Juve must have no fear to progress: Zaccheroni

January 30, 2010


Juventus must crush the fear that has dogged them of late if they are to progress, new boss Alberto Zaccheroni said ahead of his first match in charge against his former club Lazio on Sunday.

The Turin giants sacked Ciro Ferrara and hired Zaccheroni on Friday, a day after they lost 2-1 at Inter Milan to exit the Italian Cup at the quarter-final stage.

Ferrara’s dismissal had been expected as Juventus have dropped to sixth in Serie A, 16 points behind leaders Inter, having already been knocked out of the Champions League in December.

“We have the duty to take the match to the opposition, always and everywhere,” the former AC Milan and Inter coach told a press conference on Saturday.

“Tomorrow night I expect the players to get rid of the fear that has conditioned them in many recent games.”

Zaccheroni is confident he knows how to turn the side’s fortunes around to achieve his “minimum target” of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, although he will be careful not to rush things.

“I have an idea about how to win, I have to convince the players to share it,” he said. “A collective way of thinking is important – it’s what will enable us to do well.

“I’ve thrown myself immediately into working on the team and the opposition. I want to put things back in order, not create confusion.”

Zaccheroni will be without a host of injured players on Sunday, as well as keeper Gianluigi Buffon and full back Fabio Grosso, who are suspended.

ROME (AFP)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

New Zealand arrange Austrian stint, friendly with Serbia

January 23, 2010


New Zealand will prepare for their first World Cup campaign in 28 years with a training camp at altitude in Austria ahead of a May friendly with Serbia, the New Zealand Football Federation said Saturday.

The Kiwis will be playing their Group F matches at between 660 and 1310 metres above sea level against Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay.

The date of the match against the Serbs at Klagenfurt has yet to be fixed.

Serbia themselves will meet Germany, Australia and Ghana in Group D.

Another Kiwi warm up will come against Slovenia on June 4 in Maribor.

“We?ll be at altitude, in a country with very good training facilities and two excellent opponents to play so you couldn?t ask for anything more,” said coach Ricki Herbert of the Austrian camp.

On March 3, the Kiwis will face Mexico in Los Angeles to get a feel of how to tackle Latin American opposition in preparation for their duel with Paraguay.

VIENNA (AFP)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Scotland boss Levein gets scout wish

January 8, 2010


Scotland’s new manager, Craig Levein, will have a scout to assist him after the Scottish Football Association (SFA) announced his former club colleague Michael Oliver had been appointed to the post.

For the past two years Oliver has worked at Scottish Premier League side Dundee United, where Levein was the manager until he was installed as Scotland boss last month in succession to the sacked George Burley.

“Hopefully I can have a good impact on the squad’s preparations and have a real go at creating a good picture for Craig of the teams he will face,” Oliver, who has also scouted for English Premier League sides Birmingham and Wigan, told www.scottishfa.co.uk following Thursday’s announcement by the SFA.

He added: “More often than not I’ll be watching club matches where a percentage of players involved are eligible for an international opponent.

“That is where you’ll see a player perform to their full potential and learn most about them, as opposed to an international friendly where not a lot is at stake,” explained Oliver, likely to be Levein’s only full-time member of staff.

Levein, whose first game in charge is the international friendly against the Czech Republic in March, said: “When I was working at club level I didn’t like it if I sent out my team and the opposition brought on a player who I hadn’t briefed my players about.

“When I was offered the job here I made it clear from the start that I wanted a full-time scout.

“Michael fits the role perfectly,” added Levein, who first met Oliver as a 19-year-old when he played alongside him at Scottish lower league side Cowdenbeath.

“He already has a lot of experience in a similar role, he is used to travelling around Europe watching players, and he has made a lot of good contacts along the way.

“For the past two years he was my scout at Dundee United. For me the most important thing is that Michael always gives me a definitive opinion about a player,” Levein explained.

Scotland have not qualified for the finals of a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup in France and Levein’s primary task is to get the team through to the 2012 European Championship finals in Poland and the Ukraine.

GLASGOW (AFP)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Belgium manager Advocaat rejects N. Ireland friendly

January 7, 2010


Belgium manager Dick Advocaat has rejected the possibility of playing a friendly with Northern Ireland as the Dutchman supposedly wants tougher opposition.

The Belgian FA (KBVB) and Northern Ireland had been discussing a friendly while Advocaat was reportedly under the impression that it concerned Ireland Republic, rather than their northern neighbours.

“We spoke with Northern Ireland and there was the possibility to play a friendly,” said KBVB Chairman Jean-Marie Philips.

Our coach was then brought up to date, but communication went wrong. Advocaat thought we meant Ireland. When in an e-mail he read that it concerned Northern Ireland, he informed us that he preferred stronger opponents.

