soccer news

Ronaldinho Finally Sign For Milan

2008-04-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

Ronaldinho has agreed initial terms with AC Milan and the Serie A club will now speak to Barcelona about a deal, Milan and the player's agent have said.

The 28-year-old Brazilian has had a difficult few months at the Nou Camp because of injury and loss of form and a move has long been mooted.

The forward is out for the rest of the campaign with a leg injury and a transfer can not officially go through until the end of the season.

'In general Ronaldinho and Milan are in agreement,' his agent and brother Roberto de Assis was quoted as saying on the Gazzetta dello Sport website on Saturday.

Gazzetta said a deal up to 2012 worth eight million euros ($12.6 million) a year was in the pipeline with a few clauses to be agreed.

Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani said: 'There is a general agreement with the player. Now a deal has to be reached with Barcelona. Give us time.'

Spanish and Italian media reports have speculated about a transfer fee of between 20 and 30 million euros while some newspapers have talked about Ronaldinho buying up the rest of his contract at Barca.

Milan are fifth in Serie A and in danger of missing next year's Champions League after a poor season. They were dumped out of this year's Champions League as holders by Arsenal in the first knockout round.

Carlo Ancelotti's men have struggled to score and create goals with Brazilian Ronaldo playing just a handful of games before being ruled out long term with a knee injury.

Fellow striker Alberto Gilardino has been lacklustre and world player of the year Kaka has been far from his best.

Despite their troubles, Ancelotti has been assured of his job next term.

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Rafa Benitez Defends His Liverpool Transfer Record

2008-03-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has defended his record in the transfer market during his time at Anfield.

He told The Times: "At a time when we didn't have endless economic resources, I think that we made good signings in general. We should be talking about players like Reina, Agger, Mascherano, Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia, Torres, Babel, Lucas Leiva, Skrtel and also Arbeloa, Sissoko, Fabio Aurelio, Kuyt. These are players who have brought a lot to the team. And in certain cases � for example, Sissoko and Bellamy � the club gained financially.

"We have signed 28 players in four years for the first team. Considering that the number of changes we had to make when I arrived and the fact that without much money we have to take more risks, I don't think this is a disproportionate number."

Benitez also compared his spending with Liverpool's nearest rivals.

"Chelsea had spent £120 million previously and an additional £240 million to win the league in the 2004-05 season. Manchester United have spent £200 million in recent years. This year on Carlos Tevez, Owen Hargreaves, Anderson and Nani, that cost them more than £70 million. Tottenham have spent £100 million in the last two seasons alone. And Arsenal have spent more or less the same amount as we have on young players with potential.<> "In my four years at Liverpool we have spent £150 million and we have gained somewhere in the region of £70 million. Looking at those numbers, there's a difference of £20 million per season, yet we have won four [trophies] and played seven finals. When all things are considered, that's not a bad return. I think that we're on the right path."

How To Play Soccer

2008-03-30T00:19:00.000-07:00

So you want to learn how to play soccer? Well you have come to the right place. To become a good soccer player you need to master several skills. You cannot just focus on one single skill, instead, you must also have other good skills like good control on the ball or quality passes.

You must always tend to improve your soccer skills because there is always something you can improve in your game. So, let's take a look at main how to play soccer skills that you need to master as soccer player.

How To Play Soccer -The Formations

A soccer formation describes how the players in a soccer team are positioned on the field. Different formations are used from match to match depending on the skill of your opponents. If your opponents are ultra defensive then of course a more offensive formation like 4-3-3 is preferable.

But if your opponents are ultra offensive than a 4-4-2 formation is more preferable. For example the 4-4-2 describes the formation of playing with 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and two forwards/centers, and is the most widely used formation in soccer today.

How to Play Soccer - Dribbling

In soccer, dribbling is one of the most difficult skills to master but also one of the most useful attacking moves. In a typical soccer game, you and your teammates attempt to propel the ball toward your opponent's goal through individual ball control, such as dribbling your opponents.

If you master the art of dribbling you will be pretty hard to stop and opponents will need to make unsuccessful tackles on you which will result in useful free kicks and sometimes even penalty kicks.

How to Play Soccer - Heading

To dominate the game in the air you need to have good heading skills. Heading can be painful in beginning because you must hit the ball with right part of your head. But don't worry about headache because there is no medical evidence proving that heading in soccer should cause brain damage. There are four main methods for hitting a ball.

How to Play Soccer - Passing

To perform well in soccer you need to have good passing skills. Passing may seem easy from first sight and in fact it is. What makes passing difficult is the tempo of a match. A low tempo will give you more time to think and you will not make so many mistakes as in high tempo where you need to think fast and pass the ball with accuracy.

How to Play Soccer - Positions

First player in front of the goalkeeper is called defender. As a defender your mission is to stop your opponents from shooting and getting into your goal kick area. There are also teams playing with a defender closer to the goalkeeper than regularly. This position is called libero or sweeper. The libero/sweeper must always be the last player in defense and help his/her defenders.

Behind your forwards and defensive line there are midfielders. As a midfielder your task is to score goals and to stop your opponent's midfielders from scoring. Usually a midfielder is either offensive (means playing higher in the field) or defensive (which means playing nearer your defensive line).

In front of the midfielders there are forwards and centers. The main difference between these two is that a forward normally has good sprinting abilities while centers are stronger and better target players.

How to Play Soccer - Shooting

Good shooting abilities are vital if you want to score goals. With soccer shooting mastered, you will be able to score more goals. Good scoring ability is also important because it may increase your chances of becoming a professional soccer player.

How to Play Soccer -Kicking

Having god kicking skills is not the same as good shooting abilities. A good example on this is the free kick. A direct free kick is a great chance to score goal especially if you have a good technical shoot. You don't have to be the hardest shooting player in your team to become a good free kick taker; instead, you should focus on hitting the goal. A hard shot is more difficult to control and will often end up 50 yards behind the goal.

The Rules

To learn how to play soccer or simply to understand how soccer is played you need to look at some of the basic rules. Let's start...

Each soccer team consists of eleven players who plays together (similar to a orchestra) to score points. These points are called goals and the team that scores most goals during a match is the winner.

A goal is scored when the ball is over the whole goal line. As a soccer player you can use your whole body to control the ball (beside your arms). Only the goalkeeper is allowed to grip the ball with hands. However, as a goalkeeper you may only use your hands to grip the ball while standing in your goal area.

Outside the goal area you have same responsibility as the rest of your team and cannot use your hands anymore. However, you can act like any player on the field and you may also score if you get a chance of course :-) Typically a soccer match last 90 minutes with two 45 minute halves. However, the younger the players are the shorter matches, generally

The soccer ball should be of size 5 for adults and 4 and lower for players younger than 12. You will also need a pair of shin-guards to protect the front of your lower legs against slide tackles. You will also need a pair of shoes but this is only necessary during a regular soccer game. Rings and earring must also be removed before the start of match.

A soccer field can range in size dependent upon the league you are playing, how old you are, indoor field, outdoor field, etc. The most common size of a soccer field will range from 100-130 yards in length. There are also flags on each corner to mark the corner spot. On a soccer field there are usually eleven soccer positions including a goalkeeper.

Five Simple and Effective Ways to Become a Better Football Player

2008-03-30T00:13:00.000-07:00

These are tips that I developed from my playing days. These techniques worked well for me and I hope they can help others become the player they want to be.

1. Run every day

Running 3 miles every day is a great cardiovascular workout and will help keep you at your peak fitness. Run uphill as much as possible. At around 2 miles, find a steep hill and sprint up it for about 20-30 meters then turn round and walk back down. Repeat this 5 to ten times before finishing the run. If you do this every day you will find you can play at your best for longer because you'll be stronger and fitter.

2. Do exercises to increase your speed

Find a drop of around 150cm or stand on a barrel or safe object of a similar height. Jump off, landing on both feet in a squatting position and stand up straight as quickly as possible. Make sure you are well warmed up and stretched before doing this exercise to avoid injury. This exercise will strengthen quick reflex muscles in the legs, improving speed.

3. Learn to play with both feet

Most footballers play far better with one foot than the other, it's difficult to improve your touch with your stronger foot. Concentrating on your weaker foot is a quick win as bigger improvements can be made with less work. Kick a ball against a wall using only your weaker foot. Have a scratch game in training where everyone plays only with their weaker foot. It doesn't take much effort and you will notice results within a short space of time.

4. Learn a new trick

When you see a new trick by a professional, watch it closely, over and over again before attempting it. Online video is good for this purpose. Spend 10 minutes every day learning and perfecting the trick. Don't try it in a game until you can do it perfectly every time and don't overuse it or your opponents will figure you out.

5. Learn from the professionals

Watch professional footballers play and copy them. Sounds obvious but you'd be amazed how few players do this. Pick a player who plays in the same position as you and watch him closely, learn his tricks and pay attention to his positions when not on the ball. The player you choose should be someone you look up to and aspire to. The player I liked to learn from was Franck Sauzee, the ex-France, Marseilles and Hibernian midfield player. An excellent all round player who was always at the peak of his game.

Finally, don't be put off if you don't become Maradona over night. It takes time to become a great player and improving every part of your game gradually is the important thing. Sticking to a good routine and training properly are the key things to remember.

Toure: Title tilt still a possibility for Arsenal

2008-03-28T03:20:00.000-07:00

Kolo Toure believes he has a 'nasty' streak that can help Arsenal put their Barclays Premier League title bid back on track.

The Gunners head to Bolton tomorrow in their worst run of league form in nine seasons after taking only four points from the last five games to allow both Manchester United and Chelsea to overtake them at the top of the table.

Manager Arsene Wenger believes his side have paid a high price for some poor defensive displays - which was evident at Stamford Bridge last weekend where Toure and central partner William Gallas failed to deal with the threat of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka as the Blues came from behind to win 2-1.

Ivory Coast international Toure, 27, has, though, been one of the most consistent performers since he came into the first team.

The mild-mannered African, who arrived at Highbury in February 2002, learned from legendary former Gunners such as Tony Adams and Martin Keown, who were renowned for their no-nonsense approach.

'One who really helped me a lot was Martin Keown,' Toure said, speaking in the April edition of the official Arsenal magazine.

'I have played with him several times and he helped me establish myself in the squad.

'He (was) always giving me advice, teaching me some of the intelligent things and also some nasty things you need to do in the game.

'Martin was an amazing player for Arsenal. He had a great career and had a good attitude on the pitch - he was always involved, always helping the team, always pushing people to encourage each other and raising the level because you can't rely on just one person to do that.'

Despite now trailing leaders Manchester United by six points - and one behind Chelsea - Arsenal are still not yet out of the title race, as key fixtures between the top three are still to come.

Toure accepts it is a tough battle for the championship, but insists the Gunners must focus only on their own performances rather than worry about what might happen elsewhere.

'It seems that this season the title race involves three teams and this shows that the league is really strong at the moment,' he said.

'But we have to concentrate on ourselves, and on what we have to do over the remaining games - if we win the rest of our games we will have a great chance of winning the title.'

Wenger reported a clean bill of health from those who returned from international duty to the training ground yesterday morning before he set off to the Emirates Stadium where French president Nicolas Sarkozy met Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

However, the Gunners will be missing full-back Bacary Sagna, set to be out for up to a month after suffering an ankle injury at Chelsea.

'It is a big blow because he has been a revelation for us, a fantastic player,' said Wenger, whose side face Liverpool three times in a week after the Bolton game as they resume Champions League action.

The Arsenal manager accepts his team must tighten up at the back if they are to put pressure on leaders United.

Wenger said: 'What we want to do is perform well as a team again and we know we can do that.

'At Chelsea we played okay, but we have to improve. Recently what punished us a lot is that defensively we have made big mistakes.'

The Best League In The World ???

2008-03-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

In the next couple of weeks, four English clubs: Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool will be involved in the quarter final stage of the highest club competition tournament in Europe, The European Champions League. A phenomenal feat that would surely make any English natives hold their heads up high with pride and the right to claim, that today, the English Premier League is the best league in Europe and the world.

But, along with the phenomenon, comes an irony regarding English football itself. Despite having four clubs competing in the European Champions League quarter final, their very own national team failed to qualify for the EURO 2008 tournament in Switzerland and Austria. The question is why? Why can't they qualify when they have so many world class players and managers in their league?

The answer lies within the nationality of those world class players and managers. Take a look at the nationality compositions of the four clubs that made it through the quarter final. Exactly how many of them can be defined as "English?"

We have four top-class clubs and none of them are managed by an English manager. The closest thing that comes to an English manager is Alex Ferguson who is Scottish by nationality. Theo Walcott is the only top English player in the Arsenal squad, and he doesn't even see regular first team football. Liverpool only has two English players as regular starters: Steven Gerrard and Jammie Carragher. The same number goes for Chelsea.

With so many foreigners, I don't think it's fair to say that those who are involved in the quarter final can be called "English teams." Rather, they should be called a name that resembles global and European teams who use England as their base.

There has been a lot of criticism about too many foreigners playing in European clubs for quite some time now. But then again, this is the risk of progress, the risk of going global. European football, especially English football, has grown into an "international brand" for football since the early 90's. The Bosman rule, globalization, and the EU labor policies and laws make it possible for any player to work and play football in Europe, as long as they have the skills.

In recent years, we have also seen a number of huge investments in football clubs made by foreign investors. These investments are particularly taking place in England where investors see the most potential for growth and profit. Suddenly, we have a Russian oil tycoon, some American sugar daddies, and Dubai's crowned prince as owners of major European clubs. The football clubs have been taken away from their real owners, the fans. And to make things worse, most of the investors invested in football clubs just so they can sell their stocks back to gain profits. Their sincerity to put money into the long term success of the club is highly questionable.

As with any other investments, all that investors want are fast results. There is no time for them to wait for home-grown players to develop into world class footballers. They want to buy already established players, win some trophies as fast as possible, and increase the value of the club before selling it back to another blood thirsty investor.

Football clubs are being taken out of their roots all over England, and there's nothing the FA, UEFA or FIFA can do about it. They condemn the investments, but can do nothing because the reality is primarily concerned about the money. In a free global market, anyone who has the money is allowed to do whatever he pleases as long as it is within the law. And no law can prohibit the buying and selling of clubs.

This is the sad reality of global football, and it will affect the biggest football nations of Europe. Will they have strong clubs? The most definitely will, but will they have the usual strong national teams? That remains very doubtful...

Our Defences Needs Sorting : Arsene Wenger

2008-03-24T01:15:00.000-07:00

“It was a game we should have won but we paid for some lapses in concentration," opined Wenger of Arsenal's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.

Long-Ball Chelsea

"It is difficult to swallow because we played quite well and were in control of the game. What was left to Chelsea was to play long balls and we did not deal well enough with it.
"The spirit was right and the mentality was fantastic. But we have some defensive problems which we need to sort out.”

Worst Form

The run of four points from five games is Arsenal's worst in nine years. And Wenger admitted that this has all played into the hands of Manchester United.

Five points off the pace several weeks ago, the Red Devils are now five points clear of second-placed Chelsea and six ahead of Arsenal. "The happiest man will be Alex Ferguson - this is a big setback for us," said Wenger. "When you add the four games we drew and this loss, we just have to come back and win games before we can dream of the title.”

Chelsea's Drogba unhappy with Grant tactics

2008-03-21T01:50:00.000-07:00

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba was unhappy with coach Avram Grant's tactical decisions in this week's 4-4 draw at Tottenham , it has been revealed.

The Daily Mail says Drogba approached a leading club official in the tunnel area at White Hart Lane and expressed his frustrations with the decisions that rocked the club's title aspirations.

Drogba was particularly upset by the timing of Joe Cole's substitution. The Chelsea winger had scored a wonder goal that seemed to have won the game for Grant's side and he had clearly been the best player on the pitch.

Drogba spoke to assistant manager Steve Clarke as the players left the field on Wednesday night and demanded to know "what was going on?"

That continued when he walked down the tunnel and he sought a leading club official for an explanation on how the club had "thrown away" maximum points.

All Soccer Lovers Must Read This

2008-03-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

Hey Soccer Lovers
I have just created a new forum for group discussion every soccer lover should join soccerfanbase.com.

Champions League Promises More Fun

2008-03-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

There are just 8 teams left in the uefa champions league race out of the 32 that started.The Road to the final in Moscow is getting clearer by the day.The road promises to be fun and tough with four games coming up in April alone.

Yes, for the first time, both quarter-finals and both semi-finals will take place in one month, thanks largely to the looming European Championships.

As such, the importance of having a squad, and the effect of telling engagements in domestic competitions threatens to be greater than ever.

The Draw has paired Arsenal against Liverpool,Manchester Against Roma in a game that Roma will definitely want to win in search of revenge of last season's 7-1 defeat to Manchester United,Barcelona will be Up against Schalke In a tricky match that Barca is expected to win without much problems,Chelsea got their prayers answered when they were paired against Fenerbahce in a game that chelsea will must definitely win

Admittedly, Schalke and Fenerbahce are being considered relative outsiders, but the Germans progressed from a group containing Chelsea and Valencia, while the Turks dealt with Inter and PSV in proud fashion. Then, the steel shown to hold their own and win penalty shoot-outs on away turf can not be ignored either.

Barcelona and Roma, meanwhile, won both home and away, and showed that they can be unstoppable on their day.

It is also the right time to remember some of the legendary clubs that will not be here, talking about the likes of Nine time champions Real Madrid and the defending champions Ac Milan. Bernd Schuster's and Carlo Ancelotti's sides were sent out by two young and energetic sides that proved to Europe that football is not all about the big bucks. Roma and Arsenal, as such, will be very difficult to eliminate, for sheer ebullience if nothing else.

Then we have Chelsea and Liverpool, two sides that have been humiliated in the FA Cup this season (Barnsley take a bow), but who will prove to be an entirely different proposition over two legs. Absolutely nobody will be rested, and there is no chance they will be complacent, for both managers need silverware to secure their respective positions.

And finally, we have Manchester United, who have been installed as favourites for the competition by 90% of the bookmakers, due largely to the fact that they are a lot stronger than the side that looked lost at San Siro last April.

Of course, there is the individual angle as well. The likes of Cesc Fabregas and Cristiano Ronaldo are in the running for the Ballon d'Or, and can silence any doubters by guiding their team to glory. Lionel Messi is unlikely to be fit for the quarter-finals, but even he remains in the fray, along with new entrant Fernando Torres.

The Spaniard has not been mentioned as a candidate yet, but with 26 goals already, if he can guide Liverpool to the Champions League and score a few for Spain this summer, he will probably have 40 for the season. Francesco Totti is another player who has always been overlooked for major awards largely because of lack of silverware. Could European glory offer just the excuse to the jury?

Much will depend on the path that is laid out in front of them - whom they face, whether they play home or away first - and it will all be unveiled on Friday afternoon.

Updates:

1. The 8-0 hammering of Besiktas makes Liverpool the team with the most goals in the competition - 21 from eight games.

Barcelona and Arsenal come in second with 16, while Schalke are last, with just six in eight games. Meawhile, Barcelona are runaway leaders in terms of total shots on target - a mammoth 66.

Team Goals scored in 8 games Liverpool 21 Barcelona 16 Arsenal 16 Roma 15 Manchester United 14 = Chelsea 14 Fenerbahce 13 Schalke 6

2. On the defensive front, Chelsea have been the most miserly, having conceded just the two in eight games, which is what makes them one of the most difficult to knock-out.

Attack-minded Arsenal are the surprise second placed team with four, just ahead of Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona and Schalke. Fenerbahce conceded five at the last 16 stage to ensure they bring up the rear.

The list, more than anything, indicates just how mean you have to be to win this trophy in the modern era.

Team Goals conceded in 8 games Chelsea 2 Arsenal 4 Liverpool 5 = Barcelona 5 = Manchester United 5 = Schalke 5 Roma 8 Fenerbahce 11

3. Finally, if we measure success as the number of points picked up from eight games (allocating points even for the two knock-out games for the sake of analysis), we find Barcelona at the top of the pile, being chased down by Arsenal, Roma and Manchester United.

As an aside, Barcelona, Man Utd and Chelsea are the only unbeaten teams in the competition. Schalke bring up the rear after having practically squeezed through at every stage thus far.

Team Points from 8 games Barcelona 20 Arsenal 17 =Roma 17 = Manchester United 17 Liverpool 16 = Chelsea 16 Fenerbahce 14 Schalke 11

The Quarter finals promise to be full of intrigues,goals ,tackles and so much surprises.I just can't wait to see the games

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Arsenal Must Win Something

2008-03-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

Arsenal haven't won anything since the 2005 FA Cup and Van Persie, who has spent much of this season out injured, says he cannot face the thought of a third consecutive campaign with no silverware.

But upon making his return to the first team fold, the Dutchman has vowed to fire the Gunners to Premier League and Champions League glory this season, honours he believes the squad fully deserve.

Winning A Must

"We have to win at least one trophy this season. If we don’t, then we would have played all the fantastic football for nothing," said the striker. “This is our moment and we need to win something. We all realise we are in a fantastic position and this has to be our year.

Double Dreams

"I am not a daydreamer," he continued. "I really think we can win the title and the Champions League this season. Why not? We have the qualities so we just need to stick together and believe in it. Belief can take you very far in football."

Arsenal have stumbled to four consecutive Premier League draws, surrendering the league lead to Manchester United at the weekend, while in the Champions League they face Liverpool in the quarter-finals.

"It is still in our hands to win the double and we have to take these opportunities because we have something special here at Arsenal," Van Persie added before going on to discuss his personal fitness. “Physically I can’t play a full 90 minutes yet but I’m getting there and I just need match fitness now," said the striker, who started his first league game for five months when Arsenal took on Middlesbrough on Saturday.

More Games Needed

"I need three or four games to really get back into my stride but I will give everything I have whenever I’m out on the pitch. It has been a very frustrating season for me. It started really well but now all I ever seem to do is talk about injuries. Yet I don’t feel as though I’m an injury-prone person.

"I suffered a thigh injury in October and then I came back too soon for the Carling Cup semi-final against Spurs and was out for another two months. I take full responsibility for that. It was all my fault. I was too emotionally involved because I was desperate to play.”

Van Persie and Arsenal travel to Chelsea on Sunday.

What Is Happing To Arsenal

2008-03-17T16:07:00.001-07:00

Arsenal fans tend to listen when Arsene Wenger speaks. Most recently, he said, "I feel the team fights, we came back again against ‘Boro and this team will fight until the end."

But for many, even the words of their esteemed manager will sound less than re-assuring when one analyses the fact that, barring Arsenal’s fantastic victory in the Champions League against AC Milan, there has been a real downturn in Arsenal’s results as of late.

Never mind that this run of games has seen the Gunners contrive to draw their last four Premiership games, in the process seeing a five point lead over Manchester United evaporate in to thin air. A more worrying prospect for the Arsenal fans will be the form their team is exhibiting as they enter the ‘business end’ of the season, with the team's next five fixtures undoubtedly determining whether the Gunners' three-season wait for a trophy is going to come to an end, or is to extend in agonising fashion.

The scale of the task facing the out-of-sorts Gunners over the next few weeks reads is massive. It starts next Sunday away to the team breathing down their necks in the table, Chelsea, followed by a long trip up North to face bogey team Bolton Wanderers, and then the first of three consecutive games against Liverpool, of which two Champions League Quarter Final games bookend Rafa Benitez’s side travelling to the Emirates for a vital league encounter.

Whilst this run of fixtures would unnerve even the most brazen of Arsenal supporters, the fact that there are worrying echoes of the Gunners' progress last season would seem to only exacerbate the anxiety of the Emirates faithful.

For it was at a similar stage last season when in the space of a few games Arsenal managed to crash out of the Champions League to PSV Eindhoven, a Benni McCarthy thunderbolt sent them out of the FA Cup, Chelsea beat them in the Carling Cup final, and consecutive away day defeats to Everton and Liverpool put the final nail in the coffin of their Premiership challenge for the season.

Whilst the stunning performance of Wenger’s men at the San Siro against AC Milan stands as an example of how Arsenal can equip themselves in a style befitting any title winning team, when one watches the type of displays put in by the Arsenal players in the league in recent weeks then the alarm bells should be ringing loud and clear.

Gone, it would seem, is the breathtaking fluidity that delighted all that had the pleasure to watch Arsenal play, with shining lights such as Cesc Fàbregas and Emmanuel Adebayor on league form alone looking like jaded imitations of the players that started the season in such exciting style.

Furthermore, the injuries to Eduardo da Silva and Tomáš Rosický have seemed to really set the Gunners back, with Arsenal’s trophy push being seriously derailed from the moment that the promising partnership that was developing between Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo Da Silva was broken up so horrifically against Birmingham City.

Uncharacteristic mistakes have also begun to creep in, with a case in point being left back Gael Clichy who by twice criminally dawdling in the penalty box against Manchester City and Birmingham City cost the team goals. There was also his last minute infraction against Birmingham City leading to yet another draw, and of course the embarrassing on-pitch implosion of captain William Gallas.

These types of displays would seem to point to the undeniable fact that this youthful Arsenal team are starting to tire at the most vital stage of the season. The cumulative fatigue exhibited by Arsenal contrasts vividly to that of their rivals Manchester United and Chelsea, who are able to boast squads of much more depth.

For example, players of the calibre of Michael Essien, Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba have found themselves on the bench in recent weeks for Chelsea, but the teams winning ways have prevailed.

With regards to Manchester United, the contrast between their squad strength and that of Arsenal’s was displayed in unequivocal fashion in the F.A Cup meeting between the two sides where both managers decided to rest key players. However, the Red Devils' second string simply annihilated their North London counterparts, knocking Arsenal out of the F.A. Cup, and in the process inflicting a 4-0 defeat that would have undoubtedly pleased Sir Alex Ferguson.

Chelsea and Manchester United have also been able to win regularly when not playing anywhere near their maximum. This has not been the case as often for Arsenal, with a review of this weekend’s Premiership fixtures seeing Chelsea and Manchester United winning away to Sunderland and Derby County when playing nowhere near their best, whilst Arsenal dropped two potentially vital points at home to Middlesbrough.

This ability to claim all three points whilst performing well below your previous high standards is a key component of any title push. Arsenal must begin to exhibit this monotonous ability to win to significantly increase their chances of holding aloft the Premiership crown come May.

However , regardless of the poor Premiership form that Arsenal have exhibited in recent weeks, it would be incredibly churlish to write off any team that can boast players of the calibre of Kolo Touré, Cesc Fàbregas, Emmanuel Adebayor et al. when it comes to deciding who will be collecting the silverware on offer come seasons end.

It is not like Arsenal have stopped creating chances over the last few weeks, and supporters will point to dubious refereeing decisions such as Emmanuel Adebayor’s disallowed goal against Middlesbrough and the highly debatable penalty given against Birmingham City as more pertinent reasons for the side’s downturn in results.

Indeed, this Sunday’s visit to Stamford Bridge could provide the team with the perfect opportunity to correct the team’s disappointing results, and get the club’s Premiership title challenge back on track in the most dramatic of fashions.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE : WHICH IS THE BEST LEAGUE IN EUROPE

2008-03-16T23:34:00.000-07:00

For the very first time in the history of the champions league,4 teams from the same league (England) made have made it inot the quarter finals.Though this is not surprising since for the last 3 seasons we have always had at least 1 semi-finalist from England,last season witnessed the appearance of 3 semi finalist from England,something that will most likely repeat itself again should all the English Teams measure of to the standard expected of them in the quarter finals in April.

Even Spain and Italy at their best could only produce 3 quarterfinalist in between them,the question that comes to mind then is : WHICH IS THE BEST LEAGUE IN EUROPE? Or is it just a fluke ? Or is that the top four teams in England beginning to wake up ? Or is this the beginning of another dominance of England by English clubs,as was the case when Liverpool,Aston Villa and Nottingham forext won Seven European Cups In just eight seasons.

I just can not wait to see the games and most of the Excitement in the last 8 also involves English teams facing each other.The Gunners' Luck could only place them against veterans-Liverpool

Of the English quartet Chelsea will be the most happy, having drawn Fenerbahce, who on paper perhaps seem the weakest side left. However, Rick Parry of Liverpool revealed his relief at the fact that "at least we don’t have to go to Turkey." Whether this was a reference to the distances to travel or a fear of the Turkish dark horses was unclear.

It was also acknowledged by Parry that drawing an English side was bad luck, with the intriguing situation that the English four are looking some of the most competitive and strongest teams at the moment.

For the ever noisy English media the qualification of 4 Of their teams into the last 8 marks the beginning of an ear. Alex Ferguson, speaking before the draw, proclaimed that ‘the English league is the strongest in Europe’.

Even more telling than a Scot extolling the virtues of the English league was Kaka’s statement: "You can say that the Premier League is not only the best for this season but for what its teams have done over the last few years’." Soon after the draw in Nyon, a visibly relieved Txiki Begiristain, Barcelona's director of sport, also hailed the Premier League as "undoubtedly the strongest league in Europe."

You can blame the Englishmen once in a while for getting carried away, but when praise begins to come from those in the continent - there is most certainly some fire beneath all the smoke.

The fact of the matter is that seven quarter-finalists in two seasons and most possibly six out of eight semi-finalists over the same period is a feat not worth ignoring, even if Serie A and La Liga loyalists may attempt to shoot it down.

Manchester United who has been placed against Roma in a repeat of the quarter finals of last season will sure not be Happy to have Roma again,I am quick to warn the fans of the red devils not to expect a 7-1 win this time around.That said, the feisty reception the Red Devils' fans received in Rome last time round will worry some.

If they are to beat the Italian side they will have to play either Schalke or, more likely, Barcelona, a prospect that will have the mouths of fans the world over watering.

Meanwhile the winners of the all-English tie face either Chelsea or Fenerbahce. Chelsea and Liverpool have a habit of drawing each other in the knock out phases of cups. The Blues have, interestingly enough, often come off worse - unlike in the Premirship - and would be eager to seek revenge.

That said, I honestly think Arsenal has a better chance to progress than Liverpool ( forget the poor performance in the League ) though Liverpool seems to know how to play the ball when it comes to playing it in Europe so also their manager who has not been impressive in the local league but has a big chance in Europe.

This clash promises to be very interesting and full of goal and intrigues ,it is a tripple-header too, : too: the teams also meet in the league in the same week, so the sides will have plenty of opportunities to ‘get to know each other’.

