In an announcement that is sure to thrill managers of several Premier League clubs, Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has revealed his ambitions of playing in the Premier League.  The German midfielder has a contract with the Bavarian club until the summer of 2012, but claims he would be interested in a switch to England.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Schweinsteiger spoke of his admiration for several Premier League clubs and even gave English fans a glowing reference. He said: “For me, in England the fans are better. When the team give their best, they are not booing. It’s more like they are fans more with the heart.

“I love the atmosphere in English stadiums. When we played last year in Manchester it was fantastic. My brother is a big fan of Man U and he always says, ‘Go to Man U, go to Man U.’ I say, ‘I can’t, I can’t. But I don’t know what will happen with me, I have a contract to 2012 and we’ll see.”

Signing Schweinsteiger would certainly be an incredible coup for any English side. He starred for Germany during the World Cup and was at the heart of their comprehensive Quarter Final victory over a beleaguered England side.

His calm presence in midfield would surely fit in perfectly with the fast pace of the Premier League and while he claims he “can’t” go to Manchester United, if a move was available I’m sure Sir Alex Ferguson would love to bring him to Old Trafford.

The resemblance with Paul Scholes is clear. Two players who love to have the ball and can be deadly when given time and space. Schweinsteiger would certainly be an excellent replacement for Scholes when he finally decides to retire.

Personally I see a move to United as the most likely destination for the midfielder. While Manchester City could obviously attract him with massive wages, United always have the pulling power of success.

Wayne Rooney’s contract extension indicated a big name signing could be round the corner for United, and they don’t get much bigger then Schweinsteiger. Given that he does not have a long term deal either, he wouldn’t come with a massive price tag. So in theory the deal is very feasible.

What do you think? Could Schweinsteiger arrive at Old Trafford? If not could you see the German star elsewhere in the Premier League?

After a goal strewn Champions League opener (unless you were at Old Trafford) highlighted the quality on show in the world’s Elite club competition. The games in Group A were a particular highlight. Tonight see’s the rest of the competition kicking off and provides me with another opportunity to embarrass myself publicly with my predictions, Bursaspor anyone?

In the second day of the Champions League the biggest story is the match at the Bernabeu as Jose Mourinho returns to the competition he won previously. Real Madrid haven’t started the season in the best of form, a single goal was enough to take them past Mallorca but as Mourinho put it it was an ‘Easy’ game. Mourinho wins no fans with his particular brand of football but what he does win them for is his unbelievable track record, a team with Jose Mourinho as manager is a team that wins. If he had of been in charge last night for Rangers he would’ve made the story about their ‘heroic’ performance but as it was the unfashionable Walter Smith it became about anti-football.

On a different note though last night did have one horrible black spot as a tackle down the flanks resulted in one of the worst possible outcomes as Antonio Valencia was taken off with a terrible ankle injury. There is only one thing to say, we hope to see you as soon as possible Antonio and we hope you can come back the player you were before.

To the groups:

Group E:

Bayern Munich

Roma

Basel

CFR Cluj

The beaten Finalists return to the Champions League missing a few players, Arjen Robben being the chief casualty. Bayern were something of a surprise in last year’s competition, their victory over Manchester United and demolition of Lyon led to high expectations for the final, expectations that Diego Milito deflated. As soon as Inter got the lead the match was over, a perfunctory second put a gloss on the match for Inter as Bayern were easily extinguished. They will be hoping that they can regain the form that saw them to the final but they still rely heavily on the fitness of Robben and Ribery. As AS Roma are gripped by off-the-field issues this group should be a one horse race. Roma are currently in the midst of a complicated sale which has left manager Claudio Ranieri in limbo, the distractions have left Roma short of form and confidence but they should still have the quality available to progress. Basel and Cluj are the makeweights for this particular group, Basel should have a running start as their League season kicks off particularly early, however they are on a  run of poor form having lost their last two matches. Cluj too are not playing their best football and currently sit in mid-table in their domestic league, much like the first group from last night I see this group playing out to their seeds:

