We can rival Real, says City´s Robinho
November 16, 2008
LONDON (AFP) – Manchester City’s Brazilian forward Robinho says his team can rival the likes of Real Madrid and hence he is happy to pledge his long-term future to the English Premiership side.
"I hope to play here for many years," Robinho told the Daily Star on Sunday.
"I hope to make history at this club and become one of the great heroes at Manchester City. I’m in a very good phase and I hope this will continue," said the Brazilian, who joined City in a record-breaking 45 million euro deal in the summer after initially indicating he wanted to join Chelsea.
Robinho, 24, says he wants to be on board for the duration following City’s multimillion takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group.
"I’m enjoying it here, and my aim is to become the best player in the world," he said.
"I came to City because I saw them growing and making progress. Can they be as big as Real Madrid? I hope so, yes."
City boss Mark Hughes, under pressure with the team in the lower half of the table, is expected to receive money for transfers in the January transfer window.
Robinho would like him to splash the cash on Brazil team-mate Kaka from AC Milan.
"Kaka’s a great player and a great person. He’s so strong, intelligent and fast. Obviously, I’m hoping that I can play with him here at City," Robinho said.
Written by: AFP
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More than city pride riding on Rome derby
November 16, 2008
ROME (AFP) – Lazio and Roma will be playing for more than local bragging rights when they meet in the season’s first Rome derby on Sunday evening.
Delio Rossi’s Lazio have made a strong start to the season, winning seven of their 11 league matches, draing one and losing three to leave them two points behind leaders Inter Milan in fourth place with 22 points.
One of the main reasons behind Lazio’s form is summer loan signing Mauro Zarate. The Argentine, who is on loan from Qatar’s Al Saad, has hit seven goals so far and is expected to form part of a three man attack, alongside captain Tomasso Rocchi and Goran Pandev.
Rocchi has already declared what he expects, telling Sky Italia; "I wouldn’t settle for a draw. The derby is a truly great match and is important to play in. You give your all to win it, because the taste of victory is fantastic."
However, he added that league positions and current form will count for little when the match starts.
"The fact that we have more points signifies that until now we are playing better. But, when you play a derby I think that only the match counts and not the moment you are in."
Roma sit one place and one point away from the relegation zone, with only two wins and two draws to their name, a far cry from 2007-2008 when they were 30 minutes from being crowned champions.
One player who has maintained his form is veteran defender Christian Panucci, whose opening goal in the 3-1 Champions League win over Chelsea has given Roma a new sense of confidence.
It continues a good goalscoring record for Roma and Italy and is a run he is hoping to continue at Stadio Olimpico.
"It’s a goal that I’m missing. I would be delighted to score, even if I have to be more precise than I normally am against Lazio," he told Corriere dello Sport.
League leaders Inter Milan meanwhile travel to a potentially tricky away fixture against Palermo, who have won four of their five games at their Stadio Renzo Barbera home so far.
The week has been dominated by the falling out between coach Jose Mourinho and striker Adriano, with the Brazilian expected to be sold in the January transfer window after he missed Tuesday’s training citing flu, the latest in a long line of misdemeanours.
One player who will miss him if he does move on is 18 year-old striker Mario Balotelli, who would benefit more than most from Adriano’s sale.
He told Sky Italia; "Adriano must wait for his moment and then in January go where he wants. He’s a great guy and wouldn’t hurt anybody. Really I don’t know why the newspapers always have this (negative reports) about him."
Should Inter slip up on the road, cross-city rivals AC Milan who are currently in second will be confident that they can secure all three points when Chievo visit San Siro.
Fixtures:
Sunday:
Atalanta v Napoli, Cagliari v Fiorentina, Catania v Torino, Chievo v AC Milan, Sampdoria v Lecce, Siena v Bologna, Udinese v Reggina, Roma v Lazio
Written by: AFP
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Bacary Sagna could be out for a number of weeks
November 16, 2008
Arsenal right back Bacary Sagna is expected to be out of action for a while following his ankle injury.
He was carried off with only twenty minutes of the match still to play.
The extent of his injury is unknown and will miss France’s friendly against Uruguay in Paris on Wednesday.
Arsenal manager seems to think that the defender will be out for quite a few weeks.
Aston Villa won the match 2-0.
Written by: Dave Cohen
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Benitez backs Alonso to spearhead title push
November 16, 2008
LONDON (AFP) – Rafael Benitez believes Xabi Alonso can inspire Liverpool to win the Premier League title just months after the Spain international came close to leaving the club.