This could be seen as the year the Premier League came of age, announcing itself to the rest of Europe as truly the strongest league on the planet. An all-English final would be the culmination of a true renaissance for the game in its country of origin.

Amid all the criticism directed at this country's football - some justified, some not quite - some of the great positives get forgotten, or deliberately ignored. Surely some credit is due.

I honestly think the dominance of the English League is real,and I look forward to a all English final in Moscow last in the year.I don't want to raise the dust here though but I stronghly believe in a Manchester united - Arsenal final,quote me anywhere

Arsenal - A Brief History

2008-03-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

Arsenal is one of the leading English clubs and plays the kind of football most teams can only dream about. Nicknamed the Gunners, they're a North London team with a huge fan base. They're closest rivals are Tottenham Hotspur but like most clubs these days seem to enjoy locking horns with Manchester United.

They were founded in 1886 which also makes them one of the oldest clubs in the English domestic league. Arsenal is also one of the most successive clubs in the England, having won three doubles and the Premier League on two occasions (and counting).

For many years Arsenal played their football at Highbury stadium but now play their home games at the Emirates Stadium which has a capacity of over sixty thousand fans. The move to the Emirates Stadium has also made Arsenal one of the richest clubs in world football, ensuring they continue to be one of the top teams well into the future.

Famous Arsenal players from the past include Cliff Bastin, Ian Wright, Tony Adams and Thierry Henry to name but a few Arsenal legends. For years, Arsenal had a reputation of playing a strong defensive game and winning games by a single goal. Their back four of Lee Dixon, Tony Adams, Steve Bould and Nigel Winterburn is legendary and still used by coaches to illustrate how defending should be.

Arsenal football shirts are traditionally red and white, with white shorts and red or white socks. The designs of their away shirt vary but have often been yellow and blue. Nike have manufactured Arsenal shirts for a long time and have a contract to continue doing so.

This is just a concise history of the Gunners but there is significantly more to learn about this brilliant football club.

Yakubu Targets Top Four

2008-03-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

Nigerian striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni is still coming to terms with Everton’s midweek Uefa Cup exit after losing a penalty shoot-out to Serie A outfit Fiorentina.The man they call ‘The Yak’ isn’t likely to internalise his frustrations, though, not with a visit to leaky Fulham in store on Sunday.

Only Thierry Henry has scored more Premiership goals than Yakubu since the 2003/04 season. Indeed, Yakubu is looking to add to his 12 Prem strikes as the season enters its crucial phase.

Yakubu insists the Toffees are ready to put their Euro heartache behind them and have fourth-placed Merseyside rivals Liverpool firmly in their sights.

"Going out of Europe will only make us more determined to finish in the top four this season," warned Yakubu. "I have a good feeling about the Fulham game because I scored a hat-trick against them at Goodison. I can feel there are more goals in me.

"They say it was the perfect hat-trick because I scored with my left foot, my right foot and a header - but for every goal I've scored at Everton, I owe the credit to my team-mates and the manager.

"Since I came here I am fitter, faster and better.

"It is a great compliment to the people around me that I have scored more goals in the Premier League than any striker apart from Thierry Henry over the past few years. Players like Henry only come round once in a lifetime and I look up to him, but the comparison will mean nothing if we do not have anything to show for all our hard work at the end of the season.

"Liverpool are favourites to finish fourth, but Everton beat them to it three years ago and we are capable of doing it again. It would be a fantastic achievement, but I believe in my team-mates and I think they believe in me to score the goals which will take us where we want to go.

"We will keep fighting together and, don't forget, we still have to go to Anfield. We were unlucky not to get at least a point against Liverpool at our place and that will be a massive game for both clubs."

Bridge Boy

Despite recent disappointment, Yakubu is relishing his Premier League career, which has flourished at Middlesbrough and now Everton. The footballing high-life is a far cry, he admits, from his days in native Nigeria with the Bridge Boys of Julius Berger.

"I have come a long way since I left Africa and I feel blessed that my career has brought me to such a good club as Everton," he said.

"My first club was called Julius Berger, which is a big Nigerian construction company with its own team.

"They had a grass pitch - not everybody in Africa is able to play on grass - and I remember thinking I was rich when I collected my first wages, which were small.

"After only four months I was spotted by Maccabi Haifa and I went to play for them in Israel. We won the title and [current Chelsea boss] Avram Grant was my coach there.

"I have been on a long journey since those days, and to play in the Champions League next season would be a proud moment."

Reds fans will be hoping that’s a Bridge too far for the Yak.

Champions League Draw

2008-03-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

Arsenal has been drawn against Liverpool in the champions league quarter finals Arsenal came out of the bowl first, and they got Liverpool. The Reds will have the luxury of playing the second leg at home.

Incidential the champions league feature will collide with a premier league fiture which makes it 3 games in just 8 days!

In the Other draws Roma will be playing Manchester united ,yet again in a repeat of last year's quartfer which ended in favor 7-1 in favor of the English side.The second leg comes up in old Trafford,this fixture promises to be interesting and full of drama.It may sound controversial but I predict a win for Roma this time around.

The only German team left will be playing former champions Barcelona in what seems to be a easy draw for the la liga outfit.The second leg comes up in Spain.

The Last game will be between Fenerbahce and Chelsea.The second leg comes up in stamford Bridge.This is fixture will hat will involve Mateja Kezman and Nicolas Anelka facing their former clubs.

The semi-finals will see the winners of Arsenal-Liverpool play the winners of Fenerbahce-Chelsea. In what could Yet be another Liverpool-Chelsea semi-final?

The other clas would potentially see Manchester United and Barcelona clash expect if one of Schalke and Roma pulls a surprise as I already predicted.

In general ,the draw seem to be a good draw for chelsea,Barcelona ,manchester united and Liverpool since they all will be playing their last matches at their stadia.

But then again, Arsenal and Roma won in Milan and Madrid respectively, just a few weeks ago, and will back themselves to produce something similar again!

UEFA To Aid Cardiff's Euro hopes

2008-03-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

UEFA will intervene if Cardiff win the FA Cup but are prevented from competing in the UEFA Cup, president Michel Platini has revealed.
Cardiff reached the semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough on Sunday and have been drawn against Barnsley in the last four.

But if they win the April 6 clash then beat either West Brom or Portsmouth in the final the Football Association insist they will not be put forward as one of England's representatives for the UEFA Cup because they come under the jurisdiction of the FA of Wales.

The Welsh governing body reserve their places for winners of their domestic competitions, leaving Cardiff potentially in limbo.

Chairman Peter Ridsdale hinted after the draw the club would challenge the FA's decision - and he would have an ally in Platini.

The former France midfielder told BBC Radio Five Live: 'It's not normal that they participate in one competition and if they win they are out. That is not good.

'If England don't do something we will do something because we always respect the result.'

Wales' sports minister also revealed today he will ask football bosses to stage FA Cup semi-finals at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

The final had a temporary home in Cardiff while the new Wembley Stadium was being built but returned to London last year.

In the week Cardiff City progressed to the semi-finals, heritage minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas told Welsh Assembly Members he would write to the competition's organisers about bringing top domestic football back to the Welsh capital.
'I am sure that the fans throughout the UK would welcome the opportunity to return to Cardiff,' he said.

'I am certainly happy to write to the FA and to suggest to them that semi-finals in future should be held in Cardiff and the Millennium Stadium.'

It comes as the Football Association today confirmed the schedule for this season's FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.

The first semi-final will pit West Brom against Portsmouth - the only remaining top-flight team left in the competition - at 12.15pm on Saturday, April 5.

That will be followed the next day by the all Coca-Cola Championship clash between Barnsley and Cardiff, with a kick-off time of 4pm.

BBC1 will broadcast the West Brom v Portsmouth game, while Sky Sports will show Barnsley v Cardiff.

Meanwhile, a make-or-break threat to the financial future of Cardiff City kicked off at the High Court today.

Swiss investment bank Langston is suing the club over £24million in loan notes and is seeking summary judgment for immediate repayment of the debt.

The Coca-Cola Championship club, still savouring Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final victory against Middlesbrough, want repayment deferred and the case to go to full trial.

The Bluebirds faces possible administration if Langston succeeds at the two-day hearing in London before Mr Justice Briggs.

Langston's counsel, Michael Driscoll QC, told the court it was common ground that Langston was a substantial creditor of the club and that the debt owed to it was in excess of £15million.
It was also common ground that Langston loaned £24million to the club in 2004, and it had yet to be repaid anything.

It was the club's case that nothing was payable at the moment.

Mr Driscoll said the question for the court was whether there was enough in what the club said to justify the case going to trial and not being dealt with summarily.

It was Langston's case that there was not, and that it was an appropriate case for summary judgment which was 'clearly desirable' as it would avoid a great deal of cost and time spent in litigation and uncertainty.

Benitez to go on attack at Inter

2008-03-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez insists his side cannot afford to sit back and defend a 2-0 lead in their Champions League second leg tie at Inter Milan.

The Reds will be aiming to become the fourth English side in the last eight with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United already through.

"It is impossible for us to defend for a long time against such a great team," said the Spaniard.

"We will be looking to score, to hit on the break."

Benitez goes into the game without midfielder Xabi Alonso, who has been left out to attend the birth of his first child.

The Reds boss is believed to be frustrated at Alonso's decision, but Benitez will be counting on the hot goalscoring form of striker Fernando Torres against the Serie A leaders at the San Siro.

Torres has scored seven goals in his last four games, including two-hat-tricks, as he has taken his tally for the season to 25 goals in 34 games.

"I believe that Fernando Torres is the ideal player for this, if we score one then we will surely be through," added Benitez, whose side have won their last five games.

"We are playing well and we have great confidence.

"When we played Inter in the first game we had just been beaten by Barnsley in the FA Cup. Now we face them after five successive victories."

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who has been deployed behind the attack and in front of the the Reds midfield, has formed a promising partnership with Torres in recent games.

"We will be looking to hit them on the counter-attack, and Torres plays that game better than anyone," said Gerrard.

"But we will have to play as well as we have done anywhere this season."

Inter will be without Marco Materazzi after his sending-off in the first-leg and Gerrard believes his replacement will face a torrid task trying to contain Torres. "The lad who comes into their side for Materazzi will not be looking forward to his 90 minutes against Fernando," he said.

The growing partnership between Gerrard and Torres has seen the Spaniard describe his skipper as "one of the best players in the world".

And Gerrard is sure that Torres will be Liverpool's match-winner in the San Siro.

"He's brilliant, fantastic. I wouldn't swap him for any other striker anywhere," said the England midfielder.

"He has been massive for us and gives us so many different options up front. He's banging them in and always looks a threat every time he plays.

"You can play him on his own or with a partner and he just adapts perfectly.

"When you look at the impact he has made in just seven months here, it means that no-one now can make excuses about needing time to settle.

"He is just a kid really in football terms, and he is going to get better and better.

"That is a frightening thought, but not for us. It's frightening for the defences he is going to be coming up against."

Inter boss Roberto Mancini believes a packed San Siro will boost their chances of overcoming the 2-0 first leg deficit.

He said: "I believe a full stadium can make the difference. If the match is going well, the crowd could be decisive."

Mancini also hinted he may play five across the midfield despite the need for goals.

"With many unavailable, it could be a possibility," he said. "To overhaul a 2-0 scoreline we will have to be perfect from every point of view.

"We must play the perfect match, trying not to give Liverpool space. I am not pessimistic, I believe it is possible to go through."

Is Grant A Big Match Manager?

2008-02-29T09:37:00.000-08:00

As soon as the Carling Cup finalists were known, it was obvious that one of two new managers would be lifting silverware within months of being appointed. The fact that, in the event, it was Juande Ramos of Spurs rather than Chelsea's Avram Grant not only confirmed the Spaniard's midas touch in cup competitions; it also raised doubts about the Israeli's acumen at the highest level.

Unpopular Changes

Ironically, neither Ramos nor Grant had been popular appointments. Both were succeeding men who had swung the mass of their respective club's supporters behind them: Martin Jol at Tottenham and Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge.

But while Spurs fans were unhappy with the way Jol was clumsily ousted, they were not anti-Ramos per se; they knew he was a good manager - as his record, especially at Sevilla, proved. And they have seen such a rapid improvement at White Hart Lane since Ramos arrived and started to put his managerial approach into practice that they have embraced the new regime with gusto, especially after Sunday's triumph. Jol may still be liked, but they would not want him back in place of Ramos.

Can you say the same about Grant at Chelsea? The short, brutal answer is, 'No.' Mourinho was adored by the Chelsea fans (and, it was clear, most if not all of the Blues' players). He was always going to be a hard act to follow, whoever took over.

But when Grant, brought in two months earlier as director of football, was handed the reins, the cloud over Stamford Bridge was heavy with disillusion, scepticism and anger. The contrast with Mourinho could not have been starker: the extrovert and self-styled Special One with charisma to spare had been succeeded by the introverted Quiet Man with the permanent hang-dog expression.

Grant's first assignment was at Old Trafford, the home of the defending champions, at the end of the traumatic week in which Mourinho left the club. To nobody's great surprise, United won 2-0, and with some of the senior players apparently threatening to jump ship, predictions of Chelsea's imminent implosion abounded.

Impressive Record

To his great credit, Grant held it all together and, moreover, set the team on a 16-match unbeaten run in which there were some impressive victories: 2-1 at Valencia, 6-0 at home to Manchester City and 4-0 in Trondheim against Rosenborg.

A narrow defeat at Arsenal in which inspirational captain John Terry broke bones in his foot compounded a debilitating injury situation at the Bridge, but despite the privations caused by injuries, suspensions and, in January, the demands of the Africa Cup of Nations, Grant led the team to another unbeaten run that stretched, by coincidence, to 16 games again before Spurs halted it on Sunday at Wembley.

Only the churlish and the uncharitable would argue that Grant's record of just two defeats in his first 34 matches in charge of Chelsea was not impressive. His team had withstood the absences of many key players without losing matches, remaining in contention on four fronts; the mooted exodus of stars in January had not happened; and Mourinho's 'untouchables' policy had been swept away, with the likes of Michael Ballack insisting nobody was untouchable now: you earned your place on merit and good form. And yet there were lingering doubts.

Doubts Persist

The fantasy football that owner Roman Abramovich ousted Mourinho for not providing was still conspicuous by its absence. Chelsea were functional and effective rather than free-flowing with flair. The fans continued to chant Mourinho's name at Chelsea matches, suggesting that Grant had not yet won their hearts. And there were signs latterly that as players returned from injury and Africa to give the coach more options, he was not entirely sure-footed in dealing with the selection dilemmas this posed.

Now, after Sunday's Carling Cup final, in which Chelsea took a first-half lead but uncharacteristically failed to protect it, losing 2-1 to worthy winners Spurs, Grant stands accused of timidity in his team selection, caution in his tactics, lack of urgency and imagination in his substitutions, and lack of motivational powers when his players may have been looking to him for leadership and inspiration.

Damningly, none of those perceived failings were levelled at Mourinho. He ticked all the boxes. And fairly or unfairly, Grant's performance is again being compared to that of the Portuguese following Sunday's defeat. Apart from leading Chelsea to back-to-back Premier League titles, Mourinho took the Blues to three domestic cup finals and won them all. Sunday was Grant's first chance to authenticate his reign with silverware, to confirm that he is also a winner. On this occision, he blew it.

Spurs played well throughout but there was a contrast between the two benches. Ramos appeared to be thinking on his feet, and his tactical switches and substitutions brought rapid dividends and, ultimately, the Cup. Grant seemed less decisive and less flexible. And Chelsea lost.

Positively Negative

Spurs won because Ramos was positive, and instilled positive thinking into his players, while Grant and his team were negative. That is why many neutrals enjoyed the outcome. Chelsea, after taking the lead from a set-piece - Didier Drogba's superb free-kick that maintained the Ivorian's record of scoring in English cup finals - retreated into their negative shells until they were forced to chase the game in the last 15 minutes of extra-time.

If Spurs had not won, at least they would have gone down giving it their best shot. They played with urgency, self-belief and imagination against opponents seemingly primed to play a percentage game which eventually back-fired thanks to a rash handball and a goalkeeping error.

On the touchline, Ramos outwitted and outflanked Grant, whose claim afterwards that for a period before and after half-time Chelsea had dominated was not a view widely held beyond his bench. There was a telling shot on TV - between the end of regulation time and the start of extra-time - of the Chelsea players in a huddle, seeking inspiration and instruction on how to approach the additional half-hour. But who was providing that input? Not Grant, and not the much-vaunted Henk ten Cate. No, it was Chelsea survivor Steve Clarke.

There were other concerns for Chelsea fans, regarding the composition and balance of the team, and the way the substitutions were handled. Why was such a talented and incisive striker as Nicolas Anelka exiled on the wing where his contribution was never more than peripheral? Why was Ballack on the bench when he has been the midfielder in form during the past month? Was it to accommodate Frank Lampard - who perhaps is an untouchable after all? It began to look that way when the industrious Michael Essien, rather than below-par Lampard, was removed from the fray to accommodate (belatedly) Ballack.

There were subversive rumbles in the build-up to the final that, following Grant's team selection for the Champions League game in Greece against Olympiakos, Lampard and Terry had thrown, or threatened to throw, their toys from the pram if not given starting roles at Wembley, despite both having only just returned from lengthy injury absences. Are some of the players, rather than the manager, calling the shots?

And why was the mercurial Joe Cole, a potential match-winner, left on the bench for so long? One of the defining aspects of Mourinho's success was his ruthlessly decisive approach to substitutions. They were not a last resort for Jose but a potent tactical weapon to be used the moment he deduced the opposition had an edge.

After the game, Grant complained about refereeing decisions - the penalty, which looked cut-and-dried, Bridge propelling the ball away with his hand - and even the timing of the final whistle. Of course, every manager, Mourinho included, struggles to cope with defeat and seeks scapegoats when it happens. That's OK, as long as Grant doesn't delude himself that Chelsea were unjustly robbed of the Cup.

Perspective

All of that said, it is important to keep things in perspective. After all, this was just one match, and Chelsea are still in real contention for three trophies, which is all credit to Grant and his players. As he also said after the game, his players must get over their disappointment and re-focus on the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

He revealed that it was "very painful," to lose, although the Chelsea fans do not need to be told that. They feel it just as keenly. And they will hope that the lessons learned from this game will be taken on board when Chelsea find themselves in their next big contest.

But they will be slightly disturbed that the three matches Chelsea have lost under Grant have been a cup final and Premier League games against the two teams above them in the table. They may be wondering whether their manager, solid enough most of the time, lacks the temperament and/or tactical nous for the big matches. Because if he does, Chelsea will plateau rather than reach the next level that chief executive Peter Kenyon trumpeted when putting his spin on the decision to replace Mourinho with Grant.

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Who Is Zidane?

2008-02-21T02:03:00.000-08:00

Zinedine Zidane was unable to contact hospitalised star Ronaldo as he recovers from his horrific knee injury because the hospital operator didn’t know who the Frenchman was.

Ronaldo is in hospital in Paris having undergone surgery for the career-threatening ruptured tendon in his knee that he suffered in last Wednesday’s match with Livorno.

Messages of support have flooded in for El Fenomeno, who is set to be out of the game for at least nine-to-twelve months.

One of these well-wishers was none other than France legend Zinedine Zidane, who is a former team-mate of Ronaldo from their time together at Real Madrid.

Zidane yesterday rang up the hospital that Ronaldo is staying at in order to speak to his old colleague and friend.

When the hospital telephone operator asked who was calling, incredibly the name Zinedine Zidane was not recognised by the employee, thus the 1998 World Cup winner was not granted permission to speak to Ronaldo.

Zidane only retired from football in 2006, after winning one Champions League, one World Cup and one European Championship.

Cesc: To Beat Kaka Would Be Fab

2008-02-19T00:50:00.000-08:00

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas spoke about the Milan game, and what it would mean to him if they were to beat Milan. He also stated that he wants to spend the rest of his career at the North London club.

Very Happy Here

Speaking in an exclusive interview with CNN, the Spanish international revealed that he has not yet entered discussions about extending his contract beyond its current expiry date but will only leave if he is no longer wanted at the club.

"I am very happy, everything is going well, I have got friends in the club," said the 20-year-old .
"I like the life and I am comfortable with the fans. If they don't want me here, then of course I would like to go back to Spain.

"But if the club wants me and the boss thinks I still can give a lot to the club, then I will stay here. I will be here for as long as they want me."

Wenger Ties Me To Arsenal

Fabregas, who was snatched from Barcelona's youth program in 2003, also said that manager Arsene Wenger was one of the main reasons for him wanting to stay.

"He has an eye to catch young players that he wants in the future, and that is something special," said Fabregas. "I have always been grateful for what he has done for me, what he has done for the club and I feel very lucky to be working under him."

Football Faster Than In Spain

In addition to this, he also highlighted the atmospheres of Premier League stadiums and the fast, attacking nature of the football as crucial factors in his love of the English game.

"Whenever you watch a football game here you can see the passion," he said.
"Even if the two lowest teams in the league are playing you can feel the passion. They always try to go forward, even if the game maybe technically is not the best you can feel they go to win.
"In Spain everything is slower and sometimes it takes 20 minutes to see something happen. But of course technically the Spanish league is very, very good."

Title Challenge

As for the Premier League title, Fabregas sounded a note of caution.
"We have to try to play nice football - not beautiful football, but football that really enables us to win. The fans believe in us and we are quite confident we can do it, but there is still a long way to go."

Beating Kaka And Pirlo Would Be Special

Inevitably, also spoke about this week's Champions League clash against holders AC Milan.
"We are all looking forward to it because it will be a very difficult game," he admitted.
"Everybody says they are not doing well in the league, but this kind of team can kill you in one second. They have massive players like Kaka and Andrea Pirlo - we have to be careful, but I still think we have a good chance."

"To beat a team that contains Kaka and Pirlo would be special for me," he continued.
"They are two of the best players in the world. We must pay close attention to them as they can hurt us. It’s important to cancel them out. If we do this, Milan will have problems.”

Kaka Looks Foward To "Beautiful" Game Against Arsenal

2008-02-18T01:09:00.000-08:00

The contest pits the Milanese old guard against Arsene Wenger’s young guns. Kaka, whose real name is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, recognises that Arsenal will offer a stern test of Milan’s credentials. Nevertheless, he backs the Rossoneri to dump the English side out of the competition and add to the club’s seven European triumphs.

"People have called this tie against Arsenal a match between an ageing team and a new young, up-and-coming side,” the reigning Fifa world player of the year said. “It is a fair comparison, because the average age in the first team here in Milan is 32, but that doesn't mean we'll struggle against them. Experience counts for everything at this stage of the Champions League.”

“This is a game we can enjoy. It can be beautiful.”

Despite Milan’s determination to succeed, Kaka does not underestimate the threat posed by Wenger’s team. Arsenal enjoy a five point lead in the Premiership over closest rivals Manchester United. However, the Gunners crashed out of the English FA Cup 4 –0 last Saturday against United. Many observers believe the Gunners boss decision not to play his strongest team showed that he had given priority to the match against the 2007 Champions League winners.

"This tie against Arsenal will be open and more interesting than if Milan had been drawn against Liverpool or Chelsea, teams that play more in the traditional English style," Kaka conceded. “They play football the way we like it to see it in Brazil, with style, changing position all the time, moving the ball among themselves so quickly.

“They have won Premier League titles, they were in the Champions League final a few years ago and they have real quality."

Wednesday’s Champions League match is seen as crucial to the Milan team which has not hit its best form this season and lies 21 points behind city rivals Internazionale in Serie A. Kaka sees the Champions League game as a chance for Milan to ignite their season.

"We were inconsistent in the first half of the season," said Kaka. "But we have recovered since the turn of the year and have lost only once in Italy since then, even if the top is still a long way off.

“That means the Champions League is the most important competition we're in - win that and your names are etched down in history, far more so than if you win the domestic league. We are too far behind in Serie A, so the priority is completely to win the Champions League again."

Player Ratings: Manchester United - Arsenal

2008-02-17T09:22:00.000-08:00

MANCHESTER UNITED

Van Der Sar 6.0: Pipe and slippers evening for the Dutch keeper. Not tested at all by the misfiring Gunners.

Wes Brown 7.5: Set down a marker for the 12 April clash by keeping Hleb quiet all evening, and making some good contribution to the attack as well.

Rio Ferdinand 6.5: Snuffed out the disappointing Arsenal attack with ease.

Nemanja Vidic 7.0: Improved performance from the big Serb. Made life difficult for Arsenal from corners.

Patrice Evra 7.0: Locked down the left flank and supported the attacks with his usual effervescence.

Darren Fletcher 8: A rare appearance for the Scottish midfielder but he was really in the mood. Got forward, tackled robustly and took his goal well.

Anderson 8.5: In an impressive midfield unit, Anderson stood out as the brightest talent on show. Fizzed throughout the game and is fast becoming undroppable. If only he had a Brazilian goal scorer’s touch.

Michael Carrick 7.0: Ably supported by Anderson and Fletcher fizzing alongside, Carrick’s unsung performance should not belie his contribution to United thoroughly dominating a stronger Arsenal midfield. His pass for Nani’s goal was a peach.

Nani 8.0: At last, the Portuguese winger delivered a performance worthy of his reputation. Excellent display of wingcraft. His goal was a beauty.

Ji Sung Park 6.5: Game and willing but still struggling to impose himself after a long injury lay-off.

Wayne Rooney 8.0: Thundered back after sitting out the derby. Shone as United adopted the England model of the lone front man and set United on their way with a crucial first goal. Terrorised Gallas and Toure all evening and might be disappointed to have scored only once.

Substitutes

Paul Scholes 6.0: Slotted in easily.

Louis Saha 6.0: Looked rusty on his return to the first team. Should have scored late on.

ARSENAL

Jens Lehmann 7.0: Some smart saves alternated with some poor goal kicks, but kept the scoreline from looking like 7-0 or 8-0.

Justin Hoyte 4.0: Troubled by United attackers all evening. The young defender couldn’t make his efforts meaningful.

William Gallas 4.0 : Might now heed the proverb: He who talks big may soon look small. A disappointing evening’s work in the Manchester spotlight. Was at sixes and sevens against Rooney, and his second half kick at Nani deserved a booking too. Perhaps his worst display of the season.

Kolo Toure 5.5: Looked like he was still suffering from jet lag after his exertions in the African Cup of Nations. Lacked his usual authority and positional excellence. Clearly still jaded from his African sojourn.

Armand Traore 4.0: The youngster had a night to forget and was made dizzy by United’s movement and trickery.

Emmanuel Eboue 3.0: Dismissed early in the second half for an ugly challenge on Evra. It was his only contribution to the game.

Francesc Fabregas 5.0: The Premiership’s most improved midfielder didn’t live up to his reputation. Off the pace completely until his substitution. Failed to pick his passes, failed to win the ball, and was simply outplayed on the evening.

Gilberto Silva 5.0: Another talent to leave his better form in the locker room. No impact on the match.

Alexander Hleb 6.5: Didn’t offer his usual menace. A subdued display, but had a little more energy to give to the match than some of his teammates.

Da Silva Eduardo 5.0: His flat display mirrored that of the team.

Nicklas Bendtner 5.0: Got no change out of the United defence and little support from the Arsenal midfield.

Substitutes

Mathieu Flamini 5.0: Lost Fletcher for United’s fourth goal. So much for coming on to limit the damage.

Philippe Senderos 6.0: Should probably have started looking at all that went on at the back.

Emmanuel Adebayor 5.0: Booked for diving seconds after entering the match as a substitute, and that was just about the only thing you remember about him.

Champions League: The Spanish Challenge

2008-02-17T08:24:00.000-08:00

Three Spanish sides, three group stage winners, three title hopefuls. Their fortunes have varied at home and abroad of late, but this Spanish trio remains serious about lifting the trophy in Moscow. First up, though, comes the knockout stage...

Roma v Real Madrid (Tue 19th Feb, 20:45 CET)

The Champions League may have been on hiatus since December, but hype ahead of this game has kept the tournament alive in spirit for the past two months.

The two sides have shared a CL group three times already this decade, with no love being lost between the two after a series of eventful encounters.

Madrid are ahead on recent head-to-head, but that's merely spurred Roma on further. More than one prominent giallorosso has come out swinging in the media, stating that the Spaniards' poor road form in the CL will be their undoing in the Eternal City.

Still, the blancos are no shrinking violets, either. They've been building up to their game for some time, which has given them an uncommon amount of focus, but it's perhaps also affected their Liga form.

For a Madrid side that looked nigh-invincible earlier in the season has stumbled a bit since New Year, scraping through matches against Zaragoza and Levante, before finally succumbing to defeats at Almeria and Betis.

Roma will be smacking their lips in anticipation of giving the blancos another going-over on the road - knowing full well that they've failed to win away in Europe so far - but they cannot be complacent by any means.

After all, Madrid have rested some of the squad for this one over the past couple of weeks, and have already left the Italian capital with a draw this season.

That 2-2 tie at Lazio may not have been ideal at the time, but a repeat result would put the Bernabeu men firmly in the drivers' seat as they welcome the Romans for a return game at their fortress.

This point is key. Madrid have won all their Liga and Champions League games at home this season, stumbling only in "lesser" cups. If they can leave Rome with a draw, they're in fine stead to advance. Roma will know this, and thus Iker Casillas will be under bombardment from the word go on Tuesday.

Celtic v FC Barcelona (Tue 19th Feb, 20:45)

Barcelona, meanwhile, face a tough test in Glasgow against home specialists Celtic.

The Bhoys are formidable opposition at their Parkhead base, as any European observer will know. Indeed, just like Madrid, Celtic hold an enviable 100% home record in the group stage.

The blaugrana do, too, with Celtic's fellow Glaswegians Rangers being among their scalps at Camp Nou. As such, they'll feel that they can dismiss the Celts in the second leg. However, they will also remember the goalless draw at Ibrox against the Bears, which will hardly be encouraging ahead of this game.

First, then, comes the trip to Celtic Park, a place to which Barcelona are no strangers. As recently as the 2004-05 campaign, the blaugrana left Glasgow with a win, but one need go back only another season to remember the Bhoys defeating Barcelona en route to their historic UEFA Cup final.

Much has changed since then, with Barcelona manging to lift the famous Champions League trophy in the interim. Frank Rijkaard, who is sai to be under pressure at Camp Nou, is eager to do so again, particularly in order to make up for a disappointing Liga campaign last season.

