Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The Champions League Final is certainly a highlight game in any player’s career, and it most definitely would have been for Ivanovic. Unfortunately for the Chelsea centre-back he picked up one too many yellows and will be forced to miss the final as a result. This is a bit heartbreaking for Ivanovic who was a bright spot in Chelsea defensive efforts giving his all. Geoff Shreeves makes a point of letting him know that he will indeed miss the final during the post-match interview, a little cruel Geoff.

1) He got the players to “click” again
When Di Matteo took over there were problems in the dressing room with rumours of player dissent flying.  Much of the Chelsea “old guard” were shunned under AVB and thus were very unhappy. Player morale was low, and the team just did not look like a team out on the pitch. Di Matteo took this and rejuvenated them, instilling team work and motivation. The side looks physically the same as AVB’s team, after all it is the same players, but they play to a very different tune.

2) He saved Chelsea in the FA cup
Chelsea need trophies, and under AVB they looked unlikely to have any hope in the FA Cup. Enter Di Matteo, with his first game in charge being against Birmingham City in the FA Cup for a shot at the quarter finals. Di Matteo’s side won 2-0, the same players that lost 1-0 to West Bromwich Albion 3 days earlier. Di Matteo then ensured a much more convincing win when his side took on Tottenham in the semi-final – a game that they won 5-1 taking the blues to the FA Cup Final.

3) He saved Chelsea in Champions League
AVB got Chelsea to the last 16 but had lost 3-1 to Napoli. Di Matteo took over having to overcome this 3-1 deficit knowing that if he could do it his side would be only the fourth team in history (45 attempts) to  overturn a first leg deficit of two goals or more. The Blues delivered a tactically impressive game in which they dismembered the Napoli defense to earn a 4-1 victory pushing them to the Champions League Quarter Finals.

4) He beat Barcelona
Barcelona are the Champions League champs, arguably the best team of the decade, and thus a team that many dream of beating. Di Matteo devised the tactics and the team that he needed to beat Barca, and he did it 1-0 in the Champions League Semi-Finals.

Regardless whether or not Di Matteo beats Barcelona again tonight for the Champions League Semi Final, he has clearly proven that he has the skill and tactics to take the blues far. Abramovich, give this man a job!

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We have all been there; our beloved team is putting on a weak performance and we’re cursing them “they are not worthy of wearing our colours!” Of course we could never imagine that the players and club would actually give in to our demands but Genoa proved us wrong this week with a game in Italy’s Serie A. Genoa were losing 4-0 when in the 53rd minute Genoa Ultras halted play but throwing fireworks onto the pitch. Genoa Captain Marco Rossi tried to calm things down but going over to negotiated but the ultras demanded that their entire team remove their jerseys as they were unworthy of sporting the club colours. The players actually accepted, and tears flowed from a few players as they removed their jerseys.

One player, Guiseppe Sculli refused to remove his jersey and instead went over to speak to the fans himself while captain Rossi walked around collecting jerseys. Sculli told, with great passion, the head ultra that he was giving his all for Genoa and thus refused to remove his shirt. At this point Sculli was in tears too as he went back and forth with the head ultra but finally they reached an agreement and play resumed.

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Ronaldo scored the winner but it was created in Germany by Ozil, unbelievable play! This beauty was also scored one minute after conceding Barcelona’s goal.

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CPU vs CPU, the results are in! This lad discusses Arsenal vs Chelsea as predicted by a computer.

In just the last few weeks Barcelona have picked up huge momentum with big wins while Los Blancos continued to draw games. As a result Madrid’s lead has been slashed down to just four points, leaving the title race completely open.

But Barca have work to do too. The team is coming of a devasting lost to Chelsea in the midweek Champions League semi-finals, going down 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. Madrid too lost their Champions League semi-final encounter with Bayern Munich, losing 2-1 in Munich. Thus it is fair to say that there is more to prove in this El Classico match than previously thought.But who will come out top?

Going into tomorrow’s game it seems that Barca has the advantage. Apart from their slip up against Chelsea the team had won the last few games. Form guides suggest that the team are indeed in form and ready to step up to the plate after not losing a game for the last 15 matches. Madrid on the other hand seem to be less in form, with mixed results as of late. Thus it is fair to say that Barca do have the advantage going in tomorrow and it looks like a tough match that will end in their favor.

