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Well here’s to the most pointless set of Champions League quarter final second legs in the history of its existence? Certainly for a very long time! Football fans the world over watched the eagerly anticipated draw in mid-March; mouths watering over the possibility of Harry vs. Jose, Gareth Bale adding Real Madrid to his list of ‘teams I destroyed this season’, the all-English clash of the titans Chelsea vs. United, Torres finally finding himself or Ancelotti out of a job, a refreshing bunch of youthful talented players in Shakhtar Donetsk (who won at the Camp Nou in December 2008) shocking the world by beating the best team in the world, and the current holders; the almighty Inter Milan after their breath-taking tie with Bayern in the last round coming face-to-face with surprise package Shalke 04 led by the ever aging, every prolific Raul. “What a draw” we said, “An all-English final, AT WEMBLEY” we said. And how wrong we were!

If anything there was goals, in fact in the first legs alone we saw eighteen hit the back of the net! None more so than Dejan Stankovic’s unbelievable first-time volley from the halfway line and Angel Di Maria’s thunderous strike at the Bernabeu. But as brilliant and as plentiful as they were they all served one miserable purpose which was to kill off any chance of a spectacle in the second leg.

Tottenham’s 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Real Madrid pretty much sealed their fate, a double from ex-Gunner Emmanuel Adebayor and the stupidity of red-carded Peter Crouch cost them a place in the semi-final a week ago. But nevertheless Harry’s boys turned in a typically defiant first half performance in the second leg; with a bit of luck they might have had a penalty or two. But then the calamitous Heurelho Gomes pressed the self-destruct button five minutes after the break. My 70-year-old Nan could’ve saved Ronaldo’s speculative effort, but not Gomes. 5-0 on aggregate and an away goal (despite wishful thinking from ITV who thought Spurs deserved the goal) well and truly distinguished any hopes of a comeback, as if we didn’t already know. The White Hart Lane faithful showed their appreciation after the game; Harry now turns his attentions to that crucial fourth-place finish. The special one on the other hand could still fulfil his prophecy and win Europe’s biggest prize with three different clubs, but it’s not going to be easy, El Clasico awaits!

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Tuesday night’s clash between United and Chelsea was the only competitive one of the round. Wayne Rooney resisted the urge to stick two fingers up towards his critics at Stamford Bridge when he bagged a crucial winner in the first leg and Torres once again showed his worth, £50 million of pure class, I think? No, Not at all actually. Ancelotti left us all amazed when he substituted the lively Drogba instead of the woeful Torres. The Spaniard started again in the second leg and you have to wonder who actually made that decision. Abramovich’s prized asset failed to get on the score sheet, while at the other end Hernandez (£44 million cheaper) put United ahead. El’ Nino hauled off in the interval and Drogba showed his worth. With 13 minutes to play he gave hope to the ten-man Blues, but it didn’t last long; seconds later Park Ji-Sung booked United’s place in the semis.

Completing the semi-final line up, Schalke and Barcelona surprised nobody. Schalke phenomenally won 5-2 at the San Siro in their first leg. Even the goal of the tournament so far just one minute in from Stankovic wasn’t enough to halt the German side that took Inter to pieces, following it up with a 2-1 win on home soil, 7-3 on aggregate!

Barcelona were in typically punishing mood when Shakhtar Donetsk came to visit in the first leg of their quarter final. The only surprise here was Lionel Messi’s failure to score in the 5-1 rout. The little Argentinian put it right in the second leg however; his 43rd minute goal was enough to secure the win, can’t imagine many people tuned in for this enthralling encounter!

So is it worth us getting excited about this year’s semi-finals? Of course it is! United won’t find it easy when they travel to Schalke, the threat of Raul could leave them with it all to do at Old Trafford. No doubt Mourinho will have something up his sleeve for Barca, and he’s going to need it if he wants to prevent a repeat of the 5-0 hiding they received earlier in the season.

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The dream final has to be United vs. Barca. It’s difficult to see anyone beating Guardiola’s boys right now but if anyone is up to the task then it’s a fully-fit United at Wembley! Ferdinand and Vidic will have to be fit and United’s fans need to make it feel like Old Trafford.

