Everton Vs Manchester United Today 

Barclays Premier League—Goodison Park; Liverpool, England

Everton vs. Manchester United(kickoff 3 p.m. ET, Monday, Aug. 20, 2012)

Opening weekend is almost over. To cap it off, here's a big one.

Everton host Manchester United in a Monday match full of anticipation for both teams. Dutch forward Robin van Persie is expected to debut for Manchester United. Everton, meanwhile, are celebrating the signing of Belgian forward Kevin Mirallas.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET, with American television coverage on ESPN2. Join us for live commentary right here.

Tottenham Tranfer News : Spurs Make Loan Requuest For Arsenal's Marouane Chamakh

Andre Villas-Boas may soon have the striker he's been looking for all summer, and he might not have to go far to find him.

According to the Daily Mirror, Tottenham has sent in a loan inquiry to Arsenal about the rarely used Marouane Chamakh.

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger could potentially jump at the chance to offload the forward who earned all of 19 league starts at Arsenal in two seasons since coming from Ligue 1 side Bordeaux.

However, Wenger could also nix the deal altogether so as to not give an English—not to mention London!—rival like Tottenham the opportunity to fix their situation at forward.

Chamakh wasn't always out of favor with Wenger. After coming over in the summer of 2009 on a free transfer from Bordeaux, the now-28-year-old Moroccan international debuted nicely with his new club—scoring 11 goals in league play and contributing well in Arsenal's Champions League and FA Cup campaigns that season.

But last season, Chamakh scored just one goal in 11 appearances. He's started this season no better, as Wenger left him out of the lineup altogether for Arsenal's opening match (0-0 draw to Sunderland).

Seemingly, Tottenham will have to act quickly to snatch up Chamakh. The Daily Mail is reporting that the striker is the center of loan requests from fellow English clubEverton and Italian club Fiorentina.

If he comes on the cheap, he'd be a great asset on the pitch for Spurs. Besides filling a desperate need at forward, he's strong in the air and would provide some much-needed height and physicality in the box.

He's also a gifted player in possession and technique who unselfishly often looks first to dump passes off to teammates. That could bode well for fellow forward Jermain Defoe, who has been looking for a season to entrench himself as the first-choice at forward for Tottenham.

CHELSEA'S WIN BECAUSE OF EDEN HAZARD!!

Chelsea defeated Wigan Athletic 2-0 on Sunday, solidifying themselves as EPL title contenders.

There was a lot of hype surrounding Chelsea, and they responded by winning in a convincing fashion. Although Wigan aren't the toughest of opponents, this was a big win for the Blues.

Even after the first week, it looks like Chelsea will be hanging around the top of the table all year.

Manchester United Transfer News: Are United Seriously Considering Kaka?

 

The latest transfer rumors suggest that Manchester United are targeting Kaka as a potential loan target this summer.

Yes, that Kaka.

According to  The Daily Mail, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is seriously considering making a loan move for the Real Madrid midfielder. The Spanish club are reportedly looking to offload the out-of-favor Brazilian in order to make way for Luka Modric's transfer from Tottenham Hotspur.

Kaka has been offered to Manchester United on a season-long loan as Real Madrid prepare for the arrival of Luka Modric.

Galatasaray and Kaka’s former club AC Milan have also registered their interest in the 2007 World Player of the Year, but United are the biggest draw for the Brazilian.

The Brazilian's salary is close to the £250,000 a week earned by Van Persie and Wayne Rooney and although Real are reluctant to let Kaka join a Champions League rival, his wages are a burden considering he will spend most of the season on the bench at the Bernabeu.

I can't see this happening.

I might be proven wrong, but I cannot see Sir Alex Ferguson trying to sign the 30-year-old midfielder from Spain during the final few weeks of the summer transfer window.

I can't see it happening now; in fact, I can't see it happening ever.

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

This is a player who is beyond his prime.

At the peak of his career, in 2009, Kaka made a £60 million move from AC Milan to Real Madrid. The transfer made him the most expensive player in the world at the time.

However, he is not that player now.

He is not the £60 million man that Real signed in 2009; he is a perennial bench-warmer at the Bernabeu who is barely considered by Jose Mourinho.

He is not the kind of player that you look for if you're trying to go forward; he's the type of player that you use to fill a gap when you have nobody else to fill it.

Sure, he's talented—his past proves that to be completely true—and if he could recapture that form, he would be a great player to have in any squad. However, that simply isn't the case for Kaka, and he simply isn't worth trying to sign desperately over the final weeks of the summer.

Especially not when he'll cost £250,000 per week.

