Friday, March 28, 2008

Sagna setback for Gunners

Arsenal full-back Bacary Sagna will be out for at least three weeks due to the ankle injury he suffered at Chelsea.

Sagna headed Arsenal in front at Stamford Bridge last Sunday before collecting the knock prior to Didier Drogba's double for the Blues.

The defender was forced to pull out of the France squad to face England on Wednesday night and could even be out for up to five weeks.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger told the club's official website: "He has an ankle injury and the first news that we have is that he could be out for quite a while.

Adebayor may be rested

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger had admitted the club's lengthy season may finally be telling on striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

The Togo international has been one of The Gunners' stand-out players this term, but his form of late has been patchy.

Adebayor bagged an impressive eight goals in January alone, however, just one goal in his last eight games has coincided with a dip in form for the North Londoners.

Wenger believes a lack of service is hindering Adebayor's production in front of goal, but he also concedes that he may also be suffering from fatigue with the campaign nearing its conclusion.

With Robin van Persie fit again and Nicolas Bendtner chomping at the bit to start, Wenger has hinted Adebayor could be rested for this weekend's clash against struggling Bolton.

Bosingwa hints at Porto exit

Porto attacking full-back Jose Bosingwa has admitted he will leave the Portuguese champions if a good enough offer comes in for him.

The versatile 25-year-old is rumoured to be a target for Premier League clubs Manchester United and Aston Villa, as well as Serie A giants Juventus.

Bosingwa is comfortable at either right-back or on the right side of midfield and has spoken of his ambition to move away from the Estadio do Dragao.

Bosingwa hints at Porto exit

Porto attacking full-back Jose Bosingwa has admitted he will leave the Portuguese champions if a good enough offer comes in for him.

The versatile 25-year-old is rumoured to be a target for Premier League clubs Manchester United and Aston Villa, as well as Serie A giants Juventus.

Bosingwa is comfortable at either right-back or on the right side of midfield and has spoken of his ambition to move away from the Estadio do Dragao.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Refereeing may force Ron re-think

Manchester United star Ronaldo has revealed he is thinking of changing his approach to the game because of refereeing standards.

The Portuguese believes referees sometimes do not protect the skilful players in the Premier League.

The 23-year-old was making his comments after United controversially went out of the FA Cup to Portsmouth, losing their quarter-final 1-0 at Old Trafford thanks to a Sulley Muntari 78th minute penalty.

But referee Martin Atkinson failed to award United a first-half penalty following Sylvain Distin's foul on Ronaldo in the seventh minute.

Barnsley 1-0 Chelsea: Seismic shock at Oakwell

Kayode Odejayi is hardly a name that rolls off the tongue, but it will long be remembered in FA Cup history as Barnsley produced another massive shock to send holders Chelsea crashing out 1-0.

As if beating Liverpool at Anfield in the fifth round three weeks ago was not enough, the Coca-Cola Championship side managed to go one better, with Odejayi the man of the hour.

The Nigerian striker, a £200,000 buy from Cheltenham in May, had not found the net for 28 appearances, but he undoubtedly scored the most important goal of his career to send Barnsley into the semi-finals at Wembley.

Make no mistake, this was no fluke because although manager Avram Grant made six changes to his team from the one that romped over Olympiacos in the Champions League in midweek, there was still a star-studded line-up on view.

Barnsley boss Simon Davey had described that win as "men against boys,'' and departed Stamford Bridge feeling quite "unnerved'' at how the Blues had dismantled the Greeks.

Needless to say, though, he was expecting far more from his Tykes, and that is what he duly received as Yorkshire grit took on the might of the millionaires from the Kings Road.

There was no Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Claude Makelele, Paulo Ferreira or Ashley Cole, who were all rested.

Even without Lampard, there was a distinctly English slant towards the Chelsea side as captain John Terry was joined by Wayne Bridge, Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Despite their star status, they more than anybody would appreciate this was an old-fashioned cup tie of favourites against underdogs, with a sell-out, fervent Oakwell crowd providing the backdrop.