Alonso almost left Anfield in the summer as Benitez desperately sought to raise funds to finance the arrival of Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry.
Juventus were among a number of clubs strongly linked to the midfielder but the Barry deal failed to materialise and Alonso remained at Anfield.
He has proved a key figure during Liverpool’s charge to the Premier League summit and Alonso once again in influential form as Benitez’s side won 2-0 at Bolton on Saturday to keep the pressure on Chelsea, their nearest title rivals, thanks to goals by Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard.
And Benitez believes the player can maintain his high level performances through the rest of the campaign as the Merseyside club chase their first ever Premier League title.
He believes his compatriot is benefitting from having so many good players around him.
"Xabi has played really well this season and he played well again against Bolton," said Benitez.
"He has more confidence and the players around him are also better players.
"It’s easier for a midfielder when he has quality around him. We have (Fernando) Torres, (Robbie) Keane, Gerrard and (Javier) Mascherano around him.
"He’s playing really well."
Liverpool defeated Bolton without playing well and there might have been a different outcome had the hosts not had a goal disallowed when Liverpool were leading 1-0.
Gary Cahill thought he had equalised on the stroke of half time but referee Rob Styles ruled it out after adjudging Bolton captain Kevin Nolan to have fouled keeper Jose Reina.
"There is a rule that says the six yard box is for the keeper," added Benitez.
"If you have three players in front of the keeper he cannot go for the ball.
"They are the rules. They are international rules. I said it when I first came to England. Three players around the keeper is a free-kick."
Benitez’s comments baffled Bolton manager Gary Megson.
"I must have missed that rule when it came out," said Megson. "Kevin Nolan did nothing but stand his ground and get shoved.
"I certainly didn’t expect that goal to be ruled out."
Fernando Torres was forced to make do with a place on the substitutes bench despite declaring himself fully fit after his recent hamstring problems.
But Benitez insisted that the former Atletico Madrid striker would return to the starting line-up in the not-too-distant future.
"Torres looked good when he came on but he is still not back to his peak yet," the Spaniard said.
Benitez claimed the relative ease with which Liverpool had seen off Bolton was vindication of his decision to field a second string side in the midweek League Cup defeat by Tottenham.
"Everyone knows we want to win every game and every competition, but for us the league is the priority so we cannot stay thinking about the League Cup and if we win the league we’ll be very happy," he said.
"We had two or three chances in the first half, so as you know it’s always important to get the second goal.
"We’re a little disappointed (not to have scored more) but the second goal was crucial and it could have been three or four at the end."
Alonso insisted Liverpool would not get carried away by their impressive start to the season.
"It is important (to be top) but we know that we have to carry on like this to have a chance at the end of the season," he said. "We are not arrogant, we respect all the opponents but we are confident. We are scoring goals and trying to improve in defence."
"We could have won by three or four but the most important thing was to get the three points. We have to carry on this type of performance away from home."
Written by: AFP
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Smith wants Rangers to hone killer instinct
November 16, 2008
GLASGOW (AFP) – Rangers manager Walter Smith says he is not worried by his side’s failure to kill off games early on after his side’s narrow 2-1 win over St Mirren on Saturday.
The Ibrox club dominated the match but their many misses in front of goal came back to haunt them as a late strike from St Mirren set up a nervy finish.
The Rangers gaffer knows his side cannot afford to drop many more points in the race for the championship after their midweek goalless draw with Motherwell saw them slip further behind fierce rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premier League.
But Smith says it would be more worrying if his side was not creating chances in games and is confident that his side will become more clinical as the season goes on.
"It would be more of a problem if we were not creating any opportunities," Smith said.
"We continue to create plenty of opportunities in our games and I think that is the main thing more than anything else. We can only continue to create them and if we do then we are confident we will go on and win games.
"I would certainly hope that we will become a little bit more clinical in front of goal as the season progresses."
And Smith said the Ibrox club’s fans might be seeing more of Lee McCulloch in the centre of defence after he partnered David Weir there in the match against St Mirren.
"He is a versatile enough player. He can play up front and in midfield as well," Smith said.
"He has been playing in the reserve team at centre-half. Obviously he has still to pick up a lot of the things that are required there but I think he has the attributes to play in that position."
At Ibrox on Saturday Rangers survived a late scare to close the gap with league leaders Celtic to just one point as they defeated St Mirren 2-1 at Ibrox as Kris Boyd scored his 150th career goal.
With their Old Firm rivals not playing until Sunday Rangers knew they could put the pressure on Celtic with a win in their Scottish Premier League clash with the Buddies.