It seemed as if the stage was set for disappointment again this time as the blaugrana fell eight points off the pace in the Liga, but on Saturday evening, Barcelona's close-fought win at Zaragoza cut the deficit to five. Thus, unlike Madrid, Barcelona come into their CL game on the back of a win. Whether this serves to exhaust them, or spur them on to more success, remains to be seen.

Fenerbahçe v Sevilla (Wed, 20:45)

Finally, Sevilla travel to meet Istanbul outfit Fenerbahçe, who are the lowest-ranked side left in the competition.

However, their relatively modest standing in European football, and their associated coefficient, masks what could be a tough game for the Andalucians. The Yellow Canaries, after all, lost just once in the group stage, and that was away to Italian giants Inter.

Indeed, they managed a home victory over the nerazzurri, showing that the Turks' reputation for creating a fearsome atmosphere at the Şükrü Saracoğlu is far from unwarranted.

In just a few short seasons, though, Sevilla have styled themselves no longer as also-rans but as seasoned European campaigners, and with several intmidating arenas already left humbled by the Andalucians, coach Manolo Jimenez knows that his side neednot fear anyone.

Indeed, by topping a group containing Arsenal, Sevilla have already shown that they have what it takes to dine at Europe's top table, and not merely enjoy the fruits of the UEFA Cup.

Their Liga form has been mixed this season, with the tragic death of Antonio Puerta and eventual departure of coach Juande Ramos throwing things off-kilter, but the rojiblancos have recovered of late to claw into the UEFA Cup zone, and within touching distance of the Champions League spots.

Such domestic concerns will distract them a bit ahead of this clash, but it's worth noting that Sevilla fought successfully on three fronts last season. It's a big, tough squad in Andalucia - but one that may be broken up by wealthy suitors come the season's end. Whether this is a last hurrah or a gateway to better things for the club remains to be seen, but Fenerbahce must be overcome before any plans can be made.

FA Cup Preview: Manchester United - Arsenal

2008-02-16T01:11:00.000-08:00

Old Rivals In Match Of The Week

League leaders Arsenal travel to title rivals Manchester United for what is undoubtedly the tie of the Fifth Round. The two have become great rivals since Arsene Wenger's arrival in the country in 1996 and this clash has all the makings of a classic.

United and Arsenal are the two most successful club's in FA Cup history with a combined haul of 21 trophies from 35 finals. Ferguson has won five of them, Wenger four.

The winner of this tie will be among the favourites to add to those trophies because these are clearly the two best sides in the country this season.

Arsenal were tipped by many pundits to finish outside the top this term, but as Gunners fans say, 'Arsene knows'. Wenger has created a team on a shoestring budjet that have excelled beyond even his own great expectations for them.

Arsenal are playing with such energy and style that it is difficult to believe that the club actually made a net profit in the summer's transfer window. Goals are arriving from every part of the team with defensive midfielder Mathieu Flamini and centre back William Gallas scoring vital goals already this campaign.

The main man at the moment is Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor who has stepped out of Robin Van Persie's shadow to produce a stunning run of form where it seems everything his hits turns to goals. With excellent service provided to him by the subtle midfield promptings of Hleb and Fabregas, Adebayor will look to add to his winner at Old Trafford last season, when the Gunners were in a preiod of transition. A huge boost for Arsenal is the return of Kolo Toure at centre-back.

The powerful Ivorian has returned from the African Cup of Nations just in time as Wenger may be without three defenders that started Monday's win over Blackburn at the Emirates.

Returning Rooney Bolsters United

United will be boosted by the return to the team of both Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra, and both players are key to the way United play. Without the energetic duo last week, United appeared flat as they fell to defeat at home to local rivals Manchester City which sees the champions trail Arsenal in the league by five points. Louis Saha is also back after six weeks to provide options up front, something they sorely missed against City.

United will be desperate to put a marker down in the title race by knocking the Gunners out of the cup this weekend. United just never really got going in last week's derby, and looked unusually sloppy at the back where the usually dependable duo of Ferdinand and Vidic each had their worst game of the season so far.

It could be argued that they missed having a shield infront of them, and either Michael Carrick or Owen Hargreaves should return to the starting line up in an attampt to quell Arsenal's quick passign attacking midfield.

Alex Ferguson has laughed off the distance between these sides at the top, arguing with some credibility that Arsenal have the more difficult run in and far less experience. The fiery Scot will hope that his side can back up his argument by beating his old enemy Arsene Wenger's side, and continue in the hunt for a second treble, which Ferguson has mentioned at various points this campaign.

It is hard to recall when United last lost consecutive home games, but that is a fait which awaits them unless they produce a much improved performance against a rampant Arsenal. The sides drew 2-2 at the Emirates earlier in the campaign, and another stalemate can be expected again at Old Trafford on Saturday.

FORM GUIDE

Manchester United

10 Feb v Manchester City (H) LOST 1-2 (Prem)
02 Feb v Tottenham (A) DREW 1-1 (Prem)
30 Jan v Portsmouth (H) WON 2-0 (Prem)
27 Jan v Tottenham (H) WON 3-1 (FA Cup)
19 Jan v Reading (A) WON 2-0 (Prem)
12 Jan v Newcastle (H) WON 6-0 (Prem)

Arsenal

11 Feb v Blackburn (H) WON 2-0 (Prem)
02 Feb v Manchester City (A) WON 3-1 (Prem)
29 Jan v Newcastle (H) WON 3-0 (Prem)
26 Jan v Newcastle (H) WON 3-0 (FA Cup)
22 Jan v Tottenham (A) LOST 5-1 (League Cup)
19 Jan v Fulham (A) WON 3-0 (Prem)

FA CUP THIS SEASON

Manchester United

Round 3 v Aston Villa (A) WON 2-0
Round 4 v Tottenham (H) WON 3-1

Arsenal

Round 3 v Burnley (A) WON 2-0
Round 4 v Newcastle (H) WON 3-0

FA CUP HONOURS (bold ones won under current managers)

Manchester United
11 times winners (1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004)

Arsenal
10 times winners (1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005)

TEAM NEWS

Manchester United Long term casualties Michael Silvestre (knee, Gary Neville (calf) and Ben Foster (knee) are all missing, but the short term problems have all been solved.

As mentioned, Wayne Rooney, Loius Saha and Patrice Evra are all available again. Midfielders Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves as well as Evra and Rooney could return to the starting eleven after sitting out last weekends defeat to City.

Last Starting XI (v Manchester City): Van der Sar - Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea (Carrick 73) - Ronaldo, Scholes, Anderson (Hargreaves 73), Nani (Park 64) - Giggs - Tevez

Arsenal

Jens Lehmann should continue in goal as he has been chosen for all Arsenal's FA Cup ties this season even if first choice Manuel Almunia recovers from a virus in time. Lively midfielder Tomas Rosicky is expected to remain sidelined with a hamstring injury and Denilson (hamstring) and Abou Diaby join him in the stands.

Dutch forward Robin Van Persie (thigh) is still missing, although with Adebayor in such fine form Arsenal are not missing there star forward as much as they would have anticipated. Full-backs Gael Clichy (knee) and Bakary Sagna (personal reasons) could miss out and Johan Djourou (groin) and Philip Senderos (thigh) are also doubtful.

Last Starting XI (v Blackburn): Lehmann - Sagna, Gallas, Senderos, Clichy - Fabregas, Flamini, Gilberto, Hleb - Adebayor, Eduardo

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United - Wayne Rooney, although not the most technically gifted of United's attacking talent, has shown his importance to the team in his absences so far this season. His feisty presence was sorely missed in last weekend's derby defeat, and United never manage to play at as high tempo when Rooney is missing. His return will be a welcome boost and should allow a little more space for the skillfull Tevez and Ronaldo to exploit.

Arsenal - Emmanuel Adebayor is currently the hottest striker in the Premier League, and is enjoying a sensational run of goalscoring form that has seen the Togolese hitman find the net nine times in his last seven Premier League games, plus two in the last round against Newcastle. Adebayor on this form is unplayable and he will cause Ferdinand and Vidic all sorts of problems if they perform as sluggishly as they did last week.

PREDICTION

A game that could go either way between the two top sides in the country. Surely United will have to show an improvement on their lacklustre derdy day defeat last week, but in present form it is hard to back against Arsenal. A score draw and an unwanted replay may be the outcome of this mouthwatering cup tie for old enemies Ferguson and Wenger.

Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)

Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal

Keown - I Still Don't Like Manutd

2008-02-16T01:05:00.000-08:00

Martin Keown has admitted that he still doesn't feel quite comfortable around Manchester United supporters because of his strong association with Arsenal football club.

Speaking ahead of the hotly anticipated FA Cup clash this afternoon, the former Gunners defender recalled his infamous 'crane' attack on Ruud van Nistelrooy during a particularly bad-blooded affair in 2003, which effectively made him public enemy number one at Old Trafford.

Despite the unsavoury nature of the incident -when Keown mocked van Nistelrooy to the point of near assault after the United striker missed a late penalty- the ex-centre-back insists that he doesn't regret anything, while acknowledging at the same time that he had crossed the line.

"You react as you see fit every day of your life," he reasoned, "and it's the same on the football field.

"We'd contained the game until [Patrick] Vieira was sent off with about 10 minutes to go, and then it was like the Alamo.

"We felt that Van Nistelrooy played a huge part in that sending-off, and we felt cheated. We felt further cheated because we didn't think it was a penalty.

"So, yes, my behaviour was not acceptable from an Arsenal point of view, but you can't take that back.

"I rang my wife after the game, and she's usually very supportive, but she said 'I think you've gone and done it now'. It was the first time she'd ever said anything like that.

"After that I tried to stay in hiding, to be honest. There was a lot of media attention I didn't want, but thankfully it didn't detract from the focus of the team," he added.

"We didn't get beaten for the rest of that season and we won the League. The manager was very, very supportive towards me, as were all the players, and I think I rewarded them for that support, even though I picked up an injury and played only a handful of games."

Keown went on to admit that there was animosity between him and the Dutch striker even before the penalty incident, but also extended what could be interpreted as an olive branch.

"Yeah, I'd paid a few fines to the FA on behalf of Mr Van Nistelrooy," he said.

"I remember once he stamped all over me, and I pushed him away. That cost me £10,000. He suggested I'd punched him in the face. Unfortunately, the camera didn't show him standing on my foot as I was pushing him away.

"Listen, we played Man United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup not that long afterwards, and I sought him out to shake his hand.

"Everyone who knows me off the pitch, knows I used to turn into something quite different on the pitch. I was able to separate the two and wanted everyone else to do the same.

"Obviously, Van Nistelrooy is an outstanding player. He's still doing well at Real Madrid, and he's someone who plays the rules to the limit. At the time I didn't quite see it that way."

Finally, the legendary Gunners defender confessed that he still feels less than fully at ease when amongst the old enemy.

"I don't feel particularly comfortable among United fans even now. Most of them are fine, but there have been a few ... situations. I don't think I'd go to Old Trafford to watch a game."

Fifa Rejects Premier League Plans

2008-02-15T00:14:00.000-08:00

The president of football's world governing body Fifa has told the BBC that plans by the Premier League to host games abroad will never happen.
Sepp Blatter also warned that the proposal could harm England's attempt to host the 2018 World Cup.

"This does not take into consideration the fans of the clubs and it gives the impression that they just want to go on tour to make some money," Blatter said.

"This will never happen, at least as long as I am the president of Fifa."

Blatter's comments, in an interview with BBC sports editor Mihir Bose, are the strongest from the governing body since the Premier League's plans were revealed last week.

Top-flight clubs will consider plans to extend the season to 39 games with the extra matches taking place overseas.

But the idea has met with resistance in Asia, Europe and fans in England.

Blatter's stance effectively leave the proposals, for a round of games to take place in five different host cities from January 2011, dead in the water.

"The Premier League is richer than the others, they have more responsibility and what they are trying to do is contrary to this responsibility," he said.

"This is something I cannot understand and definitely the Fifa executive committee will not sanction such an initiative."

A Premier League spokesman said the clubs would "look forward to the opportunity to meet with Fifa in order to discuss this matter in full".

"This was always the starting point in relation to the issue of sanction for the proposed international round, and as such we will be making no comment until after that time," the spokesman added.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore had previously expressed his belief that Fifa could not stop the plan if the clubs receive the go-ahead from England's Football Association.

But Blatter rejected that claim.

"It is not true," he added. "Even if the FA did sanction it, all the national associations receiving these clubs would have to sanction it also. This will be very difficult.

"In addition to that, the Fifa executive committee will apply article two of the Fifa statutes: 'to prevent all methods or practices which might jeopardise the integrity of matches or competitions or give rise to abuse of association football'.

"This is abuse. The rich Premier League is trying to get richer and wants to expand the importance of that league."

There were early signs of Fifa disquiet when it was revealed the governing body had told the Premier League it could not consider the plans until the Football Association had contacted them.

It is understood the FA has held talks with Fifa and is ready to issue a statement distancing themselves from the proposals.

Blatter warned it could affect the FA's bid for the 2018 World Cup.

"When it comes to a decision of the executive committee concerning this matter of the 39th round, and I am sure they will be against it, then it will not have a positive impact on the bid from England for the World Cup in 2018," he added.

Scudamore's plans received a mixed reaction around the world, with the heads of the Asian Football Confederation and Football Federation Australia, which could host any proposed games, rejecting the idea.

The United Arab Emirates Football Association said it would welcome the plan but Uefa boss Michel Platini called it a "nonsense idea".

The proposals were also widely criticised by fans in England and Blatter said he understood their reaction.

"I support the fans 100%," he said. "If I was a fan in England I would say: 'no, please play at home and don't go and exercise your talents abroad'.

"If the plan includes official league matches then, as a fan, I would protest against this."

Fifa will examine the Premier League's proposals at its executive committee meeting on 14 March.

Ronaldo To End Career ????

2008-02-14T06:22:00.000-08:00

AC Milan striker Ronaldo is fearful he may have to retire after rupturing a tendon in his left knee, claims club owner Silvio Berlusconi.
The 31-year-old Brazilian was carried off in tears after suffering the injury against Livorno on Wednesday and is now set for an operation in France.

"He fears for his career," Berlusconi told Italy's RAI TV.

"I called him last evening and told him to believe in himself. He has enormous physical potential."

Ronaldo is expected to see Gerard Saillant, the same surgeon who treated him for a similar injury to his right knee in 2000.

"As a 31-year-old, he's very young," added Berlusconi of the Brazilian.

"He has an extraordinary physique, and I think within a few months he could return to being the champion that we all know him as."

The striker faces up to nine months on the sidelines after rupturing a tendon in his left knee.

"I don't want to say it's the end of his career because only time can decide - all we can do is stand by him," said Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Milan face Premier League leaders Arsenal in the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie on Wednesday 21 February.

Ronaldo, who is out of contract at the end of the season, suffered the same injury in his right knee in November 1999.

He lasted seven minutes on his comeback in April 2000 before taking another 20 months to make a full recovery.

Ancelotti said the whole club was worried about the Brazilian, who was named Fifa world player of the year three times and is the record scorer in World Cup finals.

"We're all very sorry and worried about what happened to Ronaldo," Ancelotti added.

"Our players all left the stadium in a hurry to go to the hospital to check on his condition, I think that's the right way to stand by a player who's suffering."

Ronaldo fell awkwardly while challenging for a ball in the air with Jose Vidigal, shortly after replacing Alberto Gilardino in the second half.

"I heard a horrible sound, like a bang, it was a strange sound," said Livorno goalkeeper Marco Amelia, who was close by when Ronaldo fell to the ground.

Anglo/Italian Debate: “Ronaldo Best In World” - Is The English Media Naïve?

2008-02-13T07:06:00.000-08:00

As a person who was born and educated in England, but has Italian parents and was largely brought up the ‘Italian way’, I am perhaps well placed to understand the difference between the English and Italian/continental way of thinking, not only in football, but in culture as a whole.

Now I don’t want to sit here and preach that Italian is better as every country and culture is different. I just want to demonstrate, in reference to the Cristiano Ronaldo issue, the general lack of understanding of European football in the English media (and by this I don’t mean Goal.com which is an international website!).

I was first bugged by this issue in about 1996/97. I was not even a teenager at the time but I was already stubborn enough to form my own opinions about football, and have scant regard for what much of the media said.

Alan Shearer was proclaimed in the press as the undisputed best forward in the world. This really irritated me. “Shearer couldn’t possibly be better that Ronaldo, Roberto Baggio, George Weah, Davor Suker, Gabriel Batistuta e.t.c,” I thought to myself.

Slowly but surely I formed an opinion that the English media really had a very poor, somewhat non-existent, understanding of the European or world game. If they did not then they would have known that the pragmatic Shearer didn’t deserve to be named in the same breath as these attackers.

As the years passed my view was slowly reinforced. England took an early 2-0 lead in their first group game at Euro 2000 over Portugal, and the commentators on television were already proclaiming them as champions of Europe. Portugal came back to win 3-2 and England were eliminated in the group stages after conceding another three goals to Romania.

Then of course you had the so-called ‘golden generation’ of English talent that went to Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006. The English media boasted repeatedly that they had the best team in the world in their possession and that they would bring home the trophy.

After all they had the best left-back in the world Ashley Cole, the best centre-backs John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, the best centre midfielders in Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, and the best support striker in Wayne Rooney.

Following a simply disastrous tournament when England displayed all of their innate technical deficiencies, manager Sven-Goran Eriksson was slated for throwing away this golden generation of talent. It was all his fault.

Of course this was absolutely ridiculous. Steve McClaren’s subsequent stint as manager, coupled with Eriksson’s work at Manchester City, has proven that the Swede actually did an excellent job, and in reaching three quarter-finals he actually punched above England’s weight. In truth this has probably been accepted now by most people, although many of the lessons, as we will soon see, have still not been learned.

My point though is that the English media makes ridiculous statements, such as “Alan Shearer is the best striker in the world”, and that “England are going to win the World Cup”, and unfortunately the majority of the nation, as is the power of the press and broadcast, are brainwashed into believing it. You are what you are taught after all.

The most recent of these preposterous declarations is that Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world.

Once again, referring back to first Shearer and then the World Cup, this belief is only present due to a complete lack of understanding of the European game.

Ronaldo may have smashed in 27 goals this season, however as Gil Gillespie correctly pointed out in his Who Is Better – Kaka Or Ronaldo article, how can a player who has almost always flopped whenever he has come up against a top team/defence/defender, or in a big match, possibly be regarded as the best player in the world.

It is ignorance such as this that is so frustrating.

Only on Sunday I was watching a programme called ‘Sunday Supplement’ on Sky Sports. For those of you who don’t know, this is a weekly show that includes the chief football writers from all of the top newspapers in England; The Guardian, The Times, The Daily Mail e.t.c.

These are the so-called experts of English footballing journalism, the people that the country ‘should’ look up to for their knowledge and understanding of the game.

One of the chief writers, whose name I will not disclose, incredibly claimed that Ashley Cole was the best left back in the world. The rest of the panel did not disagree.

My first reaction was shock, my second reaction was to switch off the television, then my third reaction was “actually I want to hear some more gems such as these.”

I immediately had flashbacks to 1997 and Alan Shearer. I mean Ashley Cole is so clearly better than the likes of Gianluca Zambrotta, Philipp Lahm, Maxwell, Eric Abidal and so on. For me personally, Ashley Cole is not even the best left-back at his own club, let alone the world.

Until the English media begins to grasp a better understanding of the European and World game I fear that the same age-old football problems that have plagued this country in recent years will always be present.

The top journalists may have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the domestic game, but their grasp of continental football (unlike the journalists in Italy and other European countries) is frankly embarrassing.

What are your views on this topic? Is the English Media naïve? Do they lack an understanding of the European game? Are the English people in general being brainwashed by statements such as “Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world”? I will like to know what YOU Think

Del Piero Delighted,Palladino Going To Arsenal?

2008-02-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

Alessandro Del Piero was delighted with Juventus’ comeback win against Udinese yesterday afternoon, but Raffaele Palladino is not so happy and could be on his way to Arsenal in the summer.

Things were not looking good for the Old Lady as they trailed 1-0 at the Stadio Friuli after a first half completely dominated by the home side.

Juve were much improved though after the break and goals from Mauro Camoranesi and Vincenzo Iaquinta earned them a crucial 2-1 victory.

“We got a very important win against an excellent Udinese side who showed why they are having such a good campaign by taking a first-half lead,” Del Piero stated on his personal website.

“But in the second period we reacted in a way that enabled us to take control of the game.

“We chased down every ball and put pressure on them with a more aggressive approach. In the end we got two very good goals that allowed us to take all three points.

Del Piero’s team-mate Raffaele Palladino is not so happy as he was granted just 20 minutes as a substitute.

The Neapolitan would have been expecting to start the match after a superb performance for Italy in the midweek friendly win over Portugal.

Palladino has been complaining about his lack of action and for having to play out of position, and even hinted of a summer exit.
This possibility is growing as reports are strengthening that Arsenal are set to launch a summer bid for the star.

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is a huge admirer of the 23-year-old and has attempted unsuccessfully to sign him in the past.

Carrick: ‘Title Race Is Not Over’

2008-02-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick admitted he was disappointed by today's derby defeat at Old Trafford but insists it hasn't dented the club's title ambitions.

It was Carrick who struck what turned out to be a consolation goal in injury time as United slipped to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of local rivals Man City.

“Scoring doesn't really mean much because we lost, we’re all desperately disappointed,” he told MUTV. "We never got going and didn’t create the chances we normally do. That’s not like us.

City took the lead midway through the first half through former England international Darius Vassell and doubled their lead just before the interval when new signing Benjani glanced in a cross from the excellent Martin Petrov.

“Once City got the two goals it was hard to come back from it,” added Carrick.

“One goal down, you always believe you’ve got a chance of coming back, but two is difficult. We needed to score right after half time to give us momentum, but when we did score it was too little, too late.”

Arsenal could now move five points clear at the top of the league if they beat Blackburn at the Emirates Stadium on Monday but Carrick refuses to be despondent.

“I don’t think Arsenal will go the rest of the season without dropping points," the former Spurs midfielder continued. "There are still going to be ups and downs in the title race, and hopefully there will be more ups for us and we can overtake them.”

Lastly, he admitted that it was a shame that the game didn't go United's way on such an historic day for the club.

"It was good to see that the minute’s silence was well observed. But in terms of the game we’re not going home happy.”

Egypt Are CAN 2008 Winners

2008-02-10T11:33:00.000-08:00

Cameroon 0 - 1 Egypt

Egypt deserved their win in Accra, but Cameroon - who had held out well for the most part - eventually only fell victim to a simply suicidal goal...

Egypt are the 2008 champions of Africa after defending their 2006 title and lifting the hallowed trophy for a record sixth time.

After over 75 goalless minutes, Egypt finally managed the strike that they deserved on the balance of play, but one that came in such strange circumstances.

It was dreadfully ironic - not least for Rigobert Song - that in a tournament so laden with brilliant strikes and wonder-goals, that the most decisive clash of all would be settled not by attacking genius, but by opportunism and an absolute howler from Cameroon stopper Song.

To start with, though, things were slightly more even.

Within two minutes, Cameroon had pressed forward twice, with Eto'o blasting a header over the bar from close range after Geremi's fine cross, with the referee seeing no deflection off an Egyptian defender.

Egypt tried to hit on the break soon afterwards, but all too often their first touch let them down in the final third.

Mbia conceded a free kick six minutes in after a foul on Abou Trika just outside the box, and it looked as if Espanyol 'keeper Carlos Kameni was about to face his first test. This he did, but the stopper held Hosny's effort well.

Kameni had to be on guard again to keep Moawad's admittedly weak effort out seconds later. and Abou Trika had another effort palmed wide 12 minutes in.

Alex Song had to limp off with an injury on the quarter-hour, with Binga coming on, necessitating a reshuffle in the midfield.

It was an afternoon of long-range efforts, with Geremi clipping a free-kick goalwards from 25 yards, only for El Hadary to save, albeit without confidence.

Then, on the break, poor defending and some fine teamwork saw Motab go one-on-one, only for Kameni to save. Abou Trika then inexplicably blasted the rebound over the bar.

Egypt's play had been nervy all over the pitch, but as the 20 minute mark came and went, they began to rediscover their structured approach to the game, and thus appeared more secure both with and without the ball. Chatto had to be at his best on more than one occasion to halt these attacks with a last-ditch challenge.

Cameroon, meanwhile, couldn't find the final ball, with Emana of particular culpability when he fluffed a great chance to play Eto'o through on goal on the break.

After a spell of midfield play, Eto'o eventually did receive a through ball, albeit one that he had to take around Shady Mohamed. From his acute angle out on the left, he could only drill a shot wide of the far post.

Then came the best chance of the game so far. A tremendous ball over the top found Motab one-on-one with Kameni, only for the forward to hit the ball straight at the 'keeper. The rebound came the striker's way, too, but a timely intervention saw the chance disappear.

As the half wore on, it became increasingly cagey, with Egypt's long-range efforts now either flying over the bar or straight into Kameni's hands. As such, it was no surprise when the half ended 0-0, with the most notable moments being injuries, necessitating plenty of stoppage time in the heat of the afternoon.

After the break, Amr Zaki came close down the left, only for his narrow-angled effort to be parried and then cleared by Cameroon. The break displayed the Indomitable Lions' woes, as even though they managed to get the ball forward, Eto'o was without support, and was fortunate to even get a corner.

Egypt then enjoyed their own spell of corners at the other end, and one of these eventually culminated in a superb long-range shot that left Kameni, unsighted, scrambling to save.

The Pharoahs were beginning to dominate the midfield play, although a lack of a final ball was still letting them down, most of all when Motab should have found the unmarked Abou Trika in the box, but blasted his cross far too hard.

Motab then came off for Zidan, with the Egyptians intent on changing the game - and they so nearly did.

Hosny very, very nearly managed to break the deadlock with a powerful header - admittedly born of poor defending - but with Kameni nowhere, his far-post effort smacked off the post.

M'Bami came on for Epalle, joining Idrissou (on for Emana) to become the Lions' third sub, and Cameroon had to use what they had.

But the pace of the game was starting to decline, with only speculative crosses to Idrissou really rousing the crowd. Admittedly, one was a fine ball in from M'Bami, but the Duisburg man could only sky his header.

Then, incredibly, Cameroon threw it all away.

More accurately, Rigobert Song did. The defender, the former champion, the father, the emblematic captain, threw it all away.

Inexplicably, he dallied on the ball under pressure from Zidan, failing to snuff out an Egyptian counter. The Hamburg man, winning the ball with a tremendous show of strength, managed to play the ball across the edge of the box for the onrushing Abou Trika, who gratefully side-footed home into an empty net. Egypt deserved their win on the balance of play, but what a way to get it!

Cameroon had to think fast, but their cross on the break soon after conceding was easily gathered by the rock-steady Al Hadari.

They could feel hard-done-by a few seconds later as, right on the edge of the box, Eto'o and Shady both went up for the ball, with the Barcelona striker's overhead kick seeing the ball hit Shady's hand. The referee promptly gave a free-kick against Cameroon, presumably for high feet. Regardless of what it was for, the Lions' players and coach alike were disgusted.

Cameroon then managed to split the defence with some good passing play down the right, with M'Bia being able to get the shot on, only for El-Hadari to push it to safety.

Egypt had begun to show a bit of nerves, sitting back on the edge of the area, as Cameroon enjoyed their only truly creative spell in the game. However, even with corners they were unable to test the 'keeper overmuch, and Egypt set themselves up for the counter.

Here, they were caught offside as stoppage time began, betraying the level to which Cameroon had pushed forward. Yet again, though, there was no end product.

Egypt deserved their win. After a somewhat rushed and tetchy start, they regained the shape that has made them so tough to beat - and sometimes so impressive on the attack - throughout this tournament.

M'bia did well to hold up the ball in the box and try a snapshot with 90 seconds to go, but he could only sky his effort wide as the exhausted Cameroonians threw the dice.

Rigobert Song had the chance to become a hero just seconds from the end, but the captain - inevitably - could only head over the bar. The game was over.

Cameroon, meanwhile, were second-best for most of the game, but arguably didn't deserve to lose like this. When "real" chances came their way, they dealt with them. But if one gives away gilt-edged chances against champions, one cannot be surprised when they take them.

Player Ratings: Manchester United - Manchester City

2008-02-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

Party poopers Manchester City claimed all three points and a rare double over neighbours United in an emotionally charged derby. Nigel Smith offers his player-ratings from the game.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Van Der Sar - 6: Had no chance with either of City’s goals and will feel let down by the ragged performance of the defenders in front.

Brown - 5.5: Offered little going forward. Had his hands full coping with the dangerous Petrov.

Ferdinand 5.5: Surprisingly off-colour display from the normally authoratative centre half. Nearly gifted City a third goal when needlessly giving away possession in the second half.

Vidic - 5: Made one or two heroic interventions but his current dip in form mirrors that of the whole team. Played the last 10 minutes as a centre forward and was hardly more impressive.

O'Shea - 5.5: Disappointing performance from the Irishman. Lacked the pace and imagination to support United’s attacking thrusts and looked vulnerable whenever City attacked down the flank.

Giggs - 5: Poor and peripheral performance from the winger. Seldom found himself in synch with the rhythm of the match and contributed little to the few United attacks. Substitution would have been merciful.

Anderson - 7: The pick of United’s players. The young Brazilian was inexplicably substituted when he alone demonstrated the drive and urgency that the occasion warranted.

Scholes - 5.5: Another below-par performance from the usually reliable midfield general. Sat too deep for much of the game and all too often his passes were horizontal. When he did move further forward, Scholes contributed to United’s goal. Lucky to be starting on current form.

Nani - 5: Another United forward player to be missing in action for most of the game. Failed to make any worthwhile impression in a game he will want to forget.

Ronaldo - 5.5: Looks to be running on empty. The manager complained that he the winger had been overused on midweek international duty and it showed. Heavy-legged, the Portuguese star couldn’t get past the City defenders nor offer his usual spark and invention.

Tevez - 6.5: Showed the usual willing and energy. An acrobatic first half shot was well saved. Thereafter, the Argentine was marshalled effectively by City’s defenders.

Substitutes:

Ji Sung Park - 5.5: Had little impact on the game.

Hargreaves - 5.5: Couldn’t improve on United’s disappointing midfield performance.

Carrick - 6: A good goal, but too little too late. Finally, a United midfielder on the score sheet other than Ronaldo.

