Evra praises “world-class” Rooney

February 17, 2010

Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra has showered team-mate Wayne Rooney with praise. Evra affirms he is confident that Rooney can lead United to glory this season.

Rooney bagged a sensational double to steer United into a 3-2 win in the UEFA Champions League clash against AC Milan in the San Siro on Tuesday.

And the French star full-back is delighted with how Rooney has finally lived up to expectations as a true goalscorer.

“I am very happy for him because every time he plays, he respects the shirt,” Evra told Sky Sports News.

“He is a world-class player and I hope he stays like this because we want to win the second leg and we are also focused on the league.

“Wayne is Wayne Rooney now, he is more mature now, he has learnt a lot and now he wants to score, he has the hunger to score, not just to press the ball but to score and now he is a goalscorer.”

Tags: ac milan, clash, french star, hunger, Manchester, manchester united, Milan, patrice evra, San, san siro, Sky Sports, sky sports news, team mate, UEFA Champions League, Wayne, wayne rooney

Wenger still as hungry as ever after landmark birthday

October 25, 2009

Arsene Wenger celebrated his 60th birthday this week but the Arsenal manager’s desire to end the club’s four-year wait for a trophy shows no sign of abating.

Wenger is increasingly confident his current side is maturing into genuine title contenders and his players will get the opportunity to justify their manager’s growing confidence by recording a fifth successive league victory at West Ham on Sunday.

Since suffering the shock of back to back away defeats at Manchester United and Manchester City, Wenger’s team have recovered well, although AZ Alkmaar’s stoppage time equaliser this week served as a reminder that Arsenal can be guilty of failing to finish teams off.

That is certainly an issue Wenger will have addressed in the wake of that Champions League group game and the manager admitted his hunger for success is as strong as it ever was.

“Am I happy with all that I have achieved? Certainly not,” he said. “I expect always more and you can never be completely happy with what you do. The only credit that I give to myself is that I have worked very hard my whole career and always try to improve.

“I am very lucky to still be in charge today. If I look at all my friends who started with me, I was very, very young when I started.

“I was in charge at 33 and to survive at that age is not easy. You could see with many young managers, it?s difficult when you start with such a big responsibility. Overall I was very lucky. But always think you could have achieved more and make better decisions.”

On paper West Ham should provide only limited opposition to an in-form Arsenal, with Gianfranco Zola?s side rooted second bottom with just one league victory to their name this season.

Yet the intensity of a London derby will undoubtedly lift the Hammers and defender Matthew Upson with be particularly keen to impress and provide Wenger with another reminder of why the manager was wrong to let him leave for Birmingham six years ago.

Wenger admits he reluctantly sanctioned the transfer and revealed he has contemplated re-signing the England international on a number of occasions.

“I didn’t stop him (going) because I knew he had qualities to play in the Premier League but he had players in front of him,” Wenger said.

“I knew he would make it. He had Premier League quality and had the potential to be international quality.

“He is there now because he is at the right age for a central defender and for a few years now he has not been stopped by injuries which was his problem for a while.”

Upson is likely to face an Arsenal attacked boosted by the return of Eduardo, although Tomas Rosicky will not feature after suffering a problem with his knee this week.

Zola acknowledges his side’s position is causing him concern.

The Hammers manager has maintained his team has deserved greater reward for its performances this season but putting points on the board is now the main priority.

“It’s very difficult at the moment because I care about the players and club. It hurts me,” said the Italian.

“But I am a warrior – I don’t look like it but I am one and I don’t like to let myself down in my work.

“I am someone who never gives up and my determination to succeed is stronger than anything. Of course this job gives me awake at night. You are always thinking about things and trying to find answers.

“Everyone has problems – that is what life is about. But one thing I want from the players is to look for the solutions, rather than worry.”

LONDON (AFP)

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Malouda may retire at Chelsea

October 17, 2009

Florent Malouda has revealed he could finish his career at Chelsea and believes Carlo Ancelotti has created a stable environment at Stamford Bridge.

