Burley turns up heat on Norway
August 7, 2009
Scotland boss George Burley turned up the heat ahead of Wednesday’s crucial World Cup qualifier in Norway by claiming all the pressure is on their rivals.
Burley’s men are currently in second position and four points clear Egil Olsen’s outfit, who have yet to win a game and are currently bottom of Group Nine.
Holland look destined to grab the automatic qualification spot, but Scotland have high hopes of finishing behind them with enough points to book a play-off place.
The 90 minutes in Oslo represent a final chance for Norway and Burley believes that is the perfect opportunity to kill off another rival in their bid to reach the finals in South Africa next summer.
He said: “We have the advantage at the moment as we are sitting second and they are bottom of the section. We are going there to get the right result for ourselves. I don’t think it’s a bad time to play them.
“They are the team that are under pressure at the moment. We are going there to try and build from our performance in the last game against Iceland. I was pleased with the shape and the way we played. We have to go there in the same manner and I’m sure that if we do, we can get a positive result.”
Norway passed up a host of chances during the 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture at Hampden and Burley expects his defence to face another examination, with Aston Villa John Carew expected to be the main threat.
“He is a world-class striker,” said Burley “We will have to be wary of that. They like to get the ball early to him and feed off him. We have to be ready.”
The Scots assembled at their training base at Loch Lomond with just 13 players as a number of Burley’s key men, including skipper and Manchester United ace Darren Fletcher, are playing for their clubs this weekend.
Fletcher chose to play for the Red Devils at Wembley against Chelsea in the Community Shield – the annual curtain raiser to the English Premier League season.
Burley admits it will be anxious few days as he hopes his squad, which is already without first-choice goalkeeper Craig Gordon through injury, remains intact.
He said: “It will be a nervy weekend. They are always nervy but you usually have longer to prepare for World Cup games. It’s not ideal but that won’t take away from our focus.
“We fly out on Monday, so if anybody gets knocks it doesn’t give them too long to get over them. Hopefully they come through without any problems.
“Darren Fletcher is totally committed to Scotland and it’s understandable that he wanted to play for Manchester United. He was in an impossible position, it’s a big match and there is always huge competition for places at his club. You can’t blame him and we’re hoping he will be fine.”
One man who is with the squad is Celtic’s Scott Brown.
He has been suffering from an ankle injury but played an hour of the Hoops’ friendly last week against Sunderland before making an impact as a sub in their 2-0 win over Dynamo Moscow on Wednesday.
Burley added: “It’s very much about taking each day with Scott and assessing the situation closer to the game.”
GLASGOW (AFP)
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Steaua Bucharest to play behind closed doors
August 7, 2009
Steaua Bucharest will play their next two Europa League home matches behind closed doors after UEFA punished the Romanian team’s fans for draping insulting banners inside their stadium.
Steaua chief Gigi Becali said that UEFA had also fined the club 30,000 euros, but he feared the punishment would prove more expensive.
“With the fine, the loss of gate receipts and the expenses, the sanction could cost us around 700,000 euros,” said Becali.
The stadium ban was ordered after Steaua fans flew banners containing abuse aimed at Hungarian side Ujpest Budapest in the second preliminary round of the Europa League.
The first match of the sanction will be Steaua’s play-off clash with Saint Patrick’s Athletic of Ireland on August 20.
BUCHAREST (AFP)
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Inter make Arnautovic swoop
August 7, 2009
Serie A champions Internazionale Milano FC have completed the signing of Eredivisie FC Twente’s forward Marko Arnautovic on a season long loan.
The 20-year-old Austrian had long been linked with a move to the San Siro but a foot injury he picked up in the KNVB Beker Cup final in May appeared to have scuppered the deal.
However, the Serie A champions confirmed the 20-year-old will be part of Jose Mourinho’s squad next season.
A brief statement on www.inter.it, read: “FC Internazionale announce they have deposited this morning the necessary documents for the transfer of the Austrian attacker Marko Arnautovic from Twente to the Nerazzurri.
“The two clubs agreed that it will be a loan deal with the option to buy.”
Arnautovic started his career with Floridsdorfer AC, before being scouted by Twente, who bought the 6 ft 3.5 in forward.
The Austrian international was a revelation for the Eredivisie outfit, last season, as he struck 12 times in 28 appearances to help Twente to second place in the Dutch League.
Abhimanyu Rajput
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United´s Vidic misses start of league season
August 7, 2009
Manchester United will begin the defence of their English Premier League title without injured Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said Friday.
Vidic had already been ruled out of the Community Shield against Chelsea on Sunday at Wembley and the opening Premier League game with promoted Birmingham because of a calf injury.
Fellow defender Wes Brown is also sidelined with a thigh problem but is expected back for the match against Birmingham while Gary Neville is unavailable because of a groin strain.
