History of the German Bundesliga

Despite its domination by Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga still remains one of the most competitive football formats in the world. Bayern Munich's "policy" of poaching talents from their competitors has led to the Bavarians being nicknamed FC Hollywood. Besides the league, teams as well participate in the DFB-Pokal. Despite being founded by the DFB, the league is currently overseen by the DFL. As a result of the German unification, the league was restructured so as to integrate and accommodate teams from the former East German regions. The league can trace its origins to Leipzig as its where the DFB was initially formed, although the real crafting of the league took place in Dortmund later after calls for a national league were intensified for the reason that the German national teams had been mauled by Yugoslavia in a World Cup fixture in Chile. Although at first there were five oberligens - premier leagues, the structure has been narrowed to comprise a single championship. In 2004, a custom of recognizing serial league winners by displaying stars on their badges was initiated in a process known as "verdiente meistervereine". The German native talents currently flooding the league can be attributed to the national team's poor performance during the 2000 UEFA EURO championships - an act that led to the calls for more talent in all teams in both tiers. This deeply contrasts the occurrences in the English Premier League that strives to attract any foreign player - maybe under the motivation of tax cuts. Currently, no individual is permitted to own more than forty nine percent of any club in the Bundesliga - save for Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg for the reason that they were initially formed as factory football teams. The Bundesliga prides itself as having the best attendance averagely, although this can be linked to the fact that out of the five top leagues in Europe, the German model has the second lowest ticket rates. The low tickets model has led to some prominent personalities to take a dig at England - anyway, thats typical of Germans. For instance, Uli Hoeness - the disgraced former Bayern Munich's president was quoted as saying that the difference between England and Germany as regards football is that while the former is monetary oriented, the latter is fan friendly! Ouch, thats so sarcastic when it comes from an individual who was found guilty of tax evasion. Funny enough, no club from the former East German regions has won the Bundesliga, neither has a club from the capital - Berlin, won the trophy! Strange indeed. Overall, the following clubs have won the Bundesliga; Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, Borussia Dortmund, VfB Stuttgart, Hamburger SV, TSV 1860 Munich, Borussia Monchengladbach, FC Koln/Cologne, FC Kaiserslautern, FC Nurnberg, VfL Wolfsburg and Eintracht Braunschweig. Former Eintracht Frankfurt's footballer Karl-Heinz Korbel holds the record for most appearances while Gerd Muller or "der bomber" holds the record for most goals scored - curiously enough, Jupp Heynckes makes it to number three! Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park is the largest stadium, Hertha Berlin's Olympiastadion comes second while Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena comes third. Schalke 04's Veltins-Arena, VfB Stuttgarts's Mercedes-Benz Arena and Hamburger SV's Imtech Arena complete the top six stadiums. The championship as well has several derbies; Munich derby - Bayern Munich vs 1860 Munich, Bavarian derby - Bayern Munich vs Nurnberg, Revierderby - Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke 04, Nordderby - Hamburger SV vs Werder Bremen, Political derby - Hansa Rostock vs St. Pauli, Rheinland derby - FC Koln vs Borussia Monchengladbach and the Hamburg derby - Hamburger SV vs St. Pauli. All in all, none comes close to Der Klassiker - Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund. Gerd Muller holds the record for most goals in a season while Bayern Munich rules with most titles won. Typically, the German league has for long been dominated by natives and this led to the growth of local talent - Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer, Uwe Seeler, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Rudi Voller, Stefan Kuntz, Ulf Kirsten, Mario Gomez, Miroslav Klose, Stefan Kiessling, Mario Basler, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller, Lukas Podolski, Oliver Kahn, Philip Lahm, Mats Hummels, Mario Gotze, Ilkay Gundogan, Marco Reus, Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer, Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil et al. Personalities from other countries have as well played in the league for instance, Robert Lewandowski, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Xabi Alonso, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ebbe Sand, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Theofanis Gekas, Owen Hargreaves, Luca Toni, Edin Dzeko, Grafite, Anthony Yeboah, Ze Roberto, Claudio Pizzaro, Bixente Lizarazu, Martin Demichelis, Ivica Olic, Mario Mandzukic, Xherdan Shaqiri et al.

