PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN vs Evian Thonon Gaillard

Ligue 1

Venue: Parc des Princes

Date: 4th February 2012

Kick-Off: 18:00 (GMT)

Alex and Thiago Motta are both in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for the visit of Evian this evening.

The Brazilian duo completed their respective moves in the last week and will feature tonight. Ancelotti revealed in yesterday’s pre-match presser that Motta will start alongside Mathieu Bodmer and Mohamed Sissoko in central midfield. The Italian said “Motta, yes (when asked if he will start). Alex, I’ll see later if he plays or not. Sissoko, Motta and Bodmer will be aligned in the middle behind Nene, (Jeremy) Menez and (Kevin) Gameiro”.

If Alex does start he may partner skipper Mamadou Sakho in central defence but due to the form of Milan Bisevac it is not a forgone conclusion. The Serbian may be ushered to right-back to accommodate the former Chelsea man. Incidentally, Bisevac had picked up a knock in training this week but resumed yesterday and should be fine.

There is a real strength in depth throughout the spine of the team and the arrival of Maxwell along with the aforementioned Motta and Alex is shrewd business on the part of the club. A barrage of experience now oozes through the team which will stand in good stead for the title surge.

Tonight’s visitors have been awful on their travels this season, failing to pick up a solitary victory and losing their last four on the road – only Auxerre have a worse record. They have fared well against the top-three this season however, not tasting defeat against either Montpellier or Lille and managed a valiant 2-2 draw against PSG last September in which they were denied by a late Bodmer equaliser.

Ancelotti will be wary of the threat posed by Yannick Sagbo in attack. The Ivorian has been in red hot form of late, netting four in his last six. The ever present Cedric Cambon will also be a thorn in the side of the Parisians unless his influence is quelled in midfield.

Ancelotti also holds Christian Poulsen – the former Juventus and Liverpool man – in high regard when he was asked if he knew any of the Evian players. He also anticipates a difficult clash with Pablo Correa’s side; “The most important player is Poulsen. This is a player with fantastic experience. It will be a good match. Evian will give everything to create problems for PSG. They will be grouped in defense. They will tighten the line, give us problems, play against attack. We will have to concentrate”.

Evian are currently in 12th in Ligue 1 but are only four points off the relegation zone.

Note: The good news this week is that Javier Pastore has resumed training and may be fit for the vitally important game at home to Montpellier on the 19^th Febrauary.

Allez PSG!

New Parisian signing Thiago Motta was presented to the media yesterday after his €10m move from Italian giants Internazionale and claims that it is a dream fulfilled.

The 29-year-old put pen to paper on transfer deadline day after weeks of negotiating between both parties.

The Brazilian born midfielder – who represents Italy at international level – could not hide his delight at the move alongside Leonardo during his unveiling. He highlighted ex-Brazilian superstars who have had a huge influence during their time at the capital club and wants to do the same. He told reporters; “Since I was young I’ve dreamed of being here, where great players like Rai, Leonardo and Ronaldinho have played. I have lots of desire and lots of ambition. It’s very exciting to be competing in a new championship.”

Despite being happy in Italy, he felt the time was right to make a fresh start with PSG – in his words it was too good an opportunity to decline. He said; “It was a great privilege to play for Inter, at a very big club. It’s the right time to thank everyone there, and the president (Massimo Moratti). Paris is a real opportunity. There were coaching changes but I had never had a problem with Inter. I always played. I felt good at Inter but on a personal and professional level, I felt that, with the confidence of the coach (Carlo Ancelotti) and Leonardo, it was the right moment to join a team with players of a very, very high level.”

Motta is in line to make his debut this weekend against Evian and took part in his first training session at Camp des Loges yesterday.

As expected Paris Saint-Germain have finally captured the signing of Internazionale midfielder Thiago Motta for €10m .

No details have been revealed on the player’s contract but is speculated that he has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the option for a further year.

The club have confirmed on the Official Site that Motta will be presented to the press at a news conference tomorrow afternoon at 15:30 (14:30 GMT).

Read up on our new recruit here as to why he fits the bill for Carlo Ancelotti.

Whether or not a deal can be struck for Thiago Motta remains to be seen but the intent on acquiring his services is more than justifiable.

The player’s agent claims that his client has agreed to the transfer by telling Radio Crc; “The boy has given his blessing to the transfer to PSG”. Despite these remarks, Internazionale Coach Claudio Ranieri picked him in the starting-11 during the Nerazzurri’s 2-0 defeat away to Napoli in the Coppa Italia last night – playing 76 minutes before being substituted.