Ferguson said: “Neither Wes nor Nemanja have long-term injuries. I would expect Wes to be fit for the game a week on Sunday.
“As for Vidic he pulled his calf in the warm-up in Munich (against Bayern Munich) and is two weeks away.
“Gary is doing a little bit of training and coming on fine but I do not think he will make Sunday.”
With goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar out for up to ten weeks with broken fingers, Ferguson has to choose between Ben Foster and Tomasz Kuszczak against Chelsea.
Both played a half in the game against Valencia in midweek and Ferguson added: “We have a selection dilemma as to who plays in goal on Sunday. It is not an easy one for me.”
MANCHESTER, England (AFP)
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Chelsea´s Ancelotti rules out further signings
August 7, 2009
Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti has ruled out the possibility of making any more major signings during the remainder of the transfer window.
Ancelotti – who is currently preparing his side for the Community Shield with Manchester United on Sunday – has been linked with a 100 million pounds (120 million euros) triple swoop for Franck Ribery, Sergio Aguero and Andrea Pirlo.
So far the only new faces to arrive at Stamford Bridge this summer have been midfielder Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow, young former Manchester City striker Daniel Sturridge and the free transfer capture of keeper Ross Turnbull from Middlesbrough.
But Ancelotti insists he is happy with his current squad and has ruled out the arrival of a big-name, ?marquee’ signing this summer.
The manager said: “Now we will stay with these players. I don’t want to bring in other players because I think the squad is very competitive in Chelsea.
We don’t need to bring in any other players.”
Ancelotti has also denied Deco and Ricardo Carvalho are destined for a reunion with former Blues manager Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, claiming instead that both players will play a key role in Chelsea’s coming campaign.
He said: “We have never talked about selling Carvalho and Deco. “They are important players for Chelsea because Carvalho is a very intelligent defender, and Deco has great quality and the team needs players of that quality. They will stay in Chelsea this season.
And he added: “At the moment we don’t have the plan to sell any of the players but if one player isn’t happy, he has to say to us, but now at the moment no player has asked to go.”
Ancelotti acknowledges the clash with United will present a great opportunity for Chelsea to strike an early blow in their bid to prevent Sir Alex Ferguson’s side claiming a fourth successive Premier League title.
Ferguson has made it clear he sees Ancelotti’s side as United’s main rivals this season despite the London club finishing third behind Liverpool last season.
And while the Chelsea manager responded by denying the championship battle is already shaping up to be a two-horse race, he knows that a victory at Wembley will lay down a timely marker before the league programme kicks-off next weekend.
He maintains United will not be weakened by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.
Ancelotti said: “There are also other teams who can win the title, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool Chelsea, Manchester City. To win in England isn’t easy because it is so competitive.
“It has been a good pre-season, no injuries, worked hard, very good mental attitude. Now we are ready to start against Manchester United which will be a difficult match.
“I don’t feel more relaxed about the game because Ronaldo won’t be there. United is a great team with very good players even without Ronaldo. This is a different game. It’s not a friendly game, it’s an important game for us. We are playing a great team, they played in the Champions League final last year and we have respect for this team. Now we want to show our quality on the pitch.”
Ancelotti will have the luxury of being able to field almost a full strength team with only Zhirkov rated doubtful with a knee injury. “Zhirkov now is the only player who has a bit of a problem,2 said the former AC Milan coach.
“He didn’t train the last days and I don’t know if he can play Sunday.
“He has a little problem with his knee. Has to stay out of training today and maybe can try to train tomorrow.”
LONDON (AFP)
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07/08/09: Transfer Rumors
August 7, 2009
‘Paris St Germain winger Jerome Rothen, 31, is expected to arrive in Blackburn to discuss a move with Rovers manager Sam Allardyce.’ – Football365
‘Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc has accused Arsenal of not being serious in their attempts to sign striker Marouane Chamakh. The Gunners have reportedly bid £6m for the 25-year-old, whose contract expires at the end of the season, but the French club want about £10m.’ – Metro
‘Nancy midfielder Benjamin Gavanon is a potential transfer target for Ligue 1 outfit Monaco.’ – L’Est Républicain
‘Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has admitted that he is interested in signing Lyon defender John Mensah as he looks to bolster his defence. “I was interested in Mensah when I was at Birmingham, but he went for a lot of money – £9m,” said Bruce. “We’ll see on him. Yes, there’s an interest.”‘ – The Shields Gazette
‘Bruce has also said Sunderland have ended their interest in Chamakh.’ – The Shields Gazette
‘Mathieu Valbuena, who is under contract with Marseille until 2012, is now attracted by Atletico Madrid, who was already in train to write a contract proposal.
