What a hit! Some of football's great strikes

Having witnessed an unbelievable overhead kick from Zlatan Ibrahimovich this week for Sweden, we have put together a few of the best goals scored in England or by English players over the past few years. Enjoy!

1. Joe Cole v Sweden (WC 2006)
Joe Cole scored a sensational volley against Sweden in England's final group game of the World Cup in Germany. Cole took the ball on his chest and volleyed home superbly from 35 yards to give England a lead after 32 minutes. The game went onto finish 2-2 with Steven Gerrard scoring the other goal for England. The draw meant England progressed through to the round of 16 where they played Ecuador.

2. Peter Crouch v Man City (24/03/12)

Peter Crouch scored a stunning volley in the Premier League clash between Stoke and Manchester City last season. Crouch received the ball from Pennant on the right side of the box and expertly volleyed the ball over Joe Hart into the far side of the net.

3. Papiss Cisse v Chelsea (02/05/12)
Newcastle centre forward Papiss Cisse scored a wonderful half volley against Chelsea as his two goals meant Newcastle recorded a rare away win at Stamford Bridge. The Senegal striker collected the ball from a Demba Ba header and half volleyed home from the left edge of the box, watching the ball loop over Petr Cech and in off the bar for one of the goals of the season. 

4. Steven Gerrard v Middlesbrough (30/04/05)

Steven Gerrard has scored many a screamer but not many better than his wonderful volley against Middlesbrough. Gerrard received the ball from John Arne Riise 40 yards from goal, and after taking the ball down and letting it bounce twice, Gerrard struck an amazing strike that swerved into the top left corner of the goal. 2005 turned out to be an excellent season for the Liverpool skipper as he captained his side to Champions League glory.

5. George Boyd v Huddersfield (23/10/12)
Peterborough United's George Boyd scored a stunning 50 yard effort this season in a 3-1 home win against Huddersfield. Boyd received the ball in the centre circle and unleashed a stunning hit that looped over the Huddersfield keeper to score one of the current goals of the season. 

Olympic Football: Previewing Team GB

With the football season still a matter of weeks away, football fans have the opportunity to fill their time with the Olympic football that is taking place right on our doorsteps. With the games being hosted in Britain this year, some of the world's best teams will be competing for the coverted gold medal. Fixtures are to be played in a variety of stadiums in the country, including Wembley, Old Trafford and St. James Park.

picture: mirror.co.uk

Having released the squad only recently, Stuart Pearce is leading the British side for the games. With the exclusion of David Beckham from the squad being met with disappointment, Pearce's squad still contains a lot of talent with a good mix of experience and youth. With the likes of Brazil and Spain involved, chances of a gold medal will be difficult.

Qualifying as hosts, this will be the first time since the 1960 games in Italy that Team GB will compete in the games in the football event. Having failed to qualify for the games between 1964 and 1972, the Football Association stopped recognising the difference between professional and amateur footballers in 1974. This ending the existence of the English national amateur team which was the basis of the Olympic team and because of this, the FA stopped entering a British Olympic side.

The team this year, will be led by Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs who is joined by Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards who all qualify as the 'over age players'. The rest of the squad are all under the age of 23 following the rules of the tournament that all squads must have a mix of experience and youth in their squads.

Despite losing key man Gareth Bale to injury, Team GB will enter the games with a promising squad. Goalkeeper Jack Butland was called up to the England Euro 2012 squad as a replacement for the injured John Ruddy and he is set to be GB's number one. At 19, the Birmingham City stopper is rated very highly. Despite missing out on a Euro 2012 place for England, Micah Richards, Adam Johnson and Daniel Sturridge all take their place and will be key figures if Team GB are to do well. Promising midfielders Joe Allen and Jack Cork get their chance to shine at the games having had good seasons with their respective clubs.

picture: thefa.com

Pearce's side were drawn in Group A alongside Senegal, UAE and Uruguay. With the likes of strikers Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, the South Americans will be tough opponents for Team GB. Senegal will represent in the games for the first time ever and bring a squad containing Mohamed Diame and Magaye Gueye who both play their trade in England. Final opponents UAE will also be representing at the games for the first time after failing to get through the qualifiers on all previous attempts. Out of the ten games they played in the qualifiers, UAE won seven and drew three.

Team GB's games don't start until the 26th July where they begin their campaign by playing Senegal at Old Trafford. They play their next game three days later where they face UAE at Wembley and finish their group games by playing Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on the 1st August.

Stuart Pearce's team will fancy their chances of going far in the tournament especially with Argentina missing this time and only Brazil and Spain as the only other teams that may offer some sort of difficulty. With a promising and youthful squad alongside the leadership of Ryan Giggs, Team GB must expect themselves to achieve a medal by the end.

