Rooney injury could shatter United´s title bid: Ancelotti

January 27, 2010

Carlo Ancelotti has warned Manchester United that an injury to Wayne Rooney could shatter their Premier League title challenge because they don’t have the same squad strength as Chelsea.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s pre-season move to Real Madrid has allowed United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to restore Rooney to his favoured central attacking role and the England forward has responded with a superb run of form.

He has already scored 20 goals in all competitions and emphasised his importance to United with the first four-goal haul of his career, against Hull on Saturday, to send the champions to the top of the table.

But Chelsea boss Ancelotti is convinced Rooney’s effervescent displays only serve to underline how much Ferguson’s team depend on the 24-year-old.

“Without Rooney it would be difficult (to win the league). He’s the best striker at Manchester United, one of the best strikers in the world,” Ancelotti said.

“Rooney, for me, is a fantastic player. He’s not only a striker because he’s not only a finisher, he’s a champion, a world-class player.

“He plays for the team. I saw him play left wing last year and coming back to help out the team defensively. He’s a football player. I’m a big fan of Rooney’s.

“He’s a very decisive player for United. We have a possibility without Didier because we can put Anelka on, another top striker in the world.”

Ancelotti feels United would struggle if Rooney was sidelined for a long period because, in contrast to his own squad, Ferguson has only the aging Michael Owen to turn to.

Although Chelsea have been without star striker Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou, one of his main understudies, over the last month due to the African Nations Cup, Ancelotti has been able to rely on Nicolas Anelka – who has five goals in four games – and highly-rated youngster Daniel Sturridge.

Even without Drogba, who is expected back for Saturday’s game at Burnley, Chelsea had scored 14 goals in three matches prior to Wednesday’s clash against Birmingham.

Ancelotti believes that is a tribute to the quality of Anelka and his squad’s impressive depth.

“Without Didier we have the possibility to put other strong, fantastic players in. Without Didier in the Champions League at the start of the season, Nicolas did very well,” he said.

“Now we have Nicolas and Sturridge doing very well in this month. So we had the possibility to play without Didier.

“We changed something on the pitch but if we have less strength in forward areas we can use other players.

“Our aim was to keep all the players in good condition because, if we stay without four players and we then have some injuries, it could have been a difficult period.

“We have those injuries but we can put Deco in because he’s in good condition. In training and work, the players have worked very hard in this period and we could do well without those (African) players.”

With the title race looking set to be a three-horse sprint between Chelsea, United and Arsenal, Ancelotti believes the team that keeps most of its’ star players fit during the run-in will lift the trophy.

“I think that, in this moment, to avoid injury is very important,” he said. “We have to control training and the players’ rest and we can do that because we have good facilities.

“We have to control the load of the matches and training. To have injuries now is very difficult. The risk is to arrive at the end of the season with a tired squad.”

COBHAM, England (AFP)

Tags: Birmingham, carlo ancelotti, cristiano ronaldo, Daniel Sturridge, didier drogba, effervescent, football player, four games, HULL, MADRID, Manchester, manchester united, michael owen, Nicolas Anelka, premier league, real madrid, ronaldo, Salomon Kalou, sir alex ferguson, star striker, strikers, Sturridge, title challenge, wayne rooney, youngster

Mowbray denies rift with board over Caldwell exit

January 15, 2010

Celtic manager Tony Mowbray insists he has not fallen out with the Scottish Premier League club’s directors over the surprise sale of defender Gary Caldwell to Wigan this week.

Scotland centre-back Caldwell joined English Premier League strugglers Wigan on Thursday amid claims he was sold against the manager’s wishes.

The 27-year-old left Parkhead six months before his Celtic deal was due to expire after talks over an extension broke down.

Caldwell had hinted Mowbray was happy to agree to his wage demands but was vetoed by chief executive Peter Lawwell and majority shareholder Dermot Desmond.

But Mowbray said: “I admire Gary Caldwell as a guy and as a football player. Yet, there was a negotiation that went on and on and never came to a conclusion to the point that he was running out of contract, a club made a bid and we accepted that bid.

