Posted by Steven Cohen

Another decent week on World Football Daily. It started with the awesome Pat Dolan who as always pulls no punches and just tells it like it is. We ended the week with the superlative Jon Champion and Ian Herbert from the Independent.

We have been focusing a lot last week on the looming trouble at Liverpool. Really, take a closer look at it because as Lineker said in the English media last week you could seriously be seeing the end of Liverpool football club as we have known it for the last 35 plus years. It is not just the squad, it is not just the debt, it is not just the awful owners, it is not just the need for a new stadium to keep pace with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs and City...it is all those things combined and it is a recipe and cocktail for disaster. It is a £1.2 billion fix if it is to be done the right way.

I am the first to admit that the club is a British sporting institution and it is pretty amazing to see the demise over pretty much one season. Let us not forget that they were only 4 points from winning the title last season. How the mighty have fallen and the next 90 days will be, as David Bick said on the show on Thursday possibly the most important in the clubs history or at least since pre-Bill Shankly.

Also the day after they famously lost any chance of getting 4th and a spot in next seasons Champions League we had Manchester City's Micah Richards on to reflect on Manchester City's disappointment.

I do feel I need to keep banging the drum about subscriptions. We are seeing an upswing, which is great and thanks and welcome to all the new subscribers but we just need to see a bigger upswing. Listen if you are getting this Kick Around newsletter but have not yet decided to subscribe yet take a chance on World Football Daily because at the $4.99 price point we are asking for 25 cents per day for a 90 minute daily show with outstanding guests that is easily the equal of any other football show anywhere in the world. It is 25 cents a day from right here in the US what are you waiting for.

Seriously, if you are reading this newsletter and are still undecided on whether to subscribe I would still love to hear your concerns and you should feel welcome to e-mail me any and all your concerns at steven@worldfootballdaily.com. I want to hear from you and answer any questions you might have.

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OK to the football...

Lets start in Spain where they played all this weekends games on Saturday at the same time which is how they do it for the last two weeks of the league season. To be sure we are really only looking for that battle at the top of the table between Barcelona and Real Madrid but it has been some battle.

Barcelona however have for now kept their nerve. They had some big games that a lot of people (Kenny) thought they would bottle. Villarreal away last weekend: no worries 4-1, Tenerife at home mid-week: no worries 4-1 but then this weekend they had to travel to Sevilla. OK Sevilla have not been as good as we had hoped this season and we all hoped that maybe they could mount a serious challenge to the big two...it was not to be but coming off of beating Racing Santander 5-1 away in mid week you really saw this as a tricky fixture for Barcelona.

But 3-0 up on 62 minutes they looked to be coasting until a combination of great passing/alert set pieces and some very sloppy defending put Sevilla right back in it. Barcelona showed their courage and their skill and held on for all 3 points and they had come through what was supposed to be a very tricky week. Three games, 9 points win next week at home to Valladolid and they are champions of La Liga.

Meanwhile Real Madrid after going in at half time 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao came out in the second half and ended up putting 5 past them to keep it interesting Certainly nobody would doubt that if their rivals from Catalonia slip up next week you know for sure Ronaldo and the rest of Los Blancos will be there to pounce.

I can't see it and it will be Barcelona as champions. Remember though it was Sevilla who knocked Barcelona out of Copa Del Rey earlier in the season meaning Barcelona could not equal their feats of last season where they had the single greatest season any club has ever had. They are also doing this at the business end of the season without Andres Iniesta.

Relegation in La Liga is pretty interesting. Xerex are relegated and Real Zaragoza are safe on 40 points but that leaves Valladolid (away vs. Barcelona on the last day), Malaga (at home to Real Madrid on the last day), Racing Santander (at home vs. Sporting Gijon on the last day), and Tenerife (away vs. Valencia on the last day) all on 36 points. My money would be on Racing Santander and Tenerife to get something and survive.

Valencia has secured Champions League football next year while Sevilla and Real Mallorca will battle down to the wire. Separated by one point they go into the final weekend with Sevilla at home to Atletico Madrid who could be on a high from Europa League success and might not really care while Real Mallorca are at home to Espanyol. I fancy Sevilla's chances.
In Germany Bayern Munich wrapped up the Bundesliga title. It is their 22nd title overall making them the most successful footballing club in German football history.

To be fair it was pretty much done last weekend when they won and Schalke 04 lost and with a 17-goal lead in goal difference this was just a formality. However they did so by confirming Hertha Berlin's relegation, and my what a woeful seasons it has been for the chaps from Berlin. Five wins, 20 loses and a goal difference of -22.

