 and 1997) and Ronaldinho (2004 and 2005). It would take something really special every season for any one player to do so.

5. Although the award is meant for the world’s best player, only players from Europe, Africa and South American do make it to the final short list. Hence there have been quite some critics from some corner in the world about the selection process.

6. Another interesting fact is other than Juan Roman Riquleme’s nomination in 2007 when he is playing on loan for Boca Juniors, all the players on the short list came from clubs in Europe.

7. No English Player or Player from United Kingdom has ever won the award before. The closet any have came are Gary Lineker (1991, third), Alan Shearer (1996, third), David Beckham (1999 and 2001, both second) and Frank Lampard (2005, second). Maybe it would take England winning the World Cup or European Championship for a English to take the award.

8. Brazil has the most wins by nationality. Brazilian players have won the award a staggering seven times; four times more than the closet nationality of French with three wins. It could be the flair and attacking nature of the Brazilian players that clinched them the wins as players such as Ronaldo, Ronaldino, Rivaldo and Romario are all attacking players full of flairs. Or it could down to the names as all the Brazilian winners have a letter “R” to head off their names.

9. The last six winners of the award have come from teams in the Spanish La Liga. Hence it can be seen it is not English Premiership with the most star power, but the La Liga.

10. FC Barcelona had six winners from players within its ranks while great rivals Real Madrid had four. Thus making a majority of winners (a staggering sixty three percentage) from both of them for the past sixteen awards since the inception of the award. Their closet rivals for this honor is the Italian Giants Juventus with four winners.

Hopefully, the above can give one a better understanding of the FIFA Player of the year Award. And let’s await the result in 17th December 2007.

Review of Players Short Listed for the FIFA 2007 Player of the Year Award

In conjunction with the release of the short list for the FIFA 2007 Player of the year award. I did this short article on Ezinearticles.

It is time of the year where the FIFA world player of the year is decided by the votes of coaches and captains of national team worldwide.

But before we go into the discussion of the list of players drawn for 2007, an introduction of the mechanism of the system would be discussed first. The award was started in 1991 for the male player and in 2001 for the female player categories respectively. Basically, the coaches and national team captains would vote for players drawn by the technical committees of FIFA. The system used is called the Borda count where each coach and captain would get three votes (one of five points, one of three points and one of one point) to cast for the players of his choice. And the winner would be determined by the total of points received. The winner last year is Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro of Real Madrid.

Now to the list of players short listed for the award this year. Heading the list are five players of Italian descent, they are Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon, Gennaro Gattuso, Alessandro Nesta and Andrea Pirlo. Except for Cannavaro and Buffon (Juventus), the remaining three players of the UEFA 2006-2007 champions league winners AC Milan. However the chances of an Italian repeating the feat of winning is slim this year as the national team did not perform to its best after World Cup 2006 and as for domestically, the Serie A is recovering from the scars of the scandal hit season.

Next up would be the discussion of the English contenders for the title. They are Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea) and Wayne Rooney (Manchester United). Looking at chances of the English contenders, none of them have high chances of clinching the title as the English national team has a difficult Euro 2008 qualifying campaign so far and they did not any outstanding club exploits last season. The other reasons are although Manchester United and Chelsea went head to head in the Premiership race, they failed to impress at the UEFA Champions league level. As for Gerrard, if Liverpool did won the last season UEFA Champions league final against AC Milan, then his chances would be different. However they did not and Liverpool had another of its forgettable seasons in the league again.

As for the French, they have Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Lillan Thuram (Barcelona) and Patrick Vieira (Inter Milan) short listed. At the moment, the chances of the French are as slim as the English for similar reasons. Henry has been a world class player, but he could not inspire Arsenal to the Premiership title and for this season, he is still adapting to his new club, Barcelona. Ribery also did not have the best of seasons last year and has changed clubs in the summer, leaving for Bungesliga Giants, Munich from the sleeping giants of French Football, Marseille. In Vieria’s case, Inter Milan did retain their Serie A title last season, but as mentioned above, the title seen to be given to Inter midst point deduction for several Serie A clubs and demotion of Juventus. Hence he would not have a high chance in this year’s competition for the best player’s title. For Thuram, it is even more gloomer as he did not feature in a lot of his club’s games last season and Barcelona failed to defend its La Liga title.