“I don’t think we need look too deeply into those comments. Certain mischievous avenues could try to create a wedge that is not there.

“It’s wrong to say that there’s a conflict of interest at this club with myself and my board.

“First and foremost, it should be said I’ve got a very strong relationship – working relationship – with the executives at the club and my chief executive, Peter, and with the major shareholder, Dermot.

“There’s no animosity and nothing going on behind the scenes that anybody should try to read into.”

GLASGOW (AFP)

Tags: animosity, avenues, conclusion, conflict of interest, Dermot, Dermot Desmond, desmond, English Premier League, football player, Gary Caldwell, Glasgow, majority shareholder, negotiation, Peter, Peter Lawwell, relationship, scotland, scotland centre, Scottish Premier League, six months, surprise, tony mowbray, wage demands

Pandev: “I can’t wait to leave Lazio”

December 22, 2009

Once again, Goran Pandev has stressed he wants to leave Lazio. The striker has been in the stands of the Stadio Olimpico since last summer because he refused to extend his expiring contract. The Collegio Arbitrale (Settlement Committee) will soon render a decision concerning his request to be granted a unilateral rescission of his contract with the club.

Pandev’s contract at Lazio expires next summer, but the Macedonia international hasn’t played a match for months. The 26-year-old forward was frozen out of the squad by chairman Claudio Lotito after expressing his desire to leave the club last summer. Now, Pandev says he has had enough of this nightmare.

“I can’t wait to leave,” he told Mediaset.

“Lotito disappointed me: he treated me as a nobody and told me one too many lies.

“I have been training on my own for four months and now I am just hoping that all this comes to an end.

“I just want to get back to being a football player.”

If Pandev succeeds in his bid to legally free himself from his contract with the Biancocelesti, Internazionale and Milan are reportedly ready to do battle to lure him to the San Siro in the new year.

Tags: claudio lotito, collegio arbitrale, desire, football player, four months, Goran Pandev, hasn, internazionale, lazio, Macedonia, match, Milan, new year, nightmare, pandev, rescission, San, san siro, stadio olimpico, striker

Zarate not happy at Lazio

November 12, 2009

S.S. Lazio’s Mauro Zarate is least happy with the way things are shaping up for the Stadio Olimpico tennants.

Zarate’s brother Sergio, a former football player himself and Mauro’s agent, admits that the striker was not expecting a relegation battle.

Zarate spent last season on loan at Lazio, netting 13 goals in 35 appearances in the Serie A.

He considered his options, before accepting to sign a permanent deal at the Stadio Olimpico from Qatar’s Al-Sadd.

However, Lazio have endured a poor start to the season, and are currently 16th in Serie A.

And their current predicament is not sitting well with Zarate, according to his brother.

“Mauro isn’t happy at Lazio, he didn’t expect that he was going to have to fight with the team for avoiding the relegation,” Zarate said.

“The president had said to us that he had built a team for the Champions League but then he didn’t do anything for making it improve.

“In correct moment we will analyze if the conditions for staying exist or if we accept one of the offers that the president will receive.”

But the 22-year-old has also caused some controversy in Italy by claiming the Italian Football Association (FIGC) have made enquiries about the striker possibly switching allegiances from his native Argentina.

Zarate. who has an Italian passport, is not in the plans of Diego Maradona.

“A board member of the Italian Federation got in touch with us,” the player’s brother is quoted as saying.

“So if Maradona doesn’t call Mauro we will have to consider this proposal.”

However, the FIGC chief Giancarlo Abete has rejected the claims.

“I read about that this morning, and to say that I was astounded would be an understatement,” he is quoted as saying by Datasport.

“It is the first time that I have heard of something like this and I am curious to know which person in the federation has contacted Zarate’s brother.”

