Benitez supports Babel

February 4, 2010

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez thinks his team will improve now the transfer window is closed. The Spanish manager believes his side will be able to perform better without the speculation surrounding the squad.

Benitez named Ryan Babel as an example. The Dutch winger was almost continuously linked with a move to Birmingham City but he stayed at Anfield.

Benitez believes Babel’s form was affected by the speculation and he now feels the Dutch international can show his true ability for the rest of the campaign.

“If we play without the speculation surrounding Ryan Babel then I am sure it will be easier for him to focus and for me to play him,” explained Benitez.

“So I think we will be better in attack and the team will be better.”

Benitez also had news on the injury front. He revealed that the injured duo Glen Johnson and Fernando Torres are likely to remain sidelined until March.

“Glen is still progressing,” said Benitez. “It’s looking like he will be back in another three or four weeks. When he was first ruled out, it looked like he would be out for two months and it has been a month so far.

“Fernando is progressing too. Hopefully he will be back in the same time, while Yossi Benayoun could return in two weeks.”

Tags: benayoun, birmingham city, boss, dutch international, Fernando, Fernando Torres, Glen, glen johnson, Liverpool, rafael benitez, ryan babel, speculation, true ability, winger

Cup hero Defoe ‘up with the best’ says Redknapp

February 4, 2010

Harry Redknapp believes Jermain Defoe went a long way towards cementing his place in England’s World Cup squad after watching him score a hat-trick to take Tottenham Hotspur into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The 27-year-old England forward might have wasted several chances but he still managed to score a hat-trick at Elland Road to spare Tottenham’s blushes in a 3-1 win away to League One promotion-chasing Leeds here on Wednesday.

That took his tally for the season to 23 goals with his third hat-trick which helped secure Spurs a last 16 clash against Premier League rivals Bolton Wanderers.

Defoe remains one of the leading goalscorers in England and Redknapp was full of praise for the impish striker who, barring injury, will surely be part of Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad in South Africa later this year.

“It was well deserved in the end,” said Redknapp of Defoe’s treble.

“But it was a difficult game against a good Leeds team.”

Redknapp, who knows Defoe well, having first signed the front man back in 1999 when he was manager of West Ham before working with him again at Portsmouth, added: “He could have scored six tonight.

“He had some great opportunities. He showed three great finishes but missed three easier chances. But he’s always in the right place.

“Jermain has always scored goals ever since he was a little boy and he’s up there with the best.

“He’s a terrific finisher and his confidence is good at the moment. He got good service from wide positions and Peter Crouch can flick things on for him. There aren’t many better than him at the moment.”

Redknapp was also pleased by Wednesday’s return to form of former Arsenal and Blackburn winger David Bentley, which threatened to leave the Spurs manager with a welcome dilemma.

“David Bentley was outstanding. He’s a great player and I thought he did really well. It will be a nice problem to have when everyone is fit.

“Those who came in showed the right attitude and got on with it. This is one defeat in 13 games now and players are doing their jobs.

“We’ve got a chance (of winning the FA Cup), but we’ve got some tough games coming up,” insisted Redknapp, who took Pompey to FA Cup glory two years ago.

He also readily conceded Spurs had come through two tough encounters with Leeds, who belied their third division status to draw 2-2 at White Hart Lane after producing the shock of this season’s FA Cup by knocking out English champions Manchester United at Old Trafford in the previous round.

“This is a massive club,” Redknapp said of Leeds. “Their fans were incredible and it was a great atmosphere.

“People were hoping to come here and see an upset but it didn’t happen and now we have a big game with Aston Villa this weekend,” added Redknapp whose side are vying with Villa for a top four finish that would guarantee a place in next season’s Champions League.

Leeds manager Simon Grayson said he was proud of his players and insisted their two games with Tottenham could inspire them to win promotion – they presently lie second three points behind leaders Norwich but with two games in hand.

“To win at Old Trafford and draw at White Hart Lane isn’t a bad effort for a team in League One,” Grayson said

“Nights like this motivate you even more and give you memories of when this club was in the Premier League and Champions League.

“Over the two games we have pushed them hard and the players have got to have that belief now that they can go on and play at a higher level.”

