Villarreal CF

La Liga has had its fair share of thrills and disappointments this season. Barcelona thrashed Valencia 4-0 but the match that I found to be the most thrilling was the one at El Madrigal.

First Half: Villarreal started brightly and looked the more likely to score. Getafe however looked more dangerous and sharp when they had the ball. However it was Getafe who scored the first goal. Uche's dangerous ball from the right found Esteban Granero who sent it to Juan Albin which resulted in the first goal.

Getafe's second goal resulted once again from a menacing cross, this time from Contra. The ball found Jaime Gavilan who sent it to the far post, making the scoreline 0-2. The third goal was an absolutely stunning strike from Javier Casquero. The scoreline was now 0-3 in Getafe's favour.

Second Half: The Villarreal side which had been shattered in the first half came out with renewed confidence in the second. With the first ten minutes, they absolutely wrecked havoc in Getafe's box. Around the 50th minute, Abbondanzieri kept out two consecutive strikes from Eguren and Pires.

A freekick resulted due to a handball which Senna took. This time however, the ball was sent to the back of the net by Robert Pires. The mess in the penalty box was what led the ball away from Abbondanzieri. After saving two consecutive shots again, he couldn't keep the third one out. Pires was on hand to send this into the net.

The goal seemed to have given Villarreal new confidence. The increased tempo caused problems as Getafe tried to close down the game with a fourth. Gonzalo Rodriguez then received a yellow card for handball while Cazorla received another for holding his boot up too high. He was fighting with Casquero (whose boot was also raised) for the ball. Cazorla had previously fouled Licht.

Villarreal's next goal resulted from another Senna freekick. No one was marking Capdevila at the near post, but somehow, he completely missed it. Giuseppi Rossi then rattled the side netting. Villarreal were still two goals down.

Villarreal must have been breathing pretty hard after Albin missed a one-on-one against Diego Lopez. A fourth goal would be the end of their chances of a comeback. Pires was then taken off and Ibargaza was sent on. This substitution had a major effect on Villarreal. Ibargaza's shot was saved by Abbondanzieri.

At the other end, Diego Lopez made a save from Casquero. Had Casquero's shot had more power, Villarreal's game would have been finished. In 68th minute, Rossi missed one from inside the penalty box. Getafe's back four was still refusing to give in. In the 72nd minute, Altidore's pass found Rossi but his shot was wide.

In the 76th minute, Marcos Senna was taken off for Nihat Kahveci. The Turkish rattled the side netting instantly after coming on.Villarreal's second goal was the result of an Ibagaza freekick. The freekick was given due to Licht's foul on Cazorla. It found Egueren who sent it to the back of the net.

Villarreal knew that a comeback was still possible. In the 85th minute, that is exactly what happened. Ibagaza found Rossi who finished beautifully with his left boot.

In the 86th minute, Cortis was sent on for Granero. This was to stop Villarreal from scoring a fourth. Instead, Getafe almost got a fourth through Licht but his shot was wide. Rossi should have finished the game off but unfortunately his shot went wide in the 90th minute.

At the end of the day, Villarreal, through grit and determination got a point which gave them second position in the table, right behind Barcelona.

Manchester United were unable to pull out a victory in their game against Villarreal.

El Submarino Amarillo were without Giuseppe Rossi, Nihat, and Jozy Altidore while Michael Carrick (injured) and Paul Scholes (suspended) did not feature for the Red Devils.

A youthful United outfit featured Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez upfront, while Nani and Park Ji Sung played on the wings as Cristiano Ronaldo looked on from the bench.

The Red Devils started out positively, Rio Ferdinand's cross-shot perfectly dissecting Carlos Tevez and Darren Fletcher.

Nani struck a fierce shot at Diego Lopez on ten minutes, which was parried away for a corner.

Manchester United had ample opportunities within the first half-hour, as Carlos Tevez's long range effort was tipped over the bar and Rooney's low volley was skied into the stands.

Park Ji Sung, who is returning from injury, created problems for the Villarreal defense and he was denied a clear penalty in the first half after being taken down by Sebastian Eguren.

