Chelsea slip lets Gunners into last chance saloon

February 6, 2010

Wayne Rooney was widely believed to have shattered Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes when he orchestrated Manchester United’s 3-1 win over the Gunners at the Emirates stadium last weekend.

So tamely did Arsene Wenger’s men surrender that it was hard to resist the conclusion that the title race had just been downgraded from a three to a two-club contest.

Wenger, understandably, begged to differ and Chelsea’s unexpectedly lacklustre display in a 1-1 draw at Hull on Tuesday suggested the Arsenal manager was right to predict a few more twists in the plot before the denouement of what has been an intriguing season.

Chelsea’s midweek slip means Arsenal can move back to within three points of their London rivals if they can repeat last season’s win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The way in which Arsenal were bullied into submission by Didier Drogba when the two clubs met at the Emirates in November will not give Gunners fans any great cause for optimism, but Wenger is confident of engineering a reaction from his players to last weekend’s humiliation.

“Against United, we were naive,” the Frenchman admitted. “We were completely not at our level and now we need to deliver something special to stay in the race.”

Chelsea’s recent tendency to concede goals from set pieces – described as their Achilles heel by Hull boss Phil Brown – could prompt Wenger to start Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner, who is fit again after three months out following groin surgery.

“Nicklas gives us a physical presence up there,” Wenger acknowledged. “He is not totally ready yet, but at the moment we are short in that position, so we are happy to have him back.”

Abou Diaby is also back from injury and could be brought in to stiffen a midfield that was overrun in the defeat by United, who could return to the top of the table by beating crisis club Portsmouth at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Avram Grant’s side have lost 16 of their 23 league matches so far this season and, although performances of late have been spirited, do not look capable of producing the goals they need if they are to escape relegation.

With United scheduled to take on Aston Villa on Wednesday, manager Sir Alex Ferguson may take the opportunity to give Rooney a rest, which could mean a rare start for Michael Owen, who is rapidly running out of time in which to persuade Fabio Capello that he deserves an England recall.

Elsewhere, Liverpool entertain Everton in the 213th Merseyside derby with both clubs having found some form of late.

Victory in the lunchtime fixture on Saturday would lift Liverpool back into the top four for a few hours at least and manager Rafael Benitez believes a six-match unbeaten run shows his side are on the mend.

“I think we can find the form of last season if we can fix two or three things,” the Spaniard said. “We have a lot of players coming back from injury and we are moving in the right direction.”

Manchester City, arguably the club best-equpped to deny Liverpool the final Champions League spot, travel to Hull with Wayne Bridge set to play for the first time since revelations of England team-mate John Terry’s affair with his former girlfriend.

Manager Roberto Mancini believes the left-back is in the right state of mind to feature in a match which could also see Patrick Vieira make his injury-delayed debut for the club.

“The private side is not important,” said Mancini. “He has been working very well on the pitch. That is what is important.”

The other two contenders for Champions League football next season, Tottenham and Aston Villa, meet at White Hart Lane on Saturday evening.

“Villa are there or thereabouts, right near us in the league and if we’ve got any aspirations of finishing fourth we need to go there, certainly at White Hart Lane, and win games like that,” said Spurs striker Peter Crouch.

“Three points for us and none for them gives us a bit of a gap so that’s what we’re looking to do.”

Fixtures (1500 GMT unless stated)

Saturday

Bolton v Fulham, Burnley v West Ham, Hull City v Manchester City, Liverpool v Everton (1245GMT), Manchester Utd v Portsmouth, Stoke v Blackburn, Sunderland v Wigan, Tottenham v Aston Villa (1730GMT)

Sunday

Birmingham v Wolves (1330GMT), Chelsea v Arsenal (1600GMT)

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: achilles heel, arsene wenger, avram grant, club contest, denouement, Drogba, frenchman, groin, gunners, humiliation, manchester united, midfield, Nicklas Bendtner, old trafford, phil brown, physical presence, premier league, stamford bridge, striker, wayne rooney

Bari dent 10-man Palermo´s Euro hopes

January 30, 2010

Bari dented Palermo’s Champions League hopes with a 4-2 home win over the 10-man Sicilians in Serie A on Saturday.