History of the Spanish La Liga

LFP's Primera Division or Liga BBVA - named so for sponsorship reasons, is among the most competitive football league systems in the world. Some would state that its the best attributable to the plethora of goals witnessed, however its domination by Real Madrid and Barcelona has led to a monopolistic trait mirroring Bayern Munich's situation in the Bundesliga. In addition to the Spanish League title, teams as well compete for the Copa del Rey. Supercopa de Espana entails the winners of the League against Copa del Rey winners. Teams that fail to make the cut in the league - ideally the three bottom teams are demoted to the Segunda Division. Currently, several prominent teams such as Real Zaragoza, Real Betis and Osasuna participate in the Segunda Division. Ironically, Real Betis earned their demotion through the exploits of the current coach of Barcelona - Luis Enrique. Their stadium - Benito Villamarin is currently the biggest in the Segunda Division with a capacity of more than fifty thousand fans. Only La Romerada and El Molinon come close to such a capacity. Back to the Liga BBVA. Since its inception, nine teams have won the league; Real Madrid - most titles, Barcelona, Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Real Betis, Real Sociedad and Deportivo la Coruna. The capital has three clubs in the league - Rayo Vallecano, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Barcelona and Valencia have two teams each - Espanyol and Barcelona FC for the former, Levante and Valencia for the latter. During the 1950's clubs in the league could only accommodate three foreign players and so both Real Madrid and Barcelona cunningly twisted the rules by naturalizing Alfredo di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Laszlo Kubala. Among the legendary coaches to ply his trade in the Spanish league was Helenio Herrera - the legendary Argentinian who is compared to Jose Mourinho attributable to the fact that he craved for defensive formations. Oddly, there existed no official individual awards until the LFP awards were instituted during the 2008-09 season. The player and manager of the month award was inaugurated during the 2013-14 season. All in all, there are four unofficial awards in the Liga BBVA namely; Zarra Trophy, Ricardo Zamora Trophy, Pichichi Trophy as well as Trofeo Alfredo di Stefano. The league entails several derbies that include; Basque derby - Real Sociedad vs Athletic Bilbao, Valencia derby - Levante vs Valencia, Seville derby - Sevilla vs Real Betis, Galician derby - Deportivo la Coruna vs Celta Vigo, Derbi Barceloni - Barcelona vs Espanyol, Asturian derby - Real Oviedo vs Sporting Gijon, as well as the Madrid derby - Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid. All in all, none comes closer to the supreme El Clasico that pairs Real Madrid vs Barcelona. While Lionel Messi holds the record for most goals scored, Iago Aspas brags about the fastest hattrick. Francesco Gento has won most La Liga league titles, while Xavier Aguado holds the record for most dismissals. Athletic Bilbao holds the record for the largest win margin after they thrashed Barcelona 12- 1. Andoni Zubizaretta - the current Camp Nou sporting director, holds the record for most games without conceding and most competitive league appearances. Espanyol holds the record for most overall losses in the league, while both Real Madrid and Barcelona hold the record for most points amassed during a single season. Laszlo Kubala brags as regards the most golas scored in a single match while Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for the fastest fifty and one hundred goals. Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi hold the record for the most number of opponents scored against in a single season. Barcelona's Camp Nou is the biggest stadium followed by Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu. Valencia's Mestalla, Atletico Madrid's Vicente Calderon, Athletic Bilbao's San Mames, and Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan fill up the top six slots consecutively. Despite the overall domination of Real Madrid over Barcelona as regards total titles sealed, La Masia talents outclass Castilla products by a far stretch. Liga BBVA has witnessed world class talents such as Brazilians; Ronaldo, Kaka, Roberto Carlos, Denilson, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Romario, Argentinians; Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Juan Roman Riquelme, Javier Saviola, Walter Samuel, Estaben Cambiasso and Gonzalo Higuain, Dutch; Johan Cruyff, Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf and Ruud van Nistelrooy, English; David Beckham, Michael Owen, Gary Lineker and Steve Macmanaman, Italians; Fabio Cannavaro, Christian Vieri, Antonio Cassano and Gianluca Zambrotta, French; Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Lilian Thuram, Laurent Blanc, Bixente Lizarazu, Karim Benzema Claude Makelele and Ludovic Giuly, Germans; Toni Kroos, Christoph Metzelder, Bodo Ilgner and Bernd Schuster, Portuguese; Cristiano Ronaldo, Simao, Miguel and Luis Figo. Natives have as well excelled in the league with prominent personalities comprising Raul Gonzalez, Xavi Hernandez, Telmo Zarra, Andreas Iniesta, Iker Casillas, Santiago Canizares, Carles Puyol, Xabi Alonso, David Villa and Fernando Torres. Many other prominent personalities have as well graced the Liga BBVA - Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Samuel E'too, Hugo Sanchez, Hristo Stoichov, James Rodriguez, Michael Laudrup - just to name a few, however currently the league has the world's most expensive player in the mold of Gareth Bale. Raymond Kopa, Alfredo di Stefano, Luis Suarez, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Johan Cruyff, Hristo Stoichov, Lionel Messi, Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo have all won the Ballon d'Or while playing for Spanish La Liga outfits.