MANCHESTER CITY

Hart - 7: Excellent save from Tevez in first half. Relatively untroubled by United’s toothless attack.

Ball - 6.5: Kept Nani quiet and contributed to a disciplined defensive performance.

Dunne - 8: Towering performance in defence. When City needed a last man his name was Dunne

Richards - 7: Athletic, spirited but occasionally clumsy performance from the England man who might have conceded a penalty in the first half.

Onuoha - 6.5: Understated display. Didn’t push forward as much as City might have liked but was not found wanting when United attacked.

Fernandes - 6: Showed some neat touches and used the ball with intelligence before fading in the second half.

Hamann - 7: Used all the means leagally available, and a few more, to keep Manchester United in check. Howard Webb was perhaps a touch lenient with him, and he made the most of that to stamp his authority.

Ireland - 7: Effective midfield display. Got forward well and was instrumental in City’s first goal.

Petrov - 8.5: Tormented United in an excellent first half performance. The Bulgarian was at the heart of City’s dominance and was the creator of both goals.

Benjani - 6.5: Will enjoy the tape of his first derby performance. Showed willing as the lone raider and was rewarded with his goal.

Vassell - 7: Played his part in a famous victory. Worked hard for the team, and took his goal well.

Substitutes:

Caicedo 5: No impact on the proceedings.

Sun Jihai 5: Didn’t touch the ball in the eight minutes he was on the field.

La Liga Round-Up: Atleti Back On Track, Espanyol Shocked, Zaragoza Fall

2008-02-10T10:32:00.001-08:00

Saturday 9 February 2008 (all times local)
20:00 Real Murcia 0 - 1 Villarreal
20:00 Deportivo 1 - 1 Getafe
22:00 Sevilla 1 - 1 Barcelona
Sunday 10 February
17:00 Osasuna 1 - 0 Zaragoza
17:00 Athletic 1 - 0 Levante
17:00 Racing 0 - 2 Atletico Madrid
17:00 Mallorca 0 - 0 Almeria
17:00 Espanyol 1 - 2 Recreativo
19:00 Real Madrid L - L Valladolid
21:00 Valencia L - L Betis

Deportivo La Coruna 1 - 1 Getafe

Getafe finally grabbed a point at what has hitherto been a barren arena for them, thanks to Ikechukwu Uche's post-African Cup of Nations comeback.

Depor had the best of the first half, and even without Andres Guardado were apt to use the flanks well.

Thus it was no surprise when they took the lead just before the interval, with Felipe's cross from the right flank meeting Pablo Amo, whose header deflected off Geta defender Mario into his own net.

After the break, Getafe appeared far more aggressive, pouring pressure on Fabri's goal. Eventually it paid off, with substitute Ikechukwu Uche, only just back from Africa Cup of Nations duty with Nigeria, slamming home 20 minutes from time.

He was to have more chances, but an unwillingness to pass found him all too easily crowded out, and Depor thus held onto a merited point.

CA Osasuna 1 - 0 Real Zaragoza

Osasuna edged out Zaragoza to end the blanquillos' recent renaissance, and help the Pamplonans towards safety.

The two sides started in cagey fashion, but as the half wore on, there were chances for each of them.

Osasuna, fielding an attack-minded lineup, had the best of them, but Ricardo had to be alert for the threat of Oliveira at the other end.

Right on half time, the rojillos got a merited goal through Jaroslav Plasil, who controlled a high ball beautifully before clipping the ball past Cesar.

The second half kicked off in scrappy fashion, and it took quite a while for the first real chance to come. Zaragoza, despite making two attacking changes, didn't have much of a look-in.

Indeed, the best opportunity fell to Delporte six minutes from time, but the Frenchman's effort rattled the post. Still, his side had done enough, and 1-0 it ended.

Athletic Club Bilbao 1 - 0 Levante UD

Levante remain in deep trouble as Athletic managed a relatively routine win at San Mames.

The Lions had the best of the first half, with Llorente and Yeste particularly active.

Long-range efforts and set-pieces gave both sides their best chances, with most of them taking place at Kujovic's goal.

Such pressure eventually resulted in a goal, albeit in strange circumstances. Kujovic fluffed a clearance, allowing Aduriz to seize the ball and play it across the goal for Llorente, who eagerly hit home.

Levante had to resort to long balls, but Athletic looked relatively comfortable throughout, and were able to hold onto their lead.

Real Racing Club 0 - 2 Club Atlético de Madrid

Atleti's mini-crisis drew to a close as Racing surrendered their fine home record to a Diego Forlan double.

Racing started off brightly, with Abbiati needing to come off his line on more than one occasion to deal with surging crosses.

Ivan Bolado shot just over 20 minutes in as Racing continued to impress, but neither he nor his teammates could find the finish.

Eventually, Atletico began to control the mdifield, and even got forward to give Forlan a couple of good occasions, but the hour mark came and went without a goal to speak of.

But their pressure paid off when Forlan grabbed a much-needed, confidence-boosting goal just before the hour mark after a poor clearance from Racing.

It could have been 2-0 immediately after, but for Coltorti's fine save from Simao's close-range effort, and he had to be alert again to stop Aguero immediately afterwards.

It was clear as to which way the tide was turning, and Forlan duly managed a second fifteen minutes from time with a powerful effort from mid-range, and the game was over as a contest.

RCD Mallorca 0 - 0 UD Almería

Neither side could quite find their cutting edge in this goalless stalemate.

In an active start to the game, Ramis came close at one end before Corona shot just wide at the other.

Almeria were clearly high on confidence after their exploits last week, but overall the game was largely based in the midfield, the hosts being equally eager to impress.

Crusat and Corona both had half-chances before the break, but Trejo was threatening at the other end as the period of balance continued into the second half.

Any time there was a threat in front of goal, the respective 'keepers were able to deal with it, although Diego Alves' save six minutes from time was of particular brilliance after fine work from Arango and Guiza.

It seemed destined to end 0-0, and thus it stayed.

RCD Espanyol 1 - 2 Recreativo de Huelva

The "new manager effect" struck yet again as Manolo Zambrano's charges raced to victory at Montjuic.

Recre started well, and duly managed the lead 17 minutes in when Florent Sinama-Pongolle smashed mercilessly past Casilla.

Just eight minutes later, the Frenchman made it two after some superb forward movement from left-back Poli, who found Sinama-Pongolle at the far post for an easy finish.

Debutant Ewerthon managed to bundle the ball home after a Luis Garcia corner just before the break, but Recre finished the half brightly.

After the break, though, Sorrentino had to pull off a fine save from Riera and then Luis Garcia missed a great chance as Espanyol tried to fight back.

The perequitos did manage to dominate possession, but Recre were arguably just as dangerous on the break, meaning that they left quite worthy winners.

Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool

2008-02-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool
The two sides known to churn out tactical low-scoring affairs whenever they meet, disappointed yet again, producing a rather uninspired draw at Stamford Bridge.

The result really helps neither side, as Chelsea blow away a chance to close in on second placed Manchester United, while Liverpool now find themselves further adrift of a Champions League place.

Rafa's Reds were the better team, and saw more of the ball than the hosts, but chances were hard to come by for either side - and they hardly flattered themselves by giving the ball away easily in what was largely a midfield scrap.

Peter Crouch had Liverpool's best chance of the game when he was picked out by a cross from the right in the first half, but headed straight at Petr Cech despite being under no pressure.

Michael Ballack almost snatched a 75th minute winner for Chelsea when a smart lob from John Obi Mikel - back from Ghana - found him in the box, but he opened his body a little too much and volleyed inches wide at the far post.

Lucas Leiva had an 81st minute chance, but Juliano Belletti just about did enough to force his header wide from just seven yards out. Dirk Kuyt and Claudio Pizarro also had late attempts, but the game was destined to end goalless.

In the end, both sides were forced to settle for a point, with the scoreline a very fair reflection of a game that failed to live up to its billing.

Chelsea are five adrift of Arsenal, but could be eight off the pace if Arsenal win tomorrow. Meanwhile, Liverpool are fifth, three points off local rivals Everton, but with a game in hand.

CAN 2008 UPDATE : Ghana VS Ivory Coast

2008-02-09T11:32:00.000-08:00

Hosts Ghana came from behind to claim a consolation third-place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations after beating Ivory Coast in a six-goal thriller.

Sulley Muntari's swerving 25-yard free-kick gave Ghana the lead on 10 minutes before Ivorian Boubacar Sanogo hit back with a quick-fire brace.

Quincy Owusu-Abeyie 's equalised after half-time with a solo effort before Junior Agogo struck on 80 minutes.

Ghana's Hamanu Draman then sealed the win with a 25-yard shot on 85 minutes.

It is the best continental campaign for Ghana since they finished as runners-up at the 1992 Nations Cup held in Senegal.

Though the game was a non-event for many, the local crowd in Kumasi turned out in numbers to see their beloved Ghana play, in what many had hoped would be the two teams contesting the final.

And they witnessed a goalscoring feast as two of the pre-tournament favourites scrapped for the consolation prize.

Another superb goal was added to the list of crackers from this year's Nations Cup after only 10 minutes.

Muntari let rip with a 25-yard free-kick that swerved round the defensive wall and into the top corner, past a helpless Tiasse Kone.

The Elephants, driven on by captain Didier Drogba, were not to be outdone though, and they were soon back in the game when Kader Keita showed great vision to play a through ball to Sanogo.

The Werder Bremen-man strode into the Black Stars' box to place his shot past Kingson from 15 yards to equalise for the Elephants.

Sanogo's effort was the 94th goal of the 2008 tournament and made the Ghana event the highest scoring in Africa Cup of Nations' history.

The game was now dominated by the men in orange and a great double save was needed from Kingson to deny Salomon Kalou, who shot from the edge of the area, and then Drogba who pounced on the rebound with 30 minutes gone.

Drogba forced another save from Kingson again seconds later, but this time there was no stopping the rebound as Sanogo stretched to direct the ball in and claim his second.

The game was wonderfully open and Sanogo was only denied his hat-trick by the Ghanaian crossbar which he rattled on 38 minutes.

Ghana started the second half keen to get back on level terms, with Draman proving a thorn in the Ivorian's side on the right flank.

But the game's pace dropped markedly from the first half with a paucity of goal-scoring opportunities.

Then with 20 minutes left to play Owusu-Abeyie picked up the ball in the centre of the pitch and sprinted past two Ivorian defenders into the area to slot home and make it 2-2.

With penalties looming, the Kumasi Stadium was alive with cheers again and bizarrely suffered an invasion of insects that choked Michael Essien amongst others.

Agogo then bagged his third of the tournament when he was played through with a clever pass from Essien to complete the simplest of finishes from 10 yards.

Draman then put the icing on the cake when he cut in from the flank and shot from twenty yards out, only for his shot to take a wicked bounce off the turf to beat the diving Kone.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ghana: Kingson, Sarpei, Pantsil, Mensah, Addo (Barusso 90), Annan, Essien, Muntari, Draman (Afful 89), Agogo, Baffour (Quincy 20).
Subs Not Used: Adjei, Gyan, Kingston, Asamoah, Ayew, Kumordzi, Dauda, Asare, Alhassan.

Goals: Muntari 10, Quincy 70, Agogo 80, Draman 85.

Ivory Coast: Tiassa Kone, Boka, Zoro, Fae (Dindane 83), Romaric, Tiene, Zokora, Sanogo, Kalou (Gervinho 73), Drogba, Keita (Toure Yaya 64).
Subs Not Used: Barry, Toure, Gohouri, Arouna Kone, Meite, Bakari Kone, Loboue, Djakpa, Eboue.

Goals: Sanogo 24, 32.

Ref: Jerome Damon (South Africa).

Honours Even After Four Goal Thriller In Bergamo

2008-02-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

It was a highly entertaining game in Bergamo as both sides share the points. Atalanta did well to come back after falling behind twice.

First Half

Fiorentina have been fantastic away from home this season amassing 19 points in ten matches on the road. They started this game with the intentions of continuing their good form as well as stay on course for the Champions League.

The Viola began brightly and they were applying the pressure early on. A nice break from Donadel allowed Ujfalusi to run down the wing and the Czech defender crossed in a delightful ball into the box. Pazzini got their ahead of Rivalta but the Azzurri striker’s header just cleared the bar.

The home side took their time to get into the game as Fiorentina enjoyed plenty of possession. The Nerazzurri looked to be on the back foot and they hardly showed themselves coming forward. Prandelli’s men always looked dangerous on and off the ball and they seemed more likely to score as the first period ticked on.

Atalanta were guilty of giving the ball away on several occasions, Manfredini and Langella looked uncomfortable on the ball and their careless play almost allowed the Viola to punish them. The home side nearly took the lead though against the run of play. Floccari twisted and turned and played in Muslimovic who took a gamble and ran through to beat the offside trap. However the striker fired his effort across goal much to the relief of Frey.

The home side’s chances were few and far between as the Viola stamped their authority on the game. Although they were excellent at coming forward, Fiorentina were not able to find the deadly finishing which would give them a lead. Atalanta seemed happy just to sit back and play on the break but they were also poor in the final third.

Pazzini was the danger man and he gave his side a well deserved lead, Montolivo played a good ball into the striker’s feet and he turned and got his shot under way and it beat Coppola who could only watch the ball cross the line. However the Viola’s lead only lasted a minute as Atalanta got themselves back in the game through Muslimovic who tapped in from close range after latching on to a corner. The Viola seemed to have fallen asleep at the set piece.

The Nerazzurri’s goal seemed to have given them some much needed confidence as the home side came alive after their equaliser. Both sides created plenty of half chances towards the end of the half but the scores stayed level as they went into the break.

Second Half

Fiorentina started where they left off and came out more determined and eager to score. The Viola were excellent at keeping the ball and created some good chances. The best fell to Pazzini but instead of scoring he blasted his effort over the bar. The striker should have scored as the ball fell kindly to him but he scuffed it.

Fiorentina restored their advantage on the hour mark through Semioli. A brilliant three man move involving Pazzini, Ujfalusi and Semioli carved open the Atalanta defence and the striker was able to finish off the cross with a guided header into Coppola’s far post. It was a well deserved goal by the Viola who were dominating the game.

The home side seemed flat and out of ideas and conceding another goal did not help their cause. The Nerazzurri were poor coming forward and the Viola defence looked comfortable at dealing with any threat.

Atalanta tried desperately hard to get back into the fray but bombing forward left them open to counter attacks and the Viola were quite happy to absorb the pressure as the half wore on.

In one final twist Atalanta’s efforts paid off in injury time. It was a remarkable come back by the Nerazzurri. Muslimovic pounced to finish off a fine move. The striker was the fox in the box as he scored a similar goal to his first. It was an easy tap in for the forward as his side fought their way back to take a well deserved point.

Teams

Atalanta(4-4-2): Coppola, Rivalta, Pellegrino, Capelli, Manfredini(Belleri 25), Pinto, De Ascentis, Tissone, Langella(Inzaghi 65), Floccari(Paolucci 75), Muslimovic.

Subs: Ivan, Fissore, Belleri, Radovanovic, Padoin, Inzaghi, Paolucci.

Fiorentina(4-3-3): Frey, Ujfalusi, Dainelli, Gamberini, Pasqual, Kuzmanovic(Jorgensen66), Donadel, Montolivo, Santana, Pazzini(Vieri 72), Semioli.

Subs: Avramov, Gobbi, Kroldrup, Jorgensen, Cacia, Papa Waigo, Vieri.

Cards:

Yellow: Tissone(Atalanta), Ujfalusi(Fiorentina), Muslimovic(Atalanta), Langella(Atalanta), Manfredini(Atalanta), De Ascentis(Atalanta)

Goals: Pazzini (Fiorentina 29), Muslimovic (Atalanta 30), Semioli (Fiorentina 60), Muslimovic(Atalanta 90)

Bundesliga Round-Up: Stuttgart Beaten, Leverkusen Held By Hamburg

2008-02-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

Round 19 of the Bundesliga saw honours even at the Bay-Arena between Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg. Stuttgart suffered a rare home defeat at the hands of Hertha Berlin, while there was also a win for Felix Magath’s Wolfsburg.

Bochum and Cottbus shred six goals in a 3-3 draw, and Hannover and Karlsruhe also drew.

Bayer Leverkusen 1 Hamburg 1

VfB Stuttgart 1 Hertha Berlin 3

VfL Bochum 3 Energie Cottbus 3

VfL Wolfsburg 2 MSV Duisburg 1

Nürnberg 1 Hansa Rostock 1

Hannover 2 Karlsruhe 2

Bayer Leverkusen 1 Hamburg 1

Honours were even at the Bay-Arena in an entertaining game, which sees Leverkusen remain in third place ahead of Hamburg on goal difference.

With Frank Rost saving everything that Bayer were throwing at him, Rafael van der Vaart did his bit upfront by converting the opening goal after 27 minutes. Trochowski crossed from the right and when Callsen-Bracker and Friedrich failed to deal with it, van der Vaart stole in to poke the ball past Rene Adler.

With an hour on the clock, Leverkusen finally managed the breakthrough with a goal from Manuel Friedrich. A Freier corner came in to the HSV area and it was Friedrich who powered his header past a helpless Frank Rost for a not undeserved equaliser.

In the end, a point apiece was a fair result on the balance of play.

VfB Stuttgart 1 Hertha Berlin 3

Stuttgart crashed to a rare home defeat as they went down 3-1 at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion to a revitalised Hertha Berlin. Strikers Pantelic and Raffael did the damage for the away side.

The visitors started well forcing rookie keeper Ulreich into a spectacular save before taking the lead after just seven minutes. Marko Pantelic fired clinically home after being played through by new signing Gojko Kacar.

Armin Veh’s side got themselves level before half-time with a headed goal from Mario Gomez five minutes before the interval. Following a poorly delivered free kick, Cacau crossed into the six-yard box, where Gomez was on hand to head in.

The Swabians were however unable to stay level with a second goal from Serbian striker Marko Pantelic right on the stroke of half time. Confusion between keeper Ulreich and Meira let in Pantelic to restore Hertha’s lead.

Four minutes after the restart and Berlin remarkably went 3-1 ahead with new signing Raffael the scorer. Mineiro played a great ball through to his fellow Brazilian, and Raffael scored his first Bundesliga goal past Ulreich to put Hertha in the driving seat.

VfL Bochum 3 Energie Cottbus 3

Bochum and Cottbus shared six goals in an exciting game at the Rewirpower Stadium.

Good early pressure from the home side paid off after just seven minutes with the opening goal of the game. A corner from Azaough flew into the Cottbus area where Yahia rose the highest. Defender Ipsa tried to block the header but deflected it into his own net for an unfortunate own goal.

In a hard fought game Bochum then doubled their lead three minutes before half time when Stanislav Sestak robbed Mitreski of the ball on the edge of the box, before side stepping Ipsa and firing the ball in.

Cottbus didn’t allow their heads to drop and got a goal of their own right on the whistle for half time. A mis-placed pass in midfield was picked up by Angelov, who fed Papadopoulos. The Greek signing from Leverkusen steered the ball past Lastuvka from a one-on-one situation.

On 68 minutes Benjamin Auer scored his second in two games to restore Bochum’s two-goal lead. A well worked free kick saw Azaough flick the ball on at the near post for Auer to stab home from on the goal line.

A minute later however Cottbus grabbed their second goal following a terrible mistake from the Bochum keeper when he collided with Maltritz allowing Skela an easy chance to make it 3-2.

Energie then completed their fightback on 79 with Jelic grabbing the equaliser following a top assist from Angelov.

VfL Wolfsburg 2 MSV Duisburg 1

Wolfsburg overcame Duisburg 2-1 to inflict further misery on Rudi Bommer ’s bottom of the table side.

Duisburg took the lead against Felix Magath’s side with 26 minutes played. A clearance from Wolfsburg fell to substitute Veigneau, who laid the ball off to Niculescu. The Rumanian fired past Benaglio with pace and power from 16 meters to hand his side the lead.

That lead only lasted ten minutes as Marcel Schäfer bagged the equaliser on 36 minutes. A long distance shot from the defender beat Beukert for pace and the Wolves found themselves back on level terms.

With the second half only nine minutes old Wolfsburg took the lead for the first time in the game. Marcelinho passed to Dzeko, who laid the ball on for Grafite. The Brazilian beat Schlicke for pace before firing past Beuckert to make it 2-1.

Nürnberg 1 Hansa Rostock 1

It ended all-square between Nürnberg and Rostock in a result that will suit neither side in their quest for Bundesliga survival.

New winter signing Jan Koller grabbed his first goal for the club in their attempt to avoid relegation with a header on 19 minutes. Reinhardt won the ball in midfield before feeding Kristiansen on the right. The Dane crossed to the centre, where Koller beat Sebastian to head home.

Ten minutes later and the away side drew level. A long ball found Rahn in space with only Blazek to beat, and that he did with a fine lob over the keeper from 14 meters out.

Hannover 2 Karlsruhe 2

An entertaining game at the AWD Arena finished 2-2 with four goals shared between the two high flying sides.

The home side took the lead just before half time through Hanno Balitsch. Bruggink sent his free kick, Eggimann lost out to Hanke in the aerial duel, with midfielder Bruggink on hand to stab the ball home from close range.

KSC deservedly got themselves back on level terms on 61 minutes when Joshua Kennedy scored his second goal in two games to equalise. The Australian beat Vinicius to an Andy Görlitz cross to score past Robert Enke.

Three minutes later and they were in the lead thanks to Tamas Hajnal. Eichner beat both Huszti and Vinicius before cutting the ball back from the bye-line to Hajnal, who slotted home with nobody near him.

Hannover weren’t going to be beaten though with Rosenthal grabbing a late equaliser. Christian Schulz played the ball into the middle to Rosenthal who fired home with aplomb.

Prem wrap: Jagielka fires Royals into drop zone

2008-02-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

Everton boosted their chances of qualifying for the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Reading at Goodison Park which sent the Royals into the Premier League relegation zone.

Phil Jagielka's first goal in an Everton shirt in the 62nd minute condemned Steve Coppell's side to their seventh consecutive defeat, and their ninth on the road this season.

The goal came after Reading failed to fully clear Mikel Arteta's corner and Leon Osman floated the ball back into the penalty area for Jagielka whose header looped over Reading goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann.

David Moyes' side are now three points clear of fifth-placed Aston Villa and four points ahead of city rivals Liverpool, although Rafael Benitez's side have two games in hand.

A hat-trick from John Carew had earlier inspired Villa.to a 4-1 home victory over Newcastle in the day's early kick-off to leave Kevin Keegan still searching for his first win since he returned to the Magpies.

Newcastle looked to be on course for their first win in nine games after Michael Owen's deflected header gave them a fourth-minute lead at Villa Park which they held until the break.

But Wilfred Bouma equalised with his first goal for Villa in the 48th minute before Carew's header put Martin O'Neill's side ahead for the first time in the match three minutes later.

Carew headed his second in the 72nd minute and then added third from the penalty spot after Stephen Carr handled in the area to complete the scoring.

Sunderland boosted their hopes of survival with a 2-0 win over Wigan at the Stadium of Light and gave Roy Keane the bragging rights over his former Manchester United team-mate Steve Bruce.

The Black Cats went ahead three minutes before the break when an unmarked Dickson Etuhu headed Dean Whitehead's cross past Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland.

Sunderland striker Daryl Murphy doubled his side's advantage in spectacular fashion in the 75th minute when his 25-yard shot flew into the top-left corner of the net.

West Ham and Birmingham finished at 1-1 after James McFadden equalised for the Blues with his first goal since his move from Everton.

The Hammers took the lead in the seventh minute when Freddie Ljungberg latched on to Carlton Cole's flick from a long throw.to tap home from close range but the visitors levelled in the 16th minute after West Ham defender Lucas Neill fouled McFadden inside the penalty area.

The Scotland international took the spot-kick and placed the ball into the bottom-left corner of the net.

Derby suffered their ninth home defeat of the season after Tottenham ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at Pride Park.

Robbie Keane gave Spurs the lead in the 68th minute when he produced a simple close-range finish after Derby goalkeeper Roy Carroll had parried Steed Malbranque's shot.

Younes Kaboul added a second goal nine minutes from time when he seized on Pascal Chimbonda's knockdown to drive the ball home from just inside the penalty area.

Spurs were awarded a penalty in injury-time after Alan Stubbs had handled inside the area and Dimitar Berbatov successfully converted resulting spot-kick.

Middlesbrough striker Jeremie Aliadiere netted in the 11th minute to give his side a deserved 1-0 win over Fulham at the Riverside Stadium.

Gary O'Neil threaded a neat pass down the right and Aliadiere beat the offside trap before he struck his shot through the legs of Fulham goalkeeper Antti Niemi from a narrow angle.

Meanwhile a scrambled goal from Lassana Diarra gave Portsmouth a 1-0 win over Bolton at Fratton Park.

CAN 2008 Preview: Ghana - Ivory Coast

2008-02-09T02:23:00.000-08:00

Loser’s Final

Many soccer analysts had predicted that both the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire and the Black Stars of Ghana would clash in Sunday’s final, but after two dramatic semi-finals encounters the tables have turned around spectacularly.

Both teams are meeting, but it’s the in third place playoff, or the losers' final!

Still In Shock

The shock around the Ohene Djan stadium after Alain Nkong’s goal gave the Cameroonians victory was tangible, with the hosts thus falling short at the second to last stage.

But to the neutral, such a sense of surprise could not even compared to that which pervaded the air in Kumasi when tournament favorites, the Ivory Coast were mercilessly dealt with by the defending Champions, the Pharaohs of Egypt.

The hosts have received the bulk of the coverage. Many Ghanaian supporters had expected their team to get to the final, so it was no surprise that defeat saw many verbal arrows fired in the direction of the squad and coach. Claude Leroy has been at the centre of many of these criticisms, with local journalists upset over his team selection for the game.

In all fairness to the well-traveled French coach, his options were quite limited, with several key players ruled out of the encounter.

Captain John Mensah had picked up a straight red card in the quarterfinal encounter against Nigeria, while Laryea Kingston and striker Asamoah Gyan were both ruled out due to injury.

The side therefore had only one out and out striker, Junior Agogo, while Michael Essien had to leave his natural midfield position to play as a makeshift central defender.

If the Ghanaians felt hard done by their loss, then the Ivorians surely did not know what hit them after the 90 minutes were over in Kumasi.

Kader Keita’s wonder strike was just about the only smiling point for the Elephants on the night, as Hassan Shehata’s wards ran riot. Didier Drogba was rendered an anonymous fellow, and the weak point of the Ivorians was exposed for the world to see.

Regaining Pride

In today’s game both teams will attempt to regain their pride, and the usual dull affair that characterizes third place playoff matches would be substituted for an entertaining match-up. The countries are neighbors and the stadium in Kumasi will likely be filled to capacity for the occasion.

In a further twist, both teams might attempt to give starting shirts to players who had been on the bench previously.

TEAM NEWS

Ghana

Coach Claude Le Roy will have his Captain John Mensah available for selection again, but Asamoah Gyan and Laryea Kingston are still very much doubtful to feature for the Ghanaians in this game.

Belgium-based defender Nana Kwasi Asare and local favorite Harrison Afful should get an opportunity to showcase their skills and talents.

Birmingham City goalkeeper Richard Kingston should remain in the number one jersey for the Black Stars, as Le Roy will be very much interested in winning this game.

The defensive line will witness the return of captain John Mensah, who should be assisted by Hans Sarpei, Harrison Afful and West Ham United’s wing back John Paintsil.

Michael Essien should return to his midfield role alongside Sulley Muntari, Ahmed Barusso of Galatasary and fan favorite Haminu Dramani.

Junior Agogo and Dede Ayew should hold the attacking line for the Ghanaians.

Ivory Coast

Coach Gerard Gili has an array of stars on his bench, and there is a direct replacement for every single position on the pitch available, save the goalkeeping role.

Barry Boubacar, who plays for Lokeren, suffered an injury in the first half of the game in Kumasi, with replacement Stephan Loboue not exactly covering himself in glory as a substitute. Nonetheless, he should remain in goal for the Elephants.

The defensive line should see the return of Marc Zoro, who will be joined by Emmanual Eboue, Arthur Boka and Abdoulaye Meite.

The midfield should feature Didier Zokora, Emersae Fae, AbdelKader Keita and possibly Christain Koffi Ndri.

In attack may be the much-sidelined Arouna Kone alongside Werder Bremen forward Boubacar Sanogo, with Drogba given a rest.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Ghana

Michael Essien - The Chelsea player has been the strongest point forthe Ghanaians so far in the tournament, although the decision of Claude Leroy to shift him into the central defensive position in the last game took the bite out of the Ghanaian attack. He should return to his normal role today and bring back life to the Black Stars.

Ivory Coast

AbdelKader Keita - The Olympique Lyonnais man was all over the pitch during his team’s 1-4 loss to Egypt and crowned his efforts with an absolute screamer of a goal. Though the strike wasn’t enough for victory, he will want to make sure his efforts count for something in today’s encounter.

PREDICTION

This encounter is going to be a keenly contested affair, as both teams will want to leave the tournament with some form of dignity at the very least.

There will be lots of goals in this game as the players will want to give their all on the field of play.

I expect the Ivorians to clinch this one as they are more tactically disciplined than the Ghanaians. The strength of their bench is much deeper than that of the Black Stars, too.

The Ghanaians will give their best in front of their home fans, and would not want to disappoint them for a second time, but I don’t think mere resolutions will be enough to save them.

Ghana 1 - 3 Ivory Coast

English PM Backs Fans On Global Proposal

2008-02-09T01:15:00.000-08:00

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called on the Premier League to listen to the views of the fans before moving ahead with plans to introduce overseas games.
Mr Brown also believes that the money earned from the foreign matches should be used to keep ticket prices down.

"Fans have to come first and you have to listen to their views on this," he told Radio 5 Live's Eamonn Holmes in an interview broadcast on Saturday.

"It's important to recognise that the money has to go back into the game."

All 20 Premier League clubs have agreed to explore a proposal to extend the season to 39 games from 2011, with the extra round of fixtures being played in five host cities.

The proposal has created a heated reaction, with many supporters unhappy with the plans, although Sunderland boss Roy Keane and Newcastle counterpart Kevin Keegan are among those to have given their support.

And Brown believes that a commitment to plough the extra money back into the English game would be one way of winning over the fans.

"I have just come back from China and India and the support for the Premier League and people watching matches there is just incredible," he added.

