Ronaldo: “I will win the Ballon d’Or in 2010 or 2011″

December 30, 2009


Cristiano Ronaldo has never showed any lack of self confidence. The Real Madrid attacker has recovered from an ankle injury and has revealed his target for next year: winning the Ballon d’Or.

The Portugal international relinquished the crown he won in 2008 to Barcelona star Lionel Messi who also took over the title of FIFA World Player of the Year in 2009 and won several trophies with Barca. Ronaldo has his sights firmly set on returning to being recognised as the best footballer on the planet.

“I’m going to win the Ballon d’Or back, this year or next,” he told Marca.

I have an ambition to become the best player in history.”

The 24-year-old also declared that his troublesome ankle, which kept him out of action for two months, is in good shape and will not require surgery.

“The ankle is fine and if not the Real Madrid doctors will see it right. I am sure I will not need an operation,” he noted.

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Ballack: England one of the favourites

December 24, 2009


Germany captain Michael Ballack considers England to be “one of the favourites” to win next summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

The Chelsea midfielder believes Fabio Capello could lead England to a first major title since 1966, and admits his own nation is lagging a bit behind.

“They have a great team and many players with exceptional individual class,” he told the Rheinische Post newspaper.

“With Fabio Capello, they now have a manager who has brought stability. That is important and the team feels that.

“They have got to be able to win games even when they are not playing at the highest level and that is what Italian managers are good at, particularly Capello.

“England are oozing self-confidence and I can sense that here. They are one of the favourites.”

Other favourites, according to Ballack, are Brazil, Italy and France – but not necessarily Germany.

“At a World Cup, everything has got to work, and then even more – you need luck,” he added.

“There are certainly teams who are better than us at the moment.”

That may well include his club Chelsea, who he feels have a better chance of winning the Champions League this season than Germany do of triumphing in South Africa.

“Of course that (the Champions League) is the title that one wants to win, especially when you have a squad like ours,” he said.

“But if you also have a chance to win the league, then that is once again a big aim.

“At a certain stage of the season, you reach the point where the strain is very high and then you have to decide which competition you want to focus on in particular.

“We have such a good squad and class that we can compete in both competitions.”

And Ballack believes that even if it were not to work out for the Blues this season, he would still have more chances to succeed, even though his contract expires in the summer.

“We will sit down together and talk soon,” he added. “But I am not under any pressure.

“Both parties know what they have in each other.”

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Beckenbauer criticizes Van Bommel

November 5, 2009


The dramatic loss against Bordeaux (0-2) meant a huge blow to Bayern Munich’s self-confidence. President Franz Beckenbauer was disappointed with the way Bayern played and especially with Mark van Bommel’s performance.

“Of course it’s nice to play well and be dominant on the pitch,” said Der Kaiser in Bild. “But what’s the use of 70 per cent possession if the ball doesn’t move forward? You’ve got ninety minutes to claim the win, but then you can’t afford making blunders like Mark van Bommel did for 1-0.”

“Only Arjen Robben, who came on in the second half, brought a bit more pace in Bayern’s play. He’s fast and capable of beating his direct opponent 1 on 1. That causes confusion with the opponent. Another player who’s able to do that, is Bastian Schweinsteiger. He proved that in earlier games. Unfortunately, only in the German team.”

Meanwhile, Bayern boss Louis van Gaal prepares for the next, important match against Schalke 04, on Saturday. The Dutch coach has consequently decided to cancel training on Thursday, â??so that he players freshen up mentally and turn their attention to Schalke.”

“It’s another important game,” acknowledged Van Gaal, “and itâ??s another one we have to win.”

Paul Haring

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We’ve got nothing to fear-Kuyt

November 4, 2009


Although Wednesday night’s match against Olympique Lyon promises to be a game of life-and-death, Liverpool is yet to panic. During earlier Champions League campaigns, Rafa Benitez’s squad revealed their real strenght when they had to seal the deal in the last three group matches-just like this year. “We’ve got nothing to fear,” according to Dirk Kuyt ahead of the crucial clash with Lyon.

“If we want revanche,” the Dutch international reflects at the previous game against the French at Anfield (1-2 loss). “Of course. We definitely need to win this match,” Kuyt told The Daily Star.

Liverpool’s self-confidence remains high despite the poor recent results. “Sure, Lyon a good team with some quality players but we have beaten we have beaten good teams away from home before.

“We’ve beaten Olympique Marseille, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Barcelona in away games. I don’t think we have anything to fear.”

Kuyt is confident The Reds can pull off a succesful final sprint.

“People may have written us off but it doesn’t matter what people are saying.

“We need to win our last three games. We will try to win every one. We’ll never give up.”

Paul Haring

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Podolski: I can understand boos

November 1, 2009


Cologne striker Lukas Podolski admitted the fans had every right to jeer following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Hannover.

The Germany striker has called for crisis talks after Cologne slumped to 15th in the table, just one place above the bottom three.

“We have all got to question ourselves, me included,” he said.

“We have a week and we have got to try to get our self-confidence back by discussing things.

“Otherwise, there’s no point even going to (Hertha) Berlin. We may as well stay here.”

