Van Bommel: ‘Focus on winning, not on contracts’

January 29, 2010


A possible contract extension at Bayern München isn’t on Mark van Bommel’s mind. Last year, the captain of the Bavarian giants signed a deal which expires in June 2010.

“Six players at the club have an expiring contract and I am one of those players. However, nobody should be thinking about contract renewals at the moment,” Van Bommel told Bild.

“We’re in an extremely important part of the season.

“We are fighting for the Bundesliga title, can still win the DFB Pokal and face Fiorentina in the first knockout round of the Champions League. That’s what we should focus on for now.”

32-year-old Van Bommel thinks Bayern is strong enough to compete for every trophy. “I feel like we can go a long way in all competitions.

“Our current selection is the best team we’ve had since I joined Bayern in 2006. We have never been this attack minded and dominant before.”

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Defiant Benitez vows to continue despite Cup shock

January 14, 2010


Rafael Benitez on Thursday shrugged off the increasing pressure surrounding his position as Liverpool manager in the wake of the club’s embarrassing exit from the FA Cup.

Benitez, in charge at Anfield since 2004, was booed along with his players as they were knocked out of the competition after suffering a 2-1 extra-time home defeat at the hands of Championship strugglers Reading on Wednesday.

The result is a serious blow to Benitez’s hopes of ending Liverpool’s four-year wait for a trophy and means the Spaniard must win the second tier European club competition Europa League if he is to secure the club’s first piece of major silverware since the 2006 FA Cup triumph against West Ham United.

“It is really bad. Everyone wanted to progress but we can’t so we are disappointed,” said 49-year-old Benitez after the third round replay defeat.

“Reading worked very hard, but there were a lot of things I did not like. We had chances, they had chances. They were doing well but we might have won too. The chances they created worried me but we had some too.

“In the second half we had more control but after we made a lot of mistakes.

“We know the FA Cup is a massive competition and we wanted to progress. At this moment we are really disappointed, for the fans who came to support the team. We tried to win from the beginning.”

Benitez was already under pressure before this game after the team’s Champions League exit and their faltering Premier League campaign which sees them 12 points behind leaders Chelsea in the title race.

But losing to Reading has again put his position back in the spotlight ahead of Saturday’s tricky away game at Stoke City.

However, Benitez insists he can handle the criticism.

“For three months everyone was talking about me. At the end, as a manager you have to be disappointed but then move forward and think about Stoke on Saturday,” he added.

“We are frustrated but you have to carry on. Everyone is disappointed. We have to prepare for Saturday’s game because it will be difficult.”

As if Benitez did not have enough problems, his two best players Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are both major doubts for the weekend.

Torres limped off in the first half with a twisted knee while Gerrard has a hamstring problem. Both will undergo scans on Thursday.

“We’ll see what the doctors say,” said Benitez, who completed the signing of Argentine winger Maxi Rodriguez from Atletico Madrid earlier Wednesday.

Reading caretaker manager Brian McDermott insisted his side deserved the victory.

“We played some really good stuff,” he said. “We did the right thing, played in the right way.

“Liverpool’s goal could have hurt us but we responded well. I’m chuffed for everybody. To come here and win is terrific.”

On Wednesday, Liverpool were ahead after an own goal by Ryan Bertrand but were stunned by a stoppage time penalty leveller by Gylfi Sigurdsson which sent the tie into extra time.

Substitute Shane Long then headed a 100th minute winner for Reading.

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP)

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‘Arsenal need a miracle to win a trophy’

January 12, 2010


Arsenal lie third in the Premier League table with 42 points from twenty matches, three points less than table topper Chelsea, and are still in the race to win the FA Cup and the Champions League. So far, there’s nothing lost for Arsene Wenger’s team but Andrei Arshavin thinks it will be a hell of a job to win a trophy this season.

Arsenal have been without Robin van Persie, Nicklas Bendtner, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott in recent months, and as such the burden of responsibility up front has fallen on Arshavin.

“My greatest dream is to win a title with my club,” Arshavin told the Mirror.

“Naturally, it would be better if we won the Premier League or the Champions League, but to do this we need a miracle – which is to start playing finally with our optimal line up.”

“I do not think we have had it once so far this season.”

Despite the growing injury crisis, Arshavin added that he is not convinced Arsenal will buy a new striker in the transfer window.

