Ferdinand´s England captaincy ´will boost United´

February 7, 2010

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United can benefit from Fabio Capello’s decision to make Rio Ferdinand the new England captain.

Ferdinand served the second game of his four-match suspension as United returned to the top of the table with a 5-0 victory over Portsmouth.

The defender, 31, was watching from the stands just 24 hours after taking the England skipper’s armband from John Terry, who was stripped of the captaincy by Capello on Friday following allegations about his private life.

Ferguson admits he is proud that a United player will captain England at the World Cup in South Africa later this year and hopes the accolade has a positive effect on Ferdinand’s performances during the Premier League title run-in.

He said: “We’re pleased for him and it’s great for Manchester United to have one of our players captaining his country.

“Over the years we’ve had Gary, Bobby Charlton and Bryan Robson for 60-odd games or something so we?re very proud of that.”

Ferguson was happy with the patient display of his team against Avram Grant’s strugglers.

United took until the 40th minute to make the breakthrough but Ferguson thinks that his team, who have dropped just two points against bottom-half teams, were rewarded for their calm approach.

He added: “We had a lot of pressure and possession of the ball but we were patient enough and that?s important when teams come and sit in the way they did here.

“Portsmouth were there to make it difficult but we got the goal just before half time and it was a bit fortunate with the second one but that opened the game for us in the second half and it was a good performance.”

Ferguson admits he is willing Arsenal to take points off Chelsea when the two London teams meet at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The United manager added: “I don’t know if I’ll watch it or not because I’m going up to Glasgow but I’ll be thinking about it.”

Grant insists that Portsmouth, who face a winding up order, will continue to fight despite their position looking more and more dangerous.

The club are working under their fourth set of owners of the season and are seven points from safety at the bottom of the Premier League.

But the former Chelsea manager is hoping that the Fratton Park club have turned a corner.

He said: “We need to do our job even if it feels like it is going against us.

“I hope that the club will be more stable now. It was almost impossible in the last matches with all the mess around the club and uncertainty.

“I hope now it will be more stable and it’s important for the club. It’s a unique club the whole city is behind the club.

“On the pitch we are doing very well and when you look back over the years, the team at the bottom you see a lot of difference from them to other teams but there’s not a lot of difference between us and tenth place.

“All we want is stability at the club because it will be very difficult to continue like this.

“Positive thinking is always better than negative thinking and as long as we have the chance we will fight.”

United took the lead when Wayne Rooney scored his 23rd goal of the season and Anthony Vanden Borre’s own goal gave the champions a two-goal half-time lead.

Just before the hour, Michael Carrick’s shot looped in off the bar off Richard Hughes and Dimitar Berbatov added a fourth with a fine solo goal.

Portsmouth’s embarrassment was complete when Marc Wilson volleyed into his own net from Patrice Evra’s cross.

MANCHESTER (AFP)

Tags: accolade, alex ferguson believes manchester united, Anthony Vanden, avram grant, bobby charlton, bryan robson, calm approach, captain England, captain. Ferdinand, CHELSEA, England, england captain, england skipper, fabio capello, Gary, john terry, Manchester, odd games, patrice evra, Portsmouth, private life, richard hughes, rio ferdinand, second game, sir alex ferguson, South Africa, stamford bridge, wayne rooney, winding up order

Ferguson: ‘No regrets about Tevez’

January 20, 2010

Carlos Tevez made the difference as Manchester City claimed a 2-1 win over Manchester United in the rivals’ League Cup semi-final first leg. The Argentine striker scored two vital to sink his former club.

Sir Alex Ferguson said he had no regrets at letting the striker go. The Manchester United manager was also unmoved as Tevez repeated the cupped-ears gesture he first performed in front of his then home dug-out when trying to secure a new contract during last season’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

“It is just the way these things happen,” said Ferguson. “Football can be like that. It can bite you.

“We have had a few players leave the club and score against us. There is no issue. I am happy with the players we have got.

“It will be a Manchester United crowd at Old Trafford in a week’s time for the second leg and with the occasion and what’s at stake we’ll be okay.”

Obviously, Tevez was delighted with his goals against his former club.

“It was special for me, these goals were very important and they mean a lot to me. I want to dedicate my goals to the fans of City,” said the Argentina international.

City manager Roberto Mancini doesn’t think the League Cup final, which could be the first for the Citizens since 1981, already is in sight after last night’s win.

“At Old Trafford we will start at 2-1, but we know that it will be a hard game,” said Mancini.

