Barcelona booked their Champions League final place with a 3-1 aggregate semi-final victory over Real Madrid on Tuesday.The Catalans went into the second leg at Camp Nou with a two-goal lead, and a 1-1 draw proved enough to get the job done for Pep Guardiola’s men.

Pedro’s second half goal looked like it had extinguished any hopes Real Madrid had, and although the visitors did manage to pull one back through Marcelo 10 minutes later, that was as close as they would come as Barca sealed a spot in the final at Wembley on May 28.

The home side had the first major chance on goal for the game, when Sergio Busquets rose highest – and unmarked – at a 21st-minute corner, but Madrid shot-stopper Iker Casillas was on hand to save.

A vintage Lionel Messi run 10 minutes later almost opened the scoring, as he cut inside Real defenders on the edge of the area, before firing a left-footed effort on target, only to be denied by a diving Casillas.

Minutes later, more Messi magic saw the 23-year-old midfielder charging at goal with team-mates either side of him and only two defenders in sight.

Messi went wide to striker David Villa, who’s curling far-post attempt was again denied by a strong-handed save from Casillas.

Real thought they had brought the tie to life in the first minute of the second period when Cristiano Ronaldo put through Gonzalo Higuain, who found the back of the net, but the referee had blown his whistle for a dubious Ronaldo foul on Javier Mascherano.

Madrid’s misfortune was compounded by Barca’s brilliance seven minutes later to open the scoring, and all but sew up their chance to win the illustrious Champions League in London.

A superb Andres Iniesta through-ball found Pedro, who fired home at the near post to all but seal their trip to Wembley.

Jose Mourinho’s side struck back via the boot of Marcelo, but it was Angel Di Maria who did the work in setting up the opportunity – firing on goal himself only to find the woodwork, but controlled the rebound to lay off to the Brazilian defender.

But Real failed to create any further chances, and could only watch as Barca celebrated a historic result.

So Manchester United’s worst ever team staggered unconvincingly to another lucky Premier League title, winning it by a mere nine points plus goal difference..oh the shame!

While the entire English media has had to congratulate us through gritted teeth, quick to point out that it’s “only ‘cos everyone else was so poor”-whatever that means- no one can deny one simple fact: Manchester United are Premier League Champions once more and won the title by the biggest points margin in six years.

United deserve their place at the top of the Premier League despite what the Chelsea fans in Fleet Street may infer with their silly statements and insidious questioning of the ability of other sides.

Take into account the fact that our nearest rivals spent over £200 million this season alone and the achievement is even more impressive.

There are many factors you can point to as to why United prevailed yet again: the goals of Dimitar Berbatov, the form of Nani, the impact of a certain little green pod growing seed, the mid season resurrection of a formerly chastised scouser, I could go on.

One reason for United’s success that cannot be ignored nor denied is the return to the team of the man known as @RioFerdy5. Rio Ferdinand may have only played half the Premier League matches this season but it’s a certainty that had he played less United would have won fewer points.

Last season Ferdinand managed just 12 league games and United lost the title by a solitary point. I argued at the time that had he been fitter for even just two or three more games then Ferdinand would have been the one lifting the title at the end of the campaign.

This season United’s former captain has been immense, it may be Nemanja Vidic winning most of the accolades and even skippering the side but Ferdinand is still the best defender on the planet.

The former Leeds’ man’s six appearances in the Champions League have been equally as vital and I’d argue that had he missed just two- the Chelsea games- then United may have struggled to beat the West Londoners.

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I’m aware of the sterling job that Chris Smalling has done when needed and in time it’s obvious he’s the heir to Rio’s throne but this season, Ferdinand has shown just how important he is to the side.

It’s not just his defensive abilities it’s also his reading of the game and organising his troops. Vidic may wear the armband but it’s Ferdinand who seems to be the man mashalling the defence more often then not.

That’s not to take anything away from the Serbian who’s also had a superb season, but without Ferdinand- even more so than Vidic, I think United are left without their true defensive leader.

