Benitez hints at Aquilani start after Rovers bore draw
December 6, 2009
Rafael Benitez dropped a strong hint he will give midfielder Alberto Aquilani his long-awaited first start in a Liverpool shirt next week after a frustrating goalless draw away to Blackburn.
The Italian international, a 20 million pounds (22.1 million euros) pre-season signing from Roma has endured a frustrating start to his Anfield career after being troubled by injury.
Aquilani has been restricted to a handful of substitute appearances and, in a game that was crying out for quality, was left kicking his heels on the substitutes bench at Ewood Park on Saturday.
Benitez insisted the midfielder will start the Champions League game with Fiorentina at Anfield on Wednesday, Liverpool’s final game in the competition this season following their elimination.
Liverpool manager Benitez is also confident Spain striker Fernando Torres, who missed his fifth successive game against Blackburn with a niggling groin problem, will also feature against Fiorentina.
“Hopefully Torres will be available and maybe Aquilani will start,” said Benitez, after watching his side drop two crucial points in their efforts to finish in the top four of the English Premier League.
“It did cross my mind to play Aquilani against Blackburn.
“But this was a difficult and physical game and probably wasn’t the best for Aquilani,” the Spanish manager added.
“He has not been fit and has been lacking in match fitness. But he is nearing the time when he can start and it will be different at Anfield in front of our fans. It might be easier for him.”
Benitez admitted his side had dropped points rather than gained one against Blackburn.
The draw will do little to convince the club’s critics Liverpool are firing on all cylinders this season and are on course to secure a top four finish.
“We had chances and you have to score your chances,” added Benitez, who refused to criticise young striker David Ngog for his glaring second-half miss.
Meanwhile Sam Allardyce said he was pleased with the home side’s efforts.
It was the Blackburn manager’s first game back since undergoing minor heart surgery, which forced him to miss the previous four matches.
Allardyce was under orders from his doctor to spend the match sat in the directors’ box – away from the tension of the touchline.
“I have to be pleased with a point but we might have nicked it in the end,” said Allardyce. “We could have won on another day.
“Considering we went into this on the back of 120 minutes against Chelsea in mid-week (when they beat the Premier League leaders on penalties to advance to the semi-finals of the League Cup), it was a good effort.”
BLACKBURN, England (AFP)
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Celtic face sobering festive period, says Hinkel
December 6, 2009
Andreas Hinkel said the next month could be vital to Celtic’s title challenge after he helped his side back to the top of the Scottish Premier League with a 3-0 win over 10-man Aberdeen on Saturday.
Rivals Rangers had temporarily gone top with a 3-1 win over Falkirk in the early kick-off match which heaped the pressure on the Hoops.
But Celtic responded with what was their third win in a week at Parkhead which keeps them two points above Rangers, who have a game in hand, in the race for the title.
Celtic face their Glasgow rivals in the Old Firm derby at Parkhead on January 3 and Hinkel has targeted maximum points from their next four league matches to try and ensure the Hoops go into the game top of the table.
“This month is going to be very important for us with some hard games before the Rangers game,” the German said.
“It’s important that we take full points from them – that is the goal we have.
“The next two games, away to Motherwell and Hearts, could be vital. They are tough games but I think we can win these games and we have to.”
Against Aberdeen Marc Crosas picked out Hinkel on the right and his low ball across the box was met by Australian striker Scott McDonald, who fired the ball into the net off Langfield for the opener.
Georgios Samaras scored a double either side of Jerel Ifil’s sending off for violent conduct and Glenn Loovens and Niall McGinn saw efforts cleared off the line as Celtic ran riot in the second-half.
New Celtic manager Tony Mowbray and his team have come in for criticism this season as they struggled for form with just two wins out of ten in all competitions before their recent hat-trick of wins.
And though happy with the win, Mowbray is not about to change his habit of balancing out praise of his team with their shortcomings.
“You are never totally satisfied as a coach but there were plenty of pleasing things today,” Mowbray said.
“There have been periods of the season where we’ve been very good but that has been punctured as we’ve gone along by the odd game where we’ve dropped points.
“This week we’ve had a bit of consistency as we won three games but I have seen consistency in the performance for a few weeks.
