Mourinho hails perfect Inter after Chelsea revenge mission

March 17, 2010

Jose Mourinho insisted Inter Milan’s 1-0 victory – 3-1 on aggregate – over his former club Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday was just reward for the perfect performance.

Mourinho savoured a moment of sweet revenge for his sacking as Chelsea boss in September 2007 as Samuel Eto’o’s late goal at Stamford Bridge sent the Blues crashing out of Europe’s elite club competition at the last 16 stage.

The Portuguese coach, who won five major trophies in three years with Chelsea, crafted a brilliant game-plan to frustrate Carlo Ancelotti’s side and he admitted his Inter players carried it out to the letter.

“I am very happy because we won and we were the best team. Sometimes in football you win because you were lucky and sometimes you win because you are the best team from the first minute until the last. That is the perfect win. That team was my team,” Mourinho said.

“I think everything was superior. Chelsea had reactions of frustration, of a team that felt the opposition was superior. Our team started the second half in an incredible way.

“We were the best team by far. Chelsea is a great team, we know that and we came here knowing very well the way they play. We knew that if you don’t control the game by having the ball you have no chance.

“Every player performed at the highest level to win here, this must be almost a perfect performance. We deserve so much this victory, we were the best team.”

Mourinho had promised not to celebrate if Inter won, but he leapt to his feet when Eto’o scored and then hurried down the tunnel at full-time to enjoy the moment with his players in the dressing room.

“I celebrated a lot in the dressing room when the game was over. It was a big victory for my team,” Mourinho said.

“As I have said before, I am a professional, I love Chelsea, I love this stadium, I love these people but I am a professional.

“Who knows, in the future I may coach another English team and I will come here again as an opponent.”

Ancelotti was brought to Chelsea by owner Roman Abramovich with the specific aim of ending the club’s long wait to be crowned kings of Europe, but instead the Blues have bowed out in the last 16 for the first time since 2006.

The Italian has never been on good terms with Mourinho but he conceded Inter were well worth their victory and, with Abramovich perhaps in mind, he apologised for Chelsea’s premature exit.

“Inter deserved to win. They played a very good game. They put strong pressure on our midfielders and we were not capable of playing how we wanted,” Ancelotti said.

“We were never fully in control during the game. There were only a few moments when we could control it. I think we could play better.

“We are very sorry, but this is the reality. I am disappointed because we are out of a very important competition but I want to say best wishes to Inter because I have nothing against them or Mourinho.”

The result was a tactical triumph for Mourinho but Ancelotti insisted he had not been out-witted by the Inter coach.

“I wasn’t surprised by Mourinho’s tactics. One thing I was surpised by was the hard work put in by the two wide players, Eto’o and Pandev,” he added.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: aggregate, brilliant game plan, carlo ancelotti, champions league, club chelsea, club competition, dressing room, elite club, frustration, full time, inter milan, jose mourinho, opponent, opposition, samuel eto o, second half, stamford bridge, sweet revenge, trophies, victory

Benitez demands Liverpool show their worth

December 13, 2009

Rafael Benitez believes Liverpool will use Sunday’s showdown with Arsenal to kick-start a season in danger of spiralling out of control.

Benitez’s side have won just three of their last 14 matches, a woeful run that has seen the Reds crash out of the Champions League and slip to seventh in the Premier League.

They suffered one final indignity in Europe’s elite club competition on Wednesday as a distinctly average Fiorentina won 2-1 at Anfield, but Benitez is convinced that result could prove the catalyst for a far more successful second half of the season.

The pressure to finish in the Premier League’s top four and qualify for next season’s European Cup is growing by the week. Yet Benitez is confident that the return of fit-again Fernando Torres will inspire his team, who start the weekend 12 points adrift of leaders Chelsea and four behind fourth-placed Tottenham.

Torres returned from a groin injury to make a substitutes appearance against Fiorentina and the Spain striker is poised to start against Arsenal along with Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani.

“I think we will be in a better position if we don’t have too many problems with injuries in the next few weeks,” Benitez said.

“Torres and Steven Gerrard didn’t play too many games together last season, but the team did well.