Second-half goals by Vladimir Koman and in-form Brazilian forward Barreto sealed victory for the hosts after Palermo had hauled themselves level from 2-0 down.

The match’s turning point came in the 56th minute, when Palermo midfielder Fabio Liverani received a second yellow card for a nasty groin-high foul.

Defender Leonardo Bonucci fired in the opener in the fifth minute before Honduran Edgar Alvarez coolly slotted the ball past Palermo keeper Salvatore Sirigu for the second.

The visitors roused themselves and Fabrizio Miccoli rattled the crossbar with a thunderous free-kick before Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani nipped in to put away a Federico Balzaretti cross and pull one back in the 27th minute.

Javier Pastore curled the ball inside the far post after shaking off his marker with some fancy footwork to level in 54th minute.

But Bari soon regained the lead with the advantage of an extra man.

Barreto converted a penalty in the 62nd minute for his ninth goal in eight matches, and his 11th of the season, while Hungarian Koman sidefooted home in the closing stages.

Palermo stay fifth in the table with 34 points from 22 games, 15 behind leaders Inter Milan, who visit Parma on Sunday.

Fourth-placed Napoli take on Genoa at home later on Saturday.

ROME (AFP)

Tags: alvarez, crossbar, edinson, extra man, fabio liverani, fancy footwork, far post, federico balzaretti, groin, midfielder, ninth goal, Palermo, salvatore, sicilians, yellow card

Redknapp to move for Van Nistelrooy if Pav goes

January 19, 2010

Harry Redknapp has confirmed the transfer rumours: the Tottenham manager is interested in signing Ruud van Nistelrooy. However, the Spurs can only make a move for the Real Madrid striker if they manage to offload Roman Pavlyuchenko from north London.

Tottenham boss Redknapp last night admitted he is interested in bringing former Manchester United striker Van Nistelrooy to White Hart Lane in the transfer window.

But the deal can only take place if Pavlyuchenko- included in the Spurs squad for tomorrow night’s rearranged Premier League clash at Liverpool – leaves the Spurs.

Tottenham will only countenance a straight sale for the Russian international and have rejected a bid by Zenit St Petersburg to take the 28-year-old on loan for six months.

“It’s an interesting one. Van Nistelrooy is a fantastic player with a proven goalscoring record in England, and if he was available it could be of interest to us,” said Redknapp.

“But I’ve already got four strikers and if I ended up with trying to keep five of them happy, that’s a problem I could do without.

“Pavlyuchenko is looking to move, and I could only do something with van Nistelrooy if someone came in for Pav and he decided to go.”

Redknapp will be without Tom Huddlestone (knee), and Alan Hutton (groin) at Anfield. Skipper Ledley King trained today and Spurs will make a late decision on his wonky knee.

Tags: Alan Hutton, clash, England, groin, Harry Redknapp, Hart Lane, hutton, Liverpool, MADRID, Manchester, manchester united, north London, pav, Petersburg, premier league, russian international, ruud van nistelrooy, skipper, spurs, striker, strikers, tom huddlestone, tomorrow night, Transfer Rumours, Van Nistelrooy, white hart lane, zenit st petersburg

Bendtner close to Arsenal return

January 5, 2010

Nicklas Bendtner finally sees light at the end of the tunnel. The Danish striker, who has been sidelined for two months, is due to make an early return to training on Tuesday.

Bendtner has been out since limping off against Tottenham Hotspur at the end of October and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger predicted that Bendtner would be unavailable until February after the Denmark international underwent groin surgery in November. However, the 21-year-old forward himself has other thoughts on his recovery.

