Have you ever known that the percentage of outlandish news and rumors seems to spike during international breaks? You know, stuff like finding Cesc & Sergio Ramos dotting Milan's lineup next year. Or seeing Juventus switch their interest from one Merseyside-based Spaniard (Xaba) to another (Rafa). Click to continue reading...

Dunga, fairly or not, is feeling the heat for the Selecao's performances the last couple of matches.  He decided to make some changes for the next two qualifiers.  The most obvious move was replacing Ronaldinho for Kaka.  The two AC Milan playmakers seem to be meshing well after their performance in the Rossoneri's 1-0 win [. Click to continue reading...

After a two week period which has seen his name battered from pillar to post, his reputation dragged through the London and Madrid sewers, and been labeled as nothing more than a mercenary, how to you think Robinho would take to sprucing up his image and defending himself? Children's charities would be a start. Click to continue reading...

La prossima settimana iniziano le Olimpiadi di Pechino, e per questo Grifo Blog ha pensato di chiedere ad un esperto di Cina tutte le informazioni ed i retroscena su Ma Mingyu, il primo calciatore cinese a giocare in Serie A. Scoprirete che in realtà i talent scout avevano messo gli occhi su un altro giocatore, ma. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool have been tentatively linked with a move for disgruntled Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Juninho Pernambucano.

Juninho recently told l'Equipe that he may leave Stade Gerland this summer, as he is less than satisfied with Lyon's decision to sack Alain Perrin as coach and hire Claude Puel in his stead. Click to continue reading...

Sure Madrid could have scored 3 or 4 goals easily in the early part of the first half, but once the initial euphoria of Drenthe's early goal wore off, Real was down 2-1 in another scrappy fight against a team that is battling relegation and should have been blown off the map by the LA LIGA leaders. Click to continue reading...

to really understand the culture of Brazilian soccer and the emphasis on 'jogo bonito', keep in mind that although Brazil won 5-0 against Ecuador, the highlight of the game that keeps getting replayed over and over again, studied laboriously and then celebrated as a sign of Brazilian artistic genius is this clip of Robinho's dribbling skills. Click to continue reading...

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The return of joy, rhythm, music and ‘ginga' to the Brazilian National team was the most important aspect of the SELECAO's most recent North American tour of soccer friendlies during which they beat USA 4-2 and Mexico 3-1. Make no mistake about it, ‘jogo bonito' is back and just in time to begin the South American World Cup qualifying campaign which begins in the coming months.

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So Brazil recently defeated Algeria 2-0 in a friendly match. The first half was not a great display by the Selecao but they did have a few shots on goal. The second half was quite a different affair and it was obvious why, the bringing on of Kaka' and Ronaldinho. There's a reason why they've been the most important players at their respective clubs for several seasons now, they make the difference. Click to continue reading...

So Brazil recently defeated Algeria 2-0 in a friendly match. The first half was not a great display by the Selecao but they did have a few shots on goal. The second half was quite a different affair and it was obvious why, the bringing on of Kaka' and Ronaldinho. There's a reason why they've been the most important players at their respective clubs for several seasons now, they make the difference. Click to continue reading...

Reports alleging the demise of Brasil's ‘jogo bonito' are unfounded. They merely reflect the media's inability to pick up on the complexities of Dunga's strategy. Any team that features Robinho as its key player isn't really in any serious danger of abandoning ‘the beautiful game'. Still, Brazil's victory over Argentina highlighted the fact that Dunga's tactics are indeed flexible enough to determine the needed strategy based on the opponent being played.

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ROBINHO vs CHILE. This goal by ROBINHO was somehow overlooked by the media. He receives the ball in midfield one touches it to himself past one defender then takes on two more defenders before scoring with incredible pace, skill, placement and sheer prowess. Took on a total of 3 defenders, no one else in the top 5 took on more than 2. Also this was a crucial match for Brazil and the pressure was on, a loss to Chile and they would be eliminated in the early group stages, ROBINHO stepped up for Brasil when they needed him most.

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JULIO BAPTISTA vs. ARGENTINA = this goal was tremendously significant as it changed the outlook of the final game between Brasil and Argentina. Aesthetically, look at the control, skill, power and placement. BAPTISTA took on 2 defenders with determination and willpower.

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In a very sloppy and lackluster performance by both teams, ROBINHO's dribbling skills won Brasil a penalty early in the 2nd Half to seal the win and see Brasil advance to the next round of the COPA AMERICA 2007. Click to continue reading...