The Best Domestic League in European Football (Soccer)

There are many fine domestic leagues in Europe but only a handful of them are truly excellent. Spain, Italy and England's domestic football [soccer] leagues are all ahead of the pack, because of money, home grown talent, support and superior skill sets. But as far as the top league in Europe, I would have to Spain ahead of them all.

The reason I have the Spainish La Liga as the top domestic league in Europe is because of the high quality and quantity of soccer they show week after week. For example, you have Lionel Messi the top player in the world playing for Barcelona, Iker Casillas the top goalkeeper in football, Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o, Raul, David Villa, I could go on but you get the idea. And also besides Real Madrid, most of the Spanish teams have a considerable amount of "home grown" talent from Spain playing significant roles on their teams, or as substitutes, which is very tough to do while competing at such a high level.

Look at the English Premier League, it is very tough to find more then 3-4 English players on any of the top 4 teams. On the top 4 Italian teams in Serie A at least 6-7 starters are of Italian descent, which is similar to Spain's top 4 teams. This is another reason why I must put Spain's La Liga ahead of England. Another key as I said is not only the quality but the quantity, there are about 7 different teams in Spain that have a chance to win the League Title, unlike the leagues in England and Italy were the same top 3 or 4 clubs consistently win. Five different teams have won it in the last 15 years, and a team like Deportivo de La Coruña , has been 3rd three times, and 2nd four times, but on top of that the other teams that are usually competing every year for the title, are Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Villarreal and Seville. The teams in bold have all won La Liga title in the past 15 years.

By Matt Lostracco

http://thebesteuropeanfootball.blogspot.com/

I also have a blog about European Football [Soccer] and all the ins and outs of the major football [soccer] clubs Domestically and the Champions League/UEFA Cup, as well as World and European Cups when they come around every couple of years.

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Who is Next?

Being a Manchester United supporter at the moment is highly stressful! We have had an amazing season thus far, no one can deny that we have scared every team in the premiership. At times we have looked impeccable, in all quarters of the field. The back four have been sublime even when without Neville and Ferdinand, Vidic has developed into arguably one of the best defenders in the world. Furthermore who can forget the contribution of Jonny Evans this season, a relatively inexperienced 21 year old. He played a key role along with Vidic and Van der Sar in going 14 games unbeaten without letting in a goal.

However its crunch time and the pressure is on. There's no doubt we are feeling the heat, our solid back four were unrecognisable against Aston Villa on the 5th of April. As a team we have wobbled ever since coming through against Inter in the Champions League, a game that could have gone either way. One would never put money against United not regaining composure, but the way in which we didn't hold on to the lead against Porto is another sign that the structure and assuredness has deserted Ferguson's men for the time being. Personally I think we have done enough to win the league and Porto will find it tough this week. What is troubling me is that next season could well be Fergie's last and I can't help thinking who the hell can replace him?

There's no doubt a good cluster of talented managers exist but to replace that aura Ferguson has built up over the years will be tough. It will take a couple of seasons for supporters and players to get used to the new environment. We need someone who is willing to stay long term, stamp their mark on the club and go from there. That's why for me the manager needs to be British, unless your Solskjaer or Cantona of course! Both Manchester United through and through. If our man is from the UK, being away from family wont become a factor. We all know having a run of new managers brings instability, teams under perform and spend season after season falling short of the trophies. Look no further than Chelsea, an array of world class players but have been lacking in solid leadership.

Furthermore the new manager will need to know what Manchester United is all about, bringing youth from the academy and an attitude of attack, attack, attack. Jose Mourhino's name is on many people's lips but his focus tends to lean on the defensive, making sure the back four are brilliant technically. This would not go down well at Old Trafford. If he came, there would undoubtedly be a honey moon period but the wheels would soon fall off when things get tricky. He is too much of a personality and when things get tough he can loose his cool, instead of focusing on the job in hand.