LEEDS, England (AFP)

Tags: blushes, bolton wanderers, David Bentley, Elland Road, England, fabio capello, front man, Harry Redknapp, Hart Lane, hat trick, leading goalscorers, league rivals, LEEDS, leeds england, Manchester, nice problem, Norwich, old england, peter crouch, Portsmouth, premier league, scored goals, Simon Grayson, South Africa, west ham, winger, world cup squad

Berlusconi baffled at Mancini switch

February 3, 2010

Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi has questioned the logic behind the club’s decision to sign Mancini.

The Brazilian winger, who has joined the Rossoneri on a six-month loan deal from city rivals Inter Milan, had found it hard to get first-team opportunities under Jose Mourinho.

Berlusconi, though, believes he could face a similar situation at AC Milan, with the club already well-stocked for creative talent.

“I don’t understand it at all,” he said.

“He’s another winger while we maybe needed someone to finish off chances.

“He’s not really played for two years, I’m not in agreement with the signing and I told [club vice-president, Adriano] Galliani.”

Tags: ac milan, adriano, adriano galliani, city rivals, club vice president, creative talent, Inter, inter milan, Jose, jose mourinho, loan deal, logic, Milan, mourinho, rossoneri, silvio berlusconi, team opportunities, vice president, winger

Birmingham owner’s funds boast backfired: director

February 3, 2010

Carson Yeung’s pledge to give Birmingham manager Alex McLeish up to 40 million pounds to spend in the transfer market backfired as rival clubs racked up asking prices for players, a club director has reportedly admitted.

Yeung, the Birmingham owner, made his pledge shortly after taking over the club in October and Birmingham’s vice-chairman Peter Pannu believes the Hong Kong businessman would have been wise to be more discreet about his spending plans.

“It was not particularly helpful that our chairman indicated a desire to buy players in January and spend some money,” Pannu was quoted as saying by The Guardian. “I think that raised expectations among the clubs that we approached.”

McLeish had made a new striker his priority during the transfer window but Birmingham’s moves for Germany forward Kevin Kuranyi, Liverpool winger Ryan Babel, Sunderland’s Kenwyne Jones and Tottenham’s Russian international Roman Pavlyuchenko all came to nothing.

Pannu said the asking price for Pavlyuchenko had gone from 10 million pounds to 15 million plus during the course of negotiations with Spurs while Kuranyi’s wage demands doubled.

“We have every support possible from Carson,” Pannu stressed. “There is no problem there. The problem we have is the way some of these clubs have behaved. We have been messed around.”

Birmingham winger James McFadden meanwhile has backed team-mate Barry Ferguson to make a successful return to the Scotland squad following Craig Levein’s appointment as manager.

Ferguson was banished from the international set-up last season following an all-night drinking session between two World Cup qualifiers and a subsequent furore over obscene gestures he made to photographers.

Levein has promised a fresh start however and McFadden believes Ferguson, 32, has earned a recall on the strength of his outstanding form for Birmingham this season.

“Everybody that watches Birmingham can see what a good player Barry is,” McFadden said. “In his last year up in Scotland, he was maybe starting to doubt himself a little bit but he has come here and shown everybody exactly how good he is.

“He has been brilliant for Birmingham and a big part of the reason that we’ve had such a great run.

“I think he’s still got a big contribution to make in the international scene. I think it would be great for the country if Barry did come back in.”

BIRMINGHAM, England (AFP)

Tags: alex mcleish, Barry, barry ferguson, Birmingham, CARSON, carson yeung, club director, craig levein, drinking session, England, fresh start, furore, Germany, Hong Kong, hong kong businessman, James McFadden, Jones, kenwyne jones, Kevin, Kevin Kuranyi, Liverpool, obscene gestures, pannu, Peter Pannu, russian international, ryan babel, scotland, scotland squad, Sunderland, team mate, tottenham, wage demands, winger, world cup qualifiers

Berlusconi unhappy with Milan’s transfer policy

February 3, 2010

Milan president Silvio Berlusconi isn’t pleased with his club’s latest signing. ‘Il Cavaliere’ has admitted he is confused and disappointed with the signing of Amantino Mancini.

The Brazilian winger joined Milan from city rivals Internazionale on the last day of the transfer window. The move has left Berlusconi a little confused.

“The acquisition of Mancini? I do not understand it,” he told members of the press during a trip to Jerusalem.

Vice-president Adriano Galliani had described Mancini as an “excellent signing”, however his boss doesn’t agree and he told him as much.

