European Football Rankings

Live updates for Aston Villa-Manchester United

2010-02-10T14:42:00.013-05:00

The teams:

Villa: Friedel, L. Young, Dunne, Collins, Cuellar, Petrov, Delph, Downing, Young, Milner, Agbonlahor.
United: Van Der Sar, Evra, Brown, Evans, De Silva, Giggs, Carrick, Nani, Scholes, Fletcher, Rooney.

No Heskey and no Carew for Villa, hurts a squad that is already struggling for goals in the EPL. United the better of possession through he first 15 minutes, but that's no surprise. Villa will look to spring the speedy Agbonlahor on the break.

Carlos Cuellar has been pushing upfield from his center half position. Villa wins a corner in the 18th minute after a deflected shot. Van Der Sar punches the corner away....but the ball is played in to the box and finds its way to the head of Cuellar....who scores! Lobbed header over Van Der Sar. Cuellar was getting forward and it paid off there following the corner. Villa up 1-0 in the 20th minute.

United waste no time in equalizing. The in-form Nani sends long cross past the goal to Giggs in the box, who sends it back to the middle where James Collins puts in an unfortuante own goal. I think that's 10 o.g's for United this year.

Nani gets sent off in what is an action filled game at Villa Park. The Portugal international goes flying through the air with a two-footed challenge on Petrov, and actually seems to win the ball. But just such an unnecessary move on Nani's part. Red card perhaps harsh. United down to 10 men in just the 32nd minute.

Rooney playing as the lone front man for 10-man United, looking to spring an offsides trap, but Villa appear to have well in their sights. Will Martin O'Neil bring in another striker and satisfy the Villa Park faithful, or stay with his original formation? United still look dangerous.

John Carew coming on for Villa and already making an impact. Villa was having problems crossing the halfway line before that.

Berbatov on for United as SAF thinks United can win this game. Tough to disagree based on run of play. I feel boos will rain down on Villa even if game ends in a draw.

No boos, but no cheers either as it finishes Villa 1-1 United. It'll be United in second and Villa in 7th when the midweek games finish up. The teams meet again in the Carling Cup final at the end of the month.

Ranking of Europa League teams

2010-02-10T14:10:00.002-05:00

Teams 17-48, the 32 teams reamining in the Europa League.

17. Valencia (Spain) - Stars David Silva and David Villa have gone nowhere - yet
18. Juventus (Italy) - 0-3 home loss to Milan was a rough start to Juve's 2010
19. Roma (Italy) - Mirko Vucinic one of the more underrated players in Serie A
20. Marseille (France) - Captain Mamadou Niang leads club with eight goals in all competitions
21. Liverpool (England) - Bounced out of Champions League, but would still love a trophy
22. Werder Bremen (Germany) - Despite losing Diego to Juve, last year's runners-up still strong
23. Wolfsburg (Germany) - Last year's Bundes Liga champs finished third in Champions League group
24. Benfica (Portugal) - Perennial Portuguese Liga power has gotten 13 goals from Oscar Cardozo
25. Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) - Like Benfica, Sporting won its Europa League group
26. Fenerbahce (Turkey) - Brazilian Alex and Spaniard Dani Guiza scoring loads of goals
27. Galatasaray (Turkey) - Like rivals above, won its Europa League group; have added Lucas Neill
28. Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) - The holders had +11 goal differential in EL Group Stage
29. Anderlecht (Belgium) - Won EL Group, top of league, in quarters of domestic cup
30. PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) - Young Swede Ola Toivonen scored four goals in a game earlier this year for PSV
31. Unirea Urziceni (Romania) - One of many Romanian teams showing promise in Europeancompetitions in recent years
32. Rubin Kazan (Russia) - 2009 Russian champs have already booked a spot in next year's Champions League
33. Atletico Madrid (Spain) - Despite 11th place standing in La Liga and poor Champions League showing (-9 goal differential), Sergio Aguero and Simao make Atletico a team to fear
34. Standard Liege (Belgium) - Serbian Milan Jovanovic continuing strong scoring record for Liege with 12 goals in all competitions this year
35. Red Bull Salzburg (Austria) - Salzburg meets Liege in what should be an evenly matched cup tie in the first Europa League knockout stage
36. Hapoel Tel-Aviv (Israel) - Overcame Hamburg and Celtic to win Europa League group; Israeli Maaran Lala scored winning goal in 2-1 home win over Celtic
37. Hamburg (Germany) - Fighting for Champions League place in Bundes Liga despite departure of coach Martin Jol to Ajax before the season began
38. Lille (France) - Ivory Coast striker Gervinho (age 22) has 11 goals in his first seasons for Lille after a move from French club Le Mans, helping Lille climb to second in Ligue 1
39. Panathinaikos (Greece) - Former Liverpool frontman Djibril Cisse has given goal scoring punch to the Greek giants, who are top of the league ahead of rivals Olympiakos
40. Twente (Netherlands) - Former England manager Steve McClaren has Twente on top of the Dutch Eredivisie, ahead of the likes of PSV and Ajax
41. Fulham (England) - Bobby Zamora and Zolton Gera will be counted on to pick up the scoring slack left by the injuries to Andrew Johnson and Clint Dempsey
42. Everton (England) - The loan move of Landon Donovan to Everton could provide some creativity to David Moyes' club
43. Athletic Bilbao (Spain) - Javi Martinez (21) and Fernando Llorente Torres (24) among top young players for the Basque club
44. Villareal (Spain) - The Yellow Submarine has slipped down the La Liga table (10th), but goal-scorer Giuseppe Rossi and midfielder Robert Pires should keep them afloat
45. Ajax (Netherlands) - Martin Jol's team sits third in Eredivisie table, but lead league in goal differential; Uruguayan Luis Suarez has been a big reason with 18 league goals
46. Club Brugge (Belgium) - Croatian Ivan Perisic (aged 20) is off to a strong start with his new club after a transfer from French side FC Sochaux
47. FC Copenhagen (Denmark) - Copenhagen is back in the Round of 32 after falling 4-3 on aggregate to Manchester City in the same round last year. Senegal international Dame N'Doye, among the team's bigger goal-scoring threats, had a strong group stage to lead Copenhagen to second place
48. Hertha Berlin (Germany) - Not only is Hertha in last place in the Bundes Liga, but it has a league worst goal differential. Young Serbian Gojko Kacar's second half goal against Sporting, the group winners, clinched Hertha's birth in the Round of 32.

First ranking of 2010

2010-02-10T14:06:00.003-05:00

European Football Rankings unveils its first set, starting with the 16 teams in the knockout stage of the Champions League. Defending CL champion Barcelona heads the ranking.

1. Barcelona (Spain) - Yet to lose in La Liga
2. Chelsea (England) - Leaders of the EPL
3. Real Madrid (Spain) - Ronaldo move makes Madrid legit CL challenger
4. Manchester United (England) - Same great possession, but lack star power
5. Arsenal (England) - Still in contention for EPL and CL trophies
6. Inter Milan (Italy) - Special One can win Serie A, but can he make a move in CL?
7. AC Milan (Italy) - Huge recent improvement from Milan and new manager Leonardo
8. Bordeaux (France) - Ligue 1 leaders
9. Bayern Munich (Germany) - Clinched knockout round spot on final match day
10. Sevilla (Spain) - Sport dangerous attack pairing with Kanoute and Fabiano
11. Fiorentina (Italy) - Won a CL group that included Lyon and Liverpool
12. Lyon (France) - Strangely off the pace a bit in Ligue 1
13. Olympiakos (Greece) - Battling rival Panathinaikos atop Greek Super League
14. Porto (Portugal) - Tough draw against Arsenal in knockout stage
15. Stuttgart (Germany) - Struggling in Bundes Liga and must play Barcelona in CL final 16
16. CSKA Moscow (Russia) - Finished fifth in league and will be in Europa League next season

Hamburg v. Bayern Munich live updates (Donovan on the bench)

2009-01-30T13:40:00.014-05:00

Live updates of the Hamburg v. Bayern Munich match in the Bundes Liga begin at about 2:30 p.m. New York time. The two teams played to a 2-2 draw on Aug. 15 in the opening match of the season.

Bayern is tied with Hoffenheim on 35 points for first place in the league table, but Hoffenheim holds a 3-goal lead in goal differential. Hamburg and Hertha BSC Berlin are tied at 33 points, but Berlin holds a five-goal lead in goal differential to claim the third and final Champions League spot at the moment.

Bayern have brought in American forward Landon Donovan on loan from the L.A. Galaxy, while Hamburg lost Dutch defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong to Manchester City in the quickly closing transfer window.

We're underway with Donovan on the bench for Bayern. Hamburg already with a couple of chances in the opening minutes, the last of which saw Jonathan Pitroipa shoot wide.

Bayern are on their heels. Piotr Trochowski with a blast from the right outside the box that beats Michael Rensing across his body but hits the post and goes wide. Check that, Rensing actually got a piece of it or it was in. Excellent save.

