In 2010 the final between Inter and Bayern perhaps did feel a bit underwhelming as it was only Barcelona who really interested many English fans outside of the Premier League – Mourinho’s Inter had a free ticket to win the Serie A at the time and Bayern were only developing into the side they have become now. This year, Barcelona’s exit following the end of the Premier League clubs’ exits is anything but an anti-climax, as their thrashing by Bayern, along with Dortmund’s convincing dismissal of Mourinho’s Madrid, has seemed like a seminal moment – as many football writers, myself included, have been at odds to point out.

German dominance of the Champions League is not necessarily entailed by only one all-German final – as 2008 for England showed – but this year has certainly seen the Bundesliga enter the consciousness of football fans across Europe as being equal perhaps better than the Premier League and La Liga – the two leagues that have fared best in the years following AC Milan’s two successes and a lost final in the mid-00s. It’s been coming with the Bundesliga fan-centric infrastructure coming good while the Premier League is continually commercialized and the German youth set-up has clearly out-performed England’s in the last decade since that fleeting moment of English superiority in 2001.

For Bayern this is their chance for a third-time-lucky success following their defeats in 2010 and 2012. Following each defeat Bayern have improved immensely and it shouldn’t be forgotten how they had dominated the final against Chelsea last season, only to lose on penalties. This season has seen Bayern reach an unprecedented level for a German side in the current millennium and Dante and Martinez – their major summer acquisitions last season – have given them an incredible solidity that has taken them to another level. Their attacking threat has always been there with the exciting talents of Robben and Ribbery, but it is now far more consistent, with Muller and Manduskic epitomizing the efficiency that has defined Bayern this season. Why manager Heynkes isn’t linked with jobs like City, Chelsea or Madrid is beyond me.

But let’s not forget Dortmund whose announcement on the European stage has confirmed that the Bundesliga is not merely the Bayern show. Despite Bayern’s domestic dominance this time round, the preceding two seasons saw Dortmund titles. In manager Jurgen Klopp they have one of the most forward-thinking and imaginative of managers who has been the figurehead of an immensely successful club structure in the last 10 years following financial difficulties in the early 00s. Dortmund are no minnows – they won the tournament in 1996 – but they don’t have the transfer clout of Bayern so their success has been built on intelligent cheap transfers and the excellent youth development that flows throughout Germany these days.

With Dortmund’s prized assets often prized – Kagawa last summer to Man Utd and Bayern-headed Goetze – there is a feeling that this is their golden opportunity. Their model looks set to carry on building excellent teams, but the present is always more certain than the future so 2013 is an incredible chance for their current collection of players – and perhaps for Klopp the mastermind of the Dortmund project. They are thoroughly deserving of their final spot having dispatched Real Madrid in the semis, an inspired Malaga in the quarters and convincingly beating Man City in the group stage (while also beating Madrid again). Their fast counter attacking wing play with the defensive cover of Subotic and co to protect them, and with Lewandowski’s exceptional finishing at the top, Dortmund have been exhilarating to watch throughout the season.

Whoever wins tomorrow, there will be a fitting winner – certainly more convincing than Chelsea’s miraculous but not particularly dominant win last season. Despite there being no English side present for only the second time in the last 8 years, it promises to be an incredibly intriguing and exciting match-up.

By William Barns-Graham

Whilst the ethics of allowing one club to ‘assist’ another in such a way has been widely debated, most vocally by Ian Holloway, manager of Play-off opponents Crystal Palace, the London club could still ultimately fall short in their attempts to secure promotion, but parent club Udinese have secured European football again and allowed the club to build a new stadium, this on a far smaller budget than their rivals, raising the question, is the ‘Udinese Model’ the future for moderately sized clubs to succeed in modern football?

The Udine club had 79 full-time professionals associated with them this season with 40 of those playing their football elsewhere, either on loan (30) or under co-ownership agreements (10) at other Italian sides. With 16 nationalities amongst those 40 players the global scouting network the Bianconeri have set in place is obvious to all, particularly in South America where 25% originate.

Stockpiling players and loaning them out is not a particularly new practice, however, most doing so are major European clubs, such as Manchester City, who have the resources to pay high salaries to youth prospects who are then sent to sides in inferior leagues, staying with the club for several years without becoming a fixture in the first-team and moving on, Udinese in contrast reward those that succeed elsewhere with first-team opportunities, before moving them on at a profit and continuing their relative success. It is also notable that a third of those on-loan (excluding Italian nationals) were operating in the country of their birth.