“It is the same this year. If both are fit and can play together, we will push them, but we also have to protect them.

“The Arsenal match is important, but every game will be important until the end of the season.

“We have to start with this one because Arsenal are near the top of the table, so if we can win we will be closer and will have a better chance of finishing in the top four.

“Every year you have to approach the season thinking about wining something, but each season is different.

“We have had some problems before, but now our idea is to improve in the league and afterwards think about the Europa League and the FA Cup.

“Sometimes the team has a bad moment, but that is the same at all the clubs. The only way to change things is to work harder and try to do things well.”

Benitez has been forced to issue a biting response to the criticism flowing his way in recent weeks.

He singled out former Anfield boss Graeme Souness and Jurgen Klinsmann, the ex-Germany coach linked with the Liverpool job two years ago, after they wrote off his team on television following the Fiorentina match.

Speaking about Klinsmann, Benitez said: “I think he was an expert in marketing. His management career? Short.”

He added: “There is always criticism but I don’t listen. I turn off the volume on the TV.

“If someone talks too much, it is their problem, but the fans know the record they both have as managers, fantastic!”

Like Liverpool, Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal have been cast adrift in the title race.

The Gunners are four points and four places better off than Liverpool, but Wenger’s men have lost two of their last three league games and arrive on Merseyside on the back of a 1-0 Champions League defeat against Olympiakos.

Wenger insists the game is as important to his side than it is to Liverpool, and is refusing to write off Benitez’s side.

“For us, it’s a very big game,” Wenger said. “I don’t deny that. We go into this game with that feeling.

“Everybody has a real chance of not making the top four if you don?t perform right.

“They?re (Liverpool) a contender like everybody else. It?s very early in the season still, with many games to be played, and Liverpool have the quality.”

Wenger has also had to contend with the loss of key players to injury and will once again be without Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner, while Tomas Rosicky and Emmanuel Eboue are also out.

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP)

Tags: alberto aquilani, anfield, better chance, catalyst, champions league, CHELSEA, club competition, elite club, emmanuel eboue, England, Europe, Fernando Torres, fiorentina, Germany, groin injury, indignity, Liverpool, Merseyside, midfielder, Nicklas Bendtner, premier league, rafael benitez, reds, Steven Gerrard, striker, tomas rosicky, tottenham

Only first place will do for Arsenal boss Wenger

November 3, 2009

Arsene Wenger has warned Arsenal’s stars that they must qualify from their Champions League group in first place.

Wenger’s side can effectively book their spot in the knockout stages with a win over Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, but the Arsenal boss won’t be satisfied with that.

The Gunners are currently top of Group H with seven points from three games – including a 1-1 draw with Alkmaar – and Wenger knows it would be a major boost to finish in pole position as the first-placed teams are guaranteed a home second leg in the last 16.

“We want to finish first in the group and that will not be done on Wednesday but we can make the first step, to win and qualify,” Wenger said on Tuesday.

“That will be a big step but you know we were warned at Alkmaar that this team has quality, that, in my opinion, they focus highly on the Champions League.”

After being widely written off as also-rans in pre-season, Arsenal have defied the critics so far this term.

They have gone 11 matches without defeat in all competitions and Wenger believes the Gunners, who were beaten by Manchester United at the semi-final stage last season, deserve to be ranked among Europe’s elite.

“I consider ourselves as an elite club because we are in the top seeded eight of Europe and we are as I have said with only two clubs who have achieved 12 consecutive times to play in the Champions League, so we are an elite club,” he said.

“You do not only want to participate. We have been in the final, we have been in the semi-final and at some stage I think being here every year we will win it.”

Arsenal looked in peak form on Saturday as they destroyed north London rivals Tottenham 3-0. Yet, while Wenger is encouraged by his young side’s impressive form, he knows the litmus test will come if they remain in contention for silverware in the second half of the season.

The pressure of playing two matches a week and needing to win every time separates the pretenders from the truly great teams and Wenger added: “We have to show that we can focus every three days, that we can play for each other every three days all along the season, that we can prepare every game with the same kind of conscientious attitude and that we can win.