A tribute to Thierry Henry

Titi - as Henry is popularly known, is among the best strikers ever. Only the likes of Ronaldo Luis Nazario, Dennis Bergkamp, Raul Gonzalez, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Alessandro del Piero, Miroslav Klose, Gabriel Batistuta, Alan Shearer et al can claim similar recognition. Given that he was signed instantly after being spotted by AS Monaco's scout just underlines the talent in him. His exploits for the principality club brought about positive fortunes as he earned a call up to the Les Bleus, in the process amassing 123 caps and 51 goals. In 1998, Henry was made a Chevalier - the grandest honor of the French culture. This is after Aime Jacquet lads had conquered the world by comprehensively thrashing Brazil at the Stade de France during the Coupe du Monde finals. The legendary knight of France would then win the UEFA EURO 2000 at Feijenoord Stadion against an Italian side that boasted talents such as Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro, Francesco Totti,  Alessandro del Piero, Filipo Inzaghi, Alessandro Nesta, Antonio Conte and Gianluca Zambrotta. Thanks God Jose Mourinho was not in the shape of an international football coach as he would have directed expletives towards the Swede referee - Anders Frisk, who he loathed so much (Chelsea vs. Barcelona grudge match). With stalwarts such as Patrick Vieira, Zinedine Zidane, David Trezeguet, Marcel Desailly, Fabien Barthez et al, king Henry won the 2003 Confederations Cup. Momentarily, lets forget about the Raymond Domenech era. It looked like a snip when the Old Lady of Turin acquired his services only to turn him into a winger. However, when his former boss at Monaco - Arsene Wenger, who had joined Arsenal paid eleven million pounds to have him at Highbury, it was clear that lots of pressure were on Henry to justify his price tag. The fee would later look like daylight mugging as the Frenchman topped the scoring charts for seasons as well as cementing his legendary status as a cult figure around the Gunners faithful. It is at Arsenal that he almost made the topscorer trophy exclusively his - save for the exploits of Ruud van Nistelrooy. Given that he liked to cut in from the left during an attack, it made sure that he would have significant volumes of assists on top of his goals. Typical of him, he was heavily influenced by the exploits of Marco van Bastern - former Dutch and A.C. Milan legendary striker. His departure to Barcelona left a bitter taste on the Gunners' faithful but Henry was vindicated as he won the prestigious UEFA Champions League that had notoriously evaded him during his time at Highbury and Emirates. His signing for New York Red Bulls was interpreted as a wider strategy to market the American League - scenes that were augmented by the fact that David Beckham was under the books of LA Galaxy. His return to Arsenal on loan signified that he was still held in high regard by the Stan Kroenke led venture. As Thierry Henry retires to join the punditry team at Sky Sports, its only imperative to salute one of the most recognizable talents of this generation - what would one refer to an individual who has won numerous domestic and international trophies? In this case, lets forget his divorce saga - after all we would be heaping jealousy on Nicole Merry since the legendary striker now dates Andrea Rajacic who happens to be a Bosnian model.