To wrap Germany: Bayern are champions, Schalke 04 qualify automatically for the group stage of the Champions League while Werder Bremen will have to qualify in the third round. At the other end: Nurnberg, Bochum and Hertha Berlin are relegated

It is not all over in Germany though. Bayern will take on Werder Bremen next Saturday in the German Cup Final looking to do the domestic double and the following week will try and complete The Treble when they take on Inter Milan in Madrid on May 22nd.

And that is not it...Hamburg will host the Europa League Final this Thursday between Fulham and Atletico Madrid.
In Italy Inter Milan took the first step towards The Treble by beating Roma in the Coppa Italia Final in Rome on Wednesday. It was an ill-tempered affair with Roma playing straight into Inter's hands and tried to get down and dirty against an Inter team that was just waiting for them. Inter completed a Rome sweep in 4 days having beaten Lazio last weekend and Roma on Wednesday.

Francesco Totti was an utter disgrace when he so deliberately hacked at Mario Balotelli not even trying to disguise an act of severe brutality. To Balotelli's credit he did not retaliate and Totti got his marching orders. It would be good to see the Italian FA suspend and fine Totti severely. The fact the Totti suggested afterwards why he did it makes it even worse and shows that he did it with forethought.

From Inter's point of view they did what they needed to do but I think that some of Jose Mourinho's comments this weekend about Claudio Ranieri being a loser are not only disgusting but they are so unnecessary.

I would really hope that Mourinho would see that in Italy he is about to do all he could do...if he wins The Treble he will be seen as a manager who has won the Champions League with two different teams in two different countries. He will win a second Scudetto and will have done it in an imperious fashion. He is about to be talked about as one of the greatest managers of all time, a real leader of men. I really hope that Jose will look at this and recognize that this is not the time to give "them" anything negative to say, just take your bows Jose. You are the greatest in the game and all this other nonsense only dims your star and really won't making Roman Abromavich cry as you pick up the Champions League trophy be enough.

Like Spain, Serie A plays all is games the last two weeks of the season at the same time. Some drama, not much especially for Inter who went behind early courtesy of a Thiago Motta own goal but then scored four straight with the goals coming from a Mantovani own goal, Cambiasso, Diego Milito and finally from Mario Balotelli. But Chievo did not lie down and two goals from Granoche and Pellisier made it at least interesting although Mourinho's men ran out winner 4-3 winners. Not a score line that Jose would have enjoyed or admired.

Roma beat Cagliari 2-1 with two goals from Totti in a game that he should not even have been playing due to his antics in the Coppa Italia Final on Wednesday and they remain second. Final day fixtures have Inter travelling to already relegated Siena and a win and the title is theirs. Roma travel to Chievo Verona.

The battle for the fourth Champions league spot between Palermo and Sampdoria ended in a 1-1 draw. Two penalties settled the affair in a stalemate. Sampdoria's from Pazzini on 54 minutes and Palermo's Miccoli on 68 minutes.

However that last day sees Palermo travelling to already relegated Atalanta while Sampdoria host Napoli who are already assured of Europa League football next season and a win would secure 4th for Cassano and Pazzini and company.

Relegated from Serie A are Livorno, Siena and Atalanta while Juventus will not participate in European football at all next season.

In France Olympique Marseille have won their first French title since 1992, they won it again in 1993 but it was taken from them due to a match-fixing scandal. Congrats to French world Cup winning captain Didier Decamps.

In Holland, I am sure Kenny dealt with it last week but a huge round of applause to Steve McLaren. He took FC Twente to second last year and did one better this season by winning them the Dutch title. The scenes on TV of the celebration were awe-inspiring. When he asked Sir Booby Robson for one word of advice about going to coach in a foreign country all Sir Bobby said was don't take your own coaches. Think about that...that is saying you have to open yourself up to the country you are going to and their footballing culture rather than expecting them to welcome yours.

He did this by beating out Martin Jol's Ajax who had scored 106 goals, had a goal difference of +86 and won their last 14 games in a row. Not so much the wolly with the brolly anymore.

In England and the final day of the Premiership: Wow what a way to end it and pick up the Premier League trophy. Chelsea 8 vs. Wigan 0. A hat trick from Drogba after a bit of a spat with Lampard early on over the penalty. A brace from Anelka and goals from Ashley Cole, Kalou a penalty from Lampard completed the route.

We have often talked about this being the Premier League championship that nobody wanted to win but look inside the numbers for Chelsea. Most goals scored ever (103), most clean sheets, tied for most wins, fewest loses. Chelsea scored 3 vs. Arsenal, Everton, Sunderland, Burnley, Birmingham and Spurs. They scored 4 vs. Bolton, Wolves, West Ham. They scored 5 vs. Blackburn and Portsmouth, 7 vs. Villa, Sunderland and Stoke and topped it all off with 8 vs. Wigan. They were perfect vs. the big four and remember that they did this since December without Michael Essen and did all that with an Italian manager...who says the Italians are defense minded. They will be partying in West London tonight and rightfully so.