They did so thanks to a selfless shift from Scottish striker Kenny Miller who set-up both Boyd and Steven Davis to score but couldn’t get the goal his display merited, with a candidate for miss of the season amongst his many chances.
Rangers took the lead after just four minutes when Boyd scored his tenth league goal of the season and the 150th of his career. The striker headed down a pass to Miller who laid it off for Boyd to unleash a fierce low drive from the edge of the box past the helpless Mark Howard.
Rangers doubled their lead in the 10th minute when Davis finished off a flowing passing movement involving Miller again. Kirk Broadfoot’s cutback found Miller at the edge of the box and he played a perfectly weighted first-time pass into the path of Davis who sidefooted it into the bottom left-hand corner.
Rangers came out in the second-half determined to add to their tally and captain Barry Ferguson came close in the 50th minute when his curling shot from six yards was deflected wide.
Miller then missed a spectacular chance to score in the 52nd minute. He beat Howard to a long ball and rounded the keeper outside the box but he then blazed the ball over the bar when it looked easier to score.
St Mirren scored completely against the run of play through Franco Miranda in the 81st minute. The defender collected the ball on the left-hand side of the box and curled a shot round Allan McGregor.
Craig Dargo came close with a curling free-kick with three minutes remaining but McGregor beat it away to secure the points for Rangers.
Written by: AFP
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Ronaldo back at his best: Ferguson
November 16, 2008
MANCHESTER, England (AFP) – Sir Alex Ferguson believes Cristiano Ronaldo is back to his best after the Portuguese winger reached a century of goals for Manchester United in a 5-0 victory over Stoke at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese winger scored his first after three minutes, his centenary goal for the defending Premier League champions, and added a second in the final minute of the romp.
There were also goals for Michael Carrick, set up by Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov and young full debutant Danny Welbeck who struck with a magnificent shot six minutes from time.
But the game will be remembered for Ronaldo’s impressive landmark and the fact that he already has nine goals to his name this season despite making a delayed start to his own season following ankle surgery in July.
"Fantastic, he’s back, right on song," said Ferguson. "His speed has come back. He was taking his time but every game he was getting better.
"His acceleration is marvelous and he has scored his first goals from free-kicks this season, we have been waiting for that to happen. We saw the real power of him.
"The free-kicks were incredible but he does practise, that’s the secret for him. He does try different things and today he was right on song. He’ll soon be in double figures."
Welbeck, who does not turn 18 for another two weeks, was the other hero of the occasion, his superb shot the stuff that schoolboy dreams are made of for a local youngster who grew up supporting the Reds.
"To score on his full debut, gee, he will remember that for the rest of his life," said the manager. "I think he is level-headed and intelligent so we won’t have any problem keeping his feet on the ground.
"And there will be a few lads in the dressing room knocking him back down to size, that’s for sure."
With Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand rested, and out of England’s midweek friendly, it was a young United line-up that coasted across the finishing line with Johnny Evans, Manucho and Darron Gibson all on the field by the game’s conclusion.
"It was a very young team but we have some fantastic young players," said Ferguson.
"If we just take our time with them and be patient with them, they will be okay."
"Rio and Wayne are out of the internationals. Rio hurt his back in training yesterday and Wayne had a chest infection but also had a calf strain so we pulled him out."
Berbatov’s sixth goal — his second league goal in 10 games — should have quietened some of the criticism that has been mounting about his efficiency and Ferguson has no doubt that the Bulgarian is coming good.
"I said to him when I signed him that he’ll get over 20 goals for us," said Ferguson.
"And I’d still put a good bet on that. He’s doing very well. The whole team is. There is a good fluidity in the team, a good understanding and movement between the front players."
Stoke manager Tony Pulis, having seen his team on the receiving end of a humbling scoreline, had few complaints about the ultimate result.
"We killed ourselves in the first half, conceding so early," said Pulis. "Once they got their third goal, they smelled blood. And once that happened, we had had it.
"Teams like United pick you off. As soon as they get their noses in front, you have no chance."
Written by: AFP
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Wenger rues Arsenal´s lack of consistency
November 16, 2008
LONDON (AFP) – Arsene Wenger admitted Arsenal "lack the consistency" to be classed a top side after they slumped to a disastrous 2-0 defeat against an impressive Aston Villa.