1. 1. Bayern 2. Roma 3. Basel 4. CFR Cluj

Group F:

Chelsea

Marseille

Spartak Moscow

Zilina

Chelsea’s group should provide some competition for the English champions but should be a group they win. A trip to Russia is never an easy match and Marseille’s return to Drogba (Drogba will be serving his ban for his stamp on Motta in Chelsea’s final game last season and won’t be available for the French leg.) will be one of the more interesting highlights of the group. Much like many of the French teams playing in the Champions League, Marseille’s season has started poorly but a first round win over the Russian league runner up’s could put them on course to qualify from the group. I know little of the Slovakian Champions like the Russians their season is well under way and they sit joint top of the table unbeaten in 8 games. However their record in Europe is not enviable.

1. Chelsea 2. Spartak Moscow 3. Marseilles 4. MSK Zilina

Group G

AC Milan

Real Madrid

Ajax

Auxerre

This is the group of the former glories, bar Auxerre each team in this group have won the Champions League. Real and AC were once perennial finalists but Real have not contested the match since 2002 whilst Milan were last in the final in 2007 (where they exacted revenge upon Liverpool). Neither team are at their strongest with AC involved in an embarrassing defeat at the weekend despite fielding a multi-million pound strike-force. Ajax were pipped to the title by FC Twente in the Netherlands and suffered the ignomy of their manager seeking a move out of the club because of financial constraints. However, Ajax managed to hold on to Martin Jol and their best players so they won’t be pushovers and their start to the season has been strong.  Auxerre were the fourth seed to enter the group but are not of the same low quality of Cluj or Zilina they will put up a fight but would have wished for a better group. This along with Group A would have to be considered the most competitive and strongest groups in the Champions League. Madrid will hope that Mourinho’s magic will mean they qualify easily but you can take nothing for granted in Group G.

1. Real Madrid 2. Ajax 3. AC Milan 4. Auxerre

Group H

Arsenal

Shakhtar Donetsk

Braga

Partizan

Arsenal’s group is deceptively strong. Braga have been the surprise package in Europe this season eliminating Celtic and Sevilla on their way to the group stage. Shakhtar Donetsk are another team who have established themselves in European Competition, the Ukrainian champions are also the new team of Eduardo who will be warmly received on his return to the Emirates. Partizan needed penalties to reach the group stage eliminating Belgian side Anderlecht. This should be a group Arsenal progress from as winners so the battle is for second place. Braga already have European fixtures under their belt so I expect the Portuguese team to progress behind Arsenal. Shakhtar will drop into the Europa League and Partizan may pick up a point or two at home.

1. Arsenal 2. Braga. 3. Shakhtar Donetsk 4. Partizan

Oh, and yes I was dying to use that Mourinho photo.

The 2010 Champions League Final featuring Inter Milan against Bayern Munich drew a 1.1 overnight rating on the Fox Network.

How does that compare to last year’s final on ESPN? The 2009 Final, which was shown on a Wednesday afternoon, drew a 1.0 rating. So, in comparison, Fox’s rating is a disappointment. That said, you have to consider which teams played last year — Barcelona and Manchester United, two of the biggest clubs in the world. Inter Milan and Bayern Munich are big too, but they’re not in the same league as the Red Devils and Barca.

On Saturday afternoon, Fox had competition from other sports in terms of attracting viewers. The match was shown at the same time as Game four of the Flyers against Canadiens NHL Eastern Conference Final, which drew 1.6 on NBC. The third round of the PGA Tour Byron Nelsen Championship on CBS, meanwhile, drew 1.1

The last time a soccer final was shown on network television was the Euro 2008 game between Spain and Germany, which drew a rating of 3.1 overnight on ABC.

As of September 1, 2009, there are an estimated 114.9 million television households in the United States. A single national ratings point represents one percent of the total number, or 1,149,000 households for the 2009–10 season.