Winners and losers of the Champions League draw

The draw at Nyon has opened new battlefronts as well as renewing old rivalries. Curiously, the draw rekindles old flames by pairing teams that have met before in the competition. The draw as overseen by UEFA's secretary general is as follows: PSG vs. Chelsea, Manchester City vs. Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen vs. Atletico Madrid, Juventus vs. Borussia Dortmund, Schalke 04 vs. Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk vs. FC Bayern Munich, Arsenal vs. AS Monaco and FC Basel vs. FC Porto. PSG vs. Chelsea can be viewed as a "money derby" or an Oil Clasico - Roman Abramovic and Nasser Al-Khelaifi have really invested in the two clubs. Jose Mourinho will be wary of the Parisians after they nearly dumped Chelsea out of the elite competition last year - Demba Ba's heroics saved the day for the Pensioners. Should Zlatan Ibrahimovic and co. manage to knock out Chelsea, then it would bring a love-hate feeling to former PSG's assistant coach - Claude Makelele, for having played for the blues before. Laurent Blanc will hope that his lads can conjure a miracle at the Parc des Princes before they entertain Diego Costa and his ilk at the Stamford Bridge in the return leg. Les Parisiens hopes lies with the form of their talisman captain - the big Swede. The likes of Marco Verratti, Blaise Matuidi and Thiago Motta will have to outshine Cesc Fabregas, Nemanja Matic and Ramires. Edinson Cavani will hope to re-ignite his scoring touch against the John Terry led defensive wall. Manchester City vs. Barcelona - another fixture that happened last season. The Citizens have the disadvantage of starting the first leg at home. While Manuel Pellegrini will hope that Eastlands comes alive that day, Luis Enrique will be aware of the fact that the Sky Blues qualified at AS Roma's expense and are capable of upsetting the order. Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano will come against their fellow countrymen - the likes of Pablo Zabaleta, Willy Caballero, Martin Demichelis and Sergio Aguero - if declared fit. The fixture can be viewed as a Yaya Toure derby! While Pellegrini prays that Sergio Aguero is declared fit prior to the fixture, Luis Enrique will be hoping that his prolonged attack of South American imports - Messi, Neymar and Suarez, will finally click! Schalke 04 vs. Real Madrid - the Germans have the disadvantage of playing the defending champions in two successive meetings having been paired together last season. Roberto Di Matteo knows the challenge that lies ahead - dethroning Carlo Ancelotti's men is no easy task, especially at the Santiago Bernabeu. Die Knappen will bank on Max Mayer, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Julian Draxler, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to get past the Los Blanco's. However, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez, Karim Benzema, Chicharito, Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Isco, its hard to imagine a progression for Schalke 04. Only a massacre at the Veltins-Arena can guarantee Schalke's progress. Bayer Leverkusen vs. Atletico Madrid - a promising fixture that could go either way. BayArena should be wary of Mario Mandzukic, Koke, Antoine Griezmann, Arda Turan and Raul Garcia. Diego Simeone has the technical knowledge of upstaging Roger Schmidt - especially in the return leg at Vicente Calderon. However, the Los Indios should not underestimate their Bundesliga counterparts, for the reason that Josip Drmic, Stefan Kiessling, Lars Bender, Karim Bellarabi, Heung-Min Son and Robbie Kruse are capable of disregarding popular belief. Juventus vs. Borussia Dortmund - while Massimiliano Allegri's men are doing well in the Serie, Jurgen Klopp's fortunes at Signal Iduna are diminishing. The Turin based side will rely on Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio and Roberto Pereyra in midfield while an embarrassment of riches upfront means that Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente, Alvaro Morata and Sebastian Giovinco will have to outdo each other for the two possible slots. Die Borussen on the other hand will be hoping that Shinji Kagawa, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Ilkay Gundogan and Nuri Sahin can form a cohesive unit. Marco Reus - if fit, Adrian Ramos, Aubameyang, and Ciro Immobile offer the fire power upfront. Mat Hummels, Ginter and Subotic should offer the leadership at the back. Juventus will be hoping to knockout Borussia Dortmund having defeated them during the 1997 UEFA Champions League final - Ottmar Hitzfeld guided the Germans to glory then. Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Bayern Munich - Mircea Lucescu is a veteran of European games and with a team that is entirely made up of Ukrainians and Brazilians - save for captain Darijo Srna, Shakhtar Donetsk may just cause upsets. Luiz Adriano, Ilsinho, Taison and Alex Teixeira outline the talents in the team but the prospect of facing Manuel Neuer upsets the plot. Die Roten on the other hand are everyone's favorites to win the tie - Pep Guardiola will hope to kill the tie before the return leg at Allianz Arena. Xabi Alonso, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger could get competition from Gianluca Gaudino, Xherdan Shaqiri and Pierre Hojbjerg. Lewandowski, Muller and Mario Gotze should get ample time as well. Franz Beckenbauer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge will be watching Guardiola's tactics closely. Arsenal vs. AS Monaco - a fixture that qualifies to be an Arsene Wenger derby. The French tactician previously coached the principality club. The Gunners will be aiming for Leonardo Jardim's scalp. Dimitar Berbatov will be keen to cause destruction at Emirates Stadium given his previous links with Tottenham Hotspur - Arsenal's bitter rivals. Lucas Ocampo, Joao Moutinho and Jeremy Toulalan - the club's captain, will pull the strings in midfield. Arsenal will hope that Olivier Giroud's recent form continues plus a cure for Laurent Koscielny's injury crisis. Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck should provide assistance to the French striker. Long-term injury to Mesut Ozil means that Wenger will have to hope that Aaron Ramsey stays fit. FC Basel vs. FC Porto - arguably the easiest fixture of the competition. While the Swiss are dangerous at St.Jacob-Park, Paulo Sousa will hope that they can do a double over the Portuguese outfit. After eliminating Liverpool, the likes of Fabian Frei and Marco Streller will hope to continue with the positive results. All in all, FC Porto are extremely dangerous while playing at home - Estadio do Dragao. Jackson Martinez, Yacine Brahimi, and the South American contingent will be keen to impress Julen Lopetegui. May the best team win - the road to Berlin continues. 

