Barry plays a crucial role in England’s scheme of things and this injury has put Fabio Capello, the English coach in a fix as he doesn’t have a lot of options in Midfield. The most logical option for Capello is Manchester United’s Michael Carrick, but he has also been struggling to hit form. In these circumstances Capello would most likely include Barry in the 30 man probable squad. If the recovery is smooth, Barry is likely to have a week’s time before the World Cup to prove his fitness.

Capello is most likely to give him this chance, as he one of the pillars of English midfield. He will miss the friendlies but Capello and the rest of England will be hoping that he recovers in time and is fit to play the World Cup.

Gareth Barry is regarded highly in English football and has been instrumental in helping England qualify for the finals. He along with Ryan Giggs will be holding fort in the England’s midfield and if he does recover in time and proves his fitness, England’s chances of faring in the World Cup would go up greatly.

Ivica’s hat-trick is the second such instance when a player has managed to score three goals in a semifinal after Alessandro Del Piero did it for Juventus in 1988 against Monaco. Olic was ecstatic at the outcome of the match and confessed that he did not expect the match to be such a cakewalk for his team. Bayern would now face the winners of the match between Inter Milan and Barcelona in the final that is going to be held at the Bernabeu on May 22.

Louis van Gaal, the Dutch coach of the German team seemed very upbeat in a news conference and felt that his side has a real chance at the trophy if they continue their good work in the final. Lyon were one man short as Cris was sent off for mocking the decision of the referee after being booked for a foul on Olic.

The coach of Olympique Lyon admitted that the German side had the better of their team and wished that they should have at least made an equalizer and made the most of the chances that came their way. The Bayern’s fans showed a huge support for Ribery who would have to sit out of the final due to the suspension that he was handed by UEFA.

Bayern Munich managed to pull off a major upset when they knocked Manchester United out of the UEFA Champions League. Alex Ferguson, the manager of the English team was absolutely lost for words in the presentation that followed the match. He could not come up with any genuine reason for his team’s dismal performance. He thought that the false protest from the Germans which led to Rafael’s send off was the turning point of the match.

The Brazilian star looked in excellent from and had kept Frank Ribery really quite as long as he was on the field. Manchester United was playing really beautifully until the yellow cards were shown to Rafael. Bayern Munich, on the other hand, seems to be on a roll and have reached the semi-finals riding high on confidence. The stars of the team, RIbery and Arjen Robben are performing wonderfully under the shrewd leadership of Louis van Gaal.

Bayern Munich have been playing superbly right from the group stage when they came against Juventus in a must win game. They have shown great character and resolved to be where they are presently. Their performance has also sent the warning bells to the English national side who may come up against them in the upcoming World Cup in South Africa.

The fortunes of the Munich captain have also changed dramatically as the team has left behind the defeats which they suffered at home and abroad before Christmas. The success of the German team can be associated to their collective effort and they also have the rub of the green going their way on the field. Their good fortune of the team has ensured that United would have to wait for another year to taste success in this European League.

The FIFA World Player of the Year Award for this year went to the Barcelona star Lionel Messi. The award is one of the many feathers in the cap which the star player has added to his illustrious career. The award ceremony was a gala event and was held in Zurich. Messi received the prestigious award outdistancing Christiano Ronaldo and Kaka who received the awards on the previous two occasions. He also was head and shoulders above his teammates Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta in voting among captains and coaches of the national team.

The winger had an absolutely glorious year with Barcelona as he won many titles which included the Spanish League and cup and the Champions League. He was also awarded the Ballon D’Or for being the best player in Europe. His extra time goal helped Barcelona to seal the club’s first Club World Cup by beating Estudiantes 2-1. The only trophy eluding Messi now is the world Cup title. The 22-year old Argentine had finished as the runner-up previously for two consecutive years but received 1047 points and was way ahead of Ronaldo and Xavi.

The 2008-09 season saw Messi scoring 38 goals in 51 matches taking all the competitions in account and he has continued with his excellent form on the pitch by scoring 15 goals in 22 matches in this campaign. His incredible performance has ensured Barcelona the top position in La Liga and the club is back in the knockout phase of the Champions League.

Fabio Capello who is the coach of the English team has severely criticized the Italian football as he claimed it has been run by violent ultras who praise the divers when they should punish them. In a special seminar at Coverciano, organized by the Italian FA, Capello hit back at Calcio saying it was impossible to compare it with the English game. This has created a rift between Capello and the higher authorities of the Italian football.

According to Capello, it is the ultras who have a final say in the Serie A and there is no one to raise their voice and apply any law against them. Capello was quoted as saying to the Sky Sport Italia. He also cleared the fact that the divers who are jeered back in England are praised and showered with prizes in Italy. Fabio Capello has also had the chance of coaching the Milan and Juventus side. He claimed that he never found the Italy national side as appealing or fascinating as the English side. Capello statements had the Italian authorities responding very quickly.