Lucio saves Bayern this time as he races back to cut off a break from Jose Paolo Guerrero who was about to go in alone on Rensing. Claims for a penalty, and Lucio did use his arm to bring him down, but that would have been a harsh penalty. Great pace from Lucio to catch up.

Lucio with a lower leg injury but he's going to try and play through it. Hamburg comes right back and goes at Lucio with Guerrero. Lucio not looking like he can walk at times, but then he comes back and makes a great play. Who knows.

Collin Benjamin (Ben-ya-meen) goes into the book for discent towards the very stern referee, who was even letting his presence be known to the kids in the tunnell.

Pitroipa makes a nice run from his wide right position, and with a great ball from Guerrero appears to be in, but Philipp Lahm, my choice for the best outside back in the world, cuts him off and gets the ball away. It's all Hamburg at this point.

Martin Demichelis goes into the book for challenge slightly from behind. Looked worse live than on the replay. The game is getting very chippy. Hamburg keeper Frank Rost goes into the book for an elbow while trying to make room for himself for an impending free kick.

Luca Toni uses his off arm to ward off a defender, but the powerful Italian gets called for a foul (perhaps by the lineman) moments before he shoots past Rost for what looks like a 1-0 Bayern lead. On the replay, it looks like Toni didn't do much wrong, but the whistle clearly blew before the shot, so perhaps Rost let up.

The two captains go up for a 50-50 ball, with David Jarolim getting the worst of it from Mark van Bommel. Jarolim took a forearm in the air and then an elbow on the ground, but it appeared to be a pretty fair challenge.

Guerrero with a rocket shot with the left from the top of the box, but Rensing punched away the shot, which was very close to him.

Hamburg now with a corner, which Jarolim eventually gathers when Bayern can't clear. Rensing makes the save on Jarolim, but the rebound goes to Mladen Petric who heads it into the empty net with Rensing on the ground. Perhaps harsh to blame Rensing, but he sent the rebound right into a dangerous area, and the result is a 1-0 Hamburg lead. Petric also could have been offside at the time of Jarolim's shot, but no call.

It's halftime, a very much deserved 1-0 to Hamburg. Toni's been strong in the first half, but nothing at all from Klose. Perhaps Donovan to the rescue in the final 20 minutes or so? We'll see.

Frantic action to start the action. Petric hits the post, and Guerrero's follow goes high and wide. On the opposite end, Klose in the box has claims for a handball on Hamburg and perhas his shot going over the line before Rost saves it. He gets neither.

Pitroipa goes down in the box, but properly gets a yellow card for diving. First sub to Hamburg as Jerome Boateng comes on for a limping Bastian Reinhardt. Turkey international Hamit Altintop comes on for Bayern.

Klose starting to make his presence felt, this time his shot is saved up over the net by Rost. End-to-end action as Pitroipa uses nifty footwork to get free but shoots wide of the net.

Unbelievable miss from Toni after some beautiful football from Bayern. Lahm sends a perfect lob pass to the far post to Klose, who heads back to the other post where Toni is waiting with an empty net in front him. The header....goes...wide.

The second sub is on for Bayern as Tim Borowski replaces Ze Roberto in the 71st minute. Bastian Schweinsteiger, who really hasn't been heard from much since the opening minutes, turns and gets a shot on goal, but without a lot of power, and Rost makes a fairly simple save.

Landy Cakes is coming on! He's got the warm-up gear off and will likely come on at the next chance. Wearing the No. 13 shirt, Donovan comes on for Schweinsteiger, so it'll probably be Donovan playing right behind the strikers Klose and Toni. Oh yeah, and Ribery wide. Nice.

Donovan sets up a great chance for Borowski, who scuffs it at the top of the box and it still almost slowly, slowly rolls into the net. Instead goes just wide. Hamburg still on the attack despite the score and time. Petric nearly earns a penalty but Demichelis gotjust enough of the ball.

Klose nearly equalizes but his shot is blocked by both Boateng and Rost and is eventually cleared. Unlucky.

Less than three minutes to go in regulation time, Lucio makes a great run with the ball but his right-footed shot goes the wrong way and wide left. Less than two to go and Bayern is pressing for the equalizer.

Only two minutes of extra time, so Bayern has to hurry. Hamburg on the counter 4-2, but Demichelis intercepts a pass. Donovan with a good cross, and Bayern have a throw in with a minute to go. Toni's side volley blocked out for a corner, and it's Ribery to take it with 20 seconds left. Even Rensing up to get it, but cleared away. And....it's over.

Hamburg go top for at least a day up to 36 points. Great game.

Wigan v. Liverpool live updates

2009-01-28T14:47:00.023-05:00

Liverpool goes into the game three points behind leaders Manchester United at the top of the English Premier League table. Robbie Keane, struggling to find a game with the Reds, is once again on the bench.

Wigan sits in 7th place, but are now playing with a different squad after the sale of striker Emile Heskey to Aston Villa and the anticipated sale of midfielder Wilson Palacios to Tottenham.

Wigan is without keeper Chris Kirkland, who failed a fitness test before the match. Michael Pollitt takes his place. The Egyptian striker combination of Amr Zaki and Mido is also on display.

Possession battle belongs to Liverpool at the 20 minute mark, but the game has been lacking for chances. The Steven Gerrard-Fernando Torres combo looks on point to produce a goal, however.

Javier Mascherano just showed his class by taking the ball cleanly away from Daniel de Ridder, who was doing a little too much dummying over the ball. De Ridder might be looking for a whole to crawl in after that one.

There's just something shaky in the back with Liverpool it seems. Most balls in the air seem like a real challenge to Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtl. We're in the 36th minute and although Liverpool can still say they have the better of the play, the tide has turned a little.

Mascherano this time with a brilliant little through ball into the box behind the Wigan defense, and Yossi Benayoun beat Pollitt to the ball and tucked it in from a tight angle wide to the right to give Liverpool the 1-0 lead near the 42 minute mark. Great touch by Mascherano.

Mido wins a free kick outside the Liverpool box, and does nothing with it. Liverpool does the same right before halftime, and Gerrard has a go from 30 yards out that just goes over the bar. Pollitt had no chance at that one. Halftime.

Mascherano keeping up his good play with another steal early in the second half. Maynor Figueroa gets a yellow card for a tough challenge - not his first such challenge of the match - which results in a Liverpool free kick. Alvaro Arbeloa's kick was struck well, but went right to Pollitt.

Wigan continues to work the aerial game, but Mido is too far out near the edge of the box to do much damage with his head.

Ryan Taylor with a free kick from 40 yards out that looked to be a good chance to play the ball deep into the box, but he played it well over the goal for a goal kick in the 60th minute.

Mascherano managed to get the ball wide right and sent went through the area that Pollitt had to send over for Liverpool's second corner. Amr Zaki broke free with the resulting corner, but poorly lost possession without even a pass attempt. Jason Koumas comes on for de Ridder in the 64th minute.

Israel international Benayoun made a great bid for a second goal with tremendous footwork and dribbling in the box but Pollitt managed a save and Wigan survived the resulting attempts.

Wigan's new signing, Hugo Rodallega of Columbia, is warming up and could come on at striker, probably for Mido who seems to be tiring.

Wigan earns a corner in the 70th minute which Zaki gets a head on but sends past the goal. Torres comes off (of course) but it's Albert Riera coming on for him and not Keane. No matter, as the ball comes down to Gerrard in mid-run, and his cross-goal shot went wide to Pollitt's right and also wide of the post.

Now it's Dirk Kuyt coming on for Benayoun after the goal scorer took a bit of a knock to the back of the head. He walked off the pitch fine. Here comes Rodallega, but for Zaki not Mido. Henri Camara comes on for Taylor, as Wigan adds another forward in its hope to avoid a third straight 1-0 loss.

Penalty! Lucas Leiva clips sub Koumas in the box, and Mido steps up. He scores! In his debut, sends Reina the wrong way and drills it in the bottom left.

NOW here comes Keane, and they need a goal or they will be 2 points behind Manchester United with United holding a game in hand. Rafa's throat is quickly closing.

Mascherano has been great all game, but he gave Wigan a free kick with a questionable foul (looked like he got a lot of the ball) right outside the box on the right side in the 91st minute. Rodallega drilled the free kick, but off the crossbar. It's only January, but that could have been Liverpool's league hopes if that went in.

Wigan gets a last chance on a Riera foul about 35 yards out. But Koumas' deliverance into the box is poor, and that's the game.

Liverpool packed it in too early taking out Torres and Benayoun while not bringing on Keane until it was too late. Liverpool was much the better side for the first 70 minutes, and should have went for the second goal to finish it out. Give Bruce credit for bringing on fresh, attacking legs and getting his side a 1-1 draw.

No. 10: Lyon (France)

2009-01-20T23:59:00.003-05:00

Olympique Lyonnais will carry the torch for France in the knockout round of the Champions League. Bordeaux and Marseille also were in the group stage, but both clubs finished third and will be in knockout round of the UEFA Cup.

Lyon - which has never advanced past the quarterfinals of the Champions League - took second in their group with a +4 goal differential behind Bayern Munich. Next up - a round of 16 tie with Barcelona, the team that has looked better than any other in Europe this season.