The combative midfielder has somewhat stagnated in Italy this season and the possibility of him making a move to the French capital looks more than probable. Helping the Italians win the UEFA Champions League back in 2010, he had been a predominant figure in two previous seasons but has only made 13 appearances this campaign.

It has been speculated for the past week that the club have been in pursuit of the Brazilian who has more than hinted his interest in a move by lauding the city of Paris. He told reporters last week; “I do not know my future, there are eight days left (in the transfer window) and anything can happen. Paris? It is a beautiful city, but nothing is sure yet. I am fine in Milan”.

At 29 years of age he would certainly bring a wealth of experience and a tremendous pedigree. Playing for one of Italy’s elite entities and having represented Barcelona in a six-year spell from 2001-2007 before moving to Genoa, he has acquired 10 major honours to his name.

Parisian Coach Carlo Ancelotti clearly sees Motta as a missing link in a three man midfield, lining up alongside Mohamed Sissoko with perhaps Mathieu Bodmer or Blaise Matuidi making up the trio. Essentially, he will have Motta and Sissoko sitting just in front of the back four and maybe bringing Pastore further infield. However, due to the Argentine’s absence – out for a month with a muscle tear – those plans will need to be put on ice. Motta’s presence and experience is something needed to tighten things up in the middle of the park and complement Sissoko who has really come into his own in the last two months or so. The Malian international has not been able to form a solid partnership with the likes of Clement Chantome, Bodmer or Matuidi due to injuries or lack of form so the possibility of partnering him with Motta makes perfect sense.

If the player does indeed make the switch, it is reported that a fee of €10m will do the trick. Director of football Leonardo is in discussions with his former employers regarding a deal and ironically coached Motta last season when he was implemented as Coach at the back end of 2010, winning a domestic cup in the process. Something similar at the Parc des Princes would be more than welcomed.

The 29-year-old has been frozen out at Stamford Bridge since handing in a transfer request back in November. Queens Park Rangers had agreed a deal with The Blues but personal terms have proved to be a stumbling block, paving the way for the PSG to make their move – as revealed by Le Parisien yesterday.

Director of football Leonardo was quizzed by L’Equipe regarding a possible deal – along with Thiago Motta who has been heavily linked with a move to the club – but kept his cards close to his chest. He said; “Thiago Motta and Alex? For both, there is a possibility. But for now, nothing is done”.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti worked with Alex during his two years in charge in England, winning the league and cup double in 2010.

Note: Meanwhile, Leonardo confirmed yesterday that a deal to bring Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez to the club is now dead in the water. He told L’Equipe; “We stopped the negotiations. There was an opportunity, we have studied it and made a good offer but failed to agree. We will not exaggerate in our proposals. So we stop. It’s over”.

Paris Saint-Germain have been linked with a host of names so far this January but only Maxwell has found himself paraded pitch side of the Parc des Princes. Nevertheless, director of football Leonardo is working tirelessly to get one or two more signings through the door.

Despite the failure at acquiring the services of David Beckham and Alexandre Pato, talks with Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez are gathering pace.

The Argentinean’s representatives have been in discussions with the club in the last few days. A move to Italy seemed inevitable for the player but both Milanese clubs Milan and Internazionale have failed to agree a fee with the Premier League leaders – the Rossoneri subsequently pulling out of the race for his signature. That has essentially paved the way for QSI to throw a lucrative contract in the way of the player to see him in a blue and red shirt by the end of the month. Le Parisien reports that they are prepared to give him €7m per year along with an eye watering €10m signing on fee.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke yesterday on the possibility of seeing Tevez linkup with his PSG squad and thinks it is a great opportunity. Speaking in yesterday’s pre-match presser ahead of the Coupe de France clash with Sable tonight, he said; “Carlos Tevez – it’s a great opportunity for us to have a great striker. Today, nothing is done. We have to talk with the player, and with Man City. We hope to find a good solution.”

Talks will continue but the ball is in Tevez’s court and will ultimately make the final decision on his future. Watch this space.

Meanwhile, reports surfaced yesterday that a deal had been reached with Internazionale to sign their 29-year-old Brazilian midfielder Thiago Motta. Blogolo.fr reported that a €10m deal will be concluded if the Italian club acquire the services of 19-year-old Lucas from Sao Paulo.