“It’s another playmaker and we need somebody who can finish and win the game. I disagree with the purchase and that’s what I told Galliani,” he concluded.

Tags: acquisition, adriano galliani, amantino mancini, boss, city rivals, game, il cavaliere, jerusalem, Milan, playmaker, silvio berlusconi, trip to jerusalem, vice president, winger

Ferguson: ‘Everyone thinks Nani is fantastic’

February 2, 2010

Reports suggested that Sir Alex Ferguson was fed up with Nani and that the Portuguese international was set to leave Manchester United during the winter break. However, the 23-year-old winger stayed at United and silenced his critics with an excellent performance against Arsenal.

Nani played a part in two of United’s goals as United closed the gap on the leaders Chelsea to a single point. Ferguson believes the former Sporting Lisbon player is now coming of age, presenting a welcome selection dilemma in competition with Antonio Valencia.

“Nani has settled down now and is getting maturity,” Ferguson said on MUTV. “He has been pretty immature since he came to the club, but you are seeing the development now.

“He is a shy boy and you hope games like at Arsenal will give him the confidence to know he is a United player.

“We are all delighted with him. It is amazing when you talk to the players, they all think he is fantastic and want him to play.

“We are getting consistency from him now. It gives me a massive decision now between Nani and Valencia.”

Tags: alex ferguson, Antonio Valencia, arsenal, CHELSEA, coming of age, consistency, dilemma, Ferguson, games, gap, Manchester, manchester united, maturity, nani, portuguese, shy boy, single point, sir alex ferguson, sporting lisbon, winger

Celtic land Kamara in deadline day swoop

February 1, 2010

Celtic have signed Senegal striker Diomansy Kamara on loan from Fulham in a move that casts further doubt on the future of the Hoops’ Australian forward Scott McDonald.

As well as bringing in Kamara, Celtic announced on Monday that they had done a permanent deal to bring Motherwell’s teenage winger Paul Slane to Parkhead.

Manager Tony Mowbray was also hoping to tie up a transfer deadline day deal to take Holland international left-back Edson Braafheid on loan from Bayern Munich in order to fill the gap created by Danny Fox’s move to Burnley.

Kamara’s arrival follows last week’s capture of Denmark striker Morten Rasmussen and will inevitably intensify fears among Celtic fans that the club are preparing to cash in on McDonald, despite assurances to the contrary from Mowbray.

The Australian is currently sidelined by a hernia but that has not prevented enquiries about his availability from struggling English Premier League clubs Wigan and West Ham, as well as Championship outfit Middlesbrough, now managed by former Celtic manager Gordon Strachan.

Kamara, 29, has scored three goals this season in 13 appearances for Fulham, five of which came from the bench. He told Celtic’s website that he was looking to make the loan move permanent.

“Celtic is a magnificent football club,” he said. “I will be looking to do my very best to contribute and bring the supporters success and hopefully enjoy a long future with the club.”

The amount of the transfer paid for Slane was not disclosed but, with the player out of contract at the end of the season, Motherwell were not in a strong negotiating position.

Well chairman John Boyle admitted he had been disappointed by Slane’s refusal to sign a long-term contract at the club that fostered his talent.

“Paul has been at the club for six years and we have financed his development and nurtured his talent, culminating in his senior debut at the end of last season,” Boyle said.

“We have also stuck by and supported him over those years through both personal issues and injury and felt we were due some degree of loyalty for our efforts. Sadly, he has chosen to refuse our offers and move on to Celtic.”

Adding to Motherwell’s sense of grievance is the fact that Celtic were made aware of the player’s potential by their youth academy chief Chris McCart, who previously performed the same role at Fir Park.

GLASGOW (AFP)

Tags: Bayern, bayern munich, chairman john, Danny Fox, denmark, diomansy kamara, English Premier League, fulham, Glasgow, gordon strachan, hernia, holland international, john boyle, Morten Rasmussen, motherwell, Paul Slane, premier league clubs, Scott, scott mcdonald, term contract, tony mowbray, transfer deadline, west ham, Wigan, winger

Flying Dutchman Robben puts Bayern back on top

January 30, 2010

Dutch winger Arjen Robben scored his second goal in two matches to seal Bayern Munich’s 3-0 win over Bochum on Saturday to put his side top of the Bundesliga and give them their seventh straight league win.

Having scored the winner in the 3-2 win at Bremen the week before, Robben curled in another free-kick to give Louis van Gaal-coached Bayern three more Bundesliga points.