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It’s no coincidence that during the entire season, Ferdinand’s only been on the losing side twice- the debacles at Wembley and the Emirates. Would united have lost at Molineux, Anfield and Stamford Bridge had Ferdinand played? I have my doubts.

It’s been a team effort this season, unlike in the past when say a Cristiano Ronaldo or a Ruud Van Nistelrooy grabs most of the acknowledgements.

It would be foolish to claim Ferdinand’s the sole reason United have won that coveted 19th title, of course he isn’t. The question is would United be Champions and looking forward to a mouth watering clash with Barcelona next week if Rio hadn’t played so many games?

I seriously doubt it.

Read more of Justin’s articles at Red Flag Flying High

Sporting Braga manager Domingos Paciencia was distraught after his side lost the Europa League final in Dublin on Wednesday.Paciencia’s side were on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline as Radamel Falcao’s first-half header proved the difference, which left the manager to bemoan Braga’s lack of luck.

They had several chances to snare an equaliser, the best falling to Marcio Mossoro, while they had Porto sitting back at the end of the match as they tried to protect their lead.

That would have pleased the Braga manager – but his side’s failure to take a chance ultimately cost them.

“My players are sad and so am I. We were not inferior today as everyone expected. Porto punished a lapse in concentration from our defence and we paid the price for that,” said Paciencia, who is leaving the club at the end of the season.

“We controlled the game in the second half, and I am really disappointed (Marcio) Mossoro could not put away his chance, this could have changed everything.”

Paciencia also bemoaned a late decision made by referee Carlos Velasco Carballo that could have changed the outcome of the match.

“(Porto defender Cristian) Sapunaru’s foul merited a red card,” he said.

The final was Braga’s first of any kind in Europe and if they won, it would have been their first trophy the club has won since 1976-1977.

Marseille coach Didier Deschamps has ended speculation over his future by signing a two-year extension that ties him to the club until 2014.Deschamps was reportedly close to walking away from the former French champions after strong interest from Chelsea in England and Roma in Italy.

He had one final year left on his contract following the 2010/11 campaign, which saw OM finish runners-up to champions Lille.

But the in-demand coach has not only agreed to stay on at Marseille for the upcoming season, but also for another two beyond that, following assurances from club bosses that he would be given the financial muscle to put together another championship-winning team.

“I have decided to continue my adventure with Olympique Marseille and to stay on for the long haul by extending my contract for two years,” Deschamps said in a statement.

“I now have a road map with the financial wherewithal so that from today I can prepare the most competitive team possible in a precise budgetary framework.”

Deschamps, a former captain of Marseille and the French national team, led OM to their first league title in 17 years in the 2009/10 campaign.

Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton’s criminal record has seen him denied him a work visa for the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.Barton was convicted of assault and affray in 2008 after an incident outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Liverpool, and he was also convicted of a training ground assault on his then Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo.

Newcastle, who leave on Sunday, will play Sporting Kansas (July 20), Orlando City (July 23) and Columbus Crew (July 26).

But Barton has been notified by the US Embassy that he will not be granted a work visa for the tour, and the 28-year-old took the decision on the chin.

“Unfortunately, I was denied my visa due to my past,” Barton said.

“I regret not being able to travel with the club on this trip, but at the same time, I don’t expect to be treated any differently or more favourably than anyone else in a similar situation.”

“All I can do is continue to improve as a person, which is what I intend to do.”

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“Again, apologies to all the NUFC supporters – as well as the fast-growing legions of football supporters in the United States who I was looking forward to meeting. I will see you in the future.”

Barton will instead embark on the club’s reserve team tour of the Netherlands which begins on July 20, involving matches against Hollandia, FC Utrecht and Almere City.

It seems one of those long running transfer saga’s may finally reach a conclusion in the next few days with West Ham and England midfielder Scott Parker finally making his way from East London onto new pastures. One long term admirer of the player has been Harry Redknapp . He has made numerous attempts to sign the classy midfielder but at this point do they really need him? I can’t help but feel the manager may want him far more than the club’s loyal supporters do.