France international Malouda has become an increasingly important member of the Chelsea team after initially struggling upon his arrival from Lyon in 2007.

He signed a new contract in the summer to tie himself to the Blues until 2013 and he would have no qualms spending the rest of his playing days in West London.

“To finish at Chelsea? Why not?” the 29-year-old, who is approaching 100 appearances for the club, told RMC.

“I think I will be capable of playing beyond 2013. I am flourishing at Chelsea. What I experience here gives me hunger to continue.

“As long as I have that hunger I will carry on. I still have beautiful years ahead of me. Chelsea is in any case the ideal place to have a beautiful career.”

The midfielder is also happy to have improved his standing at the club and has praised Ancelotti’s impact since becoming manager in the summer.

He added: “Thanks to the performances I had over the last two seasons I have become an important player.

“I will soon play my 100th match for Chelsea. Carlo Ancelotti insisted I renew my contract as did Peter Kenyon.

“The directors have confidence in me and have also renewed the contracts of other important players in the team.

“Chelsea have chosen the road of stability. That perhaps explains our good start to the season.

“Everything is going extremely well. Since I arrived at Chelsea I had five managers. But despite the changes the team has always performed at a high level.

“Carlo Ancelotti is trying to impose his style and put in place with us the things that made him successful at AC Milan.”

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: abhimanyu, ac milan, beautiful career, bridge france, carlo ancelotti, CHELSEA, France, france international, hunger, Lyon, malouda, match, midfielder, Milan, new contract, peter kenyon, qualms, rajput, stable environment, stamford bridge, two seasons, west london

Barry backs Heskey over Villa exit talk

October 13, 2009

Gareth Barry admits Emile Heskey is right to consider leaving Aston Villa to keep his place in the England team ahead of next year’s World Cup.

Heskey is in the unusual position of being an England regular while struggling to get a starting place in Martin O’Neill’s Villa line-up.

The former Liverpool forward revealed after England’s 1-0 defeat against Ukraine on Saturday that he may be forced to look for a move when the transfer window re-opens in January because he can’t afford to lose his spot in Fabio Capello’s team.

England coach Capello has made it clear that ideally players need to be starting regularly for their clubs and Heskey fears that will count against him sooner rather than later.

Barry, who quit Villa for Manchester City in the close-season, said: “The World Cup is in the back of everyone’s mind so I can understand where Emile is coming from. It’s not just Emile, it’s that time of year when you want to be playing regularly.

“He has his place in the England team at the moment and won’t want anything to change that. Playing regularly for your club can help you cement a place in the England squad.

“Emile has struck a great partnership with Wayne Rooney in the qualifying campaign. His work-rate and the way he plays for the team is second to none.

“Wayne and the other attacking midfielders have thrived playing off him. He’s a big part of the England team.”

Barry hopes to regain his place in Capello’s team against Belarus on Wednesday after Manchester United’s Michael Carrick started ahead of him against Ukraine.

“You want to play in every game and when you are left out it increases your hunger to get back in,” he said. “I’ll work hard and try to make the next team.

“Every player knows competition is very high and in World Cup year it goes up another level.”

Meanwhile, Barry fears City’s players could become the game’s new boo-boys as fans, jealous of the club’s spending spree, start to lash out.

“We’ve spoken about it among ourselves at City this season,” Barry said. “People outside of the club may look at us in a different way and it is something the players, including myself, can deal with. It’s important that we don’t let it affect us.

“Anyone would be lying if they said they don’t want a good reception when they go back to their old club. I have a lot of friends in Birmingham so it was something that I was expecting – a mixed reception if you like.

“It was another learning curve and another experience for myself. You can learn from these and still improve.”

WATFORD (AFP)

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Deschamps, Morientes reunited at Marseille

July 28, 2009

MARSEILLE, France (AFP) – Valencia’s veteran Spanish striker Fernando Morientes joined French giants Marseille on Monday and was reunited with his former coach, Didier Deschamps.