“I will start training with the ball on Tuesday and then finally I can see an end to this nightmare,” Bendtner told Sporten.dk “I hope to be able to make my comeback against Bolton on January 17th, the day after my birthday.

“That would be the best gift I could give myself. At least it is my personal goal, so now we will see.”

Tags: arsenal, Arsene, Bolton, comeback, denmark, denmark international, dk, gift, groin, Hotspur, January, light at the end of the tunnel, Nicklas Bendtner, nightmare, November, personal goal, striker, tottenham, training

Lennon out for a month

December 31, 2009

Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon has been ruled out with injury. Tottenham are set to be without their in-form winger for a month.

The 22-year-old, who has been in fantastic form this season, tore a muscle in his groin during the 2-0 victory over West Ham.

A club spokesman told The Sun, “He will be out for a few weeks with the tear. It’s not good news.”

Lennon is expected to be fit in time for another key clash, when Spurs welcome fellow top-four hopefuls Aston Villa to White Hart Lane on February 6.

Tags: Aaron Lennon, clash, club spokesman, fantastic form, groin, Hart Lane, hopefuls, tottenham, victory, west ham, white hart lane, winger

Hughes to entice Torres to join City Revolution

November 21, 2009

Manchester City boss Mark Hughes reportedly has not lost hopes of signing Liverpool superstar Fernando Torres and believes a strong show form the Citizens at Anfield today can tempt the Spaniard to join the City revolution.

Liverpool regarded as the Premier League elite, have made a torrid start to the current campaign and are struggling to maintain the pace currently being set at the top section of the table. However, the Citizens have made a fairly strong start to the new campaign, despite a recent blip, and are still strongly tipped to be there or there-abouts come the end of the season.

City look to entice the Spaniard striker, who will miss out again as he looks to recover from his groin problems, as beliefs around City breaking into the top four this season is strong. They are reported to have made a £70 million bid for the 25-year-old in the summer, but Rafael Benitez has admitted that he would quit the club if the Spaniard was sold.

However, Mark Hughes has the financial backing to offer anything, and if City take a top four spot and secure Champions League football at the end of the season, a bid could follow from the Eastlands club.

If the Reds fail to make it into the competition for europe’s elite, then their hands might be tied with the financial constraints that come with missing the competition. This report puts a huge added meaning to the early Anfield kick-off.

Anurada Bhat

Tags: bhat, blip, champions league football, citizens, city boss, elite, Europe, Fernando Torres, financial constraints, groin, Liverpool, manchester city, Mark Hughes, premier league, rafael benitez, Spaniard, striker, Superstar

Benitez needs Liverpool rally against United

October 24, 2009

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez received the dreaded ‘vote of confidence’ ahead of Sunday’s clash against Manchester United but the Spaniard knows kind words alone cannot do much for his side.

The Reds, who last won the English title back in 1990, go into this weekend’s Anfield fixture on the back of four straight defeats and are eighth in the table, already seven points behind arch-rivals and Premier League leaders United.

Another defeat will likely spell the end of Liverpool’s latest title challenge – a bitter pill for those fans who grew up lauding it over United during the Merseysiders’ decades of dominance in the 1970s and 1980s.

And to make matters worse, Liverpool could well kick-off on Sunday without the star duo of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, both battling to overcome groin problems.

Liverpool’s recent run has inevitably turned the spotlight on Benitez, in charge at Anfield since 2004.

He appears safe in his post for the time being, if only because it would cost feuding American co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks too much, at a reported 20 million pounds, to sack the former Valencia manager, who signed a new five-year contract seven months ago.

However, Gillett insisted both he and Hicks were united in their admiration for Benitez, saying: “We have just entered into a long-term agreement with Rafa.

“Our family is extraordinarily pleased with him, we think he is absolutely as good as there is in the business and I am sure the Hicks’ feel the same way. We just extended his contract.”