If his wages are believed to be too high for Real Madrid to keep hold of him, there is simply no way in the world that United will pay it—not when they already have Wayne Rooney and now Robin van Persie on a similar wage scale.

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

The recent signing of Alexander Buttner from Vitesse Arnhem is a better example of the kind of dealings that the Red Devils are looking to do over the summer transfer window.

They needed a new left-back to cover for Patrice Evra, and were believed to be in the market for Everton defender Leighton Baines. However, it was later revealed that the Toffees wanted around £15-17 million for the England international. United were not willing to pay that much, and so signed a younger talent for a much cheaper price than that (per The Guardian).

Manchester United will not throw money at everything that moves, and will not pay the £250,000 per week required to bring Kaka to Old Trafford. He is old, he is no longer in the prime of his career and his past is littered with injuries and inconsistencies.

Why the Red Devils would want to sign a player that cannot keep his place in the Brazilian national squad or the Real Madrid starting squad is beyond me.

Why they would want to sign one that is 30 years old, past his prime and injury-prone simply doesn't make sense.

Wigan vs. Chelsea: Premier League Live Score, Highlights and Recap

Barclays Premier League:

HT: Wigan 0 - 2 Chelsea

Goals: Ivanovic, Lampard

Lineups:

Wigan (3-4-3): Al-Habsi; Caldwell, Alcaraz, Ramis; Boyce, McArthur (79' Watson), McCartney, Figueroa; Moses, Di Santo (66' Kone), Maloney (46' Gomez).

Subs: Pollitt, Jones, Crusat, Boselli, Feroze. 

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole; Lampard, Mikel; Hazard (62' Oscar), Mata (82' Meireles), Bertrand; Torres

Subs: Turnbull, Cahill, Ferreira, Essien, Sturridge.

Fernando Torres

Reason to watch: With Didier Drogba gone, can "El Nino" step up to the plate?

Fernando Torres' Chelsea career had been plagued by one fact: They could always turn back to Drogba if the Spaniard wasn't doing the business.

Drogba is gone, so Roberto Di Matteo is putting his faith in Torres and expects him to repay it with goals.

He's made a good start, as the goal he scored in the Community Shield is reminiscent of the striker's finishes he used to produce at Liverpool.

He thrived when he was the main man at Anfield. He's the main man at Stamford Bridge now, and I'm predicting 15 goals or more.

Oscar

Reason to watch: What role and position will he play? How many games will he get?

Oscar was a perplexing signing by Chelsea. He is, quite clearly, an incredibly talented individual, but the Blues' midfield was stacked even before his arrival.

The Olympics have shown the world what he's capable of, and Chelsea fans are very excited about his Stamford Bridge arrival.

It will be interesting to see how Roberto Di Matteo deploys him, which system he uses and how often Oscar will be able to play in his preferred role—attacking midfielder.

He should slot straight into a 4-3-3 like the Italian used last season, and a midfield trio of Ramires, Frank Lampard and Oscar would be fearsome.

Eden Hazard

Reason to watch: How long will it take Eden Hazard to settle in the Premier League and justify his £32 million price tag?

Chelsea won the race to sign Belgian star Hazard, and fans are quick to pin their hopes on him for the coming season.

His form in preseason was up and down, but he showed good poise, balance and close control. The Community Shield game shows he's got a fair way to go to adjust to the physicality of this league, but he will come good eventually.

As long as he doesn't go down too easily, he'll be revered by most, but how long will it be until he's Man of the Match four times out of five like he was at Lille?

Lukas Podolski

Reason to watch: Will it be the Lukas Podolski of Euro 2012 or World Cup 2010?

There are a lot of questions surrounding Podolski. No doubt he's a great signing, but how will Arsene Wenger utilise him?

He played most of last season at Koln as a central striker, but frequently turns out on the left wing for Germany.

You can see him working well with Olivier Giroud, and that combination could be lethal, but how compatible he is with Robin van Persie is a different proposition altogether.

Olivier Giroud

Reason to watch: Can he end Arsenal's struggles in breaking down stubborn defences?

Arsenal play wonderful football, but they sometimes struggle to break down compact defensive lines.

We've seen it before—eight Arsenal players lingering outside the opposition penalty area, looking for the perfect through-ball to unlock a defence.

With Olivier Giroud on the roster, though, this may no longer be an issue. He's adept at immersing himself into a defensive line and dragging his team forward three or four yards.

Those yards can be crucial, and his high assist count last season for Montpellier (nine) was a result of him playing clever one-twos for his midfielders and bringing them into goalscoring positions.

Robin van Persie

UPDATE: Manchester United and Arsenal have reportedly agreed on a transfer for Van Persie.