Champions League scandal

It is the elite football competition in Europe - and by extension in the world save for the World Cup, but the negative undertones that entail the draw/knockout procedures of the UEFA Champions League in Nyon reveal the diverse mechanization behind the entire competition. Gianni Infantino - UEFA's general secretary, gets much flak for the rigging claims since he always presents and oversees the draw. The prestigious status of the competition makes it easier for the participants and stakeholders to reach for every trick in a bid to sway the results in their favor. Despite investigating other potential "fixes" in matches involving World Cup qualifiers, Europol is generally quiet as regards the murmurs that surround the competition. Former European elite referee Ahmet Cakar lifted the lid on the maneuvers that outline how UEFA and prominent sponsors sacrifice "less appealing" teams for superior brands in football. This notion (sic) is augmented by the fact that most guesses and bets as regards the Champions League draw usually vindicate the thought of match fixing. If really such a syndicate exists, then both Michel Platini - UEFA's boss, as well as Sepp Blatter - the enigmatic Swiss who happens to borrow survival tactics from African heads of states, must be in the loop. Various occurrences in the competition have repeatedly pointed to the notion that there might be a strong wind blowing in several highlighted matches. Back to Ahmet Cakar; the Turkish native demonstrated how UEFA uses intermediaries and associates to fix the draw - even as they televise the event. Talk of guts and cunning antics. And as sure as hell, Cakar once paired the draw correctly - the outcomes shocked not only the football fraternity but the globe at large. Cakar's demonstrations and eventual pairings that corresponded to the main draw added more fuel to the suppositions of a grand scandal. UEFA even uses former prominent players as a facade in the process of ensuring that some teams get "easier teams" during the draw. Rumors of vibrating balls, warm balls and heavier balls in the bowl have added credence to the rigging claims. The act guarantees that UEFA's top dogs and supreme commandos get the fixtures they desire. Ruud Gullit, Steven McManaman, Patrick Kluivert, Dennis Law and George Weah have been accused of aiding the Zurich based organization in their mechanization to produce "premeditated" draws. It is alleged that UEFA rigs the draw so that to increase the chances of a commercially interesting final - after all, FIFA's code of conduct is highlighted by their greed for more revenues. More often than not, the "big four" usually end up in the semi finals of the elite competition. Former Manchester United coach - Alex Ferguson had been fined twice by UEFA for stating that the draw was fixed. During the first instance in 2003, the Scottish knight was punished for stating that UEFA was being lenient on Italian teams - curiously, SAF was somehow vindicated for the reason that both Juventus and A.C. Milan (maybe UEFA doesn't know the two teams are from Italy) reached the final of the tournament. Ironically, the final was hosted by Old Trafford. The gaffer was then banned in 2013 after controvesial Turkish official - Cuyent Cakir, brandished a red card to Nani in a UEFA quarter final clash against Real Madrid. The Madrid based club was deemed to be UEFA's project in that season but thanks to Lewandowski's exploits, the venture never materialized. UEFA's ethics have been compromised and it wont be surprising to see "familiar draws" today.

Manchester United vs. Liverpool

Nothing is more pleasing than heaping misery on your rival in a football context - scousers will never be bigger than United. As the red half of Merseyside go to Old Trafford to try and gain pride, United's recent form will have to be on show. This clash entails geography, status, philosophy, sport and pride. Today's clash at Old Trafford is arguably the fiercest and biggest in English football. The two teams from the North West clash in a "Derby of England", with bragging rights at stake. The close proximity of both club plus the history between them augments the situation further. The two team have been the most successful in English football. More often than not, the match involving the two heavyweights is played during lunchtime - an early kickoff, so as to discourage fans from drinking. Nobody would relish the prospect of facing drunkards in such a hot tempered match. Ryan Giggs - the current United's assistant manager has the most appearances in the clash involving the two teams. Gone are the days when the Scottish trio of Graeme Souness, Alan Hansen and Kenny Dalglish ran rings around United - we also had a Scottish in the mold of Dennis Law earlier. The dominance of the clash was cemented when Sir Alex Ferguson insisted that United vs. Liverpool was the biggest game, even after a surge in power in the form of Eastlands - Manchester City. The rivalry dates back to the competition between the two cities in the North West - while Manchester was known for its manufacturing significance, Liverpool was recognized for its port. Once a new port was built in Manchester, it was easier to convey cargo directly without the input of Liverpool hence leading to resentment from the locals as well as job losses.It is imperative to note that the ship is found in many Mancunian institutions for instance the Manchester City's crest and the Manchester Municipal Council badge. Liverpool dominated the English football from the late seventies up until the late eighties, while Manchester United have taken over from their rivals since 1993. The Anfield outfit has 18 English League titles and 33 domestic honors, while the Old Trafford club has 20 English titles and 35 domestic honors. The Merseysiders form has been patchy and poor and a loss to United may be last straw for Brendan Rodgers - John W. Henry may decide to give him an early Christmas break by sending him to Belfast. Paul Ince and Michael Owen have played for both clubs, thereby attracting the wrath of aggrieved entities. England's "El Clasico" is usually laced with undertones of hate and passion - the fixture isn't short of controversy either. The red mist has descended with escalated amounts of rage in various matches involving the two giants. A bust up between Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher - now associates at Sportsmail, showed how the fixture disregarded the "perceived" ethics of national identity. Gordon Strachan - the current coach of the Scotland football team, even went as far as smoking imaginary cigars after he scored for United as the Kop faithful watched. The frosty relationship between Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish - two prominent Scots, just underlined the rivalry. However, it was the knight who was vindicated after United knocked Liverpool "off their perch" - nobody would ever forget the banners brandished by the Kop with sentiments such as "come back when you win 18 titles!" Blimey, they couldn't their eyes when it finally happened. The saga involving Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez further escalated the hate to unimaginable levels. What with Gary Neville celebrating O'shea's goal infront of the scousers?, Eric Cantona heroics and the dismissals witnessed during such a clash! Who would forget Dimitar Berbatov's hattrick in 2010? The less we talk about Hillsborough and Munich disasters as pertains both clubs, the better!