Finally, RMC believe the club will swoop for Sporting Lisbon’s Joao Pereira. The defender has a €7m release clause in his contract which will allow him to talk to the Ligue 1 leaders if they opt to meet that fee.

Massimo Moratti

In the Italian peninsula it is no secret: Massimo Moratti has not always been the owner the tifosi hope for.

Prior to the recent successes of Inter Milan, there was a seemingly endless period of drought for Moratti’s neriazzurri. More than ten years had to pass for the boss to bring the Scudetto back to the black and blue half of Milano.

Moratti’s Inter was, for a good part of his tenure, the third, sometimes even the fourth force in the Serie A behind giants like Juventus and AC Milan. Inter did come close in a couple of occasions, but it fell short when it mattered most.

In the transfer market, Moratti was often off-the-mark. For every Javier Zanetti or Christian Vieri that landed in Inter, there were at least two or more players that, after having been brought for a lot of money, did not perform as expected. Fans can surely remember players like Georgatos, Benoit Cauet, Dalmat, Guglielminpietro, Kily Gonzales, Rivas, Suazo and many more.

Inter Milan, despite having the money to spend with Moratti, has almost always underperformed in the market. Moratti, as the center of transfer operations was, more often than not, a victim of his own entrepreneurial success. He has hardly ever been shy about spending, squandering money left and right for players that were not worthy of the big stage. Sometimes it was a lack of creativity, in other occasions it was a lack of patience, but at the end of each year what seemed to really be lacking was the long-term vision to win again.

Inter Milan rises to the top after the Calciopoli scandal

The events that eventually led to the demotion of Juventus in the storm that was the Calciopoli scandal heavily favored the position of Inter in Serie A. Out of all the top teams, it was the only one that had not been penalized, emerging in the view of the majority, at least at that time, as the moral and sporting winners in the Peninsula. More importantly perhaps was Inter’s reaction in the transfer market. Moratti secured a couple of the Juventus starlets that were looking to leave Torino due to the imminent demotion to Serie B for practically a bargain. Moratti and his team had anticipated the competition and brought to Milan the likes of Fabio Cannavaro and the great Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

In the new millennium, Moratti and company also secured a couple of bargains that eventually became central to the project for years to come. Cambiasso was considered “disposable” in Madrid and so was Walter Samuel. For these players Inter would become the perfect place for them to show their true class as they helped bring the club to the dominant spot in Italy. Under the guidance of Roberto Mancini as coach, the neriazurri would consolidate as the indomitable force in the Peninsula. It was a physical Inter boasting a solid defense, a rocky yet talented midfield, pinpointed by the amazing Ibrahimovic at the front.

The Arrival of Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho in his days at Inter's bench

However, the partnership of Moratti and coach Mancini had not been able to take Inter the extra mile. The fate of the club in Europe was still being overshadowed by the rise of the Premier League and by the performance of city-rivals AC Milan. It was not until Moratti’s masterstroke in 2009 that brought Jose Mourinho as the coach, that the directors of Inter Milan started showing the capacity to take this team to the stratosphere. After a first year of similar success under Mourinho, the strong personality of the Portuguese coach was able to find a partner in Moratti. The entrepreneur had found a coach he could trust with the market, one that he fully believed in, letting him dictate a great deal of the transfer policy of the neriazzurri.

In the summer of 2009, Moratti finally showed the guts and the vision to sell Ibrahimovic to Barcelona in exchange for an equally powerful Samuel Eto’o plus almost 40 million euros in cash. The exchange would not only prove beneficial as Eto’o would become that special forward for the big occasions that Ibra had never been, but the extra infusion of capital the move brought would facilitate the conclusion of other excellent arrivals that would prove vital, such as Lucio, Milito, Thiago Motta and yet another “disposable” Madrid player: Wesley Sneijder.

We all know the story from there on. Mourinho was able to get the best of all of these players, and the Inter Milan that managed to conquer a historic treble looked very much like the strongest team in the world, defeating the likes of Chelsea and Barcelona in route to the final. As soon as the controversial yet brilliant Portuguese coach left Milano for Madrid, Moratti recoiled in his bubble, and what could have been the moment to extend the triumphant run of Inter became instead the summer where it all went wrong. In the transfer window of 2010, the neriazzurri directors opted for an austerity plan that mantained all the stars in the squad, but that failed to bring the fresh blood that would have helped bring motivation and excitement to a team that had won it all. In that summer, Moratti wasted important chances to sell at a great price those figures that had seemed to have hit their peak, such as Diego Milito or Douglas Maicon. Behind all this was Moratti’s idea that Inter Milan did not need to be reinforced to secure yet another string of success, thus refusing to use the revenue generated by the Champions League run. The idea should not have been to revolutionize, but simply to touch-up and freshen things up to secure continuity.

