Feb
08
2012

Kaka crowned Europe’s footballer of the year

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It is said that when the Brazilians take to the football pitch, they don’t play, they dance. ‘Samba’ is what the soccer crazy nation calls it and when the best from Brazil show their skills on turf, it seems that they are from a different planet altogether. While the past two years have seen Europeans take the crown of being ‘best footballer in Europe’, now the crown is back on the head of a Brazilian. Kaka has clinched the title with his spectacular performances for AC Milan over the past year. The Brazilian and AC Milan Playmaker and goal scorer has proven to the world in the last few seasons why he is being considered as the heir apparent to the throne of Ronaldinho. While it might be too early to write off the magician playing at Barcelona, Kaka seems to have taken his own game to a new level. The prize was voted for by 96 international journalists from a shortlist of 50 players and Kaka beat Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi to the title. Kaka said that he was elated with the accolades being bestowed upon him and did mention that his club had a major role in his success. He told the media that attaining such achievements were only possible ‘at a club like AC Milan’. He told that he not only enjoyed his individual success but also loved the way the club won the Champions league title; a tournament in which he netted 10 goals. It seems that Kaka is really enjoying the stint at AC Milan right now (and why would he not) and seems very committed to the club. This is surely great news for AC Milan fans, who are expecting another magical season in Europe and another dream run from Kaka. With the squad that they have and this new boost that Kaka received, it would be hard to stop them in Europe this season. Source: BBC

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Feb
08
2012

Romario says failed drug test due to hair medicine

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There is something about Brazil and football. As I might have told earlier when talking about Kaka’s recent accolade, they do not play the game, the dance. Their way of the game is more a way of life. Football is a region in Brazil, the players are gods. Success is worshiped and failure is not tolerated. They play football for fun and festivity. When I say they do not tolerate defeat, it does not imply that they riot. It is just the fact that the persist till they win. Romario is one of the most loved Brazilian soccer players of all time. He was FIFA player of the year in 1994, instrumental in winning the world cup 94 for Brazil. Yet he has had to face both the wonderful and the horrible. Now he has been implicated in a doping case. It is hard to even believe that it would be true. You know that a player of his class need not dope even at the age that he is presently. Now Romario has come out to say that the positive drug test was because of a hair re-growing medicine that he has been taking. It is quite funny when you listen to him put it into words. He told the media that he was getting old and was loosing hair. To make sure his receding hairline does not see him end up like Fabien Barthez, he has been using the medicine. Romario sounded both amused and pretty confident that he was clean. But he wasted no time in saying that if he knew that the substance was banned, then he would never have taken it. Surely, international bodies like FIFA have to educate players much better, than just giving a huge list of what is in and what is not. Even WADA must work in this regard. Now a substance that helps hair grow back is surely no help for playing on the ground. Unless FIFA believe that better hairline helps Romario cushion the headers better into the back of the net! I mean, with FIFA you never know. Image Source

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Feb
08
2012

Gunners held to draw by a struggling New Castle

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League leaders Arsenal were once again contained by a side that chose to play a very physical style of football to counter the slick and the subtle passing of the Gunners. Arsenal went to New Castle knowing that a win would help them in extending their lead at the top of the table to go six points clear of the Red Devils. This was the game in hand for Arsenal and dropping 2 points to a team that picked up just 1 point in last five league encounters does not speak well for Arsene’s boys as it all finished 1-1. The match started off in great style with the visitors going ahead in the fourth minute when Adebayor superbly controlled Emmanuel Eboue’s cross with his chest before smashing the ball into the top corner of the goal past Shay Given. The New Castle goal keeper has always been the most impressive player in the unit and has always maintained great composure in front of his net. If it was not for Given’s brilliance, New Castle might have well been in a deeper hole. New Castle appeared a broken unit, giving away the ball too many times and letting Arsenal create silken passes by giving them both ample space and time. It was just the fact that the Arsenal side could not capitalize on the space given to them. They came close many times though the night, but never again found the back of the net. It was an hour into the game when the home side finally found some joy as Eduardo gave away ball to let Taylor finish a New Castle move with the ball finishing at the back of Arsenal’s net. Very soon, Arsenal threw all they had to try and take maximum points from the fixture and came inches to scoring again. But it was all too late as it was just not the Gunners night. New Castle came back well in the second half playing hard football which did not allow Arsenal acres of space like in the first half. It still seems New Castle is struggling miserably to find form and it is sad for an Alan Shearer fan to see their current plight. Image Source

