Blatter's 6+5 rule

I just want to know if anyone has heard of Fifa President, Sepp Blatter 6+5 rule. The rule which is scheduled to be implemented by 2012, restricts the number of foreign players in a starting lineup to 5.
Blatter is pushing this rule because he believes it will restore national identity to European Leagues who he believes is stifling young talent within their own countries by buying so many foreign players. He also believes the rule will help to get other leagues especially in Africa and South America back on track as these leagues are declining due to the best players from these countries playing in Europe.
Although the rule has faced stiff opposition as it violates European law on the freedom of workers, the president has received the backing of FIFA's delegates with 155 supporting, just 5 against and 40 abstaining from the issue.
Personally I like the free movement of players and I don't really want to see things changed but the 6+5 rule is quite interesting as it will seek to loosen the grip that particularly 5 countries within Europe has on the world's best players. With the implementation of this rule it will be very interesting to see if other clubs other than in Spain, Italy, England, France and Germany can rise among Europe's elite.
The league which I believe will be hit hardest by this rule is the English Premier League where of the 471 first-team players 60% or 280 players are not eligible to play for England. With that said many EPL fans probably don't fancy this rule but only time will tell if it will be implemented.

Mancini, Mourinho switch likely

Today Roberto Mancini's agent declared that he is no longer coach of Inter and that Jose Mourinho is likely to be given the job as early as tomorrow. Even though Mancini has been successful, leading the club to three consecutive Scudettos, it is believed that he lost his job mainly because he was unable to deliver in the Champions League. The same reason for which Jose Mourinho was fired for at Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho who has been in the hunt to coach a big club in either Spain or Italy after ruling out a move back to England, as he believes personally that these two leagues are the best in the world, could see his wish come true as he is expected to take Mancini's place.
Mancini on the other hand is likely to make a move to Chelsea as he has been one of their targets to coach the team after the sacking of Avram Grant.
This is all very interesting to me and I am looking forward to seeing both of them especially Jose Mourinho coaching again. He is sure to bring great life and controversy back into the world of football. Look forward to it.

Jo a wanted man

Guys I was looking around today for something to write about and I saw some news that made me excited. If you are a football fan who only watches big competitions to see who will win, then you need to think again about considering yourself a true football fan. Whenever I watch football I look to see who is going to be the next big thing and I have watched a player in the Champions League who I'm sure will be a big hit soon.
He is none other than João Alves de Assis Silva or just Jô for short. The first time I saw Jô playing was in the group stages of the Champions League for CSKA Moscow against Inter. He had speed, power, skill and he scored two brilliant goals in both games against Inter. He impressed me a lot and I knew that very soon a lot of clubs would be interested in him.
With that said he is being targeted by Manchester City, Everton and Tottenham from England and it is now reported that Valencia have just shock things up as they have entered the race for the striker.
However his consultant Kia Joorabchian has claimed that one of the top four in England could make a move for Jô because he is that good and personally I agree.
Preferably however I would like to see Jô playing for one of the top clubs in Spain and even though Valencia have struggled this season, they are one of them. With his help they can definitely return to the top four in the table next season and begin playing Champions League football again.
What's rather amusing to me is that Jô is a de Assis though a de Assis Silva and not de Assis Moreira like Ronaldinho, if there's anything in a name we could see the rise of yet another Brazilian superstar, he just needs to find the right club. So with that said Jô to the world, keep an eye open for this player.