Park continued to make runs into the box and was denied another spotkick after being taken out by Joan Capdevila.

I was bemused by Manuel Pellegrini's worried face, which made him look like an Arsene Wenger look-alike.

The Spaniards were unable to create a decent scoring opportunity in the first half as Mati Fernandez barely got hold of possession.

Ex-Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires had a dart at Van der Sar's net, but the effort was snapped up by the seasoned Dutch stopper.

Villarreal hoped to return with a vengance in the second half as Santi Cazorla was immediately brought on for Cani.

Guillermo Franco hit United's upright with a cheeky back-heeled effort which silenced the United crowd.

Then came the moment which the Old Trafford faithful had waited for, the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, amidst roars of expectation and excitement.

The Portuguese winger replaced Park as Owen Hargreaves, who earlier tried to do a "Gerrard whip" only to power it over the bar, was replaced by Anderson.

Ronaldo's presence brought a rejuvenated energy into the Red Devils as the wing backs, Gary Neville, and Patrice Evra started to make runs down the wings creating problems for Villarreal.

It would be unfair not to mention Jonny Evans, the youngster came in for Vidic and, after an impressive show alongside Ferdinand, looks set to start against Chelsea on Sunday.

Ronaldo started out with a run on the left wing and he found Rooney straight ahead, the stocky Englishman carefully picked out Carlos Tevez in the box and the Argentine had the better of Diego Lopez only to be denied by a goal-line clearance from Gonzalo.

Tevez really should have scored, and the crowd was left dumbstruck.

Ronaldo could've had the perfect return but a dipping cross from Nani was headed inches wide, despair!

However, it was Ronaldo then who powered in a cross to the far post as Jonny Evans hit the woodwork, which summed up United's night of misfortune.

Manchester United could've won it 4-0 on any other day but the Red Devils must live with a stalemate and there's no time to groan considering Chelsea host United on Sunday.

It was a relatively decent performance considering United came into the game at the back of a defeat to Liverpool.

Dimitar Berbatov did not feature but Sir Alex Ferguson was in a optimistic mood:

"We made a lot of good chances, we played really good football, we played with speed," the United manager said.

"It's over to Sunday and I'm confident that goals will start to flow."

United's lack of goals has been a concern as the Red Devils have managed only four goals since there 1-1 draw with Newcastle on the opening day of the season.

Elsewhere, Arsenal were also held to a draw, 1-1 against Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine.

As we all await for the current champions of Europe to begin their title defence against Villarreal tonight, and after already having dissected the two lineups, their strengths and weaknesses, and the ground realities, the question remains: Are we missing something here?

The answer is yes.

The missing link is the most important figure on the football field who can single-handedly decide the match—the referee.

Don’t believe me?

Ask Chile's U-20 side and they will tell you all you need to know about Mr. Wolfgang “The Wolf” Stark.

Born on November 20, 1969 in Landshut, Stark is a German football referee who officiates in the FIFA league. He has refereed matches in Champions League, qualification games for the European Football Championship, and the World Cup.

In 2007, he officiated at least two matches at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, including Portugal vs. Gambia and the semifinal between Chile and Argentina.

But Stark’s claim to infamy came during FIFA World Cup U-20 semifinal between Chile and Argentina.

He lost control of the match with just six minutes gone—showing a yellow card to Argentine Mathias Cahias for bringing down Nicholas Medina of Chile, when it was clear it was a red card offence.

However things went from bad to worse in the match as Stark ended up issuing seven (out of nine) yellow cards and two reds against Chile, as well as denying one very apparent penalty appeal from Chile!

Following the match, Stark and his colleagues were surrounded by livid Chilean players who were restrained by members of the Toronto Police.

Stark then had to be escorted off of the pitch and into the dressing room tunnel by police officers for fear that he would be attacked by the crowd and/or Chilean players at the National Soccer Stadium.

Stark's performance is connected to a further ugly incident, in which Chilean players, still angry after losing the match, fought with and were pepper-sprayed by police officers outside of the stadium. The players were temporarily held inside the stadium by the police for several hours, but were released without being arrested.

