A number of new articles were added to the World Soccer site in January. Earlier in January I wrote a tips piece for goalkeepers and profiled perhaps the best of the bunch - Iker Casillas. I also looked at Africa Cup of Nations frontrunners Ivory Coast and the format of the competition. Arsenal came from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-2 in the FA Cup on Sunday and there is a Gunners theme as I profile manager Arsene Wenger and look at his team formation. I also profiled Switzerland manager Ottmar Hitzfeld and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Michael Ballack.
New Content in January originally appeared on About.com World Soccer on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 at 07:00:25.
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There has been speculation this week that Jose Mourinho will leave his post as Real Madrid coach in the summer.
The players were said to be unhappy at Mourinho's selections in the 2-1 defeat to Barcelona last week, and in front of a combination of nine players and staff, the Portuguese tactician accused defender Sergio Ramos of undermining him in a post match interview with journalists. The exchange was heated to say the least.
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Mourinho-Ramos Transcript originally appeared on About.com World Soccer on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 at 14:16:48.
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Pepe enhanced his reputation as one of soccer's biggest nutcases on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey clash against Barcelona.
In the 69th minute of Real Madrid's 2-1 defeat at the Bernabeu, the Portugal international deliberately stamped on the hand of Lionel Messi while he was lying on the ground. He had already been yellow carded and had referee Cesar Muniz Fernandez spotted it, a red would undoubtedly have followed.
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Pepe Conduct Out of Control originally appeared on About.com World Soccer on Thursday, January 19th, 2012 at 12:08:41.
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Inter Milan must be considered genuine title contenders once again after their 1-0 victory over neighbors AC Milan in Sunday's derby.
Diego Milito scored the only goal of the game with a clinical left-footed finish after a mis-kick from Ignazio Abate in the 54th minute at San Siro.
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Inter Back In Title Picture originally appeared on About.com World Soccer on Sunday, January 15th, 2012 at 17:41:06.
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A number of players are leaving their Premier League clubs to play for their national teams at the Africa Cup of Nations.
This means that Fantasy Premier League managers will have to undertake a reshuffle. With the likes of Cameroon, Nigeria and South Africa not having qualified for the finals, the Premier League has not been hit as badly as in previous years, but managers will still need to make changes.
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Fantasy Premier League Tips: Africa Cup Of Nations Departures originally appeared on About.com World Soccer on Friday, January 13th, 2012 at 10:27:05.
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The most creative Hollywood writer would have struggled to produce a better script.
With Arsenal drawing 0-0 against Leeds United in a lackluster third round FA Cup tie at the Emirates Stadium, Arsene Wenger makes a double substitution, replacing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Marouane Chamakh with Theo Walcott and a certain Thierry Henry, making his first appearance since joining from the New York Red Bulls on loan.
The rapturous reception this Premier League legend received after entering the fray on 68 minutes was nothing compared to the one he got 10 minutes later as he latched onto an Alex Song through-ball, controlled, and dispatched a cool low finish beyond Andy Lonergan in the Leeds goal.
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Henry Lights Up The Emirates originally appeared on About.com World Soccer on Monday, January 9th, 2012 at 18:37:59.
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Lionel Messi collected the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for a third consecutive year on Monday.
2011 was another stellar year for the Argentinean, who helped Barcelona retain their Liga title, win the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.
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Hat-Trick For Messi originally appeared on About.com World Soccer on Monday, January 9th, 2012 at 18:04:17.
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The hectic schedule of festive Premier League matches came to a close on Wednesday night with two highly significant results.
Everton's US goalkeeper Tim Howard scored from his own half, but could not prevent his side going down to a 2-1 home defeat to relegation threatened Bolton. Meanwhile his former club Manchester United were being terrorized by Demba Ba in a comprehensive 3-0 reverse at Newcastle.
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Howard Scores, Miserable Night For Former Club originally appeared on About.com World Soccer on Thursday, January 5th, 2012 at 04:52:21.
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Arsenal have offered a two-month contract to their former striker Thierry Henry, according to The Daily Mail.
The 34-year-old, who scored 15 goals for the New York Red Bulls last season, has been training with the Gunners in London.
Arsenal will lose forwards Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh to the African Cup of Nations, which kicks off on January 21, with Arsene Wenger lacking alternatives to top scorer Robin van Persie.
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Arsenal Make Henry Offer originally appeared on About.com World Soccer on Thursday, December 29th, 2011 at 08:04:45.
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