Brazil has three players short listed in Kaka (AC Milan), Juninho (Lyon) and Ronaldinho (Barcelona). Although the Brazilians have a forgettable world cup 2006, however one of three can be considered as a highly possible contender for the title. He is Kaka. The reason is that he has also won the FIFPro 2007 Player of the year award and it was he that inspired AC Milan to winning the UEFA Champions League midst a disappointing Serie A 2006-2007 campaign. As for Ronaldinho, a previous two time winner (2004 and 2005), his chances this year are quite slim as he was not in the best form last season with the Catalans Giants as they lost out to Real Madrid in the La Liga title. In the case of Juninho, other than inspiring Lyon to six consecutive French Ligue 1 titles, he had no major efforts of note last season.

As for Brazil’s South American rival, Argentina too has three players short listed in Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Juan Roman Riquelme (River) and Carlos Tevez (Manchester United). Of the three, Messi’s chances are the highest as he has continued where he left off last season with eight goals in as many games this season. Tevez had a difficult season in which his transfer reeks of a drama serial while Riquelme with his talent to a lot of people has choked on the big stages once too often.

Another highly possible contender for the title is Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United. With his 23 goals, English Premiership Player of the year award and PFA player’s player of the year award last season, he can be seen as a major reason why Manchester United managed to regain the English Premiership title. Furthermore, in midst of enduring an anti-Ronaldo season after his antics at World Cup 2006, it is a wonder that he could conjure up such a wonderful season. Another Portuguese short listed is Deco of Barcelona who for all his talents was a bit player for Catalans last season and hence his chances are not very high then.

The remaining players of the short list are Fernando Torres (Spain, Liverpool), Ruud Van Nistelrroy (Holland, Real Madrid), Petr Cech (Czech Republic, Chelsea), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea), Michael Essien (Ghana, Chelsea), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon, Barcelona) and Rafael Marquez (Mexico, Barcelona). Of seven remaining players, Ruud Van Nistelrroy may have the best chance as he was the top scorer for Real Madrid in their title winning squad last season and has continued his fine form this season. As for players of Chelsea and Barcelona, their failure in defending the title and poor UEFA Champions League showing would count against them. Lastly, Torres, the sole Spanish in the list, like Henry has traded clubs where he left his boyhood club, Atletico Madrid for English side Liverpool in the summer. His chances are very slim as during his time as Atletico Madrid, the team failed to establish it as La Liga contenders and as for his new club, he is still adapting there.

Lastly to summarize my views on FIFA 2007 Player of the year, my choice of player to win is the Kaka of AC Milan with Lionel Messi (Barcelona) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) to give him a run for the title. The results would be out this December 2007 at the FIFA World Player Gala in Zurich.

Euro 2008 Qualifiers Predictions

Away from the major leagues, we would come to the EURO 2008 Qualifiers again with some crucial fixures coming up for teams.

Euro 2008 Predictions

Armenia 0-2 Serbia
Azerbaijan 0-3 Portugal
Belgium 1-2 Finland
Poland 2-0 Kazakhstan
Faroe Islands 0-3 France
Italy 2-1 Georgia
Scotland 1-0 Ukraine
Greece 1-0 Bosnia
Hungry 3-0 Malta
Molodva 0-2 Turkey
Cyprus 0-2 Wales
Ireland 1-2 Germany
Slovakia 2-0 San Mrino
Croatia 1-1 Israel
England 2-0 Estonia
Denmark 1-2 Spain
Iceland 1-1 Lativa
Liechtenstein 0-3 Sweden
Belarus 2-0 Luxembourg
Romania 0-1 Holland
Slovenia 1-0 Albania

Friendly

Switzerland 1-1 Austria
Ghana 2-0 Jamaica
Mexico 2-1 Nigeria

Matches of Interest

The matches of interest this weekend are the following:

- In Group A, a must win for Portugal at Azerbaijan to keep their qualifications hope alive while the Fins have a difficult fixure away to the Belgium and Poland should pick up 3 points at home with a victory.