Chelsea vs. Hull City

Ideally, the 3-5-2 system wasn't used much in the English Premier League - until Harry Redknapp and Louis van Gaal decided to challenge the norm, but with disastrous outcomes. Redknapp introduced the system at Loftus Road after agreeing with the first team's coach - Glenn Hoddle, that the system translated into success. How wrong they were - maybe they watched too much of Dutch flair during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Hoops are clearly struggling with the formation - save for the few games that Charlie Austin has bailed them out. Redknapp had hoped that the formation would bring about positive fortunes having earlier tested the system while at West Ham United. Louis van Gaal - he of escalated ego, was hellbent on initiating the system at Old Trafford although the likes of Swansea and Burnley disregarded his opinion. Garry Monk's men would even snatch a famous victory against United. By doing so, they upset the applecart and LvG - as the Dutch tactician is known, had no choice but to revert to the usual formation. However, having lots of riches in the midfield has made the gaffer revert to the system for the last few games. The 3-5-2 ideology has been copied by Steve Bruce at Hull City. The Tigers' boss is convinced that the system would be ideal for both Nikica Jelavic and Gaston Ramirez, with Tom Huddlestone shielding the likes of Curtis Davies and Michael Dawson. Ironically, Steve Bruce spent his career playing in a formation that entailed four defenders! Am not sure if he wants to copy the occurrences at Old Trafford - a place where his career glittered. All in all, the former Manchester United player faces a difficult opponent whose desire to win is augmented by their loss to Alan Pardew's lads at St. James' Park. While Steve Bruce cherishes the 3-5-2, his nemesis today pays homage to 4-2-3-1. Jose Mourinho knows too well that his inflated ego wouldn't accommodate two loses in a row in the EPL. The Pensioners will be hoping that Cesc Fabregas' suspension wouldn't translate into a goal drought - its not easy to overlook the fact that the Spaniard has been vital to their wins with his assists! Eleven assists in fifteen EPL matches is no mean feat - 30 million pounds was daylight robbery! The travelling KC stadium faithful are hopeful that they are capable of upsetting the Bridge. In Fabregas' absence, Steve Bruce may just crowd the midfield and overload Nemanja Matic - whose absence in the match against Newcastle was evident. However, the Portuguese "translator" may use Ramires' stamina and speed to stretch Hull's defensive block thereby giving Oscar yards of space to engineer offensive moves. Another blow to the Blues comes in form of Thibaut Courtois - the Belgian keeper is set to miss the match and Petr Cech must be thanking the football gods! Steve Bruce is well aware of the challenge ahead - he may have persuaded Roary the Tiger to make the trip to London for motivation purposes. In the wake of a defeat, Assem Allam may decide that he has seen enough. The Tigers's boss is however aware of what befell Nick Barmby and Nigel Pearson before. Besides the rumors about falling out with Hatem Ben Arfa who is on loan from Newcastle United, Steve Bruce better prepare for an ill tempered match.