"Now if that is money that is going back into football, and if that is helping keep the price of tickets down in England, and if that means that more fans get more opportunities of going to matches as a result, then that would be something that I think people would want to take into account.

"There is no doubt about the worldwide interest in the Premier League. There is no doubt that that's good for football because it gets more money into the game in England.

"There is no doubt that the English Premier League has taken over from the Spanish and Italian as being probably the one that people would want to watch the most and therefore you have to get the best players into the league.

"So let's hear what the fans say on this."

Premiership Between Top Three According To Wenger

2008-02-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes that the Premiership title will be decided by the head-to-head played between the current top-three.

Arsenal earned themselves a narrow gap at the top of the table on the strength of last weekend's resilts, and now find themselves two points above Manchester United and six points ahead of Chelsea. Considering that the nearest challengers after that are a full 16 points back, it is no controversy that Wenger effectively ruled out the Liverpool sides by way of his analysis.

"The mental aspect of the game will be important but so will the direct confrontations," said Wenger through the club's official website. "They have a major part to play.

"I don't rule out Chelsea because they have to play at home against Man United and Arsenal.

"They have already put wins together when they have had players out. I don't think we can rule them out, it will be amongst these three."

All three teams still have to play each other again before the end of the season, with he next potential title-decider will take place on March 23, when Wenger's Arsenal travel to take on London rivals Chelsea

The Munich Disaster: A Personal Recollection

2008-02-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

Review by Mark Hinton, Goal.com

The 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster on February 6th brings back some vivid childhood memories and is a poignant reminder that life is an impermanent lottery and none of us ever know what lies around the next corner.

I am a lifelong Arsenal supporter, from a family of Gunners' fans, and on February 1st 1958 my father took my brother and me to Highbury to see Arsenal play Manchester United, the famous, pioneering Busby Babes. I was six-and-a-half at the time, but besotted with football and passionate about Arsenal.

My Dad had imbued me with a sense of wonder for the Gunners with tales of the legendary Chapman era in which he’d grown up, and of the post-war years under Tom Whittaker when the Arsenal were still a force to be reckoned with.

But the 1957-58 team were no great shakes, and a month earlier had been dumped out of the FA Cup at the third round stage by Northampton Town of the old Third Division South. Still, I'd been taken to three games at Highbury already, two of them involving the first-team, and had not yet seen them lose by the time of United's visit.

However, on February 1st we travelled more in hope than expectation because Matt Busby had built a remarkable young team. They were defending League champions, having won the title in 1955-56 and retained it in 1956-57, when they just missed out on the (then) elusive double of League and FA Cup, losing 1-2 to Aston Villa in the Wembley Cup final after being effectively reduced to 10 men early on when their goalkeeper Ray Wood broke his cheekbone in a sickening collision with Villa winger Peter McParland. The Ulsterman went on to score both Villa goals, but today would have been red-carded without hesitation for his challenge.

That Christmas (1957), my prized present was "The Big Book Of Football Champions", a popular annual in the 1950s, and while there was little in that particular edition to stir the emotions of an Arsenal fan, United featured prominently, with full-page colour pictures of the likes of Duncan Edwards, Roger Byrne and Jackie Blanchflower. Believe it or not, I still have that book.

United's two consecutive League championships had earned them entry into the embryonic European Cup, and Busby had the vision and the guts to defy the archaic English football authorities who were opposed to an English club participating in the competition for reasons of short-sighted self-interest and xenophobia.

United's pioneering exploits in Europe, followed by most people vicariously through the black-and-white footage of newsreels shown each week in local cinemas, had added to the aura of the Babes.

But the basic appeal of that team, even among fans of other clubs, was that they were extending the boundaries, breaking the mould. Busby had proclaimed in the mid-fifties that his emphasis was firmly on youth, and at that time that philosophy was heresy, the stuff of revolution.

But he had made it work. United were playing the game with youthful exuberance and an attacking swagger that was captivating, and what was more, they were making a big impression on the continent with their particular brand of football.

So when they came down to Highbury, ahead of a midweek trip to Belgrade to take on Red Star in the second-leg of a European Cup tie, we were both expectant and apprehensive. It would be something to see them in the flesh; but they were likely to give my team a battering.

The playing surface was as much rolled mud as threadbare grass: par for the course at the time. And, in a way unimaginable today, when the players came out for the pre-match warm-up or "kick-in" (no elaborate, co-ordinated stretching and jogging routines back then), youngsters could take their chances by running onto the pitch with their autograph books and trying to collar their heroes.

I looked on enviously from the front of a packed terrace, too young and small, and probably too timid, to scamper over to the god-like Jack Kelsey or David Herd with pen in hand.

But there is a memorable and poignant photograph from that match (which Arsenal reproduced in their next club handbook), of the great Duncan Edwards happily signing for an awestruck lad with Brylcreemed hair and a duffle-coat. I have sometimes wondered since what emotions that lad experienced over the next few weeks, or indeed years.

The game itself turned out to be a classic, United confirming all their advance publicity by racing into a three-goal lead through Edwards, Bobby Charlton and Tommy Taylor. It was a chastening experience for a young Arsenal fan, but you had to admire United's football.

However, in an amazing three-minute spell after the break, Arsenal drew level with goals from Herd and Jimmy Bloomfield, who scored twice.

But as an unlikely victory suddenly seemed possible, United showed their class with two more goals, Dennis Viollet and Taylor making it 5-3. Then Derek Tapscott pulled one back and for the remaining 13 minutes United were on the back-foot, defending stoically to win 5-4.

It was an awesome football match - one which, had it been televised then as now, would be regularly re-run like that famous Liverpool-Newcastle game of the mid-1990s. Indeed, had the match been captured on film, it would be a priceless artefact now, given what was about to befall. But I had the match programme, now one of the most valuable in my collection because events invested it with unique significance.

We went home disappointed to have lost but knowing we'd been privileged to see such a game, to see our players nearly hold such a team; and we were full of admiration for Duncan Edwards in particular.

In the middle of the following week we heard that United had drawn with Red Star in Belgrade and were through to the European Cup semi-final.

But what I remember most vividly was coming down to breakfast on the morning of Friday, February 7th and finding my Dad in tears in the kitchen with the newspaper in front of him. It proclaimed that the plane carrying the United party back from Yugoslavia had crashed on its third attempt to take off from Munich airport after a refuelling stop. Twenty-one people were already dead, including seven United players. Duncan Edwards was still alive, but in a critical condition, as was Matt Busby. It was all too much to take in, especially for a six-year-old. But the photographs on the front page of the paper were graphic and removed any doubt that something devastating had happened. So did the sight of my Dad crying. I was soon a weeping mess myself.

The next two weeks were surreal. The age of instant and mass communications was still some way off. News dribbled through and my Dad kept me updated. It seemed that Edwards, fighting bravely for his life, would survive. Busby, though, was twice given the last rites, so poor was his condition.

In the event, Busby survived. But 15 days after the crash, Edwards died. It was in some ways the biggest blow of all.

At school on the outskirts of London, people were becoming Manchester United fans overnight. There was never any danger I would waver from Arsenal, but I felt great sympathy for United and willed them to succeed, along, I know, with most of the country.

Their immediate problem was to find eleven players to fulfill their next fixture, an FA Cup fifth round tie at home to Sheffield Wednesday. With a team composed of a couple of Munich survivors, a couple of emergency buys and a string of second and third team players, United beat the Owls 3-0 in what was surely the most emotional football match ever played at Old Trafford, and quite possibly at any ground anywhere.

A few years later we moved to Surrey, and I found that my next-door neighbour, a good six years older than me, was a huge Manchester United fan. He'd supported them since Busby had first started assembling his team, and he had an impressive collection of programmes and memorabilia that inspired me to take up collecting seriously myself.

He showed me the match programme for that Sheffield Wednesday cup tie, with eleven hauntingly eloquent blank spaces where the names of the United team should have been. The club, being managed by Jimmy Murphy in Busby's absence, simply didn't know who might be available at the time the publication went to press. That too has become a valuable collectors' item, for obvious reasons.

* * *

Things change. My own feelings of empathy towards the United of 1958 gradually faded as the club rebuilt, though as a sixth-form teenager ten years later I enjoyed their eventual triumph in the European Cup final - Busby's fitting tribute to the team that had died.

Over the last three decades the likes of Louis and Martin Edwards, Peter Kenyon, Ron Atkinson, Alex Ferguson and sundry United players, not to mention their great rivalry with Arsenal, have removed the positive feelings I once harboured towards the Red Devils.

But I still have great respect and affection for the original Busby Babes, and I desperately hope their memory is respectfully observed in a dignified way this week, particularly before the Manchester derby at Old Trafford. For me personally, and I suspect others of my generation, it will be a deeply evocative and moving minute of silent reflection.

They were a truly great team whose football, as much as their tragedy, deserves its place in any hall of English football fame.

Collina: Two Refs On The Pitch A Good Idea

2008-02-05T08:57:00.001-08:00

Referee designator Pierluigi Collina has supported UEFA President Michel Platini’s proposal of using more than one referee on the pitch.

Italian football is currently engulfed in a new controversy with officials being found to have made a worrying number of mistakes this season.

Many of the current crop of referees were brought in to replace the old guard who were removed following the Calciopoli crisis in 2006.

With poor refereeing a problem all around Europe, UEFA President Michel Platini has proposed that more than one referee be placed on the pitch to help minimise mistakes.

“I like Platini’s idea of two referees,” Collina stated.

“With two refs we can get a clearer idea of what’s going on, especially with the debatable episodes that happen around the box.”

One person who is certainly not in favour of implementing these changes is Cagliari President Massimo Cellino.

“We can’t put two, three or 10 referees out there – it’s as if we were sending out two goalkeepers,” he blasted.

“But I don’t think that six months is long enough to assess the work of our referee designator.

“Collina inherited a disastrous situation – there are still good refs and lots of new men, but many of the good old officials have quit.

“In my opinion the generation switch hasn’t happened yet and it can’t happen in six months, but it’ll get there.”

Who Is Better - Kaka or Ronaldo?

2008-02-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro and Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite are named, respectively, after actor-turned-President Ronald Reagan, and the baby babble of a younger brother who couldn't pronounce the word 'Ricardo'. From these beginnings come the two most famous names in world football: Ronaldo and Kaka.

The pair are also the subject of one of the most polemical arguments currently being debated in pubs and bars around the planet. One of the two gets the vote of FIFA, UEFA, Pele, and the majority of Europe’s army of football journalists. The other can count on the support of Sir Alex Ferguson, the late George Best, and his mum. So, who is the better player, Kaka or Ronaldo?

Based on this season’s form, it is difficult to argue against Ronaldo.

In Serie A Kaka has been stumbling a little, looking slightly jaded, not quite managing to pick up the rhythm that has previously marked him out as the most outstanding attacking talent of his generation. By his standards, it’s been a "nearly, but not quite" kind of season so far.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, has been almost supersonic in the Premier League. Swapping his annoying diving antics and some of his unnecessary trickery for a more straight-running, direct approach, the Portuguese midfielder has frightened the living daylights out of just about every defender and goalkeeper in the league.

His blistering pace, remarkable athleticism, unstoppable free-kicks and clinical eye for goal have seen him overtake his goalscoring tally of last season already and taken him to the top of the netting charts. He has hit 27 goals in as many games for Man United - not bad for a player who’s supposed to play in midfield. His willingness to attack is relentless.

But when comparing these two stellar talents, it is important to remember the old adage: ’form is temporary and class is permanent.’

Michel Platini, who spoke about Ronaldo this week, is correct in saying that the Portuguese has yet to prove himself on the biggest of stages.

"It's difficult to compare players in competitions and teams. Is it more difficult to play right wing in Manchester than it is in Italy, where it doesn't exist?” Platini argued this week.

What the UEFA president is saying is that, for all it’s thrills and spills, the Premier League is not as defensively sophisticated as the equivalent competitions in Spain and Italy.

"If Ronaldo is the best player in the world or Europe he will have to prove it in the Euros, because that will be the only way we can judge him, when all the best players will have had the chance to be recognised," declared Platini.

In the Champions League last season, when it mattered most, Ronaldo went missing. While Kaka was busy winning the competition and becoming its top scorer, Ronaldo turned in a few cameo performances and scored a couple of goals. In his side’s vital away leg against Milan in the San Siro, he first made a fool of himself, then appeared to have gone home for the rest of the evening.

But lets not dwell too long on Ronaldo’s flaws. He is, after all, still only 22. No-one is suggesting that he won't go on to become a great player.

This, in turn, should not distract from the fact that Kaka is, quite simply, a more complete footballer than Ronaldo.

His balance is better, his technique is easier, he is much more elegant in possession, a far better team player, a more incisive passer and a more intelligent reader of the game. The Brazilian has never attempted a step-over in his life because he doesn’t have to. Such circus trickery is beneath him.

Kaka glides past players as if they aren‘t there; he's as subtle as he is lighting quick. And when Kaka sings, Ronaldo often stutters. The latter's jittery, jinking, dribbling is easier to deal with as a defender. Not easy, by any means, but easier.

To put it another way, marking Ronaldo is about as difficult as dodging bullets. Marking Kaka is like marking the breeze.

The Portuguese, however, is better in the air and probably a better free-kick taker. Probably? We haven't really had an opportunity to see how good Kaka is at set pieces because Pirlo, the best in the world, takes them for Milan and Ronaldinho usually takes them for Brazil. As for Ronaldo's higher ratio of goals per game, as Platini intimated, he is doing it in a league where it is easier to score goals. As for his 20 strikes in 53 games at international level, almost all of them have come against teams such as Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Estonia.

Pele, who is usually a terrible judge of talent, to be quite honest, has actually got it right this time.

“Kaka is the best player in the world, without a doubt,” the Brazilian legend told Gazzetta Dello Sport recently.

Most of the talk of Ronaldo being the best player in the world has come from England, where there is a tendency to claim global supremacy too easily and too quickly.

Take Ronaldo’s stunning free-kick against Portsmouth. As soon as his strike hit the top right hand corner of the net, pundits and fans were proclaiming it as the greatest free-kick of all time. It wasn’t. Its not even the best free-kick of the season. Andrea Pirlo’s pearler in the Milan derby was much closer to the edge of the box and more difficult to lift up over the wall and down again into the top corner.

Okay, all these claims about one player being better than another are probably unproductive, anyway. Football is, lest we forget, a team game. Are Kaka and Ronaldo really better players than the likes of Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Totti, Esteban Cambiasso, Andrea Pirlo, Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas or Zlatan Ibrahimovic? It is, of course, virtually impossible to compare players who perform completely different roles and functions on the pitch.

The best we can conclude in the debate about Kaka and Ronaldo is that Kaka is the finished article and Ronaldo still has a little way to go. But then again, if he is a finished praduct, should he not be producing the results in Serie A? And the debate goes on...

One thing is certain: it is a privilege to watch both of them play.

Premier League Replay: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

2008-02-04T03:10:00.000-08:00

Premier League Replay: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Andrew Discenza spotlights what was best and worst about the weekend's action in the English Premier League…

The Arsenal striker was in top form on Saturday, scoring two goals and leading his side to a 3-1 win over Manchester City. The big Togolese was a powerful physical presence all game long, especially as an aerial threat. Not only was he clinical in front of goal, but contributed by holding up play and linking well with the midfielders.

Adebayor made his first impression after only nine minutes. Alexander Hleb played in Bacary Sagna, whose cross found Adebayor waiting to pounce on the edge of the six-yard box. Micah Richards got a block on Adebayor’s first-time effort, but the ball looped over goalkeeper Joe Hart and into the net.

Adebayor had a hand in Arsenal’s second goal as well, on 26 minutes. He rose well to meet a Gael Clichy cross, and knocked the ball down for Eduardo, who pivoted splendidly to rifle in his twelfth of the season in all competitions.

In the second half Adebayor terrorized the home side’s defence, and came close on multiple occasions, including when he seemed to have earned a penalty after falling victim to a Richard Dunne and Richards sandwich. The Arsenal leading scorer capped off his performance wonderfully in the 88th minute by scoring his 18th League goal of the season (21st overall). Adebayor started a breakaway but went down while the referee said play on. Hleb and Cesc Fabregas combined well on the run, and Adebayor, following up, was in an excellent position to capitalize on a shaky clearance. He thumped the ball home, scoring yet another poacher’s goal.

This sort of dominant performance is critical for Arsenal, who by winning return to the top of the table. It may very well be Adebayor’s goals that Arsenal rely on to win the title.

The Bad – Alan Wiley

The referee for Saturday’s Blackburn vs Everton goalless draw made incorrect decisions on key plays that could have supplied the goal that the game so desperately needed. He refused to call a penalty when Zurab Khizanishvili put out a leg to bring down Everton striker Andrew Johnson, who was airborne at the time. Later, David Dunn, already on a yellow card, appeared to playfully bat the ball away from the Everton player with his fist, in what would have been a bookable intentional handball. But Mr. Wiley kept his red card in his pocket, and it would prove vital for Blackburn as Dunn would clear the ball off the line from a corner minutes later.

A poor refereeing decision disallowed Everton a deserved winner at the death. James Vaughan burst through the Blackburn defence, while Johnson was in an offside position, but moving away from the play. Goalkeeper Brad Friedel came out to challenge Vaughan and Vaughan went to ground but kept the ball and then played across to Johnson, who had come in behind at least three Blackburn defenders and was clearly onside.

Johnson then went on to take a touch and pass the ball into the empty net. But the linesman flagged for offside. Wiley should have seen this to be a clear error on the part of his assistant, and allowed the goal. But instead the goal didn’t stand and the referee’s negative impact on the hard-fought encounter forced a result that is hardly justified.

The Ugly – Wayne Rooney

The Manchester United striker’s dive in his side’s 1-1 draw on Saturday against Tottenham summed up his attitude throughout the match, as well as United’s below-par performance. The visitors were getting desperate, having trailed since the 21st minute. And Rooney, running into the penalty area, chose to go to ground when the defender came across instead of playing the ball, and he was punished with a booking for simulation.

The defender didn’t get a touch, and the theatricality of Rooney’s attempt shows that the assumption that foreign players dive more than domestic ones is incorrect.

Rooney’s performance was largely positive, playing with energy and desire but was very unproductive while attacking. Manchester United certainly were not at their breathtaking best, having gone behind early they had been on the back foot for much of the game. But the champions were resilient, and forced in a goal just as the allotted three minutes of stoppage time were running out. Carlos Tevez claimed it but it seemed to have been an own goal off Michael Dawson. Manchester United drop two points, but they showed, along with Rooney’s poor attitude, that they will fight to the very end.

Can 2008 Update : Cameroon Vs Tunisia

2008-02-04T02:47:00.000-08:00

The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon have steadily grown in stature and gameplay since that opening game defeat at the hands of the Pharaohs of Egypt. This time, they face another North African foe that plays almost the same pattern as the Egyptians, and the Lions know that a loss here will mean a tournament exit.

The Lions have made easy meat of their last two opponents at the competition, trouncing the Chipolopolo boys of Zambia 5-1, and Eto’o breaking the all-time goal scoring record in the 3-0 victory over Sudan. Truthfully, though, they have not given a particularly strong performance in any of those matches.

The Cameroonians have had a quiet build up coming into this championship, unlike other editions where they were always touted amongst the favorites to lift the trophy. Indeed, they have been somewhat in the shadows of the likes of Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, and even Senegal.

This silent entry could be a tactical approach that could see the Lions entering into the finals “unnoticed”.

They would, however, have to get by the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia first.

The Tunisians come into this game as Group D leaders; a group that included the highly fancied Senegalese, Perreira’s South Africa and the strong Angolans. The Carthage Eagles were able to ward off all opposition from these teams to top the group.

The side has improved steadily as the tournament progressed and coach Roger Lemerre, who had come under serious criticisms coming into this championship, will be confident about his side’s chances ahead of this one.

These two sides are giants in African football - in the past four editions of the tournament, these two countries can account for three trophies. But the Cameroonians have failed to make it past the quarter-final stage in the last two editions, while the Tunisians could not in the last edition. This game would see one of them improving on their recent performance in the competition.

TEAM NEWS

Cameroon

The Lions will be have a full house for this game as they do not have injury worries, so I expect coach Otto Pfister to field a very strong side for this one.

Espanyol goalkeeper Carlos Idris Kameni should be in goal for the Lions.

The defensive line will be held by the “father” of Cameroonian football, Rigobert Song, alongside German-based defender Timothee Atouba, Reading’s Andre Bikey and Joel Epalle.

The midfield should be bossed by Newcastle’s Geremi Njitap, with support from Modeste Mbami, Alexandre Song and Achille Emana.

All-time ANC leading goal scorer Samuel Eto’o Fils would hope to extend his goal scoring tally today, and he would pair up with Joseph desire Job of Nice.

Coach Otto Pfister will line his wards out in a 4-4-2 formation for this game.

Tunisia

The Tunisians will probably be playing a mixed line up from two of their games played so far. They would most likely field the defence that played against the Teranga Lions of Senegal, with the attack line that devastated the South Africans.

That means Chermiti would be relegated back to the bench for Toulouse striker Santos. Medhi Nafti could miss this game: there are rumours that the player had a reoccurrence of an injury that left him out of the team’s opening game against Senegal.

The impressive Ben Fraj could also be left out of the starting line-up for the Tunisians in today’s game.

As for those who do play, in goal for the Tunisians should be Hamdi Kasraoui of Esperance.

The defence will be marshaled by Birmingham City’s Radhi Jaidi, alongside Karim Haggui of German club Bayer Leverkusen.

Radhouane Feldi of Etoile du Sahel and Wissem Bekri of Esperance would complete the back line for the Tunisians.

The midfield should expectedly be held by Joawhar M’Nari, Yassine Mikari, Medji Traore and Chaouki Ben Saada of Bastia in France.

Toulouse striker Francileudo dos Santos will pair with the highly talented Yassine Chikhaoui in attack for the Tunisians.

The Tunisians would also file out in a 4-4-2 formation pattern for this game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Cameroon -Samuel Eto’o Fils: The Cameroonian striker has been in devastating form in this tournament, battering in five goals in only three matches so far. He will be the star man for the Indomitable Lions as they attempt to reach the semi finals for the first time in 6 years.

Tunisia - Francileudo dos Santos: The Toulouse man has been under-fire since his inclusion in Roger Lemerre’s squad, but a brace in his second game against South Africa has justified the striker's place in the team. He would be the man the Tunisians will look towards for the goals in today’s game.

PREDICTION

This game is going to be a fast-paced encounter as both teams have very pacey forwards. The Cameroonians have so far not been able to coordinate their midfield properly in the tournament, though, and this could count against them in this match.

However, they have the physical stamina to play on for a longer period than the Tunisians.

Whoever can keep up with the fast pace of the game up till the mid stages of the second period should carry the day. My best bet will be the Cameroonians for this one.

Cameroon 2:1 Tunisia

Pato Injury “Not Too Serious” Says Maldini

2008-02-04T02:39:00.000-08:00

Pato Injury “Not Too Serious” Says Maldini

Milan captain Paolo Maldini believes that the injury that Alexandre Pato picked up against Fiorentina last night is not as serious as was first feared.

Pato Injury

Teenage wonderkid Pato came off the bench at the Stadio Franchi to score the only goal of the game in Milan’s 1-0 victory, however in the closing stages he badly turned his ankle as he challenged for a ball.

The Brazilian was stretchered off the pitch in serious distress, and there were initial fears that he may have sustained a very bad injury.

“At first I became worried about Pato’s condition,” admitted Maldini.

“He suffered a painful knock, perhaps a new feeling for him, but I don't think it's too serious because he hurt his ankle, not his knee. It's not as bad as what it seemed like on the pitch.”

Fourth Place

Maldini was delighted that Milan had picked up a crucial win as they hunt down Fiorentina in the final Champions League position.

"Finally we managed to do what we always need to do,” the legend stated.

“Unfortunately in the standings we are penalised by the fact we didn’t win much at home in the first round of matches, which is absolutely unlike Milan.

“Now we have to keep on going, our objectives must be large. Until twenty days ago the fourth place seemed like a utopia.”

Arsenal

Maldini also looked ahead to the Rossoneri’s mouth-watering Champions League tie with Arsenal in a fortnight’s time.

“Soon the Champions League will return, which will strain us both physically and mentally. Our intention is to be more consistent compared to the first part of the season,” the 39-year-old concluded.

Africa Cup of Nations Update : Ivory Coast 5 - 0 Guinea

2008-02-03T20:35:00.000-08:00

Five-Star Ivory Coast Sail Past Guinea

Ivory Coast 5 - 0 Guinea While the scoreline slightly flatters the Ivorians, the Elephants are deservedly through to the semi-finals after a very convincing win over Guinea...

Despite being without influential captain Pascual Feindouno, Guinea ran the Ivory Cosat close for portions of this game, only to succumb to a late onslaught from the far superior Elephants.

In truth, Cote d'Ivoire 100% deserved their win, even though the margin of victory was something quite out of the ordinary based on the performance.

After a cagey start, Kalou and Drogba began to turn the screw, with the former having a great chance to open the scoring 13 minutes in. However, despite being unmarked, his effort was poor.

Dindane then came close with a header, although the opener was yet to come.

It eventually did 25 minutes in, when Kader Keita tiptoed into the box and, rather than play the ball across goal, battered it past Kemoko Camara and into the net, running into an inflatable Pepsi can located trackside by way of celebration.

Guinea were on the back foot, but they were able to hold out for the rest of the half.

Camara kept his side in it with a tremendous save from Aruna and then Kalou on the rebound, but the Syli Stars themselves brought out the best in Barry via a Bangoura solo effort on the counter.

But it was clear the the Ivory Coast were in the asendancy, closing the half with a Keita effort that rolled just wide and a tremendous save from Camara to deny Drogba.

After the break, though, Guinea improved further, and could have equalised when Youla was left unmarked to tip Bangoura's cross just wide on the volley.

On the hour mark, Jabi's effort hit the side-netting after a deep free-kick, and despite the Ivory Coast's clear superiority, it seemed that there was life in the Guineans' challenge yet.

However, there was not, for what followed was nothing short of a goal blitz.

Aruna Kone should have made it 2-0 after rounding the 'keeper 22 minutes from time, only to blast his effort wide, but Drogba made no such mistake two minutes later with a strong, solo run reminiscent of some of his better Chelsea goals.

Then Kalou emulated Kone by rounding the 'keeper, but the Chelsea man different from the Sevillista by being able to put the ball in the net, thus ending the game as a contest.

A contest, yes, but not a spectacle. Ten minutes from time, Guinea inexplicably stood off as Toure tore towards the touchline, eventually kutting it back for Kalou, who wasted nothing in claiming his second goal.

Then, Baki Kone made it 5-0 with a tremendous twenty-yarder, with punch-drunk Guinea having well and truly wilted in the face of enormous late pressure.

Ten-Man Ghana Seal Historic Nigeria Win

2008-02-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

Ghana 2 - 1 Nigeria

In what had already been billed as the match of the tournament, the cards and goals flowed freely. In the end, Ghana prevailed past Nigeria 2-1 in what was an incredibly exciting encounter...

Clearly this was to be a heated derby, as Muntari found himself on the end of a foul from Obinna Nwaneri just after kickoff, resulting in a small amount of "handbags."

But while it was physical, it wasn't gung-ho, at least to start with. Indeed, with so much at stake, neither side was apt to take undue risks.

It took a quarter of an hour for the first real chance to emerge, with Muntari playing a fine ball across goal, only for Yobo to clear it.

Ten minutes later, though, it all kicked off.

After some fine play, Michael Essien hit the post oon the 25 minut emark after a tremendous give-and-go with Asamoah Gyan.

Then, Junior Agogo had a great chance just a minute later as Ghana turned the screw. He, however, could only see his effort tipped wide by Ejide.

It was quite a strong spell for Ghana, but Nigeria showed that they are no makeweights by hitting back. Yakubu almost managed to go one on one with Kingson, before he turned provider by slipping a through ball to Getafe's Ikechukwu Uche. Despite the latter's great run, the finish was poor, and it stayed 0-0.

At least for a minute, for no sooner had that chance ben mupped up than Addo conceded a penalty, apparently for shirt pulling against Yakubu. The Everton man himself stepped up and duly netted it, and suddenly Ghana ere in trouble.

Indeed, Nigeria looked the stronger side going into half time, with Uche and Yakubu linking up well, but Ghana's undoubted class shone through right on the stroke of half time.

That's when Michael Essien grabbed an equaliser. The Chelsea man both placed and powered a header after Owusu-Abeyie's cross to level the scores.

Right after the break, Obi Mikel attempted to show his teammate how it was done, almost capitalising on Uche's through ball - and some poor defending - only for Kingson to smother the ball at the last second.

That error reminded both teams that risks were inappropriate, and the game slowed down - at least until the hour mark.

For Ghana were down to ten men just then, John Mensah preventing a clear goalscoring opportunity by fouling Odemwingie just outside the box.

Taye Taiwo came inches away from opening the scoring from the ensuing free-kick, with Kingson's last-gasp save keeping his side in it.

His near-namesake Laryea Kingson joined the fray in place of Asamoah, dropping back to midfield and in turn allowing Essien to take a place in defence.

Strangely enough, that seemed to lend a bit more shape to the Ghanaians, and certainly more steel. Spurred on by Michael Essien's encouragement, they closed down the Nigerians with gusto, albeit sometimes a bit too much.

For things were beginning to get a bit heated - admittedly, for both sides. In one incident fifteen minutes from time, Obi Mikel picked up a booking after hacking down Annan, only for Annan to raise his hands to the Chelsea star.

In terms of play, though, Ghana had one great chance through Agogo ten minutes from time, only for the Nottingham Forest man to fluff his finish at the last second.

That made it all the more surprising when he was the man to give his side a lead seven minutes from the end. Muntari's low cross found the predatory forward lingering at the far post, and Agogo was so delighted with his close-range effort that his overcelebration was deemed worthy of a booking.

On came Nsofor for Obi Mikel as Nigeria boss Berti Vogts rolled the dice, and Nigeria poured forward. Shittu did well to float a cross in two minutes from time, only for Muntari, dropping back to defend, to head clear.

But other than a couple more half-chances from corners, the wealth of Nigerian bodies pressing forward could provide little - indeed, Nigeria needed Ghana to give them one last hope by conceding a free-kick 25 yards out two minutes into stoppage time.

