ahaha mourinho

lol ronaldo

atletico

players should get suspended for fake diving too if proven, ronaldo did not touch gabis face, he was initally fouled by gabi, may have lashed out but didn't hit him, then the ridiculous exaggerated dive and roll on the ground with faker in agony... please.

Poor Gareth Bale, another beast of a goal, but nothing to show for it. I wish Barca would bid for him, I'd love to see a player like that playing for us in the wings. Well done Arsenal, absolutely insane post Jan and deserve this. You have my sympathy Nick, so close yet so far again.

Perhaps, but Ronaldo definitely deserved to be sent off regardless of any contact; he tried to kick him in the face. Send both of them off, if you must, but there's no way you leave Ronaldo on the pitch after that foolishness.

west brom score 3 goals in 8 mins to salvage a 5 all draw against Man u in fergos last game , that's gotta hurt...

good for west brom fans though.

I can't wait for Lukaku to come back to Chelsea. One more season out on loan - I've heard a rumour that he's going to Swansea next season - and he's going to be an absolute beast.

i'm afraid that diving is just a part of the game that we all have to accept. uefa, fifa, fa, etc etc haven't pursued a serious plan to combat diving...i don't think they care that much.

I hear Chelsea fans here complain about his loan spells but I think they're doing him wonders. He's only 20, and he wants to play for Chelsea eventually. Honing him into arguably the most powerful striker in today's game in his loan spells is a very good move. He definitely is the largest striker in terms of pure muscle mass in football now and I think he'll only get stronger. What a duo him and Benteke will be together. Different kind of players and I think they can really work well together. I am really really excited about the Belgian team.

I know pink's complained about him being mediocre at best, but Di Natale must be doing something right to get 20+ goals 4 seasons in a row in the Serie A of all places.

The entire team is built around him as the attacking focal point. He doesn't have to defend, or do any hard work for the team. The few chances he has had to shine on the big stage have been complete disappointments, in which he chokes big time (see the match against Arsenal). He's basically a slightly above average striker who would never get the same kind of treatment at a big club, which is why he's never played for one as a starter.

Totally agree. Do Natale is better than quag, but I look at him much like I did luca Toni; unless his supporting cast is working for him, he's ineffective. Plus, we shouldn't kid ourselves here...this isn't the serie a of 10 years ago.

I'm not calling him Lionel Messi here, but dude clearly has finishing in him. Plenty of strikers choke up even with all the conditions placed before them as you mentioned pink. Kosh, you're right about seria a not being the same as it was in the last decade though. Also, Di Natale's only been in this kinda form for the last 4 years, so perhaps that is a further indication of the weakness of Serie A rather than him actually improving as a player.

I disagree. He's proven himself a choker countless times on the big stage. There is ZERO pressure for him at Udinese that would be found at any big club.

I also disagree about it being a testament of Serie A's decline, even though it certainly has deteriorated. Alberto Gilardino was netting 20 + goals a season before the scandal broke out, ironically in a similar setup at a mid-table team (Parma). If you build the entire attack around an above average striker they will net you a lot of goals. Look what happened to Gilardino when he went to Milan (post Calciopoli), he regressed and couldn't handle the pressure. The same thing would happen to Di Natale if he went to a big club. Gila went back to a smaller club after his stint at Milan and found his form again because the entire team was built around him once more.

Fair points. I should watch some Udinese matches, but obviously I trust your word as far as Srie A goes.

Don't get me wrong, he's an above average player. His scoring rate just doesn't translate to the big stage...he's been a massive disappointment for the national team. Expectations are pretty high, though, for Italian strikers. That void that prime vieri left hasn't been filled yet.