With Leverkusen facing strugglers Freiburg on Sunday, Bayern can expect to lose their place at the top of the table, but for now they enjoy a single-point lead.

Bayern’s Mario Gomez and Daniel Van Buyten had fired the German giants into the lead before Robben stepped up with the third goal.

The home side took the lead amidst heavy snow when Van Buyten headed home after a cross from Robben on 58 minutes.

French winger Franck Ribery, who continues to work his way back to fitness after a knee injury, came off the bench with 30 minutes remaining.

Ribery and Robben combined to free Germany defender Philipp Lahm down the right flank who fired in a cross which Gomez slotted home on 75 minutes before Robben struck with four minutes remaining.

Elsewhere, Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf is in a precarious position as his side have now gone seven German league games without a win after they went down 4-3 at midtable Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The home side raced into a 3-0 lead after just 18 minutes before Mesut Oezil and Claudio Pizarro pulled goals back for Bremen and captain Torsten Frings converted a penalty with six minutes left to guarantee a frantic finish.

Second from bottom Nuremberg picked up only their second win in their last 10 games when they won 3-1 at Hanover and the result leaves bottom side Hertha Berlin five points adrift after they drew 0-0 with Bochum in the capital.

Cologne are up to 12th after their second consecutive win having beaten Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1.

With defending champions Wolfsburg drawing 1-1 at Hamburg on Friday, fourth-placed Dortmund face Stuttgart on Sunday.

Under former Tottenham Hotspur boss Christian Gross, who took over from Markus Babbel in December, Stuttgart have moved up to 13th in the table.

BERLIN (AFP)

Tags: arjen robben, Bayern, bayern munich, berlin, borussia moenchengladbach, bottom side, Bremen, captain Torsten Frings, christian gross, Claudio Pizarro, coach thomas, cologne, drawing 1, franck ribery, FRANKFURT, german league, Germany, Hamburg, Hanover, heavy snow, knee injury, Louis, louis van gaal, mario gomez, markus babbel, mesut, nuremberg, precarious position, straight league, stuttgart, Thomas Schaaf, Van Buyten, winger

Spurs visit underlines Birmingham progress

January 30, 2010

Harry Redknapp underlined the remarkable job carried out by Alex McLeish this season when he observed recently that Birmingham could not be discounted in the race for a top four finish in the Premier League.

It was not something the Tottenham boss would have said when the two clubs met at White Hart Lane back in August, at which point McLeish’s squad were still seen as more likely candidates for relegation than European football.

McLeish would surely walk the manager of the year award if the season were to finish now and, although Chelsea ended Birmingham’s 15-match unbeaten run in midweek, Tottenham know they face a serious test when the two clubs resume hostilities at St Andrews on Saturday.

An added time winner from England winger Aaron Lennon secured the points for Spurs in the first meeting and their defender Sebastien Bassong admitted he had been surprised how well Birmingham have done since.

“I think a lot of people are very surprised about what they’ve done, but if they’re in this position after more than 20 games then maybe they deserve this position,” Bassong said. “They’re playing well and they’ve got no pressure, so it’s a good time for them.”

The defender added: “We saw how difficult they are to beat earlier in the season at White Hart Lane. Aaron scored the winning goal in the 95th minute or something, and I think it’s going to be the same type of game again. But we played well on Tuesday (in a 2-0 win over Fulham) and we will try to do the same on Saturday.”

Tottenham, who go into the match sitting in fourth place in the table, are hoping to have completed the loan signing of Eidur Gudjohnsen from Monaco by Saturday although it appeared unlikely the Icelandic forward would be involved at St Andrews.

McLeish is also battling to add a high-profile signing to his ranks before the transfer window slams shut, with Spurs misfit Roman Pavyluchenko and Lens striker Aruna Dindane among his potential targets.

He was promised up to 40 million pounds by Hong Kong tycoon Carson Yeung but has only recruited two midfielders – Craig Gardner and Miguel Marcos Michel – so far, to the tune of around five million.

It promises to be a interesting few days for the former Scotland coach, who has made no secret of his desire to bring in at least one forward.

“I’ve given the board a couple of names, and I’m hoping they will get something done for us,” he said. “The strikers need help. Kevin Phillips has a small injury and we need to add something to help the others because we’ll burn them out playing these guys every week of the season.

