..::Football II::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo wants Guardiola to coach Brazil

Ronaldo has tipped Pep Guardiola to replace Mano Menezes.

The Brazil coach was relieved of his duties on Friday following a largely disappointing period in charge of the national side, sparking speculation as to who his replacement could be.

And though Ronaldo does not agree with the sacking of Menezes, he says it is important to recruit a coach with the right characteristics - which could well be the former Barcelona man.

"Everybody gets impatient, but you always have to look at the bigger picture. I would not have made that decision myself, but Brazil needs to get back on track again," he told Globo.

"We have great coaches in Brazil, and we need someone who shows calmness towards the team.

"Guardiola is the best coach in the world right now. He did a very good job at Barcelona and would be a great choice for Brazil. We would have to see whether the fans would like him or not."

 

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Bojan eyes permanent AC Milan stay

Bojan Krkic wants to make his loan move to AC Milan permanent in the summer.

The 22-year-old forward joined the club on a season-long loan deal from Roma in August, and hopes to do enough between now and the end of the campaign to convince the Rossoneri of his worth.

"My mission is to be kept on by Milan. Nobody wants to stay with the Rossoneri for only for one season," he told Corriere dello Sport.

Bojan has scored just once in 14 appearances for the club - his solitary strike coming in the 5-1 demolition of Chievo - but he believes he should be judged on his all-round game and not just his goals tally.

"I miss scoring lots of goals, but I have always thought that a striker should not be judged just by the amount of goals he scores. The work he does for the team is also important," he added.

Milan takes on Serie A leader Juventus on Sunday on the back of a 3-1 Champions League victory over Anderlecht on Wednesday and the former Barcelona man believes he and his teammates will be high on confidence going into the game.

"This match comes at the right moment. We got a draw in Naples after a positive performance, then we secured Champions League qualification," Bojan continued.

"Our confidence has increased and for us this game is a great opportunity. Every match is worth three points, but to beat Juventus would be a huge boost for us."

 

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Mourinho and Maicon mock Benitez

Jose Mourinho and Maicon have been caught on camera mocking Rafa Benitez and his move to Chelsea.

The pair - who worked alongside one another when the Portuguese was in charge of Inter - spoke in the aftermath of Real Madrid's 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

Mourinho and Benitez had a stormy relationship when the Blancos boss was at Chelsea and the Spaniard in charge of Liverpool.

And after Wednesday's Champions League encounter Mourinho was informed of the breaking news at Stamford Bridge and shared a joke with Maicon regarding the move.

"Your friend Benitez is going to Chelsea," the Brazilian said to Mourinho, according to La Sexta.

The 49-year-old responded: "The fat one? Well then Materazzi should be his assistant."

Materazzi had previously revealed how Benitez made him tear down newspaper cuttings from his locker of victories with Mourinho and Marcello Lippi when The Blues' interim coach joined Inter in 2010.

 

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Branca: Sneijder axed over contract impasse

Marco Branca says Wesley Sneijder will not play for Inter until he makes a decision over his future at San Siro.

The Nerazzurri director has revealed that negotiations have opened with the player in a bid to alter the terms of his current contract, but as yet the Netherlands international has not responded to the club's proposal.

"We need to modify his current contract. He and his entourage have to decide what they want to do about our proposal," Branca told Sky.

"Sneijder will not play until he makes a decision about his contract."

The 28-year-old has missed a large portion of the season with a thigh injury - suffered in the 2-0 victory over Chievo back in September - but now looks set for an extended period of absence.

Inter next faces Parma on Monday at Stadio Ennio Tardini, as it bids to keep up the pressure on league leader Juventus.

 

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Manchester City is after Guardiola, claims Silvio Berlusconi

AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has claimed Manchester City is targeting a move for Pep Guardiola.

The 41-year old two time Champions League winner left his former club at the end of last season to take a break away from managing and thus has left a queue of clubs lining up to snap him up.