Wenger has been linked with Carlton Cole, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Louis Saha, but the Russian said: “I have a feeling that Arsenal are not going to buy any new players in the winter transfer window. Or if we do, it will be at the very last moment.”

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Ibra warns rivals of second Barca sweep

December 24, 2009


If Barcelona are going to decelerate the trophy sweeping pedal, as rivals would expect, the Catalan giants towering striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has fired a warning shot that the team can once again win everything next year.

Pep Guardiola’s men have completed a clean sweep of all six trophies they could have lifted this year after winning the FIFA Club World Cup last week to add to their previous successes in the Primera Division, Champions League, Copa del Rey, European Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup.

It has been a record-breaking year for Barca and one that has established them as arguably the greatest team ever.

While, Ibrahimovic has only been on hand for the last three trophies, after a summer move from Inter Milan, the Sweden striker believes he can fire Barca to even more success.

“Before this season nobody would have said that a team could be capable of winning it all,” he told El Mundo Deportivo.

“It’s something incredible and it would have been hard to think about it before it happened, but I think we can repeat it.

“I have had the luck to be here only half a year and in that time, achieved three trophies. In so few months I think it’s impossible to do better.”

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Quick Report: Barcelona win Club World Cup

December 19, 2009


FC Barcelona have won the FIFA Club World Cup for their first time in history following a 2-1 victory over Argentinian side Estudiantes. Extra time was needed to decide the match.

Estudiantes, who had beaten Korean outfit Pohang Steelers in the semi finals, surprised Barcelona with an opening goal from Mauro Boselli in the 37th minute.

In the second half, Barcelona began a frantic hunt for the equaliser and were rewarded in the 89th minute when Pedro chipped keeper Albil for 1-1.

Estudiantes looked exhausted at this point and it was no surprise that Barcelona dominated in extra time.

The winning goal came after 110 minutes, when a right-winged cross was chested home by World Player of the Year Lionel Messi.

Barcelona lost both of their previous intercontinental finals. In 2006, Internacional of Porto Alegre lifted the trophy and Sao Paulo were the better side in the 1992 Toyota Cup.

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FIFA Club World Cup: Estudiantes-Barcelona preview

December 19, 2009


FIFA Club World Cup 2009 will conclude on Saturday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, when Catalonia giants Barcelona face Argentina’s Estudiantes.

The kings of Europe will play Copa Libertadores champions in the tournament finale, as has been the case in the last four years.

With Europe running out as winners in the previous meetings, Estudiantes will be looking to reverse the trend as they bid to become the fourth South American side and the first Argentinians to win the FIFA Club World Cup.

And no one knows better the size of task at hand for the El Pincha than Juan Sebastian Veron, who was a member of the Boca Juniors side that went down 4-2 to AC Milan at Japan 2007.

However, Veron is not the only one as Barcelona have also tasted defeat in the final of the competition, having played second fiddle to Internacional three years ago.

Even the presence of the likes Ronaldinho, Deco and Samuel Eto’o in their ranks could not help the Spanish giants to avoid a defeat.

The urge to claim the only trophy missing from the cabinet, is greater and the Blaugrana goal scoring machine will be ready to go all guns blazing

After an impressive display against Atlante in the semi-final the Catalans now have their eyes fixed firmly on an unprecedented sixth trophy.

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Flamengo win Brazilian Serie A

December 7, 2009


Flamengo have won the 2009 Brazilian championship in dramatic fashion as the Rio de Janeiro needed to come back from behind to beat Gremio 2-1 and defend their top spot on the final day of the season.

Gremio initially appeared to ruin Flamengo’s party at Roberson put the away side in the lead on 21 minutes.

But David equalised eight minutes later and Ronaldo Angelim’s goal for 2-1 in the 69th minute was enough for Flamengo to clinch the trophy.

It is Flamengo’s fifth national title, and their first since last winning the championship in 1992.

Internacional and Sao Paulo, who both needed Flamengo to drop points, won their home games over Santo Andre and Sport Recife respectively. Internacional closed their season with a 4-1 win, while Sao Paulo did so with a 4-0 result.

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Liga de Quito close to Sudamericana victory

November 26, 2009


A year and a half after winning the Copa Libertadores, Ecuador outfit Liga de Quito are close to winning the Copa Sudamericana following a 5-1 crushing of Fluminense in the first leg of the final.

