Soccer Fan Blog

* Photo courtesy of AFP / Getty Images *

When he was free and available , no one bid an eyelid or even bothered to make any attempt to try to sign him from relegated club Newcastle United , with every club already starting to write him off and deemed him to be surplus to the club’s requirements and therefore all tried to stay away from the player as far as possible . All except one man – Sir Alex Ferguson ! Only he was brave enough and dared to take a gamble and signed Michael Owen for free .

Now after four Pre – Season Friendly Matches , Owen is proving to be a worthy purchase after scoring four goals for his new club and in the process , seemed to have managed to resurrect his career from the doldrums all Thanks to the wily Scotsman . While many others were oblivious to the potential that Owen still does possess , only Sir Alex managed to see some value and positives in the man who spent more of his time off the field , on the sidelines nursing his injuries than playing soccer on the pitch .

A Season that saw him plagued by injuries and eventually hampered his chances of playing for the England National Team , Owen is now determined to prove all his critics wrong by joining a club which he knows will surely allow him to perform to his best ability and regain his match fitness once again and to the true potential of the player he once was . His four goals in Man United Pre – Season Asia Tour so far is already testament of that .

Scoring two goals in the two matches against the Malaysia XI Side , and twice in the same match itself against Hangzhou Greentown in China , averaging almost a goal a game whenever he plays , must have certainly brought smiles on the faces of his new Manager Sir Alex Ferguson as well as his new teammates and fans . Though the New EPL Season has not yet started , but if Owen could keep up on his scoring form and keep on scoring like he is doing right now when the EPL Season begins and eventually starts to help Man United win some silverware in the coming New Season , then the person having the last laugh of it all must surely have been Sir Alex Ferguson ! For he knows that he had come up with a masterstroke of a genius and managed to pull off a major transfer coup without even having to pay a single cent for his services at all when everyone else hesitated !

Trust him to be smiling & grinning from ear to ear silently in his heart when that really happens ! With the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo ( to Real Madrid ) and Carlos Tevez ( to Man City ) , Michael Owen is surely a star player to look out for in the Man United ranks this Season in the EPL !

If last night’s results and performances in the Audi Cup ( which they lost 4-1 to Bayern Munich ) is anything to go by , then AC Milan will surely find the going ahead of them even tougher when the new Italian Serie A Season kicks off end of next month . Following their latest defeat last night , this is already the club’s fourth straight defeat in their Pre – Season Friendly Matches after earlier defeats to EPL powerhouse Chelsea , Milan city rival – Inter Milan and Club America in the US .

Together with their 4 -1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Audi Cup Semi Final Match last night , and earlier losses to Chelsea ( 2 -1 ) , Inter Milan ( 2 – 0 ) and Club America ( 2 -1 ) in their Pre – Season Tour of the US in the World Football Challenge Tournament , it seems that the depatures of Brazillian striker Kaka ( to Real Madrid ) , coach Carlos Ancoletti ( to Chelsea ) & David Beckham ( to LA Galaxy ) after his loan spell with the club ended last Season has certainly hit the club really hard !

Relying very much on the two Brazillians – Ronaldinho and even Pato to fill the void left by the mega stars , it seems that all the goings of the club has put a very deep impact on the club and it seems that the club is already facing a ‘ mini crisis ‘ even before the New Italian Serie A Season has even started ! The performances of the club in their Pre – Season Friendlies has certainly got everyone in the club – from the manager to the players as well as the fans worrying indeed !

Now with their latest defeat to Bayern Munich last night where they conceded two late goals in very quick succession in the last two minutes of play , resulting in an eventual embarrassing 4 -1 defeat to the hosts , the only consolation for the club now , perhaps at this moment , where the morale of the players and the team is at a real low is to win Tonight’s Third Place Playoff Match against Argentine club Boca Juniors ! But it is easier said than done .

A victory Tonight , may not necessary have landed themselves the prestigious Audi Cup Throphy for their efforts , but will surely be a welcome consolation for the whole team as a postive result after a series of setbacks , losses and defeats will definitely go a very long way to lifting the sprits of the whole team and the players’ morale . Hopefully , this will prove to be indeed a real turning point for the better in the club’s fortunes as the club enters the most crucial period of Pre – Season preparations with the new Italian Serie A League Season just exactly a month away . Another defeat however , and the consequences will be seriously unthinkable and would surely bring about really dire repercussions to the club as a whole !

* Catch AC Milan vs Boca Juniors in the Audi Cup 2009 Third Placing Playoff Match TONIGHT LIVE & EXCLUSIVE On Indonesian RCTI Channel at 12.30am ( Singapore Time ) . *

The ‘ confirmation ‘ came last night right after the DELAYED Telecast of the Reds first Asia Tour Match against Thailand in Bangkok ended at 1am . Right after the Match had ended , the Channel ran a Trailer informing all Reds’ Supporters here that the Channel will be showing the Match LIVE & EXCLUSIVE this coming Sunday , from the National Stadium at 7pm , much to the joy & delight of the many Liverpool Fans here ( especially for those without or are unable to get their hands on the tickets ) !