“We can win at Old Trafford, or we could draw, it is possible. Carlos played a big game very well and scored two important goals. We were excellent after we fell behind.

“I’m very happy for Carlos because he is an ex-United player,” added Mancini.

“I just hope he plays as well in the second game because it will be very difficult at Old Trafford.

“I don’t know whether United made a mistake letting Carlos go. I’m just happy that he now plays for us.”

City midfielder Gareth Barry also heaped praise on his teammate.

“All the talk before the game was about Carlos but he did his talking on the pitch, which is typical of him.

“The way Carlos plays, he deserved it. It’s still in the balance, we’ve got the second leg at Old Trafford and we know that will be a real battle.”

Tags: alex ferguson, Argentina, Argentine, big game, Carlos, carlos tevez, ears, Gareth Barry, gesture, Manchester, manchester city, manchester united, midfielder, new contract, no regrets, old trafford, pitch, roberto mancini, second game, sir alex ferguson, stake, striker, teammate

Penalty leads Nigeria past Benin

January 17, 2010

Nigeria are still alive in Group C of the African Cup of Nations following a 1-0 win over Benin on Saturday.

After losing their opening match to Egypt, most of the pressure was on Nigeria to collect three points from their second game.

The only goal of the match was scored in the 42nd minute. Benin defender Romualde Boco handled the ball in the penalty area and Aiyegbeni Yakubu made no mistake from the spot.

Benin took control in the second half and even hit the crossbar on one occasion, but World Cup participants Nigeria held on to their narrow lead to earn their first points in this tournament.

The other match in this group, between Egypt and Mozambique, is scheduled to be played later on Saturday.

Tags: African, african cup of nations, Aiyegbeni, Benin, crossbar, Egypt, match, mistake, Mozambique, narrow lead, nigeria, pressure, Romualde, second game, second half, world cup participants, yakubu

Girard’s Montpellier look for revival at Nancy

December 19, 2009

If the sparkling display against Bordeaux was marred by a defeat, then Montpellier’s coach Rene Girard would want his team to draw up a response, instantly.

And with a struggling Nancy visiting them, Montpellier would want to make up for the lost ground.

While, the defeat to Bordeaux was Montpellier’s first home defeat of the season, Girard has urged his players to put that disappointment behind them.

“There are two refereeing systems,” he said. “One for the big teams and another for the little ones. I understand that now.

“I detest injustices. The players managed to have a good game but they fell in front of a great team.

“They didn’t deserve to be beaten in this match.

“They have nothing to be ashamed about by this defeat which we have to accept despite everything.

“I am proud of my team. From now on, we want to concentrate on our next match against Nancy.”

Johann Carrasso, Bangali-Fode Koita and Remy Cabella are still sidelined but Girard has an otherwise full squad to choose from.

Montpellier will have to make do without the backing of their fans as the game will be played behind closed doors as punishment for crowd trouble during their match with Nice in August.

Nancy moved up to 13th following a 2-0 win over Nice, a victory which halted their slide down the Ligue 1 table.

Les Chardons had fallen from ninth to 15th following only one win in their previous five games and coach Pablo Correa was delighted to see an improvement.

“It was about more than three points,” he said. “We found a good balance between playing well, attacking well and defending well.

“When you play well without winning sometimes you lose confidence. But we have talked a lot about that the past few days.

“I am happy because the group reacted in a good way.”

Damian Macaluso serves the second game of a three-match ban while Jonathan Brison has joined Reynald Lemaitre in the treatment room.

Tags: bangali, Bordeaux, cabella, chardons, closed doors, correa, crowd trouble, Damian Macaluso, five games, fode, injustices, Johann Carrasso, jonathan brison, lemaitre, Ligue 1, little ones, macaluso, Montpellier, Nancy, Pablo Correa, remy, rene girard, second game, slide down

Evra relishing Beckham´s European return

December 19, 2009

Patrice Evra is looking forward to playing against former Old Trafford hero David Beckham after Manchester United were drawn against AC Milan in the Champions League.

England midfielder Beckham, who made his name with United, is set to begin his second loan spell with Italian giants Milan from US Major League Soccer side the Los Angeles Galaxy in January.

Beckham won the Champions League with United in 1999 before moving to Real Madrid four years later.

“I am happy for David Beckham because he did a lot for United and I know he wanted to play again at Old Trafford,” France international defender Evra told the club’s official website following Friday’s draw for the last 16.

“I will say ‘welcome home’ to him but I will make sure he doesn’t have an easy game! I like him because I have met him and he is a good person, a real gentleman.