David Moyes has to be high on the list, apparently he is Ferguson's favourite to take over. What he has managed to do at Everton, out of minimum funds has to be applauded. Finishing in the top six in three of the past four seasons. He is a great manager, not flashy and knows how to get the best from his players. Then there's Martin O' Neill, another fantastic manager who enjoys building something from nothing. Focusing on bringing the youth through and showing belief in them by playing them in crucial games, similar to Fergie with Welbeck, Fabio and Rafael. Belief is what the youngsters need to propel them to the next level, look no further than Federico Macheda in the past week. Unfortunately O' Neill is doing so well at Aston Villa and still aiming to build on solid foundations, it should be difficult to prize him away.

Who can forget Mark Hughes, he played his best years under Ferguson and would probably love the job. You sense that this is the legacy Ferguson has left, he managed to keep the likes of Hughes, Bruce, Keane, Giggs, Scholes, Neville and Ferdinand at the club for years and in turn they love the club more than any supporter could. When retired those last four players will undoubtedly want to be involved with the club on some level, this promising to carry on where Fergie left off. In these terms the future doesn't look too bleak, we will always have a part of Alex.
Roy Keane, before Sunderland was one of my personal favourites but he seriously needs to learn how to build a relationship with his players. Fergie is firm and we all know who the boss is, Keane also has that steeliness but unfortunately he can come across as a scary depressive, doesn't do wonders for the confidence!

Solskjaer coaches the reserves team at the moment and will definitely be adding to what he has already learned from the man. For me it may too soon for him, a few more years as the understudy and he will be there. I can see him as a Queiroz type, the right hand man.

What made me fall in love with the club was the sense that something special was brewing, starting from the bottom and building an unbeatable club. Growing up I saw the same players play week in week out, Butt, Beckham, Irwin, Ferguson's teams have been more about building a generation rather than seeing players go in and out too often. His experience has taught him to think outside of the box, becoming a master away from the pitch also. In my eyes he bought Nani, Ronaldo's Portuguese team mate partly to keep the winger settled. Furthermore he can handle Rooney better than anyone and seems to have a huge influence on Ronaldo, managing to convince him not to sign for Real Madrid.

With departure looming Man United have a good crop of players who as far as I can see want to stay even beyond the Fergie days. For someone to ignite so much passion inside these players is great to watch. The amount of respect he has from everyone involved in the club is awesome to see, he is the heart beat of Old Trafford. That first game at home after he has gone is a day that will take the wind out of everyone's sails.

By Eryn Beynon

Something to think about if your a Manchester United fan.

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Coaching Kids' Soccer - How to Solve the Toughest Dilemma

Inspiration; it can be one of the hardest issues to deal with when you are coaching kids soccer. Youth soccer coaches find it especially challenging to inspire, motivate, and build drive into youth soccer players. Coaching kids soccer with the right tactics can create the internal inspiration that can put players over the top. Putting in place a system that pushes players to play harder, run faster, be more aggressive than the other team will be a significant contributor to a team's success.

Inspiration and motivation can come in many flavors. What works for one player likely will not work for the rest. Many of us have had new players that had goals of just touching the ball five times in each half, to the extreme goal for super players of scoring at least one or two goals in each half of every game. Inspiration can be a great source of breeding consistency in coaching kids soccer.

How to inspire a soccer team may be a challenge for new coaches. It really just gets down to leveraging the basic personality characteristics of each player. Does that player want to "show up" his/her older sibling? Is the motivating factor to earn points, or skipping out on an endurance drill, or being in the starting line-up or a designated captain for the next game? While coaching kids soccer, it becomes important to determine what inspires each player. This should be a group effort by the coaching staff. Some basic characteristics of youth soccer players generally involve some of the ones mentioned previously, along with receiving certificates of accomplishment to post in their school locker or bedroom, being named a team captain and leading game or practice activities, setting personal or team records, other youth-oriented fascinations with receiving snacks after games or practices, and being able to play a position they aspire to, but haven't had the chance yet. After you've been coaching kids soccer for a few years, you learn that there are many traits that consistently run through youth soccer players that can be leveraged as inspiration to aspire to new heights.

Maybe most importantly, as inspiration is developed by youth soccer coaches, more and more benefits will emerge. Inspiration can lead to confidence. Confidence can lead to developing a team leader on the field. Team leaders can set an example and urge other players to follow suit and extend the extra effort that can win games. And winning games is a great source on encouragement for continuing in soccer in the future.

