PSG hope to capitalise on Marseille mauling
October 29, 2008
PARIS, Oct 28, 2008 (AFP) - Paris Saint Germain will host surprise package Toulouse on Wednesday looking to build on the good form which has seen them climb back into French first division contention.
The capital side just escaped relegation last season and are finally finding their scoring touch after another difficult start, a renaissance demonstrated by the thrilling 4-2 win over bitter southern rivals Marseille at the weekend.
Two goals from the towering Guillaume Hoarau and a strike from talismanic Jerome Rothen helped Paul le Guen’s team come from behind for a result that moved PSG into sixth, just four points behind league leaders Lyon.
It’s all a far cry from last season for PSG, who only avoided relegation from the top flight on the last day of play.
Then it was a problem with firepower, but Le Guen is pleased that things are now slowly changing.
"Our season is taking shape little by little, and our attack is constantly improving," the former Rangers boss said after the match.
"We scored three goals against Lorient and four tonight. We’re on the right track but we can’t stop now."
If other results go PSG’s way midweek, a win against fifth-placed Toulouse could see them go second - and give their fans something to chant about.
But it is a very big ‘if’.
Toulouse have rarely been out of the top five all season and went seven games without defeat before losing to Bordeaux this month, while they remain unbeaten at home after Saturday’s draw with Monaco.
Despite fielding the same side that thrashed Steaua Bucharest in Champions League action, Lyon could only muster a 0-0 draw at Auxerre at the weekend.
The league leaders will now travel to Sochaux on Wednesday nursing some bruises, with coach Claude Puel bemoaning his side’s domestic dip in form, typified by the Auxerre draw.
"We just couldn’t find the gaps. We managed to turn things around in the second half, but the end of the match was really tough for us," he said.
"We’re not going to make any excuses but it’s an away match and, given what happened, we can be happy with a point."
Another side to have won in Europe but stumble at home is Bordeaux, who drew 2-2 with Nice on Saturday, four days after they beat CFR Cluj in the Champions League.
Bordeaux, sitting fourth in the league, lost ground on their rivals thanks to a controversial Nice penalty awarded six minutes into injury time, and they must bounce back against Le Havre on Tuesday.
"What’s the point of getting upset when the game is finished," said coach Laurent Blanc of the Nice match.
"It’s more important to direct our energy and attention to the game we have coming up in Le Havre. Things don’t always go your way in football, that’s how it is."
Fixtures
Tuesday
Bordeaux v Le Havre
Wednesday
Caen v Nice, Grenoble v Lille, Le Mans v Auxerre, Monaco v Nancy, Nantes v Marseille, Paris Saint Germain v Toulouse, Sochaux v Lyon, Valenciennes v Rennes, Saint Etienne v Lorient
Written by: AFP
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Ambitious Bayern Munich aim for the top
October 29, 2008
BERLIN, Oct 28, 2008 (AFP) - After climbing up from 11th to 5th in the Bundesliga last weekend, defending champions Bayern Munich aim to break into the top three when they travel to face struggling Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.
Jurgen Klinsmann-coached Bayern fought back from 2-0 down against Wolfsburg in Munich on Saturday to claim a 4-2 win which dramatically altered their league standing after a poor run of results last month.
The win over Wolfsburg was their third consecutive win and Wednesday night’s trip to injury-ravaged Frankfurt is a chance for them to pick up three more points as the German giants look to be top of the table by Christmas.
"It’s vital we keep it going now," said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on the Bayern website.
"We’re not over the mountain yet, but our aim is to reach the summit.
"Our target, and I’ll make no secret of this, is to be top of the table by Christmas, and we have to continue with that in mind."
Frankfurt have nine players on the injury list, the biggest name being Greek striker Ioannis Amanatidis, while Bayern are without striker Luca Toni (rib injury) and defender Philipp Lahm (ankle).
With all 18 teams in action either Tuesday or Wednesday night, league leaders Hoffenheim travel to strugglers Bochum on Wednesday looking to build on their impressive 3-0 win over title-rivals Hamburg at home last Sunday.
Boasting the league’s top-scorer in striker Vedad Ibisevic, who scored his tenth goal at the weekend, coach Ralf Rangnick has virtually a full-strength squad to choose from against Bochum who are just above the relegation zone.
