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Tuesday, 20 January 2009

Manchester United Pile on the Pressure

With their impressive win against Chelsea, the title is surely going to remain at the theatre of dreams. In possibly the penultimate season of Sir Alex Fergerson managerial career, he will look to equal Liverpool's record in the English Top Football decision. With 17 league championships Man U are only 1 behind current League leaders Liverpool who have 18.

This is going to be the most challenging season for Manchester United. With Liverpool intent on dropping points to Stoke, Fulham and Tottenham they will be smarting from losing their poll position they have worked so hard to obtain. Chelsea look like a spent force, unless there is a dramatic turnaround in the fortunes of big Phil at Stamford Bridge, he is next on my firing list after Tony Adams and Mark Hughes.

The way Chelsea turned out in the second half proved to be their undoing. Instead of keeping it tight, he brought on the sulk - Anelka. Yes, they went down to a sloppy goal from a corner, but Phil has to take the share in the blame for the way Man U cut them open 2 more times after the break.

Jose said it well in a interview. "I saw Chelsea before the match, during half time and after the match." What he meant was they did not turn up to play football at the theatre of dreams. Maybe it was all a dream and Man United didn't score 3 goals past the hapless keeper.

Well Man U have a chance to close the gap to Liverpool and get 2nd place tonight against Wigan. I see a 4-0 win to Man. United. Ronaldo will be fantastic and score a hat trick!

By Ryan Sharp



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Agility Skills - What Each Soccer Position Should Work On

Do you love the thrill of a good soccer game? Do you love watching the pros and wish that you could join them some day? If you are a soccer fan and you love to play soccer, then you know that it takes a lot of hard work to become a successful player. Like any sport, whether you are talking about football, basketball, baseball, or soccer, working on the necessary skills and agility is what it takes to become great. Any athlete cannot expect to succeed if they don't give their game of choice 100 percent each and every day, including when they are not at practices. You cannot expect to do well unless you practice at every chance you get. So, you know you love soccer and you want to do better-how do you go about doing it?

A good soccer player, whether you are talking about a child or a pro, must practice. It is just the facts. Knowing how to play the game is simply not enough. A good soccer player must be able to work with their team and coach well and should also possess good agility skills. Agility is very important in soccer. Watch a soccer game sometimes and see how the best soccer players have the ability to turn on a dime, kick the ball from every direction and stay moving up and down the field. It takes a huge amount of coordination and agility to pull it off. Here are some things that you can do when you want to increase your agility when you play soccer.

Practice with the ball: When you want to better your soccer game, you must work with the ball. This means that you should work with the team and by yourself. You can practice soccer when you are at home alone, too. Take the ball and work on dribbling around tight corners. Set up cones or other obstacles that will allow you to run and dribbling the ball in tight spaces. This will improve your coordination while you are playing the game. Also, you should learn how to juggle the ball. Start off slowly and work your way up. You can dribble on your thighs, knees and even your chest. A good soccer player can master juggling on the head. Sounds hard, but it is a great way to improve agility. You can also practice kicking the ball. Kick it up against the wall and learn how to kick it using the right speeds and angles.

Stretching: Stretching your body can also improve your agility. Take some time before each game and practice by stretching. Lunges are great for soccer. You will need strong leg muscles and you should have the ability to go in low for the ball. All of your muscles are used in soccer, so make sure they are in the top condition. In addition, remember that stretching is also important so that you do not tear a muscle during the game. If you end up tearing a muscle and find yourself sitting on the benches during a game, you are not doing your team a bit of good. Get out there and stretch and stay in good physical condition.

Take care of your body: Of course you will also need to stay in good shape when you want to have agility. Eat right and drink plenty of fluids. That will go a long way in keeping you body in shape and will make you a better player. Get out there and practice other aspects of playing soccer, such as running and weight lifting.

By Eric Bau



http://www.BehindTheGoalLine.com

Eric Bau

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Manchester United Vs Wigan Title

Manchester United enters 2nd week of Jan facing tough competition from Wigan Athletic. Rooney scores the first goal giving the team a 1-0 lead.

Wednesday's game is the first of the Red Devils' games in hand and a win on Wednesday followed by another on Saturday at Bolton Wanderers could see Sir Alex Ferguson's men top the Premier League table by the time Liverpool are next in action.

Sometimes it seems that only the intervention of the proverbial men in white coats can stop modern English football's original mad genius. With the Champions League final looming in Moscow on 21 May, he seems unstoppable. Having beaten Chelsea to the title on the final day of the season, Ferguson proclaimed that his team had the edge for the game in nine days' time.