Redknapp seems to have some sort of obsession with Parker and personally I am not entirely sure why that is. It would obviously be short sighted to not acknowledge that Parker is a top quality player, but at 30 years of age is he really the sort of signing that Tottenham should be making? If they had got this one through a few years ago it would probably have been a much more attractive proposition but at this stage is it a good move?

West Ham seems to be holding firm insisting that they will not let their captain move for anything less than £7million. Whilst I am not sure Tottenham could find a better player for that value, I still wonder if that is enough justification. There is also an issue relating to the number of bodies that they have in central midfield areas, it seems likely that Jermaine Jenas and Wilson Palacios will move on and the sale of those two would clearly cover the cost of Parker, in fact it would probably go a lot further than that. Centrally that leaves Redknapp with Sandro , Huddlestone, Modric and arguably Van der Vaart playing behind a forward.

I suppose the uncertainty over the future of the Croatian could have a big effect on any potential move for Parker. Clearly the player wants to leave and that is at odds with the desire of Daniel Levy. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one go through at some point, I am sure the management team at White Hart Lane would prefer to cash in, as opposed to keep a player that is so unhappy they would continually mouth off to the press.

His exit would leave Tottenham short in central midfield and I suppose that would mean more game time for Scott Parker, but there is absolutely no way the English man is good enough, or even the right sort of player to replace the 25 year old playmaker. The money that Spurs would recoup from the sale would allow them to finance a top quality replacement and that is something that they must do.

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If we assume Redknapp will start the season using the system that he has implemented for the past 2 years, the signing of Parker would leave him with 3 players that could all fill 1 position in the team. He normally seems to deploy Modric (or anyone signed to replace him) alongside one of Huddlestone or Sandro. The Brazilian certainly is a better player and prospect than Parker, and whist Huddlestone may not be there yet, I feel that he isn’t that much worse, and shelling out money for a 30 year old that could potentially be third choice seems a little strange to me.

I have to reiterate my admiration for Parker as a player, he is of a high quality but I do not feel that he is good enough for a team chasing Champions League football. The papers report that Aston Villa are also interested in his signature, and to be honest I see them as a much better fit for Parker at this stage of his career.

Harry Redknapp has to do some rebuilding of his squad this summer, and I personally don’t see the former Chelsea man as a particularly exciting prospect for the White Hart Lane faithful. He may be committed and hard working, but I just feel he is maybe 2 years too old for a move to a club as big as Spurs.

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Read more of Joe T’s articles at This is Futbol

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Fabio Capello recently stated that he believes young Chelsea star Josh McEachran should go out on loan to aid his development. Capello believes that the development of young English stars could really suffer if they receive a lack of top flight exposure due to limited opportunities at their Premier League sides. Is it really Capello’s place to say this though?

He is the England manager, and obviously he wants the best possible squad, and wants the talented youngsters to move from the youth sides right through to the full international side. Capello does have a duty to look after the next generation, and nurture them so that they come through to be the next generation of England stars. So on the one hand he is correct, in trying to ensure that young English players are given enough opportunities so that they can successfully develop and become better players.

Chelsea’s Josh McEachran is a player that Capello believes needs some first team football elsewhere. Chelsea do not have a great structure for bringing through young players, in fact they haven’t brought anyone through since John Terry, which is a worry, considering the talent of young McEachran. During the Abramovich era Chelsea have bought big from outside, which has hindered the development of youth prospects, so you can see Capello’s point. There is a number of players who will be ahead of McEachran in the starting line up, even with Essien out, there is still Lampard, Ramires, Mikel, Benayoun and they have just signed Romeu also a centre midfielder.

McEachran has been given his chance in pre-season and impressed over the games, which may indicate that Chelsea are willing to give him a shot and he might get more playing action than the 9 appearances he made last season. However, this remains to be seen. Is it best if he sits on the bench at Chelsea, getting substitute appearances here and there, and playing in the Carling Cup competitions, or should he go out on loan to get more experience?

