Benitez plays down Hicks Liverpool talks

January 31, 2010


Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez insisted he had no definite plans to meet with co-owner Tom Hicks after his side beat Bolton to stay on course for a Champions League spot.

Hicks made a rare 5,000-mile visit to Anfield to watch Liverpool maintain their chase for a top four finish thanks to goals from Dirk Kuyt and an own goal from Bolton forward Kevin Davies here on Saturday.

The Texan’s presence came one day after Benitez talked openly about interest in his services from Italian club Juventus, a development that has cast yet more doubt about the Spanish manager’s future on Merseyside.

Yet Benitez claimed no meetings with Hicks had been arranged, although the manager added he would be open to such talks.

“Maybe I will see him. I knew he was here but I was just concerned with what was happening on the pitch,” said Benitez. “If he is around, I will see him, no problem.”

Hicks’s attendance could also have been related to the transfer window, which closes on Monday, although Benitez insisted he was unlikely to launch a last-minute foray into the market.

“It is not easy to find better players than the players we have at the moment. We are watching players, we are trying to find someone who can be good for the team,” he said.

Instead, Benitez looks like attempting to steer this current squad to the promised land of Champions League football and is sticking to his “guarantee” of a top four finish.

“I think we are improving, you can see the team is working very hard and, hopefully, we can keep the momentum,” said the Reds boss, whose side are now just a point behind Tottenham, who currently occupy the fourth and final place on offer to English clubs for next season’s Champions League.

“I have to say we can finish in the top four because I am the manager and I have to have confidence.

“If I say ‘no’, the players will say the same. So, I have to say ‘yes, we will finish in the top four’ and I believe it.”

Benitez could also take heart from the form of Steven Gerrard.

The England midfielder was clearly unfit for the disappointing midweek draw at Wolves but looked close to his usual form against Bolton.

“He was better and he is trying very hard, that is the main thing,” Benitez said.

“Especially when we scored the second goal, the team was playing with more confidence and you could see that he is one of the players who could make a difference for us.”

Owen Coyle felt there had been a foul in the build-up to the second Liverpool goal although the new Bolton manager was optimistic that, with talent such as South Korea’s Lee Chung-yong, his team could avoid relegation.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Liverpool but I was disappointed in both goals we gave away,” said Coyle, whose side are a point above the bottom three.

“There was a foul by Lucas, who dragged one of our players back at the far post and wherever that shot was going, it certainly wasn’t going into the net until it was deflected.

“In the first half we had some good opportunities. Chung-yong made a terrific run which shows what a talent he is and why I am looking forward to working with him.

“But I’m delighted with how the players have gone about their work since I’ve been here. We’ve played Arsenal twice, Liverpool away and beat Burnley in the week.

“We have moved up from where we were in the table and there is a lot to look forward to. I’ve got real belief we can stay in the Premier League.”

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP)

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Chelsea told to put foot down as Drogba returns

January 30, 2010


Chelsea will welcome Didier Drogba back from African Nations Cup duty this weekend and club captain John Terry believes the Londoners are ready to put their foot down in the Premier League title race.

Recent weeks have seen Carlo Ancelotti’s squad regain the momentum that deserted them as they stumbled their way through December.

An ominously efficient 3-0 win over Birmingham in midweek lifted Chelsea back to the the top of the Premier League table and Terry sees this weekend as an opportunity to apply an additional bit of pressure on rivals Manchester United and Arsenal.

With Arsenal hosting champions United at The Emirates on Sunday it is inevitable that one or both clubs will drop points, making it imperative that Chelsea emerge unscathed from Saturday’s trip to Burnley, who slipped into the relegation zone after losing to Bolton in midweek.

“Manchester United lost at Burnley there and Arsenal could only draw, so we have to win there,” Terry said.

“When we play Arsenal at home in February wins against Burnley and Hull (next Wednesday), if we can achieve them, would have opened a healthy gap for us. But to achieve that, it’s got to be champion form.”