Team GBR squad: 

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jason Steele, Alex McCarthy

Defenders: Neil Taylor, Ryan Bertrand, Danny Rose, Steven Caulker, Craig Dawson, James Tomkins, Micah Richards, Ryan Bennett

Midfielders: Tom Cleverley, Joe Allen, Ryan Giggs, Jack Cork, Aaron Ramsey, Scott Sinclair, Adam Johnson

Strikers: Daniel Sturridge, Craig Bellamy, Marvin Sordell, Jordan Rhodes

FA Cup Quarter Finals: Ones to watch

 

As we get closer to the end of the football season here in England, it also sees the cup competitions getting ever nearer to the final. We saw Liverpool take the first cup of the season with a narrow penalty shoot out win over Championship outfit Cardiff in the Carling Cup final last month. This weekend we see the quarter finals of the FA Cup take place and the opportunity for four teams to play at Wembley in the semi finals. All but one of the teams left in the competition are from the Premier League with Leicester City representing the Football League.

#1 Everton v Sunderland

picture: football365.com

After suffering Merseyside derby disappointment on Tuesday, Everton will want to bounce back and progress in this seasons FA Cup. A home tie will give them some advantage but will face a tough ask as they come up against a fellow Premier League team high on confidence. Sunderland have been in great form of recent under new manager Martin O'Neill. A draw away at rivals Newcastle and then a home win against Liverpool has seen the Black Cats rise up the league table to eighth. O'Neill's side have been in impressive form in this year's FA Cup with wins against Arsenal as well as beating high flying Championship side Middlesbrough. Striker Nicklas Bendtner has two goals in two games and with fellow forward Frazier Campbell returning to impressive form, the pair will cause the Everton back line a fair few problems. David Moyes's Everton have also shown decent form in the league with home wins against Tottenham and Man City which has seen them sit comfortably in the top half of the table. Scoring in his first game for the club, striker Nikica Jelavic will want to continue showing why he was so highly rated when at Rangers. Key players including Royston Drenthe and Leon Osman were rested against Liverpool mid week and will be keen to play an important part in taking their club to the new Wembley for the first time. 

Prediction: Everton 2-1 Sunderland

#2 Chelsea v Leicester

picture: mirrorfootball.co.uk

The only quarter final that doesn't see two Premier League sides against each other. Leicester are the only team left outside the top division and will want to cause a big upset this weekend. Having seen Birmingham City hold Chelsea in the last round of the cup, Leicester will take massive heart and believe they are capable of the same. The Championship side have had a topsy turvy season with the Midlands side currently sitting in eleventh place in the league. Strikers David Nugent and Jermaine Beckford have a combined goal total of 25 goals this season and have struck up an impressive partnership. After an impressive 3-1 triumph over rivals Birmingham in their last game, Leicester will be high in confidence going into their game at Chelsea. Since the departure of manager Andre Villas-Boas, Chelsea have since regained belief that their season isn't finished just yet. An extra time victory over Napoli in the Champions League and a 1-0 home win over Stoke in the league, has seen the London team remain in two cup competitions and still in contention for fourth place. Front man Didier Drogba has been in terrific form of late scoring three goals in the last two games. The return of captain John Terry has sured up the defence and given the team a much needed boost going into a critical stage of the season for the club. 

Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Leicester City

#3 Liverpool v Stoke City

picture: soccertransfers.com

These two Premier League sides will be meeting for the fourth time this season on Sunday afternoon. The two met each other last year in the Carling Cup which saw a Luis Suarez double take the Merseyside club through. But Stoke will go into this tie confident. In the league meeting at Anfield this season, Stoke came away with a well earned goalless draw as well as beating their opponents 1-0 in the league meeting at the Britannia last September. Liverpool had been on a three game losing streak going into the Merseyside game on Tuesday. But a wonderful hat trick from talisman Steven Gerrard saw the reds end their poor run. Kenny Dalglish's side have had a mixed season, drawing nine games at home, dropping points against teams they should be beating. Poor results of late has seen them drop to seventh in the league. However the side have had good runs in cup competitions this season. Carling Cup success against Cardiff last month saw the club win silverware for the first time in six years. This years FA Cup run has seen the side beat rivals Manchester United as well as convincing wins against lower opposition. Stoke City have continued with their love affair of the FA Cup this year with some impressive displays. Runners up in last years competition has spurred the side on to achieve similar success. The game against Liverpool will see the Staffordshire side face Premier League opposition for the first time in this years competition. Exit from the Europa League this year leaves the FA Cup the only distraction from Stoke's average Premier League display this year. But after taking four points from six in the league this year there is no reason why The Potters can't pull of a potential shock. 

Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Stoke City

#4 Tottenham Hotspur v Bolton Wanderers 

picture: goal.com

It has been 21 years since Spurs last won the FA Cup and a quarter final tie at home to fellow Premier League side Bolton, offers them a chance to inch further to a final at Wembley. Playing at home, Spurs are favourites to win the game but after reaching the semi final of the competition last season, Bolton will be no walkovers. Poor performances of late from Spurs, has seen North London rivals Arsenal come within two points of them. After being potential title contenders, Harry Redknapp's side look set for a battle for a Champions League place. Striker Jermaine Defoe looks set to miss out on a starting place on Saturday with fellow forwards Louis Saha and Emmanuel Adebayor set to continue their impressive partnership. Rafael Van Der Vaart has missed a lot of this season through injury but also looks likely to come back into the side that hasn't found scoring goals an issue this year. Spurs needed a replay in the last round to overcome League 1 side Stevenage and will not want another one interrupting their charge for a top four place. Owen Coyle's Bolton were thumped 5-0 in last years semi final against Stoke at Wembley. With another opportunity to play at Wembley in front of them, Bolton will go into Saturday's game knowing they have every chance to progress. Wanderers have struggled to find the net this season with Ivan Klasnic being their top goalscorer with only eight league goals to his name. The loan signing of Arsenal youngster Ryo Miyaichi has given Bolton some much needed pace. Although only 19 years old, Miyaichi showed what quality he has with a superbly taken goal in the last round at Millwall. A 3-0 defeat to Spurs this season at the Lane will not give fans great hope but with Spurs struggling for some form there's every chance Bolton can progress.

Prediction: Spurs 3-1 Bolton

 

 

 

Dirk Kuyt: End of an era for the Dutchman?

picture: zimbio.com

Take your minds back to Saturday 6th March 2011. A lunchtime kick off at Anfield between bitter rivals Manchester United and Liverpool saw the Merseyside team run out 3-1 winners thanks to a hat trick from striker Dirk Kuyt. This was Kuyt's first hat trick for the club and came at a time when goals were flying in for the Dutchman. Kuyt's good run of form last season saw him score 15 goals for the club, equalling his best total of goals for the club in a season.

Kuyt is now currently in his sixth season of being a Liverpool player and under the reign of Kenny Dalglish, the striker has become a regular on the substitutes bench this season. With the arrival of new strikers Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll, as well as the return of Welshman Craig Bellamy, Kuyt has not played as much as he will want to. The Dutchman has not been helped either with the arrival of Jordan Henderson who plays on the right side of midfield a lot, a position Kuyt has made his own over the past few seasons.

Kuyt has only scored one goal this season for the club in the Carling Cup away at Brighton. With the team currently struggling to find the net, Kuyt's lack of goals has not helped. It has been seen in the past that Kuyt's goals have been valuable to the team on many occasions. His run of goals at the end of the 2010/11 season helped Liverpool to a strong finish to the season. He may not be a 20 goal a season striker but fans of Liverpool will tell you his goals have helped significantly.

But currently Kuyt is not finishing chances that a year ago he was putting away with ease. One of the most recent games at home to Stoke, Kuyt was standing 6 yards out from goal. Jose Enrique's cross fell to Kuyt who somehow managed to head horribly wide with the goal at his mercy. Any Liverpool fan would expect him to finish that sort of chance especially considering Kuyt scores a lot of his goals in the six yard box.

It now comes to the time where fans are looking at Kuyt now and thinking his time may have come to leave the club and start afresh elsewhere. With 35 million pound man Andy Carroll more likely to start ahead of him, Kuyt has to fight with Bellamy and Suarez for the other front position. Dalglish may go in for another centre forward in the summer and Kuyt would be the player to make way if this was the case. There have already been rumours during the transfer window of possible suitors for the Dutchman so this may be the last season we see Kuyt in the Premier League.

With the club so close to a cup final and a chance for silverware, Kuyt will be sure to work hard and fight for his place in the team. With goalscoring an issue at the moment for Liverpool, Kuyt needs to take any chance he gets to play and to start scoring otherwise it will be more likely he will be shown the door.

FA Cup Third Round: Ones to watch

This coming weekend sees the third round of the FA Cup take place. There are always mouth watering ties and this years fixtures definitely don't disappoint. Below are the key games that you should look out for this weekend.