The Italian FA president, Giancarlo Abete and Gianni Petrucci, the Italian Olympic Committee chief gave their own piece of mind and apparently regretted at inviting the coach to talk. Abete made it very clear to everybody that they are not hostage to the ultras and confirmed that they work together with the authorities in such matters. Petrucci went on to the extent of saying that Capello’s word meant absolutely nothing.

Prince Faisal, the Saudi Royal has shown his desire in Liverpool and is expected to bid for a major take in the club. George Gillett who happens to be the co-owner of the club would be visiting Saudi Arabia to discuss the details with the prince. The representative of the prince, Barry Didato informed the media that the stake of the prince could be anything from zero to 100%, although the Prince himself has some concerns about the relationship between the owners of the club and its debt situation.

The relationship between the owners of the Liverpool club is a little strained at the moment. The point to consider here is that under the current regulations, none of the two owners can sell their stake without the approval of the other and the prince has been holding talks with only Gillett and not Tom Hicks who happens to be the other partner.

Didato also admitted that prince would not be much interested in getting involved unless the debt situation and the relationship between the partners are improved. The current debt level is higher than the expectation of the prince and so an investment may not be coming from his side any sooner. The prince apparently has no intentions of a takeover.

Hicks and Gillett have already expressed their desire of attracting some investments for their club but they confirmed that the process is at a fairly early stage and no agreement has been made with any party so far. Didato also admitted that the prince is really passionate about the game and has a great amount of respect for the club and their fanbase.

Emmanuel Adebayor of Manchester City has been charged for improper conduct by the Football association for running the length of the pitch as he celebrated after scoring in front of the Arsenal fans. The striker faces a three match suspension for violent conduct in the match which Manchester City won 4-2. Adebayor stamped on Robin van Persie who happens to be his former teammate and the Duthchman had to get a treatment for the cut to his face. Adebayor did apologize for his actions later on.

Mark Hughes, the Manchester City boss though backed Adebayor saying that the star should not be reprimanded for celebrating his goal and confirmed that the club is going to fight the improper conduct charge. The club however has decided against fighting the striker’s violent conduct charge which is certain to make Adebayor miss the games with Man U and Fulham. Hughes pointed out the huge amount of abuse that his £25m summer signing from Arsenal had to endure and is resolute to take a stance against it. Hughes opines that Adebayor’s action was a result of emotion which cannot be taken out of the game. He pointed that the strikers celebration was an outcome of the anger and the amount of criticism that he was forced to endure during the game.

After the match, Adebayor confirmed that he allowed his emotions to get the better of him and expressed regret for his action. He was being insulted by the Arsenal fan even in the warm up matches. Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe hinted at possible point penalties for clubs to ensure that there is no further behavioral breach.

Manchester City has spent a whopping amount of money in signing star players like Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa. The funding has been done by their owners based in Abu Dhabi. David Taylor who is the general secretary of UEFA is of the opinion that it would be very dangerous for the Premier League clubs to match the Manchester City financially. But, he also feels that Real Madrid and Eastland club are close to matching City financially. However, the positions can change very quickly, suggested Taylor giving the example of Leeds United who play in League One now had to do away with Premier League in 2004 due to financial constraints. There have been similar stories from some major clubs as well very recently.

The possibility of clubs falling out though minimal but does exist and for the same reason Taylor stresses on the fact that there should be an establishment of a strong financial basis for clubs to compete. Tom Hicks and George Gillett who are the owners of Kop Holding reportedly had to bear a loss of £42.6m to pay out interest on the debt that they had taken to acquire the club.

Kop Holdings own the Liverpool team and have renegotiated their debt with the Royal Bank of Scotland for around £290m. Malcolm Glazer who is the owner of the Manchester United had also borrowed a huge amount when he took over Manchester United in 2005 which resulted in a major unrest among its fans. There is a feeling of anxiety in the corridors of power at UEFA.

Recap:

-Chelsea fired 15 of their scouts.

-David Beckham is set to move to AC Milan in January on loan.

-Diego Maradona is named coach of the Argentina National Team

-Rafa Benitez wants to keep Agger and Kuyt, as their contracts are set to expire at season end.

-Ashley Young inks 4-year extension w/ Aston Villa.

Upcoming Pieces:

-Diego Maradona as Argentina Coach: Speculation, Analysis, and Thoughts

-David Beckham move to AC: Thoughts on Becks, AC, Galaxy, and MLS

Other Updates:

• Roma has made an opening bid for Fiorentina’s Adrian Mutu.
• The Mafia have reportedly tried to buy Lazio.
• French national and former Chelsea player Makalele has joined Paris-Saint German.
• Diego has defied his club Werder Bremer and has joined Brazil to play in the 2008 Olympic Games.

A look at the 2008 Beijing Games is coming up next!