It promises to be a tough battle when third-placed Hamburg host fourth-placed VfB Stuttgart.
Martin Jol’s Hamburg are licking their wounds from the Hoffenheim defeat, while Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez scored twice in the last ten minutes against Bochum on Sunday.
"Those were big points we took against Bochum. Especially considering the up-coming games, that was an important win," said VfB midfielder Roberto Hilbert.
On Tuesday night, Werder Bremen can welcome back Germany defender Per Mertesacker when they host Bayer Leverkusen.
Bremen drew 1-1 with Hanover at the weekend, but were without injured goalkeeper Tim Wiese, suspended Mertesacker plus injured midfielder Diego and forward Claudio Pizarro.
Question marks hang over Diego and Pizarro who may be fit to face Leverkusen.
In the next week Bremen face three successive home games against Bayer, Hertha Berlin and Panathinaikos (in the Champions League), but Bremen are well aware they need wins after four draws in nine Bundesliga games.
"We are not careless," said general manager Klaus Allofs. "We are not happy about the fact that we have taken so few points."
Tuesday
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen
VfL Wolfsburg v Borussia M’gladbach
Karlsruhe v Schalke 04
Arminia Bielefeld v Energie Cottbus
Wednesday
Hamburg v VfB Stuttgart
Eintracht Frankfurt v Bayern Munich
Hertha Berlin v Hanover 96
VfL Bochum v Hoffenheim
Cologne v Borussia Dortmund
Written by: AFP
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Fairplay in focus as Fiorentina host Inter Milan
October 29, 2008
ROME (AFP) - What should be an intriguing top of the table clash at the Stadio Artemio Franchi between Fiorentina and Inter Milan on Wednesday is being overshadowed by the spectre of fairplay.
Although Fiorentina are fifth and Inter second, the visitors are level on points with top placed Udinese and the hosts trail both teams by only a single point.
Either side in Florence could end the day looking down on everyone else.
From a footballing perspective it should be a fascinating tie, particularly given Inter boss Jose Mourinho’s dissatisfaction with certain players in Sunday’s 0-0 home draw against Genoa.
Mourinho has vowed to leave two or three players out of the squad to teach them an important lesson: it’s his way or the highway.
The former Chelsea boss claimed certain players, without naming names, were playing for themselves and not for the team and were failing to follow his instructions.
The game will be as interesting for who is left behind as it is for it’s own outcome.
The other interest on the playing side will be to see just how far Fiorentina have come in the last 12 months and whether or not Cesare Prandelli’s young team are ready to challenge for the title.
They have won their last four Serie A matches, however a year ago in the corresponding fixture at a similar time of the season, the two teams were also at the top but Inter won comfortably 2-0 and demonstrated they were a league above La Viola.
That performance provoked an impromptu rugby-style guard of honour as Fiorentina players formed two lines and clapped the Inter players off the pitch.
The Fiorentina name then became synonymous with fairplay, so it is ironic that this time around they enter the fixture under a fairplay cloud.
Fiorentina could well be without striker Alberto Gilardino, who copped a two game ban for scoring a goal with his arm in Sunday’s 3-1 win at Palermo but are due to have an appeal against it heard on Tuesday.
Gilardino has been penalised after a disciplinary panel decided to look into the matter, viewed TV evidence and judged him to have deliberately knocked the ball into the net with his arm - in his defence he was being manhandled to the ground by a Palermo defender at the time.
It sets a dangerous and bizarre precedent.
If a player can be banned on video evidence for cheating then anyone who gets away with a deliberate foul, handball or infringement of any kind during a game should then be banned after a trial by TV following the game.
While that row is likely to rumble on, there is another top of the table clash taking place in Sicily where sixth placed Catania, just two points off the top, take on the leaders.
Fourth-placed AC Milan, who host Siena, and third-placed Napoli, who host lowly Reggina, could also both finish the day as leaders if they win and results go their way.
Struggling AS Roma will try to kick start their woeful season when they tackle Sampdoria at home.
Fixtures
AC Milan v Siena, Bologna v Juventus, Catania v Udinese, Chievo v Lazio, Fiorentina v Inter Milan, Genoa v Cagliari, Lecce v Palermo, Napoli v Reggina, AS Roma v Sampdoria, Torino v Atalanta
Written by: AFP
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Spurs revival to be tested at north London derby
October 29, 2008
LONDON (AFP) - Harry Redknapp did not take long to cast his spell over Tottenham Hotspur.
