Roberto Di Matteo seems to be unaffected by any pressure at Chelsea. In fact, he is very confident of reviving Chelsea’s fading performance under the supervision and hawk eye gaze of the owner Roman Abramovich.

Di Matteo feels positive as everyone is by his side. He spoke to every player individually and made sure that everybody is heading in the right direction. Not only this, DI Matteo stood by the side of goal shy striker Fernando Torres by saying he is a fantastic and tremendous player and if the team wins, no one is worried about him not scoring a goal. Isn’t it a big chunk of motivation for the players? No wonder, the entire squad is screaming in unison.

The former Blues midfielder appear very strong as he thinks that if you can’t handle the pressure at any club, you are not worth a part of the result driven business as there is a pressure to achieve targets in every sphere of life. Quite impressive – isn’t it?

It is believed that Micah Richards is the latest Manchester City player to speak to the media about the upcoming derby match versus the arch rivals Manchester United. Richards is a camera friendly person who never hesitates in sharing his view points to the media on camera.

It was on August 7^th, 2011 at the Wembley Stadium in London, England, when United returned from a 2-9 half time deficit to win the FA Community Shield by a score of 3-2 that was witnessed by more than 77,169 people.

If you are not aware then let us tell you that Owen fell out of favor when Capello was give the charge as England’s coach in 2008. It was just once that Capello was chosen as a substitute in a friendly way against France that too before losing his place in the Italian’s squad.

As per sources, due to the injuries and a lack of regular opportunities at United, Owen lost his chances of a recall and now he’s finding it hard to come to terms with his international exile. Owen was found telling to an observer, that he was present in every squad for over a decade but now it has all stopped.

This 31 year old man has a record of 89 caps, 40 goals for England and two goals in the popular United’s 3-0 win at Leeds in the League Cup in midweek.

21-year-old Gareth Bale’s profile touched sky-high after scoring a second-half hat trick against Inter Milan last October in the group stages. It is likely that Bale will start the second leg of Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League last-16 tie against AC Milan.

Harry Redknapp said that Gareth Bale is one of the best left-sided players around with a great physique and height, and he has some great ability with the ball. Redknapp further said that Bale’s recognition came after his performance at the Inter, however he has been in good form since last one year.

Bale felt stiff after a training session, which indicates that Redknapp could deploy him as a substitute. Redknapp is of the view that if Milan, the Italian giant, sees him at the game, it might be a concern for them. However, it is still doubtful if Bale would be fit enough to be able to play the match.

The recent earthquake in Haiti resulted in the death of over 200,000 people and has also rendered more than three million people homeless. It has led to a nightmarish situation in the poorest country of the Western Hemisphere. In order to lend a helping hand to the victims of this disaster over 80 soccer greats of all times from around 17 countries played a charity match in Lisbon. The match was played at Luz stadium with tickets costing 10 euros each.

The Seventh edition of the tournament called the “Match Against the Poverty” saw Zinedine Zidane of France gearing up against Brazil’s Ronaldo Luis Nazario to raise money for the global effort of eradicating poverty. The tournament is organized by the United Nations Development Programme. Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General was all praise for the relief efforts and sporting world for the solidarity that they have shown during such troubled times. The message of the UN Secretary General was delivered by Wilfried Lemke, the special advisor of Ban and he agreed that this year’s match was indeed more significant as its proceeds would help the Haitians who need help.

The United Nations appreciated the help that has been offered by the star players as this is least that could be done for the people of a country who have lost everything. Ban also urged the people through his message to remember the victims of the attack that took place in Pakistan and Angola. He requested the world of sports and its fans to contribute in the efforts of United Nations who are helping the people of Haiti to get over the disaster and rebuild a new life.

Maradona’s Resume

-Player

–1986 World Cup Champion-Captain of Argentina

–FIFA Player of the Century

-Coach

–Mandiyu de Corrientes(Argentina League)

–Racing Club de Avellaneda

His career as a player is not being disputed.  Everyone in the world knows that Diego Maradona, the player, was a force to be reckoned with.  His career as a coach for a mere, two seasons, has been brought up in many arguments though.  In both seasons with two different teams, one team faced regulation and they both had losing records.