According to media reports, Belgium have already found a replacement and face Croatia in a March 3 encounter.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Upbeat Japan insist semi-final goal still on

December 5, 2009


Upbeat Japan coach Takeshi Okada insisted Friday making the semi-finals of the World Cup next year remained a realistic goal after they were drawn against the Netherlands, Cameroon and Denmark.

Japan have never made it past the round of 16 in three previous attempts and open their fourth World Cup campaign in Bloemfontein against Cameroon on June 14.

“I think all the opposition countries are rated above us in a sense, but they are within a range that we can cope with. I think the group is not so bad,” Okada told reporters.

“It will be the fourth World Cup finals for Japan and we are aiming for a top four spot. We don’t intend to change our goal and we continue to aim for a top four spot.”

The goal is widely seen as unrealistic and former coach Ivica Osim, who had to step down due to illness in 2007, said the Blue Samurai must not get their hopes up too high.

“The bigger the expectations, the bigger the disappointment,” the Bosnian told Japanese media ahead of the draw.

“Japan is capable of pulling off a surprise, but to get to where Japan is trying to go, they will need a trampoline,” he added.

“You can jump three meters, five meters in the air with a trampoline, but one has to understand how to use a trampoline in the first place.

“So the question is — will Japan be able to figure out how to use a trampoline?”

CAPE TOWN (AFP)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Hughes set to face owners questions as City slip again

November 8, 2009


Manchester City manager Mark Hughes insists he has no fears about his meeting with the club’s owner in Abu Dhabi this week despite his team’s disappointing 3-3 home draw with Burnley.

City fly to the Middle East on Sunday to play a friendly with the UAE national team on Thursday and Hughes will have talks with Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

After a run of only one victory in six Premier League games, the last five of them draws, the potential appears to be there for some awkward questions from the man who invested 200 million pounds in new talent over the summer.

But Hughes was far more concerned with the loss of two home points that City appeared to have secured when they came from two goals down to lead 3-2 in the second half.

“Going to Abu Dhabi doesn’t have any significance but it’s a poor result from our point of view because we had redeemed a situation people might have thought was beyond us,” said Hughes.

“We’re 10 or 11 games in and I think we’re doing okay, no more, no less than that.

“I said before the season that there will be times when we look like what we are, a team coming together and trying to gel. And on other occasions it will happen for us and we will look an outstanding team – but I am frustrated, and disappointed as well.”

Having started the season in such impressive fashion, City have been a disappointment for some weeks now, ever since their controversial Manchester derby loss at United in early September.

And Hughes admitted that the strong opening to the campaign may now be working against his side. “Teams now have had the opportunity to have a look at us,” he said.

“They’ve had a look to see which way we’re going to play, which personnel and formation we will be playing. Opposition will send teams out to frustrate us and try and capitalise on areas where they feel they can take advantage. We have to make sure we can recognise what the opposition is trying to do and be clever enough to address it.”

The concerns for Burnley manager Owen Coyle are far more modest and, ever the realist, the Scotsman is still only concerned about keeping his team in the top flight, despite what amounts, in relative terms, to a stunning start to the new campaign.

“As a football club we are evolving, we are the smallest town in the Premier League, but we don’t want that tag and not offer a fight,” said Coyle.

“Success for us is to stay in the best league in the world. Getting to the Premier League was an unbelievable achievement but to actually stay in it would surpass that. We have a long, long way to go and we’re not getting carried away. This is just one point to add to the 15 we already had.

“We carry on because we believe that we have good players, even if they are not on unbelievable salaries by Premier League standards. We also have an unbelievable spirit and sense of camaraderie.

“We know there will be times when we are on the wrong end of scorelines but we continue to learn and work to get better.”

A Graham Alexander penalty and Steven Fletcher goal put Coyle?s team in front before City launched a stunning recovery with three goals in 15 minutes either side of half-time from Shaun Wright-Phillips, Kolo Toure and Craig Bellamy.

City, however, let their concentration drop four minutes from time when substitute Kevin McDonad appeared on the end of a Fletcher header to earn his team their first away point of the season.

MANCHESTER (AFP)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Queiroz defiant on Ronaldo call-up

November 7, 2009


Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz insisted Saturday that he intends to call up Cristiano Ronaldo for crucial World Cup play-offs against Bosnia-Herzegovina despite the opposition of the player’s club Real Madrid.

Real Madrid doctors have estimated that the striker will be out of action for at least two more weeks as he recovers from an ankle injury which has forced him to miss the club’s last seven matches.

Ronaldo initially injured his right ankle in Real’s 3-0 Champions League victory over Marseille at the end of September and aggravated the problem while playing for Portugal on October 10.

But Quieroz is not convinced that he is unable to play, and said that the Real Madrid star “will be examined by doctors who will decide if he can or not contribute to the national team.”

“I’m going to call up Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s an important player for us and I hope he can help us even if it’s only for a few minutes,” Queiroz told televsion channel TVI24.