Chelsea’s status as favourites to deny United an unprecedented fourth consecutive title has been bolstered by the way in which they have thrived in the absence of their African stars for the last month, and England midfielder Frank Lampard believes that underlines the strength of their squad.

“We didn’t say we’d struggle this month, everyone else did,” Lampard said. “We have a lot of belief. I just think the loss of Didier was talked about too much.

“Didier is a big loss but the way Nicolas Anelka plays, he’s one of the best out there as well. We’ve got the players who can come in. Maybe some needed to step up and everyone has done.

“We have gone up another gear this month. We had a bad run in December, dropped some points and we’ve worked hard to get that back.”

Arsenal will also be boosted by the return of their African stars with Alex Song and Emmanuel Eboue both available for the United clash, although Belgium centreback Thomas Vermaelen is doubtful with a leg injury.

United will be without the suspended Rio Ferdinand but the loss of the England centreback is offset by the return to fitness of Nemanja Vidic, who will partner Jonny Evans in a match manager Sir Alex Ferguson admits could be crucial to the club’s chances of retaining their title.

“That is a big game for us,” the Scot said. “We need to win.”

The title tussle now looks set to remain a three-club affair with Tottenham, Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa involved in the fight for fourth place and the final Champions League qualifying place.

Tottenham currently occupy the coveted slot but City, who entertain bottom side Portsmouth on Sunday, are arguably better-placed courtesy of their two games in hand over Spurs and Liverpool.

Spurs are hoping to have tied up Eidur Gudjohnsen’s loan signing from Monaco in time for their Saturday’s trip to Birmingham, who had gone 15 games unbeaten prior to their defeat at Chelsea on Wednesday.

Liverpool entertain Bolton with captain Steven Gerrard insisting that the club is close to turning the corner after a disastrous first half of the season.

“Confidence is slowly coming back and once confidence is back, results will follow,” said Gerrard, who returned from injury in the goalless draw at Wolves in midweek.

Villa travel to Fulham on Saturday, which also sees Hull entertain Wolves, in an important encounter for both clubs’ survival prospects, and West Ham take on Blackburn.

Saturday

Birmingham v Tottenham, Burnley v Chelsea (1730 GMT), Fulham v Aston Villa, Hull v Wolves, Liverpool v Bolton, West Ham v Blackburn, Wigan v Everton

Sunday

Manchester City v Portsmouth (1330 GMT), Arsenal v Manchester Utd (1600 GMT)

Monday

Sunderland v Stoke (2000 GMT)

LONDON (AFP)

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Benitez keeps an eye on the transfer market

January 27, 2010


On Tuesday night, Rafael Benitez suffered another setback as the Wolves kept Liverpool to a draw at Molineux (0-0).

The disappointing result dented the confidence the Reds gained from the win against Tottenham, last week. The transfer window is still open for five days. “We are working and analysing things but it is not easy. There is not too much time left.”

Benitez’ position came under further scrutiny as Liverpool again failed to defeat a Premier League minnow.

“If you analyse our position in the table, then maybe it was two points dropped,” Benitez told the club’s official website. “If you analyse the game then it was fair enough.

“In the first half we were in control, we didn’t create clear chances and the final pass in the final third was the difference.

“In the second half they were pushing harder and we had to defend, but we still had some good counterattacks. Again the final pass was the difference. If you analyse the game, then the result is fair.”

Reds skipper Gerrard repeated the words that have been used several times during this season.

“We will keep fighting for this fourth place. We’ve a couple of home games to play now and if we can keep the momentum going and take maximum points then we’ll edge into the top four.

“If we keep battling and keep defending as we have been then results will follow.”

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Moyes is not just another brick in the wall: Cahill

January 19, 2010


Australia’s Tim Cahill has said Everton players would “run through brick walls” for David Moyes, insisting trust in the manager had been key factor in the Merseysiders’ recent revival.

Injuries, and an inability to spend their way out of trouble, contributed to a difficult start to the season for Everton.

But lately the Toffees have hauled themselves out of a sticky situation with a seven-match unbeaten run that includes last weekend’s 2-0 win over cash-rich Manchester City, a result that saw Everton go 10th in the Premier League table.