- All Group B matches as the top three of Scotland, France and Italy are separated by just 2 points. Hence a win or loss can go a long way to deciding the top two.

- A win for Greece over Bosina in Group C would open its lead at the top while Turkey must win at Moldova to remain in the hunt.

- Ah, Ireland must win at home against Germany in Group D to stand a chance of qualifying while a win for Germans would all but ensure their qualification.

- In Group E, England must win at home vs Estonia and hope that Croatia drops points vs Israel.

- Another tight group situation in Group F where Spain must come up with a win at Denmark to maintain pressure on Sweden which is expected to roll over Liechtenstein.

- In the final group G, a win for either Romania or Holland would decide the group winner while opening the door for Bulgaria with a outside chance.

And now for some soccer news around the globe.

1. First up is the release of the short list for the 2007 FIFA Player of the Year Award. Italians head up the list with 5 names; however it is the names of Kaka and Cristano Ronaldo that are hot favorites this year.

2. Next with England Micah Richards committing his future to Manchester City; thus crushing rumors of a move to London Giants Arsenal. But one can never confirm such things until the end.

3. Again in England, ex-Ajax coach Teh Cate looked poised to join Chelsea in the next 24 hours; thus ending speculation over his move to assist Avim Grant.

4. Again rumors of Hiddincks moving to take over Chelsea has been crushed with his signing of a 2 year extension with Russia national team to 2010. He is quoted saying that he had a dream to fulfil with the Russians.

5. In another country vs club debate, Michael Owen is looking to clear the air on his return to the english national side just days after his injury. While Gareth Barry is worried about his place in side with the return of Lampard.

English Premiership Football Prospects for 2007-08 by David Carter

Here is something I got from the Ezine articles which I found interesting to share with all.

English Premiership Football Prospects for 2007-08By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=David_Carter]David Carter

Can Manchester United repeat their success this year after their unexpected win last time? Many people think they can and they start favourites. They have boosted their squad by signing Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich plus Nani and Anderson and have now picked up Carlos Tevez as well from West Ham. They have looked good in pre-season and will be there or thereabouts.

Their biggest challenger will probably again be Chelsea, though Liverpool Arsenal and Spurs will all have a say in that. Chelsea would dearly love to recover the title they lost last season, but then again they seem more interested in the Champions league. No London club has ever won the Champions league and Chelsea would dearly love to smash that unwanted record.
Arsenal on paper don’t look as strong, with Henri gone to Barcelona, and continuing rumours that the manager himself Arsene Wenger could be on his way out of the club. Leagues are not won on paper. I have a feeling Arsenal will confound the critics and put in a strong performance this year. Their younger players will be one year older and wiser and anyone who writes them off could be standing on dangerous ground.

Liverpool have not won the league for an incredible 18 years. Before that they were regularly winning it more than all the others put together. Despite two Champions league finals in the last three seasons it is the English Premier league their fans are so desperate to win. They have spent big money this time too under their new American owners, a reported 22 million pounds on Torres alone from Athletico Madrid. Whether he really is the final piece in the jigsaw, or even an important piece, remains to be seen. Some of the manager’s Spanish signings have been moderate successes at best, like Morientes, now back in La Liga, and the pressure will be on Torres to perform. He will too, but whether it will be enough only time will tell. The tempestuous Bellamy has gone to West Ham, and Cisse to Marseilles. Last year I tipped Liverpool to win the league and I was wrong. They could do it this time, but will have to get past Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United to do so.

As in the past two seasons Spurs remain the most likely to break into the top four. They have spent big on Southampton’s young Welsh full back Gareth Bale, and perhaps more importantly 16.5 million pounds on relegated Charlton’s striker Darren Bent. Darren has scored goals wherever he has been and now in a better team like Spurs he will be expected to score even more, though whether he will get enough starts is another matter. Spurs have four other top strikers, and Martin Jol has shown he likes to rotate his players. Spurs insistence on signing and promoting home grown talent, a direct opposite of Arsenal’s policy across the road, is to be applauded. They could improve, and break into the top four, but for that to happen, one of the top clubs would need to suffer a poor season.