“We want a great Cristiano, in form, and that’s our priority – to know if he is fit,” said the Portugal coach.

“Can he miss the first leg and play the second? It’s still too early to know,” said Queiroz, who is expected to name his team on Sunday to play Bosnia on November 14 in Lisbon and November 18 in Zenica.

Real Madrid have told Queiroz in no uncertain terms they will not make the star striker available.

“It’s impossible for Ronaldo to play with Portugal,” said Real coach Manuel Pellegrini. “I feel sorry for the Portugal squad and for the player, but he hasn’t trained for a long time now and he is still in pain.”

LISBON (AFP)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Babbel: This is just the start

November 1, 2009


Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel insists there is still a lot of work to do even if his job seems a little safer after Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Bayern Munich.

Babbel’s future charge of the Swabians has been in much doubt, not least since they crashed out of the DFB-Pokal in midweek to second-division opposition.

But holding Bayern to a draw is an achievement which should at least quell the rumours surrounding his position for a few days.

“Of course I am not so happy that I can say this was the turning point, but I must compliment my team for fighting against one of the best teams in Europe,” he said.

“But we have now got to pay particular attention and not make everything out to be so positive.”

Stuttgart now need to show a similar performance against another of Europe’s leading clubs, Sevilla, in the Champions League in midweek to revive their hopes of reaching the second round of that competition.

“We have got to take the positives from this game with us to Seville,” said midfielder Roberto Hilbert on the club’s official website.

Bayern Munich also have a crucial Champions League fixture on the horizon and a repeat of this result against Bordeaux on Tuesday would severely jeopardise their hopes of reaching the second round.

“We have got to win against Bordeaux, otherwise it is going to be hard to go through,” admitted general manager Uli Hoeness.

“We have high expectations in the Champions League, therefore I am a bit nervous.”

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Wenger expects Arsenal starlets to shine at highest level

October 29, 2009


Arsene Wenger predicted his crop of Arsenal youngsters would reach “the top level in the game” after they scalped Liverpool in the League Cup fourth round.

The Frenchman did not pick any of his regular Premier League starters for Wednesday’s 2-1 victory against the Reds at the Emirates Stadium, but it made little difference against opposition who also boasted an unfamiliar look.

Goals from Fran Merida and Nicklas Bendtner were enough to see off Liverpool, who had levelled through Emiliano Insua’s excellent long-range volley, but it was the composed and polished quality of his tyros’ football which impressed Wenger.

“I thought the quality we showed made this more of a European Cup game than a League Cup game,” he said.

“Our players were up for it, the passing was very good. The ball was played at a high pace and we gave people what they paid for – top quality – and I am very happy to say that.

“Everyone did well. We had mental resources, as well, to come back when they equalised. It was very impressive and it shows you why we did not need to spend a lot of money during the close-season.

“Nearly all of the young players have already played in the first team. I think all who played will make it at the top level in the game.”

Wenger reserved his most glowing praise for Merida, the Spanish youngster whose future at the club was in doubt during the close-season when he was almost sent on loan to Levante.

The manager eventually decided to keep him at the club and the decision reaped rich rewards as he struck a sublime goal – a rising left-footed shot that went in off the post – and helped set up the second for Bendtner.

“Merida is a quality player,” Wenger said. “He comes from a very good school, by which I mean the Spanish school. But our school is also in line with the way he has been educated.

“He can certainly break through and I want him to stay here. I kept him as I thought he had the quality to break through. He shows perfectly the way we play football.”

There was also positive news for Wenger in seeing Samir Nasri complete his first 90 minutes since breaking his leg on the club’s pre-season training trip to Austria.

Rafael Benitez, the Liverpool manager, also had good news on the injury front, as he gave Alberto Aquilani his first appearance in a Liverpool shirt since his move from Roma in the August.

The Italian midfielder had been sidelined with a long-standing ankle injury and, while he clearly needs more match practice before reaching his peak condition, Benitez believes he can supply the guile that has been absent from his team since the departure of Xabi Alonso.

“The worst thing was the defeat and the result but there were positives, passion, character, quality and Aquilani was one of these players,” he said.

“He needs to improve his fitness but he can pass in the final third and make a difference to us.

“For us, he could be an important player because we need quality and he is that kind of player. But we can’t push too hard with him. He just needs to keep working.”

There was grimmer news for Benitez on the condition of Steven Gerrard, who is set to miss Saturday’s visit to Fulham, although Fernando Torres is expected to play.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

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)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Next Page »

 



Calendar

    February 2010
    M T W T F S S
    « Jan    
    1234567
    891011121314
    15161718192021
    22232425262728

Related Sites

Free Page Rank Tool

eXTReMe Tracker


TinyPic Image and Video Hosting

Click Here

Categories

.