Podolski joined Cologne from Bayern Munich for a club-record fee of 10million euros in the summer, but has yet to live up to the high expectations placed on his shoulders.

Around 45,000 fans turned up at the Mungersdorfer Stadion again, but were sent home disappointed with another lacklustre performance from their side.

“I can understand the fans’ disappointment,” said Podolski. “We were weak and deserved to lose. We showed absolutely nothing.

“You could see that our opponents mastered us and we did not play as a team. You cannot win games like that.”

Cologne travel to the capital next weekend for a true relegation battle with bottom club Hertha Berlin, who have won one game all season and are currently five points from safety.

Abhimanyu Rajput

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Zurich as ´yes we can´ outsiders in Group C

October 21, 2009


Zurich’s shock defeat of AC Milan in the Champions League has thrust the Swiss team into the unlikely role of “yes we can” outsiders against the Italian champions, Real Madrid and Marseille in Group C.

Zurich stand second with three points, ahead of Milan on goal difference and of twice-defeated Marseille ahead of their tie against the French team on Wednesday.

“If we can win here, we can win anywhere,” defender Alain Rochat said after the victory at Milan’s San Siro stadium.

But Zurich coach Bernard Challandes is acutely aware that his side’s jubilation is based on little more than a single match against the ailing Milanese and a goal snatched with a cheeky heeled flick by Finnish defender Hannu Tihinen.

Challandes doesn’t mention the moment they were overwhelmed 5-2 at home by Real Madrid in their first Group C tie, but he does not want to dampen his side’s new found European confidence either.

The then unfancied Swiss managed to string together a 20 minute period just after half-time when they scared the galacticos by pulling two goals back to 3-2.

“We had self-confidence after the game against Madrid, we thought ‘yes we can do’ something in the Champions League,” midfielder Xavier Margairaz said.

But Challandes underlines the fact that the reigning Swiss champions are half way down their domestic league, one of Europe’s weakest, and 16 points adrift of the leaders.

“We’ve had some bad experiences recently, that means everything for the Champions League, not enough for the Swiss championship,” commented Challandes, as the team lined up for a cup tie against Locarno, who are languishing in the bottom third of the Swiss second division.

“When a player plays badly against Locarno then he might not have a chance against Marseille either,” he remarked.

Zurich thrashed Locarno 7-0 on Saturday, with two goals from striker Alexandre Alphonse, but only after a goal-less first half that illustrated one of their problems this season and a talking to from Challandes at half time.

Zurich, who have traditionally been in the shadows of their better known cross-town rivals Grasshopper as well as Basel in recent decades, have won three of the last four Swiss league titles.

They owe the first two to coach Lucien Favre before he left for Hertha Berlin in 2007.

The down-to-earth Challandes, a successful former Swiss national under-21 team coach, has since crafted his side around Margairaz in midfield.

Winger Johannn Vonlanthen, who is fighting for a steady place in Switzerland’s national side, is top scorer with six league goals this season.

“We have one dream, we must do everything that we can to reach this second place, or third place,” in the Champions League, said Margairaz.

ZURICH (AFP)

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Artificial pitch holds no fear for Ballack

October 6, 2009


Germany captain Michael Ballack on Tuesday dismissed concerns over the artificial pitch for the crunch World Cup showdown with Russia, saying his team is well-prepared to adapt to the tricky surface.

The Chelsea midfielder, 33, said Germany is confident ahead of the Group Four clash in Moscow on Saturday where a win would see them book an automatic place in South Africa at next June’s tournament.

The match will be played at the 78,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, one of the few major European grounds with artificial turf, but Germany have been practising on a similar surface this week at their training base.

“I have only trained on artificial turf a few times and never played a match on it,” Ballack told reporters after a training session on the astroturf.

“But we are well prepared and … there are also advantages to playing on artificial turf, not just disadvantages.

“Of course, it’s all a bit new, but it’s the same for both teams and so I do not think it will play much of a role.”

Coach Joachim Loew said his players had worked on ball retention and precision passing at their training session and were already coming to terms with the new surface.

“Of course there is an adjustment that we’re going to have to get used to in the next few days but we will get used to it,” said Loew.

“We have a few days to get accustomed to it and then it shouldn’t play a role.”

Germany are just a point ahead of Russia in the qualifying group and victory in Moscow would guarantee Loew’s side a place in South Africa regardless of their last match against Finland in Hamburg next Wednesday.

Ballack said he expected former mentor Guus Hiddink – who left Chelsea after a short stint as coach last season to return to his former role as Russian trainer – to prepare his team well.

“But at the end of the day, you can have respect but you mustn’t forget to play football,” he said.

“We are well prepared and we are full of self-confidence. We know what we can do. We are at the top of the table and I am expecting a classic game, obviously with a good result for us,” Ballack said.

BERLIN (AFP)

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Podolski targets derby victory

September 25, 2009


Bundesliga outfit Cologne’s striker Lukas Podolski believes victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the Rhine derby on Saturday would be worth far more than the two wins his side have celebrated over the last week.