As if to prove no fear would be shown, Barnsley took the game to their opponents, carving out the opening chance inside three minutes.

The livewire Jamal Campbell-Ryce's through ball found Brian Howard inside the area, the Tykes captain who had scored the late winner at Anfield.

Although Howard's stabbed shot was blocked by Michael Essien, it at least underlined Barnsley's intent that they would not be as easy a pushover as Olympiacos.

Half-chances followed for Chelsea, interspersed by a number of counter-attacks from the home side, who used Campbell-Ryce's pace along with the height and power of strikers Istvan Ferenczi and Odejayi.

Michael Ballack ballooned the visitors' first opportunity over the crossbar, followed by an edge-of-the-area chip from Joe Cole that also cleared the woodwork.

In the 15th minute Cole drilled another effort goalwards, and despite a slight deflection that carried the shot inches wide, there was no corner.

Underlining Barnsley's commitment, Rob Kozluk threw his body in front of a Cole drive that followed three minutes later, and that was it in terms of first-half chances for Chelsea.

Instead, it was the Tykes who should have headed into the break with the lead, initially in the 21st minute when Carlo Cudicini was caught napping on the edge of the six-yard box.

The Italian goalkeeper made a hash of attempting to trap a backpass, allowing Odejayi to thunder in, but his nudge was wide.

Then, eight minutes from the interval, Ferenczi should have found the target after latching onto Bobby Hassell's free-kick from deep.

But after flicking the ball up with his right foot, he fired wide from 12 yards, with the Hungarian then sinking to his knees and with his head in his hands as he appreciated he should have done better.

Within a minute Barnsley were on the attack again as Howard played in Odejayi, and although forced wide, he still fired in a powerful shot that forced Cudicini into his first save via his legs.

Perhaps inevitably Chelsea then dominated the opening 20 minutes of the second period as Barnsley were penned back inside their own half, resorting on occasion to desperate, but effective defending.

From their sporadic opportunities, Cole had a further shot blocked by Dennis Souza, while on-loan goalkeeper Luke Steele made an easy save from a low Nicolas Anelka drive.

Cole and Terry then combined to set up the Frenchman in the 57th minute, but again the determined home side thrust bodies in the way when it mattered most.

After weathering the storm, Barnsley then conjured a goal to lift the proverbial roof off Oakwell, one which is likely to result in further inquests from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich following those held in the wake of the Carling Cup final defeat to Tottenham.

Ferenczi initially fed Martin Devaney on the right, and after a run from Marciano van Homoet pulled away Bridge, the right winger delivered a piercing cross to the heart of the area.

At 6ft 2ins, Odejayi managed to rise in front of the outstretched hands of Cudicini and nod home only his second goal for the club this season into an empty net.

Chelsea poured forward for the remainder of the game, but despite the pressure, not once was Steele was forced into a save as a wall of 10 red shirts protected him.

When the final whistle sounded, and despite warnings over the tannoy not to do so, a pitch invasion ensued - one you could not begrudge the delirious Barnsley faithful.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Jose - I still love Chelsea

Jose Mourinho has contacted Sky Sports News in a bid to ward off a possible war of words with former club Chelsea.

The charismatic and colourful Portuguese gave an interview earlier in the day when he said he would be out to 'kill' the Stamford Bridge side if he came up against them in the UEFA Champions League.

Mourinho, who has been out of the game since his exit from the Premier League giants in September, is keen to return to management next season, with Italy or Spain the most likely destinations.

And he initially said: "If I play them (Chelsea) in the Champions League, I want to go there and kill them - that's my message."

Uefa Cup round-up

Rangers enjoyed a superb Uefa Cup victory, Bolton drew with Sporting, but there were defeats for Tottenham and Everton in the first leg of their Round of 16 clashes.

Walter Smith's side took full advantage of some questionable goalkeeping from Werder Bremen's Tim Wiese to secure a 2-0 win at Ibrox with goals from Daniel Cousin and Steven Davis.