To suggest that Udinese have players spread throughout clubs Worldwide would be ignoring one very important aspect of these agreements, and that is Giampaolo Pozzo’s ownership of them and Watford, as well as Spanish side Granada, where five of players are on-loan.

With the ability to ‘transfer’ players between these clubs at nominal fees, allows Watford to sidestep any legislation restricting multiple loans, if successful Monday, the concern with the model is with fans, who cannot feel certain of Pozzo’s commitment to their club, if a shift in strategy was made to supply the London club with the prominent players the financial rewards are far greater in the Premier League than Serie A, hence a victory on Monday for the Hornets could be felt far more markedly in Udine.

By Kevin Pogorzelski @rabbitrabbiton

Scottish football is in decline and the current economic climate does not help, with clubs charging inflated ticket prices for sub-standard performances. The thought of paying £20+ to go and watch your club under achieve in adverse weather conditions is scandalous

But the question on the minds of all Scottish football clubs fans is : Can & How will Scottish football survive? YES it can and I will discuss my views on how to save it.

• A more equal distribution of TV revenue and sponsorship money to all Scottish clubs and not just the big names

• Reduction in ticket prices making it more affordable for clubs fans to attend home and away matches, also make events at half time to attract more families to the matches.

• Minimum amount of home grown players to be registered as this gives us more chance of a brighter future for our national side.

• Reconstruction of our leagues and reform our governing bodies to merge into one, top league of 20 makes it more competitive.

• Playoffs added at the end of each season to determine if club goes up or stays in its current league (Already been introduced)

The above points I have made are the ones I feel are vital and will bring the best changes to the current Scottish football setup and hopefully produce a brighter and stable future for all Scottish clubs, on the basis all clubs spend within their means.

If Scottish football is to become stable once again and produce sides who can compete at European level then the governing bodies need to be pressing companies paying sponsorship money to pay more and TV revenue to provide more lucrative contracts.

If you feel I have missed any points that you feel vital then please leave a comment and discuss why you feel Scottish football would benefit from your change.

By Jamie Morrison

http://www.viralbucket.com/top-10-football-lookalikes/

Arsenal have been told they must fork out £22million in their bid to land Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain.

Arsene Wenger is known to be monitoring the transfer status of the 25-year-old, and has been a long-term admirer of the former River Plate star.

The Frenchman is keen to strengthen his forward line in the summer with Fiorentina star Stevan Jovetic, 23, his top target.

But Higuian has fallen out of favour with the Spanish giants, and any deal would represent good business for the North London club.

Arsenal are in pole position to secure a 16th season of Champions League football after their 4-1 victory over Wigan at the Emirates Stadium last night.

The win saw Arsenal move above rivals Tottenham with just one game in the Barclays Premier League season remaining.

Big-spending Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to put together a staggering £100million deal to land Wayne Rooney.

Manchester United striker Rooney has emerged as the French side’s No1 target this summer, and their mega-rich Middle Eastern owners are prepared to pay him a staggering £15m-a-year - after tax.

That would put the England star, 27, on the same wages as PSG’s current star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is being tipped for a move back to Italy this summer just one season after moving from AC Milan.

The new Ligue 1 champions would be willing to go to £40m as a transfer fee, and hand Rooney a four-year contract to try to lure him away from the Old Trafford giants.

But they will face competition from French rivals Monaco, while Chelsea and Arsenal are also watching developments – although the two Premier League clubs would struggle to match the riches on offer across the Channel.

We revealed on Monday that Rooney fears he is being driven out of Old Trafford.

He is certain to want to see where he stands with incoming manager David Moyes, who officially succeeds the retiring Alex Ferguson on July 1, before he makes any decision on his future.

While United have told the media that the player had asked to move on, Rooney is adamant he did not make a FORMAL transfer request and had actually been hoping to negotiate a new contract.

However, clubs are now ready and willing to pounce and the mind-blowing cash on offer in Paris could be tempting.

It remains to be seen whether Rooney would turn his back on the Premier League for French football, which is not as competitive, week-in and week-out.

And amongst all this talk of new beginnings, this season could be looked back on as a turning point for Welsh football. Cardiff City’s title-winning campaign in the Championship means they will join Brian Laudrup’s Swansea City in the Premier League next season. After numerous near misses over the years, the team from the Welsh capital are returning to the top flight after a 51-year absence. They have a bright young manager in Malky Mackay, ambitious owners who are not afraid of spending and an excellent stadium ready and waiting for the visits of the Premier League big boys.