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: A. And, A. He, al sadd, allegiances, Argentina, board member, diego maradona, FIGC, football association, football player, giancarlo abete, italian federation, italian football, italian passport, Italy, mauro, Mauro Zarate, native argentina, predicament, Qatar, relegation battle, s s lazio, Sergio, stadio olimpico, striker, understatement

Foul play — the tell-tale signs of diving

September 16, 2009

Flying through the air with chest puffed out and arms spread wide: the so-called “archer’s bow” position is among tell-tale signs that a football player is faking a foul, according to a study on Wednesday.

A four-point referees’ guide to “diving” was unveiled by British psychologist Dr. Paul Morris, detailing how players make a spectacle of themselves to win a penalty or earn an opponent a yellow or red card.

The main obvious signs are:

– Clutching their body where they have not been hit;

– Taking an extra roll when they hit the ground;

– Taking fully controlled strides after being tackled before falling;

– Holding up both arms in the air, with open palms, chest thrust out, legs bent at the knee in an “archer’s bow” position.

Morris, who specialises in how people show emotions and intentions, said: “Referees have a very difficult job and given the demands of the task, they do it remarkably well.

“We think even experienced professionals could enhance their decision-making by studying the categories of deceptive behaviour we have identified,” added Morris, of the Universiy of Portsmouth in southern England.

Morris said the “archer’s bow” was one of the most revealing as the body would not make such a “peculiar” shape in a natural fall.

“In most dishonest tackles the behaviour itself does not indicate dishonesty, the deception is revealed in the timing and co-ordination of the behaviours,” he explained.

“But one action is unique to a faked fall – the archer’s bow.

“This occurs in many dives but biomechanically it does not occur in a natural fall.

“Instead, instinctively the arms either go down in an attempt to cushion the fall or out to the side for balance.”

He employed more than 30 experienced amateur footballers to stage a scenario taken from a football coaching manual.

Attackers were asked to dribble the ball past approaching defenders and then deceptively exaggerate the effects of a tackle to varying degrees.

The study, published in the Springer Journal of Nonverbal Behaviour, showed that the 50 observers consistently judged the level of exaggeration correctly.

Referees and officials overseeing top-class matches find it harder to judge, as the recent case of Arsenal striker Eduardo shows.

He was banned for two Champions League matches for apparently diving to win a penalty in the English side’s 3-1 victory over Celtic last month after going down under a challenge from Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc.

But the appeals body of European football’s governing body UEFA overturned the ban on Monday, saying “it was not established to the panel’s satisfaction that the referee had been deceived.”

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: archer, Artur Boruc, attackers, behaviours, british psychologist, dishonesty, dives, dr paul, Dr. Paul Morris, dribble, Eduardo, football player, footballers, open palms, ordination, peculiar shape, Portsmouth, referees, southern england, spectacle, springer journal, strides, tackles, thrust

You´re on your own in Socceroo attack, McDonald told

August 12, 2009

Australia coach Pim Verbeek has warned Scott McDonald to get used to playing as a lone striker and suggested he will have Mark Viduka to compete with for this role in next summer’s World Cup finals.

Speaking ahead of Australia’s game with Republic of Ireland at Limerick’s Thomond Park, Verbeek rebuffed McDonald’s earlier suggestion that he will look to alter the team’s style to be more of an attacking threat before the tournament in South Africa.

With no other senior strikers available McDonald is set to play up front on his own, supported by Mark Bresciano, Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell.

“You should not change too many things that are good and I think we had a very good campaign…and the players know exactly what I like,” Verbeek said.

“I’m not going to use too many friendly matches for changing the system because I think we’re doing well with the system we are playing.

“We have the players to play 4-2-3-1 so why should I change that? It’s up to Scotty and all the other players to pick up a spot in that selection.”

Verbeek was more encouraging to Viduka. The veteran striker is expected to seal a move to Portsmouth in the coming days, but once his future is assured, and assuming he returns to full fitness, Verbeek expects him to return to the Socceroos fold for the first time since the 2007 Asia Cup.

“I think the only motivation for him to start playing football again is to go to the World Cup so that’s good for us,” Verbeek added.

“I did everything to at least get him in the squad (for the June World Cup qualifiers) but at that moment he was so disappointed about what happened in Newcastle…so he said: ?mentally I cannot do it again and come into the Middle East at 40 degrees – I need time to think about my future.’