If there is a reason for Lyon fans to be hopeful, he wears the No. 10 shirt. France's Karim Benzema, who just turned 21 in December, already has 19 caps for the national team and 36 goals in 93 career appearances for Lyon. Benzema is one of three players who have goals thus far in the Champions League, joining Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich's Miroslav Klose.

The homefront is where Lyon really shines. The club has won a Ligue 1 record seven titles in a row, and is in first again this year, but just a point ahead of Bordeaux. The club has a very talent squad which also includes French internationals like starting defender Jean-Alain Bournsongm starting midfielder Sidney Govou, midfielder Jeremy Toulalan, defender Francois Clerc, defender Anthony Reveillere and keeper Hugo Lloris. Other internationals include Italy defender Fabio Grasso, Sweden midfielder Kim Kallstrom and Brazalians like Juninho, Fred and Cris.

Lyon, which is also in the final 32 of the French Cup, has three home games in its next five, the last of which is home fixture against fourth-place team Rennes.

News, results from the weekend

2009-01-20T13:06:00.002-05:00

Some big stories coming out of England in the last few days. First, Kaka is staying at Milan after Milan rejected a 91-million pound offer. Tough to get exactly what happened, but that's the more likely story as opposed to Milan wanting the move and Kaka himself rejecting it. It's also possible that Robinho has reacted badly towards the news, but he says his walkout is just to take care of family matters in Brazil.

The other big news was Rafa Benitez rejecting a contract offer from Liverpool, claiming he wants more control over the academy and possibly transfers. Benitez, fresh off his rant against Sir Alex Ferguson, has also seen his side blow the lead in the English Premier League. Manchester United and Liverpool are now tied on points with Man U. holding a game in hand. Pressure is mounting on Benitez.

The struggles of Atletico Madrid continued in La Liga as it managed only a 1-1 draw with15th-place Almeria on Sunday. The Champions League knockout round side is sixth in La Liga, leading Malaga only on goal differential. Atletico has also been recently knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Barcelona. Mexican manager Javier Aguirre is under pressure to turn results around soon.

In Serie A, Juventus had a chance to cut Inter Milan's lead to just one point after Inter lost 3-1 at Atalanta on Saturday. But the Old Lady managed only a 1-1 draw at Lazio and are now three points behind Inter.

Things remained tight in Ligue 1 as Lyon and Bordeaux both won to maintain Lyon's 1-point advantage. Marseille moved into third place with its win and a Rennes loss, meaning at this point in the season the same three clubs as last year would advance to the Champions League.

Domestic cups take center state in mid-week in Spain and Italy. England has cup games all week, including the weekend, which means the Premier League is off. Here are some big league games around Europe on the weekend.

Saturday, Jan. 24
Italy's Serie A (3rd best league in Europe)
Juventus vs. Fiorentina - Juventus could join Inter on 43 points at the top for the time being with a win. Fiorentina, sixth place, managed a 1-1 draw earlier in the year at home in Florence.

Portuguese Liga (8th best league in Europe)
Nacional vs. Sporting CP - Sporting can go top of the table with a win over fifth-place Nacional, which is home and holding on to the final Europa League spot.

Braga vs. Porto - Porto -defending champions - enter the weekend a point behind Sporting and Benefica atop the table. Braga is just a point behind Nacional for the final Europa League spot.

Dutch Eredivisie (9th best league in Europe)
PSV vs. NAC Breda - The Eredivisie holds a playoff for the fifth-eighth place teams for the final European spot, and both of these teams are in that area now. Breda beat PSV 2-1 at home in the first go-around.

Scottish Premier League (10th best league in Europe)
Aberdeen vs. Rangers - Rangers and Celtic have won every Scottish top division title since 1984-'85 when Aberdeen, managed by one Sir Alex Ferguson, took the title. This year Celtic and Rangers again sit first and second, with Rangers leading Aberdeen by 13 points for second. Aberdeen actually has fewer losses than Rangers.

Turkish Super Lig (11th best league in Europe)
Sivasspor vs. Galatasaray - Galatasaray - defending champions - and Fenerbahce are the two more popular clubs in Turkey, but they find themselves in third and fourth behind first-place Sivasspor and Trabzonspor. In fact, Sivasspor, which has already beaten Fenerbahce this year, have only most recently gained promotion to the Super Lig at the end of 2004-2005 season by winning the Second League.

Sunday, January 25
Spanish La Liga (2nd best league in Europe)
Malaga vs. Atletico - These two clubs are both on 31 points, with Atletico holding the goal differential edge for the sixth spot - which comes with a Europa League spot. Agguire needs a win badly.

Italy's Serie A (3rd best league in Europe)
Napoli vs. AS Roma - Roma has been fighting an uphill battle in the league all season, but could now reach the European qualification zone with a win. Napoli sits fifth, just two points behind Genoa for the fourth and final Champions League spot.

Turkish Super Liga (11th best league in Europe)
Fenerbahce vs. Trabzonspor - On Saturday it's 1 vs. 3 in the Super Lig, here it's 4 vs. 2. The difference here is that Fenerbahce is home, and also that Trabzonspor, as a former league champions is a more established name in Turkish football than Sivasspor. Either way, two great games for Turkish fans this weekend.

No. 189: Boducnost Podgorica (Montenegro)

2009-01-19T23:19:00.002-05:00

Buducnost suffered a tough loss in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, the second straight heart-breaking defeat in European competition for the Varvari (Buducnost's fans).

Buducnost qualified for Europe for the first time with a second place finish in the Montenegrin First League in 2006/2007. The club lost 2-1 aggregate to Hajduk Split of Croatia in the 2007-'08 UEFA Cup first qualifying round, but in league play finished first for the first time to win the Champions League spot.

This time, Buducnost lost 3-2 aggregate to Tampere United (Finland), gaining only a 1-1 draw in the second leg at home.

Buducnost is making another run at a European spot this year. The club is in second place, four points behind leaders Mogren in the MFL, which is in a tie for 50th in the UEFA rankings. Buducnost is also in the semifinals of the domestic cup, another way it could get into Europe.

The club recently added Chad international Misdongard Betoligar, who has 24 caps for his country. Midfielder Ivan Delic is one of a few Boducnost players who have been recently called up to the Montenegro national team.

The case for Manchester City's Kaka move

2009-01-16T08:45:00.002-05:00

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan took over Manchester City on transfer deadline day this season and he and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak wasted no time in making an impact.

The club landed disgruntled Robinho for 32.5 million pounds from Rea Madrid, swooping in at the last minute to take him away from Chelsea. Robinho, who was looking for a wage increase from Real Madrid, was the perfect target for Man City.

Of course, he's an excellent forward, with all the flair and skill you'd expect from a Brizilian. But more so, he wanted the one thing that City had to offer - cash.

With his wages now increased, Robinho settled in and has had a very good year for City, leading the club in goals. However, as shown by City's mid-table or worse performance over the past few years, the rest of the club is not up to the task of finishing in the top seven, let alone the top four.

Remember, this was a club that has been relegated in this decade, and despite a strong academy and great fan support, has never been close to top four status since.

The club, including manager Mark Hughes, knows that Robinho alone is not enough. But how could City get lucky again, and find other players unhappy at their big clubs just willing to take the cash? And even if they did find them, would that be the kind of group you'd want to have?

Man City seems to have a grasp on the idea that's not the way to go. But to get more good players in - and maybe more importantly to keep Robinho around - it's going to take an absolute statement signing.

That's where Kaka comes in to play. Although Brazilian like Robinho, he is not thought to have the same attitude. He claims to want to be a priest when he retires. He loves AC Milan, his current club, respects its status as perhaps the greatest club of all time. He wants to play in the Champions League. He wants trophies.

If that kind of player is at Man City, then every other player in the world know that the Citizens are serious. From that point on, it won't take 175 million pounds to sign every player. It will take serious money, no doubt, but at this moment nobody believes Man City as a serious threat - on the field - to become an elie team.

But if the club can hold up Robinho - who will no doubt stay - and Kaka to the rest of the world and say, "join us," they will become that elite team.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan is paying nine figures not for Kaka, but for respect.

No. 190: Olimpik Baku (Azerbaijan)

2009-01-15T00:55:00.002-05:00

The Pilots as they are known are a relatively new team as the club was just founded in 1996. Olimpik Baku earned its first UEFA Cup spot last year, and came very close to winning its first tie.

Vojvodina Novi Sa of Serbia knocked the Pilots out in the first qualifying round by a 2-1 aggregate score. Vojvodina won the opening leg at home 1-0, and the teams played to a 1-1 draw in Azerbaijan.

Exactly halfway through the Azerbaijan Premier League season, which is the 41st best league in Europe according to UEFA, Olimpik have some work to do to get back into Europe. The club sits in sixth place, three points behind Simurq Zaqatala for third place and the final UEFA Cup spot. Olimpik are six points behind leaders Inter Baku, last year's champion.

Olimpik are in the final eight of the domestic cup, which will also grant a place to the winner.