Gillett also told the club website, www.liverpoolfc.tv: “I think the run of results disappoints everybody. Certainly, it disappoints the fans and it disappoints Rafa. We are all disappointed, but we are in this together.”

Liverpool were beaten in midweek in the Champions League by Lyon while United won away to CSKA Moscow.

But Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand said recent results would be an irrelevance this weekend.

“I think form goes out of the window in these games,” Ferdinand told MUTV. “We all know that when there’s a big rivalry between two teams, whether it’s a derby or a big cup clash, form doesn’t come into it.

“It all comes down to who performs best on the day and that’s what we’re looking to do,” the England centre-back added.

United could find themselves kicking-off in second place if Chelsea win at home to Blackburn on Saturday.

The Blues’ form away from Stamford Bridge has been patchy, with defeats away to Wigan and Aston Villa.

But they have been a different proposition back in west London, while a midweek success over Atletico Madrid maintained their winning start to this season’s Champions League.

Ivory Coast striker Salomon Kalou, who scored twice in the 4-0 win over Atletico, said: “It was a very good opportunity for me, I haven’t been playing lately and I scored two goals which is very good.

“It’s very important for a player to get on the pitch and show what he can do.”

At the other end of the table, basement club Portsmouth travel to fellow relegation candidates Hull City.

The teams have managed just three league wins between them this season, while Portsmouth, who have been beset by ownership problems so far this campaign suffered fresh off-field turmoil on Thursday when it emerged their chief executive, Peter Storrie, was in line to face tax evasion charges.

Birmingham, beaten 3-1 away to Arsenal last time out, welcome Sunderland to St Andrews for the Midlands side’s first home match since the club was taken over by Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung.

Saturday’s other matches see high-flyers Tottenham taking on Stoke while Wolves play Aston Villa and Burnley face Wigan.

European commitments mean that, in addition to the Liverpool-United match, there are three other fixtures on Sunday with big-spenders Manchester City at home to Fulham, West Ham up against Arsenal in an all-London affair and Everton making the short journey to Bolton.

Fixtures (1400GMT unless stated):

Saturday

Birmingham v Sunderland, Burnley v Wigan, Chelsea v Blackburn (1630GMT), Hull v Portsmouth, Tottenham v Stoke, Wolves v Aston Villa (1145GMT)

Sunday

Bolton v Everton (1330GMT), Liverpool v Manchester United (1400GMT), Manchester City v Fulham (1500GMT), West Ham v Arsenal (1615GMT)

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: anfield, arch rivals, bitter pill, cska moscow, Fernando Torres, george gillett and tom hicks, groin, irrelevance, league leaders, liverpool manager rafael benitez, liverpoolfc tv, manchester united, midweek, rio ferdinand, seven months, seven points, Spaniard, Steven Gerrard, title challenge, vote of confidence

Chelsea hand Alex new four-year deal

October 13, 2009

The spate of new contracts for Chelsea’s current squad continued Wednesday with Brazilian centreback Alex signing a new four-year deal at the English Premier League leaders.

The 27-year-old has been sidelined recently following surgery on his groin but resumed full training this week.

“I am very happy to start again to train and feel no pain, and to sign for four more years,” Alex said.

The defender is also targetting a return to the Brazil side in the run-up to next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.

“To go back into the national team is important to me,” he added. “Also the Chelsea team started very well this season, is at the top, and this season to win the Premier League is important to me. Now I want to play.”

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti said he was delighted to tie Alex down to a long term deal.

“He is just returning from injury and surgery but he is a player I know well,” Ancelotti said. “I am familiar with all of his fantastic qualities, so I am delighted he will be with us for another four years.”

Alex, who has made 80 Chelsea appearances and scored seven goals since signing from PSV Eindhoven in 2007, is the second Chelsea player to commit to a new contract this week.

Ivory Coast forward Salomon Kalou signed a new deal on Monday and Didier Drogba, John Terry, Ashley Cole, John Mikel Obi, Florent Malouda, Hilario and Michael Mancienne have all penned new contracts since the end of last season.