So what’s the verdict on the ratings? Fox was handicapped by having two teams in the final that don’t have massive appeal in the United States. Plus soccer fans (and sports fans) are not used to seeing soccer finals shown on the Fox Network. Despite all of the promotion Fox did, there were still soccer fans confused on Saturday who didn’t know what channel the game was being shown on. If the final had featured Barcelona against Manchester United or Manchester United versus Inter Milan, I have no doubt that the ratings would have been MUCH higher.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is it. Although there are no English clubs in the Champions League Final, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan are ready to fight for victory in one of the biggest club competition finals in the sport of soccer.

While many eyes will be fixed to what happens on the field, I’ll be particularly interested in seeing how the Fox Network pulls off the first live telecast of a Champions League Final on US network television. From 1 to 2:30pm ET, Fox Soccer Channel will feature Bobby McMahon, Warren Barton, Eric Wynalda and Jeremy St. Louis live from Madrid for the pre-game show. And then the telecast moves to the Fox Network at 2:30pm ET for the game itself which will be presented by Curt Menefee alongside Bruce Arena.

Before, during and after the game, feel free to add your comments into the section below. Let’s hope it’s a spectacular final!

2:17pm ET: Bobby McMahon and Warren Barton sign off from their pregame duties to make room for Curt Menefee and Bruce Arena. Fair play to McMahon and Barton who have done a brilliant job all season and have yet again done a superb job today. No pressure Arena and Menefee. But the nation is watching!

2:33pm ET: Lovely. Menefee, Arena and Wynalda spend the first 1-2 minutes basically convincing those American viewers at home why they shouldn’t change the channel. Let the soccer do the talking rather than your words, gentlemen. Don’t sound so desperate.

2:44pm ET: First FAIL from Fox. The presenter and analysts were discussing the formations, but Fox failed to put them up on screen until a couple of minutes later. A little slow on the trigger button from Fox.

2:45pm ET: Not a smooth transition from the presenter/analysts to Martin Tyler and Andy Gray. Thankfully, Tyler and Gray will be in charge here for the next 45 minutes.

2:46pm ET: So much for the Champions League Final being shown in HD as it has been promised. It’s supposed to be in HD, but either the HD picture is poor for me (and others) or it’s in SD. It’s definitely not high quality HD.

3:19pm ET: Route one football, and Inter Milan’s Diego Milito scores to make it 1-0 to the Italians. Will that be the only goal of the game?

4:13pm ET: Diego Milito makes it 2-0. Jose Mourinho just increased his salary offer from Real Madrid.

4:35pm ET: Full-time. Inter 2-0 Bayern Munich. Congratulations to Inter Milan on a convincing win. But where was Bayern Munich today? At times, it was a lame performance by the German team who couldn’t seem to break down the Italian team. No surprises here. Congratulations to Jose Mourinho.

4;44pm ET: Nerves or a flub? Menefee pronounces Mourinho as “Ma-ran-yo”

While the Premier League season may be over and there’s three weeks to go before the World Cup begins (yippee), there is the matter of three games this weekend. All of which are important for different reasons.

• Blackpool v Cardiff City, 10am ET, Saturday, Fox Soccer Plus and FoxSoccer.tv
• Bayern Munich v Inter Milan, 2:30pm ET, Saturday, Fox
• England v Mexico, 3pm ET, Monday, Fox Soccer Channel

But which one are you looking forward to the most, and why? Cast your vote in the poll above and add your comments to the section below.

You have to feel for a player of the calibre of Michael Ballack and for fans of Germany. Things haven’t always gone swimmingly for Ballack at Stamford Bridge since he joined in 2006, but there is no doubt he is Germany’s most accomplished player of his generation. Be it at Munich, Leverkusen or the national side, Ballack has been one of the most consistent performers in the last 10 years of European football.