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Feb
07
2012

Mourinho out of England Manager’s race

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The secret is finally out-the England football team will not have the former Chelsea boss and the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’, Jose Mourinho, as their manager. After prolonged discussions with the English Football Association (FA) hierarchy, Mourinho decided to pull out of the race to the post of English football manager. Mourinho was reportedly one of the top contenders to become England boss after the English team failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and Steve McLaren,the then England coach, was subsequently sacked. However, the Champions’ League winning manager ( with Porto and Chelsea) said that, after talking with FA executives Brian Barwick and Trevor Brooking and giving the matter some ‘ deep and serious thinking’, he expressed his unwillingness to fill the post of England coach. He also expressed his ire at an unfulfilled promise for a job at a top European club. Football fans had unanimously chosen Mourinho as their favourite to take up the English manager’s job after McLaren, and was indeed considered to be one of the front-runners ( along with Marcello Lippi, the world-cup winning coach of Italy, Fabio Capello, former Real Madrid boss, former Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann and current Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill) to the post, until he expressed his unwillingness to compete for the job. In a statement to www.gestifute.com ( owned by Mourinho’s agent, Jorge Mendes), Mourinho said, After Steve McClaren left the England football team, my representatives maintained contact with the FA. In that sense, I had myself useful discussions with Brian Barwick and Trevor Brooking where we exchanged ideas to evaluate the entire situation about the England squad and set the goals in case of real invitation being addressed to me. After deep and serious thinking, I decided to exclude myself from being England manager despite being a fantastic position for me. I’m sure FA will hire a great manager, one able to place the team back where it belongs. I reiterate my respect for the English football and, after three good years in England, I firmly believe that the England squad will soon be back to their usual great results. source:edition.cnn

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Feb
07
2012

Real Madrid brush aside Lazio on their way to the top spot

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They are called the ‘Aristocrats of world football’ and they continue their march towards winning the European crown. Last night, Real Madrid absolutely dismantled Lazio with a first half performance that reminded the world why they still are the top club in Europe and on their day, inarguably the best club in the world. The match was probably a story of two halves, the first being a dazzling display of skill and control by the home team, while the second half saw the home team probably take it a touch easier on the turf. Real topped Group C with the 3-1 win and along with them the Greek side Olympiakos secured the second qualifying spot into the knockout stages of the Champions league this year. The Greek side easily went past Werder Bremen with a 3-0 win in Athens. It is nice to see that Greek football is really doing well off late and it’s sad to see Bremen being confined to the UEFA cup. But the night was all about the style and the sleek that Real exhibited on the ball. The match was over pretty quickly as in the 12th minute Robinho found Brazilian fellow countryman Julio Baptista who shot the ball to find the back of the net from 20 meters out. Soon Robinho turned the provider again as the ‘King of Spain’ Raul netted in a second goal just 3 minutes from the first. If Lazio still had any hopes of a miraculous comeback then they were soon shattered by the breathtaking Brazilian, Robinho. The provider turned into the poacher as one of the greatest poachers of the goal within the 6-yard box; Ruud van Nistelrooy let a ball through for Robinho to tap it in. Real looked in great form but also demonstrated that their defense is still weak, as they allowed the visitors to nearly claw their way back in. A second half goal from Pandev and then a near second one from a penalty spot almost saw them make a comeback. Iker Casillas made a brilliant save to make sure that the penalty did not get converted and the night ended 3-1. In group B Schalke overcame their squad problems to register an impressive 3-1 win over Norway’s Rosenborg. Chelsea topped the group after they finished with a dull 0-0 draw at home to the Spanish giants Valencia. It is sad to see Valencia finish bottom of the group and out of European football for this season. It is such a waste of talent. Also Schalke are the only German club to make it to the last 16, which does not speak volumes for German football. Real maintained their 100% win record at the Bernabeu this season and are really building an impregnable fortress for themselves at home. They still are weak in defense, but then the combination of Iker’s brilliance at the net and their own attack forward might save them. Even historically Real have always worked on the principle that: ‘we can always score one more than the opposition’. That is why we love them, that is why they are so entertaining to watch, that is why they are the most successful club in the world and that is the reason they are the ‘Aristocrats of world football’. Image Source