Our prediction: 2-1 for Barca

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Finland is rarely heard about in the footballing community, let alone it’s premier league, but that might soon change. Seventeen-year-old Joel Pohjanpalo has long been considered a talent in his home country and recetnly he was given the chance at his club’s opening league game. The youngster proceeded to net a natural hat-trick with a header, left and right foot, goal and he did it in just 2 minutes and 42 seconds. HJK Helsinki certainly have a hot talent on their hands!

After tonights lose to Barcelona for the El Classico, a disappointing performance from Los Blancos, it is officially back to the drawing table for Perez and company. The question is what now? Where are Real Madrid’s weak spots? Lets take a lot.

Defense
There is certainly a lot of talent in the Los Blanco’s defensive line, but the club still has a high amount of goals conceded. It just seems that the talent is not in form, perhaps a shake up is necessary? Maybe introducing a new leftback or rightback as the sides are where Los Blancos seem to be at their weakest.

Midfield
There is creativity lacking in the midfield, even with Kaka there. The 60 million dollar man has been awfully quiet in games, and the rest of the midfielders aren’t chipping in. Perez needs to swap some of them for new creativity, players along the lines of Misimovic and Xabi who pull the strings for their teams, Wolfsburg and Barcelona respectively.

Attack
Higuain can be a solid striker, but he is still young and in big games like Champions League games or the El Classico, he does not produce. In the clash with Lyon we saw him miss clear opportunities, in the El Classico he wasted chances and was mostly quiet. Benzema is a solid sub, he still hasn’t found his footing but he has skill and can produce. He simply needs more time to find his ground. Raul is simply too old, and barely lasts a full 30 minutes, no disrespect to the legend. Ronaldo is the only solid attack option that produces day in and day out, he just needs a partner. Berbatov from Manchester United might be an option, it has been shown that strikers who couldn’t make it in the Premier League could make it in La Liga (case in point Floran and Athletico Madrid).

The squad has not changed that much from the team that Felix Magath had put together to win the league, but Magath himself is no longer present. His departure from the club raised many concerns from the players, with key contributors such as Misimovic and Dzeko threatening to leave the club over his departure. Could his leaving really be the contributing factor to Wolfsburg lack of success this year? Maybe, but more likely it is due to the fact that the man, Armin Veh, who filled Magath’s shoes was less then adequate. In fact, the idea that Wolfsburg even considered him to fill in for Magath, let alone hired him is absolutely mind-boggling. Armin Veh was hired on for VfB Stuttgart, but quickly sacked halfway through the season after the team was sitting just 11th in the table. The season before that Stuttgart secured a UEFA Cup qualifying spot. Veh was able to take a top Bundesliga team and turn them into a mid-table performer, sound familiar? The smartest thing that Wolfsburg brass did regarding Veh was terminating his contract with the club, since then interim manager Kostner has led the team onto 4 wins and 2 loses, helping progress to the quarter finals in UEFA Europa League. Although Veh has a large share of the blame for Wolfsburg failure, he is not alone. Key player Grafite has produced poor results this season compared to last. In 26 games he has managed 9 goals, missed 21 of his 47 shots, and has been subbed off 8 times. Compared to last season where he scored 28 goals, hit 53 out of 69 shots, and had only been subbed off 3 times. In fact, Grafite and fellow teammate Edin Dzeko combined to become the most successful striking duo in Bundesliga history, a record that was previously held for 30 years. What happened? No one seems to know, but if Wolfsburg are to salvage the rest of the season they will need Grafite to get back to him old self. Finally there is Woflsburg defensive meltdown. The team has managed to net a modest 56 goals, placing them in the top 6 or so scoring teams in the Bundesliga. However, Wolfsburg have conceded 51 goals, placing them with the likes of Hanover and SC Freiburg, teams bond for relegation. Wolfsburg need some serious tweaking in the area, goalkeeper Benaglio has had to ward of injuries and the reliance on him has shown. Although he is now back in the squad, Simunek, Riether, and Barzagli need to pick up the pace. Madlung is probably the only one that has been consecutively performing well. There is definitely still time for Wolfsburg to make some ground, and go for at least a Europa League qualifying spot. However, the idea of reclaiming the title this year is simply impossible. Had it not been for Madlung putting in the work in defense, Misimovic continue to pull the strings in midfield, and Dzeko staying on form wreaking havoc on defense then Wolfsburg could have been facing relegation this year. Let this be a lesson for all clubs, holding the league title is a much more difficult task then winning it once.