Now for the ‘ Bad News ‘ : If last night’s match at the Rajamanja Stadium in Bangkok was anything to go by , then Liverpool fans may be disappointed to know that besides already not being able to see their star striker Steven Gerrard making his appearance here in Singapore ( due to a court case back in England where he was been charged for affray ) , the fans and supporters may also not get to see Xabi Alonso too , as he was visibly missing from the Reds line -up last night . He was NOT even featured in the match at all last night , which ended 1-1 .

Thus , Xabi Alonso could & may just also be ‘ missing in action ‘ yet again when the Reds take to the field at the National Stadium in the Friendly Match this Sunday against the Lions ( if both the Spanish club and Liverpool could reach an arrangement for the transfer of the Spanish player before this Sunday ) ! His ‘ absence ‘ last night could well be linked to the on – going ‘ speculation ‘ of him being transferred to Real Madrid . So , to all Liverpool Fans : U have been warned !

The only MEGA Star u could probably see some Action would most probably be Fernando Torres & Goalkepper Pepe Reina , but then again , even if the duo do play , they are highly unlikely to last the whole game or be featured right from the start of the Match . Most likely though , they would be introduced much later , right towards the end of the match , very much like last night in Bangkok .

* Catch Singapore vs Liverpool LIVE & EXCLUSIVE this coming Sunday , 26 July 2009 at 6.50pm On MEDIACORP Channel 5 ! *

The Barcelona keeps on making the difficult thing easy. To win, that that seems so complicated, for the set blaugrana keeps on being his favorite verb, which better one gave him the past course and the one that this period refuses to forget. The penultimate victim, a Malaga too shy before a set as nice as the culé. Because it is already known: or you throw yourself, or lose. And the blue and white ones did not choose the first thing … and finished ignored, with a soccer player less and pigeonholes (0-2) that was reflecting any thing less valor in the Muñiz intentions.

And although it sounds to paradox after the exposed thing, it was the Malaga the one that had the first approach to the area Barcelona supporter. It was Obinna, the most famous signing of the Andalusian picture this period, which tried to put in difficulty Valdés to seven minutes. After Doubt assistance for the left flank, the Nigerian tapped the leather with his foot but this one left a pelín turned away from Víctor’s goal, which after this occasion and isolated someone, was a spectator of the luxury in The Rose bed.

The Andalusian coliseum also was a witness of the rotations who is accustomed to realizing Pep Guardiola. The Santpedor technician chose to sit in the stool to Ibrahimovic and I stung and to bet for Henry in top and an essential part formed by Puyol and Chygrynskiy. I dress the final score, the changes supplied effect. Especially, because there were finally two substitute ones those who would manage to unbalance the electronic one. Zlatan and Ibra, in spite of not being of the game, wetted again.

Because in spite of a beginning thicker than clear, the inertia, the good one to do or simply the superiority, wanted that Barcelona supporter was going to stop the ball to domain. Sooner or later it would end up by happening and when it happens the rival finishes paying. To the half an hour, when the arrival of the first one was glimpsed so much, Henry was replaced by ‘Ibra‘. The Frenchman asked for the change through the fault of a few inconveniences in the thigh that were preventing him from continuing. Soon, new ‘9‘ Barcelona supporter was putting fear of Munúa with a shot that the goalkeeper could catch. It was the notice of the battering-ram, which since it came makes to plug in it only.

And skylight, the gust could not resist Zlatan (38 ‘), which after trumping his first clear opportunity to open the canister, received a magic pumped assistance of Messi, left behind his supposed pains in the ankle and made well clear again that if there is a name that can and wants to make to forget Eto’o this it is his. Fifth reveille in his fifth meeting in the championship. At the moment, all the rivals till now of the Barca in the League already know that for the veins of the international one it does not cover blood, but goal. And what good definition his.

The way to the wardrobes brought with it some change. On the part of the places, Valdo entered Fernando, but the entry of ex-Andalusian did not change the panorama. The Barca continued to his, allowing to cover the hands of the clock in expectation of the moment wished to pronounce itself. And it came. But it did it after seeing how also Chygrynskiy was retiring the field of play with inconveniences and how again his substitute, in this case I Stung, it was putting the puntita to a free indirect one executed by Xavi to sign the second one (58 ‘) and last of the night.

Muñiz kept on moving the stool but the battle was doing minutes that it was lost. One of those that it jumped to the green was Luque, whose only action to stand out was a hard entry on Alves that the red one cost him. The rest, a monologue blaugrana with wasted Piqué occasions, Messi … and three new points for the Barcelona that joined those that it already had, support him in the highest of the classification, sharing leadership with Real Madrid and following with the practice of a good soccer that some day had beginning … and let’s hope that it should not have end.

Too bad I can’t even get out of my house to watch Inter Milan’s match in my friend’s house. Well good thing there’s a live stream coverage in Iraqgoals.net yoohoo!!

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