“The manager and players don’t become bad overnight and it isn’t a fluke what we have achieved in the past,” Everton midfielder Cahill told Monday’s edition of the Liverpool Echo.

“The manager buys players he can trust. We would run through brick walls for him and the poor run hurt us as much as it hurt him.

“We were letting him down. Even when you have got knocks, you play and that says something about the relationship here.”

Cahill also said the way in which Everton’s board had backed Moyes since the Scot’s arrival at Goodison Park in March 2002, had also helped cement their place in English football’s top flight.

“The patience of the club is something. The relationship the chairman (Bill Kenwright) has with the manager is an honest one,” Cahill said.

“The patience shown is a credit to the board and I think it is a good lesson to other clubs because in the modern era of football it is hard for managers.

“They get the blame for everything, but it is the players who cross the line,” he added.

Cahill said it was important Everton used their recent good form as a springboard to challenge for a European place, as they have done in the past few seasons.

“Sometimes everything just falls into place and now it is about kicking on, keeping momentum and the attitude and making sure we are always fitter than the other team,” he told the Liverpool Echo.

“If we make sure we are fitter, stronger and always up for it then we will do well.

“We have got the grit back and playing here is an absolute delight. I think that for me is what got us to where we were in the past.”

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP)

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Gunners´ momentum born of mental strength: Wenger

January 5, 2010


Arsene Wenger has urged his on-form Arsenal squad to maintain the mental discipline that has lifted them back into the Premier League title battle when they take on struggling Bolton on Wednesday.

Having seemed out of contention following a 3-0 home defeat by Chelsea at the end of November, the Gunners have since revived their challenge with five wins from six league matches.

Another win at the Emirates on Wednesday would move Wenger’s men to within a point of leaders Chelsea and the Frenchman believes his young squad has proved its resilience.

“We have a good opportunity to come back very close to Chelsea, and we want to take it, to make it more interesting for everybody,” Wenger said. “One month ago we were far from the top teams, and since have created momentum.

“We refused to give up and continued to fight and believe in our strengths.

“The biggest test in our camp was the mental strengths of the players and the solidarity of the players. That has been tested.

“What we have realised in one month gives us a good springboard to go even further. Why should we stop here?

“The next two months will determine how ambitious and how hungry we are.”

Wenger added: “It does not mean Chelsea or Manchester United do not have hunger – but what I know is that within our team we have a great hunger for success. We have great solidarity and team spirit.

“We are a team who has grown up together and wants to achieve things. We have not won anything yet together and that makes us hungry for success.”

Wenger has admitted he would like to bring one or more new players into his squad during the January transfer window – notably a striker – but believes his faith in his policy of developing the club’s own youngsters is finally paying off.

“In the modern game, there is a lack of patience and one response when you lose a game – people say to you ‘buy, buy, buy’,” he said. “I believe sometimes when you have players who are 21, 22, that they can only become better.

“When they are 33, they can only be worse at 34 and that is why we are in a position where we need to have the needed strengths to be patient because we have the quality.

“Hopefully we can show until the end of the season that we can be successful.”

Arsenal will be without injured skipper Cesc Fabregas on Tuesday while midfielder Alex Song is away with Cameroon at the African Nations Cup.

Offsetting those losses is the fact that Denilson is fit again following a back problem and Wenger is confident the Brazilian can fill Song’s boots.

“Denilson is an all-rounder, but he can play in this position and will come in for Song,” Wenger said. “He is very strong in reading the game and winning the ball back.

“Denilson has 150 games in the Premier League. People do not notice how important he is for us and he can play in every single position in midfield.”

LONDON (AFP)

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Wenger looks to maintain momentum against Burnley

December 15, 2009


Arsene Wenger is hoping he will not have to deliver another blast at his players when they take on Burnley on Wednesday looking to maintain the momentum that has put them back in the Premier League title race.

Wenger was credited with inspiring the Gunners to a 2-1 win at Liverpool on Sunday with a half-time tirade in the dressing room.

