..::Football II::..

[Wolverine GTR]

'World-class' Suarez should be named Player of the Year, says Rodgers

The Liverpool manager believes his striker should win the coveted end-of-season PFA award, not only thanks to his goals but also the consistently high level of his performances.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes striker Luis Suarez should be named PFA Player of the Year due to his consistency throughout the season.

The Uruguyan has scored 29 goals in all competitions this season for the Reds, and he leads the Premier League scoring charts on 22 goals. Rodgers has hailed Suarez's positive approach to the game, highlighting his striker's contribution to the Liverpool cause as key to his team's late push for European football.

"I’ve been fortunate enough to work with lots of really good players so it would be disrespectful to single out the best," Rodgers told reporters. "What I am sure of though, is his warrior spirit and I love his humility, work rate, attitude to training and his desire to be a winner.

"He has a real determination and commitment to do well for Liverpool and that side of his game certainly puts him up there with the very best I’ve worked with. He is definitely one of the most naturally talented and mentally strong players I have ever worked with.

"When you know him as a person and as a man like we do here, you can see why so many people love him. He is a player who has great humility, I see the guy everyday and I've worked with hundreds of junior and senior players and he is one of the most likable, most humble people I've come across.

"He is also a multi-talented footballer who has shown that he is at a world-class level now."

Robin van Persie and Gareth Bale - who are on 19 and 17 goals respectively for the league season - are considered Suarez's main rivals for the end-of-season award, but Rodgers feels the 26-year-old's regular top-class displays single him out above other contenders.

"He will certainly be in the reckoning [for Player of the Year]. His league goals alone should put him in with a great shout but you also need to look at his consistency throughout the season that makes him arguably the best player," Rodgers said. "There are other contenders of course; players like Gareth Bale have been outstanding for Tottenham for example, but I think that Luis' consistency and the impact he has had for us this season means that he would be my candidate to win.

"I know what it was like when I faced him as an opposing manager, I always viewed him as a pest around the penalty area and you know that players like that usually have the quality to score at any given time."

 

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Ferguson praises 'unbelievable' talent of versatile Jones

The manager described the England international as an "animal for football" and believes the 21-year-old will by vying for a center back spot after shining in a variety of roles Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed the ability of versatile Phil Jones, praising the youngster's talent as "unbelievable".

The Red Devils boss parted with 16.5 million pounds in 2011 to secure the center back's services from Blackburn in light of reported interest from other interested parties.

And the United boss has since been able to call upon the 21-year-old to occupy in three different positions during his time at Old Trafford - center back, fullback and as a defensive midfielder - and, whilst the Scot believes Jones' best position is in the heart of the defense, he believes he could excel anywhere.

"Jones is going to be a fantastic player, his talent is unbelievable,” Ferguson told Inside United. "Yes [his best position is center back] but you could play him anywhere. I think you could play him center forward!

"He’s just that type of player, he’s an animal for football. He grasps the game, he understands it. Play him right back? Brilliant. Play him center midfield? No problem. Play him center back? Terrific.

"He’s just one of those unusual players you get now and again who can play anywhere. We’ve not had a player like him in terms of someone who can play at that performance level since, well the closest you would get would be Brian McClair."

With Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans looking to replace the aging Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic over the coming years, competition in defense is strong at Old Trafford and Ferguson is delighted with the level of ability in his ranks.

"Jonny's been really brilliant this season," enthused the United boss. "He's 25 years old now and, hopefully for the next six or seven years, he could be a regular center back for us.

"Obviously, Rio is 34 now and Vidic is 31. [Patrice] Evra is 31 so, in that sense, players like Smalling, Jones and Evans will come to the fore."

 

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Mourinho faces selection dilemma as Casillas makes Madrid squad for Levante match

The experienced goalkeeper is one step closer to making his comeback after missing the past nine weeks due to a fractured hand.Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho faces a selection dilemma ahead of Saturday's La Liga match against Levante with Iker Casillas' inclusion in the squad as he returns following a lengthy spell out with a fractured hand.

The 31-year-old goalkeeper suffered a hand injury in his side's 1-1 Copa del Rey draw against Valencia on Jan. 23, forcing the signing of Diego Lopez, who has performed admirably in the club captain's absence.

Los Blancos assistant coach Aitor Karanka has now made it clear that the Spain international is raring to go again after getting the green light from the club's medical staff last month.