The ball eventually reached Yobo in the box, but his finish was lacking, and the match ended with the hosts in a state of ecstacy.

CAN 2008 Preview: Guinea - Ivory Coast

2008-02-03T07:54:00.000-08:00

Odds In Ivorians' Favour

There are very few games in global football these days that you could confidently say should go this way or that way. However, this quarterfinal encounter between these two West African teams is perhaps one such match.

The Ivorians, for their part, have sent the strongest message out about their intentions to lift the African Nations Cup at the end of the tournament.

The team has been dominant in all their games so far in this tournament. Most recently, a 3-0 victory over Mali in a game they did not need to win, contested with a partially second-string lineup, showed the depth within this Ivorian side.

They have run through all their opponents with a certain ease that makes one wonder if any team can stop them from winning this championship. Their game play has been consistent and cohesive, with the players showing real commitment to the team's overall cause of lifting the trophy.

However, coach Gerard Gili has affected modesty over his side's chances in today’s game, but he must truly be confident of The Elephants' abilities to clinch this one.

"We will go into this game with no apprehension but with a lot of respect for our opponents," Coach Gerard Gili told Reuters.

"We know it is going to be a difficult game as it's a knockout match and we will remain humble. However, we have a squad that has long been preparing for this type of encounter." he added

Searching For A Semi-Final Spot

But somewhere in Sekondi, another Frenchman, Robert Nouzaret, is plotting the downfall of this dominant Elephant; a team he has had two previous spells with as head coach.

However, he admitted that meeting them later on would have been better.

He told Reuters, “I am happy to meet them, of course, but I would have preferred to play them in the final in Accra. However, playing Ivory Coast is a good thing for my players.

"They know there is no room for mistake against such a team so I think they will be all the more focused."

The Syli Stars of Guinea bounced back from a poor opening performance to end the hopes of the Atlas Lions of Morocco by reaching the quarterfinal stage.

The Guineans came into this tournament with their eyes firmly set on a semi-final spot. But what stands between them and that goal is an Ivorian side that has yet to drop a point so far.

Life Without Pascal!

Pascal Feindounou will be furious with himself for that careless action during the game against Morocco that has confined him to the stands for this one.

The inspirational captain is undoubtedly the driving force behind this Guinean side; this was extremely evident in the team’s game against Namibia, for which he was suspended. They lacked cohesion and purpose in their gameplay without the highly talented midfielder. Thus, it will be interesting to see how they play today against a turbo charged Ivory Coast side.

But Souleyman Youla has promised that the Guineans would seek a win even without the St Ettiene man.

"When he is on the field, every ball goes through him," admitted Youla.

"Everybody knows how important a player Pascal is but we don't have a choice, we have to win without him and welcome him back for the semi-finals."

On paper, the Ivorians ought to be scared of the Syli Stars, as they are placed two spots below them in the continent on the current FIFA ranking. But surely even the Guineans won’t be thinking of that now. They would be more interested in perpetuating the biggest upset possible in this year’s tournament.

TEAM NEWS

Guinea

Bulky Celtic defender Bobo Balde is doubtful for this one as he is still nursing a thigh injury he picked up the team’s last game against Namibia. Thus the vice-captain may join suspended captain Feindouno on the sidelines.

Aside from these two issues, the Guinean side have few worries, as the squad is still intact.

In goal for the Stars should be Kemoko Camara, who is presently unattached to any club.

The defence of the team should be marshaled by stand-in-captain Dianbobo Balde (barring injuries) along with Mamadou Dioulde Bah, Ibrahima Camara, and Oumar Kalabane.

The midfield would be held by Mohamed Sacko, with Daouda Jabi providing support in the defensive midfield position for the Guineans. Ismael Bangoura and Naby Soumah should feeding the attack line from out wide.

The attack Guineans is likely to be led by the French-based duo of Fode Mansare and Souleyman Youla.

The Guineans would play a 4-4-2 formation on paper, but I am almost certain Robert Nouzaret would field only Souleyman Youla up front, with Fode Mansare dropping back to help the midfield for a good part of the game.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Kemoko Camara (unattached), Naby Diarso (Satellite FC, Guinea), Naby Yattara (RACS Couillet, Belgium)

Defenders: Dianbobo Balde (Celtic, Scotland) Habib Jean Balde (Reims, France) Alseny Camara (Rodez, France) Ibrahima Camara (Le Mans, France) Mamadou Dioulde Bah (Racing Strasbourg, France) Mohamed Alimou Diallo (Sivasspor, Turkey) Daouda Jabi (Trabzonspor, Turkey) Oumar Kalabane (Manisaspor, Turkey)
Kamil Zayatte (Young Boys Berne, Switzerland)

Midfielders: Mohamed Cisse (Bursaspor, Turkey) Pascal Feindouno (St Etienne, France) Samuel Johnson (Ismaili, Egypt) Mohamed Sacko (Etoile Sahel, Tunisia) Naby Soumah (CS Sfaxien, Tunisia) Kanfory Sylla (Sivasspor, Turkey)

Strikers: Ismael Bangoura (Dynamo Kiev, Russia) Karamoko Cisse (Verona, Italy) Victor Correa (Cherbourg, France) Fode Mansare (Toulouse, France) Souleymane Youla (Lille, France)

Ivory Coast

There is still no tangible news as to the fitness state of Arsenal defender Kolo Toure, so Marco Zoro may continue after a positive showing against Mali.

Most of the regulars that were rested in the game against Mali should be back in the starting line-up.

In goal for the Ivorians we should expect to see Boubacar Barry.

The defence would be composed of Arsenal fullback Emmanuel Eboue, Marc Zoro, Arthur Boka, and Abdoulaye Meite of Bolton Wanderers.

Yaya Toure will undoubtedly beat the heart of the Ivorian midfield, alongside Emerse Fae and Didier Zokora.

The attack line is almost certain to be headed by captain Didier Drogba, along with his Chelsea team mate Salomon Kalou and Haruna Dindane of Racing Lens.

Gerard Gili would stick with his 4-3-3 formation.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren, Belgium) Tiasse Kone (Africa Sports, Cote D'Ivoire) Stephan Loboue (SpVgg Greuther Furth, Germany)

Defenders: Arthur Boka (VfB Stuttgart, Germany) Constant Djakpa (Pandurii Targu Jiu, Romania) Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal, England) Steve Gohouri (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany) Abdoulaye Meite (Bolton Wanderers, England) Kolo Toure (Arsenal, England) Marc Zoro (Benfica, Portugal)

Midfielders: Emerse Fae (Reading, England) Christian Koffi Ndri (Le Mans, France) Siaka Tiene (St Etienne, France) Gneri Yaya Toure (Barcelona, Spain) Didier Zokora (Tottenham Hotspur, England)

Strikers: Aruna Dindane (Racing Lens, France) Didier Drogba (Chelsea, England) Salomon Kalou (Chelsea, England) Abdelkader Keita (Olympique Lyon, France) Arouna Kone (Sevilla, Spain) Bakary Kone (Nice, France) Gervais Yao Kouassi (Le Mans, France) Boubacar Sanogo (Werder Bremen, Germany)

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Guinea - Souleyman Youla: The Lille striker is a potential threat to the defence of the Ivorians, and if the Guineans are to create an upset in today’s encounter, he should be the one getting the decisive goal(s).

Ivory Coast - Yaya Toure: The Barcelona midfielder has been the architect of the Ivorian game pattern so far in this tournament. His ability to drag opponents away and create spaces for his teammates, as well as his ability to hold on to the ball, has been the determining factor of the Ivorian game so far. He will be instrumental to his team’s success today.

PREDICTION

This game should go in favor of the Ivorians; all the odds are stacked in favor of the Elephants. I do not really see the Guineans creating an upset in this encounter. Nonetheless, the Elephants can't rest on their laurels.

Ivory Coast 2-0 Guinea

Inter Eye Zabaleta And Casilla

2008-02-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

Inter are weighing up an approach to land Pablo Zabaleta from Espanyol at the end of the season and are also keeping an eye on young goalkeeper, Kiko Casilla.

The Italian giants have been linked with a move for the Argentinian full-back in the past, but are now preparing to make their interest more concrete.

A bid of around €6m will be Inter's starting gambit as Espanyol must brace themselves for a flock of their players being the subject of offers from other clubs.

Zabaleta is seen by Roberto Mancini's side as the player that could fill a missing place as Maicon likes to attack and Javier Zanetti can be empolyed more centrally.

The Espanyol defender would offer more stability as he is seen as a convnetional full-back that sits deep and does not power up field to help the forwards at every opportunity.
´
Inter are also said to be keeping an eye on the Barcelona-based club's young keeper Casilla as he has impressed several of Europe's top clubs since his day with Real Madrid's youth teams.

Also linked with a move away from los Periquitos is defender Marc Torrejón, who is the subject of increasing interest from the English Premier League.

Can 2008 Update : Ghana vs. Nigeria

2008-02-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

Only one of Ghana and Nigeria can progress to the semi-finals of this year's African Nations Cup.

Almost a year to the day, on a freezing night in the harrowing surroundings of Griffin Park, Brentford, you would have been forgiven for thinking you were in West Africa. At least that was the impression I got from the perplexed West London locals.

The occasion: An international friendly between Ghana and Nigeria.

The streets were coloured, the atmosphere was electric and to my personal delight Ghana triumphed 4-1 against the Super Eagles. In the game, every Ghanaian goal was greeted with a pitch invasion, and after the game Nigerian’s in and outside of the stadium were being abused in a good-natured way.

This Sunday, the occasion between these two rivals will dwarf the earlier friendly meeting, and fans are having sleepless nights just thinking about the consequences of defeat. This is without doubt the biggest rivalry in Africa, after the Ghanaians showed the Nigerians just how to play football.

The rivalry is not limited just to football, but to culture; economy; and social standing. It is a wonderful rivalry, with no elements of violence, but just a healthy distain and begrudging respect for each other. As a London-born Ghanaian I have been on the receiving end of abuse from my Nigerian compatriots and I have given it back.

A typical example of a day in the life of a Ghanaian - Nigerian fans rivalry would be a Ghanaian accusing Nigerians of coming to their country, stealing all the food, bringing their squad a fraudulent (admittedly world class) con-artist to rob people, while in their own country you will get shot for just minding your business! Nigerians will respond by saying Ghana is nothing without them, that they have no jobs in their own country so they come to Nigeria to live in a real thriving economy.

This massive game is just what this competition needs. I have watched from London with embarrassment and anger after each humiliation the competition has thrown. From the grass being the length of an abandoned public park; journalists being robbed and attacked; the abysmal floodlight failure; to the failure to reduce ticket prices for people who at the worst of times cannot afford to buy food!

It is amazing to think after four-plus years of planning; these incompetent dunderheads at CAF were unable to do things a six-year-old would have implemented!

Neither side has been convincing in the lead up to this game, but Ghana as winners of Group A are the favourites to end a 16-year wait for a competitive win against the Super Eagles (Man, I regret writing that!). Nigeria on the other hand has limped through to the quarter final, playing some of the worst football in the competition.

Berti Vogts and Claude Le Roy are fully aware that their jobs are on the line with a defeat, and the players’ houses and cars will also be under threat with a defeat.

On Sunday, Accra will be buzzing, just as London will be. At 5pm feeling a little bloated from the Joloff rice I will stuff in my face from 2pm, I will be jumping up and down like every Ghanaian. The consequences of defeat are unthinkable and with defeat, I will be in self imposed solitary confinement for around a month.

Overall, the two teams have met 59 times. Ghana lead with 24 wins to Nigeria’s 16, with the other 19 matches ending in draws.

Review written by A Ghanian's friend and I hope he eats his words

Barclays Premier League Weekend Preview: Round 25

2008-02-01T12:16:00.000-08:00

The midweek fixtures saw the top three all stay in touch of each other at the top, but also cracked open an interesting shell of teams chasing fourth spot. With Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool currently seventh, it looks like a tasty ending to the season for the neutral.

Mushtaq Quraishi looks ahead to another weekend of league football, with a number of away wins on the cards…

Saturday 2 February

Manchester City v Arsenal

Manchester City have not been playing to their full potential recently, with a defeat to Sheffield United in the FA Cup followed by a dull draw against bottom side Derby. The departures of strikers Samaras and Bianchi will no doubt have an effect on the side going forward, seeing as they haven’t got that many world-class attackers in the squad, particularly with the confusion surrounding Benjani. It seems as if the likes of Elano, Geovanni (if he ever plays!!) and Petrov will have to be at their very best and chip in with the goals if City are to have any chance of finishing fourth.

Arsenal have been brilliant since their shock Carling Cup defeat to local rivals Tottenham. Two consecutive 3-0 drubbings of Newcastle in the past week have got the Gunners back on track and they look well placed to challenge Manchester United at the top. Striker Adebayor is in hot form and should be gunning to grab another goal or two here.

Manchester City have been exceptional at home this season, though they are slowly losing that ‘fortress’ status. Nonetheless, Arsenal have recently discovered a new dimension to their game, that of hitting long balls to the forward men, which works effectively with Adebayor. I expect an Arsenal win.

Prediction: 0-1

Birmingham City v Derby County

Birmingham are one position above the drop-zone thanks to their goal difference. McLeish has discovered the challenge of managing a struggling side and it is up to him to get the team back on track. Birmingham are very disorganized at the back and don’t offer a lot going forward. But they have shown resilience earlier in the season and they will have to use their battling spirit during this tough game.

Derby are going down, but their performance against Manchester City shows they are improving under Paul Jewell. The Rams have brought in some experienced players of late just to get the belief going once again. Though they have only won one game this season, I think Jewell’s side have a good chance here, so long as they are confident and have a bit of belief in them.

Both sides are struggling and I would say Birmingham need the points more than Derby, seeing as Derby are all but relegated. However the Rams will make it hard for Birmingham, just as they have made life difficult for Manchester City, Newcastle etc. I tip Derby to scrape a rare win.

Prediction: 0-1

Blackburn Rovers v Everton

Blackburn Rovers have been out of the news recently, thanks to the chase for fourth spot between Liverpool, Villa, City and Everton. But I think Blackburn can also challenge for that final Champions League spot. They have shown at the beginning of the season that they are capable of going on good runs, keeping clean-sheets and scoring goals. Rovers are currently five points away from that much-wanted fourth spot and will have to ensure another good run should they wish to succeed this season.

Everton are holding on tight to that final Champions League berth, with a draw against the resurgent Spurs their last league result. Many Toffees fans will now be roaring their side on to qualify for the Champions League come the end of the season, thanks to their heroics in 2005, where they pipped local rivals Liverpool to that final CL spot. But they will need Yakubu back quickly if they are to achieve this, because they look slightly rusty going forward without the big man.

Both sides are equally matched, with Blackburn possibly the better off due to their lack of involvement in other competitions. I think a draw would be fair.

Prediction: 1-1

Portsmouth v Chelsea

Pompey’s defeat to Manchester United left them ninth in the table and six points away from fourth. Portsmouth have lost their grip on that spot due to absentees away on African Cup duty. However, they have brought in Milan Baros and Jermain Defoe to try and bring some experience to the squad going forward and I’m sure the former Liverpool man will show some creativity and add that spark to the side. As for the Champions League, I think it’s fair to say Portsmouth have little chance of making that now, however they should be pushing for a UEFA Cup spot at least.

Chelsea can play well, averagely or even badly and still get results. They have recently shown that they can also cope without experienced players through injuries, suspensions or international obligations. Overall, Grant’s side are hard to beat and though they should have thrashed Reading during the midweek game, they are still a brilliant outfit. Anelka is also looking more comfortable as time progresses and one can only wait for him and Drogba to form a lethal partnership, as soon as the latter comes back from African Nations Cup duty.

Portsmouth have been rubbish at home this season and have found it hard to score, which is one of the main reasons Baros and Defoe have been brought in. Chelsea are a hard-to-beat side so I expect them to battle it out for all three points here.

Prediction: 1-2

Reading v Bolton Wanderers

Reading are really in trouble now. They shouldn’t be lacking goals but they are and their defence is appalling. Arguably, their biggest problem is lack of creativity from midfield. Reading need to get back to basics and just pass the ball around a bit more, which will build their confidence up. They are going to struggle, yet I think they have enough to stay up.

Bolton are another team down in the dumps. They have accumulated 22 points this season and I would bring that all down to Nicolas Anelka, who has since gone to Chelsea. Without any real replacement for the Frenchman, one wonders where the goals are going to come from. It’s not even like their defence is good enough to keep clean sheets either. I think Bolton are likely to go down.

This is another six-pointer. Both sides have the same number of points, but Bolton have a much better goal difference than Reading. If Reading can create chances, they should win this game, but neither side is attractive to watch and I can only see a bore draw.

Prediction: 0-0

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United

With Hutton and Woodgate now at Tottenham, they should be a much more solid outfit, particularly at the back. Juande Ramos has sparked improvement at the club since his arrival and I think his quality buys during the transfer window should be trusted. Spurs now look raring to go and are trying to push for a late Uefa Cup spot. So long as the new players can adapt to the team quickly, I feel they can achieve a top six finish.

Manchester United are the in-team at the moment, with Cristiano Ronaldo clearly currently the world’s best player. The young Portuguese winger provides us with hours of entertainment and some real quality goals, but the question is how long will this continue? Well, even if Ronaldo does unexpectedly lose form, Fergie has enough match-winners in his side to keep him going. I expect United to win the league this season.

Spurs will make it harder for United than they did last week in the cup game, where they lost 3-1. I think it will be a tighter game with fewer chances, but I still think United will grab a late win.

Prediction: 1-2

Wigan Athletic v West Ham United

Wigan are a more battling side under Bruce and they showed their spirit during the FA Cup defeat to Chelsea recently. But they lack real cutting-edge and this could hurt their chances of survival. So it seems as if they will be involved in yet another dogfight and I fear they may go down. But, with a bit of thrill, they could climb the table.

West Ham’s win over Liverpool has shown how good they actually have been this season. The Hammers are in the top ten and deservedly so. They have a bit of bite about them and are good at holding teams back, as well as hitting them going forward. They will make a late attempt to secure a top-six finish, however, they could be a real force next season.

West Ham have been impressing all season whereas Wigan have been quite poor and inconsistent overall. West Ham seem to create more and play neater football, therefore they should get a win.

Prediction: 0-2

Liverpool v Sunderland

Liverpool are beginning to frustrate their fans now. The supporters are brilliant towards the manager and players, but despite us expecting the Reds to start winning games again, they simply fail to do so. Defeat to West Ham not only shows the quality of the League’s fringe sides this season, but also how far Liverpool have fallen back this campaign. I don’t feel rotation is much of a problem anymore, but the players are lacking belief and confidence. Also, why is Rafa still sticking with Dirk Kuyt? The Dutchman has surely proved he isn’t good enough to score goals and though he is a hard-worker, he isn’t carrying out the job for which he was bought.

Sunderland’s victory over Birmingham gives them a real lifeline in terms of staying up this season. The Black Cats look good enough to survive and a win here and there will keep them up. They didn’t play particularly well on the night but they will have to be at their best if they are to beat Liverpool.

Roy Keane’s whole aim for this game will be for his side to go out and frustrate an already frustrated Liverpool side! The Reds are playing badly at the moment and if Sunderland can take advantage of this they could end up winning the game or more realistically gaining a point. But, though they never seem to do so, I hope Liverpool can win this game!

Prediction: 2-0

Sunday 3 February

Newcastle United v Middlesbrough

Welcome back to Newcastle, Kevin! Kevin Keegan must really be wondering why he took his old job back. Newcastle’s back-to-back defeats to Arsenal have left us wondering whether they ever will improve. Of course Keegan will need time to sort his squad out, but he hasn’t exactly improved the squad since his arrival. I think Newcastle are just looking to finish mid-table this season but will try hard to achieve something in the following campaign.

Boro, the inconsistent side, are five points clear of the drop zone, so we could see them relax a bit over the next month. If they do, Newcastle will beat them. Boro haven’t really convinced they are that good this season and after letting Woodgate go I just can’t read what is happening at the club. They seem to just sell their best players but not replace them. I think they are very much still in relegation trouble, though they brought in Afonso Alves which should strengthen their attacking options.

I tip Newcastle to find a win here for the home faithful. The side will feel they can actually beat Boro, whilst Arsenal was quite a tall order. Boro are due a blip and I expect it to start here.

Prediction: 2-0

Fulham v Aston Villa

The Cottagers lack any half-decent players in their squad and are four points adrift of safety. They, like Derby, are edging closer and closer to certain relegation unless they win a handful of games on the trot, which they don’t have the quality to do. In other words - they are doomed!

Aston Villa are pushing for that fourth spot and of all the teams chasing (except Liverpool) I think they have the best chance. Martin O’Neill has a wonderfully talented side, but their only problem is lack of players. Nevertheless, the inclusion of nearly half a dozen Villa players in the England squad shows how much talent O’Neill’s side really have to display.

Villa have Agbonlahor, Young and Carew who are all lethal on the break and going forward. Their defence is solid as a rock, unlike Fulham’s. Villa should win comfortably.

Prediction: 0-2

Tottenham - Manchester Preview

2008-02-01T12:06:00.000-08:00

Ronaldo Continues To Amaze

United arrive at White Hart Lane in buoyant mood, sitting at the top of the Premier League after another double from Ronaldo gave the Red Devils another three points against Portsmouth in midweek.

Alex Ferguson described Ronaldo’s second goal on Wednesday night as the best free-kick he has seen in the Premier League.

Ronaldo is certainly the best player in England this season, and he will be confident of again scoring against Spurs, a team that he scored twice against last Sunday to knock Tottenham out of the FA Cup. That game finished 3-1 to United, although Spurs matched their illustrious opponents for large parts of the game.

Juande Ramos has improved Tottenham since he arrived, and has had a busy January in the transfer market, clinching deals for Brazilian left footer Gilberto, Rangers full-back Alan Hutton and England central defender Jonathan Woodgate to further improve his already strong squad.

Spurs Hoping For Improvement

Tottenham are in good form at home, and will offer a serious test to United, who have lost just once in their last 14 games in all competitions.

That defeat came in London at West Ham, and United have struggled for victories when they have travelled South of Birmingham so far this term, with only a win at Reading to show from four trips to the South.

United will be confident of improving that record at the Lane, having won on each of their last 6 visits here, including a memorable comeback in 2001, when United trailed their hosts 3-0 at half-time before smashing five second half goals without reply to complete a magnificent comeback.

There is unlikely to be eight goals this time, as Juande Ramos has worked hard to improve how Spurs defend. Woodgate made an impressive debut at Goodison Park in midweek, helping Spurs to a goalless draw at Everton, and the introduction of Radek Cerny in place of the error-prone Paul Robinson has steadied the nerves of Spurs fans everywhere.

Alex Ferguson was able to relax during January, knowing that his squad is brimming with ability, experience and desire. The club are still in three competitions and Ferguson himself has made tentative noises about the possibility of the club doing the second treble of his reign.

For now, however, United will just hope to stay ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea in the title race, and they know that they need to keep winning as neither of those clubs are showing any signs of fading away.

FORM GUIDE

Tottenham

30 Jan v Everton (A) DREW 0-0 (Prem)

27 Jan v Manchester United (A) LOST 1-3 (FA Cup)

22 Jan v Arsenal (H) WON 5-1 (League Cup)

19 Jan v Sunderland (H) WON 2-0 (Prem)

15 Jan v Reading (A) WON 1-0 (Prem)

12 Jan v Chelsea (A) LOST 0-2 (Prem)

Manchester United

30 Jan v Portsmouth (H) WON 2-0 (Prem)

27 Jan v Tottenham (H) WON 3-1 (FA Cup)

19 Jan v Reading (A) WON 2-0 (Prem)

12 Jan v Newcastle (H) WON 6-0 (Prem)

05 Jan v Aston Villa (A) WON 2-0 (FA Cup)

01 Jan v Birmingham (H) WON 1-0 (Prem)

TEAM NEWS

Tottenham

Captain Ledley King has missed the two previous games as he slowly returns from injury, and he may be able to partner new signing Jonathan Woodgate here. Fellow new boy Alan Hutton may debut after joining from Rangers. Reserve striker Darren Bent (knee), and defenders Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee), Gareth Bale (foot) and Young Pyo Lee (leg) are all definitely sidelined.

Last Starting XI (v Everton): Cerny; Chimbonda, Huddlestone, Woodgate, Gunter (Boateng 62); Lennon, Jenas, O’Hara, Malbranque; Berbatov, Keane.

Manchester United

United are almost at full strength with only Gary Neville (foot), Louis Saha (knee), Mikael Silvestre (knee) and Ben Foster (knee operation) missing from their star studded squad. Tevez, Giggs, Anderson and Hargreaves could return after sitting out the Portsmouth win in midweek.

Last Starting XI (v Portsmouth): Van der Sar; Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Nani, Scholes (Anderson 62), Carrick, Park; Rooney (Tevez 73), Ronaldo (Hargreaves 73).

Tottenham - Dimitar Berbatov

He has been persistently linked with a move to Old Trafford and it is not difficult to see why. Berbatov has the ability to open up the tightest of defences with his subtle touch and ability to do the unexpected. Ferdinand and Vidic will have their hands full with the Bulgarian and his skillful strike partner Robbie Keane.

Manchester United - Cristiano Ronaldo

The Portuguese winger has everything - pace, power, work rate and outstanding technical ability. Two more sumptuous strikes against Portsmouth during the week took his outrageous goal scoring return to a phenomenal 30 for club and country already this season, including 19 league goals. Spurs will have their work cut out to deal with him here as on present form Ronaldo appears unplayable.

PREDICTION

Spurs are unbeaten in six home games and they have improved immeasurably since the arrival of Ramos. This is a tricky fixture for the Champions, who may have to settle for a point after the highs of the midweek master-class against Pompey.

Tottenham 1-1 Manchester United

GHANA 2008 UPDATE

2008-02-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

Set aside the 'potato field', as Claude Le Roy so eloquently described the playing surface at Accra's national stadium, as well as the accreditation nightmare suffered by many journalists and, four breathless days into the tournament, the African Cup of Nations is living up to the hype.

Off the field, from colourful fans through eccentric goalkeeping to inspired celebrations, much of what was expected has been delivered. Between the white lines, however, many of the pre-tournament storylines have, thus far, failed to play out as forecast. The only thing predictable, it seems, is this tournament's unpredictability.

In the opening game, Ghana were indebted to an early contender for goal of the tournament for their Group A win over Guinea. Despite their absence of top-line strikers, Sulley Muntari's heroics in the long grass on Sunday mean the Black Stars favourites' tag remains.

However, Ghana's was a workmanlike win, unimpressive when compared to emphatic victories by two nations from the north of the African continent. Geography, history suggests, is often a key factor in deciding who takes home the trophy at this bi-annual event. Ghana are seeking to become the third straight home team to prevail but early evidence suggests that Morocco and Egypt are intent on bucking that trend.

Egypt came into the tournament as defending champions and yet little was expected of Hassan Shehata's side. How, though, the Pharaohs announced themselves in Group C, playing with a chip on their shoulder to demolish Cameroon, whose pre-tournament favorites tag has been replaced by one that says 'must do better'. Fortunately for them, in a group that also features Sudan and Zambia, the Indomitable Lions have chances to re-establish themselves.

For Egypt, Mohammed Zidan announced himself as an early candidate for the tournament's top scorer crown with two altogether different, yet equally impressive, goals. However, the Hamburg striker's brace was outshone by the exploits of Morocco's Soufiane Alloudi, who found the net three times in the first 28 minutes of the Lions of the Atlas' 5-1 Group C mauling of Namibia, who looked every bit like a nation playing at this level for just the second time.

Before it began, the most mouth-watering tie of the opening matches was undoubtedly Ivory Coast versus Nigeria. However, as is so often the case, the game failed to live up to its star billing. In fairness to both teams, stifling 35°C heat made a lively tempo difficult to maintain but, overall, this was a match that neither side would have chosen to kick off their campaign.

A moment of magic, hardly in-keeping with the rest of this uninspiring game, saw Ivory Coast take the honours. Salomon Kalou's own nomination for the tournament's best goal secured the points and the Elephants look set to control Group B.

Nigeria, by contrast, are a team with issues. Under a coach, Berti Vogts, who spoke out prior to the tournament about his exasperation with the way Nigerian football is run, this was a disjointed display that will do much to encourage Mali's belief that their qualification from Group B is possible.

Nigeria's forward line, boasting Kanu, Yakubu, Obafemi Martins and John Utaka, was starved of consistent service, as a lack of cohesion permeated through a Super Eagles' side devoid of the attacking flair with which it has traditionally been associated. Furthermore, critical comments about his teammates following the game from John Obi Mikel will have done little to boost morale.

In Group D, Senegal, one of the darlings of African football in the early part of this decade, looked set to announce themselves to the rest of the tournament with a win, only for another northern upstart, Tunisia, to peg them back.

Two years ago, Senegal scraped into the quarterfinals despite losing two of their three group games and their failure to dispose of their first opponent in Ghana suggests that, once again, the Lions of Teranga may fall just short of what it takes to go all the way. However, perhaps it is too early to make such statements, especially as Group D is wide open following South Africa's draw with Angola.

Thus, with each team having played one game, what is certain is that this is a tournament, which could be won by a number of its participants. But the knockout stages are the time to evaluate who will be celebrating in Accra on 10 February. For now, for the unfancied teams especially, enjoyment and entertainment appear to be the key motivation.

In the opening eight games of the tournament, 23 goals were scored. In the 2006 World Cup, the same number of games featured 18 goals, one more strike than was yielded in the opening eight ties of Euro 2004.

Certainly, some questionable goalkeeping and playing surfaces, not to mention a ball that does some funny things when airborne are a number of factors, which can be pointed to for this offensive output.

However, perhaps the most pleasing reason for the attacking play stems from the collective desires of many teams to attack, which is often fueled by individuals keen to impress the many watching scouts in the hope of securing a big-money transfer. Even more impressive is that it is some of the underdogs that are barking loudest at their opponent's goal.

Who would have predicted that, four days into the 26th Cup of Nations, Morocco would have scored more goals than Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria combined? Or that Hosni Abd Rabo would have two goals while messrs Drogba, Yakubu and Diouf have none? Or, and this is almost as pleasing as the attacking play, not a single red card has been shown?

The referees have let the players play and all who have observed - journalists apart, perhaps - have reaped the viewing benefits. Long may it continue.