Going out on loan could make him a more accomplished player, especially if he is playing week in, week out at another Premier League side, learning the game at the highest level. It could also provide a platform for him to showcase his undoubted talents, which could see him force himself into the Chelsea side on his return. Jack Wilshere spent the last six months of the 2010 season on loan at Bolton, and on his return became a first team regular for Arsenal and an England international, so the loan process does work. England interntionals like Beckham, Terry, Ashley Cole and more all spent periods on loan during their progression and it certainly didn’t do them any harm. Some of Manchester United’s youngsters like Tom Cleverley and Danny Wellbeck excelled on loan last season and will likely play a bigger role with United in the season ahead.

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Capello does have a duty as England manager to ensure that young players are not stifled at bigger clubs, and missing out on this vital time in their development as players. He needs to ensure that the future of the national team is in a good place and that the excellent prospects in this country are given a fair shot to make it. However, McEachran is Chelsea’s player and it is up to them as to what they see fit for his development. Who knows, Villas-Boas may have been so impressed with young McEachran during pre-season that he might play an even bigger role in this seasons Chelsea side than we might think, which would be great for his development. However, if he isn’t going to be playing week in week out, then Chelsea should send him out on loan, if not now then in January, for the sake of the players future and the England national side.

Let me know your thought’s below or follow me on Twitter @LaurenRutter for more debate.

Steven Gerrard missed a considerable portion of last season after struggling with a long term groin injury. Over the early summer he had a groin operation to rectify the problem, but unfortunately he has now suffered complications and could be out for the first few months of the season.

A few years back this would have signalled alarm bells for Liverpool. The Liverpool side in previous years was defined by many as a two man team, heavily reliant upon Gerrard or Fernando Torres. Gerrard was absolutely vital to the Liverpool side, and his absence would have had many a Liverpool fan worried, but has all that changed?

Gerrard missed considerable portions of last season-only featuring 21 times-and during his absence Liverpool played outstandingly well. This could just be due to the revolution under Kenny Dalglish and Steve Clarke that took place, rather then Gerrard’s absence. However, the side did play better as a team when he wasn’t playing, with players like Lucas Leiva, Raul Meireles, Maxi Rodriguez and Jay Spearing really stepping up to the plate and performing to their potential in Gerrard’s absence.

With Stevie in the side, it seems as if the players around him try too hard, and rather than focus on their own games, focus too much on the captain’s. Gerrard is also at times guilty-probably because he has had to do it so many times in the past-of trying to do everything himself, demanding the ball, and trying to go at it alone, which obviously would have a negative effect on his team-mates and their own confidence.

With more new recruits coming in over the summer, Liverpool are certainly not lacking in the centre of the park for replacements, and they will be queuing up to fit into Liverpool’s starting 11 in Gerrard’s absence. Meireles did the job exceptionally well last year, and we saw the best of the dynamic midfielder in a free roaming role. Charlie Adam, could also slot right in there, with his deft passing and creativity. Gerrard’s absence gives others the chance to impress, and this competition for places at the start of the season can only be a good thing for the side, as each could push each other onto greater things. If Liverpool do start the season well, it then brings up the question of where Gerrard fits when he returns to fitness?

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I am not disputing Gerrard’s quality or his importance to Liverpool over the years, he has produced moments of sheer brilliance that have salvaged the club and propelled them to achieve great things on so many occasions-FA Cup, and Champions League titles-and nobody has done more in the past to save distinctly average Liverpool teams from the brink of defeat. On his day Gerrard is unrivalled, a man single handedly capable of winning a game, the heart and soul of the club, but he isn’t getting any younger and performances of that outstanding quality will now become rarer. It seems as if his role needs to evolve somewhat as a part of Dalglish’s new side. Suffering with fitness and lacking the dynamism of old, perhaps his role needs to change to become more of a team player rather than a one-man-battering-ram. There are now better players around him-which is maybe what Gerrard was lacking all along-, players that he should trust and with less pressure on him to do everything, he can concentrate on his own strengths, and we could see the best of Gerrard again.