Leonardo’s short-lived fairy tale at Inter Milan

Moratti failed in the market, and he failed in bringing the right coach to quell Mourinho’s departure. Benitez never grasped the task at hand and the massive injury problems certainly did not help at all. In the space of 6 months, Inter was headed in a downward spiral that almost entirely destroyed all that Mourinho had built in the previous two seasons. After Benitez’ controversial comments asking for reinforcements after the Club World Cup victory, the Spaniard was sacked and, in a surprising move, was replaced by the young and inexperienced former Milan coach: Leonardo.

With Leonardo came in a wave of optimism in the squad. He instilled in them a degree of confidence they had not reached since Mourinho had taken them to the top of the world. Moratti was also obligated to act on the market to bring a couple of neccessary reinforcements with Pazzini and Ranocchia.
Even though Leonardo succeeded at a mental level, he repeatedly showed his shortcomings as a tactician, one that could not manage to solidify the defense. The persecution that saw Inter get close to Milan ended abruptly when the city rivals outclassed the neriazurri in a historic 3-0 beating. After such a poor performance, Moratti began to find suitable replacements for Leo even when the brazilian was reassured his post was not in danger. Nonetheless, Inter finished second and won the Coppa Italia, a decent result for any other team, but not for a squad that had won 5 consecutive Serie A titles and a Champions League.

The continuation of Inter’s underachievement

The new coach of Inter: Gasperini

Moratti’s failures this summer started with the surprising departure of Leonardo towards PSG. In the weeks following the exit of the Brazilian, Inter’s search for a coach was very public and very frantic. It went through Bielsa, Capello, Hiddink, Villas Boas and even Sinisa Mihajlovic in the space of two weeks, before finally settling for the very capable ex-Genoa coach: Gasperini. Such as public succession of refusals certainly made the club look weak and unappealing, showing an Inter that moved ahead without much planning, fearful of not having a coach to begin to define next season’s squad.

The club’s current plan seems to point towards a redimensioning of Inter’s finances in order to place the club ahead of the curve when the Financial Fair Play instituted by UEFA comes in effect. While all of that is good and dandy, the directors seem to forget that victories and trophies bring more exposure and cash. In order to make money, a team must invest, not wildly, but smartly, always looking at the pros and cons.

Currently, Inter Milan is facing the exit of its two biggest stars: Sneijder and Eto’o. As of today, the Cameroon-born forward seems to be the likeliest to depart as his exit towards Russia would bring him and Inter a ton of cash. To replace him, Inter have Carlos Tevez from Man. City in mind. The exchange seems to fit the new coach’s module better, but is the Argentine of the same level of Eto’o? Certainly not.

Now, the possibility of Sneijder departing should be avoided at all costs because, in today’s soccer world, there are very few like him, and those that are similar to the trequartista are very hard to get, not to mention very costly.

All in all, Inter has only brought a couple of youngsters that have potential, but that bring, as with any other young talent, a cloud of doubt. Alvarez seems like the real deal, but the side-back Jonathan and the forwards Castaignos and Alborno still have a lot of work ahead.

Instead of Eto’o and Sneijder, the club should have focused on showing the exit to players like Milito, Maicon, Chivu and Pandev since they all seem to have hit their peak already and selling them would bring enough cash to reinvest in the market. Now it looks very unlikely that the club will manage to find them a satisfactory way out. The amount of money they would have brought would probably not be as much as the amount Eto’o or Sneijder would bring, but their exit would have less of an effect on the overall quality of the squad.

Inter’s recent travvails come down to Moratti’s poorly conceived long-term strategy. The club is headed in a very uncertain direction, seemingly destined to lag behind AC Milan and only compete for a place in the next Champions League along Juve, Napoli and Roma in the next Serie A season.

Niels

2011 Supercoppa Italiana to be held in Beijing; Lega Calcio president says 'to promote Italian football' in Asia tinyurl.com/5vpqse8 #Calcio—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) July 15, 2011

Thiago Motta pun sempat di kabarkan jika dirinya akan bergabung dengan salah satu klub Eropa yakni Arsenal, akan tetapi itu pun hanyalah isu belaka, karena terkait dengan beberapa pemain dari Arsenal kemungkinan akan hengkang pada musim depan mendatang.