The Gunners slipped nine points adrift of joint leaders Chelsea and Liverpool thanks to two second-half strikes: the first an own goal from Gael Clichy and the second from the lively Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Both strikes were controversial – Arsenal were angry that Villa played on with Bacary Sagna lying injured for the first, while the hosts could have been awarded a free-kick in the build-up to the second – but the north Londoners could hardly claim that Villa were not worthy winners on Saturday.
Ashley Young missed a 19th-minute penalty, awarded after he had been fouled by Theo Walcott, while Gareth Barry also spurned a glorious chance before the interval.
Another alarmingly flimsy performance from Arsenal means they have now suffered four league defeats this season – one more than they chalked up during the whole of last term – and the Emirates, once an impenetrable citadel, now appears to have all the sturdiness of a sandcastle.
Their title credentials are in shreds and Wenger’s chief concern now appears to centre on whether they can cling on to their place in the Champions League qualification places.
"Top level performances are about consistency and at the moment we are not consistent enough," Wenger said. "I don’t believe you can talk about championships now but at the moment we lack consistency.
"The performance was not good but it was the kind of game we could have won 1-0. We could have been out of it by half-time but we weren’t and it became the kind of game we could have won. Instead, we were punished for making a mistake.
"Everyone in the dressing room is very down because it’s a massive disappointment for us all. We were unlucky because Sagna was injured for the first goal and there was a blatant foul on the edge of the box in the build-up to the second, but Villa deserved to win."
Wenger’s woes were compounded by Sagna’s injury – he has sustained damage to his ankle, with the manager predicting he will be out "for a few weeks" – and a fifth booking of the season for Cesc Fabregas, which will rule him out of next weekend’s trip to Manchester City.
The French manager declined to endorse Villa’s credentials to steal Arsenal’s place in the top four, pointing that they had been surprisingly beaten at home by Middlesbrough a week earlier, but if any side has the capacity to gatecrash the Premier League’s established elite, Martin O’Neill’s could be it.
This is a team boasting pace, skill and youthful verve in abundance and it would be a brave punter to bet against Champions League football returning to Birmingham for the first time since 1983 next season.
If good fortune laced their first goal, Clichy inexplicably heading past Manuel Almunia after Young had delivered an enticing cross, their second was picture-perfect: Agbonlahor seized Martin Laursen’s downfield clearance, raced away from Willam Gallas and volleyed into the bottom corner.
O’Neill, perhaps predictably, was counselling caution in the wake of perhaps his most satisfying result since taking charge at Villa Park, although he was in no mood to play down the quality of his team’s display.
"I thought we were exhilarating," he said. "We started superbly, took the game to Arsenal and we were a joy to watch. We set out to play, not just to hit them on the break, and we deserved to win.
"But I think we should try and get away from one-off results. The landmark is consistency: it’s a tough old season and even if we had lost, it wouldn’t have meant we are a bad team. Winning similarly doesn’t mean much but at least it shows we are capable of it."
Written by: AFP
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Fenerbahce Is In The Top Four For The First Time!……..
November 16, 2008
That is correct, it took Fenerbahce, get to top four, 11 weeks!……..
For now, until Sunday matches , Fenerbahce could enjoy the forth place in the Turkcell Super League for the first time this season, after beating high-flying Ankaraspor 2- 0.
If Sivasspor, Galatasaray and Kayserispor does not win on Sunday, Fenerbahce will close the week 11, on forth place. But, their chances are very slim !……………….
All of those teams are playing at home on Sunday…
It is nice to see Fenerbahce back and strong again….
When Roberto Carlos plays good , Fenerbahce wins the matches, in my opinion..
That was the case on Saturday again!….
He score the first goal on 33th minute of the match and assist on Lugano’s 55th minute goal.
Actually , Roberto Carlos took the shot, the ball hit both goal post and came out the feet of Lugano!..
All he had to do is kick the ball in!…
Ankaraspor needed to win this match to order to stay on second place but, If Besiktas wins in Bursa on Sunday , they could lose the spot to Besiktas .
There are bunch of important matches in the league on Sunday..
Here is the matches that will be play on Sunday……
07:00 ET Eskisehirspor v Ankaragucu
07:00 ET Hacettepe Spor Kulubu v Gaziantepspor
07:00 ET Kayserispor v Antalyaspor
07:00 ET Sivasspor v Konyaspor
08:00 ET Bursaspor v Besiktas ….LIve on LIGTV
12:00 NOON,ET Galatasaray v Buyuksehir ……Live on LIGTV
futbol, soccer, fussball, football, gol, goal, live scores, canl, live, puan durumu, puan cetveli, standings, results
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Ibracadabra magic spells victory for Inter Milan
November 16, 2008
ROME (AFP) – Two goals from striking magician Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a 2-0 victory at Palermo shot Inter Milan three points clear at the top of the Italian league table on Saturday night.