‘Atletico Madrid rejected an offer from city rivals Real Madrid for striker Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan earlier this summer. Real bid about £31m for the 30-year-old Uruguay international before signing Karim Benzema from Lyon.’ – AFP
‘Iberian club Malaga are interested in a loan deal for PSG’s Serbian forward Kezman Mateja, who is not looking forward for a move:’ – L’Equipe
‘Birmingham’s hopes of signing Arsenal left-back Armand Traore on loan for the start of the season appear to have been dashed by Gunners boss Arsene Wenger who will not make a decision until the end of the transfer window.’ – Teletext
‘Tottenham are looking to hijack West Ham’s bid to sign Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has targeted the 32-year-old after missing out on Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who has joined AC Milan from Real Madrid, while West Ham are unlikely to be able to meet Toni’s £90,000-a-week wage demands.’ – Clubcall
‘Chelsea have turned down an £18m bid from Real Madrid for Brazilian defender Alex.’ – The Times
‘Manchester United are still monitoring Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Valencia’s David Silva, despite insisting that their summer spending is over.’ – The Times
‘Liverpool’s Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva has said he may leave the club and return to his homeland if he does not get more first-team action next season.’ – The Sun
‘Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted he is interested in signing Fulham defender Brede Hangeland but said the club are yet to make an offer for the 28-year-old Norwegian.’ – The Independent
‘Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill has expressed an interest in bringing Real Madrid’s 25-year-old Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder to Villa Park.’ – The Guardian
‘Manchester City will make one final offer for Everton defender Joleon Lescott, believed to be about £22m.’ – Daily Mirror
‘Wigan have agreed a £3.5m deal for highly-rated Rayo Vallecano midfielder Mohamed Diame and his team-mate, defender Antonio Amaya.’ – Daily Mail
‘The move for Diame could signal the end of Lee Cattermole’s Wigan career, he is a target for Sunderland, Liverpool, Spurs and Everton.’ – Daily Mail
‘Portsmouth have made a £2m bid for Vitoria Guimaraes midfielder Nuno Assis and the 31-year-old said he is keen on a move to Fratton Park if “the money and sport aspects can be united”.’ – The Sun
‘Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate admits that he is “amazed” that Tuncay is still with the club but expects the 27-year-old to leave by September.’ – Daily Star
‘Wigan striker Olivier Kapo, 28, is a target for French club Nice.’ – The Sun
‘West Brom are keen on 25-year-old St Mirren midfielder Billy Mehmet.’ – Daily Star
‘Celtic are lining up a move for Indian international striker Sunil Chhetri, who signed for Dempo Sports Club in May but is available for £1m.’ – Daily Express
‘Portsmouth are poised to make a move for Celtic left-back Lee Naylor.’ – The Sun
‘Falkirk could hand a contract to former Brann Bergen striker Robbie Winters a contract after the veteran striker impressed as a trialist with Livingston.’ – The Sun
Abhimanyu Rajput
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Arsenal v Celtic in play-offs. Is this what Platini wanted?
August 7, 2009
The draw for the Champions League final qualifying round raises the question whether Michel Platini and UEFA have done the right thing by giving teams from Europe’s less heralded leagues a better chance of reaching the money-spinning group stage.
On one hand, restructuring the qualifying campaign has opened the group stage doors to Latvian champions Venstpils, Cypriots APOEL Nicosia, Hungarian title holders Debrecen and Moldovans Sheriff Tiraspol.
On the other, it has pitted former European Cup winners Celtic against 2006 finalists Arsenal, with the loser confined to taking part in the Europa Liga, the continent’s second tier competition.
The new formula means the Champions League lucrative group stage will now have more champions from obscure countries on Europe’s soccer map at the expense of third and fourth-placed teams from the top leagues.
It gives unfancied teams a chance to boost their finances and close the gap on wealthier rivals, but it also runs the risk of depriving Europe’s premier club competition of some of its glamour.
Would you rather watch both Celtic and Arsenal in the Champions league proper or draw pleasure from seeing a pack of underdogs take centre stage instead?
And crucially, will the new qualifying format last long enough for the new arrivals to establish themselves as regular campaigners?
Give us your thoughts.
PHOTO: UEFA President Michel Platini gestures during a news conference at the end of the organisation’s executive committee meeting in Bucharest May 13, 2009. REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel
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Chelsea will be strong under Ancelotti: Ferguson
August 7, 2009
Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United will face a stern test from Chelsea for the title following Carlo Ancelotti’s appointment at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea finished seven points adrift of champions United last season after starting the season with Luiz Felipe Scolari at the helm and ending it with Guus Hiddink in temporary charge.
Hiddink has since left to concentrate on his role as coach of Russia with Ancelotti, who steered AC Milan to two Champions League triumphs, the new man in charge.
Ferguson faces Ancelotti in Sunday’s Community Shield – the traditional curtain raiser to the new season – when the Premier League champions face FA Cup winners Chelsea.
The United boss said he respected Ancelotti and expects the Italian to be a success at Chelsea.