Milan want Eto'o more than Ronaldinho

Today the news is that Samuel Eto'o suits the needs of Milan more than Ronaldinho and subsequently he is higher on their shopping list. After finishing in 5th the Italian giants are ready to tweak their squad for next season.
It is reported that Barcelona are ready to listen to offers for both the gifted Cameroon striker and Ronaldinho as Pep Guardiola looks to make his mark on the team.
Eto'o is most likely a brighter prospect for them as he is a year younger than Ronaldinho and they are probably thinking about how they would fit Kaka and Ronaldinho within the same team, but ultimately i think they want Eto'o because when he is on his game he scores a lot of goals.
However although he is a brighter prospect for Milan, they know that he will cost them. Eto'o is reported to cost somewhere in the region of 40 million euros. Giving his key role in the team Barca won't let him go cheap so the number is not surprising.
Even more likely to move from the Nou Camp than Ronaldinho and Eto'o is Zambrotta, as the defender has expressed his desire to play in Itlay once again. It is reported that the two teams only need to agree a fee for the player and he will most likely be on his way.
In conclusion it is still very interesting to see who will stay and who will leave Barcelona this summer. As a Barca fan, I like so many others am left to wonder what kind of team will we have next season as Zambrotta, Eto'o, Ronaldinho and Deco are all likely to leave, but fear not Barca fans, we still have talented young stars like Messi, Krkic, Dos Santos, Yaya Toure and Iniesta. With the addition of more talented players who most likely will be bought with the transfer money received from our current stars the club will definitely rise again. FORCA BARCA!!!

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Avram Grant sacked

I have some somewhat unfortunate news.Chelsea yesterday decided to sack Israeli coach Avram Grant. Despite Grant leading them to within two points of the Premier League title and to the Champions League Final. Obviously it wasn't enough for Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich who is reported to be good friends with Grant.
It is also reported that Abramovich would like to see a better style of football being played at Chelsea and therefore has been linked with ex Barca coach Frank Rijkarrd, who is reported to be the favorite for the job. Sven-Goran Eriksson, Brian Laudrup, and Roberto Mancini have all also been linked with the job.
I feel kind of bad for Grant as he had a tough task from the minute he took over from Jose Mourinho at Chelsea. He was in noway like Chelsea's former manager who was charismatic, outspoken, who the fans loved dearly and above all won back to back titles at the club, the Carling Cup and the FA Cup. From the very beginning he had big shoes to fill and his appointment at Chelsea always looked temporary. I'm sure we'll see him managing soon as some club will most likely be impressed with what he has achieved after being given his first shot at the English Premier League. Good luck! To Avram Grant.

Cristiano Ronaldo to decide future

With the conclusion of the Champions League and with him significantly helping his team win the title, there is a buzz in the air about what's next for Ronaldo. Will he stay and continue to help Manchester win titles or will he be tempted into a move to Real Madrid who are reported to have lined up a record fee of 100 million pounds for the Portuguese winger.
Ronaldo has declared to the media that he can't make any promises to anyone as he claims he does not know what the future holds. From the looks of things no one knows but obviously Ronaldo is tempted to test other waters. If Ronaldo indeed leaves Manchester we could be in for another burst up between Sir Alex Ferguson and one of his top players, as we have seen it in the past with David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy. I personally can't blame Fergie for wanting to keep his most talented player, but we all know in the world of football anything can happen and ultimately money talks.
Ronaldo needs to think hard and long about this decision because a move to Madrid can have serious consequences for his career. Moving to Real Madrid is a big decision for any player as some of the world's best players play there, failure to perform could result in an action which I know Ronaldo would not be too pleased about, it's called being benched. Ronaldo never gets benched at United and I know it is an issue he will personally struggle with if he moves. However it is hard to believe they would bench a player after paying such a hefty price, but this is Real Madrid all they care about is results and they will play whoever can help them achieve their goal.
Ronaldo however has stated in the media today that he is very happy at United and that he loves the fans, the people at the club and that he wants to stay, also with Sir Alex being very stubborn about the whole situation my guess is that Ronaldo will stay at Manchester United and I personally believe that is what's best for his career at the moment.

AC targets four Strikers

Hi soccer fans!!! The word out is that AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is in the hunt for a world class striker this summer and he has pinpointed four as his main targets, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o, Emmanuel Adebayor and Amauri. It's obvious he is trying to boost his attack by signing a world class striker who can help them win the league next season, as he has stated that this is their objective when the season resumes. Of the four I would particularly like to see Drogba playing for Milan, they would gladly welcome Eto'o but I would like to see him continue at Barca and turn his fortune around at the club, Adebayor has already expressed his desire to stay at Arsenal but this is football and we all know anything can happen and of the four Amauri is the one I know the least about. All I know is that he's Brazilian, he plays for Palermo and he scored 15 goals in the Serie A this season. So with that said let me know who you personally think out of the four is best suited for Milan.