If Cristiano Ronaldo wanted a lesson in the respect this game can confer on a man, then he would do well to look at Giggs as the Portuguese prepares for another summer in which his name will be batted around by the biggest clubs in Europe. Ronaldo scored the penalty that set United on their way yesterday, his 41st goal of an incredible season, but we did not see the best of him.

Manchester United last meeting with Wigan in October at Old Trafford ended as a one-sided affair, with a brace by Ronaldo giving United a comfortable 4-0 victory.

There was a cost to the Red Devils as Rooney is now facing a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury that forced him off not long after his ninth goal of the season.

But provided the damage is not too extensive, the Red Devils will not worry, especially if they beat Bolton at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday to take top spot.

By Jim Hea



http://www.awesomeandhot.com Awesome Videos, Hot Destination.

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English Premier League - Manchester United on a Rampage

The win takes Man U past Chelsea at second place and is only two pints behind Liverpool. The Red's next game will be a Merseyside derby with Everton but the match shall be played on Monday, giving United the chane to overtake the leaders as they go to the Reebok Stadium to face Bolton Wanderers this coming Saturday.

After beating Chelsea Football club 3-0 in one of last Sunday football results, United played one of their matches they have on hand and finally recorded the win after Wayne Rooney scored in a tap in from a Cristiano Ronaldo assist at the first minute. Wigan tried to look for the tying goal throughout the match but failed to breakdown the United defense which surprisingly, held its own despite the absence of central defender Rio Ferdinand who continues to suffer from a back injury, defender Wes Brown who still has two weeks to go before he gets back to the side after ankle surgery and left back Patrice Evra, who suffered a foot injury right after the match against Chelsea and has been ruled out of future United games for three weeks. He actually injured his foot when he delivered the cross that Rooney turned into a goal. It was such an unfortunate stroke of luck for Evra who just returned to the side after being suspended for four games for his participation in an incident after a match against Chelsea last April.

It shall be a big loss for Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United Football Club's title aspirations as in form striker Rooney might possibly join the list of injured players. He suffered a hamstring injury during last night's game and could possibly be missing in action for three weeks. He scored the winnning goal but imped out of the game moments later and Carlos Tevez was sent in for Rooney's place. Ferguson hopes though that Ronaldo's recovery from surgery and his recent triumph as FIFA's Word Player of The Year shall be enough for the winger to continue his progress and be the dominant player like he was during the last season.

The controversial Tevez can benefit from Rooney's expected absence as he shall fill up the other striker's position in partnership with Dimitar Berbatov. Recent reports in English papers have said that the South American striker is unsettled and wishes to leave United. But Tevez personally debunked these reports himself and insists that United manager Ferguson has not talked to him or his agent to start contract negotiations. Tevez joined Manchester from West Ham United on a two year loan that is due to expire this summer. And he desperately wants to make the move permanent.

Wigan gave a good account of themselves during the match. Emile Heskey and Wilson Palacios were constantly pressing for opportunities. Wigan manager Steve Bruce's prized find Amir Zaki was kept quiet by the United defense. The loss however did not affect Wigan's place in the team standings as they are still in seventh place.

By Peri Witny

Catch English soccer results at ScoresPro.com/soccer.

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Lionel Messi

First, to understand Messi, one must understand his background. Born in the industrial town of Rosario, Argentina, Messi was placed in a world where only a few escaped. Luckily though he had a talent, which was imbued with a strength of character that comes with living in a sometimes harsh developing country.

By the age of five he was dribbling a football with the poise and assurity of a fifteen year old, however one thing was amiss, his size. Diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency Messi was told that if he didn't get the proper medical attention he'd be lucky to reach five foot. Something had to be done.

With his father's aid young Lionel was able to secure a trial at FC Barcelona, Within five minutes of playing he had impressed the coaches present so much, he was almost instantly offered a contract on the spot. Furthermore they provided the medical treatment that Messi desperately needed.

Fast forward six years and ''Leo'' was now playing regularly in the first time alongside Ronaldinho, who he more often than not, upstaged with his willingness to take on the man and make darting runs behind the defense. His eye-catching runs drew comparisons to those of Diego Maradona's and people were questioning whether after a long line of heralded ''New Maradonas'', this one would be the real deal.

Lionel is now 21 and has already been voted the second best player in the world twice in row, missing out on the coveted top spot due to unfortunate injuries and team-mate incompetence. Nevertheless his reputation as the only player of the last 20 years possibly capable of surpassing Maradona and Pele remains firmly intact.

Genius is hard to define, but it's oh so easy to notice.

By Cian Mccarthy



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