Ibrahimovic’s second half goals meant Jose Mourinho’s team will finish the weekend on top regardless of what happens in other matches as Juventus, three points behind Inter, have already played in a 4-1 win against Genoa on Thursday.
AC Milan and Napoli, who are in equal third spot four points behind Inter, play Chievo and Atalanta on Sunday.
Ibrahimovic simply had a superb match. Known as "Ibracadabra," the Swedish striking magician found the net in the 46th and 64th minutes to spell the end for Palermo.
An uneventful first half gave way to more incidents in the second. Ibrahimovic, largely left unattended by the Palermo defence, opened the scoring with a powerful 25-metre shot which left keeper Alberto Fontana with little chance.
He then doubled his striking tally with a just-as-powerful 20-metre freekick which Fontana was once more unable to do much about.
In between the goals, the hapless Sicilian keeper was a little lucky that the rampant Ibrahimovic had not found the net as he parried away another shot from the on-form Swede.
Sunday’s programme of matches sees capital city rivals AS Roma, in great difficulty in 17th spot, and fifth-placed Lazio clash in their Olympic stadium.
Written by: AFP
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Schuster on the brink as Real fall again
November 16, 2008
MADRID (AFP) – Managers don’t last long at Real Madrid and German coach Bernd Schuster could be heading for the exit door after the Spanish champions fell to a 1-0 defeat at Valladolid on Saturday.
The same Valladolid had been crushed 6-0 by Barcelona last weekend and before the game sections of the Spanish media were saying that this could be Schuster’s last game if Real lost.
That is just what happened as Uruguayan striker Nestor Cannobbio struck a 48th minute winner with an unstoppable left-footed drive.
With two recent Champions League losses to Juventus and the midweek Spanish Cup embarrassment to minnows Real Union, Schuster had been under extreme pressure, and the Valladolid loss could be the final nail in his coffin although Schuster didn’t see it that way.
"I am calm. We are working towards what we want to do and I am focused on my job," said Schuster.
"It is a difficult time at the moment but we had a similar situation last season.
"The result is obviously bad for us and we shouldn’t lose but that is football. They didn’t really create a chance in the first half but when half a chance came along they took it well. We certainly didn’t deserve to lose."
Schuster won the league title in his debut season but it is now up to the Real board to see if they want to extend his 16-month spell at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real have now won just once in their last six matches in all competitions and the double league champions stay fourth, two points behind leaders Barcelona who have a game in hand.
It was a great day for Barcelona with Valencia falling to a surprise 3-2 home defeat to Sporting Gijon in Saturday’s late game.
Valencia could have gone top with victory but goals from Luis Moran (19 minutes) and David Barral (51) gave them an uphill task.
David Villa scored his 11th goal of the season from the penalty spot to get his team back in the game but Diego Castro made it 3-1 in the 83rd minute and it proved crucial as Juan Mata scored late on for the hosts.
"We are conceding too many goals at home and this is something we have to cut out," lamented Villa.
Unai Emery’s Valencia stay third above Real Madrid on goal difference but Villarreal, a point ahead in second, now have a great opportunity to pull away from the duo when they travel to Malaga on Sunday.
Barcelona are at Recreativo Huelva on the same day looking to move five points clear of Real and Valencia.
Without the creative Dutch duo of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben both out injured Raul and Gonzalo Higuain started in attack for Real with the latter hoping to build on his four goals against Malaga last weekend.
Valladolid were whacked 6-0 by Barcelona last time out and must have feared a Real backlash but Jose Garcia Calvo almost put the hosts ahead with his 12th minute header cleared off the goal line by alert Brazilian defender Marcelo.
Higuain then showed a great turn of pace to race clear only to be thwarted by the goalkeeper.
At half-time it was scoreless with Schuster cutting a glum figure in the dug-out but the clean sheet was a bonus when you consider that Real had leaked six goals in their last two matches.
But three minutes into the second half Valladolid took the lead with a poor pass from Guti gifting possession and Canobbio rifled in past the helpless Iker Casillas.
Casillas last kept a clean sheet back on September 21 in a 2-0 win over Racing Santander underlining Real’s defensive frailties.
Higuain and Wesley Sneijder both went close but captain Raul squandered the best chance with three minutes left shooting at the legs of goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo.
Written by: AFP
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