Thiago Motta pun membantah jika dirinya pernah menolak tawaran dari Arsenal, karena sampai hari ini, tidak pernah ada pembicaraan mengenai kepindahan dirinya dengan klub Arsenal tersebut.

Thiago Motta pun menyatakan kesetiaanya dengan Inter Milan dan jika Gian Piero Gasperini yang pada musim ini melatih Inter Milan tersebut masih memerlukan jasa dari Thiago Motta tersebut, maka ia pun dengan senang hati akan berseragam biru hitam pada beberapa musim ke depan.

Gian Piero Gasperini pun menyatakan jika dirinya sangat senang dengan pernyataan dari Thiago Motta yang menyatakan kesetiannya bersama Nerazzuri pada musim depan mendatang, dan bersama Inter Milan, dirinya akan menampilkan permainan terbaiknya dan merebut kembali gelar juara yang pada musim ini gagal di pertahankan oleh pihak Inter Milan.

Akankah Thiago Motta akan menampilkan permainan terbaiknya di bawah asuhan Gian Piero Gasperini pada musim depan mendatang, marilah kita tunggu bersama-sama aksi dari Thiago Motta pada musim depan mendatang, nah, bagi para penggemar bola maupun Taruhan Online, anda dapat bergabung bersama Agen Bola, http://www.channelbola.com

Fabric celebrates it’s 9th year and you could be there. The line up is awesome as expected with a huge line up awesome DJ’s on the 17th and 18th October.

17 OCTOBER FABRICLIVE.

OPENING HOURS: 10pm-6am

ROOM ONE: WhoMadeWho (LIVE), Plump DJs, Filthy Dukes, Krafty Kuts, Ali B ROOM TWO: DJ Hype, Andy C, Fabio, Dillinja, Instra:Mental, Macpherson MCs GQ, Rage & 2 Shy ROOM THREE: Tayo, Toddla T, Martelo, Joe Ransom, Squeak E Clean (N.A.S.A.), Patchwork Pirates

If you fancy going along for Friday and you’re not lucky enough to win get tickets on: 0870 0600 100 or
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18 OCTOBER Fabric

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ROOM ONE: Craig Richards, Terry Francis, Luciano, Shinedoe, Martin Buttrich (LIVE), Ralph Lawson ROOM TWO: Robert Hood, Baby Ford, Mark Broom, Soul Designer (LIVE) ROOM THREE: Omar S, Patrice Scott, Keith Worthy

If you fancy going along for Friday and you’re not lucky enough to win get tickets on: 0870 0600 100 or
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For your chance to win these fabulous tickets click here

The competition closes Thursday at 3pm.

Please make sure you have registered a valid phone number on your Metro.co.uk account so we can contact you should you win.

Entrants must be over 18. The usual Metro rules apply.

Stripped bare: Stuart Baggs. Photo: © Cosmopolitan

The normally ultra-confident star of the BBC reality TV show must have been feeling a little exposed when he revealed he does not consider himself to be handsome – not in the classic sense anyway.

Baggs explained to Cosmopolitan magazine: ‘I’m not that attractive on the outside but inside I’m a masterpiece like the Mona Lisa.’

Quickly rediscovering the sort of well-meaning brashness that earned him the tag Stuart ‘The Brand’ Baggs, he added: ‘Everyone’s in for a treat when they get to see what my girlfriend does all the time, which is [enjoy] a fantastic body.’

Pictures: Meet the 2011 Apprentice hopefuls HERE

Baggs, along with singer Jason Derulo, Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou, The Only Way Is Essex’s Kirk Norcross and many more stars from the world of TV and sport, posed to raise awareness of prostate and testicular cancer for Everyman, the UK’s leading male cancer campaign.

Click here to see more on Cosmopolitan’s charity centrefolds

The latest edition of Cosmopolitan magazine, out now

LONDON — The Netherlands routed Hungary 4-0 away to stay perfect in Group E while Italy and France also claimed victories on Friday to consolidate leads in their 2012 European Championship qualifying pools.

Premier League stars Rafael van der Vaart, Dirk Kuyt and Robin van Persie were joined on the scoresheet by Barcelona winger Ibrahim Afellay as the Dutch ran riot in Budapest against their nearest rival, grabbing a fifth straight win.

Brazilian-born central midfielder Thiago Motta scored a 73rd-minute winner for Italy in a 1-0 victory over Slovenia, lifting his adopted country six points clear in Group C.