Of course, Laudrup’s Swansea team are this season’s Capital One cup winners, will compete in Europe next season and are very much the trailblazers that Cardiff are now attempting to emulate. They finished a very creditable 9^th in the Premier League this season and have made great strides since their promotion in 2011, winning numerous admirers with their possession-style football. Continuing the excellent work done by Brendan Rodgers, Paolo Sousa and Roberto Martinez before him, Laudrup’s appointment has been a masterstroke and they face a struggle to keep hold of him in the summer, with the vacancy at Goodison Park a possible distraction.

And amongst all this, the Welsh now have a genuine world class player to call their own. Gareth Bale is this season’s PFA Player and Young Player of the Year and has scored 26 goals this term. This is more than twice as many than in 2011/12 – with some extraordinary strikes amongst them – and at times he has won games for Spurs almost by himself. Without him, they surely wouldn’t have pushed Arsenal as far as they did in pursuit of a Champions League place.

Bale has also made his presence felt in the national team, inspiring his side to two victories over group rivals Scotland, as Chris Coleman’s young side seek to make the best out of a tough qualifying section. Wales have not had much to cheer about since Mark Hughes was manager and they were beating Italy in front of 70,000 at the Millennium Stadium in the ultimately unsuccessful attempt to qualify for Euro 2004. However, Coleman has carried on the excellent work started by Gary Speed, moulding a team that also includes the talents of Aaron Ramsey, Joe Ledley and Crystal Palace’s Jonathan Williams, who made an impressive debut in the victory over Scotland in March. While qualification for the 2014 World Cup is beyond them, a strong finish to this campaign could earn them a favourable seeding going into the qualifiers for Euro 2016 next year.

So, when you factor in Bale’s brilliance, Coleman’s quiet efficiency and the exploits of Cardiff and Swansea (not to mention Newport County, who gained promotion to the Football League this season after a 25-year hiatus), the future looks bright. Surely it is high time we heard the Red Dragon roar at a World Cup once again.

By Laurence Venables

The Portuguese coach has endured a difficult season in Spain failing to win a trophy for the first time since the 2002/2003 season. Reports of in-fighting between players and the coach, the most high profile being with club captain Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos, have dominated the headlines while the club’s shock defeat to Atletico in the Copa del Rey the final straw for the club’s president Florentina Perez.

While Mourinho is unlikely to be out of work for very long with a return to Chelsea rumoured to be in the offing. Real begin the search for their 11th manager in 10 years.

The Real Madrid job is one of the most glamorous in world football and the new man in charge will be guaranteed a high transfer kitty to help the club regain their status as Spain’s number one team.

Carlo Ancelotti

The former Chelsea and AC Milan manager has now won titles in three countries following his success this season with PSG in France. The Italian is the out and out favourite for the job and has already asked to leave his post in Paris.
The 53 year old has an impressive resume with two Champions League cups and a Seria A trophy from his time at the San Siro. He was also the first Chelsea manager to win a domestic double and he has further enhanced his reputation in France leading PSG to the Ligue 1 title.

Ancelotti gave his prospective employers a close up insight in to his abilities in April when his PSG gave Barcelona a real scare in the 1-1 draw with the Spanish champions at the Nou Camp.

As a player the 26 times capped Ancelotti played for Parma, Roma and AC Milan winning three Serie A titles and two European Cups.

Likelihood of landing the post: Very high. Real want Ancelotti and Ancelotti wants to go Real. The only stumbling block is PSG with club president Nasser Al Khelaifi telling Qatari-owned television channel Beinsport: “Yes, we had discussions, he asked to depart for Real Madrid.”I said it is not possible because he has a contract for one year more, so that is our decision. “It is his problem, it is not our problem. We have offered him another year more on his contract as well as the one he has. When you have a contract, everyone is normally obliged to honour that.”

Rafa Benitez

His stock is high again following a successful 6 months in charge of Chelsea. The former Liverpool coach won the Europa League cup, led the Blues to third in the Premier League, finished runners up in the World cup Final and did what Carlos Ancelotti & Roberto Di Matteo failed to do, get the best out of Fernando Torres. Benitez endured a difficult time from the Chelsea faithful but showed his mental strength to rise above it and continue with his job.
The Spaniard knows how to win the Champions League, something that will appear to Florentina Perez. Benitez has been linked with the jobs at Everton and Napoli. Given the nature of Football Benitez could also come into the reckoning for the PSG job if he loses out on the Real job to Ancelotti. Benitez is still loved at Liverpool and has often indicated a wish to return to the club one day. The 53 year old still has a home in Liverpool.