#1 Manchester City v Manchester United

Picture: dailymail.co.uk

The biggest tie of the round. The top two teams in the Premier League at the moment and here another chance to view them battling it out. We all know what happened the last time these two met, City demolishing United at Old Trafford in the league 6-1. A repeat of that memorable day is highly unlikely but expect goals, drama and most probably controversy. With Wednesday's Carling Cup semi final against Liverpool in mind, Roberto Mancini may field a second string team.(if you can call it that) giving the likes of Balotelli and Dzeko a run out. After two successive defeats in the league, United are expected to respond and show why they are current champions of the league. Sir Alex shall field a strong line up and will want to win against their rivals and progress in this historic competition

Prediction: City 2-1 United

#2 MK Dons v QPR

League 1 versus the Premier League, but a game that has upset written all over it. MK Dons currently sit in the play off zone of League 1 in relatively good form and having disposed of Nantwich 6-0 in the last round, the team from Buckinghamshire will want to continue their run in the cup. Striker Charlie McDonald has scored 6 in his last 9 appearances and will be sure to continue his good scoring form. Neil Warnock's QPR are in poor form, with no win in eight, this game couldn't have come at a worse time. Captain Joey Barton will be missing for Rangers through suspension and will be hopeful that misfiring strikers Jay Bothroyd and DJ Campbell will be able to make an impact. 

Prediction: MK Dons 2-2 QPR

#3 Peterborough Utd v Sunderland
Another potential upset on the cards. Championship club Peterborough United currently sit comfortably in mid table and are five games unbeaten. Darren Ferguson's men are a hard team to push over at home and Sunderland will have to play to their best to overcome The Posh. Talisman George Boyd will catch your eye, slick turns and an eye for goal, the midfielder will be the one to watch. Sunderland have been rejuvenated under the new management under Martin O'Neill. A home win against Manchester City and a thumping 4-1 win away at Wigan has seen the Black Cats go four unbeaten in the league. London Road always promises goals and this game won't disappoint. With the TV cameras there on Sunday, Posh will want to impress and show their quality against a decent Premier League side.

Prediction:  Posh 1-2 Sunderland

#4 Arsenal v Leeds Utd

Picture: football-talk.co.uk

These two teams met at the same stage last season drawing 1-1 at the Emirates with the Gunners winning the replay 3-1 at Elland Road. Arsenal are currently in excellent form in the league with star man Robin Van Persie continually firing in goals. Club legend and idol Thierry Henry is expected to play a part in this fixture as he starts his two month loan at the club. Leeds a club Henry has an excellent record against. He has scored 11 goals in 11 games against United and will want to continue this record. Leeds United currently sit outside the play offs in the championship and will find Monday's game at the Emirates tough. After lengthy injuries  to key players Patrick Kisnorbo and Robert Snodgrass, Leeds will rely on the impressive goalscoring Ross McCormack who has netted 11 league goals this season. 

Prediction : Arsenal 3-1 Leeds Utd

#5 Everton v Tamworth

This game is what the FA Cup is about, a big Premier League team facing a minnow from a lower division. Although the result is fairly obvious, Tamworth will take a big following to Goodison and the team will sure give it a go and show that they are about. With the return of American Landan Donovan, fans will be pleased to see his return and hope that he can help the team's goalscoring alongside the ever present Louis Saha. Tamworth are currently mid table in the Conference and definitely enjoy their big moment in front of 30,000 fans. The club know as 'The Lambs' are taking more than 5,000 fans giving them a memorable day out and whatever the result it will gain a place in the club's history. 

Prediction: Everton 4-0 Tamworth

#6 Swindon Town v Wigan Athletic

Another tie that offers a possible banana skin for a Premier League side. Wigan Athletic currently sit second bottom in the Premier League and an away trip to high flying Swindon will be tough for the Lactics. After disposing of League 1 giants Huddersfield Town 4-1 in the last round, Paolo Di Canio's team will fear no-one and go into the weekend's game with a lot of confidence. Wigan were knocked out of the cup two years ago to Notts County in the fourth round so the Lancashire club will need to be careful of another cup defeat to lower league opposition. The Premier League side haven't won in five league games so Roberto Martinez will want a solid display from his side.