Chelsea have been keen to tie down their current players after being banned from signing any new players until January 2010 as a result of being found guilty of inducing teenager Gael Kakuta to breach his contract with Lens two years ago.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: alex, ashley cole, brazil, carlo ancelotti, CHELSEA, Cole, didier drogba, Eindhoven, English Premier League, florent malouda, four more years, groin, hilario, Ivory Coast, john mikel obi, john terry, kakuta, league leaders, london, Michael Mancienne, new contract, new deal, premier league, salomon, Salomon Kalou, South Africa, spate, terry ashley, world cup finals

Owen plans to prove the critics wrong

August 23, 2009

Michael Owen insists his first goal for Manchester United will be a springboard to prove the critics wrong.

Owen opened his account for the Premier League champions in Saturday’s 5-0 victory against Wigan at the DW Stadium when he came off the bench to convert Nani’s pass with a typically clinical finish.

The 29-year-old’s goal was his first since January but he believes it offered a compelling response to the pundits who claimed he had little to offer Sir Alex Ferguson’s team after missing several chances in pre-season.

Owen arrived at Old Trafford last month as a free agent after leaving relegated Newcastle. An ankle injury and a groin operation disrupted his final year on Tyneside but his overall contribution of 30 goals in 65 starts commands respect.

So too does his England tally – 40 in 89 international appearances – and Owen said: “I’ve missed a couple since the season started and, as ever, everyone is quick to write you off. It was as if I hadn’t scored for a couple of years.

“That’s something I’ve had to deal with for 10-odd years now and I don’t think that will change until I hang up my boots.

“It was certainly a great feeling to score. I’d got a few in pre-season but there’s nothing quite like doing it in a competitive game.

“I probably scored the hardest chance I’ve had. I had two chances at Burnley and one against Birmingham, but this was the fourth real opportunity I’ve had.”

Owen is keen to kick on and in the process catch the eye of England manager Fabio Capello, who has so far refused to bring the former Liverpool star back from his international exile.

“I’d be disappointed if people didn’t think I could go on from here,” he told MUTV.

“I obviously believe I can as I have done throughout my career and I certainly expect to score more goals in the red shirt.”

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

Tags: Birmingham, burnley, DW Stadium, England, england manager, exile, fabio capello, free agent, groin, international appearances, league champions, Liverpool, Manchester, manchester england, manchester united, michael owen, NEWCASTLE, premier league, pundits, s pass, sir alex ferguson, springboard, tyneside, Wigan

Man City still keen to land Lescott

August 13, 2009

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes believes he could still sign England defender Joleon Lescott from Everton before the transfer window closes.

Hughes has had bids of 15 million pounds and 18 million pounds rejected by Everton as boss David Moyes fights to keep the centre-back.

Moyes has also declined to accept a written transfer request from Lescott but Hughes revealed City are considering another approach for the 26-year-old.

“We have made offers and shown interest, obviously that is seen by virtue of the bids we have put in,” Hughes said on Thursday.

“But they have been rejected and Everton are fully in their rights to do that, we respect that.

“We are still trying to speak to the people who will ultimately make the decision over whether or not the deal continues.

“Those conversations are still to take place but how long they will still be active is open to debate.”

If a deal for Lescott falls through then Hughes will look at other defensive options, with West Ham’s Matthew Upson a possible target.

Hughes added: “We were looking to strengthen the defensive options we have got. We have done that in respect of Kolo Toure, we are very pleased he is here.

“I have stated we would like further strengthening to take place but if not we go with what we have got.”

Hughes has also revealed a fitness concern over striker Emmanuel Adebayor ahead of Saturday’s Premier League opener at Blackburn.

Adebayor has been on international duty with Togo this week and Hughes said: “He’s got a slight issue with his groin which needs checking out, so we’ll get him back as soon as we can.”

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)