“The door is open for him, not because he’s Mark Viduka but because he is a good football player and he has ten months to show me that he is good enough to be a part of the selection.”

Verbeek is meanwhile confident his makeshift defence will be competitive against the Irish strike pairing of Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle, who is over a hernia injury.

Rhys Williams will play his second game at right back and, with Lucas Neill looking some distance from match fitness, Jade North will partner Patrick Kisnorbo in the heart of the Australian defence, with David Carney slotting in at left back.

Just as importantly, with holding midfielder Vince Grella out, Mile Jedinak plays in front of the back four.

“We miss some central defenders because they’re all injured or they play in Australia,” Verbeek insisted.

“We will give everything to make it a very interesting game for the fans and a fantastic test for Ireland for their very important game they play next month in Cyprus.”

Irish coach Giovanni Trapattoni for his part rebuffed suggestions from his assistant Liam Brady that his first eleven will be the same which take the field in the World Cup qualifier in Nicosia in three weeks.

“It is not the team that will play in Cyprus,” Trapattoni said. “Don’t think ahead to the future.”

Trapattoni insisted the door is not shut on the senior players not in his squad such as Steve Finnan, Lee Carsley and Clinton Morrison, but suggested that the latter will struggle to be included in future squads because he is similar in style to Doyle.

“My rule is never say never. I don’t forget Steve Finnan. At the moment we have to play with 11 players. (Caleb) Folan is a different type of striker, for playing a different way. Morrison’s movement is like Doyle.”

LIMERICK, Ireland (AFP)

Tags: asia cup, Australia, Clinton Morrison, Cyprus, david carney, Don, football player, giovanni trapattoni, harry kewell, Jade North, kevin doyle, lee carsley, Liam Brady, Limerick, Lucas Neill, many things, Mark Bresciano, mark viduka, Middle East, Morrison, motivation, NEWCASTLE, Patrick Kisnorbo, pim verbeek, Portsmouth, republic of ireland, rhys williams, Robbie Keane, scott mcdonald, South Africa, steve finnan, strikers, thomond park, tim cahill, veteran striker, vince grella, world cup finals, world cup qualifiers

Redknapp delighted with Tottenham progress

July 30, 2009

Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp is delighted with the progress his team have made pre-season, singling out their positive attitude and ability to retain the ball.

The affable Redknapp has a knack of getting the best out of his players and he is looking to steer the club into the top six next season.

They got a good workout here Wednesday in a 1-0 victory over London rivals West Ham in the Barclays Asia Trophy, with England international Jermain Defoe scoring the only goal of the game.

Spurs now play Hull City in the final on Friday after Phil Brown’s team beat local side Beijing Gouan 5-4 on penalties after the match ended 1-1.

“We played some fantastic stuff. We kept the ball superbly and created plenty of chances,” said Redknapp.

“It’s about keeping the ball in these conditions. If you give it away, it’s a hard job to get it back because it’s hot and very tiring out there.

“We had so many chances that you start wondering if one’s going to go in for you but we kept the ball well and that was the key. We made them chase the ball.”

Redknapp was particularly happy with Jamie O’Hara and Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

“I thought the midfield was excellent. Jamie is great young player. He really wants to be a football player and I was very impressed by him,” he said, also singling out Defoe.

“The lads showed a great attitude and Jermain looked so sharp that it was only a matter of time before he took a chance.”

Spurs have an impressive frontline this season with new signing Peter Crouch joining Defoe, Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko.

They may also still have Darren Bent to call on, with no developments in his potential move to Sunderland.

“I haven’t spoken to the chairman for two days so I don’t know where we are with that deal with Sunderland,” Redknapp told the Asia Trophy website.

BEIJING (AFP)

Tags: Asia, barclays, Beijing, benoit, Benoit Assou-, Darren Bent, England, england international, football player, great attitude, hard job, Harry Redknapp, hull city, Jamie, Jamie O'Hara, jermain defoe, knack, lads, london, matter of time, midfield, o hara, peter crouch, phil brown, positive attitude, Robbie Keane, Sunderland, tottenham hotspur, west ham

Arbeloa wants a move from Liverpool, says agent.