Reason to watch: If he moves, how will he fare? If he stays, what will his attitude be like?

One of the summer's most thankless transfer sagas is that of Robin van Persie. Heannounced on his personal website that he would not be renewing his contract, yet he is still an Arsenal employee less than a week before the season starts.

According to Roberto Mancini, Manchester City are out of the race, while Sir Alex Ferguson admits negotiations with the Gunners are far from easy.

He's still technically club captain, but surely he won't continue? Should he leave, his reception on return to the Emirates Stadium would be raucous. Would it be any different if he ends up staying?

Santi Cazorla

Reason to watch: Is he Arsene Wenger's best-ever signing?

Santi Cazorla is the much-celebrated club-record signing Arsenal have made this summer.

Despite the ongoing Robin van Persie saga, Gunners fans have had plenty to smile about considering the other arrivals, and Cazorla puts the icing on the cake.

The Euro 2012 winner is set to add even more guile and creativity to Wenger's midfield, and this team is quietly setting themselves up for a potentially fruitful season.

Predicting the 3 Teams to Get Relegated from the English Premier League

 

The new English Premier League season kicked off today with some interesting results out of the first seven games to say the least.

But while the optimism is flowing for some and down for others, there are still those that have to be wary of just where the season may or may not be headed.

One of the greatest and worst things about the English football system is the existence of relegation. Clubs and fans hate what it can do to them financially and emotionally.

However, the only thing that is possibly even more exciting than the race for the title is the battle at the bottom of the table as clubs fight to avoid the drop.

With that in mind, here are three clubs that are likely to suffer the worst result of an English Premier League season. One many of you may say it is a surprise to see on the list, but stranger things have happened. Another looks unfortunately destined to suffer, while the last is always a wild card.

Radamel Falcao: Can He Score Many Goals Like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Radamel Falcao starts the La Liga BBVA season for Atletico Madrid by claiming (according to the La Liga BBVA website with a h/t to an article written by Stefan Coerts of Goal) that he can score plenty of goals in the same vein as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Falcao went further and declared that he is willing to challenge Messi and Ronaldo for the top goalscorer position in La Liga BBVA. He even said that he was used to the ways of La Liga compared with Messi and Ronaldo.

In response to the latest declarations of Falcao, a decision was made to compare the principal achievements of Messi, Ronaldo, and Falcao. The result is to arrive at a conclusion with regards to Falcao's declaration.

Lionel Messi

Messi is one of the greatest goalscorers in FC Barcelona and the world in present times. An example of Messi's accomplishments came in the UEFA Champions Leaguematch between FC Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen at Camp Nou on March 7, 2012.

The result of the match was a victory for FC Barcelona with seven points. The author of the five of the seven goals was Messi. Bayer Leverkusen managed to score one goal.

Messi also set a record during the 2011-2012 by accumulating a total of 68 goals in his career.

Lionel Messi
Rich Schultz/Getty Images

In the process (as reported byESPN), Messi broke the record of 67 goals set by Bayern Munich's Gerd Muller during the 1972-173 season. Messi did this during the FC Barcelona VS Malaga FC match in May 2012.

The result was another victory for Malaga FC. According to ESPN, Messi has 248 goals within 326 Barca matches under his belt.

Messi has been the recipient of the Ballon D'Or three times in a row for 2009, 2010, and 2011. Messi has also won ESPY Awards.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is also an accomplished goalscorer and football player in his own right for Real Madrid. I may not agree with the author, but an article published at ESPN Soccernet claims he is in the same league as Messi and David Beckham

According to ESPN Soccernet, Ronaldo managed to score 42 goals within the 2007-2008 season while at Manchester United. He was also the recipient of the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year award.

Ronaldo won the La Liga Pichichi award for the 2010-2011 Real Madrid season as the top scorer. He scored 46 goals for Real Madrid during the 2011-2012 season.

Cristiano Ronaldo
Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

The Real Madrid CF website reveals that Ronaldo is the recipient of the Golden Boot, Ballon D'Or, FA Premier League Player of the Year, and FIFA World Player Awards. Ronaldo is also the recipient of the FIFPro World Player of the Year, UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and UEFA Club Forward of the Year Award.

Ronaldo received the praise of Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson in July 2009 for his style of play, according to ESPN Soccernet.

Radamel Falcao

According to the Atletico Madrid website, Falcao played 51 matches with the team. His total minutes of play with Atletico Madrid is 4,590 minutes.

He participated in UEFA Europa League, the Protuguese Supercopas, and Copa. Falcao has been rumored to be signing with a Premier League team. Messi has even praised Falcao in the past.