Moldova defender Serghei Lascencov, who has 26 caps for his country, is one of the Pilots best players. Olimpik has a few players who player for the Azerbaijan national team, including forward Leandro Gomes, who came on as a substitute in Azerbaijan's 0-0 draw with Liechtenstein. That's the only point Azerbaijan has from three World Cup qualifying games.

No. 191: Valletta (Malta)

2009-01-14T21:16:00.002-05:00

Valletta, last year's champions of the Maltese Premier League, are making another run at the title this season. The 19-time champions sit two points behind Hibernians at the top of the league.

Valletta lost 3-0 aggregate in its Champions League first qualifiying round tie against Artmedia Petrzalka of Slovakia. Valletta last advanced in the Champions League in the 1999-2000 season when it beat Barry Town of Wales 3-2 aggregate.

Valletta is in the quarterfinals of Maltese Cup, which will be played Feb. 6 and Feb. 7. The club has won the tournament 11 times.

Gilbert Agius, Malta's second-most capped player and the captain, is one of seven recent call-ups from Valletta to the Malta national team. Njongo Priso, a 20-year-old striker from Cameroon, has eight goals and is among the league leaders.

No. 192: TVMK (Estonia)

2009-01-14T14:38:00.001-05:00

We've found our new last place team. When I reshuffle my rankings toward the end of the season in May, this side we'll have to be at the bottom, despite Estonia being some 12 spots away from the bottom as a league. Why? Well, it's not because of their 8-0 aggregate loss to Nordsjaelland (Denmark) in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup. It's because the Estonia Football Association dropped TVMK from the top two levels of the league.

TVMK were allowed to finish the season - and finished third which would have been good enough to play in Europe again - but that won't matter now.

No. 193: Banants Yerevan (Armenia)

2009-01-14T02:02:00.002-05:00

Banants could miss out on Europe for the first time since the 2002-'03 season unless it wins the Armenian cup, which runs from March-May.

That's because the club finished fifth in the 2008 Armenian Premier League, which runs from April to November. Banants had a +9 goal differential, but still finished six points out of third place and European qualification.

Despite only winning once in the first qualifying round in its previous UEFA Cup trips, it was still an awful 10-0 aggregate defeat to Red Bull Salzburg of Austria.

Banants has a couple of players who feature for their national team, including Moldova keeper Yevgeni Matyugin and Uganda midfielder Noah Babadi Kasule, but interestingly enought the team has no players on the Armenian national team. League champions FC Pyunik has four such players.

No. 194: The New Saints (Wales)

2009-01-13T20:44:00.002-05:00

Three teams have gone at least eight points clear of the competition in the Welsh Premier League, including The New Saints. TNS and Llanelli AFC both sit on 41 points, three behind leaders Rhyl, with Llanelli holding the advantage because of more goals scored. Llanelli also has two games in hand on TNS. The second and third place teams make the UEFA Cup, where TNS played this season.

TNS, which has been in the Welsh Premier League since 1993, had a decent showing in this year's UEFA Cup, but couldn't put a goal in the net in either of the first qualifying legs against Suduva (Lithuania). Suduva won the tie 2-0.

John Toner has 11 goals in league play to lead TNS, while Alfie Carter and Michael Wilde have six each. Toner, of England, is the club's all-time leading scorer with 105 goals in 172 starts.

Rankings so far
1. Manchester United; 2. Barcelona; 3. Liverpool; 4. Chelsea; 5. Bayern Munich; 6. Inter; 7. Juventus; 8. Real Madrid; 9. Porto.

194. The New Saints (Wales); 195. B36 Torshavn (Faroe Islands); 196. Partizani Tirana (Albania); 197. NSI Runavik (Faroe Islands); 198. Shakhter Karagandy (Kazakhstan); 199. Cliftonville (Northern Ireland); 200. Bangor City (Wales); 201. CS Grevenmacher (Luxembourg); 202. FC Santa Coloma (Andorra); 203. Racing FC (Luxembourg); 204. Zeta (Montenegro); 205. Murata (San Marino); 206. Juvenes/Dogana (San Marino); 207. Birkirkara (Malta); 208. Marsaxlokk (Malta); 209. UE Sant Julia (Andorra) .

Inter finally solve Alessio Scarpi

2009-01-13T16:47:00.000-05:00

If you're wondering, "Who?", you're not alone. Inter and Jose Mourinho might be thinking the same thing after Wednesday's Copa Italia tie, which Inter finally won 3-1 in extra time. Scarpi, Genoa's seldom used Italian keeper, denied the likes of Adriano, Hernan Cruz and late sub Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Adriano finally solved Scarpi, who earlier saved an Adriano penalty, with a header in the final 20 minutes. That saved penalty also followed a sending off for the Genoa foul, both calls highly questionable considering the challenge didn't look that bad and certainly occured outside the area.

Genoa, despite playing a majority of the game a man down, equalized through Marco Rossi's terrific strike with just over 10 minutes remaining. Adriano came out after his goal for Ibrahimovic, so it was the Swede's turn to get frustrated by Scarpi.

Finally in the first extra time period, Esteban Cambiasso and Ibrahimovic scored goals four minutes apart, and Inter were on to the quarterfinals to face Roma.

Poll results

2009-01-12T23:58:00.003-05:00

Voters were divided on whether Aston Villa will finish in the top four, with four votes going in each direction. A week later, and things look a little better for Villa and the results might be different were we to do it again.

While Arsenal were the main team that Villa figured to finish ahead of in the standings, Chelsea might be the new target following a 3-0 thrashing at Old Trafford. Especially if you listen to the Chelsea fans on Sunday and Monday. Scolari? Awful. Ballack? Dreadful. Deco? Done. Drogba? Garbage. Ok, they might be right about that one at the moment.

It's hard to argue against Aston Villa. Ashley Young has emerged as a start out on the win, and Gabriel Agbonlahor has as much pace as anyone in the league. James Milner and Gareth Barry have been solid in midfield, even though they have only four goals between them. Only the injury to lengthy striker John Carew is much of a concern for the team.

If I were to cast the tiebreaking vote, I'd have to say Aston Villa will be in the champions league next year.

Important results from Sunday

2009-01-12T15:52:00.000-05:00

A look at some scores that could have an impact on future rankings:

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Manchester United 3-0 Chelsea
Two goals from set pieces ruined the Blues, who nevery really threatened. Man U now sits just a point behind Chelsea for second with two games in hand, one of which comes on Wednesday. Liverpool is four points clear of Chelsea at the top, but pretty obviously Rafa Benitez's eyes are more on the Red Devils.

LA LIGA
Atletico Madrid 2-3 Athletic Bilbao
Atletico Madrid, 3-1 losers to Barcelona midweek in the first leg of their Copa del Rey tie, continued its poor form in the new year. The club, which is in the final 16 of the Champions League, now sits fifth in La Liga. Villareal, another team in the final 16 of the Champions League, also has 30 points but Atletico holds the goal differential lead. Atletico sits four points behind Valencia for the fourth and final Champions League 2009-'10 position.
The loss to Bilbao was particularly frustrating in that it came at home and against a side that is just 11th in the standings. Fernando Llorente, 23 of Spain, scored two goals - one off a deflection - for Bilbao.
Diego Floran of Uraguay scored a late goal for Atletico, but it wasn't enough.

No. 9: FC Porto (Portugal)

2009-01-11T18:10:00.003-05:00

FC Porto, twice the champions of Europe, had one of the more impressive 3-match runs during the group stage of the Champions League.

Porto suffered back-to-back losses to Arsenal (4-0 at the Emirates) and Dynamo Kyiv (1-0 at home) which left the 23-time Portuguese Liga champions with just three points from three matches.

Porto responded by beating Dynamo in the Ukraine 2-1 on late goals from Rolando and Argentine international Lucho Gonzalez. Porto won again 2-1 on the road against Fenerbahce, then beat Arsenal 2-0 at home to avenge the prior ugly defeat and win the group. Another Argentine international - Lisandro Lopez - had both goals against Fenerbahce and one against Arsenal.

Those players are among a host of footballers from South America on Porto's roster. The list includes a pair of Uraguay national team members in defender Jorge Fucile and forward Cristian Rodriguez.

The club has already made one signing as it hopes to strengthen the team for its Round of 16 Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid (Spain). French left-back Aly Cissokho joined the Portuguese champions for an undisclosed fee from Vitória FC.

In league play, Porto is a point behind leaders Sporting CP and SL Benefica. Porto has won the league, which is ranked 8th by UEFA, in five of the past six seasons.

In the Cup of Portugal, which Porto has won 17 times, Porto faces Leixoes in the quarterfinals.

Rankings so far
1. Manchester United
2. Barcelona
3. Liverpool
4. Chelsea
5. Bayern Munich
6. Inter
7. Juventus
8. Real Madrid
9. Porto

Results from Saturday with impact on rankings

2009-01-11T09:48:00.002-05:00

Here are some scores from around Europe on Saturday that could have some impact on the final rankings.

English Premier League
Aston Villa 2, West Brom 1
The Villains jumped out a 2-0 lead and held on for the win. Liverpool dropped points in a 0-0 draw with Stoke, while Chelsea or Manchester United (or both) will drop points today in their clash. All of a sudden, Villa is looking as much title challengers as Champions League challengers.