June 28, 2009

Liverpool and Spain International Alvaro Arbeloa’s agent has claimed that the Anfield player wants to exit the club.

The right back, who has one year left on his contract, whose future has been cast into doubt after the signing of Glen Johnson from Portsmouth by Liverpool.

But Liverpool are in talks with Arbeloa over a new deal, with Reds boss Rafa Benitez also not ruling out a possible transfer for the former Deportivo La Coruna defender.

Real Madrid have confirmed their interest in Arbeloa along with team-mate Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa’s representative Manuel Garcia Quilon believes Liverpool should let him move on.

“Alvaro has a year left on his current deal and Rafa Benitez knows that it’s best to let him go now,” Garcia Quilon told the Sunday Mirror.

“The career of a football player has many stages and he is qualified to play anywhere.”

Written by: Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: Alonso, alvaro arbeloa, arbeloa, boss, deportivo la coruna, doubt, English Premier League, football player, glen johnson, la coruna, LA Liga, Liverpool, MADRID, Manuel Garcia, new deal, Portsmouth, quilon, rafa, real madrid, Spain, sunday mirror, team mate

Blatter defends record Ronaldo move

June 13, 2009

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Friday defended Real Madrid’s world record 80 million pound swoop for Manchester United’s Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Blatter, speaking in the build-up to the Confederations Cup which gets underway on Sunday, said the huge fee proved that football was still an attractive business despite the global financial turndown.

“If we have a good market in football, it means we have a good product. But it is not only a product to sell or to buy, it gives people what they want; and that is emotions and entertainment,” said Blatter.

“At the same time as Ronaldo’s transfer ten years ago, there was a Picasso painting sold at Sotherby’s in London for over 100 million pounds and what happened to it?

“They put it somewhere where no-one could see it or on display at a museum for a short period, but with a football player, you can see him once or twice a week.

“I heard yesterday that you could buy millions of pieces of bread to give to the people for that amount, but entertainment is also food for the people.”

Tags: 100 million, confederations cup, emotions, FIFA, fifa president sepp blatter, football player, johannesburg, london, MADRID, Manchester, manchester united, millions of pieces, portuguese, president, real madrid, Sepp Blatter, short period, sotherby, swoop, turndown, World Cup, world record

The Spanish secretly love Beckham too

February 13, 2009

David Beckham was roundly booed when he was booked for dissent in Seville on Wednesday but most of the local fans had their tongues firmly in their cheeks given there is a good deal of affection in Spain for the former Real Madrid midfielder.

His feat in equalling Bobby Moore’s England outfield appearance record of 108 is impressive to the Spanish, whose most-capped non-goalkeeper is Beckham’s former Real colleague Raul with 102, followed by Fernando Hierro on 89.

“Beckham is a real gentleman and definitely one of England’s all-time greats,” said Manuel Conde, 27, an unemployed Real fan from Cordoba.

“He always gives everything in the matches and he’s the complete player. It would have been better if he’d stayed in Madrid,” he added.

“Beckham is very handsome and he is playing well in Milan,” said a beaming Ana Sanchez Bernal, a 20-year-old sports science student from Seville and a striker on a local ladies’ soccer team.

Real-supporting student Fernando Pinelo had a more down-to-earth view of the Beckham phenomenon but was nonetheless full of praise.

“He’s not really a football player, more of a merchandising tool,” the 27-year-old said while sipping a beer in a bar near the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium after Spain’s 2-0 win.

“Maybe as a player he’s not one of the best anymore but I like him as a person,” he said. “He’s always very generous with the fans.”

My former colleague Simon Baskett, who covered Beckham during his four years at Real, once described him as Bobby Moore, Princess Diana and Paris Hilton all rolled into one.

Although he struggled with Spanish, never advancing much beyond his two favourite phrases “impresionante” and “muy bueno,” it seems he is one English visitor to Spain who is widely remembered with fondness.

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