My first reaction to the challenge by Kevin-Prince Boateng on Saturday was it was a nasty little challenge. Numerous replays have simply strengthened that belief and it was the end to a little spat that had been running for the previous 15 minutes in the F.A. Cup Final. Now, Boateng is not alone in having a spiteful side to his play, but the irony of the impact it would have on his and Ballacks summer is now becoming apparent.

June 23rd has now gained a new significance in the World Cup as it is the date that Ghana play Germany in South Africa. Now normally, any game which features a player going against a side who have lost a player due to a nasty challenge would be interesting. Add the fact that the player is Germany’s captain and talismanic leader and the stakes are indeed raised, but there is an even more tantilising twist to this tale.

You see, up until April, Kevin Prince Boateng was classed as a German international, having represented the national side at both Under-16 and Under-19 levels. Now he has been granted permission by FIFA to represent Ghana at full international level and is expected to make the cut for the World Cup squad named by Ghana’s manager Milovan Rajevec. It’s a new move and one that should be applauded, though I doubt FIFA had this kind of comeback in mind when they allowed him to join up with Ghana.

Now the game has a whole new dimension for both sides. It was always going to be a pivotal game for both sides, with the dangerous Australians and Serbia making up a tough group. I’m not one for advocating revenge, but I’ve a feeling certain members of the German squad will be gunning for Boateng. Not only for the injury that Ballack has sustained, ruling him out of the World Cup but for turning his back on his country of birth.

I appreciate the draw a country could have on a player, but the decision seems to be made based on taking the easier option for me. Boateng’s career has certainly stalled whilst he’s been in England, he has the air of a player that sometimes looks like he can’t be bothered. His appearance for Portsmouth against Coventry in this season’s F.A. Cup run was peculiar to say the least. At one point in the second half, he was too injured to run but magically had the ability to dribble and shoot when the ball was played to him.

Since being at Portsmouth, he’s certainly gained some playing time, but his spell at Tottenham was a dreadful indictment of the previous regimes slapdash transfer policy under Daniel Commoli.The only thing that shocked me was that Tottenham managed to get anywhere near the £5 million they paid out for him.

Poor Michael Ballack, suspended for the 2002 World Cup final, will now probably never play in a World Cup again. He’ll be 37 by the time Brazil rolls around in 2014, so time and common sense is against him. Boateng, all being well, could be on the cusp of a wonderful career for the Black Stars over the next decade or so. So all German eyes will be on Johannesburg on June 23rd as the two sides clash. By the way, did I mention Kevin Prince Boateng could be there with his brother, Jerome. Trouble is, Jerome’s been picked by Germany in their provisional squad. Talk about a twist having a twist.

With another FA Cup final, three games remaining on the Premier League fixture list and one point between Chelsea and second placed Manchester United, it may be a little premature for the Blue’s management and players to think about summer transfers.  Mercifully, as pundits and fans, we do not have to play Liverpool with the additional worry of the reigning champions snapping behind us, and can afford ourselves this idle speculation.

With an ageing but still potent team, Chelsea should only look to replace one member of the starting eleven – Michael Ballack.  The German captain has played plenty this season, but has routinely looked average and tired when on the pitch.  While he is still a fine midfielder, he should no longer claim a starting berth over Lampard, Essien or Mikel.  The reasons for this are simple.  He doesn’t bring the athletic dynamism of the Ghanian, the assists and goal return of the Englishman, or the youth and adequate defensive shielding of the Nigerian.

Essentially he is an old utility midfielder, a player who can be trusted to make the right pass but who can no longer run for ninety minutes, a player with an ego that demands stroking but increasingly, doesn’t deserve it.
But Chelsea have an excellent replacement ready should Bayern Munich prove to be willing bartering partners.

In Bastian Schweinsteiger, the Blues have a flexible player able to take on almost any role in the midfield position, much like his international Captain Ballack used to be able to provide.