"He is at a high level again and has been included in the match squad," Karanka stated at a press conference. "He has shown his best on the training pitch this week and we are happy to have him back at this decisive stage of the season."

Casillas' inclusion in the match squad means that Lopez could start the Levante game on the bench, but the former Villarreal keeper is likely to reclaim his place for the trip to Galatasaray in their Champions League quarterfinal second leg on Tuesday.

 

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Barclays Premier League 2013.04.06 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2013.04.06 Fixtures

Reading Vs Southampton

Norwich City Vs Swansea

Stroke City Vs Aston Villa

WBA Vs Arsenal

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La Liga 2013.04.06 Fixtures

La Liga 2013.04.06 Fixtures


Real Sociedad Vs Malaga

Real Madrid Vs Levante

Deportivo Vs Real Zaragoza

Barcelona Vs Mallorca​

 

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Serie A 2013.04.06 Fixtures

Serie A 2013.04.06 Fixtures

Juventus Vs Pescara

Bologna Vs Torino​

 

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Everton boss Moyes named Premier League Manager of the Month for March

Congratz

 

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Barclays Premier League 2013.04.06 Fixtures

WBA Vs Arsenal

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La Liga 2013.04.06 Fixtures

Barcelona Vs Mallorca​

 

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mara save eka

 

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West Brom 1 - 2 Arsenal
mara gamak giye

 

[asanka99]

West Brom 1 - 2 Arsenal
mara gamak giye

west brom godak chance miss kala,aprade

 

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west brom godak chance miss kala,aprade

dan nam qualify weyi kiyala sure ekak thiyanna puluwan bale th nae sathi 2kata

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Real Madrid 5-1 Levante: Higuain stunner sparks brilliant Blancos comeback

Real Madrid was forced to come from behind in order to pick up all three points with a 5-1 win over Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu.

After a slow start to the game Los Granotes stunned the home fans as Michel scored on the break to put his side ahead. The goal appeared to spark a lax Madrid side into action and a spectacular goal from Gonzalo Higuain was quickly added to by a Kaka penalty. Los Merengues finally finished things off as Cristiano Ronaldo slammed in a third before setting up Mesut Ozil for his first of two late goals.

A number of rotations to Jose Mourinho's team made for a low-key start in which Gustavo Munua was forced into his first save in the 17th minute as he positioned himself well to keep the lively Kaka's effort out of the top corner.

Levante was sitting extremely deep with every man behind the ball for large parts of the half, enabling Los Blancos to dictate the tempo of the game. Yet the hosts continued to amble through the game and it ended up costing them dearly in the 31st minute.

After absorbing some more pressure Levante countered with Iborra finding Michel with space to run into. He slid a pass to his right for Pedro Rios who then returned the favor with a cutback from the byline and the former Valencia man's deflected shot got the better of Lopez.

Higuain ensured that Madrid only remained behind for five minutes with a moment of pure brilliance. From Xabi Alonso's cross, the Argentine met the ball with an acrobatic volley that gave Munua no chance and flew straight into the net.

The score was overturned just three minutes later as Los Merengues were awarded a penalty for handball by Christian Lell. Kaka took responsibility from the spot and sent the keeper the wrong way with a cool finish.

Ronaldo was introduced for the start of the second half and momentum remained with the hosts, though Higuain and Karim Benzema were unable to double the lead within five minutes of the restart.

However, Madrid again reverted to shooting from range and Mourinho would surely have been irate with his side had Robert Acquafresca's 56th-minute volley crept in the bottom corner.

The reigning Liga champions continued to pepper Munua's goal with shots but they lacked the conviction to kill the game off. Higuain and Arbeloa were both thwarted in quick succession 15 minutes from time as the outcome remained in the balance.

But victory was finally assured in the closing stages as the Argentine striker's drilled cutback was controlled by Ronaldo and then volleyed past the idle keeper.

The Portuguese then turned provider as he past up the opportunity to net a second by rolling the ball across the box to offer Ozil a simple tap in for Madrid's fourth.

Ozil then wrapped up a brilliant cameo as he followed his pass to Angel di Maria and as the winger let the ball get away from him in the area, he was on hand to slide in a second.

Los Blancos temporarily closed the gap on league leader Barcelona to 10 points, while Levante's challenge for a top-four spot looks to have all but vanished.