Ferguson also believes that Chelsea’s decision to reject offers from Manchester City this summer for John Terry will also aid the London club.
“Carlo will take up the baton from Guus Hiddink,” said Ferguson on Friday.
“Although Carlo has his own system of playing, which he used at AC Milan for 20 years, with a diamond in the middle, Chelsea have a lot of experience and a lot of terrific players.
“Chelsea will be strong.”
Ferguson added: “Keeping John Terry will make them stronger, no doubt about that.
“He’s experienced, he’s England’s captain and he’s a good centre half.”
United are chasing a fourth straight title this season yet have been overshadowed by neighbours Manchester City in the transfer market this summer.
While City have spent around 100 million pounds (167 million dollars) on new players, United have invested 20 million (33.4 million dollars).
Ferguson is intrigued to discover how City will get on this season but does not expect them to break into the top four.
“I think ourselves, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal are looking at what is happening at Manchester City with great interest,” added Ferguson.
“We’re all looking to see whether it will work or not after the money they have spent.
“There’s a lot of interest in that from all of us.
“It’s difficult to break into the top four with the consistency and quality that the top four have got.
“Don’t forget that over the last few years those teams have competed in semi-finals and finals of the European Cup.
“It’s a great consistency that.
“They’re talking about Barcelona and Real Madrid starting to dominate again (in europe) but I have my doubts on that.
“I think those four (Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal) are strong teams.”
United will be without Nemanja Vidic for the first two games of the season against Birmingham and Burnley because of a calf injury.
MANCHESTER, England (AFP)
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Real ´tried to buy Forlan from Atletico´
August 7, 2009
Atletico Madrid rejected an offer from cross-town rivals Real for Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan, a Spanish newspaper said Friday.
After failing to sign striker David Villa from Valencia, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez offered Atletico 36 million euros for Forlan, the ABC newspaper said.
Atletico president Miguel Angel Gil rejected the offer, saying he would never agree to sell last season’s top scorer in the Spanish league to the club’s “eternal rival”.
Real then switched their attention to French side Lyon’s Karim Benzema, who last month joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka at the club.
MADRID (AFP)
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Celtic handed Arsenal Champions League play-off
August 7, 2009
Celtic were brought back to earth with a bump on Friday after being drawn with English Premier League giants Arsenal in the draw for the play-off stage of the Champions League.
Celtic maintained their interest in Europe’s premier club competition on Wednesday by overcoming a 1-0 first leg defeat to Dynamo Moscow in third round qualifying to win the second leg in Russia 2-0.
But the Scottish Premier League runners-up will now have to better Arsenal over two legs if they are to become one of the 10 teams from this draw to join the 22 already qualified for the lucrative group stages.
Elsewhere in the draw, composed of 10 champions group teams and 10 non-champions groups teams, there were few major shocks – and a couple of clubs with smiles on their faces.
Former French champions Lyon, who over the years have consistently made the quarter-finals of the competition, were handed what looked a plum draw against Belgian league runners-up side Anderlecht.
Two of the tightest battles for a group stage spot could take place between Sporting Lisbon, who drew Italians Fiorentina, and Greek side Panathinaikos who were drawn with Atletico Madrid.
The other draw in the non-Champions group pitted German side VfB Stuttgart with Romanian outfit Timisoara.
Meawnwhile there were some unpredictable match-ups from the ‘Champions group’ draw.
Greek champions Olympiakos will play their first of their two legs against FC Sheriff in Romania, while Austrian champions FC Salzburg will host Israeli counterparts Maccabi Haifa.
In the first leg champions Ventspils, bidding to become the first Latvian side in the group stages, will host Swiss counterparts FC Zurich.
Danish champions FC Copenhagen host Apoel Nicosia of Cyprus in the first leg while Bulgarian title-winners Levski Sofia host Hungarian champions Debrecen.
The first legs of the play-off will be held on August 18 and 19, with the second leg held on August 25 and 26. The winners go into the group stages while the losers drop into the inaugural Europa League group stage.
The draw for the group stages of the Champions League is composed of 32 teams and will be held in Monaco on August 27.
The Champions League play-off draw as announced on Friday:
Champions group
Sheriff (MDA) v Olympiakos (GRE)
Salzburg (AUT) v Maccabi Haifa (ISR)
Ventspils (LAT) v FC Zurich (SUI)
FC Copenhagen (DEN) v Apoel Nicosia (CYP)
Levski Sofia (BUL) v Debrecen (HUN)
Non-champions group
Lyon (FRA) v Anderlecht (BEL)
Celtic (SCO) v Arsenal (ENG)
Timisoara (ROM) v VfB Stuttgart (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Fiorentina (ITA)
Panathinaikos (GRE) v Atletico Madrid (ESP)
PARIS (AFP)
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