Less than 24 hours after assuming charge on Sunday morning, the 61-year-old had delivered more than his predecessor Juande Ramos had managed all season - a league win - and breathed new life into a club which had been threatening to sleepwalk into disaster.
Former Portsmouth boss Redknapp has been involved in English football too long to become giddy at Sunday’s 2-0 defeat of Bolton Wanderers. A new manager invariably serves as a perfect pick-me-up for a struggling side and there is never a guarantee that the euphoria will last.
Old habits which are expunged in an attempt to impress the new man can creep back in an instant and Redknapp will be watching his team closely as they prepare for two arduous games — at Arsenal on Wednesday and at home to Liverpool - in four days.
Nevertheless, Tottenham’s players do seem genuinely uplifted by Redknapp’s appointment. The same squad that looked directionless, indisciplined and utterly bereft of confidence under Ramos, making the club’s worst ever start to a league season by collecting just two points from eight games, had a renewed pep and purpose against Bolton.
Roman Pavlyuchenko scored a much-needed goal, his first in the league since a 13.8 million pounds pre-season move from Spartak Moscow, David Bentley looked something like his old self after being reinstated to the starting line-up by Redknapp and Spurs even made it through a whole match without having a man sent off - a notable feat in itself given three had been dismissed in their previous two games.
"It is brilliant to have an English manager," Ledley King, the Spurs defender, said. "It has been a while and I am looking forward to the relationship. Harry spoke to us for the first time on the morning of the game, and he gave us confidence. He said we had brilliant players in the team, and that he believed we could get out of this situation.
"It looked like a weight had been lifted off the players’ shoulders. They played with freedom, and it was more like the old Tottenham."
The challenge now is to replicate that impressive showing at their great rivals Arsenal.
A week ago, the thought of a visit to the Emirates would have brought most Tottenham fans out in cold sweats; now, for all that Spurs remain anchored to the bottom of the league, they can dare to dream of a first away win against their north London neighbours since 1993.
For that, King’s contribution will be crucial. The former England centre-half is still hobbled by a persistent knee injury that prevents him training more than three times a week but Redknapp, having asked him to play a second game in four days against Bolton, is likely to consider him indispensable for the short trip across the capital.
"I felt I could (play two games in succession). Until you do it, you don’t know, but now it’s done, hopefully people will stop talking about it," he added. "It is important not to get carried away, and I am not about to try to play every game just yet.
"Will I be able to play at Arsenal on Wednesday? We’ll see."
It is unusual for Arsenal not to be the focus of attention in the build-up to a north London derby but Arsene Wenger, the club’s manager, may prefer it that way.
The Gunners have quietly but effectively rebuilt their confidence after a shocking home defeat to Hull City, chalking up consecutive league wins and thrashing Fenerbahce in the Champions League.
They remain just four points adrift of Liverpool, the Premier League leaders, and there is little chance of Arsenal being distracted by the tumult five miles up the Seven Sisters Road.
"I don’t know and honestly I don’t really care what’s happening at Spurs," Robin van Persie, the striker, said. "We have our own team and we play whoever shows up. I am aware of their new manager so we will see what happens. But the game against Tottenham is one on its own, it doesn’t matter where they stand."
Written by: AFP
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Anfield emotions soaring, but Pompey test awaits
October 29, 2008
LONDON (AFP) - Liverpool fans may not know whether to laugh or cry now that former captain turned football pundit Alan Hansen has said this season represents the best chance for their first title since 1990.
It was the former Scotland central defender who, after all, once famously stated "you win nothing with kids" only for Manchester United’s youthful team to promptly win the 1996 Premier League and FA Cup double.
Nevertheless a home victory this season over champions United and last weekend’s 1-0 triumph away to Chelsea, which ended the Blues’s 86-match unbeaten Premier League run at Stamford Bridge, will leave many Liverpool supporters thinking ‘if not now, when?’.
Liverpool are yet to lose in the Premier League this season and are four points clear at the top of the table.
An Anfield match against Portsmouth, still reeling from the shock departure of Harry Redknapp to Tottenham, should present few problems to Liverpool in their current form.