Gilberto endured a Tottenham debut to forget, as his blunder allowed Jefferson Farfan to claim a vital away goal for PSV Eindhoven, before being taken off at the interval.

Tim Howard produced a string of good saves against Fiorentina, but the Everton No.1 could do nothing to keep out two stunning finishes from Zdravko Kuzmanovic and Riccardo Montolivo.

Bolton took the lead against Sporting Lisbon through Gavin McCann, but conceded what could prove to be a crucial away goal with Simon Vukcevic levelling for the Portuguese outfit.

Bayern Munich thrashed Anderlecht in Belgium, while Marseille overcame Zenit St Petersburg.

Getafe triumphed 2-1 away to 10-man Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen grabbed a late winner against Bundesliga rivals Hamburg.

Hapless Werder Bremen goalkeeper Wiese's brace of blunders allowed Rangers to claim a crucial advantage in their first-leg clash at Ibrox.

Cousin hit a speculative effort from over 30 yards out just before the break, more in hope than expectation, but the visiting shot-stopper allowed the shot to squirm through his fingers and loop into the net.

Wiese endured more misery when he then spilled Cousin's cross-shot shortly after the break with Steven Davis sliding in to take full advantage.

Lee McCulloch could have put the tie beyond the reach of the German side, but he took too long in front of an open goal after pouncing on an error from Naldo, allowing the defender to put in a superb saving tackle after rounding the keeper.

An error from Gilberto on his Tottenham debut handed PSV Eindhoven the advantage with Jefferson Farfan taking full advantage in the 34th minute.

A quick break from the visitors looked to have come to nothing as the Brazilian intercepted possession on the edge of his own box, but he dallied and allowed Farfan to steal the ball before rifling a shot beyond the helpless Paul Robinson.

Robbie Keane was denied an equaliser on the stroke of half-time when his stunning control and turn on the edge of the box forced a splendid one-handed save from Heurelho Gomes.

Gilberto, who had earlier been booked for pulling back Farfan as he threatened to break through, was put out of his misery when he was replaced by Jamie O'Hara at the interval as Spurs' Carling Cup hangover continued.

Everton will have to produce an heroic performance at Goodison Park next week if they are to overturn Fiorentina's 2-0 lead.

Howard had been called into action on several occasions to keep David Moyes' side on level terms, but he could do nothing about the opening goal 20 minutes from time.

Montolivo's initial shot was blocked, but the ball ran to Tomas Ujfalusi who rolled a precise pass into the on-rushing Kuzmanovic who found the bottom corner with a first-time strike.

And Montolivo then produced a high-class volleyed finish to Martin Jorgensen's clever flick to double the advantage 10 minutes from time.

Bolton will travel to Portugal next week knowing they must score against Sporting Lisbon after their first leg clash ended 1-1.

Midfielder McCann pounced on a loose ball to fire his side into a 25th minute lead after Matt Taylor's initial shot was blocked.

But Vukcevic levelled for the visitors 21 minutes from time when he beat Ali Al-Habsi moments after hitting the crossbar.

Bayern Munich effectively booked their place in the quarter-finals by thrashing 10-man Anderlecht 5-0 in Belgium.

The German giants are normally UEFA Champions League regulars, but have been forced away from the top table of European action this season.

Hamit Altintop had already put the Bundesliga leaders a goal to the good before Marcin Wasilweski saw red for two bookings in the space of three minutes just before half-time.

Luca Toni doubled Bayern's advantage before the interval with further goals from Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose and Franck Ribery making the second leg next week a mere formality.

Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse scored twice as Marseille took control of their clash with Zenit St Petersburg.

Cisse struck either side of Mamadou Niang's effort for the Champions League drop-outs, with Andrei Arshavin's late reply for Zenit giving them faint hope of overturning the deficit in the second leg.

Getafe took advantage of the early dismissal of Benfica's Oscar Cardozo to claim a 2-1 victory in Portugal.

The Benfica forward saw red in just the ninth minute after a foul on Getafe skipper Belenguer.

Ruben De la Red (25) and Pablo Hernandez (67) put the Spanish side in charge, but substitute Pedro Matorras' 76th minute reply gives Benfica hope for the return fixture.