The Bundesliga strugglers won their first league game of the season at Stuttgart last weekend and followed that up by sending Wolfsburg out of the DFB-Pokal in midweek.

But, as far as Podolski is concerned, Saturday’s game is the biggest since he returned to the club from Bayern Munich in the summer.

“Of course it is, it’s a derby,” he told the club’s website.

“You want to win this game over anything, and it doesn’t matter if we are now bottom or top of the table.

“Derbies always have a great atmosphere, particularly when they are played in Cologne.

“You get extra motivation for a game like this one.

“So much is at stake for the club, the region and for the fans.”

However, Cologne’s recent record in derby matches does not make pleasant reading with five straight defeats and no win in the last 12 years.

Leverkusen have also yet to lose a game in the Bundesliga all season, although they were beaten in the DFB-Pokal by second-tier side Kaiserslautern in midweek.

Midfielder Simon Rolfes claims that defeat will not unsettle them for Saturday, though.

“Unfortunately, losing is part of football. You cannot win always,” he said on the club’s website.

“However, we can still go into the derby full of self-confidence.

“We have to deal with this defeat, and we have done that, and now we have to prepare ourselves mentally for the derby.”

Cologne’s top scorer from last season Milivoje Novakovic has recovered from a groin strain and returns to the squad, although midweek cup hero Manasseh Ishiaku should keep his place alongside Podolski in attack.

Leverkusen will have to do without Lars Bender, who has been included in the Germany squad for the Under-20 World Cup.

Abhimanyu Rajput

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United get chance to put City in their place

September 19, 2009


Manchester United have made a habit of putting would-be challengers in their place over the years but it will be with particular relish that they seek to to cut their neighbours down to size this weekend.

Manchester City’s flaunting of their newly-acquired wealth appears to have got under the skin of everyone at Old Trafford from Sir Alex Ferguson down, providing an intriguing backdrop to the most eagerly awaited derby clash in years.

In their public statements, Ferguson’s players have savoured the prospect of pricking City’s bubble of self-confidence.

“They want to show people they are the kings of the city but they are not there yet,” said Patrice Evra, United’s French defender. “We have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

It would be surprising however if there was not a bit of trepidation in there as well, particularly in the wake of City’s impressive 4-2 win over Arsenal last weekend, which extended their perfect start to the season to four matches.

The derby may have been billed as an important benchmark for the potential of Mark Hughes’s side to break into English football’s Champions League elite, but it will also serve as a reference point for assessing the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure on United’s ability to win the kind of matches that define seasons.

City’s prospects have not been helped by the fact they could be without over 100 million pounds of striking talent at Old Trafford with Emmanuel Adebayor suspended following his stamp on Robin van Persie last weekend, Robinho and Roque Santa Cruz injured and Carlos Tevez struggling to recover from a knee injury in time to face his former team-mates.

United’s main concern is over the availability of the increasingly injury-prone Rio Ferdinand.

The lunchtime encounter at Old Trafford is one of two pivotal derby encounters on Sunday with league leaders Chelsea entertaining Tottenham later in the day.

Tottenham’s own aspirations of breaking into the top four were put into perspective by the ease with which United overturned an early deficit to win 3-1 at White Hart Lane last weekend, but manager Harry Redknapp does not anticipate morale collapsing in the wake of that setback.

“We played well, got the early goal, but like all champions they came back strongly,” he said. “It’s not a case of sharpening up (for Chelsea). For an hour we played as well as we have all season.”

Chelsea will have Didier Drogba firing on all cylinders after the Ivory Coast striker sat out the midweek win over FC Porto because of a European ban.

After defeats by both Manchester clubs, Arsenal will seek to put their domestic campaign back on track by building on a stirring Champions League fightback in Liege in midweek.

Andrey Arshavin and Robin van Persie, who both missed the 3-2 win in Belgium, are in line for comebacks when Wigan visit the Emirates on Saturday.

Liverpool travel to West Ham on Saturday evening with star striker Fernando Torres having recognised that the Reds have very little room for error after losing two of their opening three league matches.

“We are recovering the confidence now after winning three games in a row,” the Spain forward said.

“We have to keep on like this, but also improve. If we lose points in the coming weeks it will be very difficult to stay at the top come January and February.”

Elsewhere on Saturday, Portsmouth travel to Aston Villa still looking for their first point of the season, Bolton entertain Stoke, Sunderland are at Burnley and Hull host Birmingham in what, even at this early stage of the campaign, looks like an important relegation battle.

Australia defender Lucas Neill, signed by Everton this week, may be involved against one of his former clubs, Blackburn, on Sunday, which also sees Wolves entertain Fulham.

Fixtures (1400 GMT unless stated)

Saturday

Arsenal v Wigan, Aston Villa v Portsmouth, Bolton v Stoke, Burnley v Sunderland (1145 GMT), Hull City v Birmingham, West Ham v Liverpool (1630 GMT)

Sunday

Chelsea v Tottenham (1500 GMT), Everton v Blackburn, Manchester Utd v Manchester City (1230 GMT), Wolves v Fulham (1300 GMT)

LONDON (AFP)

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