Roma defender Philippe Mexes and Lyon midfielder Yoann Gourcuff were the scorers for Group D leader France in its routine 2-0 win at last-place Luxembourg. Les Bleus are now four points ahead of second-place Belarus as they, like Italy, continue to rebuild their tarnished reputation after an embarrassing World Cup campaign in South Africa.

Elsewhere, Serbia rallied to beat Northern Ireland 2-1 and Belgium triumphed 2-0 at Austria, with both winners going joint second in Groups C and A respectively.

World and European champion Spain, one of three other teams to have 100% records so far in qualifying, was hosting the Czech Republic later Friday.

Van der Vaart and Afellay scored first-half goals to put the Netherlands 2-0 ahead by the interval.

Van Persie set up Kuyt in the 54th for the third before the Arsenal striker scored himself eight minutes later to complete the rout for the World Cup runner-up.

The Dutch are now six points clear of the Hungarians ahead of the reverse fixture between the two countries on Tuesday in Amsterdam. Sweden is third, three points further back but having played two fewer games.

Motta, who plays for Inter Milan, opened his account for the Azzurri in just his second match for the team, scoring with an angled drive to give the visitors a deserved victory in Slovenia.
Giampaolo Pazzini had earlier hit the post for Italy, which remained unbeaten in group play and has a healthy cushion halfway through its qualifying campaign.

Despite having no fans to cheer the team on, Serbia rallied to beat Northern Ireland 2-1 in Belgrade and climb into third place, level on points with Slovenia.

Serbia was being punished by UEFA after a section of its fans rioted during a qualifier against Italy in Genoa in October, and fell behind against Northern Ireland when Gareth McAuley met Chris Brunt’s free kick with a looping header into the corner in the 40th.

Some 250 Northern Irish fans celebrated but they were silenced in the second half as goals by Marko Pantelic and Zoran Tosic in the space of nine minutes completed the turnaround.

Winger Franck Ribery and left back Patrice Evra returned for France after completing bans which stemmed from their key roles in a squad strike during the World Cup.

The fiasco in South Africa seems a distant memory, though, with the French having turned the corner under new coach Laurent Blanc. The win over Luxembourg was their fourth in a row since opening qualifying with a home defeat to Belarus.

Mexes rose highest to head home a free kick by Samir Nasri in the 28th and Gourcuff gave France breathing space against a team largely filled with amateur players, firing home a low shot in the 72nd.

Standard Liege striker Alex Witsel scored goals either side of halftime to guide Belgium to victory in Vienna, putting his team level with Austria on seven points — five behind runaway group leader Germany.

It may be the Brescians who are of the Leonessa but even they won’t tonight deny that the lion’s heart was all black and blue tonight. The team that José built and that Leonardo is carefully tending to has demonstrated once again its incredible character and heart in fighting back from what possibly the worst nightmare scenario at halftime, achieving on foreign soil what only one other team had managed to do in European competitions past.

And each one played his part. Including Julio Cesar, whose second blunder (over the two legs) put a heavy dent into the nerazzurris aspirations after the game had gotten off to a seemingly great start with Eto’s first goal on the night, a typically swift pounce on a through ball at the limit of offside. The Brazilian goalkeeper and his team – along with the fans – had to suffer further humiliation when the 2nd Bavarian goal went in, a deft touch by Muller following an unintended deflection by Thiago Motta.

Pandev & Nagatomo after goal no.3

But it wasn’t enough to kill the hope and the spirit. This team’s lettres de noblesses in suffering have already been written in countless games that have helped to forged a unique fighting spirit: from Ukraine to home against Sienna, this team does not give up easy. Despite being down 3-1 on aggregate at halftime, not only did they pick themselves up and continue to fight, but did so with the composure of a winning team, not one looking at an early exit. Not once did they abandon the identity and discipline of play that had brought them results in the past. The same patterns that seemed so vain in the first half were repeated in the second, but ever more resolutely, starting with the back pass to Andrea Ranocchia following ball recovery, slightly forward on to Thiago, sideways to Maicon to create breathing space, again in to the center to Cambiasso, then wide again onto the other side for Chivu, then Sneider, then Eto’o, and so on.