Likelihood of landing the post: The fact that he is a free agent might appeal to Real if the chase for Ancelotti becomes a public battle. Benitez knows Madrid from his time there as coach of the B team. Another pro for Benitez is his reputation in Spain is very positive following his previous work with Valencia.

Jupp Heynckes

The veteran coach has enjoyed a fabulous season with Bayern Munich leading the Bavarian giants to the Bundesliga title, the final of the Champions league as well as the final of the German cup. The former German International is in his third stint in charge of Munich winning titles in his first and third spells.

Despite always been highly regarded as a coach, Heynckes is enjoying an Indian Summer on the European stage with his side’s demolition of Barcelona in the semi final of the Champions League making the German title winners favourites for the Champions league.

Heynckes has firsthand experience of life in Madrid following a 12 month stint with the club in 1997 which culminated in a first Champions league cup for the ‘Los Blancos’ in 32 years.

Likelihood of landing the post: Despite being the bookies 2nd favourite the 68 year old seems unlikely to move to Spain after revealing last week that his too old to coach overseas.

And the rest….

Michael Laudrup: The former Danish star’s reputation has soared since his move to England after a stunning season with Swansea which culminated with a Carling cup win and finish in the top half of the Premier League. A Spanish League winner with both Barcelona and Real Madrid the 48 year old has impressed since moving into Management enjoying success with Brondby in his homeland before enhancing his reputation with a spell with Getafe. Laudrup’s brand of football would certainly go down well in Madrid with his focus on a passing style pleasing on the eye.

Walter Mazzarri: The Napoli coach left the club at the weekend after guiding them to 2nd place in Serie A. The 51 year old has been linked with a role with Inter Milan and has also hinted that he might take a break from the game. A journey man defender Mazzarri has built his reputation Reggina before guiding Sampdoria to the final of the Coppa Italia in 2009 where they lost to Lazio. The former Empoli star went one better last season with Napoli beating Juventus 2-0 in the Italian Cup final.

Andre Villas-Boas: The Spurs manager his highly regarded in Europe from his spell with Porto. A disciple of Mourinho, Villas-Boas struggled at Chelsea but has rebuilt his reputation with Spurs this season.

Roberto Mancini: The Italian is a free agent after his sacking from Manchester City and would no doubt be interested in moving to Madrid. Won the title and the FA cup with City but his failure’s in Europe and man management skills may not be what Real need at this time.

By Scott Macleod

The Latics were condemned to the Championship following their defeat by Arsenal at the Emirates last night, just three days after they won the FA Cup.

Martinez, 39, has one year remaining on his current contract at the DW Stadium, but his club’s relegation means chairman Dave Whelan would potentially have to accept less in compensation from Everton if they made an approach.

The Spaniard remains the bookmakers’ front-runner for the soon-to-be vacant Goodison job, and would also have to take a pay cut if he decided to stay at Wigan.

Blues chairman Bill Kenwright is yet to finalise his complete shortlist of candidates, and has insisted he will not rush the appointment.

But Martinez is held in high regard by the Goodison hierarchy, and his availability at a reduced overall financial cost could be a factor in their thinking as they prepare to try and give Moyes’ successor genuine spending power in the summer transfer market.

Everton will save in the region of £4m a year in wages as a result of Moyes’ departure, after his last contract recognised the impressive role he played in helping Everton become a top six Premier League club.

But Whelan yesterday left the door open for Everton to approach Martinez, should they now opt to try and appoint the Spaniard.

He said: “If they do approach us, it is entirely up to Roberto whether he wants to go to Everton or stay at Wigan.”

However, the 76-year-old was adamant the Blues had made no approach prior to last night’s game. “Everton would never do anything like that until the end of the season,” he said.

“Bill is keen on his football and is a total gentleman, so he would never do that until we know what our destiny is and whether we are staying in the Premier League or whether we are going to get relegated.

“It is something we face every year and, if we do get relegated, he may decide he wants to stay in the Premier League – but he may decide he wants to stay with Wigan because he is a great favourite here.”

Lukas Podolski gave Arsenal the lead before Shaun Maloney’s free-kick levelled the scores before half-tome.

But three goals in eight second half minutes from Theo Walcott, Podolski and Aaron Ramsey, finished off Wigan – and edged the Gunners a point ahead of north London Spurs in the race for fourth place, and Champions League qualification, going into the final day.

By Scott Macleod