Champions League Final: Preview

Hi there football fans! Tomorrow is the Champions League Final!!!! Aren't u guys excited? I hope you are, as I know I will be looking forward to a pretty entertaining game with many twist and turns, or maybe it will be a dull game as both these teams are use to playing each other in the English Premier League but let's hope for the best.
Let's begin by talking about Manchester United who for many people will be the favorites to win this one. Christiano Ronaldo has apparently pumped himself for this game by declaring before the media when asked about his poor performances in big matches, that he is the best. One would think twice before disputing his comments but isn't it a little too early to be saying stuff like that? I mean you haven't even won the Champions League yet. I guess it's just his way of coping with the pressure ahead of him. Let's hope for his sake he doesn't miss another penalty like he did against Barcelona.
Next up Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, who would have thought they would have made it to the Champions League final without the "Special One", Jose Mourinho. I must say Chelsea have proved their worth this season as they have defied the odds by eliminating Liverpool, the team that knocked them out last season and so many times before. Furthermore much credit must be given to a man that who from the beginning received none, Avam Grant. A coach that no one has ever heard of before has silenced his critics by pressing Man. United for the title in the Premiership and giving the team a birth in the Champions League. Let's hope he can bring home the title for the club and continue to earn the respect of the fans, critics and even the authorities at Chelsea, who have admitted they didn't expect him to do so well.
I hope to see some good football tomorrow, with two teams out there giving it their all. Even though I'm not a fan of either of these clubs, I am a man who loves football and I enjoy the passion the fans, especially in England have for their clubs. I expect tomorrow to see big performances by Tevez for Manchester and by Drogba and Ballack for Chelsea. Some of you may wonder why I haven't mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo to peform big in this one, well I'll answer that by saying I'm judging him based on past performances in big matches. Let's hope for the sake of the Manchester fans he shows up.

When will they learn?

Today my article will be about big clubs signing many big players and how this method never seems to work in the long run. I bring up this topic following the collapse of my favorite team F.C. Barcelona. Clearly they should have learned from Real Madrid with the era of the Galacticos that bringing too many renowned players to a club somehow never works out.
With Barcelona finishing third this season it is clear that their poor performances have nothing to do with the lack of talent but more of a lack of discipline and many other factors. Clearly the players have not been getting along over the past two years and it has shown on the pitch as Barca have not acquired a single trophy since their 2006 triumph in the Champions League. Deco who has now been given the green light to leave the club to play for another, recently said that in order to set up a great team and start winning again there needs to be stability in the dressing room and at the club. So obviously we can see what the problem is here. Evidently instability within the dressing room at Barca has finally come to it's peak and subsequently we shall see what I would like to call the "rebirth of Barca", with many of the stars, who I must say made their name in Barca, likely to leave.
My personal view is that somehow players tend to think of themselves more than anything else after sometime. Many renowned players such as Henry for example, are use to a team built around them and probably find it hard to share the limelight with others.When this starts to happen I guess players forget about the greater good of doing what's best for the team. I believe big stars need to return back to the fundamentals of life and learn that the most important word is "we" and and the least important is "I". I think this is the only way teams become truly successful. Barca had that mentality in the earlier years of this era but somehow lost it.

What lies ahead for Kaka?

I want to start off this blog by talking about last year's world player of the year Ricardo Kaka. With today's conclusion of the Serie A and AC Milan subsequently finishing in 5th!!! One has to ponder what lies ahead for Kaka will he move abroad or will he stay at his beloved Milan. Over the past couple of months he has been liked with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea. Personally I believe he is going nowhere even though his side will be playing for the Uefa Cup next season, in my opinion there isn't a side around where he fits more perfectly than Milan.

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