“That’s a lot of things that we have still to accomplish. It is in front of us and for example we have to show that we can go into the game with the same seriousness that we have done on Saturday against Tottenham.”

A win over Alkmaar on Wednesday would not only push Arsenal towards the last 16, but also end a series of disappointments for Wenger against AZ coach Ronald Koeman.

Wenger has squared up against former Holland star Koeman five times in Europe and has yet to finish on the winning side.

Koeman masterminded a knockout stage win over Arsenal during his time at PSV Eindhoven, then moved to Ajax, who drew twice with the Gunners, before holding Wenger’s team to a draw with AZ two weeks ago.

Publicly at least Wenger insists he isn’t motivated by personal duels.

“Personally I don’t feel that I played against Ronald Koeman. I think I play against Alkmaar with my team and that is the most important,” Wenger said.

“I believe Ronald Koeman didn’t score in the last minute when we played against Alkmaar.

“Credit to him – he organises his team and they fight well and he has always been a manager of good teams. But I have never in my life been obsessed by personal rivalries.”

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: alkmaar, champions league group, competitions, consecutive times, contention, dutch champions, Eindhoven, elite club, Emirates Stadium, Europe, gunners, Holland, knockout stages, litmus test, london, Manchester, manchester united, north London, pole position, pretenders, rivals, ronald koeman, seven points, silverware, three games, weng, Wenger

Anelka strike enough for unconvincing Chelsea

September 16, 2009

Chelsea kicked off their Champions League campaign in unconvincing fashion as Nicolas Anelka’s goal clinched a barely-deserved 1-0 win over Porto on Tuesday.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team spluttered for long periods at Stamford Bridge but Anelka’s superb finish early in the second half was enough to kill off the Portuguese champions.

Porto ended with 10 men after Fernando was sent off for a second booking following his rash challenge on Ashley Cole.

The Blues will have to improve significantly to end their long wait to win Europe’s elite club competition, but the return of suspended striker Didier Drogba, who is banned for two more matches, should make a major difference.

“I was not anxious but at the end of the match we had difficulty to control the Porto attacks. We didn’t keep the ball and control the game,” Ancelotti said.

“It is good for us to win and also to have difficulties because we can learn from it.

“We can’t always play the best, we have to win without playing well. This is another important thing for a team.”

Porto boss Jesualdo Ferreira added: “It is very difficult to swallow this result. We conceded a goal that was a bit unfair on us but controlled the second half very well after that.

“We were a little bit unlucky not to score because we had more of the ball.”

With Drogba and Jose Bosingwa absent following their rants at referee Tom Henning Ovrebo after last season’s semi-final defeat to Barcelona, Blues boss Ancelotti brought in Branislav Ivanovic at right-back, while Salomon Kalou partnered Anelka up front.

England winger Joe Cole was on the bench after recovering from the knee injury that has kept him out since January.

On the eve of the match Ancelotti had told his players that a place in the final is the minimum he expects from a squad of such talent and experience.

But Ancelotti has no need to set targets for his players in Europe. As the list of agonising near-misses in the Champions League continues to grow, achieving success in the competition has become an obsession at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues made a bright start as they returned to European action for the first time since Ovrebo’s controversial penalty decisions and Andres Iniesta’s last-gasp goal ended Chelsea’s challenge in May.

Frank Lampard seized his first shooting opportunity with a dipping long-range effort that Porto keeper Helton pushed away for a corner.

Bruno Alves was fortunate to avoid punishment for an elbow on John Terry but Ferreira’s side showed no signs of an inferiority complex.

They went close to taking the lead twice in quick succession when Brazilian forward Hulk tested Petr Cech with a swerving strike before Cristian Rodriguez headed over from the resulting corner.

Lampard’s stooping header from Ivanovic’s cross forced Helton into a fine stop but Chelsea laboured as the half wore on.

As Chelsea passes went astray with increasing regularity, Porto were able to push forward. Fredy Guarain looped a header just over, while Raul Meireles should have done better than nod tamely at Cech.

The torrential rain soaking west London had also hindered Chelsea’s passing, but they emerged after half-time in a more focused mood.