Theofanis Gekas' 77th minute strike enabled Bayer Leverkusen to claim a narrow lead over Bundesliga rivals Hamburg at the BayArena.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Liverpool owners reject £400m DIC takeover

Liverpool co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have rejected Dubai International Capital's £400million bid for the Premier League club.

Click here
The offer, which would represent a £25million profit for each of the American tycoons, was immediately turned down, an associate involved with the negotiations revealed. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. The source also suggests that Hicks had not formally rejected the offer but has made it very clear that he is unwilling to sell his share in the club. Hicks is committed to retaining his 50 percent share in Liverpool while Gillett is reportedly willing to sell. Hicks has said he can block Gillett from selling his stake. Although no formal statement is expected from Hicks, his stance remains the same as last month, when he said: 'Reports that I am about to sell my stake in the Liverpool Football Club, or to invite DIC to examine the club's books in preparation for such a sale - like other such reports planted in the UK press in recent weeks by parties with their own self-interested agenda - are absolutely and categorically false. 'The reality is that I am personally, professionally and financially committed to the club and its supporters and I will continue to honour that commitment to the best of my ability now and in the future.' The American duo bought the club last year for approximately £218m - beating a rival bid from the Dubai consortium. Hicks also owns the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Stars.

Man Utd 1-0 Lyon: Ronaldo notches 30th goal

Cristiano Ronaldo again showed his liking for the big stage by scoring the winner at Old Trafford as Manchester United set another Champions League milestone following a 1-0 victory over Lyon.

The Portugal winger steered the club to a 10th straight home victory in the competition, equalling Juventus' record set 11 years ago.

Ronaldo struck in the 41st minute to break Lyon's resistance and secure a place in the quarter-finals.

The French side carved out a couple of decent chances before United made the breakthrough.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side were highly motivated from the off and Patrice Evra let his enthusiasm get the better of him.

He picked up a booking after only four minutes for a challenge on Karim Benzema.

The highly-rated Lyon striker had scored a superb opening goal in the first leg and Ferguson knew the danger he posed.

United made a swift break in the 10th minute and there was a buzz of anticipation around the ground as Ronaldo collected the ball.

The Portugal winger cut inside only to see his effort blocked by experienced Brazilian defender Cris.

Anderson then tried to thread the ball through to Evra only for Francois Clerc to read the situation well and clear the danger.

United had stepped up the pressure and Michael Carrick picked out Darren Fletcher in the 16th minute but he rattled a shot from distance wide of the post.

Play broke down the other end and Benzema got clear, only to fire his shot from 25 yards over the top in the 20th minute.

Ronaldo then weighed up a free-kick but scuffed his effort. The ball broke to Wayne Rooney but he too failed to find the target.

Lyon were looking well organised and Clerc whipped in a cross from the right after 27 minutes that Edwin van der Sar took cleanly.

Two minutes later the Dutch goalkeeper had to look alert to parry Kim Kallstrom's rasping effort as the French visitors suddenly stepped up the pace.

Lyon were beginning to knock the ball around and the home fans were getting anxious.

Evra then latched on to a good through ball from Ronaldo and delivered a cross into the box.

Goalkeeper Gregory Coupet got there ahead of Darren Fletcher only to be clattered by the Scottish midfielder and earn a free-kick.

United made the breakthrough to go 2-1 ahead on aggregate thanks to Ronaldo's 30th goal of the season in all competitions.

Nani started the move and sent Wes Brown clear on the right. He found Anderson, whose effort was blocked.

The ball broke to Ronaldo, who beat Coupet at the near post and stun Lyon.

That goal from Ronaldo had given United the boost they needed and Nani saw his effort blocked in the 49th minute.

Lyon were anxious to get back in the game and a minute later Juninho tried his luck from distance but failed to test van der Sar.

Then Evra picked out Carrick and he fired in a shot that was deflected to safety.

Juninho has carved out a reputation as a dead-ball specialist and he was not afraid to try his luck from all of 30 yards in the 58th minute.