But it is just these kinds of fixtures which can trip up the unwary title aspirant, particularly after the euphoria of a win over a major rival.
However, Hansen said Rafael Benitez’s side had the steel to go with their undoubted skill.
"They may have dropped points at home to Stoke but winning the title is not all about thrashing teams every week but how teams respond to setbacks," said Hansen.
"That’s the big test and from the Liverpool performances so far this season, the players have shown the kind of resilience that suggests they would bounce back from any poor result with great spirit."
Portsmouth responded to Redknapp’s exit by drawing 1-1 at home to Fulham on Sunday and for all the speculation surrounding their future, they do have the consolation of lying seventh in the top flight with new boss Tony Adams in charge.
"Harry made his mind up. He has gone and we now have to carry on with our good work at this club. We have started something and we need to finish it," said Portsmouth defender Sylvain Distin.
Chelsea would, ordinarily, be huge favourites to win away at Hull. But the newly-promoted Tigers have surprised everyone, and possibly themselves, by rising to third in the table.
"If you get 20 points from nine games you are going to be somewhere near the top," Hull manager Phil Brown said. "It is Champions League form but that is what it is, form. That is temporary."
Manchester United, eight points adrift of Liverpool, will look to claw back ground against struggling West Ham after the disappointment of a 1-1 draw away to Everton.
Tottenham responded to the Redknapp factor by beating Bolton for their first league win this season.
But false dawns have become a feature of life at White Hart Lane and a tougher test lies in wait on Wednesday in the shape of a north London derby away to Arsenal - a match that could be made all the harder if second-bottom Newcastle win at home to West Brom on Tuesday.
"If there is no chance of winning then we may as well stay at home," said a bullish Redknapp.
There remains a perception that Arsenal can be harried out of their elegant passing stride by straightforward physical aggression.
But Gunners and England star Theo Walcott said the way in which Arsenal, now four points off the lead, won 2-0 away to West Ham last weekend was a sign of their ability to do the "dirty things" required to take the title.
"Sometimes people say that we do not do all the dirty things, which we did during the first half (against West Ham), and that frustrated them at times," Walcott said.
"It goes to show that we do not just play pretty football and we can put our foot in when it has to be done."
No side managed by the talkative Martin O’Neill can ever quite be said to be doing anything by stealth but Aston Villa’s rise to fifth in the table and last weekend’s 4-0 win over Wigan have gone largely unremarked.
Villa will look to build on that position at home to Blackburn while Manchester City, buoyed by Robinho’s hat-trick against Stoke City, travel to Middlesbrough.
Sunderland, fresh from a first home win over Newcastle in 28 years, are away to Stoke, currently occupying the final relegation place.
Wednesday also sees two clashes between teams hovering above the drop zone with Bolton at home to Everton and Fulham facing Wigan.
Fixtures (1945GMT unless stated):
Tuesday: Newcastle v West Brom
Wednesday: Arsenal v Tottenham, Aston Villa v Blackburn, Bolton v Everton (2000GMT), Fulham v Wigan, Hull v Chelsea, Liverpool v Portsmouth (2000GMT), Manchester United v West Ham (2000GMT), Middlesbrough v Manchester City (2000GMT), Stoke v Sunderland
Written by: AFP
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Chelsea keeper wary of Hull City trap
October 29, 2008
HULL, England (AFP) - Petr Cech insists Chelsea are determined to prevent surprise package Hull City from claiming a fifth consecutive London scalp this season.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side have an immediate opportunity to bounce back from their damaging defeat by Premier League title rivals Liverpool when they travel to the KC Stadium on Wednesday.
Hull have taken their first season in the English top flight by storm, and they can leapfrog Chelsea up into second place with their fifth win of the season over a capital-based club.
Fulham, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United have all slid to defeat to the Tigers this term, but Czech Republic international keeper Cech is confident Chelsea can embark on another run after surrendering their 86 league game unbeaten home record in Sunday’s 1-0 setback to the league leaders.
The Blues are unbeaten away from home in the Premier League for 10 months, and Cech insisted: "We know exactly what to do, we have to bounce back and we have the strength in our side to do that."
Hull were the bookmakers’ strong favourites to make a swift return to the Championship following their play-off final promotion in May.
But Cech is impressed at the way Phil Brown’s side have confounded expectations with six victories and a single defeat in their opening nine games to see them already half-way to their safety total of 40 points with less than a quarter of the campaign complete.