Stark has apparently been very trigger happy as we delved into some research into his background. And we found another UEFA Cup tie between Barcelona and Celtic in which he had issued three red cards, two against Barcelona who were obviously not pleased with the referee as they lost the match 0-1 to Celtic.

In Beijing 2008, Stark was appointed for the USA vs Nigeria in the final pool game, and the match saw in total more than 18 offences deserving a yellow card but only two yellow cards were issued and a red card in the third minute!

His overall Bundesliga record speaks for itself, as it clearly shows he has officiated nine games in which he has issued more than five yellow cards and a red card at least.

Manchester United faces Villarreal in their opening encounter of the Champions League tonight under the supervision of Stark.

The question here is whether he is ready for the big stage, where he has fumbled so often before, or will another controversy ensue?

We can only but hope for the sake of the beautiful game that the game ends peacefully and without any ill contribution from "the Wolf".

The draw for the UEFA Champions League Group Stages have been made and Manchester United will face Celtic, Villarreal and Aalborg BK in Group E. The reigning European Champions should be relatively pleased with the draw and will be hoping for similar success as last season, when they won five games and drew one in the group stages.

Manchester United last played Celtic during the 2006/07 season, winning 3-2 at Old Trafford and losing 1-0 in Scotland. The Red Devils played Villarreal the year before when they failed to even qualify for the knock-out stages of the competition. A 0-0 draw in Spain was followed by a goalless draw in England.

The European Champions will definitely be hoping for a better outing this time and appear more than ready for the challenge facing them. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side aim to be the first club to ever successfully defend their European crown. Denmark’s Aalborg are a relatively unknown side and will most likely be pushing for a spot in the UEFA Cup.

Meanwhile, UEFA has announced Cristiano Ronaldo as UEFA’s European Player of the Year. The Portuguese star had a brilliant season in Europe, scoring eight goals in the Champions League, including one in the final against Chelsea.

Ronaldo will be unavailable for the first few games of the group stages due to injury, but his teammates will be more than confident of being able to defend their European crown until he returns from his absence.

The rest of the draw is as following:

Group A

Chelsea

Roma

Bordeaux

CFR Cluj

Group B

Inter Milan

Werder Bremen

Panathinaikos

Anorthosis Famagusta

Group C

Barcelona

Sporting Lisbon

Basel

Shakhtar Donetsk

Group D

Liverpool

PSV Eindhoven

Marseille

Atletico Madrid

Group E

Manchester United

Villarreal

Celtic

Aalborg

Group F

Lyon

Bayern Munich

Steaua Bucharest

Fiorentina

Group G

Arsenal

FC Porto

Fenerbahce

Dynamo Kiev

Group H

Real Madrid

Juventus

Zenit St Petersburg

Bate Borisov

It's not easy carrying the footballing hopes of a nation on your shoulders.

Just ask Freddy Adu.

The American forward, who is still only 19 years old, has been the great hope of U.S. football since he was picked first in the MLS Super Draft by D.C. United—more than five years ago.

Ever since the $1m contract he signed with Nike when just 13, the Ghanaian-born youngster has been the subject of unimaginable attention. Coping well, Adu acquitted himself admirably in the MLS, despite being half the age of many of his opponents.

As the performances got less outstanding for D.C. United (and later Real Salt Lake), many commentators around the world had already declared Adu a "bust," even before he could drive.

A move to Europe, and S.L. Benfica, was greeted with enthusiasm—finally this young lad would get the chance to prove himself at the top level. A reported $2m transfer fee illustrated the faith shown in him by his Portuguese club, and their coach Fernando Santos.

Despite starting brightly and impressing his new teammates, circumstances quickly began to work against Adu. Santos was sacked after the first game of the season, to be replaced by former Spain manager Jose Camacho.

Camacho was less impressed with Adu’s talents, and neglected to select him in the starting eleven. Adu was forced to watch proceedings from the bench, although Camacho was to leave the club barely six months after he joined, in March 2008.

Since then another manager, Fernando Chalana, has also been and gone. The club are now under the auspices of the highly-rated Spaniard, Quique Sanchez Flores

With all this turmoil, it was always unlikely that a teenager like Adu—especially one in an alien country—would be able to prosper. Unfortunately, it seems that Flores will not give him more time to assert himself at Benfica, as he has already sent the American on a season-long loan to French side AS Monaco.