“Management is not here to be enjoyed. I’m here to hopefully get the best out my players and at times of difficulty keep the group together and keep them believing.
“When things are going well my job is to keep their feet on the ground.
“We need to keep going because it’s a long season and at the end of the day I understand the next time we drop points it will be a crisis again.”
At Parkhead Aberdeen were reduced to 10 men in the 56th minute when Ifil saw red for violent conduct after lashing out at Samaras with his boot after the pair contested a high ball.
Mark McGhee was furious with his defender and said it may cost him his place in the side.
“If there is such a thing as a double red card then he should have got it,” the Dons boss said.
“It was stupid and reckless. It was lazy. The boy has been playing well but Zander Diamond is only a couple of weeks away from fitness.
“He might lose his place in the side because of this. I have no complaints about it apart from with him.”
GLASGOW (AFP)
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Ferguson faces defensive headache as injuries mount
December 6, 2009
Sir Alex Ferguson admits he is struggling to field a recognisable back-four in Wednesday’s Champions League clash at Wolfsburg after Wes Brown and Gary Neville were forced out of Manchester United’s 4-0 victory at West Ham.
Goals from Paul Scholes, Darron Gibson, Antonio Valencia and Wayne Rooney completed a comfortable victory on Saturday for the reigning champions, who are now just two points behind Chelsea following the leaders’ defeat at Manchester City.
But the victory was achieved despite Ferguson having to make late changes to his plans when Nemanja Vidic withdrew from the trip to Upton Park after suffering from flu.
That forced Ferguson to pair Neville and Brown in central defence, with midfielder Darren Fletcher operating as a makeshift right back.
But he was forced into further changes when Neville hobbled out of the action after just 34 minutes with a groin problem that is expected to keep the former England defender out for a number of weeks.
Midfielder Michael Carrick was introduced from the substitutes bench to partner Brown and is now certain to continue in that role against Wolfsburg.
By then Ferguson hopes Vidic will have recovered in time to partner Carrick while young defender Ritchie De Laet is also likely to start.
“It’s becoming a headache to us,” Ferguson said. “Losing Vidic to flu, we put Gary Neville to centre back and he goes off after 30 mins.
“Michael Carrick did very well and then Wes Brown had to come off towards the end. I’m hoping we’re going to have a back four for Wednesday. Vidic should be okay and I’ll probably play Michael Carrick and Nemanja again.
“We put Michael as substitute in case anything happened to the back four because he has the height, the composure, the pace and experience to play there.
“There was an option to play De Laet but away from home at West Ham is difficult and I felt an experienced player was important.
“I would have liked to play him from the start but I had to err on the side of caution and I’m glad I did.”
Scholes’ goal in first half added time had set United on their way and came after the midfielder, 35, had this week hinted he may consider retiring at the end of the season.
Ferguson, though, believes Scholes is playing as well as ever and is exerting a positive influence on Gibson and United’s other young players.
He said: “Paul Scholes is an incredible player and he’s conducting play so well just now. He’s making it look good for us.
“Darron and Anderson are young boys, both 21, and are going to be great players. But they have to accept that in Paul Scholes they see the finished article, a man who has been doing it for 15 years at the highest level and it’s a great example to them and it will rub off I’m sure.”
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola conceded his side had been well beaten although their cause wasn’t helped by an illness to Rob Green that led to the keeper vomiting in his penalty area during the second half.
Zola said: “Their finishing was excellent – especially the first two goals.
“We had worked on our defending all week and we were succeeding. The second goal was just a fantastic strike and from then on we were chasing the game and we got hit on the counter-attack.
“Our approach was working quite well but it’s fair to say that we didn’t threaten them enough. Don’t forget that they are the champions and are a great team.
“Rob Green felt sick at the start of the second half and later on he vomited in the goalmouth. We decided to take him off after the fourth goal.
“We have a lot of injuries but I don’t really have too many options to strengthen the team in January. Maybe I might be forced to pull my boots on myself.”
LONDON (AFP)
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Scholes strike sets up United´s win over West Ham
December 6, 2009
Paul Scholes sent Manchester United on their way to a comfortable 4-0 victory over West Ham at Upton Park as Sir Alex Ferguson’s champions kept up the pressure on English Premier League leaders Chelsea.