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Liverpool showed last season that they are arguably a better team without Gerrard in the side, but they can also be a better team with him in it as well, they just need to adapt his role slightly, so that the other players and Gerrard himself can shine together. A fit Steven Gerrard should always be the first name on the team-sheet, but Liverpool certainly shouldn’t fear his absence any more, as once may have been the case.

Let me know your thoughts on how Liverpool will cope without Gerrard, by commenting below or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter

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Turn on a football related programme this weekend and you can expect to find a former player having his say about the sport we all love. With Robbie Savage working for the BBC and ESPN, Gary Neville for SKY and former Arsenal defenders, Lee Dixon and Martin Keown both on the BBC, the question has to be asked why football pundits must be formers players who were the most irritating of their time?

The simple answer is that we appear to live in a world where people who are most controversial succeed and these former players who have already established a reputation in the game use this to grind out a career in media after they have retired. By deliberately being controversial they guarantee a reaction from a viewer or reader, something that outside of football, comedians like Frankie Boyle and shock writers like Richard Littlejohn have realised to their advantage

With the added competition that showing football has, I think the media organisations like BBC and Sky are competing against each other to find the most controversial pundit who will ensure people tune into their coverage and not their rivals. The problem for footballers who are have a decent reputation in the game is that they struggle to gain controversy. A fine example is BBC pundit Alan Shearer who just seems to states the obvious every week on MOTD to everyone’s general annoyance and also Steve Claridge who does quite similar on the Football League Show. From the reaction when these two are on our screens it is obvious that football fans do not want to watch dullards discussing football and would rather someone who can keep them entertained, whether that is through intensive football knowledge or by making controversial statements that these supporters react to.

Gary Neville has been one of football most controversial and divisive figures for years during his illustrious playing career at Old Trafford. When Sky appointed him a pundit at the start of the new season they knew what they doing as Neville is never short of an opinion or two. I have actually been surprised by Neville’s intelligent and amiable punditry so far and he actually seems to think about the game. While soon to be dancer, Robbie Savage clearly has a bright future in the media profession as after hanging up his boots last season he won the Sony DAB Rising Star Award for his work on BBC Radio Five Live. Although I was not his biggest fan as a player he has carried through the controversial aspects of his game into his media career and he can certainly bring extra life to a mundane phone call during his 606 show. I actually think Lee Dixon is one of the best pundits around, his views on the MOTD2 sofa are normally well-thought out and balanced but he still maintains the ability to entertain, he is someone that pundits in better jobs like Shearer could learn from.

I think these newly retired players are freshening up the football media landscape after it had stagnated in recent year with many pundits who had been out of the game for many years falling out of touch with the game. Some of these younger pundits were involved in the game just last seasons so will have some idea what the manager is saying at half time or what players think of a certain referee, so their words carry more weight. This new breed of football pundit in the competitive world of football looks to continue and if this trend does carry as as it has I wouldn’t at all surprised to see in the future, pundits Joey Barton and El Hadj Diouf discussing the game on a Saturday night.

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It was inevitable that Manchester United would be drawn against League Two minnows Aldershot Town with the Carling Cup throwing up a right old fairytale money spinner on par with anything the FA Cup could throw up.

The Red Devils will face off against the lowest ranked team still left in the competition with the visitors likely to give youth and Michael Owen a chance at the Recreational Ground. There will also be a Championship presence in the Quarter Final with Crystal Palace hosting Southampton at Selhurst Park whilst Burnley travel to Cardiff.

Serious contenders for the three handled pot are Arsenal who host Bolton at the Emirates desperate to avenge last seasons defeat in the final against holders Birmingham. Newcastle are also actively seeking silverware and will fancy their chances against Blackburn at Ewood Park along with Liverpool who could see the trophy as a route into the Europa League.

Carling Cup Fourth Round 

Wolves v Man City

Cardiff v Burnley

Blackburn v Newcastle

Arsenal v Bolton

Stoke v Liverpool

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Aldershot v Man Utd

Crystal Palace v Southampton

Everton v Chelsea