La Liga
Deportivo 1, Sevilla 3; Valencia 3, Villareal 3
Sevilla moved up to second in the league, ahead of Valencia, with these two results. Sevilla won despite going down to 10 men while facing a 1-0 defecit. Brazilians Luis Fabiano and Renato were among the goal scorers for Sevilla. Valencia led 2-0 early, but Villareal twice came from behind on the road to share the spoils. Giuseppe Rossi completed the comeback with a late penalty kick.

No. 195: B36 Torshavn (Faroe Islands)

2009-01-10T12:12:00.002-05:00

B36 Torshavn finished the 2008 season (which runs from March-October in the Faroe Islands) in third place, just as it did in the 2007 season. That means another UEFA Cup chance in the 2009-'10 European season. B36 was just a point off from second place and entry into the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup, but instead will enter in the first qualifying round.

That's the same round B36 went out in this year, losing 3-0 aggregate in its tie with Brondby (Denmark). B36 fared better than Brondby's second qualifying round opponent - Haka (Finland) - which lost 6-0 aggregate. Another reason why I could see a Faroe Islands team win a European tie next season.

B36 has one of the most capped players for the Faroese national team, midfielder Jakup a Borg. Borg has two goals in 54 appearances for the national team. In 2006, he was the Faroese Premier League Player of the Year.

The national team has one point from four World Cup qualification games thus far. That came in a 1-1 draw against Austria. Borg started that match, but left in the 32nd minute for eventual goal scorer Bogi Lokin, who plays for NSI Runavik, the 197th team on our list.

Rafa rant makes Liverpool new No. 1

2009-01-09T14:30:00.002-05:00

Nah, not really, but damn it's brilliant. Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez went off on Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson at a press conference. My favorite part - Benitez saying maybe Sir Alex could just make the schedule for the EPL and let the rest of the teams know when they are available to play. Happens around the 3:30 mark of the video.

Here it is. And yeah, Liverpool will still probably screw it up in the league, but this was worth it.

No. 196: Partizani Tirana (Albania)

2009-01-09T03:12:00.002-05:00

Some interesting tidbits come up with the inclusion of Partizani Tirana of Albania at No. 196 on our list.

First, this is the first team from the bottom that comes from a league that actually had a team win a European tie this year. Albania's Vllaznia Shkoder won its UEFA Cup first qualifying round tie with Koper of Slovenia before promptly losing 8-0 aggregate to Napoli (Italy) in the next round. But we won't mention that (again). Albania's league is ranked 42nd by UEFA, meaning no team from leagues 43-52 won a European tie.

The second interesting note is that Partizani Tirana is the first team we've come across that played in Europe but is in relegation position in its league this year. Partizani is a dreadful 11th of 12 teams with a -8 goal differential. The club is four points from safety in the Albanian Superliga with 16 matches to play.

The poor season comes after a solid performance in a losing effort in the UEFA Cup first qualifying round. Partizani lost 3-1 aggregate to Siroki Brijeg of Bosnia & Herzegovina. That league is ranked 32nd by UEFA.

One bright spot for Partizani - the team can still get back into the UEFA Cup through its domestic cup. The club is in the quarterfinals where it meets Flamurtari Vlore over two legs beginning Feb. 25.

One of Partizani's top talents is midfielder Elis Bakaj, who was an unused substitute in the Albanian national team's 3-0 win over Malta in a World Cup qualifier on Sept. 10.

Rankings so far
1. Manchester United

2. Barcelona

3. Liverpool

4. Chelsea

5. Bayern Munich

6. Inter

7. Juventus

8. Real Madrid

196. Partizani Tirana (Albania)

197. NSI Runavik (Faroe Islands)

198. Shakhter Karagandy (Kazakhstan)

199. Cliftonville (Northern Ireland)

200. Bangor City (Wales)

201. CS Grevenmacher (Luxembourg)

202. FC Santa Coloma (Andorra)

203. Racing FC (Luxembourg)

204. Zeta (Montenegro)

205. Murata (San Marino)

206. Juvenes/Dogana (San Marino)

207. Birkirkara (Malta)
208. Marsaxlokk (Malta)

209. UE Sant Julia (Andorra)

No. 197: NSI Runavik (Faroe Islands)

2009-01-09T01:34:00.003-05:00

Call me crazy, but after looking over some scores, stats and team information, I could see the Faroe Islands moving up the ladder a lit bit of European football. No, I don't think England or Spain have anything to worry about. Actually, not even Greece or Romania. But the Faroe Islands Premier League is ranked 47th in the UEFA coefficient list, and I could see that moving up 10 or so spots over the next couple years.

Three FIPL teams competed in Europe this year, and lost their ties by a combined margin of 10-1. Over a total of six games, that's not exactly terrible considering some teams alone lost by that margin. Two of the FIPL teams lost to pretty decent clubs in Manchester City and Brondby (Denmark).

NSI Runavik's loss came 3-1 aggregate to Dinamo Tibilisi of Georgia in the Champions League first qualifying round. Dinamo went on to lose 3-0 aggregate to Panathinaikos of Greece in the next round, a club that went on to win its group in the group stage.

NSI Runavik will remain in Europe next year after finishing fourth in the '08 FIPL, which ended in October. League champions EB/Streymur also won the domestic cup, giving fourth-place NSI Runavik a bid it otherwise would not have gotten.

Three players on NSI Runavik were named to the Faroe Island national team's games against Austria and Lithuania in October. One of those, then 19-year-old forward Bogi Lokin, scored in a 1-1 draw with Austria after coming on as an early substitute. It was the Faroe Islands first qualifying point in four years.

No. 198: FC Shakhter Karagandy (Kazakhstan)

2009-01-08T00:56:00.002-05:00

FC Shakhter Karagandy finished the Kazakhstan Premier League in 7th place, but things could have been a whole lot worse for the club. Shakhter was one of two clubs involved in a match-fixing scandal that initially saw the teams disqualified from the league. Instead, Shakhter's penalty was reduced to a 9-point deduction. The team still would have missed out on European competition without the penalty.

Shakhter put up one of the best fights among teams from the lower ranked leagues in the UEFA Cup first qualifying round. Despite coming from the 44th best league in Europe, Shakhter lost only 2-1 aggregate to Debrecen of Hungary. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in Shakhter's home leg, but Debrecen won the return match 1-0 to advance to the next round.

No. 199: Cliftonville (Northern Ireland)

2009-01-07T23:59:00.000-05:00

Cliftonville has seen a sharp drop in form from last season. The Northern Ireland side is just +2 on goal differential past the halfway point of the season, a far cry from last year's +23 that saw the team finish third and qualify for the UEFA Cup. This year the Reds sit in 8th place out of 12 teams, 12 points from European competition. The Belfast team is in the final 32 of the Irish Cup.

Cliftonville's problems started right from the beginning with an 11-0 aggregate UEFA Cup tie defeat to Copenhagen of Denmark in the first qualifying round. Copenhagen has gone all the way through to the Round of 32, but 11-0 is still quite the loss.

No. 200: Bangor City (Wales)

2009-01-07T17:57:00.004-05:00

Bangor City went down hard in its UEFA Cup tie, losing 10-1 aggregate to FC Midtjylland of Denmark. Midtjylland showed its ability by coming within a late own goal of beating Manchester City in the second qualifying round, but still Bangor City's performance obviously wasn't up to snuff to lose 10-1.

In the Welsh Premier League, Bangor City has slipped to seventh place following last year's fifth place finish. The club has shown ability, however, putting up a +11 goal differential in Europe's 46th best league. Bangor City is 11 points behind a UEFA Cup spot, but they can still earn one by winning the Welsh Cup.

The problem there is that Bangor City is up against Rhyl FC in the Round of 16 on Jan. 31. Rhyl is in first place in the WPL with a league-best +37 goal differential.

Rankings so far
1. Manchester United

2. Barcelona

3. Liverpool

4. Chelsea

5. Bayern Munich

6. Inter

7. Juventus

8. Real Madrid

200. Bangor City (Wales)

201. CS Grevenmacher (Luxembourg)

202. FC Santa Coloma (Andorra)

203. Racing FC (Luxembourg)

204. Zeta (Montenegro)

205. Murata (San Marino)

206. Juvenes/Dogana (San Marino)

207. Birkirkara (Malta)

208. Marsaxlokk (Malta)

209. UE Sant Julia (Andorra)

No. 201: Grevenmacher (Luxembourg)

2009-01-07T17:10:00.002-05:00

Grevenmacher didn't impress in its UEFA Cup tie against FH of Iceland, falling 8-3 on aggregate to a side that went on to lose in the second qualifying round 5-2 aggregate to Aston Villa. Grevenmacher has never won a tie in European competition.

Grevenmacher isn't having a bad season in the Luxembourg National Division - the 48th best league in Europe - but still finds itself in fifth place. Grevenmacher is +11 on goal differential but still 15 points behind leaders F91 Dudelange, which also earned the Champions League spot last year.