The pair worked together at Monaco – where Morientes goals played a large part in Monaco reaching the 2004 Champions League final – and Deschamps believes the experienced 33-year-old can make a crucial impact at the Velodrome next season.

“Fernando has the physical freshness and hunger for the top level,” Deschamps told the media here on Monday as he welcomed the arrival of another signing, midfielder Fabrice Abriel from Lorient.

“If we’d wanted to sign a 20-goal a season striker he (Morientes) would have cost us 15 million euros. We couldn’t do that.

“I’m not saying by that that Fernando is a second best option. I know him well. But he’s not going to be playing 40 games for 90 minutes, we’ll have to prepare him.”

Deschamps dismissed suggestions that at his age Morientes’ best days were behind him.

“I know that in France we tend to have doubts when we’re discussing players over 30. But Fernando isn’t worn out, and just look at the impact of (Filippo) Inzaghi or (Alessandro) Del Piero, who are 36 and 35.

“If we’d signed him three years ago he would have been inaccessible in terms of the transfer fee and his salary.”

Morientes, who has also had a spell with Liverpool, is expected to sign for two years or for one year with the option to extend his tenure at the south coast giants by a further 12 months.

Last week Marseille said goodbye to their Albanian captain Lorik Cana who moved to Premier League side Sunderland in a reported five million pound deal.

Tags: abriel, albanian, Alessandro, Alessandro Del Piero, Del Piero, didier deschamps, doubts, Fabrice Abriel, Fernando, fernando morientes, filippo inzaghi, former coach, France, freshness, hunger, Liverpool, Lorient, lorik cana, Marseille, Monaco, premier league, south coast, striker, Sunderland, Valencia

Torres signs improved Liverpool contract

May 28, 2009

LIVERPOOL (AFP) – Liverpool striker Fernando Torres signed an improved contract with the Premier League club on Thursday.

Torres, 25, was handed the wage increase as a reward for his superb displays this season, which helped Rafa Benitez’s side finish second in the Premier League behind champions Manchester United.

The new deal, believed to be worth around 90,000 pounds a week, also includes the option of a further year’s extension to Torres’s current contract, which is due to expire in June 2013.

Spain international Torres scored his 50th goal for Liverpool in the victory over Tottenham on the final day of the Premier League season and is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world.

“Fernando Torres has agreed a new, improved contract with Liverpool, reflecting his standing as one of the world’s top strikers,” the club’s website confirmed.

If Torres had been able to avoid injuries that sidelined him at several key stages of the season, Liverpool would have been in a strong position to end their 19-year wait to win the English title.

And Benitez believes the best is yet to come from Torres because he remains hungry to learn more about his position.

“Fernando is one of the best strikers in the game today and, at his age, can only get better,” Benitez said.

“Every major side would want him in their team, but he has shown how much he wants to achieve success at Liverpool by committing his future to the club. He’s a special talent, but still has the hunger to improve his game.”

Torres joins Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt and Daniel Agger in agreeing new deals at Anfield over the past two months.

Benitez added: “We’ve made huge progress this season and now we need to take the next step. We are building something special here and securing such important players on long-term deals means we can move forward with confidence.

“This sends out a very positive message to everyone connected with the club.”

Tags: anfield, Benitez, confidence, daniel agger, dirk kuyt, English Premier League, Fernando, Fernando Torres, hunger, key stages, Liverpool, Manchester, manchester united, new deal, premier league, signs, Spain, standing as one, Steven Gerrard, striker, strikers, tottenham, victory

Ferguson will never lose his hunger: Wenger

May 15, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says the secret of Alex Ferguson’s success at Manchester United is his unquenchable thirst for silverware.

Wenger hopes to make Ferguson wait for the Premier League title by denying United the point they need to guarantee an 18th English crown when Arsenal visit Old Trafford on Saturday.

But Wenger knows United are almost certain to secure the 11th Premier League title of Ferguson’s reign before the end of the season and he is convinced the 67-year-old Scot’s hunger for more trophies is keeping United at the top of the tree.