"There are some English clubs after Guardiola, especially City who have directors that we know very well," Berlusconi told reporters.

“We will try to sign him, but it’s going to be tough.”

Berlusconi’s comment suggests that not only is Milan already looking to find a replacement for Massimiliano Allegri but also that City may be seeking to get rid of Roberto Mancini.
Chelsea was previously linked with Guardiola after the sacking of former coach Roberto Di Matteo but it could now be out of the race after appointing Rafa Benitez as interim coach.
Berlusconi also dismissed reports suggesting he would attempt to sign Mario Balotelli in exchange for Alexandre Pato.

"A swap deal including Pato and Balotelli? I don't like making exchanges."

 

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Wenger: Arsenal has adapted to Giroud's aerial strength

Arsene Wenger argues that his Arsenal side has adapted its style to suit summer signing Olivier Giroud.

After a slow start, the French striker has impressed with goals and assists against Fulham, Tottenham and former club Montpellier, which the Gunners boss believes vindicates his decision to incorporate more aerial play.

Wenger told reporters of Giroud: "He is typically English. I believe he has the characteristics of a center forward I like in England.

“We have adapted to his strengths. When you cross the ball, you still think you have a chance to win the header whereas before it was a counterattack chance!

He added, "He is one of the best headers, yes. Thierry Henry was not a specialist in the air, Dennis Bergkamp not, Kanu not, Nicolas Anelka not. Ian Wright was not a specialist in the air. Nicklas Bendtner was good in the air but didn't play enough games.

Wenger enjoys Giroud's competitive spirit, calling the French striker a fighter."I believe he still has some work to do," the Arsenal boss warned, "but he has complete commitment, capability to win balls in the air and a fighting attitude.

"He convinces you about something more than just his game. His overall attitude, he is a fighter, he is ready to have a go and he is genuine.

On Giroud's initial struggles to find his feet, Wenger admitted: "It took time to settle. You tell them scoring the first goal is not important but they know it's important to score so you don't try to make them feel guilty but they still do. You can't change that."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wenger: Arsenal has adapted to Giroud's aerial strength

Arsene Wenger argues that his Arsenal side has adapted its style to suit summer signing Olivier Giroud.

After a slow start, the French striker has impressed with goals and assists against Fulham, Tottenham and former club Montpellier, which the Gunners boss believes vindicates his decision to incorporate more aerial play.

Wenger told reporters of Giroud: "He is typically English. I believe he has the characteristics of a center forward I like in England.

“We have adapted to his strengths. When you cross the ball, you still think you have a chance to win the header whereas before it was a counterattack chance!

He added, "He is one of the best headers, yes. Thierry Henry was not a specialist in the air, Dennis Bergkamp not, Kanu not, Nicolas Anelka not. Ian Wright was not a specialist in the air. Nicklas Bendtner was good in the air but didn't play enough games.

Wenger enjoys Giroud's competitive spirit, calling the French striker a fighter."I believe he still has some work to do," the Arsenal boss warned, "but he has complete commitment, capability to win balls in the air and a fighting attitude.

"He convinces you about something more than just his game. His overall attitude, he is a fighter, he is ready to have a go and he is genuine.

On Giroud's initial struggles to find his feet, Wenger admitted: "It took time to settle. You tell them scoring the first goal is not important but they know it's important to score so you don't try to make them feel guilty but they still do. You can't change that."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Del Bosque to vote Guardiola for Best Coach of 2012 but not Jose Mourinho

Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has indicated he will be using one of his three votes in the FIFA Ballon d'Or trophy for Best Coach 2012 to vote for Pep Guardiola but not Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho.


Guardiola left his role as coach of the Blaugrana following the 2011-2012 season in order to take a break from football.

Despite this, Del Bosque feels the 41-year-old deserves his nomination for the great work he did during his reign at Camp Nou where he guided the Blaugrana to 14 trophies in four years.

"I have chosen Guardiola because he's Spanish and for everything that he has done. He has won three titles this year. When I choose a coach, I do it for his sporting merits as well as his behavior," he said.