United in suffering, united in joy: Chivu, Deki & staff member with Julio Cesar

Is there any one of them that stands out more than the other? Of course Eto’s ball possession, athletic stamina and technical skill will have journalists from Catalonia to Tokyo drooling in admiration; of course Sneijder’s determination and aggression will enter into textbooks; indeed yes, Ranocchia is phenomenally mature for a young player his age; and Julio Cesar was decisive in preventing Bayern from equalizing more than once; and the list goes on. But no: this game is the victory of a team that stood as a unit. And importantly, that includes the work and support of a patient young coach for whom this was certainly the most important test of his budding career, that stood by them and supported them through thick and thin, and especially Goran Pandev, whom it would have been easy to replace earlier on the basis of his misses this weekend as well as some glaring errors during the game. I can’t help but be reminded of a similar night in the spring of 2004 when a young Portuguese coach similarly stunned the old aristocracy of Europe with a surprise steal at Old Trafford.

Atone and grovel now for forgiveness at the feet of your only survivor and potential savior, Italy. You, as well as all the Barça brown nosers, have been given a demonstration in what football is all about: not a one sided execution draped in smug sense of aristocratic entitlement, but drama, grit, fighting spirit, discipline, flair, goals, attack and defense.

P.S. Manchester United returned to this season’s form with a sufficient but somewhat fragile win over Olympique de Marseille seeing them through to the quarter finals.

So the transfer window silly season has come to an end and the football can do the talking again. £50m man Fernando Torres’s debut didn’t quite set the world alight and Liverpool’s £35 million man Andy Carroll will have to wait a little longer to make his mark. Elsewhere in Europe there was little movement apart from some notable loan signings in Italy, including Gianpaolo Pazzini from Sampdoria to Inter Milan and promising young striker Allesandro Matri from Cagliari to Juventus with a reported €18 million buy clause.

So here’s the team of the week:

GK – Manuel Neuer (F.C Schalke) A man of the match performance from Germany’s no.1 continues to push his case for being considered a world-class goalkeeper. Neuer (above) was impeccable, making saves to his left, right, with his feet and coming to claim any high balls coming his way comfortably making Neuer the toast of his team mates and the German media this week.

RB – Andoni Iraola (Athletic Bilbao) Bilbao have been quietly going about their business this season and although they still trail the likes of Valencia and Villareal but find themselves up in the top five of La Liga and most of this is thanks to a solid back four. Iraola has been capped 4 times by Spain and this was a performance of enough assurance to warrant those caps being continually solid at the back and happy to burst forward when given the chance.

CB – Mats Hummels (Broussia Dortmund) The young centre back continues to establish himself at the highest level matching his size with a good sense of distribution. Hummels has made a good partnership with Neven Subotic this season and put another clean sheet to his name here. Finally he was only denied a spectacular overhead kick by the brilliant Neuer.

CB – Jamie Carragher (Liverpool) The Reds skipper’s return from injury could not have been timed better as he got to put all his efforts into denying former team-mate Fernando Torres from a dream debut. And deny he did, putting himself about and putting in a huge block to deny Torres only chance of the game. Lining up in a back three Carragher’s return made a pretty formidable back line and stifled Chelsea of any real opportunities.

LB – Leighton Baines (Everton) Fell asleep for Puncheon’s goal and could have done better at the back post for Baptiste’s equalizer. However, as always it was going forward and offering the overlap that Baines came to life, crossing low and accurately for Saha to tap in and delivering well from open play and set pieces with that trusty left foot all afternoon. A beauty of a cross with his weaker right foot for Beckford rounded off a fine performance and 2 assists to his name.

RW – Lionel Messi (Barcelona) The little Argentine is never far away from the EtotW and his place will always be guaranteed with his fourth hat trick of the season and raised his season tally to 40, and its only February. The first being a trademark cut inside from the right, sweeping past the entire Atletico defence and driving into the opposite bottom corner. For his second Messi kept his head, and feet, well to tuck home from close range and topped things off with a tap in following up a Pedro attempt.

CM – Thiago Motta (Inter Milan) His recent performances have warranted a change of nationality as Motta has been called up to the Italy squad for their friendly versus Germany this week and head coach Cesare Prandelli has confirmed that the Brazilian holding midfielder will make his debut. Motta has been the lynch pin for Inter’s revival under Leonardo since Benitez’s dismissal in November. Motta may not be the most elegant but he is effective and he chipped in with another goal for his teams cause, heading from close range to top off a huge 5-2 win over Roma.

CM – Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan) Along with Motta making up 2/3rds of Inter’s formidable central midfield (taking nothing away from the brilliant Esteban Cambiasso) Sneijder’s first game since December was a true return to form for the classy Dutchman. A sweeping pass wide and then sumptuous volley for the games first goal got things under way and Sneijder continued to pepper Julio Sergio’s goal with shots all game. The real jewel in Sneijder’s crowning performance was a beautiful scoop pass for Pazzini who was brought down for the penalty which got Inter’s third goal of the night.