Grevenmacher features three players who play for the Luxembourg national team - keeper Marc Oberweis, defender Tim Heinz and forward Daniel Huss.

No. 202: FC Santa Coloma (Andorra)

2009-01-05T22:46:00.002-05:00

FC Santa Coloma didn't embarrass itself with its 7-2 UEFA Champions League tie defeat to Kaunas of Lithuania in the first qualifying round. Now before you say "How is a 7-2 aggregate loss to a Lithuania side not embarrassing" remember that Kaunas is the club that went on to beat Rangers in the next round and knock the Scotland giant out of Europe all together.

FCSC is in position to make another run at garnering the Champions League spot this year. The club sits just one point behind UE Sant Julia in second place. Both clubs have a +26 goal differential with 12 games to play, including two more against each other. Both clubs will also be in the quarterfinals of the domestic cup in early February.

FCSC has three players who are among the recent call-ups for the Andorra national team, including defender Oscar Sonejee, the most capped player on the Andorra national team.

Rankings so far
1. Manchester United
2. Barcelona
3. Liverpool
4. Chelsea
5. Bayern Munich
6. Inter
7. Juventus
8. Real Madrid

202. FC Santa Coloma (Andorra)
203. Racing FC (Luxembourg)
204. Zeta (Montenegro)
205. Murata (San Marino)
206. Juvenes/Dogana (San Marino)
207. Birkirkara (Malta)
208. Marsaxlokk (Malta)
209. UE Sant Julia (Andorra)

No. 8: Real Madrid

2009-01-05T20:16:00.003-05:00

Eighth best side in Europe? Awesome, terrific, outstanding. Not so fast say the voices from the Bernabeu. Bernd Schuster lost his job as manager for Real's "slow" start which saw Madrid finish second in its group behind Juventus in the Champions League. Madrid is also third in La Liga, 12 points behind leaders and rivals Barcelona.

New manager Juande Ramos and the additions of Lassanna Diarra from Portsmouth and Klaas Jan Huntelaar from Ajax early in the January transfer window have given the club a boost, but the team still remains just a few points away from falling out of the top four and a Champions League spot. Real is +9 on goal differential, but fellow top sides Barcelona (+40), Valencia (+12), Sevilla (+9), Atletico Madrid (+13), Deportivo (+3) and Villareal (+5) have all proven their worth and could prove to be a challenge to Real.

There's still time for Real to move up the list, however. The club faces a big test against Liverpool in the Champions League Round of 16, but Ramos is familiar with the EPL club due to his time at Tottenham. The team will also have a sense of urgency, knowing it is already out of the Spanish Cup (Copa del Ray).

Real hasn't won a record nine European Cups, a record 31 La Liga titles and 17 Copa del Rays due to luck. This team will make a move in some format at some point before May.

Rankings so far

1. Manchester United
2. Barcelona
3. Liverpool
4. Chelsea
5. Bayern Munich
6. Inter
7. Juventus
8. Real Madrid

No. 203: Racing FC (Luxembourg)

2008-12-18T15:36:00.003-05:00

The championship of the Luxembourg National Division looks as though it will remain with F91 Dudelange, but the UEFA Cup spots appear certain to change.

F91 Dudelange has a remarkable +34 through 16 rounds of the LND, sitting seven points clear of its nearest competitor. For Racing FC and CS Grevenmacher, life is not nearly so good.

Racing lost its UEFA Cup first qualifying round tie against Kalmar (Sweden) by a 10-1 aggregate, one of the worst losses of the competition. Kalmar did go on and win in the next round to show its worth, but 10-1 is ugly no matter how you slice it.

Play in the LND has been no better for Racing. It sits 7th in the league, 16 points shy of the leaders and six points short of a UEFA Cup spot. The best hope for Racing might be in the domestic cup where they are still alive.

No. 204: Zeta (Montenegro)

2008-12-18T11:28:00.002-05:00

Zeta nearly pulled off a big upset in the UEFA Cup's first qualifying round, but it's been all down hill since then for the Montenegrin First League side since then.

The MFL is tied for 50th with Andorra in UEFA. Zeta could have been the team from the lowest-ranked league this year to win, but fell 2-1 in its tie against Interblock Ljubljana (Slovenia). Interblock went on to lose by 3-0 aggregate in the second qualifying round against Hertha BSC of Germany. Zeta earned a 1-1 draw at home in the first match, but lost 0-1 away in the second.

League and domestic cup play has been awful for Zeta, however. Zeta is sixth in the league with just a +1 goal differential. The team is also already out of the domestic cup, losing in the Round of 16.

No. 205: Murata (San Marino)

2008-12-18T10:41:00.002-05:00

Murata was crushed 9-0 in its Champions League tie against IFK Goteborg (Sweden) in the first qualification round, the worst defeat in the Champions League this year. Goteborg went on to lose 5-3 in its tie against Basel (Switzerland) in the second qualification round.

The Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio hasn't gone all that much better for Murata, last year's champions. Murata is third in Group B, nine points behind group leaders Tre Fiori. Still, third place would be good enough to qualify for the championship playoffs, and Murata (and Juvenes/Dogana) are still alive in the domestic cup which grants the winner a UEFA Cup spot.

No. 206: Juvenes/Dogana (San Marino)

2008-12-18T09:55:00.003-05:00

San Marino's Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio is the 52nd (a.k.a dead last) ranked league in UEFA, which doesn't bode well for the teams playing in it.

Juvenes/Dogana had a fairly competitive UEFA Cup tie against Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel), losing 3-0 on the road and 2-0 at home. Still, the team is third in it's division (there are two separate, top-flight divisions). That is good enough to make the championship playoffs if it holds that way. The best team in the league has been Tre Fiori, which leads with 26 points and a +25 goal differential.

No. 7: Juventus

2008-12-15T13:01:00.002-05:00

Everything Juventus has done in Serie A, Inter has done just a little bit better. Juve's +15 is second only to Inter's +18 goal differential. Juve is also second in the table with 33 points, six behind Inter. Inter also beat Juve 1-0 at home earlier this year.

One thing Juventus does have going for it is that it won its group in the Champions League (one that included football giant Real Madrid) while Inter took second in its group behind Greek side Panathinaikos.

Why they are here: Alessandro Del Piero's return to form has continued this year in a big way. Del Piero set new personal records for games played in league competition in each of the last two years and is looking much younger than 34. He scored 21 goals in each of those two seasons. Gianluigi Buffon is arguably the world's top keeper.

Why they might not be here in May: Manchester City is likely to make a run at Buffon with their new influx of cash, but that is unlikely at best, with Juventus in the thick of the Champions League. The health of France international David Trezeguet is also a question mark. Age is also a big concern with Del Piero, midfielder Pavel Nedved, defender Olof Mellberg and others.

No. 6: Inter

2008-12-14T20:16:00.003-05:00

Inter showed its first sign of vulnerability in the 2008-'09 campaign in the final three matches of the Champions League Group Stage. Inter had a strong seven points from its first three matches, but then a 3-3 draw in Cyprus against Anorthosis Famagusta started a run of matches in which Inter got only one point from its final three games.

Included in that run was a 1-0 home loss to Panathinaikos of Greece, which went on to win the group, sending Inter to second and what will assuredly be a tough Round of 16 match. Inter finished the group stage just +1 on goal differential in six matches.

Why they are here: Inter's form in Serie A has been top-drawer. Or, more accurately, Zlatan Ibrahimovic's form has been top-draw. The Swedish striker has 10 goals in Serie A action, while no other Inter player has more than two. Still, Inter has the most goals in the league and has allowed the fewest. Can't do better than that, and the league-leading 39 points show it.

Why they might not be here in May: Well, they could use another scorer for one. Brazil's Adriano has two goals in the Champions League, but just one in seven Serie A games. That could well be on Jose Mourinho's shopping list in January. Chances are the "Special One" will do something to make a run at his second Champions League trophy. It might even come through the side where he won his first one, Porto, a possible opponent in the Round of 16.

No. 5: Chelsea

2008-12-14T17:57:00.002-05:00

The Blues were the runner-ups of both England and Europe to Manchester United last year. On one hand, Chelsea figures to be back in the hunt for both with new coach Big Phil Scolari, he of the World Cup win with Brazil, boat loads of cash and the deepest roster in the world.

On the other, last year really should have been Chelsea's year. They had all the pieces, all the right players in their prime, and came up one PK and one Premiership draw from hoisting two major trophies. Could they crank it up again so soon to that level?

The answer? A definitive maybe. Chelsea sits a point behind Liverpool atop the table near the halfway point of the Premier League season. But their goal differential is quite incredible. Chelsea has a +29 for the season, scoring a league-high 36 and allowing a league-low seven. When the Blues are right, they are no question the best team in the league.

In the Champions League, Chelsea hasn't had quite the same success. The Blues made it tougher on themselves by finishing second behind Roma in their Group, thanks to a 3-1 loss in Italy and 0-0 draw at Cluj. Those two results don't inspire confidence that Chelsea would be able to beat a Barcelona or a Bayern Munich if they meet in the Round of 16.