And what of the rest? Newcastle have a new owner, new chairman, and new manager in Sam Allardyce, and some tasty new players too. They have signed former Middlesbrough striker Mark Viduka, they should have the fit again Michael Owen available at last, plus the signing of the tempestuous Barton from Manchester City and Alan Smith from Manchester United. The manager has been quick in attempting to sort out the leaky defence too; something that has plagued the Toon for almost as long as most of us can remember. Expectations on Tyneside are huge. A vitally important season for the manager, and many of the players who are at a crossroads. I expect them to succeed.

Manchester City is another club under new ownership and managership. Former England boss Sven Goran Eriksson has taken over and with lots of Thai money to invest he will now be looking for some top players to build a decent side. He has quickly bought scattergun style on relatively unknown players, but the manager has a proven track record at club level. He will need them too as the City squad still looks lightweight and weak. It will all depend on Sven’s buys. If he can get good people in, City will certainly stay up, and may well do better than that. If he cannot, City could struggle, and Sven may turn out to be a one-season wonder in English football. I suspect not, because Sven is a good manager.

Aston Villa have begun to spend some cash under their new American owners too. England Under 21 skipper Reo-Coker has just been signed from West Ham for £8 million though they will need more than him if they are to worry the top teams. Martin O’Neill’s side started last season on fire but drifted away alarmingly. The Villa fans will be hoping for better, but I cannot see beyond mid table for them.

Everton had a good season last time and qualified for this years Uefa cup but the last time they were in Europe it seemed to distract them, and they had a terrible year. I don’t see David Moyes allowing that to happen again. They have signed Jagielka from relegated Sheffield United though that is hardly going to set the world on fire, plus the promising Baines from Wigan. Johnson should be fit again to supply some goals but they will need more than that if they are to worry the top clubs. Top eight could be their best hope.

Reading, who enjoyed a super season last year in their first ever year in the top flight, have picked up a terrible starting pair of fixtures. Unsurprisingly they are favourites to be bottom of the premiership by the end of August, but under their quietly spoken astute manager Steve Coppell, they might surprise a few people. The loss of Sidwell to Chelsea is a big blow, though they have signed several of the club’s more promising players on long-term contracts. This will be their difficult second season, something that so nearly sank Wigan last time. Reading only just missed a European place last year, anything above the dreaded bottom three this time will be considered another success by all but the most enthusiastic of Royals’ fans.

Middlesbrough have lost talisman striker Viduka, and stories abound that Yakubu could follow him out the door. If that happened I would worry who is going to score the goals to keep them up. Fulham are another club who went into freefall last time and only stayed up through a last minute change of managers. The newly installed former Northern Ireland boss Lawrie Sanchez has already been busy in the markets signing Davis from Aston Villa and Healey from Leeds. A good start could be crucial for them as well.

The fact that West Ham stayed up at all last year was due to their new Manager Alan Curbishley, and the courts deciding not to dock them points over the decidedly odd Carlos Tevez affair. The manager has strengthened by signing Parker from Newcastle and Bellamy from Liverpool and should have the talented and much missed Ashton back from injury. He missed the whole of the last campaign after injuring himself in the warm up for an England match. The Icelandic owners seem determined to take West Ham on to another level. Many fans will be watching their progress this time round, some no doubt hoping they trip up due to that protracted court case, but I cannot see West Ham struggling. Mind you no one imagined they would last time out, and they did. Mid table I suspect for the Irons and a good cup run too.
Of the three promoted clubs, perhaps the most fascinating one will be to see Roy Keane’s Sunderland back as Championship champions, especially when he confronts his old boss Sir Alex Ferguson back at Old Trafford where the legions of fans still chant his name. Sunderland have been busy building up a big squad backed by Irish money and they would seem to have the financial clout to keep out of trouble. A good start might be important for them too. One feels Mister Keane’s determination and charisma all by itself will be enough to see them safely into mid table.