Scholes fired the visitors ahead on the stroke of half-time before Darron Gibson, Antonio Valencia and Wayne Rooney completed the victory.
United’s win meant Chelsea started Saturday’s late kick-off match against Manchester City knowing defeat would leave them just two points clear of the defending champions.
Scholes, 35, had spoken this week of his growing frustration at his failure to influence games in the manner he once did and hinted that he may consider retirement at the end of this season.
His goal, though, proved a timely reminder that the former England midfielder still possesses the quality to conjure something out of nothing and remains an invaluable member of manager Ferguson’s squad.
Prior to Scholes’s strike at the end of the first period, United had failed to create clear-cut chances against Gianfranco Zola’s struggling side despite being in almost total control of the game.
Before kick-off it is likely that Ferguson may have had some concerns about fielding a patched-up back four that was weakened by the late withdrawal of Nemanja Vidic with a bug.
With Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans also injured, Ferguson was forced to partner Gary Neville and Wes Brown in the centre of defence with Darren Fletcher slotting in as a makeshift right-back.
However, with Carlton Cole missing until well into the new year with a knee injury, Zola’s team are desperately lacking up front and they simply didn’t have the strength to unsettle the visitors.
Experienced Mexican striker Guillermo Franco battled hard but he was lacking in support and the only real opening that fell the home side’s way during the first period came from a careless back pass from the normally reliable Ryan Giggs.
Giggs presented Zavon Hines with time and space in the United box but the veteran midfielder recovered to deny Jack Collison when Hines delivered a low cross in front of Tomasz Kuszczak’s goal.
That chance came after just ten minutes and the Hammers would have to wait until well into the second period until they created a second opportunity.
In between, the visitors took total control with Giggs showcasing the more positive side of his game with a series of darting runs down the left that continually stretched the home defence.
A Giggs corner presented Valencia with the chance to flick a header onto the roof of the net.
And the same two players combined again in the build-up to Scholes’s goal when Valencia recovered the ball following a Giggs cross to keep alive a move that exposed West Ham’s defensive weaknesses.
Three times West Ham failed to clear the ball and when Danny Gabbidon’s weak defensive header fell to Scholes, the midfielder took the ball down expertly on his chest and lashed in a fierce left-foot shot.
The half-time introduction of Alessandro Diamanti added some urgency to West Ham’s play but there was never any chance of them getting back into the game once Gibson struck United’s second.
The young Irish midfielder is fast developing a reputation for his powerful shooting and he showed why in the 61st minute when he capped a Giggs-inspired break with a powerful 20-yard drive that gave Robert Green no chance.
West Ham simply wilted at that point and nine minutes later Valencia made it three when he turned home Anderson’s low cross from inside the six-yard box.
The Ecuador international then turned provider sixty seconds later when he delivered a carbon-copy ball, this time for Rooney to finish with ease.
LONDON (AFP)
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Arsenal give Wenger a lift with Stoke win
December 6, 2009
A bad week for Arsene Wenger ended on a high on Saturday, as Arsenal earned a 2-0 Premier League win over Stoke City.
Andrey Arshavin’s first-half goal and a late second from Aaron Ramsey proved enough to end the north Londoners’ run of three straight defeats and brought some belated cheer to Wenger.
The Frenchman had come under fire from fans and pundits alike after heavy losses to Chelsea and Manchester City, while his refusal to shake Mark Hughes’s hand after Wednesday’s League Cup quarter-final defeat to City had seen the criticism turn aggressively personal.
Three points here, which lifted Arsenal back into the top three, will at least buy Gunners manager Wenger some breathing space, although the victory should have been more emphatic.
Cesc Fabregas missed an early penalty and Arsenal twice hit the woodwork but, despite some second-half nerves, Stoke’s timidity in attack ensured there was no upset.
This was the day for Arsenal’s players to repay some of their manager’s faith – to remind the sceptics that, while pride might have been bruised, it had not crumpled entirely. In that respect, they succeeded.
Shrugging off the absence of the injured Robin van Persie, Eduardo and Nicklas Bendtner, Arsenal made a lightning fast start which could have seen them three goals up in the first 20 minutes.
An early chance for Arshavin, fashioned by some slick inter-play between Tomas Rosicky and Fabregas, was smothered by visiting goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen, who then blocked Samir Nasri’s drive at his near post.