“Schweini” could star as a direct replacement for Die Mannschaft captain in the central role, especially given his excellence in this position for his Bavarian club this campaign.  He has displayed both the ability to spread the ball around and to work very hard to win the ball back for his side.  But his abilities and uses are far greater than just being a hard working trooper, a man willing to run down opponents and lay off passes to the creative attacking types.

He can also function as a wide midfielder, and though lacking the pace and intricate dribbling associated with natural wingers like his teammate Arjen Robben, Schweinsteiger can put in enough accurate crosses to force any defense to adjust to this menace.

With Flourent Malouda, Ashley Cole and Yuri Zhirkov wreaking havoc on the left, Chelsea’s right has appeared tame.  Branislav Ivanovic can be counted on for a couple of good crosses per game on top of his usual solid defending, but the right just does not have the same threat for the Blues that the opposite side carries.  The right wingers in the Blues’ 4-3-3 – Anelka or Joe Cole or Solomon Kalou – are not as naturally suited to this role like Malouda is on the left and thus, the wide right attacks suffer.

Adding the German international to the right would improve Chelsea’s options in attack and force any opposition to consider how to contain both flanks equally.  A tactical change to a 4-4-2 to include both Anelka as a pure striker and Schweinsteiger’s wide play would certainly give pause to anyone in Europe.

But, as mentioned earlier, Schweinsteiger has become one of Europe’s top central midfielders this season, and could therefore also fill in that role in Chelsea’s 4-3-3 or Ancelotti’s old favorite, the 4-4-2 diamond.  With now constant injuries to Essien, Schweinsteiger could very well claim his place in the starting XI.

Additionally, he has shown for Germany that he can be a very good attacking player, although the presence of certain French and Dutch footballers on his club team seem to have prevented the repetition of his fairly impressive German goal return for Munich.  Given more room to attack and fewer defensive responsibilities however, he should be able to knock in a goal every few games or so for the Blues.

Further, his relative youth means his performance would not dip so dramatically as both games and the seasons wear on.  While not an explosive player, he certainly won’t visibly deteriorate during every ninety minute match.  In the generally epic, tri-pronged (at least) campaigns Chelsea have involved themselves in over the past handful of seasons, the importance of players with sufficient energy come April and May should not be underestimated.

Lastly, his ego does not seem to reflect his quality on the pitch.  While this might not seem to be so important, it could be argued that one of Chelsea’s biggest flaws of the past few seasons has come from the generally unpleasant attitude conveyed by some of their megalomaniacal stars.  While this is by no means true for the entire squad, having another player who won’t add to this image can’t hurt.

While some might yearn for Sergio Aguero or Luis Suarez or some other player who can help add a cutting edge (although why another forward is needed is still a mystery to me), “Basti” is probably the player Chelsea need to become younger and more competitive in an area that needs instant repair.

The club should make the bid before the World Cup, as his price tag will shoot up come July if he repeats his excellent performances for Germany as he has done for most of his career.  The chance to do so is now; come August, half of Europe may be splashing out on the midfield star.

I’ve never been a big fan of the away goals rule because it seems like an odd rule that exists only as a cruel and unusual punishment to knock a losing team out of a cup tournament. But the match between Manchester United and Bayern Munich was a perfect example of how well it can work and how it adds an important subtext to a game that is already filled with numerous plot lines.

When Manchester United was leading 3-1 against Bayern Munich, the team was cruising. A fourth goal seemed inevitable but there was also the fear that if Bayern could unseemingly get a second goal, then the match would sway in the German’s favor.

And that’s exactly what happened. Arjen Robben scored an absolutely inch-perfect goal through the tightest of spaces to make the scoreline 3-2 to Manchester United. With the game tied on aggregate but Bayern Munich having the advantage because of scoring more away goals, the pressure was then on United to score a goal with 10 minutes to go. Alas it didn’t come, and Robben’s goal ended up sending Manchester United crashing out of the Champions League. And, at the same time, to send the final Premier League team out of the tournament.

Who said away goals isn’t exciting?