Why they are here: They have the most talent in Europe - period. Drogba, Anelka, Deco, Ballack, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Lampard, Malouda, Alex, Terry, Belletti, Kalou, Carvalho, Cech. It's an all-star team all one side.

Why they won't be here in May: Didier Drogba scored a beautiful goal against Cluj, which gave hope that his season-long fitness and out-of-form spell might be over. But he only came on as a late sub. Anelka, the Prem's leading scorer, has been terrific, but the team needs Drogba to take the pressure off.

1. Manchester United
2. Barcelona
3. Liverpool
4. Bayern Munich
5. Chelsea

No. 207: Birkirkara (Malta)

2008-12-14T12:00:00.002-05:00

Last year's winners of the Maltese Cup, Birkirkara entered the UEFA Cup at the First Qualification Round. Just like fellow Malta side Marsaxlokk, Birkirkara lost to a Croation side, falling 7-0 in its tie with Hajduk Split. Hajduk Split lost 2-0 aggregate in the next round to Deportivo of Spain, which has a solid chance of advancing to the UEFA Cup knockout stage.

Birkirkara is making another run at the UEFA Cup - or Champions League - this year. The team, which features three players on the Malta national team, is currently second in the league standings and is in the quarterfinals of the Maltese Cup.

207. Birkirkara (Malta)
208. Marsaxlokk (Malta)
209. UE Sant Julia (Andorra)

No. 208: Marsaxlokk (Malta)

2008-12-14T11:24:00.002-05:00

Say what you want, but you have to respect a team with an "x" and two "k's" in its name.

Marsaxlokk, which features five players from Malta's national team, finished second in the Maltese Premier League last year to earn a UEFA Cup spot. In the first qualifying round, Marsaxlokk lost to Slaven Belupo (Croatia) 8-0 aggregate. Slaven Belupo went on to win again in the second qualifying round before losing in the first round proper to CSKA Moscow by a 3-1 aggregate.

Marsaxlokk currently resides in 7th place in the league and in the quarterfinals of the domestic cup.

No. 209: UE Sant Julia (Andorra)

2008-12-13T22:57:00.004-05:00

Yes, that's right, I said No. 209. That's how many teams are competing in the 2008/2009 Champions League and UEFA Cup.

As last year's winner of Andorra's domestic cup, Sant Julia earned the UEFA Cup nod. They were defeated by a 9-0 aggregate score by Bulgaria's Cherno Moore in the first qualification round. That was tied for the second worst aggregate loss in European competition this year (although Cherno Moore did go on to win its second qualification tie before losing in the third qualification round).

Sant Julia does lead this year's Primera Divisio and could be in the Champions League next year. Andorra's top division is currently 50th out of 52 teams in UEFA's coefficient ranking.

No. 4: Bayern Munich

2008-12-11T15:51:00.011-05:00

Bayern has lost just twice in 16 Bundesliga games, sitting second in the table behind upstart Hoffenheim. Bayern beat Hoffenheim 2-1 at home a week ago, however. Bayern, the four-time champions of Europe, have a +15 goal differential in the Bundesliga - tied for second with Bayer Leverkusen behind Hoffenheim (+19).

Italian international Luca Toni leads Bayern with eight goals, including one in the win over Hoffenheim. German star Miroslav Klose scored two goals for Bayern in its 3-2 win over Lyon in Matchday 6 of the Champions League Group Stage. That win clinched one of the eight top spots for Bayern. German outside fullback Phil Lahm is one of the best in the world.

Why they are here: Bayern appear to have one of the most balanced sides in Europe. Klose and Toni are a dangerous combination up top, while Frenchman Franck Ribery, German Bastian Schweinsteiger, Holland's Mark van Bommel, Turkey's Hamit Altintop and Brazil's Ze Roberto give Bayern both a steady and dynamic midfield.

Why they might not be here in May: Germany striker Lukas Podolski looks like a breakout star waiting to happen, but injuries have hampered him this year. New coach Jurgen Klinsmann is coaching at the club level for the first time, but of course he's no stranger to the big stage as a former star striker at the club and country level.

Rankings
1. Manchester United
2. Barcelona
3. Liverpool
4. Bayern Munich
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Champions League - Round of 16

2008-12-11T11:26:00.002-05:00

Despite the fact that the Group Stage ended on Wednesday, the draw for the Knockout Round won't be held until Dec. 19. That's like Jessica Alba taking off her shirt, then remebering that she needed to go make a phone call.

It does give us time to pontificate over the possible match-ups, however. If you wanted to match-up the best No. 1's vs. the best No. 2's, it would probably come out something like this:

(Top seeds on the left)
Barcelona vs. Chelsea - one of these teams out in the round will cause heads to roll
Manchester United vs. Inter Milan - Sir Alex vs. The Special One
Liverpool vs. Real Madrid - Chance for Ramos to prove his worth
Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal - Would be some great football, especially if Arsenal gets it together
Juventus vs. Atletico Madrid - Juve already took care of one Madrid team
Roma vs. Lyon - Totti vs. Benzema in a old vs. young matchup
Porto vs. Villareal - Did Man U. not play all that great, or is Villareal for real
Panthianakos vs. Sporting - How about Portugal, two teams in the Group Stages - one first, one second

If you wanted to give the best No. 1's and 2's as easy as possible in the Rd. of 16, it might look like this:

(Top seeds on the left)
Panthianakos vs. Chelsea
Porto vs. Inter (would be interesting for the Special One, and Porto is no pushover anyway)
Roma vs. Real Madrid
Juventus vs. Arsenal
Bayern vs. Villareal
Liverpool vs. Sporting
Manchester United vs. Atletico Madrid
Barcelona vs. Lyon

Nothing super easy (not that it should be at this level), but in these instances I think Barca, Man U and Liverpool can at worst fight their way to close wins. If Barcelona doesn't get Lyon, they will get either Chelsea, Arsenal or Inter. Ouch for somebody. If Inter doesn't get Porto, they get Barcelona, Liverpool, Man. U or Bayern. Anyway you slice it, Inter will be in a featured tie.

Here are all the possible outcomes:

Top seeds
Roma vs. Sporting, Atletico, Villareal, Lyon, Arsenal, Real Madrid
Panthianakos vs. Chelsea, Sporting, Atletico, Villareal, Lyon, Arsenal, Real Madrid
Barcelona vs. Chelsea, Inter, Lyon, Arsenal
Liverpool vs. Inter, Sporting, Villareal, Lyon, Real Madrid
Man U vs. Inter, Sporting, Atletico, Lyon, Real Madrid
Bayern vs. Chelsea, Inter, Sporting, Atletico Madrid, Villareal, Arsenal, Real Madrid
Porto vs. Chelsea, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Villareal, Lyon, Real Madrid
Juventus vs. Chelsea, Sporting, Atletico Madrid, Villareal, Lyon, Arsenal

Second seeds
Chelsea vs. Panthianakos, Barcelona, Bayern, Porto, Juventus
Inter vs. Barcelona, Liverpool, Man U, Bayern, Porto
Sporting vs. Roma, Panthianakos, Liverpool, Man U, Bayern, Juventus
Atletico vs. Roma, Panthianakos, Man U, Bayern, Porto, Juventus
Villareal vs. Roma, Panthianakos, Liverpool, Bayern, Porto, Juventus
Lyon vs. Roma, Panthianakos, Barcelona, Liverpool, Man U, Porto, Juventus
Arsenal vs. Roma, Panthiankos, Barcelona, Bayern, Juventus
Real Madrid vs. Roma, Panthianakos, Liverpool, Man U, Bayern, Porto

Chelsea-Cluj, Roma-Bordeaux live updates

2008-12-09T14:42:00.014-05:00

No Frank Lampaard (suspension) and no Didier Drogba for Chelsea as they take the pitch against Cluj still not having clinched a spot in the Champions League. If Chelsea win, they are in. Draw or lose, and they will need Bordeaux not to win against Roma.

Cluj's Gabriel Muresan gets off a nice shot from Petr Cech's right that Cech handles awkwardly, but right to John Terry who clears with no other Cluj player in the box.

Roma already with a couple of free kicks from outside the Bordeaux box, but no results.

Cluj with a nice ball into the box, header past Cech's left hand, but John Mikel Obi there to clean up before another Cluj player could get to it. Meanwhile in Italy, Julio Baptiste goes over the bar for Roma.

Joe Cole shoots wide in one of Chelsea's best chances, while Bordeaux earns a corner against Roma. Cleared away, however, and the resulting break leads to a yellow card for Bordeaux.

Bordeaux having a little more of the possession, but still nothing close. Chelsea now with a corner, but nothing comes from Deco's effort.

Kalou looks to save Chelsea for the time being with a GOAL off a long free kick into the box in the 40th minute. Cluj responds in the 44th with a nice move into the Chelsea box, but not never get a shot off.

Joe Cole gets a shot on goal but an easy save for the Cluj keeper in the 53rd minute. That followed a nice ball into the box from Cluj that Alex headed away.

NOT THIS TIME! Alex leaves Kone, and the cross from corner of the box finds Yssouf Kone's head, past Cech, and we're tied at 1-1. Chelsea now one fluke goal by Bordeaux from being out of Europe if the Blues can't put in another one.

