Footballers are paid an extraordinary amount these days for a very short work week. Their job is to train before matches, honing their skills, maturity and fitness. Some take it seriously and call it "practice," because they train to get fit and practice to get better. But others -- and I find this amazing about top-level soccer -- come into training to have a laugh. Some days they'll put in a full shift, others they'll give the team three-quarters attention and three-quarters effort. Often, training is just a mandatory chore to get out of the way before earning sponsors' money, chasing girlfriends, training horses. You get the picture.

At Barcelona, just before Guardiola took over, it was the same. Xavi admitted to me that "suddenly little things don't matter so much, a kilo here or there, a couple of minutes late for training," he said. "And the next thing you know, the standards have dropped. Pep came in and was on us like a hawk. Every half-kilo counted, every minute of the training day was vital."

Look at the difference it has made.

United has little tolerance for slackers, either. Although I know that some training sessions, even at sizable clubs, are loose, slack in mentality and attention, it was disappointing when a senior United player recently told me that there are certain youngsters at his club upon whom he has already given up because all advice goes in one ear and out the other.

Click here to read article

To the average eye Barcelona's attacking play is a kaleidoscope in which gifted footballers pour into space at whichever angles they fancy. Not quite. Unlike Arsenal, Catalan experts sniff, Barça's flowing forward play is strictly governed by a grid system so that when they lose the ball the whole team is already in position to win it back.

Click here to read more

Barcelona may boast all three FIFA Ballon d’Or 2010 finalists in Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, but there can be no doubting the vital attacking outlet provided to this magical trio and the team as a whole by the speed and lung power of Dani Alves.

Click here to read more

A POPULAR debate among football obsessives concerns whether Barcelona—Barça to its fans—is the best club soccer team the world has ever seen. Is it better than the Santos of the 1960s (which was home to Pelé)? Or the AC Milan of the 1990s? The answer is gloriously unclear.

Click here to read more

“Learning from a player who has played at the highest level for so long is a different animal. I feel more confident this year in my positioning than I did all of last year. Maybe you can attribute that to having a year under my belt, but a lot of that has to do with playing next to Rafa.” 

Click here to read more

CARSON, Calif. — Chivas USA owner Jorge Vergara believes his MLS club began its tenure in MLS on the wrong foot and is now looking to correct it by making Chivas USA into an “all-southern California" squad.

Click here to read more

Chelsea, Manchester United and the other top English clubs have spent hundreds of millions of pounds on transfer fees for the world's best players in the hope of buying success. But the best team in the world rely on a set of homegrown players who cost nothing to buy. Rob Draper reports on Barcelona's youth academy, which is running rings around England's best teams

Xavi Hernandez, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta were shortlisted as amongst the best five players in the world. They were products of La Cantera, Barcelona's youth academy

As the Amsterdam sun beats down on one of Ajax’s many pristine training pitches, ex-Netherlands defender Frank de Boer, complete with crossed arms and impenetrable stare, keeps a watchful eye on the final session of the day. A product of the Dutch club’s renowned academy and their former youth team coach, the 1995 UEFA Champions League winner is in very familiar surroundings.

Appointed first-team coach of title-chasing Ajax in December 2010, De Boer, a mainstay of the Oranje for 12 years, has enjoyed a successful start to his new career. He spent some time with FIFA.com to discuss his move to the bench, his approach to coaching and the figures he looks up to in the game. Click here to read more

"Players should have real passion for the game, not just participate in playing soccer in a group during team practices or organized matches. For me, as a kid, you can’t play just twice a week.  You have to be constantly involved in the game, watching it live, watching games on television. Not all kids have that patience to watch a whole game, I understand that, but there should be some parts of the game they can look at and see, and learn from.  It is great to get players to see live soccer action.  And to watch game highlights. YouTube is great for soccer clips."

"The more players can live the game, always have a ball at their feet, always be learning, the better they will become.  Soccer is a way of life, and a wonderful one."

Click here to read more