By Mark Raymond

Newer coaches usually seek out information on the best ways to inspire, motivate, and get the most of young soccer players. There is one website that has great soccer resources for coaches, such as free articles, videos, soccer field diagrams, teaching aids, downloadable soccer coaching books, and other documents. The site is dedicated to helping youth soccer coaches, and it is called Coach Mark Soccer Club. The site has free soccer strategies and soccer positioning information, roster templates, practice agendas, coaching checklists, and nearly everything required for coaching kids soccer.

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Who Invented the Game of Soccer?

So, who invented the game of soccer actually? Well, the precise history and origin of football is still a very confusing debate. Some argue that it has around from 1000 BC of which its evidence was found in china. But even more primitive evidence has been discovered.

Kicking of the ball can be considered to exist as long the history of human entertainment. It can also be classified as one of the simplest games and enjoyment exercise. All that is required is something to kick with the foot which people may follow and take possession of. There might be something very addictive in the game because its traces can be found in almost all areas of the world and modern soccer also is played in almost all areas from Asia to Europe.

It is also not necessary to have a spherical object for kicking but anything which is large enough to be kicked though the kicking may not have uniform pattern and the path but still it can be played and enjoyed if one wills. And if looked with a little keenness, it can be deduced that it doesn't look possible to make a spherical shape for playing the game other than some naturally occurring ones.

The rules and types of playing the football were also different depending on the areas. Some areas may have a very differing style and rule method for playing football than others. So it could be said that the game was not a uniform one at all places. Everyone adapted what they preferred about the game and kept on playing on those rules for quite a long period.

In the middle of the nineteenth century, consideration was given to standardize the soccer game so that every place may have the same type of rules and regulations and may practice and play under same situations. The Cambridge laws were first introduced by the Cambridge University in 1848 for the very attempt to homogenize the sport of soccer.

In the 50s, many clubs within the UK were formed by non government and other people who made these clubs and played matches between themselves. Still different clubs had their own rules and regulations according to which they played the game. But these clubs and small rules can be said as the contributors in setting one body and universal rules.

In the year of 1863, an association by the name of Football Association was set and with only a few members and a single school which agreed to participate in the association, number of meetings was held between the month of October and December. These meetings proved successful and the first universally agreeable rules were laid down which can still be seen in action.

The rules were not liked by all of the clubs and many withdrew from it during a small period. One of the rules was to ban the carrying of the ball in the hand and tripping anyone with the legs. Both of these and some more were made illegal during the game. The aim of these rules were to make the game a fair and safe one for every player involved in it so that they may exit the ground with least amount of injuries and pains.

But still for some reason, many didn't like these rules and left the association. Despite all the hurdles, the first world class official match was held in the year of 1872. An international association was formed in 1904 by the name of Federation Internationale de Football Association commonly known as FIFA and after some time when the FIFA gained popularity, people also accepted it and it is still the main governing body for international football matches.

By Mirsad Hasic

Information about the Author: Hasic Mirsad is the webmaster of soccer training guide, which is a site that helps people learn how to play soccer.

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Brief History of Soccer

The history of soccer can be said as old as recorded history. The game has been played in varying forms. A game resembling soccer was played by the ancient roman and had 27 players at each side. But the game was said to be so violent that most of the players had to be given medical treatment and suffered many injuries in which both major and minor types are included. Still not much record is available for sports related activities as historians at that time were not so interested in them.

Soccer also had to face difficulties in growing up as well. First it was not given too much attention and was played by people at a small scale. The 14th century also gave soccer some tuff time. King Edward passed laws against the soccer in the early 14th century. Anyone who was found playing soccer openly was imprisoned.

The king said that the game makes a lot of noise through the people watching it and also by the players playing the game. Though it may be said as a completely senseless decision but considering the time, too much noise may not be liked by the people or the kings at least.

But the game was living inside the people and they didn't seem to give up on the game. The game again saw a boom and public support from the start of the 19th century and again started to gain popularity among the masses. There was no official governing party so the game events were held by individual clubs and small group of people who were willing to keep the game alive.