 

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Juventus 2-1 Pescara: Bianconeri bounce back against 10-man

A late flurry of goals for Juventus sealed a 2-1 victory over Pescara that puts Antonio Conte's charges 12 points clear at the top of Serie A.

The leaders dominated from start to finish but could not finish off their opponents, until Mirko Vucinic fired them into the lead 20 minutes from the end from the penalty spot. The Montenegro striker repeated his exploits with a lovely close-range finish, giving Juve a valuable win and leaving the Delfini, who hit back with Emmanuel Cascione's brilliant effort, mired in relegation trouble.

Looking to bounce back after a painful defeat midweek at the hands of Bayern Munich, Juventus started positively and immediately went on the offensive against a Pescara side battling desperately to avoid Serie B football next season. The Old Lady, resting Andrea Pirlo, attacked rapidly using the flanks, a strategy that almost provided early results.

Stephan Lichtsteiner wriggled his way through to the byline on the right-hand side, and floated in a cross. Emanuele Giaccherini was the man who met the center, releasing an acrobatic scissor kick, but his good work was matched by that of Delfino keeper Ivan Pelizzoli who reacted with an excellent save to deny the midfielder. Juve were also active down the middle; Sebastian Giovinco did brilliantly to beat his marker after being played in with an intelligent ball from Arturo Vidal, and Pelizzoli again had to be attentive to palm away the youngster's shot one-on-one.

The first half was a story of almost constant pressure from the home team, but they did not count on the resilience of the visitors who defended determinedly, limiting the number of clear chances. And on the half hour, with no way through, there was a further blow for the Bianconeri. Stretching to reach a cross on the volley, Giovinco clashed painfully with Marco Capuano and was stretchered off, putting his presence in doubt for the upcoming Champions League clash with Bayern.

With Fabio Quagliarella thrown into the action, Juventus tried to rearm its siege of the away net. Time and again, however, the club was foiled by the outstanding Pelizzoli. The goalkeeper pulled off a fingertip stop to turn the substitute's shot onto the post, and later denied Giaccherini as the midfielder, set up by good work from Kwadwo Asamoah, released a venomous effort from deep. It was all Juve in the first 45 minutes, but it could find no way through and went into the break still tied with the league's bottom club.

The onsalught continued after the break, and just four minutes in Juve should have taken the advantage. Asamoah weaved his way down the flank and his cross was palmed by Pelizzoli right into the path of Mirko Vucinic, a rare misjudgement from the No. 1. The striker had the goal at his mercy, but completely fluffed his volley and looked livid with himself as the ball rolled harmlessly away for a goal kick.

If Pelizzoli had a lucky escape previously, he soon compensated for his error with yet another fine save. A nicely-floated ball forward from Paul Pogba found Quagliarella with space and the striker's volley had to be deflected over the bar to once again deny Juve the lead they so desperately sought.

Antonio Conte's men continued to dominate in terms of possession and territory, but as the minutes ran down a win looked less and less likely, as spaces around the penalty area evaporated. With 20 minutes left, however, they were thrown a lifeline. A short free-kick resulted in Arturo Vidal being roughly thrown to the ground by Guiseppe Rizzo, and the referee had no hesitation in ordering a penalty as well as sending off the offender. Vucinicstepped up, and blasted home the kick to put his team finally in the ascendancy.

There was no way back for the away team, who had withstood well the home onslaught, a second goal for Vucinicwith a wonderful curled finish sealing their fate. Emmanuel Cascione provided a late cheer with a stunning consolation, slammed in from 30 yards, but it was not enough as they slumped to a defeat that leaves them rooted to the foot of the table, six points away from safety and with a game more played. Juve, meanwhile, was left to celebrate as it opened up a 12-point gap over Napoli, hosts Siena on Sunday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Rennes 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain: Menez and Ibrahimovic restore seven-point advantage

A wonderful solo strike from Jeremy Menez helped Paris Saint-Germain prepare for its Champions League showdown in Barcelona with a 2-0 win over Rennes, which re-established the team's seven-point lead atop Ligue 1.

With nearly an hour gone the match looked flat, yet Menez, who had endured a frustrating game to that point, took it upon himself to carve past four challenges before sliding a composed finish past Benoit Costil to secure the points for Carlo Ancelotti’s much-changed side.

In stoppage time, Zlatan Ibrahimovic made it 2-0 with a finish from little more than a yard out after substitute David Beckham clipped a ball across the box.