Birmingham look vulnerable. They did not have a great season last year despite finishing second, and took a long time to convince their own stay at home fans to turn out. They have bought players but whether they are good enough to keep the blues up remains to be seen. Currently they are second favourites to finish last, and though that might be a tad pessimistic, it does seem likely they will flirt with relegation again. Anything else would be major achievement for their yo-yo manager Steven Bruce. By the way you can still land a free $30 bet at betfair.com by inputting the code 6CHE3VPWJ when prompted.

The third newcomers are Derby Country. Diminutive Scottish boss, known as mini-Fergie wasted no time in signing former Norwich striker Robert Earnshaw who has scored goals wherever he has been and in partnership with Steve Howard, they could trouble some defences. Whether they have sufficient class and firepower would be a worry for Rams’ fans. They are expected to be relegated, and I think so too, and anything else would be a huge achievement for the board, manager, players and most of all, for the supporters who have bought season tickets in their thousands. They will be looking to emulate Reading last year and Wigan the year before that, but it will be a tall order to do so.

The Lancashire twins of Blackburn and Bolton both had good seasons again last term and with small crowds and little money to spend, that is a huge testament to their managers. But with Allardyce gone from the Reebok, Bolton under new manager, former Liverpool player, the diminutive Sammy Lee, could be in for a hard year. A good start would be most important for the Trotters and they do have players like Anelka, if they can hold on to him, who can score goals. Bolton will rely on him, but if he doesn’t do the business, they could be in trouble. Blackburn still have their super manager in Mark Hughes and with players of the growing stature of the likes of Bentley, Derbyshire and Pederson they should be fine again.

They only just missed out on Europe last time and made the semi finals of the FA Cup. On their day they are quite capable of beating anyone, and that is a huge achievement for this likeable Lancashire town club. The third Lancashire town club Wigan stayed up last time by a single point and have since lost their talismanic manager. That is not a great start and though they have signed a handful of new players, their new manager Chris Hutchings is unproven in this league. They are many people’s pick to go down this time and they could well go close to that, but something tells me they might just survive again. It will be close.

Portsmouth only just missed a Uefa Cup place by a whisker last season and they have been busy again in the market buying Nugent, the England under 21 striker from Preston, plus signing Kanu for another year. There is a much-needed new stadium on the horizon, and they should have another good season, but they are a yo-yo club, and sometimes when expected to do well, they don’t, and vice versa. Mid table again for me.

Last year two of my four predictions came up, so what about this season? Could this really be Liverpool’s year? They will go a lot closer, I am sure of that, but I suspect that Chelsea will still have something in hand to regain the crown and they can always spend more cash if they need to. Manchester United would dearly love to do better in Europe and I suspect they will put everything into trying to win the Champions league again, something that the manager and fans would dearly like to see.

As for relegation, sorry Birmingham and Derby, but I just don’t think either have the firepower or class to stay up, though I would be happy to eat my words in both cases. The third downer place is a much harder one to call with City, Fulham, Reading, Wigan, Bolton, Pompey, Boro, and Sunderland, all flirting with a bottom three place during the year. For these teams, their future will be decided on the results between these clubs, where points will take on added significance. I have to pick one though, and somewhat surprisingly I feel that Boro might the ones to go, though Fulham and Wigan could also be in for another hair-raising time.

My predictions then: Champions: Chelsea. European Champions: Manchester United. Relegated: Derby, Birmingham, and Middlesbrough. Sorry chaps! Whoever you support, I wish you and your team well. Let’s have another cracking year with all issues going down to the last week. That would be the ideal for everyone. As Stuart Pearce was fond of saying: Come On!

David Carter's new novel "The Fish Catcher" tells the story of a group of children evacuated from London during World War II to escape the blitz bombing. It turns into a murder mystery and has been well reviewed. You can check out the first chapter on David's website at http://www.davidcarter.eu The book is available in hard copy or by instant download, and can be ordered in any bookshop quoting ISBN 978 - 1847539304

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Carter http://EzineArticles.com/?English-Premiership-Football-Prospects-for-2007-08&id=678426

3 Reasons Behind 4-4-2 Formation Or System

In the modern game of soccer or football, the most common formation or system played is the 4-4-2. In most games, one would be likely to see a 4-4-2 being deployed 90% of the time. Here are three main reasons why such a formation or system is employed. A definition of the formation or the system is needed first to understand the rationale behind them.