Manchester United were eliminated from the most coveted Cup competition in the world on Wednesday night in heartbreaking fashion. Having won their home leg 3-2 and finishing off the tie with a level aggregate score of 4-4, United were put to the sword by the dreaded away goals rule.

Such are the laws of the modern day UEFA Champions League competition that Bayern Munich will now face French side Olympique Lyonnais in what’s sure to be a fantastic Semi Final.

Wednesday night’s match was the classic example of the game being a “tale of two halves”. United were by far the better team in the first half as they dominated possession with a strong attacking midfield consisting of Nani and Antonio Valencia on either side of the slyly included Wayne Rooney. The support consisted of a midfield three of Darron Gibson, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher.

United got the start they needed as Gibson caught Munich keeper Jorg Butt flat-footed with a fantastic long range strike. Nani struck second with a cheeky, yet brilliant back heel flick and United were suddenly cruising into the semi’s after 7 minutes. As an attacking unit, United were quite possibly at the best they’ve been in 2010 with Antonio Valencia seemingly taking on defenders and crossing at will.

United defender Rafael was the villain on the night after being sent off early in the second half after receiving his second yellow. After his dismissal, United’s attacking prowess was a shadow of it’s former self. It’s almost unbelievable how the absence of one man can destroy a team’s ability to hold up the ball and move out of their own half.

Rafael’s first yellow was a petulant kick out at Munich midfielder Mark van Bommel. The incident was deserved, callow and obvious.  His marching orders came just a few minutes after the restart when he tugged back Franck Ribery who was full speed ahead towards United’s goal. The Munich players were then seen surrounding the referee in hopes they could influence his decision to send off the young Brazilian.

In a controversial statement, Sir Alex Ferguson has described the Munich players as behaving like “typical Germans“. Even as a United supporter, I’m not really sure I get the point of the odd statement and was upset to see Ferguson stoop to such depths.

Manchester United host Bayern Munich knowing a 1-0 home victory would suffice to advance to the semi-finals. Manchester are well aware of Bayern’s ability to score given the plethora of talent on the German side.

The Bavarians arrive in England carrying a slender 2-1 lead but will be pleased to know they can count on the creativity of Arjen Robben who apparently will play along with French star Franck Ribery who is slowly but surely rediscovering his form amid a season defined by injuries. The best news for the German club is unfortunately the likely absence of Rooney which is a massive blow for both the Red Devils and the neutral fan considering the great contribution and the scoring exploits of the England striker.
 
Manchester have shown they are not as lethal without Rooney and with Michael Owen also sidelined the scoring burden will be shouldered by Dimitar Berbatov who often fails to deliver when counted upon on the big occasions. Berbatov does not offer the energy and fight  which defines passionate players such as Rooney.  Sir Alex Ferguson must be concerned by the absence of Rooney but there are reports claiming the striker might be on the bench in case he is needed. The Manager made it clear he would not want to risk his best player and it does appear the Red Devils will have to earn qualification without the help of their prolific goal scorer.
 
This should be an interesting match considering Bayern are probably out to avenge the historic melt-down in 1999 which yielded the first Champions League trophy for the highly regarded Ferguson. Winning the first-leg might have given the German side a major boost but eliminating Manchester will close a painful chapter in Bayern’s European history. Had Rooney been fit and raring to go it would have been fair to predict a Manchester United win and safe passage to the next round yet in his absence the situation becomes rather tricky.

The Bavarians can escape with a draw or even a 3-2 defeat to emerge as the winners on aggregate score. No matter what happens this should be a spirited match with both sides fighting to ensure their European season does not end at this point. For Bayern this could be considered an over achievement since they were considered by the critics as outsiders while Manchester had lost Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer yet were doing reasonably well with Rooney leading the charge.

Both teams will be eager to advance since this side of the draw is friendlier with Barcelona and Inter set to clash in the other semi-final. The winner from this tie will play either Lyon or Bordeaux which is by all means  an easier task than facing the current champions Barca or the improving Nerazzurri.