Fluminense had a perfect start in Ecuador’s capital city as Marquinho put the Brazilians in the lead in the very first minute.

But LDU recovered well and answered through no less than three goals from former PSV midfielder Edison Mendez, who found the target in the 20th, 44th and 60th minutes.

Franklin Salas then made it 4-1 in the 77th minute, and Ulises de la Cruz added a fifth and final goal with a few minutes left to play.

Although it is technically possible for ‘Flu’ to fight their way back into this clash in the return leg, which is to be played on December 2, it seems very likely that Liga de Quito clinch their second continental trophy in two years.

Jonathan Roorda

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Don´t lose focus, Van Persie warns Arsenal

September 29, 2009


Robin van Persie has warned Arsenal not to underestimate Olympiakos in Tuesday’s Champions League clash at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsene Wenger’s team are favourites to qualify from Group H as the section’s winners after being drawn with Olympiakos, Standard Liege and AZ Alkmaar.

But the Gunners almost slipped up in their first match as Liege raced into a two-goal lead against the Premier League club within five minutes in Belgium.

Arsenal eventually fought back to claim a 3-2 win but van Persie believes another careless display against Olympiakos could prove costly.

The 26-year-old, who scored the winner at Fulham on Saturday, knows Arsenal’s young squad are capable of emulating, or even improving on, last season’s semi-final appearance as long as they don’t take opponents for granted.

“It is a good draw for us name wise, but as a player you need to produce in every single game because our opponents look at it from a different point of view,” Van Persie told Arsenal’s magazine.

“They will give all they have against us. We need to be ready for that.

“I think we are, because we all know how football works when you do not give 100 percent – any team can beat you, even a Blue Square League team.

“When you do not do everything, you are gone. We will do that in this group and have a good chance of going through.”

Van Persie was Arsenal’s leading scorer last season with 20 goals from 44 appearances, but even the Dutch forward’s efforts couldn’t stop the Gunners finishing without silverware for a fourth successive season.

The trophy drought has convinced some that Arsenal’s best days are behind them, but van Persie is determined to help Wenger take the club back to the top in England and Europe.

“I want to give what I hope are my best years to Arsenal, because I love the club and want to succeed here,” Van Persie said.

“And it is not just about winning trophies – I can say that in the last five years I have won lots of trophies myself as a human, if you see what I mean, as well as footballing achievements.

“The steps I have made from day one to now are, I think, big. I am really just thankful for the chance to have done that – thankful to the fans, the boss, the players, to everyone who has a warm heart for Arsenal.

“So it is not simply about trophies, it is the whole story of Arsenal giving me lots of positive things.

“Of course the end result is trophies and I want that – but I am not closing my mind to what is happening day in and day out at this club.”

While Arsenal’s squad is undoubtedly one of the younger in the Champions League, van Persie doesn’t believe age is an excuse for failing to deliver on their potential.

Instead he draws strength from the way players from so many differing backgrounds have bonded together because of their time together in the club’s youth academy.

“I do feel our team spirit is at a higher level than most other clubs. Other clubs have lots of egos. We have egos here but the whole squad has good egos and good characters. That is not the case at many other clubs,” he added.

“We now have more experience too. There is me, Clichy, Fabregas and Song – we cannot hide behind saying we are inexperienced anymore. It is now about how much we really want it.”

LONDON (AFP)

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Rosenborg win Norwegian championship

September 28, 2009


Rosenborg BK have won the Norwegian championship for the 21st time, having beaten direct rivals Molde FK 0-2 on Sunday.

The gap between the two teams stood at 14 points with five games to go, ahead of Sunday’s encounter. A draw was enough for Rosenborg to secure the trophy.

International striker Steffen Iversen broke the deadlock after 79 minutes, making a Molde victory highly unlikely. Any remaining doubts were removed by Trond Olsen’s goal for 0-2 with four minutes to play.

Rosenborg first won the Norwegian championship in 1967, and experienced their strongest phase from 1992 to 2004, when the Trondheim outfit won no less than 13 championships in a row.

Rosenborg, who last won the league in 2006, succeed last year’s champions Stabaek who are currently in third place.

Jonathan Roorda

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