But he admits that such an approach cannot work all the time or with every player.

“As a manager, you must first of all love to help people, to give them a chance in life, and to develop players, then you must have a big resistance to stress – all the rest, you learn,” the Frenchman reflected on Tuesday.

“It has always been the same. Every player is under big pressure, despite the fact they are idolised, they need help. At a young age, people treat you like a mature man, but you are not.”

With Chelsea and Manchester United both dropping points at the weekend, Arsenal are back within striking distance of the leaders and Wenger expects the title race to remain wide open for the rest of the season.

“Instead of having four teams, I believe you have six, seven or eight teams who can all cause a surprise at any weekend.

“Things change very quickly. What looks for definite in this league is just short-term. No situation is definitely established.

“Chelsea looked to be running away with it two weeks ago, today it is different. That is why, certainly since I have been here, this is the most open championship.”

Wenger believes the weekend’s events will have sent out a message that his current crop of Arsenal stars are more resilient than they have been given credit for, but he underlined the importance of not letting performance levels slip against Burnley.

“If we have learned one thing from the beginning of the season until now, it is that every single team has to be considered very seriously and we have to be highly committed and focused,” he added.

Midwinter fixtures in England’s northwest have proved something of a minefield for Arsenal in the past with Bolton and Blackburn notably adopting a physical approach that has infuriated Wenger.

But Burnley boss Owen Coyle insists his players will attempt to take on the Londoners at their own game as they seek to repeat last season’s League Cup win over them.

The Scotsman said: “If you watch our team, we look to play football. We don’t have overly-physical players in our team.

“We like to think we are competitive but there has always been good football in games between ourselves and Arsenal and I don’t see any reason why that should be any different tomorrow night.”

Burnley have lost just once at Turf Moor this season and memorably took all three points against Manchester United at the start of the campaign.

“Derby were relegated with 11 points with double the budget that we have got so we are doing this against all the odds,” Coyle said.

“We know we have moved the goalposts in terms of expectation now, but we have only spent four milion pounds to assemble this team, which is the smallest budget known to the Premier League and the players have not had the credit they deserve.”

He added: “We have shown at Turf Moor in particular we can go toe to toe with the very best and we are sitting here with 18 points having worked our socks off to get them.”

LONDON (AFP)

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Gunners seek Euro tonic ahead of Chelsea showdown

November 23, 2009


Arsene Wenger has told his Arsenal stars to forget about a looming showdown with Chelsea and the absence of injured striker Robin van Persie as they look to book their place in the knockout stage of the Champions League.

A point at home to Standard Liege on Tuesday will ensure the Gunners of progression to the last 16 while victory over the Belgian champions would guarantee them top spot in group H.

That outcome would provide a welcome tonic five days ahead of Chelsea’s visit to the Emirates for an encounter that looks like being pivotal to Arsenal’s prospects of sustaining their Premier League challenge.

An unexpected defeat at Sunderland on Saturday has inevitably been interpreted as a sign of trouble along the road for Arsenal following the loss of top goalscorer van Persie to an ankle injury that will keep the Dutchman sidelined for up to six weeks.

It has also significantly increased the stakes involved in the meeting with Chelsea, who will kick off with an eight-point advantage over their London rivals.

“We have to forget about Chelsea,” Wenger said. “It’s important to win our next game and that is in the Champions League.

“Against Sunderland, I don’t think we missed anybody especially. We lost a game where we can only fault ourselves because we didn?t score, some players were not at their best and we gave a goal away on the only situation where Sunderland could score, a set piece.”

The defeat at Sunderland was Arsenal’s first in 14 matches but centreback Thomas Vermaelen does not believe it will seriously reduce the momentum the squad have established this season.

“It is important to stay focused, there are a lot of important games coming up,” the Belgian defender said.

Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky drew a line under 18 months of injury agony when he made his first start for Arsenal since January 2008 in the opening match in the group, a 3-2 win in Liege.

And the 29-year-old has warned the Belgians that he will pose a much greater threat to them on Tuesday than he did on that night, when Arsenal had to fight back to take all the points after leaking two early goals.