But he was left frustrated as Ronaldo showed his defensive side by heading the free-kick to safety.

Lyon, however, launched a swift counter-attack in the 66th minute with United almost paying for their carelessness.

Benzema got away and released Clerc but the move broke down when he delivered a weak cross cum shot into the area.

United boss Ferguson brought on Carlos Tevez for Anderson in the 71st minute in a bid to extend their lead.

Rooney then tried to release the striker with a cross only to see it blocked before Lyon almost grabbed the equaliser.

Substitute Kader Keita showed good pace in the 74th minute but saw his shot come back off the post.

United hit back and Rooney should have scored following a poor back pass from Hatem Ben Arfa only for Coupet to block his chip.

Rooney was again out of luck in the 87th minute with Lyon stretched as they went in search of the equaliser.

While the England striker was left frustrated the consolation was that United completed the job.

Champions League round-up

Arsenal made history in Milan as late goals from Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor ensured they progressed to the last eight of the Champions League, on a night in which Cristiano Ronaldo's 30th goal of the season saw off Lyon at Old Trafford.

Prior to the visit of Arsene Wenger's side to the San Siro, Milan had never lost to an English club on home soil but when Fabregas struck with six minutes remaining there was no way back for the Italians.

And it just kept getting better for Wenger's charges as in the last minute Adebayor banished the memory of his first leg miss with a second.

There was nothing fortuitous about Arsenal's victory as they played with archetypal swagger and style in taking the game to the European champions from the off.

While Arsenal were magnificent, Manchester United were more functional as Ronaldo yet again proved to be their match winner on a night when Sir Alex Ferguson will care little for the manner of their victory.

Celtic's trip to Barcelona was billed as a Mission Impossible Tom Cruise would have baulked at and so it proved at Camp Nou as Xavi's goal ensured a 1-0 win on the night and a 4-2 aggregate success over the two legs.

For all of the celebrations in Milan, the tie of the round thus far was arguably played out over in Sevilla, as the Spanish club crashed out of the competition to Fenerbahce on penalties.

A tumultuous tie saw Sevilla win 3-2 on the night but endure a spot-kick nightmare as Volkan Demirel in Fener's goal went from zero to hero in the course of 120 minutes of pulsating action.

Arsenal withstood early pressure in Milan that saw chances carved for Filippo Inzaghi and Alexandre Pato, before finding a rhythm that had a partisan home crowd rightly on edge.

Prolonged periods of crisp possession for Wenger's side saw Adebayor force Zeljko Kalac to tip over and Fabregas rue the width of the crossbar with a thumping effort from distance.

After the break Arsenal continued to press strongly as Philippe Senderos from close range and then Emmanuel Eboue in acres of space in Milan's box both missed glorious opportunities to notch an away goal.

Theo Walcott went close to winning it with a bright cameo from the bench but it was Fabregas that broke Milan's resolve with a daisy cutter that beat Kalac from 30-yards.

Gloss was put on the most polished of displays when in the final minute Adebayor tapped in from close range after Walcott had scampered down the right.

Functional display

Ferguson's starting line-up at Old Trafford caused more than the odd arched eyebrow as Carlos Tevez, likened to Eric Cantona by the Scot this week, was named on the bench alongside Paul Scholes.

United bossed the majority of the first half as Lyon only hinted at the attacking talent they undoubtedly possess.

It was no surprise then that the game's opening goal owed more than a little to fortuitous circumstances. Wes Brown made a lung-busting raid down the right but from his cross Anderson failed to find a true connection. However, after the ball broke to Ronaldo, the Portuguese international showed trademark poise in slotting beyond Gregory Coupet from eight yards.

United were far from at their fluid best and with 15 minutes remaining Kader Keita evoked a sharp intake of breath from the majority of those present when his snapshot hit the foot of Edwin van der Sar's near post.

Bridge too far

Celtic boss Gordon Strachan sent his side out to be compact and difficult to break down; with barely more than three minutes on the clock Barcelona were ahead.

