Thursday, January 23, 2025

The Latest Football News and Opinions From 90 Minutes Online

Italian Serie A review – Mourinho sent-off and Beckham scores

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Saturday evening’s fixture saw Inter dislodged from the top of the table for the first time in three months as Juventus beat Fiorentina in Turin. The 1-0 victory  came courtesy of a Claudio Marchisio goal but was largely thanks to Alessandro Del Piero.  

 

Although simple in execution, the move had the mark of genius as Del Piero cut inside from the left drawing in three defenders and slid a through ball that bisected two more. During 5 seconds on the ball Del Piero had nullified five members of the opposition defense and laid the ball on a plate for Marchisio to slot home. 

THE RESULT: Will Man City finish in the top 4 next season?

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The votes are in and the result was unanimous: almost 90% of you said that you don’t expect Manchester City to qualify for the Champions League by the end of next season.  

 

These are seemingly difficult times for the world’s richest club. They are languishing in the league, Robinho has walked out and the transfer window is yet to be as productive as everyone had expected.  

 

 

The Kaka deal blew up in their faces and in his place the club have paid over the odds for the likes of Craig Bellamy, Wayne Bridge and Nigel De Jong – players no one would call world-beaters.   

 

What you think the future holds at the Middle Eastlands? Will Mark Hughes be in charge for much longer? When, if ever, will they qualify for the Champions League? Will the Sheikhs stick around for the long-haul if success doesn’t come quickly? Let us know what you think…    

The Aston-Filla

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Emile Heskey at Aston Villa (via Talksport)Apparently Emile Heskey is the man to secure Champions League football in the midlands according to Martin O’Neill. 'Big’ John Carew and Marlon Harewood must be quaking in their boots at the prospect of another technically inadequate lump joining the club. This signing only underlines Villa’s method of progress: replacing one injured skilless wreck for another. 

The curious case of Mark Goldberg

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Mark Goldberg made a fortune in the dot-com bubble at the end of the nineties. Following the sale of his IT recruitment consultancy, Goldberg, then 33, became a multi-millionaire and decided to fulfill his boyhood dream of buying his beloved Crystal Palace.  

 

At the time Palace were floundering at the bottom of the Premier League, and the price he paid - roughly £25m, which crucially didn’t include the freehold of Selhurst Park - was widely regarded as overblown for a club that were odds-on to go down. 

 

Goldberg’s first move as Palace chairman was to relieve Steve Coppell of managerial duties and appoint Atillio Lombrado and Tomas Brolin as joint player-managers; no matter Lombrado didn’t speak any English and Brolin was by now a very poor player and slightly unhinged.  

English Premier League review - Headless horsemen & Matrix glitches

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Of course I don't think my beloved Aston Villa have a hope of winning the Premiership. Of course not. The bookies odds of us still at 50-1 before the weekend reflect the unlikelihood of this occurrence and they tend to know what they're talking about.

 

However, it is great to be in the mix. I never really thought we would be again in the current climate, especially with the woeful duo of Doug Ellis and David O'Leary running the show a few years back. Randy Lerner's cash and Martin O'Neill's brilliant management have put us right in amongst the big boys and even though we probably won't last the pace, I can dream.

More Articles...

  1. Ronaldo, Kaka, Messi, Torres, Xavi - Say cheese!
  2. Spanish La Liga review - Mexican standoff, 'Criminal' refereeing, and Eto'o scores more than an island
  3. Championship Credentials
  4. Sporting look like Champions

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