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Wolves manager Mick McCarthy has allowed Austria international Stefan Maierhofer to join Duisburg on a season-long loan arrangement.

The 27-year-old only moved to Molineux last summer in a £1.8million transfer but failed to impress, starting only two matches for McCarthy's team.

He scored on his debut as a late substitute in a 3-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers last September, but was loaned out to Bristol City for the last two months of the campaign. However, the striker failed to find the net in three appearances for the Robins.

He has now been given the chance to resurrect his career with the German second division club and could earn a permanent switch if he impresses.

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Meanwhile, Wolves have denied that Sam Vokes is set to sign for Crystal Palace but Andy Keogh continues to be linked with a move away from the club.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Pressure continues to mount on Chelsea boss Andre Villas Boas, as his side threw away a 1-0 lead to get beaten 2-1 by Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena on Wednesday night.

Didier Drogba had given the Premier League club the advantage with a neat finish early in the second half, but Eren Derdiyok equalised soon after, and Manuel Friedrich gave the Bundesliga outfit all three points in injury time.

The result moves Leverkusen into top spot of Champions League Group E, whilst The Blues drop to second and are level on points with Valencia.

Unai Emery’s team destroyed Genk 7-0 in the other pool game, with Spain international Roberto Soldado grabbing a hat-trick.

With Chelsea to host Valencia at Stamford Bridge in the last game of the group, it is a do-or-die clash for the English team, but Villas Boas feels confident his team can still progress.

“We believe in what we do, we believe in the talent of these players, we believe in them and that talent that is going to take us through to qualification – of course,” he told Sky Sports.

“Any negative result is difficult, we were organised and compact, but we have conceded on the details and that has made the difference, we have to improve our focus and concentration levels.

“We thought we had the game in our hands at 1-0 as we were compact and solid and had good chance for 2-0 but we didn’t take the chance and eventually paid heavily in the last minute.

“Obviously with the run of defeats you improve your work, focus and determination because at the moment it is not sufficient.

“I think we defended well as a team in the 90-minutes – the first goal we lacked concentration and on the set-plays when you are not tuned to it, and even if you are, players can anticipate you and they made the most of the opportunity they got to take an unfair result in my opinion but that is the reality, a defeat where we should have got something – it is not happening for us,” he concluded.

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Chelsea have Wolves at home on Saturday, and simply must pick up three points to stop the bad run of form.

By Gareth McKnight

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%image% Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt scored two late goals as the Netherlands beat Hungary in an eight-goal thriller in Amsterdam on Tuesday.

The hosts moved to the brink of booking their finals but berth were pushed all the way as the visitors – beaten 4-0 in the reverse fixture in Budapest on Friday – twice fought their way back into the game.

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie’s early strike gave the Dutch a half-time advantage but goals from Gergely Rudolf and Zoltan Gera turned the game on its head.

Gera equalised again after goals from Wesley Sneijder and Ruud van Nistelrooy had got Holland back in front, before Kuyt had the final say to move Bert van Marwijk’s side to 18 points from six games.

In Soha, Sweden had to withstand a late barrage from Moldova to claim a 2-1 win.

The Swedes were able to break the deadlock on the half hour through Mikael Lustig.

But the result of the game was not confirmed until eight minutes from the end when Sebastian Larsson notched Sweden’s second, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic missing from the spot before the interval.

Gutsy Moldova were able to salvage some pride when Alexandr Suvorov grabbed a consolation goal.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has admitted he has serious defensive concerns ahead of the new season.

Redknapp is facing the prospect of starting the new campaign without either the injury-plagued Jonathan Woodgate or captain Ledley King.

Woodgate made only three appearances last season following a long-running groin problem which required surgery.

Meanwhile, King's chronic knee problems means he cannot train fully and his appearances must be carefully managed.

King also had a groin problem picked up while on World Cup duty with England.

"Jonathan will not be fit for the start of the season. He's in a position where he can't train or kick a ball," explained Redknapp, who also has fellow central defenders Sebastien Bassong, Younes Kaboul and Michael Dawson to call upon.