“I’m fearful they will lose a little edge if we do, so an extra striker would spice things up a wee bit.”

McLeish admitted that his side faces a test of character after the end of their unbeaten run. “It’s a new challenge for them because they have not been in this position for a long time,” he said.

“It’s now how they react.

“We knew that someday we would drop points and we have gone over old experiences.

“Manchester United have gone on unbeaten runs knowing that one day they would lose. It’s coping with that and not beating up ourselves over the Chelsea defeat.

“The good thing about the Chelsea game was that afterwards I could see in the dressing room that the players were really upset and cared. You can tell a player’s character when you get that sort of reaction.

“We haven’t achieved anything. They say pride comes before a fall so we do not want to be thumping the drums until we have done something.

“The Chelsea game was a little reminder that we still have some hard work ahead of us. I do not judge my team over a season on what happened at Stamford Bridge.”

BIRMINGHAM (AFP)

Tags: added time, alex mcleish, dindane, first meeting, good time, gudjohnsen, Harry Redknapp, high profile, hostilities, Monaco, premier league, relegation, remarkable job, spurs, st andrews, time winner, tycoon, white hart lane, winger

Juve´s ´dead coach walking´ looks doomed

January 30, 2010

Ciro Ferrara’s troubled reign as Juventus coach could end this weekend, even before Sunday’s Serie A home clash against Lazio.

Ferrara’s position has looked increasingly untenable in recent weeks as his side have slipped to sixth in the standings after losing five of their last six league games.

They have also been knocked out of the Champions League and exited the Italian Cup.

Some commentators even used the term “dead coach walking” to describe his situation ahead of Thursday’s Italian Cup quarter-final at league leaders Inter Milan, which they lost 2-1.

The former Italy and Juventus defender, who was handed the job despite his lack of experience just before the end of last season when Claudio Ranieri was fired, has accepted his time in charge may be up.

“This experience will be useful for me in the future,” he told a press conference.

“Six months at Juve are worth 10 years elsewhere. When, and if, someone says something (about my position) I’ll accept it serenely. Even if the club bring in another coach, I’ll always be grateful to them.”

Former Italy Under 21 coach Claudio Gentile is the favourite to take over until the end of the season, when the Turin giants reportedly hope to lure Rafael Benitez from Liverpool.

Whoever is in charge on Sunday will have to cope without a long list of injured players, including forward David Trezeguet and Italy winger Mauro Camoranesi, while keeper Gianluigi Buffon and defender Fabio Grosso are suspended.

Lazio are also in the doldrums after last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Chievo left the Roman club just two points above the relegation zone in 15th.

It is a big change from the build-up to the early-season fixture between the sides after two league games, when they both had perfect records before a match that Juve won 2-0.

Second-placed AC Milan are looking for a response against Livorno on Sunday after their title ambitions suffered a massive blow with last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Inter.

They also went out of the Italian Cup with a 1-0 loss to Udinese on Wednesday.

Brazil forward Pato is still unavailable with a thigh problem while influential centre back Alessandro Nesta, badly missed against Inter, is fighting to shake off a leg muscle strain.

Struggling Livorno will visit the San Siro under Serse Cosmi, who made peace with club president Aldo Spinelli on Tuesday having resigned as coach after Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by Napoli.

But they cannot count on first-choice goalkeeper Alfonso De Lucia and Brazilian midfielder Mozart because of suspensions.

Inter, who are nine points clear after having played one game more than their city rivals, will be without Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder and Brazil defender Lucio at Parma on Sunday after their red cards in the derby.

But coach Jose Mourinho may be able to field Samuel Eto’o, who has returned from the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon, if an ankle knock is not too bad.

AS Roma, who are two points behind Milan in third, face Siena at home on Sunday.

Fourth-placed Napoli, who, like Roma, are in excellent form, entertain Genoa on Saturday with fifth-placed Palermo visiting Bari earlier that day.

Fiorentina, who have slipped down to ninth after some poor recent performances, are unlikely to be able to field Adrian Mutu at Cagliari after it was announced on Thursday that the Romania striker had failed a drugs test.

Saturday

Bari v Palermo, Napoli v Genoa

Sunday

AC Milan v Livorno, Cagliari v Fiorentina, Catania v Udinese, Chievo v Bologna, Juventus v Lazio, Parma v Inter Milan, Roma v Siena, Sampdoria v Atalanta

ROME (AFP)