It was clear both from the team selection, which saw the likes of Thiago Silva, Lucas and Ezequiel Lavezzi benched, and the performance of PSG early on that minds had already turned partially towards the much-hyped midweek encounter, as Rennes enjoyed the better of the first half.

Sadio Diallo drew a good save from Salvatore Sirigu after a poor defensive header from Gregory van der Wiel, while Fantamady Diarra also drew a smart block from the Italian. Just before the break Jonathan Pitroipa smashed an effort just wide.

Ibrahimovic was present in PSG’s starting XI and was the team's major threat. Nevertheless, the lackluster nature of the Swede summed up his side’s performance and this was typified when he finished meekly after he expertly turned Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik.

At halftime Ancelotti introduced Beckham in place of the disappointing Marco Verratti, while the general tempo of the visitors’ play was lifted.

Menez, in particular, looked a good deal more dynamic and even before his wonderful goal he had threatened with a shot just over.

In the minutes after PSG had finally made the breakthrough it looked likely to fashion a second. Costil did well to deny Gameiro after Ibrahimovic’s miskick dropped kindly to him in the box, while the forward was also close to converting a Maxwell delivery from the left.

It was, however, Rennes which did much of the late running. PSG’s defending late on varied from the haphazard to the excellent, with Camara saving Sirigu’s blushes after he fumbled a cross and Van der Wiel making a key intervention when Anders Kondradsen burst into the box.

The hosts looked rather toothless throughout this encounter, and once PSG had grabbed the lead it appeared largely comfortable, although a Julien Feret shot from range did have Sirigu scrambling before Ibra finally put the game away.

Victory means that Ancelotti’s outfit has taken another big step towards a first title in nearly two decades, while it also provides an excellent platform for its trip to Barcelona, which has been the team's main focus for the last week.

 

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Eintracht Frankfurt 0-1 Bayern Munich: Sublime Schweinsteiger seals 23rd title with six rounds to spare

Bayern Munich wrapped up the Bundesliga title with a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at the Commerzbank Arena.

Unsurprisngly, with the title there for the winning, Bayern took the early initiative, with Mario Gomez, Arjen Robben and David Alaba all finding space down the wings, but the first effort of note came from Frankfurt as Takashi Inui fired over from distance.

The visitors, however, were certainly the team on top. Some neat build-up play from Robben and Thomas Muller presented Xherdan Shaqiri with the chance to shoot, and the Swiss youngster's long-range effort rattled the post.

In the 26th minute, Bayern was presented with a golden opportunity to take an early lead. Marco Russ' shove on Thomas Muller saw the referee point to the spot, but Alaba's penalty was a poor one, striking the post en route to going wide.

The miss almost proved costly. Within seconds, a fantastic last-ditch challenge from Jerome Boateng prevented Inui from running clear.

Jupp Heynckes' side came out with renewed intensity after the restart, with Gomez forcing the ball to Robben under heavy pressure, only for the Dutchman to miss from a matter of yards.

But their wastefulness did not continue. Philipp Lahm found some space down the right and fed Schweinsteiger, who flicked it brilliantly into the net at the near post.

Despite only trailing by one goal, Frankfurt had no sort of impetus until late on. Indeed, Manuel Neuer was not forced into a save of note until the hour mark, when he was forced to get down to save Inui's tame long-range strike.

The Bavarians were almsot forced to put the champagne on ice 10 minutes from time when Stefan Aigner's ball found Srdjan Lakic unmarked, but Neuer was alert enough to make a brilliant save.

The former Schalke keeper made another great block second later after a goalmouth scramble following a corner, ensuring that Schweinsteiger's strike was enough for the title.

 

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Congratulations Bayern!​

 

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West Brom 1-2 Arsenal: Rosicky double just enough for 10-man Gunners

Arsenal’s push for a place in next season’s Champions League received a welcome boost on Saturday as a Tomas Rosicky double inspired the club to a 2-1 win over West Brom sealing its third Premier League win in a row.

Clinical strikes either side of the break from the Czech midfielder had given the Gunners a comfortable lead but Per Mertesacker’s 70th-minute sending off and James Morrison’s subsequent penalty made for a frantic finish.

Arsenal managed to hold on, though, and its fifth successive victory at the Hawthorns sees Arsene Wenger’s side move into fourth, with Chelsea and Tottenham not due to play until tomorrow.