Whether the American can find his feet in another unfamiliar country is something few would bet on. Monaco are not one of France’s top sides, and he will be lucky to get the time and space his qualities thrive on.

All of this has seen many commentators desert Adu, and frantically begin searching for the next young wonder to pin their hopes to.

That player appears to be Josmer “Jozy” Altidore.

The same age as Adu, Altidore already finds himself in the upper echelons of European football. His $10m transfer to Villarreal, perennial Champions League contenders, is a strong indication of the reputation he enjoys across the world.

Such a reputation has come primarily from his performances in the MLS. 15 goals in 37 appearances for New York Red Bulls was no mean return for a teenage striker, especially in a side that also boasted the talents of Juan Pablo Angel. Equally importantly however, the Haitian-American impressed everyone with his mental and physical adaptation to what can be an unforgiving league.

It was this physicality that convinced Villarreal to come calling. Unlike Adu, who is rather small and compact for his position, Altidore looks the prototypical European No. 9—tall (6”1’), strong and hard to dislodge from the ball.

Providing a threat in the air and on the deck, few scouts seriously believed he wouldn’t adapt to the European game.

Ultimately El Submarino Amarillo took the plunge, and crucially for Altidore they look to be a perfect fit for the 19-year old. Unlike Benfica, the club are extremely stable, and are pursuing a blueprint for success.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini is one of the most highly rated in the game, and is unlikely to leave the club in the short term. Tactically astute and a fine man-manager, he is the one individual most responsible for the club’s emergence as a La Liga powerhouse.

That the Chilean can attract the likes of Juan Roman Riquelme and Robert Pires is impressive, especially when you consider the town of Villarreal has a population of only 23,000.

With Pellegrini guiding him, Altidore will not be left to suffer. Undoubtedly, the Chilean already knows exactly what he wishes to do with the player—he always does.

He won’t throw him into the deep end straight away—the likes of Nihat Kahveci, Guillermo Franco, Guiseppe Rossi and Joseba Llorente will ensure Altidore does not get thrown in at the deep end.

But only Nihat is a first-team fixture (although Rossi is pushing him hard), and the little Turkish forward would no doubt find Altidore to be his perfect foil. The touch and guile of Nihat, coupled with the power and presence of Altidore, would constitute a classic “little ‘n’ large” partnership.

Once he adapts to the pace and technicality of the Spanish league, Altidore will get many chances to lead the line.

With the situation on the pitch looking good, the only other obstacle preventing Altidore being a success is the same thing that hindered Adu—the pressure of expectations.

As his coach at New York, Bruce Arena, noted in an interview with Reuters:

"The problem is always going to be how the press wants to blow things out of proportion every time a new kid comes along," he said. "He's still got a long way to go."

Yet even he couldn’t quite contain himself, when it came to American international’s talents:

"No other players look like him," he gushed. "There's speed combined with his physical qualities and a very good sense for goal. When he's facing a defender, he's very good going at him, which is kind of unusual for a player that size. You don't see those kind of qualities often."

Villarreal are certainly hoping so, but the pressure such comments bring could be too much for a player with the wrong mentality. Fortunately, it appears Altidore has exactly the right attitude:

"He's very mature, and I think it has to do with his upbringing," Arena commented. "He's very respectful around the adults in his life. More often than not, he's seen and not heard. He understands it. Some of the other young promising kids coming up have been their [own] greatest advocates. Jozy isn't. He just goes about his business and lets his play do the talking."

It looks likely, then, that Altidore will not fall into the trap of matching his expectations to the unrealistic ones of his loudest supporters. He will just put his head down, work hard and see what happens.

That is how all great players act. Pellegrini and Villarreal will do the rest.

Don’t go shouting it from the rooftops just yet, but Altidore looks like he has a genuine chance of becoming a European football heavyweight. Finally, American “soccer” might just have found the man to make the world sit up and take notice.

You can’t help but think that would do more for the game in North America than anything David Beckham could ever dream of.