Ancelotti’s side were ahead within three minutes of the re-start as Kalou poked a pass through to Anelka. The France striker’s first effort was saved by Helton but he pounced on the rebound and whipped a brilliant strike back past the keeper from an acute angle.

Porto had failed to win on any of their previous 13 visits to England and their frustration was clear when Fucile made an ugly two-footed lunge on Florent Malouda.

Only a fine save from Helton, pushing away Kalou’s diving header, denied Chelsea a second goal moments later.

Yet in the closing stages Chelsea reverted to the sloppy play that marred their first half. Guarin should have made them pay but shot straight at Cech after Porto cut through the home defence.

Cech preserved Chelsea’s lead in the final moments as he clawed away an awkward shot from Silvestre Verela, then Fernando saw red for his foul on Cole in stoppage time.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: achieving success, ashley cole, carlo ancelotti, club competition, Drogba, elite club, Ferreira, ivanovic, Joe Cole, knee injury, league campaign, long periods, long wait, Nicolas Anelka, referee, salomon, stamford bridge, tom henning, winger

Ancelotti sets final goal for Chelsea

September 14, 2009

Carlo Ancelotti has told his Chelsea stars that reaching the Champions League final is the least they should achieve in Europe’s elite club competition this season.

Ancelotti was hired by Blues owner Roman Abramovich partly because of his Champions League pedigree and the Italian, who won the competition twice during his reign at AC Milan, has set his new team a lofty goal before a ball has even been kicked.

The Chelsea boss gets a first chance to underline his European nous when Chelsea begin their campaign at home to Porto on Tuesday, but he has already seen enough of the west London side to know they can go all the way to next year’s final in Real Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium.

“The first objective is to reach the final,” Ancelotti said on Monday. “We want to arrive at the final before we think about winning it.

“It is not easy to reach the final but I think we have the possibility to do this.

“We have to try to do our best. We have a very strong team with fantastic players and a fantastic mental attitude.”

Chelsea have endured a rocky ride in the Champions League since Abramovich made the tournament his holy grail after buying the club in 2003.

They have been defeated at the semi-final stage four times, including last season’s agonising exit to Barcelona, and came within one kick of winning it for the first time in the 2008 final, only for John Terry’s penalty miss in the shoot-out to gift the trophy to Manchester United.

Ancelotti can’t pin-point a reason for Chelsea’s misfortune, but insists he doesn’t feel under any extra pressure to end the club’s long wait to be crowned kings of Europe.

“It is not that the club asked me to win the Champions League, they asked me to win the Champions League, the Premier League, the FA Cup and the League Cup!” Ancelotti said.

“For Chelsea it is important to be in these competitions and to have the possibility to win. To win is not easy because the Champions League is a very special competition.

“I don’t know why they haven’t won it. I think they have done very well in the Champions League because they reached the semi finals five times in six years. It is not easy to do that.

“To win the Champions League is very important. You need to be a little bit lucky but it isn’t just luck. You have to believe if you want to do the best in this competition.”

Ancelotti must cope without Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba for three matches and Portugal right-back Jose Bosingwa for two games as the pair serve European suspensions dished out by UEFA for their conduct at the end of last season’s Barca defeat.

Drogba and Bosingwa hounded referee Tom Henning Ovrebo after he failed to award Chelsea three penalties before a last minute goal from Andres Iniesta knocked them out.

Losing Drogba is an especially big blow but Ancelotti believes Chelsea will be able to survive without their talismanic forward.

“We don’t have Didier or Jose, but also Joe Cole and Paulo Ferreira will not be able to play and Deco cannot play as well.

“Didier is going very well. He has scored and worked very hard for the team but now we don’t think about Didier. We have to think about the players who will go on the pitch. I think we can play well without Didier.”

After watching Chelsea come from behind several times during their five-match winning run at the start of the Premier League campaign, Ancelotti is already certain his players are made of the right stuff to win in Europe as well.

“I don’t think there is a psychological problem,” he said. “Chelsea were very close to winning in the past. They didn’t win but I think there is a real possibility to do very well this season.”