"Ledley has come back and his knee is not great and he has a groin problem."

Meanwhile, Redknapp claims that despite the injury problems, his squad which finished fourth last season can seriously challenge for the Premier League title.

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He added:"You have to go in believing. I said last year we could get into the Champions League and we managed to do so.

"If you don't aim for the top you are never going to reach there. I think we could have a real go this year."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester City winger Adam Johnson has put pen to paper on a new contract at the Etihad Stadium, keeping him at the club until 2015.

The England international and big-spending Premier League club have been locked in discussions over a new deal for a number of months, but Sky Sports can reveal that the extension has been agreed.

Rumours have circulated in the English press that Johnson, who joined the side from Middlesbrough for £7 million back in January 2010, was displeased with his lack of regular first team action and a move was potentially on the cards.

However the new deal will go far to quash the speculation, as Johnson now fights to be more of a frequent fixture in Roberto Mancini’s starting XI.

Mirror Football indicate that the club will double the 24-year-old’s wages, with his current salary of £45,000-a-week being boosted to £90,000-a-week.

Johnson will be in contention for City this weekend, as they host Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

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By Gareth McKnight

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In his column for the Liverpool Echo this week, former Liverpool striker John Aldridge highlighted a number of players that he termed as “dead wood” who needed to be sold in the summer months so that the Reds could begin to build a stronger squad:

“The defeat at West Ham was a reminder of just how big the job is at Liverpool. Kenny Dalglish has transformed the side’s fortunes in two months. We were never going to go eight games unbeaten under Roy Hodgson but it’s clear the squad really needs strengthening this summer. We’ve still got players like Philipp Degen, Emiliano Insua, Nabil El Zhar and Alberto Aquilani on the payroll. Plus there’s other dead wood at Anfield which needs to be moved on. Dalglish is going to have to deal with that. They need to be cleared out to boost the pot he’s got to bring players in.”

With Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group stating from the outset that they had concerns over Liverpool’s sizeable wage bill, the removal of a number of substandard players from the team’s squad will surely be given equal priority to making acquisitions to improve the squad this summer. I have listed below the first five players I would like to see leave the Reds this summer.

Christian Poulsen – Brought in to replace Javier Mascherano last summer, the Dane has absolutely failed to impress during his number of starts under both Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish. He fundamentally looks a few yards too slow for the Premier League and his distribution of the ball has been horrendous on occasions this season. Although the fact his wife had given birth to new born baby the night before, his display against Sparta Prague last Thursday was nothing short of abject. He gave the ball away on a number of occasions and it was a relief when he was substituted for Jay Spearing. Poulsen himself is uncertain whether he will be at Liverpool next season:

“At the end of the season, I will evaluate what to do about my future. There are many factors to take into consideration.”

Udinese are said to be interested in Poulsen and a suggestion has been made today that he could be used as a makeweight in a deal for Alexis Sanchez.

Paul Konchesky – Not much needs to be said about the former Fulham left back. His move to the Reds in the summer was much criticised and after a number of below par performances, the scepticism over his ability to play for a club like Liverpool looked to be justified. Once Kenny Dalglish took over from Roy Hodgson, Konchesky wasn’t even given a game before he was loaned out to Championship side Notts Forest. Due to Premier League rules, he wasn’t allowed to play for a third top flight club in a single season but teams such as Mick McCarthy’s Wolves were interested in the player back in January, and the player is expected to leave Anfield in the summer.

Milan Jovanovic – The Serbian has had little game time since the start of the season under Roy Hodgson. Both Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish opted to start the 29 year old within their first few matches in charge, but both times the forward has subsequently been put down the pecking order. Under Hodgson, Maxi Rodriguez was later favoured while under Dalglish, Rodriguez and Joe Cole have been given the nod ahead of him, and the switch to 3-5-2 on occasion has limited his game time further. He apparently rejected a move to Wolfsburg in January but if a team at the level of the German club come in for him again in the summer, he will no doubt be departing the Reds.