Ronaldinho was the architect as he gave Celtic's back four the eyes, before playing in an advanced Silvinho on the overlap.

The Brazilian's cross found Xavi and with an outstretched boot the diminutive schemer beat Artur Boruc from close range.

Any fears of a capitulation proved ill-founded though as Celtic rallied and while Boruc was the busier of the two goalkeepers, it was not all one-way traffic in the Catalan capital.

Fenerbahce goalkeeper Demirel experienced the proverbial mixed night against Sevilla as he single handedly gifted the Spaniards a route back into the tie, before redeeming himself by saving three penalties in the ensuing shoot-out.

A mere five minutes had elapsed when Brazilian star Daniel Alves chanced his arm from range with a free-kick that Demirel got horribly wrong in electing to punch rather than parry; an aberration that concluded with the ball nestling in his bottom corner.

And it got no better for the beleaguered goalkeeper, for while Seydou Keita's strike from 25-yards had venom it was arched directly above his head and anything other than a lethargic wave of the glove would surely have repelled it.

Fener coach Zico looked deflated on the touch-line but an entertaining encounter was given added spice in the 21st minute when after Sevilla failed to fully clear a corner, Deivid's crisp drive from just inside the box evaded a heap of bodies in the area to level the tie at 4-4.

Deivid's intervention looked to be a false dawn for Fenerbahce though as Sevilla edged ahead 3-1 on the night before half-time, as Freddie Kanoute took Alves' clipped pass on his chest before volleying past Demirel with the aid of a generous deflection off Gokhan Gonul.

The home side appeared to be cruising into the last eight when with ten minutes remaining Deivid was left criminally free from a free-kick to stab home at the second attempt, after hitting the post from close range with his initial effort.

In the shoot-out Demirel cast himself as the most unlikely of heroes as he excelled in saving three of Sevilla's efforts from 12 yards.

Friday, February 29, 2008

Kaka will not leave Milan

Brazilian playmaker Kaka has insisted that he wants to spend the rest of his career with Milan.

The current World Player of the Year agreed a new contract extension with the Italian giants on Friday which will keep him at the club until 2013.

He has found himself continuously linked with a move to Real Madrid in the past, but having already enjoyed five successful years at the San Siro he has now expressed his desire to see out his playing days with the Rossoneri.

Joorabchian wants openness

Kia Joorabchian insists he has 'no other choice' than to take legal action against West Ham United.

The businessman is suing the Hammers for alleged unpaid fees and costs regarding the Carlos Tevez affair.

Tevez, along with fellow Argentina international Javier Mascherano, was taken to Upton Park in August 2006 before joining Manchester United last summer.

The arrangement with the Hammers was deemed to be contrary to Premier League regulations, and Joorabchian hopes the court case will bring everything out into the open.

Hodgson - Fergie rejected Inter

Roy Hodgson believes that he was the second choice for the Internazionale job back in 1995.

Hodgson, currently in charge of Premier League side Fulham, believes that the only reason he was handed the reins at the Italian giants was because Sir Alex Ferguson had already turned them down.

The Manchester United boss admitted this week that he had mulled over the idea of working abroad in the past, but had never been able to tear himself away from Old Trafford.

Hodgson, who has spent a career trekking the globe, feels that Ferguson would have been a huge success had he decided to leave these shores and admits that the opportunity may not have passed him by just yet.

Fergie - Ronaldo is a phenomenon

Sir Alex Ferguson has branded Cristiano Ronaldo's strike rate as "phenomenal" as the winger closes in on 30 goals in all competitions this season.

The Manchester United star needs just one more to reach that magic milestone and has already eclipsed his total of 23 during the 2006/07 campaign.

With Fulham next up for the Red Devils on Saturday, Ronaldo should fancy his chances of reaching the total at Craven Cottage as he boasts an impressive record against them in recent games.

The Portuguese international has scored seven times in his last five appearances against the struggling Cottagers, a tally which includes a last-gasp winner in the corresponding fixture last season which put the Red Devils well on course to take the Premier League title.