Chelsea looks safe again, as Roma takes a 1-0 lead in the Eternal City. Matteo Brighi with the goal there.

Chelsea all but in now. Drogba scores his second goal of the year after just coming on as a sub to give Chelsea a 2-1 lead. Meanwhile, Bordeaux had a player sent off and still trail Roma 1-0. Twenty minutes to play in both matches.

Totti scores for Roma as they take a 2-0 lead over 10-man Bordeaux. Looks like we'll have Roma in first, Chelsea in second, which could make for an interesting Round of 16.

It's all over. Chelsea 2, Cluj 1. Roma 2, Bordeaux 0. Roma wins the group, Chelsea second.

No. 3: Liverpool

2008-12-08T15:44:00.002-05:00

The Reds lead Chelsea by a point in the race for the Premiership trophy, but unlike the London side, Liverpool has already wrapped up a spot in the Champions League's knockout round. Chelsea can advance with the right results today in the final matchday of the group stage.

Liverpool's big summer signing was Irish international Robbie Keane from Tottenham, but that hasn't worked out as expected. Keane was supposed to team with Spanish superstar Fernando Torres to give Liverpool the best 1-2 striker punch in the Prem. Instead, Keane has two goals in 12 Premier games, and rumors are he's in manager Rafa Banitez's dog house.

Liverpool - 18 times the best team in England's top division - still has been outstanding in the midfield and the back. The Reds have only allowed nine goals in the Prem, second to Chelsea's six.

Why they are here: Perhaps England's and Europe's best midfield with Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano. Have already secured a place in the knockout round of the Champions League with 11 points from five matches.

Why they might not be here in May: Lack of scoring punch. Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt have helped pick up the scoring slack for Keane, but they'll still need the Irishman to regain his scoring form. Kuyt rescued Liverpool at the death back in the Reds' Champions League 3rd Qualifying round tie with Standard Liege. Liverpool has won a lot of games at the end, something that could catch up with them.

No. 2 Barcelona

2008-12-08T12:35:00.000-05:00

Based only on what has happened from August to December, Barcelona has been the best team in Europe.
Barca has a goal differential of +35 from 14 games in La Liga, scoring 44 and conceeding nine. Cameroon international Samuel Eto'o leads the league with 14 goals , while Argentine Lionel Messi has nine and France's Thierry Henry has seven.
The 18-time La Liga winners are in position to hoist another trophy, especially with rivals Real Madrid nine points back in fifth place.
Barca's run in the Champions League has also been impressive. Barca qualified for the Group Stage with a 4-1 aggregate win over Wisla Krakow (Poland) and haven't slowed down since. Barca has four wins and one draw from five Group C games, already clinching the top spot and a place in the knockout round.

Why they are here: Barca leads the Champions League with 16 goals in the Group Stage, four more than the next team, Lyon (France). The +11 goal differential is also tops, three clear of Arsenal.

Why they might not be here in May: Because they might be first. Barca sold players like Deco (to Chelsea) and Ronaldinho (to A.C. Milan) but the continued emergence of Eto'o and Messi and the additions of Daniel Alves (from Sevilla) and Alexander Hleb (from Arsenal) have more than made up for those departures. That's not even to mention three players who were on Spain's winning side in Euro 2008 - mifielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta, and defender Carlos Puyol. The team is loaded.

No. 1: Manchester United

2008-12-07T21:37:00.000-05:00

United pulled off a double in '07-'08, winning both the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League. They aren't at the top of the table in the EPL this season, but they still haven't lost in in the CL after becoming the first team to go unbeaten in the competition last year.

Cristiano Ronaldo's flirtation with Real Madrid in the summer and his injury may have cost United some key points, but this club still has the ability to be a major factor in Europe again. Sir Alex Ferguson has already said Europe is his focus this year, so if Man U. win that again but fall short in the league, the season will be no less special.

Why they are here: Best team in the best league in '07-'08, not to mention the champions of Europe. Ronaldo, Berbatov, Rooney, Tevez, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Van der Sar, not to mention a legendary manager.

Why they might not be here in May: Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona might just be that good.
All have been more impressive so far than United, but can't move the champs down until they are knocked out.

European Football Introduction

2008-12-05T16:32:00.000-05:00

Leagues, divisions, domestic cups, league cups, European cups - European football can be a difficult game to follow.
In fact, it can be down right confusing for the American sports fan used to a game like basketball, for example, when you have the regular season and then the playoffs and that's it. The eight best teams in each conference during the regular season make the playoffs, followed by the conference quarterfinals, semifinals, final and then league final.
European soccer, and most soccer leagues throughout the world, has a completely different way of doing things. Here's an example.
We'll start with English Premier League (EPL) which is currently thought of as the best soccer league in the world. The EPL itself features 20 teams. However, there are three leagues below the EPL - the Championship, League 1 and League 2 - which also operate in England's Football League. Each of those three leagues has 24 teams, for a total of 92 teams including the teams in the EPL.
Here's the catch. Each season teams can be relegated from their league, or promoted to the next league depending on where they finish. For example, if Wigan Athletic finishes the 2008-2009 season in 18th, 19th or 20th place in the EPL, they will drop down to the Championship, and so on down the line. Even the bottom teams from League 2 could drop out of the league all together and be replaced by non-league teams that finish at the top of their division.
There are many regional divisions throughout England featuring hundreds of teams all of which have the ability to rise up through the ranks and enter The Football League.
So again, a team like Wigan could find itself last in the EPL this year, last in the Championship next year, last in League 1 in two years, last in League 2 in three years and be right out of the league.
Imagine if that happened to the Pittsburgh Pirates or Detroit Lions? That would provide some incentive for those teams to get their act together because they would be faced with losing all the TV and ad revenue they get from being in the top league.
Almost all of the Union of European Football Association's (UEFA) 53 leagues have the relegation/promotion system. The system goes hand in hand with the idea that there are no playoffs in Europe's top divisions, the regular season is everything. In American basketball, 16 of the league's teams make the playoff, so even with a decent regular season, it's possible to still get in the playoffs and make a run for a championship.
In soccer, teams are awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw during the season. There's also a balanced schedule in the EPL which gives it a sense of fairness. Each team plays the other 19 teams twice, home and away, for a total of 38 games. The team with the most points at the end of the season is the league champion.
That would seem to force a lot of teams into thinking they have nothing to play for since only one team wins the league, but that's where relegation comes into play, along with another incentive. In the EPL, the top four teams all qualify for the UEFA Champions League (CL).
The CL brings together the league champions, along with second, third and fourth place teams from some of the better leagues, for a huge (and lucrative) European Tournament. This is where the best teams from Spain, Germany, England, etc. battle each other to determine a true European champion.
In 2008-2009 league play, teams are competing for spots in the 2009-2010 Champions League. Earning a CL spot makes a team more attractive, because top players and coaches know that the team will be playing in the CL the next season against Europe's top clubs in high-profile games.
The Champions League runs in the same time frame - August to May - as most of the major European leagues. CL games are usually in the middle of the week, while most league games are on the weekend.
There's another European tournament, called the UEFA Cup, which is a secondary tournament to the CL. In this case, second and third place teams from lower leagues, along with fourth and fifth place teams from the top leagues, make the UEFA Cup. In the EPL, the fifth place team makes the UEFA Cup. The UEFA Cup also features teams that have been eliminated at difference stages of the Champions League. An American equivalent would be if a team was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in college basketball, it would drop down to the NIT.
The UEFA Cup also runs during the middle of the week, usually earlier in the week than the CL or in different weeks. The UEFA Cup also features more teams (133) whereas the CL tries to stay as exclusive as possible with only 76 teams competing from Europe's 53 leagues.
Another way to qualify for the UEFA Cup is to win a country's domestic cup. Domestic cups such as England's Football Association (FA) Cup are tournaments that usually run during the country's season. Just like the European cups (tournaments), they are usually played in the middle of the week. Winning an FA Cup is nearly as prestigious as winning a league trophy, especially for teams that don't compete in the top division of a league.
In England, hundreds of teams enter the FA Cup. Many of them are not in England's Football League, but instead are semi-pro clubs and even lower. The smaller teams enter the tournament at the beginning stages, and then more and more teams enter as it goes forward. Eventually the teams from The Football League, including the EPL, enter the fray. This creates the chance for a very small local team that has survived to take on one of England's giants in a David vs. Goliath match-up.
England has another tournament, called The Football League Cup, which features just the 92 teams in the league. This tournament isn't as prestigious as the older FA Cup, but it does provide another way for an English team to get into the UEFA Cup.
The sixth and seventh place team in the league can also get into the UEFA Cup if the FA Cup and League Cup are won by teams that have already qualified for European competition in other ways. UEFA also has a Fair Play table where teams that show they have avoided large numbers of fouls, ejections, etc. can qualify.
Got all that? Probably not, it's a long and complicated system. But the best way to learn is to become a fan and follow your favorite player, team or league. "The Beautiful Game" is worth your time and energy.