“Fitness wise I have definitely improved in recent weeks,” Rosicky said. “I do not feel exhausted after the games or anything like that.

“In the matches I have started, I have not felt tired out even if the boss has decided to take me off, so I clearly have a good base of fitness to work with.

“I know there are some aspects I need to improve on, and they will get better as I play more and more so I am not worried about that.

“For example, a bit of explosiveness is something that I am still missing a little, but I know it will improve as I play more and will arrive naturally.”

LONDON (AFP)

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Agbonlahor backed to claim England ticket to SAfrica

September 20, 2009


Martin O’Neill has backed on-form striker Gabriel Agbonlahor to shoot himself into Fabio Capello’s England squad for the World Cup finals in South Africa next year.

The Villa forward is currently on the fringes of his national team and missed out on the squads for the recent matches against Slovenia and Croatia.

But his goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Portsmouth made it three in his last three matches and O’Neill believes Capello will have taken notice of the way his striker, who has been working on his upper body strength, shook off Pompey defender Tal Ben-Haim to score Villa’s second just before half-time.

“He conjured something from nothing and that gave us a massive lift,” O’Neill said. “He is playing brilliantly for us at the moment and it was a fantastic goal.

“South Africa is a long way off but if he can continue that sort of form he will be hard to ignore.”

The build-up to the match had been dominated by O’Neill’s decision to drop Nigel Reo-Coker after a training ground spat but the Northern Irishman was determined to concentrate on what is now a four-match winning run for his side.

“The fuss had nothing to do with today,” he said. “We got a bit of momentum going before today and it was important to keep that going. We looked a bit tired which is inexplicable but we won the game and know we can play much better.”

It was Portsmouth’s sixth successive defeat and manager Paul Hart acknowledged more would follow if his side did not improve their defending.

“I thought we played well in the first half and they did not give us many problems. But you are distraught if you give away two goals that you would be distraught about if you were an 11-year-old.

“That gave us a mountain to climb but overall we played extremely well. They were two errors that in terms of Premier League football I can’t quite understand. I have got great belief in my players and I do think we will turn things around.”

James Milner had given Villa the lead with the England winger converting a spot-kick after Stiliyan Petrov was felled in the area by Nadir Belhadj.

Agbonlahor then sealed the points with a superb strike from just outside the area.

BIRMINGHAM, England (AFP)

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Sabah & Mexico prepare for Costa Rican challenge

September 4, 2009


It was a moment that helped send a stadium into frenzy. It helped give a nation new hope. Confidence was restored in a team that was in need of a boost thanks to Miguel Sabah.

The Mexican forward came off the bench to help El Tri beat its arch rival, the United States, 2-1 with a goal in the 82nd minute at Estadio Azteca last month.

It was his goal that injected new life into coach Javier Aguirre’s team.

Mexico kept close in the race for one-of-four qualifying spots to next year’s World Cup in South Africa with that win.

El Tri enters Saturday’s match against Costa Rica at Ricardo Saprissa stadium in San Jose following its most impressive result during qualifying.

Beating the Americans, a team that was coming off an improbable run to the Confederation Cup final, was arguably Mexico’s best performance after six matches played.

Mexico’s play against the United States had former El Tri and American coach Bora Milutinovic take note. He told reporters he believes Mexico could finish on top of the group standings once qualifying has ended.

But despite the hype and what is being said about Mexico, Aguirre is not buying it.

“What gives you the right to be confident? What have we’ve done to feel big if you haven’t done anything?” Aguirre said about his team. “That is said without diminishing what has been accomplished at Estadio Azteca and the results during the Gold Cup, which had not been won a title the last two.”

At the same time, Aguirre is not ruling out the possibility of winning the group.

“We shouldn’t feel we’re inferior,” Aguirre said. “If we take it game by game, we can accomplish it. There are four teams fighting for 12 points. Anything can happen.”

Mexico’s win against the U.S. shifted momentum in the standings.