Hertha Berlin vs. Borussia Dortmund

Today's match between Hertha Berlin and Borussia Dortmund at the Olympic Stadium or Olympiastadion in Berlin presents a chance for both teams to solidify their status - plus a chance for both teams to move up the Bundesliga table. Currently, the capital club are in position fifteen, while their Dortmund rivals are in position fourteen - its safe to say that both teams are slightly above the relegation zone that is occupied by SC Freiburg, Werder Bremen and VfB Stuttgart. While the Die Schwarzgelben will try and build on their win against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim - courtesy of Ilkay Gundogan's goal, Jos Luhukay's team will be aiming for their scalp after they narrowly lost to Borussia Monchengladbach last week. The Die Blau-Weißen will have the advantage of playing at home. Jürgen Klopp's men on the other hand will be praying that their new found relationship with goal(s) continue. Hans-Joachim Watzke will undeniably be in an akward position should the crisis in the team continue. The turn of events at Signal Iduna Park may be heartbreaking for many fans who subscribe to the ideology of Dortmund, but again their neighbors Schalke o4 - with whom they contest the Revierderby are hoping that the sitaution remains permanent. Such results earlier saw the dismissal of Klopp's predecessor - Thomas Doll. A time like these is when Dortmund summons the spirits of Ottmar Hitzfeld - the master tactician who led them to the UEFA Champions League victory in 1997 against a Zinedine Zidane inspired Juventus, although much credit goes to Paul Lambert – the current Aston Villa tactician for man marking the Frenchman throughout the match.  Clearly, the current DFB-Supercup holders will have to be at their best when they face the capital club. On the flipside, given that Hertha Berlin finished the league at position eleven last season, so much thoughts and survival tactics must be flooding Werner Gegenbauer's brain! However, the capital club is famed for its youth policy and the churning of talents that flood Bundesliga clubs. On thing about the fixture is that while the match between the two strugglers may go either way, it is undeniable that Dortmund have a new found belief as well as an added advantage of having players with funny names - maybe that may intimidate Hertha Berlin (on a light note). What with names such as Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Jakub Błaszczykowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Zlatan Alomerovic, Lukasz Piszczek, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Kevin Großkreutz et al?

Decline of A.C. Milan

A.C. Milan had a scary lineup that worked like a clockwork. Thoughts of a one-sided match - in their favour, were highly legitimate when you played against the Stadio San Siro outfit! Being paired with the Italians meant that as an opposition fan, you had to mutilate hopes of progression! Dida; Cafu,Jaap Stam, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini; Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo; Ricardo Kakà; Filippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko. Silvio Berlusconi and his daughter - Barbara Berlusconi are partly to blame for the downfall of the Rossoneri. Similar blame ought to be directed towards Adriano Galliani too - for the reason that he was Berlusconi's henchman and spanner boy! However, the situation was deep - since the early 2000's, the Rossoneri had accumulated so much debt plus over-reliance on an aging squad. In short, it was a disaster waiting to happen. All in all, much blame has to be directed towards Silvio Berlusconi - he of the minors' scandal, for initiating a pathetic mode of management. Some decades ago, the Milan outfit had one of the most decorated teams. Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini - legendary Italian defenders, crafted a Berlin Wall behind the flair of players such as Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit - the Dutch magic. A decade ago, Milan's midfield was even an envy of the current Barcelona team - what with having Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Kaka and Rui Costa in one outfit? Despite an aging squad, Galliani had the guts to sell Zlatan Ibrahimovic - the Swedish captain, and Thiago Silva - the then Brazilian captain, to Paris Saint-Germain. However, it should be noted that both went to Paris during Carlo Ancelotti's tenure - they had interacted with him and they knew what he could offer. All Filippo Inzaghi can do is watch as he has already been dealt a collapsed pack of cards. Forza Milan!

Arsenal vs. Newcastle United

Arsenal vs. Newcastle United - The fixture looks more of a Gallic derby - what with Wenger's obsession with signing French players, and Alan Pardew's new found hobby of turning St James' Park into Clairefontaine! The two tacticians should be at the payroll of FFF! The French contingent in the two teams may just be what Didier Deschamps needs to augment his personality into a cult status (thats not sarcastic). A win at Emirates Stadium would signify huge strides for the team that was formed as a result of a merger between Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End. Maybe Mike Ashley might be tempted to dole out goodies to the Toon Army - in case the team prevails against Monsieur Wenger's lads. After thumping Chelsea Football Club last week - courtesy of Papiss Cissé's brace, the Magpies will have extra ammunition in the form of "BELIEVE" to take to Ashburton Grove - for those fans who do not agree with the corporate sponsorship of the stadium (but thats nothing compared to Papiss Cisse's - a practicing Muslim, earlier refusal to wear any official kit or training wear with reference to Wonga.com). Lest we forget, the Geordies have had legendary personalities as their coaches - Kevin Keegan, Sir Bobby Robson, Graeme Souness and Sam Allardyce. Who can forget the legendary Alan Shearer? - momentarily, lets forget that he led the club to relegation at the end of the 2008–09 season. On the other hand, Arsenal would be no walkover either. After being thrashed by the Potters last weekend at Brittania Footall Stadium - a notoriously mugging ground, the Londoners partly redeemed themselves with a win againstGalatasaray - Turkish supreme outfit, in the UEFA Champions League! However, the Holloway based club knows that Newcastle is a different test altogether - this coupled with injuries to first team players. Sir Chips Keswick and his board colleagues might be tempted to engineer an ouster against the former AS MONACO tactician should his team be thrashed embarrassingly! Should the Gunners win, chants and undertones of "Victoria Concordia Crescit" will rule the airwaves while a loss may just reignite the bidding war between Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov. The North Bank, East Stand, West Stand and Clock End will equally share in the outcome.