The Dane might have sensed he would be in for a busy afternoon so he could have done without Rory Delap conceding a brainless penalty for a foul on Arshavin in the 20th minute.
The Russian was isolated on the edge of the area when the Irish midfielder clipped his heels, leaving referee Mark Clattenburg with the simplest of decisions.
Fabregas, assuming spot-kick duties in the absence of van Persie, struck his shot firmly enough but it was at a comfortable height for Sorensen, who saved smartly to his left.
Wenger, who had used his programme notes to bemoan how his team “cannot take advantage of dangerous situations”, must have feared his words had fallen on deaf ears but, within seven minutes, any annoyance had evaporated.
Fabregas, doubtless anxious to atone for his error, teed up Arshavin on the left side of the area and, after Stoke?s defenders inexplicably backed off, the 28-year-old was able to place his shot into the bottom corner.
Moments later, the game should have been killed off for good. A surging run and fizzing low cross from Armand Traore was deflected onto his own post by Abdoulaye Faye, with Fabregas meeting the rebound on the half-volley.
The ball was scudding towards the net until it struck Emmanuel Eboue, the Arsenal midfielder, and deflected wide.
The second half was a more sedate affair.
Arshavin came close with a low shot that drew another impressive save from Sorensen, while Faye again struck his own woodwork as he deflected the former Zenit St Petersburg forward’s shot onto the crossbar.
That provoked some nervous grumbling among the home supporters but their misgivings were misplaced.
With 10 minutes left, Ramsey, on as a substitute, advanced to the edge of Stoke’s area and planted a sweet shot into the bottom corner with the outside of his right foot.
Wenger, and Arsenal, could breathe again.
LONDON (AFP)
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Sporting Braga held by Leixoes
December 6, 2009
Sporting Braga may well have to share their Portuguese lead again after this weekend’s games, following a 1-1 draw at Leixoes on Saturday.
Leixoes have been in dismal shape lately and are only one spot away from the danger zone.
But the troubled side received unexpected help in their match with Braga, as an own goal from Moises allowed them to take the lead after 33 minutes.
Braga did limit the damage however as Alan levelled the score with just two minutes left in regular time.
Benfica host Academica on Sunday and a win would have them share the top spot with Braga once again.
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Standard and Germinal divide points
December 6, 2009
After two league defeats, Standard Liege were again unable to record a victory and were instead held to a 2-2 draw by Germinal Beerschot.
Beerschot have been in surprisingly good shape lately and currently occupy third place in the Belgian Pro League.
And Germinal again impressed in Liege, taking the lead through Bart Goor in the 39th minute.
Milan Jovanovic levelled the score three minutes before the hour mark, but Tosin Dosunmu had already restored the gap five minutes later.
Standard did limit the damage though, as Igor De Camargo made it 2-2 with 20 minutes to play.
Leaders Anderlecht play away to Cercle Brugge on Sunday, while second-placed Club Brugge travel to face Lokeren.
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Olympiakos beat Xanthi to defend lead
December 6, 2009
Olympiakos Piraeus successfully defended their lead in the Greek league, earning a narrow away victory to Xanthi on Saturday.
Leonardo put the defending champions in the lead after 31 minutes, and his goal was enough for Olympiakos to walk away with the points.
Panathinaikos host Atromitos on Sunday and need a win to restore the one-point gap with Olympiakos.
Third-placed PAOK Saloniki returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Larissa. Vladimir Ivic scored the only goal from the penalty spot after just four minutes.
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Fenerbahce lose again in Turkey
December 6, 2009
Turkish leaders Fenerbahce lost their third league game in a row on Saturday, crashing to a 2-1 defeat at Eskisehirspor.
After a successful season start, Fenerbahce’s recent form has left a lot to wish for and the Istanbul side again failed to convince at Eskisehir’s Ataturk stadium.
Adem Sari was the big hero for the home side, scoring in the 62nd and 78th minute to give Eskisehirspor a comfortable lead that even Diego Lugano’s late goal for 2-1 could not threaten.
In Fenerbahce’s starting line-up for this match, there were just as many Brazilians as Turks at five each.
Galatasaray have a chance to move into first place on Sunday, but will need to beat Istanbul BB in a local derby.
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