COBHAM, England (AFP)

Tags: ac milan, Andres Iniesta, Barcelona, bernabeu stadium, carlo ancelotti, champions league final, CHELSEA, club competition, Cole, competitions, didier, elite club, England, Europe, extra pressure, FA Cup, first chance, holy grail, Ivory Coast, Joe, john terry, Jose, lofty goal, MADRID, Manchester, manchester united, mental attitude, Milan, misfortune, Paulo, pedigree, PORTO, portugal, premier league, real madrid, west london

Ferguson laments growth in simulated fouls

September 4, 2009

Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson lamented Friday that simulation by players had crept into English football in recent years, after top European coaches agreed to try to root it out.

“It’s a very difficult area. In my experience in English football over the past 15 years it has crept into the game, there’s no doubt that’s not acceptable,” he told journalists.

Ferguson, one of the participants in the Elite Club Coaches Forum at European football’s governing body UEFA said it was one of the top general issues raised at the meeting.

“We all agreed that education is the best way forward, from the youth team to the first team,” he said.

“No one coach is proud that players simulate to get a decision,” Ferguson added, especially because of its impact on youngsters.

Arsenal announced on Thursday that they will appeal against UEFA’s decision to ban their striker Eduardo for two matches for allegedly diving to win a penalty against Celtic in a Champions League qualifier and “deceiving the referee”.

UEFA Technical Director Andy Roxburgh said Eduardo’s specific case was not discussed during the forum, in which Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also took part.

Asked about the Eduardo sanction, Ferguson described it as a “big example,” even though he agreed with Arsenal’s stance in protecting its players and the difficulty of identifying the limits to disciplining simulation.

“It’s always difficult because I see it every week now, I see some guy dive,” Ferguson acknowledged.

“They (referees) can’t pick every instance, it’s impossible, there’d be no players left, but that’s the way it’s going.”

However, Ferguson insisted that high profile cases had to be tackled.

“UEFA’s position, and I tend to agree with it, is that there’s such a high profile competition now, that we have to make sure it’s done in the fairest possible way.

“In the moral high ground, I have to agree that something needs to be done. I wouldn’t be pleased if my player did that, but I wouldn’t say it in public.”

Roxburgh said the experimental use of two extra match officials on the touchline in this season’s Europa League might help referees spot cases of simulation and act as a deterrent.

GENEVA (AFP)

Tags: alex ferguson, andy roxburgh, area, arsenal manager arsene wenger, Champions, champions league qualifier, club coaches, Coaches, coaches forum, competition, Director Andy Roxburgh, Eduardo, elite club, english football, european coaches, Ferguson, geneva, governing body, manager, manager arsene wenger, Manchester, manchester united, moral high ground, no doubt, profile cases, referees, sanction, sir alex ferguson, Technical, technical director, uefa, Wenger, youngsters

Benitez looking forward to Euro tests

August 28, 2009

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is eagerly awaiting his side’s Champions League campaign after the Reds were drawn against Lyon, Fiorentina and Debreceni on Thursday.

Benitez believes the draw poses interesting tests and he can’t wait to pit his wits against the French, Italian and Hungarian teams because the Anfield club have never faced any of their Group E opponents before.

Lyon failed to win the French league for the first time in eight years last season but have spent big money during the close-season, while Fiorentina are back in Europe’s elite club competition after beating Sporting Lisbon in the qualifying round.

Debreceni, champions of Hungry, are making their Champions League debut.

“You know in the Champions League there will always be difficult games and tough teams to play against,” Benitez told Liverpool’s website.

“Lyon might not have won the league last season but before that they won it many years in a row, so we know they have lots of good players who can play good football.

“Fiorentina are an historic club in a nice city. I know from experience they have fanatstic supporters because I spent some time there when Claudio Ranieri was the coach.

“And we have experience of Hungarian football because of our relationship with MTK (Liverpool have signed a number of youth team players from the Budapest team), so if Debrecen have won their league then we know it means it’s because they’re a good side.

“The important thing as always is that the travelling isn’t too bad, we don’t have too far to go for any of the games. We’re just looking forward to starting the competition now.”