Newton Heath and West Gorton later became Manchester United and Manchester City FC respectively. Ryan Giggs started his youth career at City before joining United. Several players have played for both teams - Carlos Tevez – Joorabchian’s poster boy, Andy Cole – Glenn Hoddle issues, Andrei Kanchelskis – the only player to have scored in the Old Firm, Merseyside and Manchester derbies, Peter Schmeichel – born to a Polish dad and a Danish mother, Denis Law – the famed back-heeled goal against United (concentrate on the Trinity), Owen Hargreaves – born in Canada to a Welsh mother and an English father, as well as Brian Kidd - City's co-Assistant manager. Sir Matt busby played for the Citizens, and then became United’s manager later. Mark Hughes played for United and later managed The Sky Blues. We have shared Maine Road with City before, but Eastlands will NEVER surpass the colossus United. Manchester City's change of fortunes can be hugely associated with the immense funding from the Qatari based Sheikhs! Luckily the FFP - Financial Fair Play, limit the usage of such obscene cash. However, Etihad Airways know too well that the advertisements emanating from City's logos will never gain more mileage than a competing subsidiary advert by Turkish Airlines - who happen to be one of the many fringe sponsors of Manchester United! City brag about the notion that they have lots of support from the urban center of Manchester - a theory disapproved by various researches recently. Wont it be phenomenal if they bragged about international recognition, as with the case regarding United?  

Besides being a football clash, the El Clasico is as well a political meeting, cultural showbiz and a tempered match with undertones of Alfredo di Stéfano's transfer. The political setting aggravates the rivalry between the two clubs. During the Spanish Civil war, the Catalan region wanted to be recognized as a sovereign nation, however dictator Francisco Franco would hear none of it. Franco wanted a strong central form of government while Catalonia wanted autonomy. Franco even went as far as banning the Catalan, Basque and Galician languages. Maybe Franco hated Barca for being founded by a Swiss - Joan Gamper! The cultural aspect of the clash stems from the fact that the Blaugrana represents Catalanism, while the Los Blancos are seen to represent Spanish nationalism and by far the Spanish Establishment. Di Stefano's transfer saga did less to cool the tempers - FIFA even ordered both Barca and Real to share the player! It is alleged (sic) that he was destined for Barca only for Real to cut an undercover deal with the help of Franco's regime - an action that landed the former Spanish-Argentine player at the capital! What hurt Barca most is that the Blonde Arrow became one of the best players ever, aiding in the domination of Los Merengues in Europe. To date, the presidencies of both teams are highly publicized - Florentino Pérez and Josep Maria Bartomeu. The Los Cules and Los Blancos passionately set the tone for Spanish La Liga domination! The battle between them signifies whom between Andoni Zubizarreta and Jose Angel Sanchez invests well during the transfer period!

El Derbi Barceloni usually rekindles old wars. FC Barcelona's refusal to sell Javier Saviola to RCD Espanyol de Barcelona, SAD only to lose him to Real Madrid C.F. on a Bosman transfer highlighted the hatred between the two Catalan clubs. Barca's monopolization of Catalanism is somehow hypocritical given that Espanyol was founded exclusively by Spanish fans unlike Barca - they owe much to Joan Gamper. The Camp Nou Stadium outfit may fault Espanyol for their royal patronage but again, dint they hire a man who played for Los Blancos - Luis Enrique? Remember they consider Real an extension of the establishment! Josep Maria Bartomeu may even find pleasure in removing the Spain flag from La Masia. Espanyol consider themselves as the zenith and epitome of Barcelona city and the entire Catalanism. Whenever the two Barcelona based teams play, Catalan bragging rights are usually at stake. 

Southampton FC’s form is providing fodder for the ABU brigade! Never mind. Louis Van Gaal's chilly feud with Ronald Koeman is set to be re-ignited at St Mary's Stadium. The Southampton coach was LvG's assistant at Catalunya but the pair fell out during Gaal's second stint at AFC Ajax. As the technical director, LvG would plonk himself down intrusively, observing training sessions - with arms folded, as if monitoring an exam hence undermining Koeman who was the coach. The feud widened after an international friendly match incident involving the then teammates; Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Rafael van der Vaart - two towering egos that don't see eye to eye! LvG then offloaded the Swede to Juventus against Koeman’s wishes. The hate was compounded after a deal for Arouna Koné collapsed. However, given that LvG is a certified karate instructor, and having previously clashed with FC Bayern München's alpha males – the likes of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeneß, I will not be amused by a spectacular "throat shake" as opposed to the customary hand shake. Its time “tintin” – as they call Koeman, tasted the wrath of Red Devils. However, Koeman is no walkover either – he played for and coached all the big three clubs in Eredevisie - Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord Rotterdam. Having worked under both coaches, Saint’s striker Graziano Pellè may tell us better.