You always have to look at next season and to be sure the assault on the Champions League will be priority number 1. That said you might have seen the last of Joe Cole, Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Ballack as Chelsea players. Mean while full credit to Carlo Ancelotti who wins the league in his first year in England fighting off the mighty Manchester United. He could indeed end it next Saturday at Wembley with The Double if Chelsea can beat Portsmouth and former Chelsea manager Avram Grant.

Some interesting info about The Double: The Double is always the League championship and the FA Cup (never the Carling Cup) and it has been done 1o times by 6 teams. Preston North End 1889, Aston Villa 1897, Tottenham 1961, Liverpool 1986, Manchester United 1994, 1996 and 1999 as part of The Treble season and Arsenal in 1971, 1998 and 2002. Chelsea can make it 11 times by 7 teams with victory over Portsmouth next weekend.

How stupid is the rule in the Premier League that you have to have played 10 times to pick up a winners medal. If you are part of the squad and back room fitness and training staff you should get a medal...simple as.

I thought Fox's coverage of the trophy presentation was dreadful. In previous years as I recall they have allowed the audio to be from the stadium where the champions are being crowned. Sadly this year we had to listen as Miles, Barton and Costigan prattle on about stuff they have said for weeks and weeks and weeks. It brought nothing to the proceedings. You watch the Premier League for 10 months and then once it is all over they do that to it. We want the passion from the stadium not from a generic studio in Los Angeles. Pathetic. They continue to damage and harm their own product. The fans of the newly crowned champions deserve not only a bird's eye view but also a words eye view of the trophy presentation from within the stadium.

Elsewhere in England it was a huge week for Harry Redknapp and Tottenham. They went to Manchester City on Wednesday and played them off of the park and laid claim to the 4th spot in the Premier League and Champions League football next season.

Peter Crouch was superb and Spurs had a total of 7 English players take part in this game.

Ten games out we were talking about how Tottenham could not get through a schedule that included Arsenal, Chelsea, United and City but they were not buying it. They took 9 of 12 points in those all important games and will rightly be hearing the Champions League anthem in their ears next season but not from their televisions at home. It meant losing to Burnley 4-2 on the final day meant nothing and with Arsenal's win vs. Fulham it is a Chelsea, United, Arsenal and Tottenham top four and in that order.

This is bad news for Liverpool, Villa and Everton. Spurs are an attractive club to lure some great players. In North London, with a new stadium and training complex to come they will be tough to dislodge. Of course City will use that financial muscle and so we really could be seeing a serious changing of the guard in English football. And London reigns supreme with 3 of the top four hailing from the capital.

Of course Fulham will also compete for the Europa League title this week but loses against Stoke and Arsenal do not have them travelling to Hamburg with much momentum. Thursday should and could be special...come on Fulham!

And finally to Major League Soccer, which we promise we will start to give much more attention as soon as the European seasons are over.

We had a great time out at the HDC on Friday with the Dynamo. Got to finally meet Dominic Kinnear, what a nice man and also Jon Spencer the former Chelsea and Rangers player. We also grabbed Pat Onstad, Brian Ching and Craig Weibel and that should be up on our site for Premium members only by Monday.

In the league the Galaxy continued to cruise with a 4-0 thumping of Seattle who I think might be experiencing a second season syndrome situation. Four goals from the Galaxy and none from Edson Buddle who we are hoping to get a sit down interview with this week. LA got goals from Kirovski, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant and Landon Donovan who amazingly got his first goal in 8 games.

San Jose thrashed the Red Bulls in NY's first real set back of the season. Good to see Frankie Yallop getting it going up at San Jose as they have looked dead in the water at times. Toronto thrashed Chicago 4-1 at BMO while the Champions took care of the Union.

Dallas condemned DC United to another loss and was it not for the 2-1 win over KC in midweek we would be looking at panic stations at RFK. Houston beat Chivas 2-0 in LA and the Crew took care of New England despite Robbie Rogers being sent off.

Off the pitch MLS will welcome the Montreal Impact to the league in 2012. That will make it 19 teams and lets hope they cap it at 20. There is no need and not enough good enough talent at the professional level to warrant anymore than 20 teams. Lets hope that MLS is not as greedy as we think and they do what is best for the league and cap it at 20.

That is it for me...another very long newsletter but with all the seasons coming to an end I thought I would express myself.

We will keep it going on the show so do not miss a second, Hans Bake and many others coming up this week.

33 days until the festivities in South Africa begin.

Until then...

Steven