The two worst teams in England

2008-02-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

The averages are scarcely flattering. Preston North End muster less than a point and a goal a game in the Championship. Yet, in encountering a Premier League team for the first time this season, they scored four times and won away from home. But then again, their opponents were Derby.

In a season of four, five and six-goal thrashings, it confounded logic by establishing a new low. Exclude penalty shootouts and Derby have won a solitary game this season yet a 4-1 defeat to a side who may be bound for League One seemed implausible, even by their standards.

Maintain their current, remarkable rate of progress and they would end the season with 12 points and the Premier League's least desirable record. Their American owners imagine a rosy future, but the present is less pleasant and there are two reasons to believe that even an eventual tally of 12 is optimistic.

Because Derby have only managed one from their nine games under Paul Jewell, suggesting they will pick up just two more in the remainder of the season. And four of their current haul of seven have generously been donated by Newcastle United, an indictment of Sam Allardyce's regime and a cause of regret at Pride Park that a third game against the Magpies cannot be scheduled this season.

As history of the worst sort beckons, it prompts the question if Derby are the Premier League's poorest ever side. They will not, unlike Swindon, concede 100 goals but unlike some other disparaged sides such as Barnsley, it appears impossible they will combine relegation with respectability. And a secondary question in the anatomy of a catastrophe is, of course, that of where it all went wrong. Perhaps the most obvious answer is: at Wembley in May, when Stephen Pearson slid in the promotion-clinching goal against West Brom. With the benefit of hindsight, Billy Davies' incessant talk about a three-year plan makes more sense.

But a turning point occurred in their third match, at White Hart Lane. Having acquitted themselves respectably in the opening two, Davies decided to reinstate a second striker - in the form of club record buy Robert Earnshaw - against a smarting Spurs side. A more attacking approach exposed Derby's limitations and left them three goals behind in a quarter of an hour.

The Carling Cup exit to Blackpool the following week further deterred transfer targets and reinforced the impression Derby were doomed. Perhaps the downward momentum had begun even earlier, with a missed chance by Steve Howard at Manchester City, shortly before Michael Johnson scored the decisive goal.

And it is impossible to overlook Davies' summer spending. Having bought so astutely in the Championship, the Scot was criminally wasteful in the higher division. Indeed while Earnshaw, the £3.5million striker without a league goal, ranks as the worst acquisition, others reflected a lack of understanding of the division. Journeymen with a crippling lack of pace, such as Andy Griffin, Andy Todd and Eddie Lewis, were added yet Davies, who varied his tactics intelligently in the Championship, often matched Premier League sides by playing 4-4-2, pitching his players into individual races they were rarely likely to win.

Moreover, there was widespread recognition within football of their players' shortcomings. Derby received enquiries last summer for both Howard and Darren Moore from clubs assuming their valiant service in earning promotion would not delude Davies that they were top-flight players. Moore's admirers were particularly surprised to learn that he was still regarded as a first choice.

Indeed, it is an indication of their overachievement that the captain, Matt Oakley, and last season's top scorer, Howard, have now joined a side in the lower half of the Championship, Leicester City. Yet, though they have come close to procuring three points at Newcastle and one each against Liverpool, Bolton and Wigan, an overhaul in personnel has not brought a commensurate change in results and the nucleus of Derby's squad, with the coveted Giles Barnes probably the only exception, should remain together in the Championship.

And in comparisons of the Premier League's least impressive members, it is instructive. Watford accumulated 28 points last year but must figure on any shortlist of the most ill-suited sides to the highest division, if only for their dire adherence to long-ball tactics. But in Ashley Young, now flourishing at Aston Villa, they contained a talent while, rather more questionably, Hameur Bouazza and Marlon King have been granted a return to the top flight, along with Ben Foster, only on loan anyway.

The feat of the Sunderland side who laboured their way to 19 points in 2003 is all the more noteworthy because they had been an established Premier League team, featuring a core of players - Thomas Sorensen, Michael Gray, Gavin McCann, Claudio Reyna, Kevin Kilbane, Tore Andre Flo and Kevin Phillips - who had excelled in the upper echelons of the division before. Their case lies on the scale of the collective underachievement and the levels of mismanagement involved to falter so badly.

Sunderland's second contender, however, was a team comprised almost entirely of lower-league players. Indeed, some almost appeared to have been recruited for that reason, to avoid disrupting the dressing-room equilibrium. As an eventual total of 15 points in 2005/6 suggests, there was a sheer inevitability to their relegation and only Julio Arca and George McCartney remained in the Premier League. An inability to win at home until April marked them out as the division's worst team to date.

Yet that haul of 15 points, including one against Manchester United, starts to assume a might of its own. Derby's is now an uphill task to ascend to that level, having located a new low below Sunderland's status.

And in the roll call of the rubbish and the pantheon of the poor, Derby may yet achieve another distinction. With six January recruits, three of whom faced Preston, and no discernible improvement, they could complete the season with virtually an entirely different team.

And in the process, theirs might be a season of two halves - each featuring a separate side that is the worst in Premier League history.

Wenger: Becks Still Had It In Training

2008-02-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

Arsene Wenger admitted he was 'amazed by how good' David Beckham was during his recent month-long training stint with Arsenal.

The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder spent four weeks with the Gunners in a bid to retain his fitness following the conclusion of the Major League Soccer season.

The 32-year-old has not played a competitive game since England's defeat against Croatia in November but was determined to prove his fitness to Fabio Capello as he prepared to name his first squad as national team manager for next week's game with Switzerland.

However, Beckham was the headline omission from the England squad with Capello citing the former national team skipper's lack of match fitness as he sought to win his 100th cap.

Wenger, though, admitted he had been very impressed by the former Real Madrid and Manchester United player.

He told Arsenal TV Online: 'He worked with us for four weeks.

'We gave him the first two weeks exclusively on fitness work with (fitness coach) Tony Colbert.

'After (that) he was with us in and out but in the third week he was a lot with us

'And we were all amazed how good he was.'

The Arsenal manager also believes that because Beckham is so important for England that he will return to win his century of caps.

'I believe the English national team still needs Beckham because he can still make decisions and his experience will be needed in the big games and that is why I am sure he will get his 100th cap.'

Wenger also paid tribute to the fight and resilience Beckham has shown throughout his career and which convinces the Gunners chief he will return to the England team.

He continued: 'First of all Capello picks on the performances - that is what I rate and what I pick is right.

'I believe that what is in Beckham's mind is that I would like to get the 100th cap on performance and on merit not on sentiment.

'Having worked with Beckham here I must say one thing. He has worked extremely hard, that this guy will not give up and will continue to fight.

'The second thing I believe as well is that it would be unfair to Beckham to give Beckham the 100th cap just because you have done well, let's give you one.

'This guy deserves a lot of credit, every day he was first out, last in and give him competitive games with LA Galaxy and he will fight for his 100th cap.'

Premier League bosses in deadline day scramble

2008-01-31T04:07:00.000-08:00

Premier League clubs have until midnight tonight to bolster their squads this season as the January transfer window closes.

A number of possible moves were still in the pipeline this morning, with Middlesbrough waiting to hear whether they would be able to sign Heerenveen's Afonso Alves for a club record fee.

The Brazilian striker was in the crowd at the Riverside for Tuesday night's Premier League victory over Wigan and has appealed a decision to reject his application for a work permit.

Manchester City face a similar problem in their bid to recruit Nashat Akram and were waiting to see whether the Home Office would reconsider its decision to refuse the Iraq midfielder a work permit.

Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has been on the lookout for a goalscorer all month and is reportedly eyeing up Portsmouth's Benjani Mwaruwari.

It is thought too Eriksson could be close to tying up a deal for FC Basle striker Felipe Caicedo.

Even though he is only 19, Caicedo has international experience and represented Ecuador at the Copa America last year.

Eriksson needs to boost his attacking options after letting under-performing Georgios Samaras and Rolando Bianchi join Celtic and Lazio on loan respectively.

Sunderland boss Roy Keane has made a late bid to sign Charlton midfielder Andy Reid. It is understood the Black Cats have tabled an offer in the region of £4million for the 25-year-old Republic of Ireland international.

Fulham's hopes of making Rangers striker Daniel Cousin their fifth January signing also hang in the balance after FIFA claimed yesterday they had still to make a decision on his £3million transfer.

Cousin played 20 minutes of league football as a substitute for French club Lens before completing his summer switch to Rangers and FIFA regulations forbid a player from playing for more than two clubs in one season.

Although midnight on January 31 is the official cut-off point for transfers, special dispensation to complete signings beyond that deadline can be sought.

Newcastle appeared set to make a host of signings following the return of Kevin Keegan as manager but he admitted yesterday he may end the month without making a single purchase.

Keegan must decide whether to make an improved offer for Derby midfielder Giles Barnes after seeing a bid rejected by the Premier League's bottom club this week.

Rams manager Paul Jewell has revealed he would be prepared to sell at the right price.

Keegan has already been snubbed by Jonathan Woodgate, who chose to leave Middlesbrough for Tottenham and the Magpies boss had been expected to turn elsewhere for defensive reinforcements.

Spurs finally put an end to the Alan Hutton transfer saga yesterday by signing the full-back from Rangers for a fee believed to be in the region of £9million.

He could yet be joined at White Hart Lane by Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing, if Spurs make a formal approach for the wantaway winger.

That decision could be influenced Wayne Routledge's move to Aston Villa.

Routledge became Villa first signing of the month when he agreed an 18-month deal in a transfer believed to be around £1.5million.

Villa boss Martin O'Neill is also being linked with a £2.2million move for goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who plays for MLS side Chivas USA as well as Spurs full-back Pascal Chimbonda.

Bolton last night won the race to sign Aston Villa central defender Gary Cahill, in a deal believed to be worth around £5million.

The young centre-back has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Reebok Stadium, after weeks of uncertainty surrounding his future.

GHANA 2008 PREVIEW : Tunisia VS Angola

2008-01-31T03:14:00.000-08:00

The Carthage Eagles will have their hands full in this encounter against a team that had until fairly recently been regarded as “minnows” in the continent’s football scene.

However, the omens are good. The Tunisians showed predatory abilities to pounce on some very slack defending by the South Africans in their last group game, with Yassine Chikhaoui the chief tormentor for the eventual victors.

In truth, the Bafana Bafana players did not show enough determination on the day, and during the only period that they made attempts on the Tunisian goal, the inexperienced strike-force squandered the chances.

That masked the fact that the Tunisian defence is a nervous one, with their penchant for committing unnecessary errors posing a serious threat to their campaign. This lapse could become very important when they face the strong strike force of the Angolans in today’s encounter.

Coach Roger Lemerre has disciplinary concerns, with strikers Francileudo Dos Santos, Kamel Zaiem, defender Ben Fraj and midfielder Mejdi Traoui all one booking away from missing out on a possible quarter-final encounter against powerhouses Cameroon or Egypt.

However, he has pacy and skillful striker Amine Chermiti back for this one, after he served his two-match ban for a red card he received in the team’s last qualifying game.

The striker will have to watch his temperament though, as the referee who was responsible for issuing his red card, Coffi Codja, will officiate today's game.

The Tunisians will come into this encounter knowing that a draw will be good enough for them to progress through to the quarter final stage but can they get it? Or will they go the way of Mali? We'll find out today.

Angolan Hope

With three goals in only two games for his country at the tournament so far, Manucho is looking every inch a legend in the making.

The Palancas Negras came into this tournament as veritable dark horses, and have become a dreaded force after two fantastic displays against South Africa and group favorites Senegal.

There is no guessing how far this team will go in the championship, and with their determined and exquisite brand of football, the Angolans have proven themselves to be a team worthy of respect.

Coach Oliviera Goncalves’s decision to leave out star midfielder Figueiredo in favour of Andre in the game against Senegal seemed to have paid great dividends as the team appeared to be highly inspired, bossing the midfield with ease.

The team will go into this game also knowing a draw should get them through, but the pressure is more on Tunisia's shoulders, as they are still favourites.

There are club rivalries at play in this one, with Al Ahli’s Flavio and Gilberto set to face some members of the Etoile du Sahel squad that denied them the CAF champion’s league last year.

The Tunisians have history on their side however with regards to confrontation between the two sides in the past. The sides have met on four occasions previously, with the Tunisians winning three times and the other game ending in a draw.

TEAM NEWS

TUNISIA

With the availability of Amine Chermiti, it would seem Roger Lemerre would want to keep Dos Santos on the bench for this game, considering the Brazilian-born forward's booking. But how Chermiti bonds with the team is another worry for the French coach.

Majdi Traoui ,who is also on a yellow card, will surely be replaced by the strong Chaker Zouaghi in the middle of the pack. Also, Jaohar Mnari, who suffered a slight knock in the game against South Africa should return to the left side of midfield.

In goal we should expect to see Hamdi Kasraoui, who has so far conceded three goals in the tournament.

The defence is set to see Radhouane Felhi replacing Ben Fraj ,since he is also on a yellow card. He should pair up with skipper Radhi Jaidi. Swiss-based Yassine Mikari and Karim Hagui should complete the defence line-up.

The midfield should be headed by Medhi Nafti, along with Chaker Zouaghi and Jawhar M’Nari.

Mohammed Amine Chermiti should return to the attack, joining Issam Jemaa in the starting line up. The impressive Yassine Chakaoui should come on later in the encounter.

Roger Lemerre is set to send out a 4-4-2 formation for this one.

Squad

Hamdi Kasraoui (Espérance Tunisia), Adel Nefzi (Clubafricain, Tunisia), Aymen Mathlouthi (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia), Wissem Abdi (Zamalek, Egypt), Sabeur Ben Frej (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia), Karim Hagui (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany), Yassine Mikari (Grasshopper, Switzerland), Seif Ghezal (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia) Mehdi Meriah (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia), Radhouane Felhi (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia), Radhi Jaidi (Birmingham City, England), Wissem Bekri (Espérance, Tunisia), Chaouki Ben Saada (FC Bastia, France), Jawhar M'Nari (FC Nuremberg, Germany), Mehdi Nafti (Birmingham City, England), Kamel Zaiem (Espérance, Tunisis), Chaker Zouaghi (Locomotive Moscow, Russia), Majdi Traoui (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia), Yassine Chikhaoui (FC Zurich), Silva Dos Santos (FC Toulouse, France), Issam Jemaa (FC Caen, France), Mohamed Amine Chermiti (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia), Mehdi Ben Dhifallah (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia)

ANGOLA

Coach Oliviera Goncalves would be impressed with the performance of his side in the comeback victory over Senegal, and we should expect him to send out almost the same squad. The probable exclusions could be Flavio and talented midfielder Andre, based on the yellow cards they picked up in the Senegal clash.

In between the goal posts we should expect to see Joao Lama, who has done well so far for the Angolans.

The defence is likely to be marshaled by Rui Marques and Kali, with Marco Airosa and Yamba Asha providing support from the flanks.

In the midfield we should expect the return of team skipper Figueiredo, who would be joined by Ze Kalanga, Mendonca and Gilberto.

The attack line is set to have star forward Manucho, probably alongside Mateus of Boavista.

Squad

Lama (Petro Atletico), Mario (InterClube), Nuno (AS Aviacao), Marco Airosa (Fatima), Delgado (Metz), Jamba (AS Aviacao), Kali (FC Sion), Loco (Primeiro Agosto), Machado (Anadia), Rui Marques (Leeds United), Yamba Asha (Petro Atletico), Andre (Kuwait SC), Dede, Edson (both Pacos Ferreira), Figueiredo (Osters), Gilberto (Al Ahly), Maurito (Kuwait SC), Mendonca (Estrela Amadora), Ze Kalanga (Boavista), Flavio (Al Ahly), Love (Primeiro Agosto), Manucho (Petro Atletico), Mateus (Boavista)

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tunisia - Chermiti Amine: The 20-year-old has been raring to go at this tournament, but has been restricted by his suspension. He has the pace and a skill to trouble any defence, and was largely responsible for Etoile du Sahel’s success at last year’s African Champions League.

Angola - Manucho: Who can doubt the prolific nature of this Manchester United-bound youngster? He has shown some great composure in front of goal so far, and with the possible exclusion of Flavio from the squad, he will be the player Angolans would be looking up to for the goals.

PREDICTION

This game is sure going to be a cracker, against all odds: With both sides knowing a draw would just be sufficient to take them through; expectations would be that they would both take it easy with each other. But I don’t expect that to happen in this game today. Pride, and first place, are at stake.

The battle for the midfield will be intense, and the winner of that battle should deservedly win the war. I would give this encounter to the Angolans: they have grown with each game, and there teamplay seems to have developed rapidly as well. They have a very good understanding of each other, and that is an essential attribute for success.

Tunisia 1 - 2 Angola

Moyes Calls For Prem African Shutdown

2008-01-30T23:25:00.000-08:00

Everton gaffer David Moyes has called for a Premier League shut-down during future African Cup of Nations tournaments...

In an ideal world, the bigwigs would have the African showpiece moved to the European off-season. These calls were rebuffed, though, by the Confederation of African Football, who are unwilling to make this compromise.

David Moyes is without Joseph Yobo, Ayegbeni Yakubu and Stephen Pienaar during this crucial period of matches. With the Toffees pushing for a European place this term, Moyes is of the opinion that the Premier League should accommodate the Cup of Nations instead.

"You cannot win. But maybe now we have to consider if we close the Premier League season down during the African Nations Cup," Moyes told AFP.

"That would be the correct respect for Africa and the players in it.

"If we want to bring players in from that part of the world we should be rightly allowed to do so, which we are, but it is not a fair playing field if you cannot field your best team."

Indeed, the fixture problems aren’t limited to Europe and Africa. Everton midfielder Tim Cahill may soon be on Australia duty, with FIFA clearly struggling to correlate the world football calendar.

"I think it's ridiculous that someone has to fly halfway around the world in between two league matches at this stage of the season," said Moyes.

"But Tim has to make the decision on whether he goes to play for Australia or not. He has got a hamstring injury just now so we will have to see if that hinders him in any way."

Calcio Debate: Del Piero – Trezeguet & Great Forward

2008-01-30T23:12:00.000-08:00

On Sunday evening Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet once again showed just how outstanding their forward partnership is by sharing another three goals between them. Carlo Garganese asks where the Juve-duo rank with some of the great Serie A partnerships of the past…

Anyone who saw David Trezeguet’s second goal against Livorno a couple of nights ago will surely have stood up and applauded the telepathic link-up play between the Frenchman and strike-partner Alessandro Del Piero.

Since the year 2000 when Trezeguet first joined Juve, the pair have been terrorising opposition defences, scoring goals galore virtually every season.

The level of consistency over a period of nearly eight years is something quite extraordinary. Below is the total of combined goals scored by Trez and Del every season from 2000.

2000/01: 24

2001/02: 53

2002/03: 36

2003/04: 36

2004/05: 31

2005/06: 49

2006/07: 38

2007/08 (so far): 23

In total, according to the figures above, Del Piero and Trezeguet have hit 290 goals between them.

When you consider that Filippo Inzaghi was first-choice for large portions of Trezeguet’s first season, while Del Piero was often substitute or substituted during Fabio Capello’s time in charge, then this accumulation is even more impressive.

Then of course there are injuries to consider, as well as the fact that Trezeguet doesn’t take penalties, although of course this is perhaps countered by the fact that Del Piero does.

Many have always doubted whether Del Piero and Trezeguet were really made to be a partnership. Neither is renowned for their physical strength, nor for their ability to hold up the ball, or most importantly for their pace.

Some top strikers have also joined Juventus over the past eight years, probably to give Juve an extra dimension in this sense.

The likes of Marco Di Vaio, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and most recently Vincenzo Iaquinta have all threatened to lead to the downfall of one of the pair.

Di Vaio had an excellent start to his career in Turin in 2002, but soon fell off the radar as it became obvious that he was no match for either of Trezeguet or Del Piero.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined in 2004 and soon became a favourite of Fabio Capello, who clearly preferred the Swede to Del Piero.

Although Ibra was outstanding in his first season, scoring 15 Serie A goals, everyone will remember that he couldn’t hit a barn door in his second campaign, netting just seven times.

Meanwhile Del Piero, who as mentioned above was often used as a substitute (or substituted early in the second half), still managed to score just one less than Ibrahimovic in the latter’s first season (in fact two more if you include Champions League goals), while in 2005/06 he hit the back of the net 20 times in total. Trezeguet meanwhile smashed in 45 during these two years.
This sequence has continued this current campaign. Vincenzo Iaquinta was brought in from Udinese and in truth has made an excellent start to his Juve career. The 28-year-old even dislodged Del Piero as a first-choice starter for a while.

However it soon became clear once again that Iaquinta could not match the [goalscoring] consistency of Del Piero and Trezeguet, and it was only a matter of time until the old partnership was resumed.

At the age of 33 and 30 respectively, the duo are still going very strong, and have already hit 23 goals between them this season, particularly impressive when you consider how weak and embarrassingly uncreative Juventus’ midfield currently is.

At times it is true that Del Piero and Trezeguet do not seem like they are well-suited to each other and a lack of pace can be a problem in some games.

However statistics do not lie and when the partnership is finally broken up for good, the pair will surely go down as one of Serie A’s great deadly duo’s.

Some Great Duo’s From The Past (note these are not necessarily both centre-forwards. They could be two players, like Michel Platini and Paolo Rossi, who just had an outstanding understanding together)

Andriy Shevchenko & Filippo Inzaghi (Milan)

Alessandro Del Piero & Filippo Inzaghi (Juventus)

Giuseppe Signori & Pierluigi Casiraghi (Lazio)

Fabrizio Ravanelli & Gianluca Vialli (Juventus)

Gabriel Batistuta & Francesco Baiano (Fiorentina)

Marco Van Basten & Daniele Massaro (Milan)

Roberto Mancini & Gianluca Vialli (Sampdoria)

Diego Maradona & Careca (Napoli)

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge & Alessandro Altobelli (Inter)

Michel Platini & Paolo Rossi (Juventus)

Francesco Graziani & Paolo Pulici (Torino)

Roberto Bettega & Roberto Boninsegna (Juventus)

Angelo Sormani & Pierino Prati (Milan)

Omar Sivori & John Charles (Juventus)

Ronaldo Reclaims His Spot As Penalty King

2008-01-27T19:51:00.000-08:00

Cristiano Ronaldo rediscovered his confidence from the penalty spot in the FA Cup fourth round against Tottenham and insisted he had no problem in stepping up to take the kick

Last month the Portuguese winger suffered the ignominy of missing a penalty in Man United's 2-1 victory over West Ham but when he was asked by MUTV if this was playing on his mind when he put the ball on the spot in his side's 3-1 win over Spurs he replied: "To be honest, no."

"Sometimes you score, sometimes you miss," he continued, philosophically. "I wasn't thinking about West Ham - that's in the past. I needed to think about the present.

"My confidence is always positive. I took a good penalty and I scored. I'm very happy, my colleagues are happy... everyone is happy."

The player did, however, admit that his side didn't have it all their own way against an organised and threatening Tottenham.

"The game was very difficult," added Ronaldo, who scored two goals in an otherwise average performance by his standards.

"We knew before the game it would be tough because Spurs are a good team and they were coming to Old Trafford with confidence after beating Arsenal in their last match.

"But I think we played better (than Spurs) and we deserved to win."

Ronaldo's two strikes took his tally of goals for the season to 25, two more than his total for the whole of the last campaign.

"I'm having a great season and I need to carry it on. But the most important thing is the team is playing very well, we are top of the league and in the next round of the FA Cup," he concluded.

Super Eagles Become Super Vultures

2008-01-27T19:38:00.001-08:00

Nigeria relinquished the Cup of Nation against Mali in a crucial tie on Thursday by failing to win when it mattered the most.

The Super Eagles were once famed for killing teams off themselves. Now, after that capitulation to Mali, the birds can only fly to the next round if the Ivory Coast do them a favour in the final set of group matches. The eagles, then, need someone else to do their killing: they are now vultures.

It was indeed the worst performance of Nigeria since the introduction of this cup. Nigeria missed key Kanu through injury, but also lacked preparation and were unable to match Malian's skill, mental strength and desire. For Mali, salvaging the pointwas a matter of personal and national pride which the Super Eagles couldn't match.

Nigeria is a powerhouse in African football and the national side is ranked number one in the African continent. But after the performance, the status has diminished and rightly so the “Super Eagles” turned to ordinary vultures. In order to win this the match, they needed fire-power, and star studded players had to perform. The defence wasn't up to much either, but these were the two main areas of failure. Nigerian strikers failed to find the net in the second consecutive game, and Yakubu didn’t look like the Yakubu we see in Premier League every week.

In the last fifteen minutes, they showed their desperation to break the deadlock. For this, everyone moved forward and tried their best to beat the ticking clock. But desperation and panic is not the way game is played. Tournament football needs clear cut plans and strategies are made in order to cope with situations like this. When such designs exist, they produces fruitful results. For Nigeria, there were no team work and nobody was ready to take the lead, and no plan was forthcoming.

The heat was another factor in the poor scoreline, and in some ways an avoidable one. Nigerian, they were trained mostly in Nigeria and Spain which, will not cold countries, lacked the exact tournament conditions of Ghana. In addition, they played their preparatory games with European countries instead playing with their continental fellows.

As if to show the lack of ideas in the Nigerian camp, Jon Mikel Obi expressed his nervousness when he was interviewed after the match. When asked about Nigeria’s chances, his first reaction was, “I don’t know”. When asked about Kanu’s absence, again it was, “I don’t know”.

I personally like the way Mali came into this match. They made every effort to snatch the point, and this they did. Mali were more dangerous and difficult than Nigeria - even though in some areas their squad is weaker. They hit the targets well and were pushing very hard from start to finish.

Nigeria, on the other hand, scarcely earned the tag “Super Eagles”. Once upon a time they were called that, because in many ways they resembled one, hunting in destructive packs. But after this defeat, Nigeria must adapt to a diet of dead animals as would vultures. Their fate lies in the hands of Ivory Coast, in that they need the Ivorians to kill Mali's chances. Having to rely on results elsewhere is hardly becoming of an eagle.

Nigeria have one of the best strike forces in Africa and they have lot of talent but when it comes to backroom coaching, yet the squad does not work as it should. It’s not about players, it’s not about coaches, it’s about football administration and Nigerian have to put their administration in order. That will see an effect that works its way down from management to players, and finally result in some teamplay.

With World Cup 2010 not too far away, Nigeria is a force to whom the continent will look for success. But with this sort of performance, expectations will be lowered significantly.

The future of Nigerian football seems to be very bleak. I take pity on Nigerian supporters.

FA CUP UPDATE : Arsenal 3 Vs Newcastle 0

2008-01-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

Normal service has been resumed.

While this straightforward victory over Newcastle in the FA Cup Fourth Round may not obliterate the memory of that 5-1 beating at Tottenham in midweek, it will at least help Arsène Wenger's side settle into their old and familiar winning groove.

Newcastle arrived at Emirates Stadium with ambition, determined to take advantage of any Carling Cup hangover. Their industrious game-plan worked to an extent and this lively tie was well-balanced until Emmanuel Adebayor rifled home the opening goal five minutes into the second period.

But after that Arsenal took over and the Togolese frontman secured a berth in the Fifth Round with a second seven minutes from time. Then, just before the end, Nicky Butt touched Cesc Fabregas' free-kick into his own net.

The scoreline was harsh on Newcastle who played a full part in proceedings.
But, at full time, the home side's now traditional huddle was back in evidence as was Arsenal's efficiency.

Wenger's men move onwards and upwards not only in the FA Cup but from Tuesday night.

The manager retained four players from midweek Abou Diaby, Justin Hoyte, Theo Walcott and Willaim Gallas. Philippe Senderos returned at centre back, Mathieu Flamini and Fabregas were restored to central midfield with Tomas Rosicky on the left while Emmanuel Adebayor was back up front. Jens Lehmann took over the No 1 spot at the expense of Lukasz Fabianski.

Well that is the way Arsenal started anyway. Within 10 minutes Rosicky was forced off with an injury and Eduardo came on. The Croatian joined Adebayor up front and Walcott dropped to the right flank.

It was a not massive change. The game had barely settled down. Newcastle had caused slight consternation from a corner and the stretching Fabregas had nearly touched Gael Clichy's chipped through-ball past Shay Given. But that was about it. Still, there was drive and ambition in abundance from both sides.

Keegan's return had not been triumphant last weekend against Bolton. Gary Megson's underrated outfit had held them to drab goalless draw at St James' Park. Today they were much more vibrant.

In the 14th minute, Charles N'Zogbia's run won a corner. He took it himself and Alan Smith's first time shot was headed off the line by Gael Clichy. A couple of minutes later Stephen Carr and Smith combined on the right only for the resulting cross to flash across the area with Michael Owen in close attendance.

The game was starting to sparkle. Clichy's shot was batted away by Given and then Diaby cracked an effort well wide.

In the 23rd minute, Diaby's attempted pass was half-blocked. The bounce fooled Steven Taylor and Eduardo pounced to lash a shot goalwards. Given saved spectacularly. In the minutes that followed the Irishman made a more mundane save and an unmarked Eduardo miscued his header at the near post.

Arsenal's response had been heartening and it was shaping up to be a wonderful FA Cup tie. While Havant & Waterlooville were doing their best to play out the classic David and Goliath scenario this was more like Clash of the Titans.

On the half-hour, Fabregas cleverly sent Walcott through on the right of the area but the winger's teasing cross trickled unconverted across the face of goal.

Duff's tenacity won a corner at the other end as Newcastle threatened once more but Arsenal's response saw Adebayor nudge a header just wide. It was end-to-end stuff.

However as the game neared half time, the visitors' end came under more pressure. Fabregas fired an angled shot wide and, on the whistle, Given tipped over from Diaby's piledriver.

The interval had come at the wrong time for Arsenal. They were just building up a head of steam and, if anything, Newcastle had enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges when the home side took the lead in the 51st minute.

Eduardo received the ball in space on the edge of the area and cleverly opened up his body to curl an effort against the base of the post. The ball rebounded to Adebayor who cut inside his marker and rifled a shot into the far corner of the net.

The Togolese striker has had a tough week, his sliding knee celebration had all the hallmarks of a relieved man.

It was also Arsenal's 100th goal at Emirates Stadium.

Adebayor nearly added another second soon afterwards but, after collecting Diaby's pass in the area, he was dispossessed at the vital second.