“He’s a professional and that is why Milan wanted him. I’m sure all his old team-mates who are still here are looking forward to welcoming him back,” Evra added.

“But I’m looking forward more to playing against Milan rather than just Beckham, because Milan are much more than one man,” insisted Evra, a member of the United side that lost last season’s Champions League final 2-0 to Barcelona in Rome in May.

As well as wanting to go up against Beckham, Evra was equally keen to banish the memory of United’s 2007 semi-final loss to Milan when the Italians won 5-3 on aggregate.

“I remember it was a very frustrating tie. We won 3-2 at home but we didn’t play very well. In the second game I was suspended and watched it on TV.

“It was very difficult to see my team lose 3-0 in that way, but after that game we had more experience and we won the Champions League (beating English rivals Chelsea on penalties in the Moscow final) the next year.”

Meanwhile veteran United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted to be pitting his wits against Milan once again.

“We’ve come up against AC Milan many times in the quarter and semi-finals so it’ll be a fantastic setting for two great clubs,” he said.

Ferguson added the memory of last season’s tame loss to Barcelona will inspire United this term.

“What’s important is that we lost the last final. It was the first time I’d ever lost a European final.

“We know where we went wrong in that, it’s quite simple, and I think they’ll all want to get back to the final.

“It does that for you. Winning was great in Moscow, but in some ways losing in the final was even better for us in terms of you realise what a big occasion it is because you’re not part of the celebrations.”

United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and the club’s first choice back four have all been sidelines by injuries so far this season.

Van der Sar has been sent back to his native Holland for treatment on a knee injury and is set to be out of action for a further two weeks, missing the busy Christmas period.

Ferguson, who hopes to have him back in time for the first leg away to Milan on February 16, said the keeper’s experience was an invaluable asset.

“Van der Sar is unbelievable. His composure, organisational abilities, the control of the people in front of him…he’s a hell of a presence.

“Tomasz Kuszczak is 27 now but he hasn’t had a great deal of first-team football in the Premier League. The same with Ben Foster. You miss the composure that Edwin van der Sar brings.

“But on the positive side, Kuszczak has been fantastic.

“At Portsmouth he made three fantastic saves at a time when we needed the saves, so he’s playing his part.”

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

Tags: ac milan, aggregate, Barcelona, ben foster, champions league, CHELSEA, David Beckham, Edwin van der, England, Ferguson, France, france international, gentleman, good person, Holland, italians, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, MADRID, Manchester, midfielder, Milan, Moscow, patrice evra, Portsmouth, premier league, second game, semi finals, sir alex ferguson, team mates, Van der, wits

Giggs the key for Man Utd says Berbatov

September 27, 2009

Dimitar Berbatov believes Ryan Giggs is providing the inspiration behind Manchester United’s bid to win a record fourth consecutive Premier League title.

Giggs played a key role in sending the reigning champions back to the top of the table on Saturday as he came off the bench to help United claim a 2-0 win a at Stoke.

The Welsh midfielder replaced Nani 10 minutes into the second half and quickly turned the game in United’s favour with assists for Berbatov and then John O’Shea to score the goals that took Sir Alex Ferguson’s team above Chelsea on goal difference.

“The game changed when Ryan came on,” Berbatov said. “You can see because of the number of years he has been able to play for Manchester United how much he helps by being on the pitch.

“He makes the right decisions. That is what got us the three points.”

Berbatov’s goal at the Britannia Stadium was just his second of the season and he has yet to win over sections of the United fanbase, but the Bulgarian insists United’s success is more important than individual plaudits.

“The most important thing is for the team to win, not for me to score,” he said.

“If we win 1-0, I don’t care if the goalkeeper scores. I just want to stay at the top of the table and continue winning.”

When United were slipping to a shock defeat at newly-promoted Burnley in their second game the chances of them sitting on top of the table before the start of October seemed remote, even if those within Old Trafford remained quite comfortable with their situation.

Republic of Ireland defender O’Shea admits that Burnley loss was the kind of shock to the system that always produces a strong response from United.

“We knew we had to go on a run to put a marker down,” O’Shea said.

“Burnley was a freakish result. But we have always responded well to situations like that and put together a good run of victories.

“This was the same. But the games keep rolling and we have to continue.”