“I believe until the last day of your life, the real hunger never goes,” Wenger said.

“That is nothing to do with the number of trophies you have won or the amount of money you have made.

“You either want to win in life, or you do not want to win in life. It is as simple as that.

“It is only difficult to accept for people who do not have that drive.

“People who do have that drive, understand that the only thing which matters at the end of the day is how much you want to be successful.”

After three years without a Premier League title between 2003 and 2006, United are on course for a third successive English league success, face Barcelona in the Champions League final and have already won the Club World Cup and League Cup this season.

Wenger is full of admiration for the way Ferguson has constructed a team capable of dominating in domestic and European competition.

“United bounced back very well, and credit to them,” he said. “They have bought very well and invested very well. Today, they look the best team in England – and they are.

“That is credit to Ferguson as well, but it also shows that nothing is definite, it can all turn very quickly.”

In contrast, Arsenal have gone four years without silverware but Wenger believes his young squad provides plenty of hope for the future.

“I believe the group has come forward since November,” he added. “We have had a long unbeaten run in the Premier League, but not mature enough to win the FA Cup or the Champions League.

“There are no regrets with my commitment, certainly not. I worked harder than ever this year.

“I am here to produce what I can. If it is not good enough, it is not good enough.

“At the end of the day you can give as much as you can and it is down to other people to assess the situation.”

Tags: admiration, alex ferguson, amount of money, arsenal manager arsene wenger, Barcelona, champions league, club world cup, England, english crown, English Premier League, Ferguson, hunger, london, Manchester, manchester united, old trafford, premier league, Scot, trophies, unquenchable thirst

LA Galaxy turn down 10 million dollar offer for Beckham – report

February 8, 2009

LOS ANGELES, California (AFP) – Los Angeles Galaxy have turned down a ten million dollar offer from AC Milan for David Beckham, currently on loan to the Serie A outfit, the Los Angeles Times reported on Saturday.

"We just received an offer. It was rejected," said Tim Leiweke, chief executive of AEG, which owns the Galaxy.

Leiweke, the man instrumental in bringing the England veteran to Los Angeles from Real Madrid in 2007, did not mention a figure but the LA Times said it was believed to be at least ten million dollars.

Beckham has stated he wishes to prolong his loan-stay in Milan beyond March 9, when he should return Stateside in time for the new MLS season.

"We need to end the distractions, the circus and the zoo. If David ultimately is an asset for this team, we want him back," Leiweke said.

"If David ultimately has a hunger and a desire to come help us make the impact on the pitch that we wanted to make with him but haven’t done yet, then he’s an important member of this team and our intention is to bring him back.

"Clearly, if David’s in a position where he wants to finish the season in Milan, and Milan in turn compensates the Galaxy so that we can suffer no damages to our fans or to our team, then we’ll take a look at it," he added, alluding to a potential compromise.

Beckham, hoping to retain his place in the England set-up with an eye on the 2010 World Cup, has been in fine form for the Italians, netting twice in his opening five games and helping the side to second place in the table.

But Leiweke said Milan and Beckham had to be aware they need to play squarely by the rules.

"We have made it very clear to them that we expect David back here March 9. They agree and understand we own the contract. They understand the only way we do this is if, when this is all said and done, the Galaxy benefits.

"If the Galaxy comes out better without David than with David, then we’ll take a look at it," he insisted.

"We understand his infatuation with playing on the world’s most popular club team right now, and we understand his trying to mentally get around the idea of coming back to play with a team that didn’t make the playoffs in MLS last year."

"That said, David and us actually are talking. He has never forced our hand on anything. This is not a legal conversation and has never been a legal conversation. He does not have lawyers looking at the contract."

"David has made it very clear that if our decision is to bring him back here, he will return. Period.

"Last time I checked, we’re the ones that have the contract. So the decision as to where David’s going to play this year is as much ours as anyone’s.

"If David comes back, it will be because there were decisions made by all involved and he’ll accept that. I don’t think he’ll be as disgruntled as the media makes it out to be."

Written by: AFP