A 4-4-2 would refer to the deployment of one goalkeeper, four defenders, four midfielders and two strikers. The basis is that for defense, the four defenders would include two centre backs (or centre defenders), one right back and left back (right defender and left defender respectively). As for the midfield, it is set up like the defense where there are two centre midfielders, one right and left midfielder (or winger). The remaining three positions would be the goalkeeper and two strikers up front. There are also variations of the formation or system in which it can be attacking or defensive in mind set. But we would not be describing them in detail here.

As for the reasons, there are as follows:

Flexibility - Football or soccer is one of the most fast paced games in the world, where an attack can be turned into the counter attack by the opposition if possession is lost. As similar to a 4-5-1 system discussed in another of my articles, a 4-4-2 offers or allows for the flexibility for the team in both attack and defense. In attack or possession of the ball, the left and right midfielders would operate as wingers to push up and join the strikers. Furthermore of the two central midfielders, one or both can also push to join the attack and fall or drop back to assist the defense in case of a break or counter attack by the opposition. As for defense or without possession of the ball, strikers would assist in dropping down to the midfield to contest possession while the midfielders assist the containing of the opposition’s attacks.

Balance – Deploying such a formation or system of 4-4-2, there is balance thoroughly the team as there are tactically cover for all positions. Without a doubt, the major reason for the popularity of the deployment of 4-4-2 is the overall balance allowed for the team as compared to most other formations. Balance here would refer to coverage of all positions on the field. In theory the whole field would be covered by the players employed under such a formation since each player is dedicated to an individual role.

Simplicity – A 4-4-2 is a very simple formation to play in as most or all players have played in the system or formation at one or the other during their careers. Hence it is the most comfortable for players.One must remember that football is a fast game and to deploy a simple formation could enable the players to play better or get into their rhythm faster.

Furthermore the tactics are very easy and common for the deployment of such a formation or system. Over complex tactics or instructions would cause miscommunications or problems in execution and might result in bad results.Hence the above reasons should help to explain the rationale behind the employment of a 4-4-2 system or formation.

PS: Article has been published on Ezinearticle.

Results of Major Leagues

Here is the results of games played over the weekend

English Premiership

Man Utd 4-0 Wigan
Aston Villa 1-0 West Ham
Arsenal 3-2 Sunderland
Reading 1-0 Derby
Blackburn 2-1 Birmingham City
Bolton 0-1 Chelsea
Liverpool 2-2 Tottenham
Man City 3-1 Middlesbrough
Newcastle 3-2 Everton
Fulham 0-2 Portsmouth

La Liga

Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Almeria
Barcelona 3-0 Atletico Madrid
Seville 0-1 Deportivo
Mallorca 4-2 Getafe
Murcia 0-0 Real Betis
Osasuna 3-2 Villarreal
Racing Santander 2-0 Valladolid
Real Madrid 2-0 Recreativo Huelva
Real Zaragoza 3-0 Levante
Valencia 1-2 Espanyol

Upset of the week: The loss of Seville, Villarreal and Valencia

Serie A

Atalanta 0-0 Udinese
Inter Milan 2-1 Napoli
Catania 1-0 Livorno
Fiorentina 1-1 Juventus
Genoa 2-0 Cagliari
Palermo 1-1 Reggina
Parma 0-3 Roma
Siena 3-0 Empoli
Torino 1-0 Sampdoria
Lazio 1-5 AC Milan

Upset / Surprise: 5-1 win of Milan and 1-1 draw of Juventus

Bundesliga

Borussia Dortmund 2-1 VfL Bochum
Arminia Bielefeld 0-1 Hamburger SV
Hertha Berlin 0-0 Energie Cottbus
MSV Duisburg 1-3 Werder Bremen
Schalke 0-2 Karlsruher SC
VfB Stuttgart 0-2 Hannover 96
VfL Wolfsburg 1-0 Hansa Rostock
Bayern München 3-0 FC Nürnberg
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen

Upset / Surprise: Losses for Stuttgart, Leverkusen and Schalke

Analysis of Matches Predicted

CP: Correct Predictions based on 1x2
WP: Wrong Predictions based on 1x2
CR: Correct Result Predicted

English Premiership

Man Utd 2-0 Wigan (CP)
Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham (CP)
Arsenal 3-0 Sunderland (CP)
Reading 1-0 Derby (CP,CR)
Blackburn 2-1 Birmingham City (CP,CR)
Bolton 1-1 Chelsea (WP)
Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham (WP)
Man City 1-0 Middlesbrough (CP)
Newcastle 2-1 Everton (CP)
Fulham 2-1 Portsmouth (WP)

La Liga

Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Almeria (WP)
Barcelona 1-1 Atletico Madrid (WP)
Seville 2-1 Deportivo (WP)
Mallorca 1-0 Getafe (CP)
Murcia 1-1 Real Betis (CP)
Osasuna 0-2 Villarreal (WP)
Racing Santander 1-0 Valladolid (CP)
Real Madrid 3-1 Recreativo Huelva (CP)
Real Zaragoza 2-0 Levante (CP)
Valencia 1-0 Espanyol (WP)

Serie A

Atalanta 1-1 Udinese (CP)
Inter Milan 2-1 Napoli (CP,CR)
Catania 1-1 Livorno (WP)
Fiorentina 1-2 Juventus (WP)
Genoa 1-1 Cagliari (WP)
Palermo 2-1 Reggina (WP)
Parma 0-1 Roma (CP)
Siena 2-1 Empoli (CP)
Torino 1-1 Sampdoria (WP)
Lazio 1-2 AC Milan (CP)

Bundesliga

Borussia Dortmund 2-1 VfL Bochum (CP,CR)
Arminia Bielefeld 1-1 Hamburger SV (WP)
Hertha Berlin 3-0 Energie Cottbus (WP)
MSV Duisburg 1-2 Werder Bremen (CP)
Schalke 2-0 Karlsruher SC (WP)
VfB Stuttgart 2-1 Hannover 96 (WP)
VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 Hansa Rostock (CP)
Bayern München 3-1 FC Nürnberg (CP)
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen (WP)

Results of Predictions
Total No. of Matches Predicted: 39
Total No. of CP: 21 (53.84%)
Total No. of WP: 18 (46.16%)
Total No. of CR: 4 (10.25%)

Finally a decent return of 53.84% this week. Although it should be better, but some of the big boys did disappoint this week especially in the La Liga and Bundesliga. Maybe both end with liga was the reason why there are upsets there.

Time again for some soccer or football news around the world.

1. Some EPL News first. The return of Micheal Owen to action brings a smile to Mclaren's face ahead of crucial euro games and striker woes. Owen came off the bench to score in Newcastle 3-2 win over Everton would surely shows that Owen is back from injury and would be playing the upcoming euro qualifiers.

2. Avim Grant is loving the pressure at Chelsea even though he is also not serving up attacking football which saw his preceedor Mourinho left. Interesting enough Chelsea is still winning 1-0 also. So why did Mourinho left? One would surely wonder then. And he is still insisting that Shenvencko has a future at Chelsea though like Mourinho is not playing him. What a irony.

3. Now to another manager in trouble. Martin Jol is still defending Robinson in goal even though calls for his replacement is getting more especially after his mistakes vs Liverpool yesterday. The draw yesterday still left Spurs in 17th position in the EPL and waiting for a victory in 14 years over the reds. Now he has another two weeks to work his magic to get his team to start winning.

4. Now to go up north to Scotland where Cetlic regained the lead in the SPL with a close 2-1 win over Gretna to cap a memorable week where another 2-1 win over AC Milan midweek was the start of a good week. In another match, Aberdeen knocked 4 past St Mirren.