The goal had seemingly dented Newcastle's self-belief and they spent the next 10 minutes on the back foot. Once they had gathered themselves Damian Duff continued to menace the Arsenal defence. However there was now an ominous air about the home side.

In the 69th minute Fabregas touched on a Clichy cross and the swivelling Eduardo had a goalbound shot blocked. Newcastle were now spent force. They had played their part in a lively tie but the latter stages of the game were dictated by Arsenal's pursuit of a second goal.

It arrived six minutes from time when Adebayor skipped past a couple of Newcastle defenders and drilled a low shot past Given.

As full time approached, Nicky Butt nodded a Fabregas free-kick past his own keeper.
That was harsh on the Keegan's side.

But, as Tuesday night had proved, the scoreline does not always entirely reflect the nature of the game.

Anelka Off The Mark As Chelsea Edge Wigan

2008-01-26T11:59:00.000-08:00

Wigan Athletic 1-2 Chelsea

Nicolas Anelka scored one and made one as Chelsea overcame Wigan to advance to round five of the FA Cup.

Nicolas Anelka made the difference in this largely disappointing FA Cup fourth round tie at the JJB Stadium.

After a truly drab opening 45 minutes, the visitors took the lead as their new £15m man stabbed home Belletti’s through ball.

Shaun Wright-Phillips doubled Chelsea’s lead late on before a stunning goal from Antoine Sibierski ensured an entertaining final few minutes.

First Half

The fans clearly couldn’t be bothered with this game, perhaps due to it being televised (though why this match got the TV nod over Liverpool vs. Havant & Waterlooville only the BBC know). But despite the half empty stands both managers showed their commitment to the cup by selecting strong sides.

Avram Grant named the same XI that won at Everton: a staggered midfield formation with Makélélé holding and Anelka as a lone target man. Unsurprisingly, there was no spot on the bench for Ashley Cole post hairdresser-gate. Steve Bruce, meanwhile, replaced the recently departed Danny Landzaat with Ryan Taylor.

Chelsea could, and perhaps should have had the ball in the net within 50 seconds: Sidwell pierced the Latics defence, finding Joe Cole who beat Kirkland but fired wide. Taylor then tested Cech down the field. Chelsea maintained possession for large spells but found ball control tricky on the churned JJB surface.

Joe Cole exhibited occasional moments of skill, at one point dancing past numerous challenges to find Anelka, who stumbled in the box and rightly received no penalty. Wigan, perhaps wary of the visitors’ ability to break at pace, sat incredibly deep, enticing Chelsea to mount further pressure. But the Latics almost created something as Heskey played through Marcus Bent – the excellent Wayne Bridge was alert to the danger.

The home side attempted forays down the wings, trying to launch crosses into the box, but Chelsea’s fullbacks – impressive both pushing forward and tracking back – continuously harrowed and closed down the play. Wigan did have limited joy down the middle, however, as Bent blazed over and Alex then felled Brown ahead of what had appeared a promising move. That was the last meaningful play of this egalitarian but incredibly dull 45 minutes.

Second Half

Chelsea attacked from the off, a cross into a crowded box almost finding Sidwell.A goal looked to be on the cards, and it duly came in the shape of Nicolas Anelka. Belletti’s super ball from deep was latched onto by the Frenchman, who sprang the offside trap and poked his volley past the advancing Kirkland - his first Chelsea goal and a marvellous one at that. Wigan were visibly annoyed, remonstrating that the goal was offside, but replays showed that was not the case.

Nonetheless, the Latics almost struck back through Heskey, whose shot on the turn from a narrow angle forced Cech to save with his legs. The game remained ugly, but an off-the-ball incident involving Michael Brown, Claude Makélélé and an alleged elbow threatened to make it nasty. The entire Chelsea bench were up in arms, but no action was taken; replays suggested the Blues midfielder perhaps made more of the incident than strictly necessary and fortunately the bad blood continued no further.

Substitute Koumas bent a free-kick right at Cech, but as Wigan pushed for the equaliser they left themselves vulnerable to counter-attacks. Anelka had already been thwarted several times by goalkeeper Kirkland but went clear after out-muscling Kevin Kilbane on the ball. One-on-one with the keeper, Anelka squared for the unmarked Wright-Phillips to slot home.

Game over? Not quite – just as Wigan appeared out of ideas Koumas played a great ball into the chest of substitute Antoine Sibierski, who turned and volleyed with perfect power, pace and precision past Cech and into the top corner. Tremendous. With only minutes remaining, the game then sprang to life as Wigan chased an unlikely replay, and they almost got it as Bent’s flying shot clipped the top of the bar. But it was not to be as Chelsea held on to claim a win they merited.

Line-ups:

Wigan (4-4-2): Kirkland – Melchiot, Bramble, Scharner, Kilbane – Valencia, Brown, Palacios (Sibierski 77), Taylor (Koumas 58) – Bent, Heskey (Aghahowa 85)

Subs not used – Pollitt, Boyce

Chelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cech – Belletti, Carvalho, Alex, Bridge – Makélélé – Wright-Phillips, Sidwell – J Cole, Malouda (Ferreira 80) – Anelka (Pizarro 90)

Subs not used – Cudicini, Sinclair, Ben-Haim

Goals:

0-1 Anelka, 53 (Belletti)
0-2 Wright-Phillips, 82 (Anelka)
1-2 Sibierski, 87 (Koumas)

Cards:

Yellow: Bramble, Scharner, Palacios, Aghahowa / Alex, Carvalho

Attendance: 14,166

Ten-Man Guinea Edge Past Morocco

2008-01-24T20:31:00.000-08:00

Guinea 3 - 2 Morocco

Two goals and a red card - all in a day's work for Pascal Feindouno as his side ran out 3-2 winners over Morocco...

Pascal Feindouno was hero-turned-villain in this one, with the St. Etienne striker facing a suspension for a match that is now utterly vital for his side.

For despite his second-half red card, the Guineans managed to hold onto their 3-1 lead against an Atlas Lions side that will look back with anger at their concessions, particularly at the first goal.

Unusually for this tournament, the assembled crowd in Ghana wasn't huge, but it more than made up for it in volume as the game began.

Morocco looked the better side early on, with Sektioui looking particularly dangerous early on, but Guinea were to take a lead against the run of play.

This was largely down to Fouhami between the Moroccan sticks, who stood statuesque as an admittedly accurate, but still eminently savable shot from Pascal Feindouno sailed past him after a direct free-kick.

Sektioui, going from wing to wing, tried his best to bring his side back into it as the Moroccans responded strongly, but all too quickly they ran out of steam.

A long-range effort from Hadji, well held by Camara, was about the best Morocco could manage by way of finding an equalsier, with set-pieces offering the best threats otherwise.

In truth, Guinea looked relatively comfortable as half time approached, but there was always the lingering suspicion that there was more to come from the game.

That seemed to be the case as Hadji threatened once more with a long-ranger, this time saved brilliantly by Camara, just after the break, while Zerka volleyed over the bar from close range.

Once again, Guinea bided their time before striking, and this they did when Bangoura gave his side a 2-0 advantage just before the hour mark. The orchestrator was once again Feindouno, but Bangoura did brilliantly to get on the end of the through ball and waltz towards goal to beat Fouhami.

But the game was back in the balance just sixty seconds later when Aboucheroaune marked his substitute appearance with a lovely 25-yarder to make it 2-1.

Then, just to ensure the fans couldn't sit down for a second, Guinea were awarded a penalty 63 minutes in, which Feindouno placed into the corner to restore Guinea's 2-1 advantage.

Chamakh came on for a Morocco side still eager to get back into it, and they were given a great chance to do so when Feindouno picked up a needless red card for reacting angrily to a case of high-feet from a Moroccan player.

Ten-man Guinea began to sit back, aallowing Chamakh in particular to get forward, but with chance after chance missed as the minutes ticked away, it all seemed to be for nought.

That was, of course, until Ouaddou dived in to head past Camara and make it 3-2 just as the game entered its three minutes of stoppage time.

It wasn't enough to spark a true comeback, though, and Guinea wiped the sweat from their brows as the full-time whistle went.

Agogo lifts Ghana past gritty Namibia

2008-01-24T20:26:00.000-08:00

Ghana need only a draw against Morocco on Monday to guarantee their quarter-final berth at the African Nations Cup after Nottingham Forest striker Junior Agogo earned the hosts a 1-0 win over Namibia on Thursday.

Namibia's second straight loss means they will be heading off to the airport irrespective of what happens in their final Group A tie against Guinea with valuable lessons learned ahead of their bid to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

This was the second game of the day in Accra, the first producing something of an upset when Guinea, reduced to 10 men for much of the second half, beat Morocco 3-2.

These two results left Ghana heading Group A on six points, with Morocco and Guinea both on three with all to play for come Monday.

"We may not have played fantastically well but we've still got six points from our first two games," said Ghana coach Claude Le Roy.

"That leaves us needing only a draw to top the group.

"I knew Namibia wouldn't lose 5-1 against us like they did in their first match. They were well organised, compact in defence.

"Now we've got Morocco, we only need a draw but we'll play to win. We'll be ready for them on Monday at five o'clock."

Chelsea midifelder Michael Essien, the man of the match, added: "I think this game was much better than the first one. People were expecting us to come up with more goals, but the most important thing is the six points."

Guinea coach Arie Schans said he was proud of his players.

"This was a big difference to our first game when the players' appeared nervous.

"This time we showed we could play good football. Now our next goal with a bit of luck will be to pick up three points against Guinea."

West Ham right back John Pantsil, who was flown to Nigeria on Wednesday for a scan after suffering concussion against Guinea, was a surprise starter allowing Claude Le Roy to name the same line up for the second consecutive match.

Namibia made three changes, with Dutchman Schans switching goalkeepers after Monday's 5-1 drubbing, Abisai Shiningayamwe making way for Athiel Mbaha.

Ghana, marshalled by Essien in midfield, made clear their intent from the whistle, taking up permanent residence in the Brave Warriors' territory yet the underdogs kept them at bay for the first 30 minutes.

Given that they were 4-0 down by the break against Morocco, the goalless scoreline up to the 40th minute spoke volumes for Namibia's newfound resilience, their coach's comment that they'd played like "schoolkids" against the Moroccans had obviously hurt.

The Group A underdogs were fortunate to be let off though when Udinese striker Asamoah Gyan hit the ball over Mbaha's bar from six yards out.

And just as the solace of half time beckoned Ghana got what seemed was their inevitable reward for all their hard work when Agogo slotted home rather clumsily from near point blank range after Quincy Owusu Abeyie's cross from the right four minutes from the interval.

Shortly after the resumption Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari, responsible for the match winner over Guinea, had the Ohene Djan Stadium roaring when he unleashed one of his trademark long shots at Attiel, the ball on this occasion sailing over the crossbar.

Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingston then picked up a booking for a too hastily taken free kick meaning he'll miss the all important game on Monday, leaving his brother, Hearts midfielder Laryea, to uphold family honour against Morocco.

On the hour mark Le Roy took off Laryea Kingston, replacing him with Marseille starlet, Andre Ayew.

The second half mirrored the preceding one, with Ghana harrying the Namibian defence which again performed manfully to deny the forecast deluge of goals from Muntari and co.

Namibia weren't without their chances, their talismanic Hamburg midfielder Collin Benjamin just shooting wide of the far post in the 75th minute but Ghana weren't about to let this one get away.

Are Milan And Inter Really Fighting Over Ronaldinho?

2008-01-24T01:14:00.000-08:00

Are Milan And Inter Really Fighting Over Ronaldinho?

Just as Milan’s interest in signing Ronaldinho looked to have cooled, along came Inter with an announcement that they want to sign the player. Gil Gillespie peers through the smoke and mirrors and tries to discover the truth behind the Milanese clubs' intentions.

In the red corner we have Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani. In the blue corner are Massimo Moratti and Roberto Mancini. And in the middle is Ronaldinho, Brazilian footballing superstar, twice FIFA World Player of the Year and a fading idol currently sinking as fast as an unhappy, out-of-form fly in Frank Rijkaard's mid-morning cappuccino.

Welcome to the one-city, two-club battle for to sign Ronaldinho - an event where no-one should be taken at face value and no words should be treated as gospel.

Milan are known to be long-time admirers of Barcelona's unsettled 'fantasista', but the club's interest was generally thought to have dwindled in recent months, just like the form and commitment of the player himself.

But then Inter signed a mammoth 10-year sponsorship deal with Nike, and the mischievous Roberto Mancini made his "nobody believed me when I talked about Ronaldinho" speech. Suddenly Milan were forced to prick up their ears again. (Or so we are led to believe.)

Whether Inter are genuinely interested in Ronaldinho or not is beside the point. The Nerazzurri have left their neighbours in an extremely uncomfortable position by merely declaring their interest.

After tracking the player for the last two years, can the Rossoneri just allow him to be snapped up from under their noses by their neighbours and biggest rivals?

And, according to prominent Italian broadsheet the Corriere della Sera, it is Milan who are now favourites to sign the Barca star as they have allegedly agreed to allow him to have complete control over his image rights.

"Not true," says Silvio Berlusconi. As always, the signing of Ronaldinho is a subject he's never been consistent on. He has openly voiced his admiration for the Barca playmaker for the last two years. Yet only a week ago the Milan president issued a clear statement of denial about his club’s interest in the Gaucho.

"I don't think Ronaldinho represents a great objective for us," said the perma-tanned former PM. "We must keep an eye on the balance in the dressing room... his purchase is not a priority for Milan."

But that was before Mancini stirred up this particular hornet's nest with his well-chosen press conference soundbites.

So have Milan really taken Mancini's bait? It's difficult to say. But you have to ask yourself, why would the world and European champions want a player like Ronaldinho anyway?

First of all, they have Kaka, who plays, more or less, in the same position that Ronaldinho occupies. Would Ancelotti ask Kaka to play out wide or drop deeper into midfield? Not a chance. Would he play the two of them behind a lone striker, probably Pato? It's a bit late in the day for Ancelotti to suddenly throw out a tactical approach that he has developed over many years and had so much success with, just so he can accommodate a potentially disruptive player whose best days may well be behind him.

The mind wanders back to 2002 when the Rossoneri brought another former World Player of the Year to the San Siro from Barcelona. Rivaldo spent the majority of his one disastrous season at Milan keeping the bench warm. He didn't fit. He just wasn't a Milan kind of player.

Neither is Ronaldinho.

But it’s not Ancelotti who has the final say as to who is signed and who isn’t signed, as we discovered when it was revealed that Berlusconi vetoed the deals to bring Gianluigi Buffon and Luca Toni to the San Siro in the summer.

But now, surely, the club's transfer targets lie elsewhere - with Gianluca Zambrotta, for example - and finding a replacement for the hapless, hopeless Dida. Thus even with £100 million to spend in the summer, it would be a surprise if Milan signed Ronaldinho.

So what about Inter? Is the Nerazzuri's interest in getting Ronaldinho to sign on the dotted line genuine, or merely provocative? They certainly have more room to accommodate the player on the pitch, even with Luis Antonio Jiménez exceeding expectations playing in the hole behind Ibrahimovic and Cruz.

And Ibrahimovic himself has given his approval to the idea. "Ronaldinho at Inter? Everyone would like to play with him,” the goal-bothering Swede told the Corriere dello Sport.

But despite these comments and those of Mancini, Inter's president Massimo Moratti has attempted to pour cold water on the whole story.

He reacted to the accusations made by Milan's chief executive Adriano Galliani, who claimed that he had been told of Inter's interest in Ronaldinho by Barcelona president Joan Laporta himself.

"Galliani maybe knows more than I do, but it's not true," said the Inter president. "I don't know who has spoken to him, but at this time the information he has is not correct."

In truth, it's impossible to know what is really going on beneath this curtain of double-speak, half-truths and Machiavellian double-bluffing. Maybe Inter are serious about signing Ronaldinho. Maybe they are just pulling their old sparring partner's leg. Maybe Milan will respond to Inter's noises. Maybe Inter are simply showing their fans that they have the financial muscle to compete with their nearest neighbours if they choose to do so.

Whatever the reality of the situation, both clubs need to ask themselves just how effective the Brazilian shoe-shuffler is likely to be in Serie A in his current state of mind, anyway. If he's finding life tough in the defensively liberal world of the La Liga, how will he cope with the fierce shadowing of Italy's most uncompromising back lines? Has he even still got it in him to rise to such a daunting new challenge? Because, right now, Ronaldinho looks as if he'd like to spend more time on the bench - or the beach - and less on the training pitch.

But before he unpacks his Bermuda shorts and lies back on the sun lounger, there is one other factor in this very complicated equation that hasn't been dealt with yet.

Chelsea may yet have the final say in where Ronaldinho plays his football next season. According to the influential player's agent Enzo Bronzetti, Ronaldinho will definitely join up with his former Barca coach Henk ten Cate at Stamford Bridge in the summer. It is a rumour that Spanish sports daily Marca has been talking up for some time and it makes more sense than the ones that see him going to either of the Milan giants. Roman Abramovich is rich enough - and perhaps naive enough - to take a gamble on such a global superstar, regardless of whether his powers are on the wane.

So for all the noise currently emanating from the city of Milan, London could well be the place you are most likely to find Ronaldinho playing his football next season.

Then again, he could always stay with Barcelona.

What do you think? Are Milan and Inter serious about bringing the Brazilian superstar to Italy? Or are they both bluffing, waiting for each other to blink? Where do you think Ronaldinho will be playing in 2008/09?

Ghana 2008 Update : Angola 1 - 1 South Africa

2008-01-24T01:06:00.000-08:00

South Africa's Late Screamer Denies Angola The Win

Angola 1 - 1 South Africa

Elrio Van Heerden's late strike denied Angola a win that seemed sealed by Manucho's classy diving header in the first half...

After a dull opening period, a late surge from South Africa saw them restore parity against an Angolan side that may feel slightly hard done by in terms of the result.

Unlike most matches in the tournament, there was relatively little for the fans to shout about early in the first half.

The opening stages played out in cagey fashion, with 14 minutes elapsing before the first real chance. Even then, Pienaar's cross into the Angolan box was cleared away for a corner, despite its clear danger.

Two minutes later, Flavio raced onto a through ball at the other end, with goalkeeper Josephs and left-back Mhlongo colliding in an attempt to stop him. The striker was penalised for his part in the incident, and Josephs was left with a head wound for his troubles.

Still, he was able to save Flavio's next attempt ten minutes later, although Manucho's on the half hour mark proved too much for him.

Flavio cut inside past Masilela before chipping the ball across goalmouth, where new Manchester United man Manucho was waiting to fire home a diving header.

Zuma then had a great chance to replicate the feat at the other end, but hit wide, while Flavio then came forward on the break, only to find his shot deflected. Was it handball? The referee thought not as half time came.

In truth, other than Manucho's goal, relatively few of the incidents had been edge-of-seat stuff. That changed in the second period, which was very slightly more exciting.

South Africa were keen to impress, having taken off Moriri and Tsahabalala for Fanteni and Lerato, but found themselves frustrated by overhit through balls and the offside trap.

Once again, though, it took fifteen minutes for a real chance to break out. Not long after Lama had to race off his line to punch clear a Pineaar cross, Modise then played in a corner for Mhlongo, only for the defender to head wide.

The brilliant Flavio then was almost both provider and scorer, linking up well with Ze Kalanga for the latter to shoot just wide, before bringing out the best in Josephs after a close-range effort.

South Africa were beginning to tire, but actually had thee great chances as the game drew to a close. They must have thought that, between Mokoena's shot perhaps just sneaking over and Lama pulling off wonder-stops from Moon and Fanteni, that it was all over for them.

Not so, for Elrio Van Heerden added yet another goal worthy of highlight reels for years to come in a tournament that's already seen plenty.

The Club Brugge man, on as a substitute, strode forward on the right before left-footing it right into the top corner from just under 30 yards.

Flavio almost had the last word in stoppage time with an effort that just looped over, while Lama once again was brought into action by Fanteni, and a game that once threatened to be dull had ended in some style.

However, a draw will do neither side much good...

Everton 0-1 Chelsea (1-3 agg)

2008-01-24T00:56:00.000-08:00

Classy Cole Goal Puts Chelsea In The Final

Everton 0-1 Chelsea (1-3 agg)

Joe Cole’s magnificent strike gave Chelsea the victory at Goodison Park and set up a Carling Cup final date with Tottenham at Wembley

Chelsea weathered the intense opening spells of the game to produce a level-headed and effective display of controlling football in the second leg of this Carling Cup semi-final.

Avram Grant's side were the better on the night and Joe Cole’s 69th minute super strike earned them victory on the night and a convincing 3-1 aggregate win.

The Blues will now procede to their third Carling Cup final in four seasons, and Tottenham await them at Wembley.

First Half

Goodison Park was positively rocking as kick-off approached in what Evertonians heralded as the club’s biggest game in over a decade.

The Toffees made just one change from the weekend win at Wigan as Manuel Fernandes came in for Hibbert. Phil Neville dropped into the right-back slot and the Portuguese into centre midfield.

For the visitors Wayne Bridge started in place of Ashley Cole and Steve Sidwell replaced Ballack. Contrary to expectation, Shaun Wright-Phillips was deemed fit to start.

Chelsea came close to taking the lead inside three minutes as Phil Jagielka valiantly nodded behind Wright-Phillips’ fierce goalbound drive. Juliano Belletti then curled one over the bar, but every surge forward by the hosts was matched by a roaring bellow from the stands, not least as Joleon Lescott’s header almost skimmed past a diving Petr Cech.

Andy Johnson dragged an effort wide as the game died down and Chelsea assumed control of possession, seemingly having weathered the early storm. Tim Howard in the Everton goal gathered a shot from Nicolas Anelka that Joe Cole almost toe-poked into the net.

The visitors troubled Everton in wide areas but struggled to break down the Toffees’ stubborn resistance around the penalty area. With nowhere to go, Florent Malouda curled a disappointing effort harmlessly high and wide.

But Everton, too, showed a willingness to use width in possession: Arteta’s terrific run down the right played in Johnson whose deflected shot rippled the side-netting. At the other end, Anelka lashed a long shot comfortably wide, the last meaningful action of this tense first half.

Second Half

Chelsea almost took the lead within 45 seconds of the restart. After great trickery from Joe Cole the England man opted to pass rather than shoot: Anelka rifled the ball against the bar; Howard was a beaten man – and a relieved one to see the ball ricochet clear.

With their fans now in full voice, the Blues seemed to sense a goal would virtually seal their spot in next month’s final, really piling the pressure on Everton. Valente did well to block Cole’s strike from a counter attack.

As Tim Cahill dropped back to aid in the midfield battle, Andy Johnson cut an increasingly isolated figure upfront for the home side. But they came close to breaking the deadlock through a well-worked Arteta corner that Neville thundered across goal.

Cech did well to parry and was called into action once more as Jagielka almost back-heeled in Osman’s bobbled shot. The keeper then spilled a cross but was awarded a free-kick before his mistake could be punished – it was hard to see where any infringement against Cech had occurred.

Everton now had the lion’s share of possession, but Chelsea caught them cold and punished them in the 69th minute. A pinpoint diagonal cross from deep from Malouda found Joe Cole, whose control was simply exquisite. Bringing the ball down with an outstretched right foot, he allowed one bounce before smashing a half-volley past a helpless Howard – a majestic strike in front of the watching England boss Capello that put Chelsea firmly in the driving seat.

Everton were shocked, but more heroics from Cech prevented Johnson from nabbing a quick equaliser. The visitors largely stifled Everton’s attempts to draw level as the Toffees’ cause began to look forlorn. Wright-Phillips broke and almost doubled the advantage, while substitute Pizarro fired inches wide. The Peruvian squandered another opportunity when one-on-one with Howard, but it mattered little as Chelsea secured a thoroughly deserved victory.

Chelsea's defence handled everything Everton threw at them, with Carvalho and Cech particularly outstanding, and few could doubt that Avram Grant does indeed care about winning this competition. Tottenham will be Chelsea's opponents in February’s final at Wembley.

Line-ups:

Everton (4-4-2): Howard – Neville, Jagielka, Lescott, Nuno Valente – Arteta, Carsley (Anichebe 70), Fernandes (Vaughan 78), Osman – Johnson, Cahill

Subs not used – Wessels, Hibbert, Stubbs

Chelsea (4-3-2-1): Cech – Belletti, Carvalho, Alex, Bridge – Wright-Phillips, Makalele, Sidwell – J Cole (Pizarro 82), Malouda (A Cole 90) – Anelka (Ben-Haim 90)

Subs not used – Cudicini, Ferreira

Goals:

0-1 J Cole, 69 (Malouda)

Cards:

Yellow: Carsley, Fernandes, Neville, Nuno Valente / Makalele, Belletti

Coppa Italia: Juventus earn draw with Inter

2008-01-24T00:53:00.000-08:00

ROME, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Late goals from Alessandro Del Piero and Jean Alain Boumsong earned Juventus a 2-2 draw at 10-man Inter Milan on Wednesday in the first leg of their Italian Cup quarter-final.

Argentine striker Julio Cruz headed the Serie A leaders in front nine minutes after the break and turned in a cross from Brazilian winger Cesar in the 74th to double the lead.

Del Piero pulled one back for Juve in the 79th and French defender Boumsong, who is expected to leave Turin in the transfer window, levelled the score with a header five minutes from time.

Cruz almost snatched a win for Inter when he hit the post in the closing stages.

Inter played almost the whole match a man short after defender Nicolas Burdisso was given a straight red card in the eighth minute for cutting down Del Piero as he charged on to goal.

Earlier, holders AS Roma drew 1-1 at Sampdoria despite also having to play with 10 men after French defender Philippe Mexes was sent off for a second yellow card in the 18th.

Reto Ziegler gave Samp the lead in the 61st with a glorious left-footed strike from outside the box.

Montenegro striker Mirko Vucinic sprinted on to a long pass from Brazilian midfielder Mancini and coolly slipped the ball home to earn Roma a draw seven minutes later.

Udinese came from behind to win 3-2 at home to Catania, who had Ghanaian midfielder Mark Edusei sent off for two yellows in quick succession in the closing stages.

Lazio entertain Fiorentina on Thursday (2000 GMT) in the final quarter-final first leg.

The returns take place next week.

Tunisia And Senegal Battle To Entertaining Stalemate Tunisia 2 - 2 Senegal

2008-01-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

Tunisia and Senegal each enjoyed bright spells in the tournament's first draw. This was a match that, while not quite as flowing or eventful as some of the others, showed that neither of these two sides is destined to be among the tournament whipping boys, and perhaps that more is to come from each of them.

Senegal started brightly, with Mamadou Niang roving confidently up front, but in fact it was the Tunisian side that was to draw first blood.

It took them just nine minutes to do so, Issam Jemaa swapping passes with Bekri before striding to the edge of the box and side-footing past Sylva.

That stunned the Senegalese, who thus surrendered the initiative to the Carthage Eagles.

Dos Santos came clsoe to receiving the ball in a dangerous area not long afterwards, but for the most part, their dominance was in the midfield, restricting Senegal mainly to long-range efforts.

Diouf and Niang tried to hit on the break, with the latter going close from the edge of the area, but in truth Tunisia were in control until five minutes before the interval.

Then, Diouf was inches away from getting on the end of a fine cross, and Tunisia began to sit back.

In doing so, Senegal were given the run of the midfield, and this gave them the equaliser right on the stroke of half time.

Jaidi was unable to get between a long ball forward and Bayal Sall, with the left-winger gratefully connecting to fire home with style. The Saint-Etienne youngster was delighted, and his side were back in the game.

Just after the restart, the Teranga Lions almost managed the lead. Kamara was put trough on goal by Diouf as the Tunisian defence dithered, but the forward could only steer his shot wide.

At the other end, Dos Santos picked up a booking for diving in the box, and then Senegal were on the rampage once more, Kasraoui having to be at his agile best to deal with Diouf.

The Senegalese were beginning to dominate, and really should have taken the lead on the hour mark, only for Mamadou Niang to somehow fire wide from six yards with the goal at his mercy.

His blushes were spared seven minutes later when Fulham's Diomansy Kamara was able to convert into an open goal after Faye's blocked shot landed at his feet: 1-2.

Henri Camara then came close to matching his namesake's feat, only for Bekri to intervene at the last minute.

That second goal, though, largely saw Senegal begin to relax, allowing Tunisia to stride forward in search of taking something from this game. Zaiem showed his substitute's energy to go close with twenty minutes to go, but it took another CAN wonder-strike to restore parity.

It came from the boot of Etoile du Sahel's Medji Traoui, who had a few seconds to tee up a long-range effort. This he did, and Sylva was left helpless as the ball hit the back of the net.

Senegal tried to hit back, but their goalward efforts were beginning to lack conviction. What's more, there were nerves and tempers flaring, particularly as Kamara picked up a booking for a late challenge. Heading into the final minutes, then, Tunisia had the chance to strike.

Jaidi almsot managed to reach a deep free-kick to surely poke home, and Sylva was foxed by Traoui's cross-cum-shot, but there were to be no more goals, and 2-2 it ended.

South Africa and Angola square off later in the next Group D match.

Ronaldo signing impossible - Real

2008-01-23T10:44:00.000-08:00

Real Madrid sporting director Predrag Mijatovic says it is virtually impossible that Cristiano Ronaldo will join the Spanish giants.
The Portugal winger has been linked with Real over the last couple of years, but is committed to a long-term contract with Manchester United.

Ronaldo, 22, agreed a five-year contract extension last year, tying him to Old Trafford until 2012.

"I see it as an impossible signing," Mijatovic told Radio Marca.

"Of course it would not be bad for us to have a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, but he is at a great club like Manchester United."

The prospect of Ronaldo signing for Real Madrid has not been helped with Ronaldo admitting recently that he would one day love to play in Spain.

And to compound matters, Ronaldo's mother appeared in several national newspapers saying that she hoped that one day her son would go to Madrid and "play for the best team in the world."

But it appears that Madrid have grown tired of "wasting time" pursuing players that are seemingly untouchable.

Another reported Madrid target, Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, is another player Mijatovic says is an "impossible" target.

"He is the same," said Mijatovic.

"We are not the only team who would like to have a player such as Cesc, but he belongs to a great club like Arsenal and it is almost impossible to sign him.

"I am very clear that we are not going to waste time on things which we cannot do.

"We will see what happens in the future. It is undeniable that he is as a very interesting player, but signing him is something that would be tremendously difficult."