But the games usually didn't seem to end peacefully. Some injuries could be seen during the game and some maybe after the game during some quarrellings between groups of people supporting different teams. Broken legs and busted heads could be heard and seen in the games and some minor injuries as well.

Still there was no official rule book for the sports. Later in the mid 19th centuries, many colleges and small groups started making their own rules and the matches arranged by them had to be played in accordance to their rules. But a little later, Cambridge University introduced some rules which were called Cambridge laws, were then followed by many groups and colleges and many matches had started to be played within those rules and regulations.

Then an association named Football Association was formed and only a single college and other small groups and people joined the association. In the year 1863, a number of meetings were held by this association and a few round of meetings between October and December 1863 proved successful and the first group of agreeable rules and regulations were decided. At first many groups decided to leave the association's governance because they were not happy with a number of laws.

One of these laws was that the ball cannot be carried by the player in the hand and tripping (known as hacking) was not allowed and was considered a foul and the opponents were given due advantage for the foul. These and some others were not preferred by some so they decided to leave.

But after some time, the football association was changed into Federation Internatinale de Football Association also known as (aka) FIFA in the early 20th century. The FIFA was also not given a welcoming hand at first but later people decided to accept it and the groups seeing this fame, joined it and this body is still governing the official matches held internationally and between clubs.

By Mirsad Hasic

Author: Hasic Mirsad is the creator of soccer training advisor, a site with lot of information on how to play soccer.

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Arsenal Transfer News - Does Arsenal Have As Much Money As They Claim?

I have decided to write this little in the pretext to highlight the significance of the financial problems faced by Arsenal and had subsequently affect the team's performance.

Point: Arsenal's board lead by Peter Hill-Wood and Co has not kept their promise to hand Wenger and the fans the supposed budget to buy players.

30/08/2008: Hill-Wood says Arsenal have plenty of money to spend and that Wenger's critics should stop telling the Frenchman how to do his job. He said: Everyone tells Arsene how he ought to run the place but no-one is a better judge than him. We have plenty of money and enough to spend.

19/12/08: Arsenal's Board have made it clear that funds are available should he wish to spend them next month. Indeed, some reports have suggested that Wenger has been urged to splash the cash by the Club's hierarchy. At his pre-match press conference, the manager reiterated that HE has the final decision over potential reinforcements. "They [the Board] let me do what I want to do," said Wenger. "I know how much money I can spend and I will try to do it in a wise way."

23/12/08: Arsène Wenger admits he is more likely to enter the transfer market next month in the wake of Cesc Fabregas' knee injury. "Yes [I am more likely to buy], but we also have internal solutions so we are not desperate because of that," said Wenger.

02/01/09: Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood admits manager Arsene Wenger has a limited budget for the January market. "I don't think there is a lot of money anywhere," Hill-Wood said in the papers. "One has got to look ahead - in the future there is probably not going to be much more money coming in.

04/01/09: The Daily Mail reports that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is on a collision course with his higher-ups over the modest transfer budget he has been given this winter. The Frenchman is eager to sign Andrei Arshavin, but Zenit St Petersburg are demanding in excess of 20 million Euros for their star forward - a figure the Gunners have thus far been unable to match.

The North London club have always maintained that they will back Wenger to the hilt in the transfer market, although that claim has rarely been tested due to the gaffer's low-budget, youth-oriented approach. But now that the ex-Monaco boss has set his sights on a big-money target, the Emirates board are unwilling to free up the funds required to seal the deal. This is is not the first report of friction between Wenger and his bosses to emerge this season. Indeed, it is has been whispered that the 59-year-old could break his contract with Arsenal to join Real Madrid next summer. That remains the remotest of remote possibilities, but if the Gunners fail to secure Champions League qualification this term - they currently sit fifth in the Premier League table - their long-serving manager could consider his options.

May we know where are the 50 million pounds that the board has promised us? Where are the support that was supposedly promised to Wenger, now that we want a player?

By Abayomi Aje

If you liked this article, then I invite you to visit my football/soccer site at http://soccerfanbase.com for more football discussion and chat with other football/soccer fans like yourself plus you would have a chance to win wonderful football prizes playing our fantasy football and prediction league.

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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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