Athletic Bilbao - Struggles At The San Mamés

Athletic Bilbao, or Athletic Club to use their proper name, are well known for their tradition of sticking with local born and bred players in the Basque region of Spain (the northeast) and parts of France (the southwest), meaning they only sign players from those regions and nowhere else. This tendency to lean towards these small areas means that the pool of players they have to choose from is significantly lower than other teams - yet they still ply their trade in the Spanish top division and even in European competitions. The bond between the players themselves and the environment they play and grow up in creates a homely atmosphere, making it an incredibly difficult club to leave and one of the neutrals or 'peoples' clubs in Spain for their dedication to homegrown talent.

Athletic Bilbao drew a lot of praise for their outstanding style of possession, attacking and winning football on the way to the Europa League final last season. After beating Champions League drop-outs and European heavyweights Manchester United in the second knockout round, the Basque club went on to beat Schalke and Sporting Lisbon before eventually losing 3-0 to their Spanish contingents Atletico Madrid in the final. A number of players impressed for them on this run, such as Javi Martinez, Iker Muniain, Oscar De Marcos, Fernando Llorente, Andrea Iraola, Ander Herrera, Susaeta, Fernando Amorebieta - in fact the list goes on, all of them did.

Is Football The Most Competitive It’s Ever Been?

In the late hours of the morning on the 20^th December in Nyon, Switzerland, the draw for the Last 16 of the UEFA Champions League was made. After the normal long drawn out proceedings, as is the way of modern football organisations, football legends of the past drew from the pot a set of ties which left fans around the world drooling with excitement.

The emergence of the Sky era since the 1990’s has led to a huge growth in the economic size of the beautiful game, making it an even more global brand with the potential to dictate the economies of areas around the world. The lure of the biggest and most famous clubs has increased by a huge standard, and these teams are followed and supported from not just all around the country, but all the corners of the world. As a result the growth of the game has led to a higher development of facilities and therefore players – hence creating a rise in the standard of the game. With the sheer amount of money involved and the huge quality on show on a regular basis, the top standard of European club competition has, in many people’s opinions, taken over from the World Cup as the pinnacle of the sport – and with this draw, there is nothing to suggest against this.

The Enigma that is Mario Balotelli - Is His Time Up In England?

Mario Balotelli. Love him or hate him, that is all you need to say.

After news emerged that Man City were deciding to fine him £340,000 (or two weeks wages) for his disciplinary record last season, the rumour mill took full speed – again linking him with a move away from England and most likely back to Italy and the Rossoneri of AC Milan. After missing 11 games out of 54 last year, it is clear that Balotelli cannot be depended on.

A Journey Back To The Dark Days?

The Manchester derby between United and City took an unfortunate end to it. At the end of a thrilling game of football filled with excitement for the 50,000 odd fans in the stadium and the millions watching on TV, Robin Van Persie struck with a free kick in the dying seconds which silenced all but one small corner of the Etihad. The United players ran over to their travelling support and celebrated with their fans. A win in a local derby against their biggest title rivals – a moment to treasure. But as I said, it took an unfortunate end to it.

Somebody in the home crowd decided to throw a coin at defender Rio Ferdinand, despite him doing nothing to entice or anger these fans – other than doing his job, helping to get his team 3 points and showing how happy he was. This 2p coin almost cost him his eyesight, causing a flow of blood just above his eye. He was lucky not to have been injured more seriously and later laughed it off on the social networking site Twitter. However, still – it shouldn't have ended like this.

Lionel Messi: The Greatest Ever?

24^th June, 1987.  In Rosario, Argentina, the delighted Jorge Horácio Messi and Celia María Cuccittini were celebrating the birth of their baby boy. Little did they know, that little Lionel, or Leo to those closer to him, would become a global superstar and one of, if not the greatest footballer ever seen on the planet.

Fast forward to 9^th December, 2012, and Lionel Messi fired in his 85^th and 86^th goals of the calendar year in just 66 games for Barcelona and Argentina – breaking the previous record set by the legendary German and Bayern Munich striker Gerd Muller in 1972. With 3 more games left to play this year, there’s no sign of his goal scoring stopping just yet. This record means he is officially the greatest goal scorer in the game, and shows just why he is, undoubtedly, the best footballer of the modern era. A true and humble professional, the little Argentine is a great amongst greats. But is he the greatest ever?

What The Return Of Lucas Means To Liverpool

Last Saturday in their Premier League match against Southampton at Anfield the Liverpool faithful saw the return to action of their midfield maestro, Lucas Leiva. After a series of injury problems, the Brazil international will hope to put these behind him and push on and remain a constant fixture in the Liverpool starting eleven like he was before his injury.

Is The Strength Of The English Game Dropping?

With Arsenal finishing 2^nd in a relatively simple looking group (no disrespect to 3 good sides), holders Chelsea dropping into the Europa League and Manchester City dropping out of Europe altogether, questions are being raised about the strength of English teams compared to the other big dogs in Europe. Even Manchester United, despite their point total, had to rely on their resolve to pull through individual games rather than a simple stroll like normal. This follows on from last year’s failure for English clubs to look convincing on a wider stage. Chelsea may have won the competition, and they deserve tremendous credit for achieving this, but it was hardly a compelling win. So what has caused this drop in achievement for a country which dominated the European game in the late 2000’s?

Sunderland Scrapping For Survival?

Following their 2-1 defeat to Norwich at Carrow Road on Sunday, Martin O’Neill’s Sunderland will wake up on Monday morning 1 point clear of the relegation zone in a precarious 17^th position. With just 2 wins recorded in their last 22 league games, the optimism after the Northern Irishman’s appointment almost a year earlier has without a doubt faded.

Luiz Felipe Scolari's Return As Brazil Boss Carries Huge Pressure

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s first stint as Brazil manager in 2002 ended in scenes of jubilation after winning a landmark 5^th World Cup for the country - the first, and so far only country to reach the landmark. Fast forward 10 years, and Big Phil is back in the role again – being tasked with a job which will inevitably end up with further glory, or the sack. The 2014 World Cup, hosted by Brazil of course, is judged by all in the country as a must win tournament – anything other than that will be a national disaster.

5 Foreign Imports Which Have Caught The Eye

Every year millions of pounds are spent in the summer transfer window in a bid to improve a club's squad. Countless hours of watching the player, thought and dealing are spent to make sure the right player is signed to improve the club in some way. However there is no way of being sure that the right player is signed until at least a couple of months of the season have gone by. Now we're reaching the end of November I thought I would take a look at some of the 'less big name' imports from abroad and come up with 5 that have impressed me a lot in recent weeks.

Talk Of Europe Is Premature For West Brom, But The Signs Are Promising

Very highly rated as a coach and assistant after spells at Chelsea, West Ham and Liverpool, Steve Clarke took his first plunge into management at The Hawthorns. Clarke left Liverpool after Kenny Dalglish was sacked and, with Roy Hodgson taking the England job, this left a vacancy to fill. The former Scotland international was appointed by The Baggies’ board – and he hasn’t looked back since.

Can Benitez Get The Best Out Of Torres?

After coming to Anfield in the summer of 2007, Fernando Torres demonstrated to the Premier League just why Rafael Benitez was so willing to spend over £20 million on him to lead the line up front. The Spaniard, known as El Niño at his beloved Atletico Madrid, had a superb start, scoring in his first home game against Chelsea. Fast forward to the end of the season and he had 24 goals to his name, breaking the record (previously set by Ruud Van Nistelrooy) for the most prolific foreign goal scorer in a debut season in England. This success was followed by even more on the international stage, helping Spain win Euro 2008 and setting them off on their current dominance of the international stage.