Swindon Town 1-2 Wigan Athletic

#7 Fleetwood Town v Blackpool

Fleetwood Town have been the surprise team in the competition so far. Beating League 1 opposition in both rounds so far, the conference team will go into their third round tie knowing anything is possible. They currently sit second in the conference and are currently 11 games unbeaten in the league with a 6-0 drubbing of Southport there latest victory. Blackpool are sitting just outside the Championship play off positions and after beating high flyers Middlesbrough 3-0 on Monday, Ian Holloway's side will be full of confidence. Blackpool chairman was quoted this week saying that this tie means little to him but for the Fleetwood Town this will be one of their biggest games in their history

Prediction Fleetwood Town 1-3 Blackpool

#8 Birmingham City v Wolves

picture: totalsportsmadness.com

A tasty Midland derby will give great viewing for football fans. The last time these two met in this competition was three years ago when Wolves won 2-0 at St Andrews. Captain of Wolves Roger Johnson will get an interesting reaction as he returns to his former club where he led the Blues to Carling Cup success last year against Arsenal. The Championship club recently were eliminated from the Europa League and manager Chris Hughton will want to progress in this historic competition. Wolves are in terrible form and haven't won in six league and cup games. The form though of striker Steven Fletcher will give fans hope he can help the midland club get to the fourth round and help the club gather some momentum and form. This game will come with tasty tackles, cards a plenty and goals, not one to miss.

Prediction: Birmingham 2-2 Wolves

...and the rest           

Tottenham v Cheltenham Town   Prediction: 4-0             
Barnsley v Swansea   Prediction: 1-2

Sheffield Wed v West Ham     Prediction 2-3                   
Brighton v Wrexham  Prediction: 3-1

Fulham v Charlton  Prediction 4-2                                    
Gillingham v Stoke   Prediction: 0-2
Doncaster Rovers v Notts County Prediction: 1-1            
Crawley v Bristol City Prediction: 1-1
Chelsea v Portsmouth   Prediction 3-0                              
Dag & Red v Millwall  Prediction: 1-3
Coventry v Southampton   Prediction: 1-3                        
Derby v Crystal Palace  Prediction: 1-1
Bristol Rovers v Aston Villa  Prediction: 1-2                     
Macclesfield v Bolton  Prediction: 1-2
West Brom v Cardiff   Prediction: 2-1                              
Watford v Bradford City  Prediction: 2-0
Reading v Stevenage   Prediction: 2-0
Liverpool v Oldham   Prediction: 3-0
Sheffield United v Salisbury City  Prediction: 4-0
Nottingham Forest v Leicester City  Prediction: 1-1
Norwich v Burnley  Prediction 2-1
Newcastle v Blackburn  Prediction 1-1
Middlesbrough v Shrewsbury  Prediction: 3-0
Hull City v Ipswich Town  Prediction 2-1

               

Results in 2011/12 has shown us there are no longer 'easy games' in the Premier League

So far, the 2011/12 season has definitely been one of the most exciting seasons in the Premier League for a long time. We have seen a variety of odd results, upsets and some fantastic goals but what is becoming visible is there are no easy games for anyone.

We are currently half way through an incredible season that has seen some incredible results that no one would have ever predicted at the start of the campaign. The 8-2 demolition of Arsenal by Manchester United at Old Trafford in August is the stand out result that saw the current league champions make the Gunners look  a complete laughing stock. However this result came back to haunt the Red Devils when their rivals and big spenders Manchester City beat them 6-1 at home. Other results that have stood out so far include Arsenal beating London rivals Chelsea 5-3 at Stamford Bridge and Tottenham Hotspur beating Liverpool 4-0 at White Hart Lane.

picture: sport.uk.msn.com

It is now clear that a top four in the league no longer exists. Teams like Spurs and Manchester City have significantly improved their squads and now are competing for the top positions in the league. What was a top four 5 years ago has now become a top six, meaning one of the clubs will miss out on a European position at the end of the season. We can't rule out the form and ever growing improvement from Newcastle United either. Their 11 game unbeaten run at the start of the season surprised everyone, with impressive results against Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United and the phenomenal goalscoring of striker Demba Ba has given the club the notice they deserve.

There may have been some odd results between the top teams in the league but we can't ignore how well some of the lesser teams have done against the bigger clubs. The notable games include QPR's home win against Chelsea, Sunderland's late win against Manchester City and quite recently Aston Villa's away win against Chelsea.

No team can play anyone else in the league and expect an easy win whether it be home or away. Every team in the league has their strengths and against some teams, these pay off and they get the result they deserve. For example Wigan Athletic pulled off two draws at home against Chelsea and then Liverpool, results that they deserved due to resilience and sheer determination. We take Swansea, newly promoted but with their slick passing game and a solid goalkeeper, they have picked up some good results this season. Even Blackburn Rovers have beaten Arsenal and Manchester United and have drawn at Liverpool yet got beaten by relegation rivals Bolton the following week.

No one is unbeatable in the league and nothing will change as the season progresses. Teams will become stronger, squads will be strengthened and there will be more surprising results to come, making the Barclays Premier League more exciting than ever.