The 26-year-old added: "When you win promotion and get a few positive results, you start fighting and go into every game to enjoy it. Hull have the confidence and in any game they have nothing to lose, this is really dangerous.
"You have this every year when promoted sides start so well, this time it is Hull and we know what to expect from them."
England midfielder Joe Cole is in line to return from a three-week injury absence, but Chelsea will be without Michael Essien, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba for their first league trip to Hull in 20 years.
Since that visit in 1988, the London club have emerged victorious from their last three cup ties in East Yorkshire, scoring 12 goals in the process, including a 4-0 success last year.
City skipper Ian Ashbee plays his last game before serving a one-match suspension in this weekend’s visit to Manchester United.
Meanwhile defender Andy Dawson is a doubt after suffering a dead leg in the 3-0 victory at West Bromwich Albion, Hull’s fourth in a row. "Andy’s likely to miss the game," manager Brown admitted.
Striker Marlon King insists the secret of Hull’s impressive start is the work ethic fostered by Brown, saying: "It’s not just about having ability, it’s about working hard because we don’t have the players Manchester United or Chelsea do."
Written by: AFP
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mid-week match-ups could have a big impact
October 29, 2008
Two very important match-ups could decide the UEFA Cup selections in the Russia today. Playing catchup with the schedule, relegation condemned Shinnik Yaroslav visit Lokomotiv Moscow while Saturn Moscow Oblast comes to Petrovski to face Zenit St Petersburg. Both Lokomotiv and Zenit are heavily favoured but after each played to a draw their European efforts are in jeopardy.
I will report on the matches as they conclude as well as update the table.
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Steve McClaren Doesn’t Learn
October 29, 2008
Remember how we laughed at Steve McClaren and his weird decision to speak to Dutch interviewers as if English were his second language? Well, he’s still doing it.
If you want to emulate Steve McClaren, The Spoiler has a checklist of how it’s done.
Even better, Steve’s FC Twente goalkeeper Sander Boshker has decided to emulate Paul Robinson. Jump to the 4:00 mark on this video below to see a Robinson-vs-Croatia style swing and a miss howler, followed by an excellent non-Robinson-vs-Croatia recovery:
[via Off the Post]
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Mayor presses top London clubs over low-paid staff
October 29, 2008
LONDON (AFP) - London Mayor Boris Johnson has urged the city’s top Premier League football clubs to ensure all their staff are paid at least the minimum wage for living in the British capital, a report said on Wednesday.
Johnson has written to bosses at Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham — whose top players get multi-million pound salaries — urging them to pay all workers at least 7.45 pounds (11.92 dollars, 9.34 euros) an hour.
"Concerns have been raised with me about low-paid workers at London’s five Premier League clubs," he wrote in the letter, cited by The Guardian newspaper.
"It would set a superb example for your club to agree to pay your low-paid workers — shop assistants, catering staff and cleaners — the London living wage, and I urge you to do so."
The national minimum wage in Britain is 5.52 pounds (8.83 dollars, 6.93 euros) an hour.
However, as prices are higher in the capital, the "London living wage" — currently calculated at 7.45 pounds per hour — is the minimum amount it is thought someone could live on in the city.
The Greater London Authority pays its staff at least 7.45 pounds an hour.
The issue is all the more pressing as the cost of basics including food and fuel have risen, while the global downturn is threatening job cuts and hardship for millions.
A spokeswoman for Arsenal, cited by the newspaper, said the north London club already pays its permanent staff the "London living wage," but said they are not responsible for sub-contracted part-time cleaning and catering workers.
Campaign group The Fair Pay Network welcomed the move by Johnson, a member of England’s main opposition Conservatives who ousted veteran Labour mayor "Red" Ken Livingstone in City Hall elections in May.
"We strongly welcome the mayor’s initiative," said its campaigns director Matthew Pennycook in a statement.
"The irony is, in these turbulent economic times, the measures the mayor supports will not only help alleviate poverty in the capital but are also proven to actually save the clubs money," he added.
Johnson agreed that paying more to lower-level staff was in the clubs’ interest. "Staff who are paid at a level that can reasonably sustain them tend to be more productive, loyal and committed," said the mayor.
Written by: AFP