During the 2011-2012 season, Falcao scored 39 goals and started 52 matches, according to ESPN Soccernet.  He had 167 shots with 82 shots on goal.

Falcao has received a special award (according to Colombia Reports) for a season that broke records in the UEFA Europa League. He is the recipient of the Portuguese Golden Ball for his efforts with Porto.

Radamel Falcao
Clive Rose/Getty Images

The Results

Falcao could challenge Messi and Ronaldo for the most goals, but there is one problem: he cannot oevrtake players who have become legends among legends in football.

There can also be no comparison between the three since each player (Falcao, Messi, and Ronaldo) are different personalities. What Falcao could do is not think of challenging Messi and Ronaldo in order to concentrate on his own style.

Falcao would be best served to focus on his own game. When a person makes comparisons, they will find people better or lesser than themselves.

Olivier Giroud Will Come Back Stronger from His Difficult Arsenal Debut

Newcastle vs. Tottenham: Despite Loss, Spurs Remain Superior Side 

Tottenham's narrow 2-1 loss to Newcastle in the EPL opener on Saturday belies the fact that the Spurs remain a better team.

Last season, the Spurs edged out Newcastle by just four points to finish fourth in the EPL. So it was an excellent measuring stick to have these two pitted against each other in the opener. 

While Newcastle was victorious on Saturday, upon closer look, it becomes apparent where Tottenham has the edge. 

This match, hosted by Newcastle, was tooth and nail the whole way. It got off to a frenzied start before settling into a nice rhythm, and the first half passed without a score. Newcastle's Demba Ba broke the zero-zero battle with a goal in the 54th minute, and the match was equalized by Jermain Defoe in the 76th minute. 

The match was not equalized for long. Just four minutes later Rafael van der Vaart tripped Hatem Ben Arfa in the left side of the box and earned a penalty. Ben Arfa drilled the penalty and thus concluded the scoring for the match.

It was a well-played match and a fine opening to the campaign for two of the better teams from a season ago. Both teams have reason to optimistic for their future.

Tottenham had a lot of change to deal with in this opener. For starters, they have a new manager with Andres Villa-Boas roaming the sideline.  

They also have to deal with the retirement of Ledley King and the exit of Ryan Nelson, Bongani Khumalo and Vedran Corluka. Yet with all of this transition the Spurs were in a position to win this match on Newcastle's soil. 

Possession for this contest was almost even as Newcastle won 52 to 48, but Tottenham showed they were the more explosive side by firing off 15 shots to Newcastle's seven. 

Although they were unable to get more than one goal to show for it, Gareth Bale and Defoe were causing problems for the Newcastle backline, and they will wreak havoc on any team they play. 

Considering all the change and the fact that they were playing away in the EPL opener, Tottenham has to be happy with their narrow loss. Newcastle had a chance to make a big statement and they missed. 

Tottenham had a lot working against them in this contest, and the fact they were in a position to win so late in the match is a great sign of good things to come. 

Strength in Depth in Final Third and a Challenger for David Villa

In all the praise and excitement over Neymar, it must not be overlooked that the man whose place he would most likely take in the Barcelona side is the hugely successful David Villa.

The former Zaragoza forward missed most of last season through injury, but he will have recovered to play his part in the forthcoming season and will be anxious to make up for lost time.

There are two ways to look at the Neymar-Villa battle. In one scenario, Villa's position in the side remains the same and he plays plenty of league football, giving Neymar a chance to both get used to the European game and learn the Barcelona way of playing, whilst getting his chance in European games.

Alternatively, Villa would be freed up to play a more central role when needed or be used as an impact substitute when Neymar was off-form, tiring or simply needing to be replaced if Barcelona were unable to find a route to goal.

Certainly, for all his brilliance, there should be no suggestion of Neymar simply walking in and taking the place of one of the finest goalscorers of the last half a dozen years.

The signing of Neymar would be a massive coup for Barcelona though, and even if he doesn't start all the time domestically, the Champions League would be a great stage for him to showcase his talents and could be a big factor in pushing Barcelona towards winning it outright once more.

Increase Spending Power for Further Purchases

The transfer fee to bring Neymar to Catalunya would be massive—perhaps in the region of £30 million or more.

Barcelona would make that fee back many, many times over. In shirt and merchandising sales alone they could recoup that amount in a matter of months.

Neymar is rated as the most marketable athlete in the entire world right now and make no mistake, the commercial department of FC Barcelona would maximise that revenue in a heartbeat.

Not that the Spanish side are particularly short of a few quid anyway, but signing Neymar would help them raise additional funds in the medium term, which could be used for further strengthening of the team in January.