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Feb
07
2012

Arsenal beat Steaua but set to face tough second round opponent

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Arsenal’s French manager Arsene Wenger seems not too bothered about a potentially tough Champions League second round outing against one of the continental giants come February after coming second in their group behind Sevilla who swept past Slavia Prague 3-0 in the Czech capital. But whatever may be the future, Mr.Wenger seems to have some of the best young talents at his disposal who are improving with every passing match. Last night’s comfortable 2-1 victory against Steaua Bucharest proved it once again. With a busy Christmas schedule in store and an important encounter with title rivals Chelsea ahead on Sunday, Arsene Wenger rested big names such as Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Manuel Almunia and Mathiu Flamini against the lowly Romanians but Arsenal’s young brigade repaid the manager’s faith with a much needed win after two winless Premiership games(including a shock loss at Middlesborough last week). Another bright spot in Arsenal’s victory is the successful return from knee injury for talented Dutch striker Robin Van Persie who showed no signs of match fatigue during his 65 minutes of vigil at the Emirates stadium. Infact the young striker was a threat throughout the match for the Steaua defence and was instrumental in setting up fellow young Danish striker Niclas Bendtner for the Gunners’ second goal after Abou Diaby met a Bacary Sagna cross to score the first one. Although Dorel Zaharia replied for Steaua with a goal after the break, there was no real danger for Arsenal to surrender the lead. The win sets the North Londoners up nicely for the crucial clash against Chelsea on Sunday. In other Champions League matches, Lyon and Fenerbahce booked the last two places for the next round with comfortable wins over Rangers and CSKA Moscow respectively. Lyon joins Catalan giants Barcelona who had to come from behind to beat Stuttgart with goals from Geovanni Dos Santos, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto. Inter Milan dashed PSV Eindhoven’s qualifying hopes courtesy of a Julio Cruz goal. AS Roma hit back to hold under-strength Manchester United 1-1 in the Italian capital with Wayne Rooney handed over the captain’s armband for the very first time. In the group’s other games Sporting Lisbon comfortably saw off disappointing Ukrainians Dynamo Kiev. The third-placed teams from each group would now concentrate on the UEFA Cup, Europe’s second-tier competition. Image Link: Yahoo

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Feb
06
2012

Violence in Rome mars a professional United display

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An under-strength Manchester United sent strong signals to European and domestic rivals last night when they comfortably held a revenge seeking AS Roma side at Rome’s Olympic Stadium. It was one of the best performances by United’s second-string side which proves the fact that the Red Devils do have a strong set of replacements. United may not have Arsenal’s stupendous bench-strength which boasts of some of the most talented world footballers but young Spanish defender Gerard Pique’s performance against a seasoned Italian team does provide some light into Old Trafford’s talentbase. Sir Alex Fergusson travelled to the Italian capital with one eye on Sunday’s English Premiership clash with Liverpool at Anfield. Having won all previous group games in this year’s competition, the legendary manager rested important names from the match. But the reduced strength did not prevent the English champions taking the lead in the 34th minute through a fine Pique header. Although Roma equalised 20 minutes from time courtesy of a cracking Mancini goal, United never looked like surrendering the match with a typically controlled European away performance. The creditable draw with such an inexperienced lineup was somewhat marred with reports of a repeat of April’s violence between Roma and United fans. The violence outside the stadium proves English supporters’ vulnerability away from home in addition to repeated violent incidents that have gripped Italian football over the last few years. Rome is one of the most violent footballing cities with incidents of violence among Lazio and Roma fans regularly getting reported. It is upto UEFA and the Italian Football Federation to address the issue, otherwise Italian clubs might come under strict vigilance and ultimately suspension from elite tournaments. Image Link: Daily Mail

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Feb
06
2012

Fabio Capello named next England manager

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The tough Italian task master is all set to take England on to the football turf and the country would be hoping that he would do it with a more success than his predecessor Steve McClaren. It was announced yesterday that the man who led Real Madrid to the La Liga title last season would be under contract with the English national side for a 4 year spell that would pay him £6m a year. The important clause in the contract seems to be the ‘opt out’ in 2010. This seems to be put there in case England have another one of their infamous disastrous runs at the next world cup. Capello, now 61, will be unveiled at a news conference at 1300 GMT on Monday as the manager of the English national football team before taking up the role on 7 January. His first international duty will be a friendly against Switzerland and knowing the English side, he would do well to start off with a win. His next international fixture does not arrive till a World Cup qualifier on 6 September. With England failing to even qualify for Euro 2008 (considering the array of glittering stars and a very strong domestic league); it seems Capello has plenty of time to think strategy over. The FA revealed Capello was the number one choice and was the only man to be formally interviewed for the post. It seems that the FA was pretty clear headed about who they wanted for the post. Many names were speculated after the position of England’s manager became vacant when Steve McClaren was sacked on 22 November. The national press of England for long held the view that the ‘special one’ who led Chelsea to great success was also a prime contender. But as it turned out Jose was no where in the race; or so claim the FA. That’s too bad, as personally I would have loved to see Mourinho take up the job. I mean, at least we would have had exciting quotes and press conferences. But I suppose the FA is looking for exciting and positive results and Capello is no doubt someone who has had success over the years in managing top clubs of Europe. The former Italian player has won 9 league titles in 16 years of managing some of the best teams in Europe. He knows how to get the best out of talent and also had the backing of men like Sis Alex for the job. But for now, he brings an all Italian backstage cast to help him out in managing the English side. The Italian’s trusted aide Franco Baldini, his sporting director at Roma and Real Madrid, is included in the backroom staff along with veteran assistant coach Italo Galbiati, goalkeeping coach Franco Tancredi, and fitness coach Massimo Neri. Now that is a lot of Italy in the English dressing room and it sure has many worried about how the team would gel together. But the FA says that one should not worry about it as they say that they are on their way in integrating someone from English football as a part of the team. There are many names in contention and of all of them, I would love to see New Castle legend Alan Shearer take up a job backstage. The FA seems very confident and very sure about their decision of appointing Capello. Now only time will tell how right they were. England has always been a gross under-achiever on the field over the last two decades. Capello is there to change all that and maybe he can. What is my advice to the Italian Master? Start the practice with those penalty shots please Fabio. Image Source