Steve Clarke made just two changes from his side’s 3-1 defeat at West Ham last week as Morrison came in for the suspended Youssouf Mulumbu and Jerome Thomas replaced Romelu Lukaku.

The visitors, meanwhile, named an unchanged side from their 4-1 win against Reading as Gervinho and Olivier Giroud retained their places up front in the absence of the injured Theo Walcott.

It was no surprise to see Arsenal dominate possession early on, though it was the home side that came closest in the early exchanges as a Claudio Yacob header was cleared off the line by Rosicky.

But it was back to business as normal when Gervinho made a fine run into the West Brom penalty area and crossed for the Czech midfielder, whose header into the bottom corner this time made him the hero at the other end. It was the Ivorian’s third assist in two matches and Rosicky's first league goal of the season.

Chris Brunt then tested Lukasz Fabianski with a low free kick but, in truth, things were looking very easy for the Gunners.

And Wenger's side should have doubled their lead on 42 minutes after great work from Giroud and Santi Cazorla teed up Aaron Ramsey. The Welshman somehow managed to skew his shot wide from just yards out, however, for what was in the end an embarrassing miss.

It remained 1-0 at the break but the Gunners were quick to add a second after the restart – and it was that man Rosicky once again.

Crossing in from the right, Ramsey managed to atone for his earlier error with a fine ball and there was a glint in the Czech’s eye as he sent home the rebound after first thumping a half-volley at Ben Foster in the Baggies goal.

But with 20 minutes left, disaster struck for the visitors as a long ball over the top released Shane Long and Mertesacker brought him down in the danger area. A penalty was subsequently awarded and the German defender received his marching orders.

Morrison duly dispatched the spot kick to register his first home goal since October and Wenger responded swiftly with a defensive change, bringing captain Thomas Vermaelen on for Gervinho.

With the man advantage, the Baggies pushed forward and Gareth McAuley and substitute Lukaku both fired agonizingly wide within minutes of each other.

And Long then came even closer at the death – but Wenger’s men held on.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Norwich 2-2 Swansea: Moore leveller keeps Canaries in relegation mix

Luke Moore's second-half goal earned Swansea a 2-2 draw against Norwich at Carrow Road and increased Chris Hughton's relegation fears.

Michu converted Jonathan de Guzman's cut-back to give the Swans a deserved lead but despite their continued dominance of possession, the Canaries hit back either side of halftime.

Elliott Bennett's cross was headed in by Robert Snodgrass five minutes after Michu's opener before another Bennett delivery was tucked away by Michael Turner.

Moore bundled home with 15 minutes to play, however, after De Guzman had headed Dwight Tiendalli's cross into the six-yard box to ensure the spoils were shared.

Kei Kamara led the line for Norwich ahead of Grant Holt, who was on the bench, while Alexander Tettey remained among the substitutes as he continues his comeback from a knee injury. Luke Moore, meanwhile, started up front for Swansea with Michu offering support from a deeper position.

Norwich did not test Michel Vorm until past the 20-minute mark after opening the match in familiarly uninspiring style. The Dutch goalkeeper did brilliantly when called into action, though, to palm away Turner's effort after Snodgrass' run and cross from the right.

First-half chances were otherwise few and far between but the visitors always looked more likely to manufacture the sort of cutting move that resulted in the contest's opening goal. After a Swansea corner, De Guzman smartly turned onto Chico Flores' pass and cut the ball back for Michu, who finished expertly into the roof of the net from 12 yards.

That led to more than a little dissent in the stands, with the threat of the relegation battle increasingly looming over the Canaries, but before the half was out they were level. Seconds after Nathan Dyer had shot narrowly wide at the other end, Bennett's cross to the back post was nodded in by Snodgrass.

Norwich's mini-revival did not pick up where it left off after the break, however, and Lee Camp, who had replaced the injured Mark Bunn in the first half, needed to race quickly off his line to deny Moore after Wayne Routledge's clever chip over the head of Sebastien Bassong.

Michael Laudrup's team's failure to make the most of their dominance would be punished once again. For the second time, Bennett was the provider, this time whipping in a free kick from the right that was swept in by Turner, who was lurking behind the Swansea defense.

Norwich appeared to be fairly comfortable thereafter, one free header wasted by Michu aside, but Moore capitalized on De Guzman's smart header into the six-yard box to increase the pressure on Hughton.