Emiliano Insua – Some may disagree with me on this one but the Argentinean full back is not a player I rate. Despite being young and still learning his trade, Insua doesn’t have the pace to play left back for me to really be a star in the Premier League. He has also failed to impress on his loan spell at Galatasaray and has been in and out of the team under both Frank Rijkaard and Gheorghe Hagi. It is unlikely that the Turkish club will take up their option to make the loan a permanent move, and I think selling to an Italian club where interest has come from Fiorentina among others in the past, may well be the best option.

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Nabil El Zhar – The Moroccan is on loan at PAOK Salonika this season and is due back in the summer. At 22, his development has stalled and even in the Greek league, he has struggled to get a first team place, invariably being used as an impact substitute in the second half. Along with the likes of Philipp Degen, Stephen Darby and Steven Irwin, as well as some other players in the reserves, a cull of the first team squad is needed to ensure that young stars such as Suso and Raheem Sterling have a clear route to first team football, rather than be obstructed by players who will never make the grade.

Read more of David’s articles at the excellent Live4Liverpool

Bolton Wanderers boss Owen Coyle hopes to build his side around defensive duo Gary Cahill and Zat Knight next season.

Coyle is keen to hold on to both players, with Cahill in particular attracting interest from a number of bigger clubs.

"The two of them are outstanding centre-halves," Coyle told the Bolton News."I want to build a team around the likes of Gary Cahill and Zat Knight.

"If someone offers us as a football club something we can't refuse, then we'd have to look at that, we'd be crazy not to. But as a manager I want Gary here.

"People said to me prior to coming to the club that Zat had been in indifferent form, but he's been outstanding for me on a game-to-game basis.

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"He's a leader and enjoys himself and that's the type of player I want at the football club."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

England manager Fabio Capello looks set to pick Wayne Rooney in his squad for Euro 2012, as he dropped a hint regarding the player’s importance to the team.

The Manchester United forward has been handed a three match ban after being sent off against Montenegro in qualification, which will see him ineligible for all the group stage games of the tournament in Ukraine and Poland.

Due to the fact that he will miss a sizeable chunk of the competition, rumours have circulated that despite the attacker’s quality he would not be included in the squad.

However, Capello dropped a hint at Rooney’s involvement when talking about the senior players in the team.

“The young players are really good and ready to play with the seniors, and the experience of the seniors is really important,” he stated at a Club Wembley breakfast.

“During the games we need some leaders, people that know something. Jack Wilshere is incredible because he is so young. We also need the experience of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Scott Parker.

“You need this kind of player, plus Rooney, I hope,” he stated.

Capello also said that he is happy with the quality he has to choose from, and feels he can field a strong side next year.

“I am happy with my players. I have a lot of confidence in them.

“There are not many young players in the world who are better than the English ones. But you need to wait until the end of the season to understand if they are at the top and ready to play with the seniors.

“We had a gap between the oldest and the young. Now, with people like Wilshere, (Phil) Jones, (Danny) Welbeck, (Daniel) Sturridge – it’s really interesting.

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“It will be a really good team for the next Euros,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier hailed his side’s patience as they beat Blackburn 4-1 at Villa Park on Saturday.The Villans were out of luck in the first half as Rovers kept their sheet clean, before an early second-half penalty taken by Ashley Young triggered a barrage of goals for the hosts.The win moves Villa to 12th on the Premier League table, and Houllier said he was impressed with how his side responded in the second half.”We tried to be too quickly decisive, but once we were patient, as we were in the second half, I think at some stage we began to break them down,” Houllier told Sky Sports.”They spread out well to defend. We just had to pass the ball, keep passing and keep trying to be patient. We passed the ball well.””In the first half I was not displeased by the performance of the players. Obviously after the penalty it was a different ball game, but I still think we kept passing the ball well.”Blackburn boss Steve Kean wrote the loss off as a “bad day” for Rovers, who slipped to 13th on the English Premier League table with the result and had captain Ryan Nelsen sent off during injury time.”I think the thing that killed us was the penalty,” Kean told Sky Sports. “We set out of the stalls to try and get a clean sheet. I thought in the end we should try and bounce back a little bit, but we let that goal affect us.””It’s a bad day in the office but we’ll look forward to the Fulham game and work hard in the training ground again this week.”