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Feb
06
2012

Arsenal beats Chelsea, reclaim top spot in the Premier League

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Jose Mourinho’s departure from Chelsea seemed to have done Arsenal a world of good. The North Londoners have not tasted success against their bitter city rivals since February, 2004 until this Sunday. During this barren run it was the charismatic Mourinho who dictated the mentality of Arsene Wenger’s boys. But Avram Grant’s approach to this match was far too low key with the Israeli admitting to be an admirer of Arsenal’s free-flowing football which for sure Jose Mourinho would not have done in the pre-match conference against one of his title rivals. Although the match lived up to its fiesty reputation, Chelsea lost the encounter in some key areas. Influential striker Didier Drogba’s absence and talismanic club skipper John Terry’s early injury-related withdrawal from the match gave the Gunners an unwanted boost. Just when it looked that the Blues would go into the break all square and with a psychological advantage, a rare lack of concentration on the part of the Premiership’s best goalkeeper Petr Cech handed old Chelsea boy William Gallas a fortuitous headed strike which in the end turned out to be the all important match winner. John Terry’s unfortunate substitution also led Gallas to have a free header towards the goal who would surely have been marked closely by the England captain had he been fit but replacement Tal Ben Haim was not up to the mark. It was not a dream homecoming for Ashley Cole, who spent around eight years at Arsenal before moving over to Stamford Bridge under acrimonius circumstances last summer. The Chelsea defender was heckled by the Arsenal fans throughout the match and certainly would want to forget this match in a hurry. The win takes Arsenal back to the top of the Premiership table ahead of Manchester United who briefly went top after beating fierce North-west rivals Liverpool in an earlier match at Anfield on Grand Slam Sunday courtesy of a lone Carlos Tevez goal just before half-time. The vital wins for both Arsenal and Manchester United against their closest title rivals would give the clubs enough confidence for eventual league success going into the hotly busy Christmas period during which Premiership clubs get to play a host of matches in quick succession. But given the trend of the season so far with big teams dropping points against unlikely opponents, this title-race has more twists and turns than ever before and the team which copes better with the schedule congestion is more than likely to lift the title come May. Source Link: BBC News Image Link: Eurosport

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Feb
05
2012

United get the better of Liverpool yet again

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Reigning English Premiership champion Manchester United continued its six-year unbeaten streak at Anfield with a repeat of last season’s 1-0 victory over fierce rivals Liverpool. If one has to go by last season’s events, Sunday’s 1-0 victory for United would serve as a good omen for the Old Trafford faithful as the Red Devils went on to win the championship with a similarly dogged performance at the home of the five-time European champions. The victory, courtesy of Argentine striker Carlos Tevez’s first half strike, took United to the top of the table briefly but they remain just one point behind Arsenal who regained top spot later on Sunday with a similar 1-0 victory over London rivals Chelsea. As far as Liverpool is concerned, the loss to United would increase further pressure on their manager Rafa Benitez who is at odds with the club’s American owners over transfer funds. Despite dominating most of the match, the Merseysiders were unable to break the well-organised United defence and Mr.Benitez would not have done his cause against the owners any good with such a lackluster performance. Although the former Valencia manager put up a brave face after the match saying that the Reds are not yet out of the title-race but on the hindsight he knows that the loss has all but finished off Liverpool’s hopes of launching a title challenge. It would be interesting to see Rafa’s fate as the manager of Liverpool for it seems that the Anfield supporters would have to endure another barren domestic season and the club’s co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillet had made it clear earlier that the club’s main aim for this season is the domestic title which the famous club has never won since the Premiership’s inception. It has baffled many that a club which is so consistent and the most successful in the European arena than any other fellow English club just cannot manage to win the domestic title despite investing heavily on player transfers and to be honest the Reds do have a rich set of players who can win leagues anywhere in the world. With all due respect to the managerial skills of Rafael Benitez, may be Anfield needs a manager in the caliber of Sir Alex Fergusson or Arsene Wenger or a certain Jose Mourinho who can be ruthless in team management. Image Credit: Goal Source: BBC News

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