The Team

The Argentinian National Team is one of the most powerful teams.  All around the team does not have many holes.  In the back the goalkeeper position is set for at least the next decade if not two.  Roberto Abbondanzieri is getting old but young Oscar Ustari is ready to take over.  I like both keepers and they are some of the best in the world right now.  The defense has three names that come very fast: Heinze, Milito, and Zanetti.  Midfield has Mascherano and Gago.  Forwards: Aguero, Tevez, and Messi, just some to mention.

My Analysis

My feelings on Deigo Maradona are mixed; he was a beautiful player to say the least, but he also had a drug and alcohol problem.  Drug and alcohol problems are not something that I can respect.  However, I think he is making a turn-around in his life and I think he legitimately lives his country and his team.  Having said this, Diego Maradona deserves to be Coach Maradona.  I think his knowledge of the game will contribute to the team.  Also, on a final note, the team is so powerful, nobody could drive it that far off course.

Tevez’s contract is set to expire after this season ends which will signal the time for both parties’ decisions.  Lets look at this in the view of three different perspectives to stay objective and give a little bit of all sides.

Man U:

Loosing Tevez would not be the worst thing in the world for Fergie and company.  He has Wayne Rooney as his primary stirker and Dimitar Berbatov.  I recently covered the acquisition of Berbatov and how it is a plus for The Reds.  I suppose, in the even of a Tevez departure, Man U could acquire a younger forward to back up both Rooney and Berbatov.  The rotation of all three of the current Man U players is hard  to not get used to.  I say that Man U would lose out here if Tevez leaves.

Tevez:

He has a very interesting decision at the end of the season, stay with his current club or leave for the Galacticos of the world.   Its like deciding to play for the Yankees or the Red Sox.  I think the draw, the money, and the ability to get playing time will influence his decision the most.  Real Madrid seems to have all of these.  With the recent departure of Robinho, Madrid has a spot available for a talent like Tevez.

Real Madrid:

With the departure of Robinho, the club will be looking to replace his stardom with another type.  Tevez would fill that role perfectly.  I think that they want him, end of story.

Milan had a good midfield before acquiring Flamini with Seedorf, Jankulovski, Pirlo, and Kaka in the ranks.  Like many other teams that I have covered, adding Flamini was merely to add depth.  He may become a starter someday or in different lineups used by Milan throughout the season, however, like many other teams, not all of these stars can play at the same time.  If it were up to me, I would use Seedorf sparingly as he adds veteran depth and can be a good sub.  He also, can play multiple positions and this versatility can come into good use when a certain starter needs a day-off.  Milan is paying Flamini 5.6 million euros per year.

While I was away, a very big move occurred, Robinho moved from Real Madrid to Man City on the last day of the Summer Transfer Window.  The fee for Robinho was 42.5 million euro, netting ‘binho a very nice, 160,000 pounds a week.

The move to the Premiership should be a good one for Robinho.  The strength of Spanish soccer and La Liga is comparable to the Premier League in that they both have a bevy of powerhouses and play very competitive soccer. Also, Robinho will be among friends in Brazil National Team teammates, Jo and Elano.

Right before the transfer was made official, Real President, Ramon Calderon, made some very interesting comments.  He stated, that he would rather end Robinho’s career than see him play for Real.  There was speculation all summer long that a Robinho move was in the works and it was only a matter of time before ‘Binho found himself off of Real.

Finally, we should look at Man City’s outlook for this season.  To be quite honest, the powers of the Premiership will be in front, Man U, Arsenal, and Liverpool, but look for Man City to make a run at a higher place than last season.  They also have a good future ahead of them in a new striker, Robinho and summer acquiree Gio Dos Santos.

Plus(4):

• Seydou Keita
• Gerard Pique
• Martin Caceres
• Dani Alves

Minus(7):

• Edmilson
• Zambrotta
• Gio Dos Santos
• Thuram
• Ezquerro
• Deco
• Eto’o

A possible reason for a ‘dinho departure could be team chemistry. Since Ronaldinho has caused so much media commotion and so on and so forth. One might say that the team chemistry might decrease however, since so many have left and been replaced, this probably won’t be an issue caused by ‘dinho. Also, with the departure of Gio Dos Santos, who would be ‘dinho’s replacement? I can not say what Pep Guardiola and company will do with Ronaldinho. But I can speculate on their decision come 72 hours from the start of the deadline.