Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

Champions League we will see a dramatic match between the Champions League wannabees Arsenal, and the European masters from Germany, Bayern Munich. The starting positions of both teams are much different which promises an intriguing fight for every inch on the field.
Arsenal lost everything they could ever lose and Champions League is the only tournament that they will expect to progress in. The London side and their manager have always wanted a European triumph. While the club was on the top of the English football, the players lacked tournament experience to win the Wenger`s dream title-Champions League. Now the English team faces one of the best teams in Europe, a finalist in the last`s year tournament. Now it`s up to young Arsenal players to show what they got and even fight until the end for the cause they are brought in the club.
On other hand, Bayern made a progress since last year`s appearance. They are leaders in the German Bundesliga and sowed classy performances in the Champions League, except the away match against BATE Borisov, which was a disaster for all Bayern fans. The ambitions of the German team are to repeat its performance in Europe from previous season.
Frankly, we can expect great attacking football from both teams. The logic result, looking at the statistics is draw, but with more than two goals. A draw in London could be accepted very well in Munich and may be in London. For such matches the most important act is the second leg. From Arsenal`s behavior in the Champions League we could expect, that Bayern will take the lead with some early goal.
Anyway, the spectacle tonight is guaranteed, as both teams are no longer considered as typical examples of British (Arsenal) and German (Bayern Munich) soccer.

Robin van Persie

The biggest gain for Manchester United during summer transfer window was Robin van Persie. Captain Vantastic as known for the Arsenal fans soon became a favorite for the United fans. Robin van Persie has showed he is world class player and one of the leading goal scorers in English Premier League. During his stay at Arsenal Persie not only became major scorer, but made his way to a captain status- very important component of a team`s hierarchy. His transfer from Arsenal to Manchester United is worth 30 million- a lot of money for a player in his 30s. The player is far more experienced than any other player in Manchester United. Reasons are few. One of the main reasons is his way to decide important games and score in the decisive minutes of each game.
It`s true that Arsenal relied on too much on his captain and now the hole left by his departures in the team and hearts of Arsenal fan is enormous. Soon after the opening matches, Persie showed his goal scoring ability, making some important touches to boost Manchester United attack. It`s obvious that the Dutch wants something more than applauses and attention from any fans and media. He wants trophies as soon as possible. His stay at Arsenal made him a hero for `gooners`, but in the end he left Emirates empty handed, only with memories. Manchester United could give more options for the Dutchman as he wants something big at the end of his career.
As the Dutch national team and Arsenal failed to improve their performances during past years, Persie heads for glory at the `theater of dreams`. In a place where any dream can come true, Persie aims higher as his teammates at Old Trafford say he is one of the best scorers in the world.

Valenciennes FC

                                                                

The biggest surprise in France this year comes from the modest club, named Valenciennes. The team made history with such big games one of them with a shocking 4-1 victory over the Marseilles stars. A team with no history and background plays an important role in the French League. The team is made of young and unknown for many fans players, but they have proved that nothing is impossible in modern football. With or without tradition, a heart is sometimes more important than anything. The team has the best attacking record in the French League scored 23 goals in just 11 games.

The dream for the Valenciennes players is just four points ahead. They are among the leaders in the Championship with 18 points from the first 11 matches. Team has started perfect, but the problems are yet to come. The teams will be more careful while playing against Valenciennes and it will be more difficult for the inexperienced players of the club. Despite the achievements the team has nothing to lose and the players could win more praises and fame. Teams such as Valenciennes FC are like shooting stars in the modern game. They make progress for a very short time, but at the end everything settles down. Probably most of the players will be sold, so the club could handle some of its spending for the current season. The club will try to stay as long as it could in the French Championship, avoiding relegation in the lower divisions.

The success of Valenciennes shows that sometimes money is not everything in sport. Fans need new faces that play with hearts and devotion to the game. The Valenciennes fans are keeping dreaming big, but it seems that we all know the final score. Sometimes, somewhere clubs like Valenciennes are like fresh air in the modern stale football world.

The Kingdom of Football

There are no people that stay neutral when the matter is Spanish football. Fans rather love or hate the Spanish clubs and the national team. Hate is caused mostly because the Spanish teams dominate the European tournaments in the past two decades. The people want surprises, but the football sometimes is a logic game. The uprising of Real Madrid and Barcelona turned many fans into followers of these great teams. The Spanish national team had the last word turning a new page in the football history. Now the Spaniards have the pride of European and World Champions.

The Spanish teams look forward for the upcoming season. They are ready to defend the Spanish triumph in a proper way. Barcelona and Real Madrid want another piece of the European cake called Champions League. Teams like Valencia and Atletico Madrid built strong teams, and they will fight until the last minute of the European matches. Atletico Madrid already showed its quality in the very first matches of the season. They won against Chelsea in the European Super Cup Final with the surprising result of 4-1. The result is devastating for the European Champions, but it is not a surprise for the Spanish football followers. The Spaniards won with imagination and desire.

The Malaga `millionaires` and Valencia are always capable of surprises and powerful football. Valencia could be the biggest surprise in the upcoming season. The club had already European success and the president wants his team among the best in Spain and Europe. May be the biggest opponents of Barcelona and Real Madrid are Atletico Madrid. The players have enough experience in different tournaments and this year could be their chance to show higher quality. Do not forget Athletic Bilbao, as the proud Basques always give the fans extraordinary performances.

The Sleeping Giant

The Arsenal football clubs has been always a runner for the Premier League titles. The team has a specific style which is Arsene Wenger`s trademark. Since the French manager took the team over in 1996th the Arsenal has won three Premier League titles and four FA cup trophies.
The Frenchmen has brought class and finesse to the London club. It is well-known for the extended ball possession and many goal occasions. Every year Arsenal is getting ready for the season with a lot of hopes. But actually the London club hasn`t won anything in the last seven years. The dream of Arsene Wenger is to win the Champions League and he was ready to departure from the Arsenal club just to achieve his desire. His name was linked with teams such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and etc. Arsenal was close to the biggest trophy in Europe during the 2005/2006 campaign. They lost the final against the newborn Barcelona `dream team`.
Years have gone by without titles and the Arsenal fans are anxious about the new 2012/2013 season. The campaign has started too bad for the `gunners`. They have lost another captain- van Persie was stolen by Manchester United and it seems that the `stingy professor` would have problems again,    searching for new players during the season. In the past few years the Arsenal FC did not have enough luck needed to finish the seasons with a dignity. They have struggled with many injuries and it is noticeable that since Wenger was approached as manager 44 players left the London team. Some of the departures were very painful for the fans- such as the Fabregas` and van Persie`s. 
Nevertheless, the football maniacs want more from the magic Arsenal football. The team is like a sleeping giant. It is now or never thing