Guti wins the best back heel of the season.........

Guti plays a sublime back heel pass to Karim Benzema.Real Madrid beat Deportivo La Coruna 3 -1 to close the gap with Barca to 5 points....

Togo team gets 6 year ban in bizzare ruling..

Togo have been banned from taking part in the next two African Cup of Nations tournaments in 2012 and 2014 for sitting out the tournament this year after the attack on their team bus.

The Confederation of African football (CAF) have imposted this ridiculous penalty on the team because of "government inteference" in the game.The Togolese government did not permit the players to return to the tournament.This concern for the safety of the team after three of them were killed has been construed as a violation of article 78 of Africa Cup of Nations Angola 2010.

The CAF have also demonstrated a further remarkable level of insensitivity and stupidity by also imposing a 50,000 dollar fine on Togo as part of the penalty.It's quite an incredible idea of crime and punishment.

Who will come second best in the Campbell Rooney faceoff?

Arsène Wenger, though, has rarely been one to follow conventional wisdom and, having been almost awe-struck by the dedication Campbell has shown over the past four months, stressed that he would have few concerns about selecting the former England defender to face Manchester United on Sunday.

Thomas Vermaelen, who has partnered William Gallas in every Premier League match this season, will undergo a final fitness test on Saturday but the expectation is that he will not return until next Sunday’s match against Chelsea.

“I think Sol realised that he missed the game and that he needed the game to be happy and sometimes we tend to forget that,” Wenger said. “When he came here he was not in good shape. We pushed him really very hard. Every single day he was ready to work. He worked for three months every day and I think for 60 days it was without working with our team, just fitness.”

Wenger has also told his players that they should not be obsessed by Rooney, although he does believe that the England forward has matured this season as a centre-forward of genuine stature on the world stage.

“When we have the ball Rooney cannot score so for us the most important is dominating the game collectively,” he said. “I think Rooney can frankly play abroad. I believe he has all the ingredients of a modern player. I don’t question his talent at all, he can play anywhere in the world. He is still young. He is coming to the best age now. Before maybe he was bit too keen, now he is more relaxed.

“He was used a lot in different positions before. This year I believe in his mind he plays more as a centre-forward.”

Talk of Rooney and Campbell also provoked memory of the hugely controversial penalty in 2004 which helped Manchester United to end Arsenal’s 49-match unbeaten run. Rooney also won another relatively soft penalty against Arsenal earlier this season when he clashed with Manuel Almunia.

“Well, you know how strikers are – there is no angel,” Wenger said. “They play a game. If you look at the penalty at Old Trafford this year you cannot say it is not a penalty because Almunia really goes for it. The ball was already out and Rooney took advantage of the fact Almunia had already dived.

“You can say that it is intelligent. But the border between intelligence and starting to cheat, every striker plays with that. You have two games, one with the opponent and one with the rules and the referee and you try and extend that to your advantage. I think the first one [in 2004], I don’t agree with it. Sol Campbell did not touch him at all. I have to say that we have to fight against that.”

Source: Jeremy Wilson

Top ten bloopers of the week

Case for Ronaldo's defence.

Real Madrid present video evidence in defence of Ronaldo.The argument being used is "Messi did it also and didn't get a red card"
Leo Messi was involved in what is being called a 'similar' incident with Sevilla player Marc Valiente a few weeks back.There are two facts that the counsel for Ronaldo's defence seem to have missed while presenting the video.One that Valiente seems to be trying to take Messi's shirt off as a souvenier without Messi's permission.The second that his nose did not get broken.They have presented their case in any case.Be the jury and make a call...

Maradona back on job........

Diego is back after washing his mouth out with soap and completing his two month ban.A 3 -2 friendly win over Costa Rica is how he has got the ball rolling as the world cup looms closer and closer.