Mexico remained in fourth place with nine points behind the Americans (10 points), Honduras and Costa Rica, but showed signs it can become a powerhouse in the region once again.

Costa Rica, the group leader with 12 points, appeared to lose some of its swagger after falling to Honduras (10 points), 2-0, on August 12.

That could change for Los Ticos. After all, Costa Rica has won its last three games at home, including an impressive 3-1 outing against the United States.

The heat, humidity, artificial turf and the unforgiving crowd at the Ricardo Saprissa are in favor of the Ticos.

The stadium is often referred to as “the cave.”

“We know all about it,” said Sabah, the man who scored the winning goal for El Tri against the U.S. and led the team in scoring during the Gold Cup. “We have to be ready for what the situation presents.”

Costa Rica will most likely be without its captain and all-time caps leader Walter Centeno who is nursing an injury.

“These types of absences don’t make me happy,” Aguirre said. “Everyone has his problems. Every roster is missing someone or has too much of something.”

Mexico perhaps can’t afford to have too much confidence.

By Ivan Orozco

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Wenger sweats over Fabregas´s fitness

August 23, 2009


Cesc Fabregas is a major doubt for Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Celtic after the midfielder was forced out of the 4-1 win over Portsmouth with a hamstring injury.

Fabregas played just 45 minutes of Saturday’s victory that was kick-started by two goals from Abou Diaby and wrapped up with second half strikes from William Gallas and Aaron Ramsey.

And Gunners manager Arsene Wenger admitted after the game that his captain had only a slight chance of appearing in this week’s European play-off second leg and could be out for up to three weeks.

Arsenal hold a commanding 2-0 lead following the first leg of the tie in Glasgow last week.

Wenger said: “Cesc Fabregas has a hamstring problem. He will be short for Wednesday. Not definitely out.

“If it’s a little pull he will be out for three weeks, if it’s tightness he could make Wednesday. We will see in the next 48 hours.”

Having thrashed Everton 6-1 at Goodison Park last week, Arsenal are already being touted as genuine title contenders.

But Wenger played down his side’s chances, insisting it was far too early to start predicting who would be contesting top spot when the season ends in May.

He added: “We have scored ten goals after the first two games but we could have scored more.

“So that’s a brilliant start and should create confidence and momentum. The first week was very successful.

“But now we have another week with another test against Celtic and then Manchester United next week.

“But it’s too early to talk about the title. I said after ten games in the league you will see a trend.

“It would give me a lot of satisfaction to win the league. But you have to accept the opinion of a lot people in this job and the best you can do is shut up and win your next game.”

Diaby’s two goals put Arsenal in control of the early stages of the game and Wenger believes the midfielder can have a major impact on the coming campaign.

The player’s progress at the club has been hampered by injuries but the manager believes Diaby’s time has finally come and even went so far as to draw comparisons with former Arsenal star Patrick Vieira.

“Diaby is a bit more of an offensive player,” Wenger said. “But when he decides to play defensively, he is exactly like Vieira.

“When William Gallas decided to move forward, he dropped back and he looked very similar to Patrick when he wins the ball back.

“He is a guy who has quick transition from defence into attack and that is a great quality because no one can keep up with him from box to box.

“It could be his season because he prepared well and he is very sharp and strong. He is all you want to play in the Premier League.”

Portsmouth manager Paul Hart felt his side were hard done to when Gallas escaped punishment after appearing to bring down John Utaka when the Pompey winger was clear on goal shortly after Younes Kaboul’s header had dragged the visitors back into the game.

“It was a clear foul,” said Hart. “I don?t like to see people sent off but that was a clear sending off offence. And the Gallas scores the third goal.”

Hart’s side have lost their opening two games but the manager is hopeful Portsmouth’s fortunes are finally turning around and that the long awaited takeover of the club could be completed this week.

He added: “It’s gone on far too long. Everyone can see we are a club that needs investment. But we’ve spent a long time doing nothing.

“We are big boys. You can get on with it or walk away. You have choices in life and I think I work for a good football club.

“The players have been excellent since they came back and we have that good spirit that you could see.”

LONDON (AFP)

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