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP)

Tags: Budapest, champions league, Claudio Ranieri, club competition, elite club, England, Europe, fiorentina, french league, league campaign, league debut, Lisbon, Liverpool, liverpool england, Lyon, mtk, nice city, opponents, rafael benitez, reds, relationship, sporting lisbon, wits

Chelsea and Barca eye final prize

May 6, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – As if a place in the Champions League final isn’t motivation enough for Chelsea and Barcelona to win their semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, both sides will also be fuelled by the chance to settle a few old scores.

For Barcelona, the frustration of being stopped from scoring at the Nou Camp for the first time this season in last week’s first leg was exacerbated by the feeling that Chelsea had emerged unscathed from the Catalan cauldron by resorting to the game’s dark arts.

It is a source of pride to Barca’s fans that their team has always remained true to their purist principles. So to see Chelsea play in such a negative, niggly manner and still avoid defeat drew a furious response from Pep Guardiola’s players.

Xavi led the protests against Chelsea’s “anti-football” but, inevitably the Blues were unrepentant and Barca would relish the chance to reach the final by eliminating a club who present such an affront to their beliefs.

Losing in the semi-finals to Manchester United last season was painful enough but the prospect of bowing out at the same stage to Chelsea is too awful to contemplate.

But that desire won’t guarantee Barca get their wish as Chelsea have plenty of additional incentive to complete the road to Rome themselves.

The Blues were one kick away from winning Europe’s elite club competition last May when John Terry ran up to take a penalty in the teeming Moscow rain.

If Terry had converted that spot-kick, Chelsea would have won the shoot-out against Manchester United, but the England captain slipped up as he struck the ball, saw his effort clip the post and it was United who took the trophy.

Chelsea winger Florent Malouda admits the squad are still haunted by that agonising near-miss and he knows only a victory over United or Arsenal in this year’s final can erase those bitter memories.

“Last year, to be in the final, was a very good experience but also bad,” Malouda said. “It was a shame to lose. We are all determined now to get to Rome and win the trophy because we have come close before.

“This now means that our desire is even stronger than it has ever been. The Champions League is a very important competition for any player.

“We all know going to Rome is going to be difficult but we have ambition and the ability to win the competition. We know we can do it. We need to stay focused on our target and achieve our goal.”

Barca will go through with a score-draw however and the Spanish league leaders arrive in west London in great spirits after thrashing Real Madrid 6-2 in the Bernabeu on Saturday.

That win all but sealed the title for Barca and Argentina forward Lionel Messi, who scored twice, is convinced they are capable of putting Chelsea to the sword in similar fashion.

“We will play in the same way against Chelsea as we did against Real and, playing like that, we will have many chances,” Messi said.

“If we do things as we did on Saturday then we will score and go through.

“This was a massive boost. We’re going to London with great spirit and desire to fight and with a lot of belief that we’ll go through. We’ve come out of this with a renewed confidence and strength.”

Barca’s hopes of claiming the away goal that could prove so crucial would be dented if France striker Thierry Henry is unable to recover from a knee injury suffered against Real.

Reports suggesting Henry would be out for two weeks have been denied by Barca, but the Catalans are definitely without suspended centre-back Carlos Puyol and injured fellow defender Rafael Marquez.

Those absences leave Barcelona dangerously short of defensive options but, lest his players start to feel over-confident, Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink was quick to emphasise their opponents’ strength in depth.

“They can replace the two players rather easily,” Hiddink said. “They are well equipped to bring a team which is able to play well. It won’t make a huge difference.”

Hiddink has his own injuries problems with Portugal internationals Ricardo Carvalho and Deco sidelined, but England left-back Ashley Cole is available after missing the first leg through suspension.

Tags: affront, Argentina, barca, Barcelona, bitter memories, Carlos Puyol, cauldron, champions league, CHELSEA, club competition, elite club, England, england captain, Europe, florent malouda, good experience, Henry, john terry, Lionel, london, Manchester, manchester united, nou camp, old scores, pep guardiola, portugal, protests, rafael marquez, ricardo carvalho, road to rome, ROME, semi finals, stamford bridge, thierry henry, UEFA Champions League, winger

Chelsea and Barca eye final prize

May 6, 2009