LW – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) CR7 and Messi make up the dream wing partnership once again and it was a vintage performance from the Portuguese flyer. Linking up with Kaka Ronny cut inside onto his weaker left foot but drove the ball with typical venom into the bottom corner. His second was a fine header from a corner a-la Champions League final 2008.

CF – Carlos Tevez (Manchester City) The in form striker has struggled to adapt following the arrival of Edin Dzeko and his form looked like it was dipping as a consequence. However Mancini’s decision to drop Dzeko against West Brom saw the birthday boy bag a classy hat trick. Two came from his trademark weaving run up to a spot kick’s but it was his fantastic second, keeping composed in the box to beat one man and slide the ball into the bottom corner, vintage Tevez.

CF – Louis Saha (Everton) In a topsy turvy game against Ian Holloway’s Tangerine Army Saha was the difference between the sides. Ending the game with four goals Saha showed the ability which has convinced Alex Ferguson to part with his cash in 2004. It is a shame that performances like this are few and far between because Saha undoubtably has the ability to be a leading Premier League striker. His four goals were characterised by a powerful desire to get on the end of everything and his frightening pace allowed him to convert the chances. His left foot is one of the best around on his day, and this was definitely one of them.

• English Premier League roundup: Stoke City 3-2 Sunderland, Aston Villa 2-2 Fulham, Everton 5-3 Blackpool, Manchester City 3-0 West Brom, Newcastle 4-4 Arsenal, Tottenham 2-1 Bolton, Wigan 4-3 Blackburn, Wolves 2-1 Manchester United, West Ham 0-1 Birmingham, Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool.
• West Brom manager Roberto Di Matteo has been sacked, which seems especially harsh considering the fact that he hasn’t been given funding to strengthen his side and that his weekend loss was kind of anticipated.
• Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny has apologized for the way Arsenal surrendered a four-goal lead to draw with Newcastle.
• Chelsea striker Fernando Torres was surprised by how well Liverpool played when they had eleven players on the field instead of ten players and one disinterested Spaniard.
• Fulham manager Mark Hughes has backed in-form striker Andy Johnson to regain his England spot.
• Everton manager David Moyes is thrilled with the performances he’s been getting out of Louis Saha; Saha tripled his goal tally for the season by scoring four against Blackpool on Saturday.
• Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier believes that 20-year old right back Kyle Walker still has a lot of work to do before he overtakes Glen Johnson on the English national team depth chart.
• A London court has ruled that Proactive’s $6.9 million complaint against Wayne Rooney can proceed; this overturns a Manchester court’s ruling on the same issue.
• Nobody loves the Manchester City shirt more than Carlos Tevez (who presumably feels that the muted sky blue softens his normally harsh look, emphasizing his more gentle features and making him appear, subconsciously, as less threatening to children and small dogs).
• Blackpool defender Neal Eardley is pretty confident that Charlie Adam will leave the club in the summer.
• Spurs striker Roman Pavlyuchenko is sick of sitting around and waiting for Jermain Defoe to get hurt so he can get a little bit of playing time.
• Also, Niko Kranjcar apparently only stayed at Tottenham because of his wife’s pregnancy and will likely leave the club this summer.
• Just because El-Hadji Diouf moved to Scotland does not mean that he’s less of an asshole.
• Lionel Messi’s hat trick lifted enabled Barcelona to beat Atletico Madrid 3-0; this win saw Barca set the record for consecutive wins in La Liga at 16.
• Wolfsburg manager Diego could face sanctions from the club after ignoring manager Steve McClaren’s instructions not to take a penalty; Diego, of course, missed the kick.
• Spain manager Vicente del Bosque plans on addressing his team’s awful record in friendlies against Colombia on Wednesday.
• Italian manager Cesare Prandelli has called up Brazilian-born Thiago Motta for the squad to face Germany on Wednesday.
• Ronaldinho scored his first goal for new club Flamengo.
• Paraguayan striker Salvador Cabanas trained for the first time since being shot in the head a year ago last week.
• Juan Carlos Osorio has been prevented from taking over as the manager of Honduras by Colombian club Once Caldas, who’ve refused to release Osorio from his contract.
• Matt Stinson scored Toronto’s lone goal in a 1-0 friendly win over Red Star Belgrade.