MANCHESTER (AFP)

Tags: alex ferguson, berbatov, britannia stadium, burnley, CHELSEA, goal difference, John, john o shea, key role, man utd, Manchester, manchester united, midfielder, old trafford, plaudits, premier league, republic of ireland, Ryan, ryan giggs, second game, shock to the system, sir alex ferguson

Easy win for Germany against USA at U-20 World Cup

September 26, 2009

Germany did as expected to beat the USA 3-0 at the 2009 World Youth Championship in Egypt, giving their campaign the perfect start.

The Germans needed 30 minutes to open the score at As-Suwais Stadium in Suez, with Semih Aydilek netting from the penalty spot.

Florian Jungwirth added another in the 32nd minute, to leave the American defense stunned and unable to react. Manuel Schäffler made it 3-0 in minute 72 to end any doubts that may have remained.

Germany play their second game against South Korea on Tuesday, while the United States face a ‘must-win’ against Cameroon.

Jonathan Roorda

Tags: 30 minutes, american defense, doubts, Egypt, Florian Jungwirth, germans, Germany, jonathan, Manuel Schäffler, penalty spot, score, second game, south korea, suez, Suwais Stadium, u 20 world cup, United States, USA, world youth championship

Nigeria stunned by Venezuela at U-20 World Cup

September 26, 2009

Venezuela have begun their World Youth Championship with a slightly surprising 1-0 win over one of the tournament’s dark horses, Nigeria.

The Nigerians suffered a big blow in the first half, as Lukman Haruna conceded a red card at five minutes from the break.

And just before the half time whistle, it was Yonatan Del Valle to put the Venezuelans ahead for what would turn out to be the winning goal.

Nigeria were the better side in the second half, but failed to put more than a little pressure on Romo’s goal. The Africans will now have to try their luck against Spain in the second game, while Venezuela face an arguably easier task against Tahiti.

Jonathan Roorda

Tags: africans, dark horses, five minutes, half time, haruna, nigeria, nigerians, roorda, second game, second half, Spain, tahiti, u 20 world cup, venezuela, venezuelans, whistle, world youth championship, yonatan, Yonatan Del Valle

Is naturalising players for internationals a good idea?

September 3, 2009

Brazil-born Juventus striker Amauri failed to get an Italian passport in time for Italy’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria but he hopes the documentation will come through soon.

Azzurri coach Marcello Lippi has indicated he will then consider Amauri for international duty but said he did not want the situation to be repeated.

This seems to have ended any chance of Inter Milan midfielder Thiago Motta following Amauri’s lead. The former Barcelona and Atletico Madrid player could qualify for Italy if FIFA decided his two Brazil appearances in the CONCACAF Gold Cup did not count as full caps because it was a under-23 team.

After Diego’s classy brace in his second game for Juventus, many Italians became excited when they realised the playmaker has Italian lineage. However, they forgot the basic rule that Diego had played competitively for Brazil and therefore was not eligible for Italy.

Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva plays for Croatia despite being born in Brazil while the London club’s uncapped Spanish goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has often been talked about as a potential England candidate.

Is the situation out of hand? I’m just old enough to remember when domestic clubs had a majority of players from the local town. Now few top sides have players from the same country.

Is international football going the same way? Why not have Premier League v Serie A rather than England v Italy?

Liverpool’s Alberto Aquilani and Andrea Dossena may feel a bit torn.

PHOTO: Juventus forward Amauri warms up during a training session at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin March 9, 2009.REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

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Tags: alberto aquilani, alessandro bianchi, amauri, Andrea Dossena, Atletico, atletico madrid, Barcelona, brazil, bulgaria, coach marcello lippi, concacaf gold cup, croatia, Diego, dossena, Eduardo da, eduardo da silva, England, Georgia, inter milan, international football, italian passport, Italy, Liverpool, london, london club, MADRID, Manuel Almunia, photo juventus, playmaker, premier league, reuters, second game, stadio olimpico, Thiago Motta, turin, world cup qualifiers

Velez maintain perfect record

August 30, 2009

Defending Argentinian champions Velez Sarsfield maintain their perfect record in this year’s edition of the Primera Division, beating Arsenal 3-1 on Saturday.

Nicolas Otamendi put Velez ahead after 23 minutes against Arsenal de Sarandi, and Hernan Lopez made it 2-0 shortly after the hour.

Cristian Alvarez pulled one back for the visiting side in minute 70, but Maximiliano Moralez netted for 3-1, the final result, eight minutes later.

Estudiantes also won their second game in a row, beating Gimnasia La Plata 3-0. Rosario Central defeated Tigre 1-2 and have six points from their first two matches as well.

Jonathan Roorda