The 61-year-old also gave a vote to Roberto Di Matteo acknowledging his achievements while at the helm of Chelsea and Italy's Cesare Prandelli.

"Because of what he [Di Matteo] did with Chelsea after coming in halfway through the season," and Prandelli because "I chose him to give a nod to national teams."

However, Madrid boss Jose Mourinho was not on Del Bosque's nomination list despite steering Los Blancos to the Primera Division title last season.

He added: "I don't have anything against Real Madrid or Jose Mourinho. Nobody can tell me what Madridismois because I know very well."

 

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Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal: Stalemate sees Gunners slip up in top four chase

Aston Villa dented Arsenal's hopes of a top-four finish with a resolute display at Villa Park which finished 0-0.

The hosts did well throughout, limiting their opponent to half chances with a strong defensive performance whilst working a number of openings of their own. However, Paul Lambert’s men showed no real penetration.​

The visitors often looked the more likely side to take the lead, but with chances spurned by the likes of Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey, it soon became clear that it wasn’t going to be the Gunners’ day.​

 

[achalar]

Real Madrid lost to Betis

 

[achalar]

Manchester United 3-1 QPR: Hosts move top with trademark second-half comeback

MANCHESTER -- Manchester United posted yet another come from behind victory as it beat QPR 3-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

Jamie Mackie gave the Hoops a shock lead with his second-half tap-in but headers from Jonny Evans and Darren Fletcher turned the game on its head before Chicharito completed the scoring.

Sir Alex Ferguson restored several first-team heavyweights to his starting XI, after a young United slipped to defeat against Galatasaray on Tuesday evening. Fletcher was handed his first Premier League start since November 5 2011, while Wayne Rooney proved fit enough to earn a place in midfield.

Meanwhile, QPR caretaker manager Mark Bowen made five changes to the QPR side which lost to Southampton, with Esteban Granero and Junior Hoilett among the high-profile casualties.

The hosts spent much of the first ten minutes sizing up the opposition, with Adel Taarabt’s mazy runs the only highlight of an opening short of quality. But, predictably, it was United who carved out the first opportunity of note, as Robin van Persie’s deflected effort put Paul Scholes through on goal, though the Englishman could not divert the ball past a mass of defenders from six yards.

The visitors had a rare sight of goal in the opening 30 minutes, but Mackie failed to get his shot off in time after robbing Scholes at the edge of the box. With eight minutes of the half remaining the Scot would actually have the ball in the net, only to be denied by the linesman’s flag. He met a pinpoint Cisse cross from the right to nod beyond Anders Lindegaard but saw his hopes immediately dashed by the assistant referee’s entirely correct call. It would be the last chance of note before halftime.

The Red Devils looked no more switched on when play resumed but were made to pay for their lackadaisical approach as the visitors took a shock lead almost immediately. A well-worked corner allowed Kieron Dyer in at the back post and, after Lindegaard failed to get a strong hand to the cross, Mackie found himself with a tap-in from two yards.

That goal prompted Sir Alex Ferguson to replace Ashley Young and Paul Scholes with Chicharito and Anderson respectively and the Scot was rewarded as his side equalized not long after. A corner from the left-hand side was nodded back across goal by Welbeck and Evans was on hand to head home with the QPR defense all at sea.

The tide visibly turned as a result of that strike, and United did not need long to complete the comeback. Another corner from the left-hand side was QPR’s undoing again and this time it was Fletcher who rose highest to head home and mark his return to league football with a goal.

And substitute Chicharito, who has been in lethal form of late, was not to be denied a goal of his own and passed the ball in after a brilliant through ball from Anderson soon after.

HELL YEAH great game.. nice eq by evans.. good to see fletcher back on PL.. Chicharito as always!!!

GGMU!!!

 

[achalar]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/EPLSrilanka/

those who in Facebook.. Join this group

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier League 2012.11.25 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2012.11.25 Fixtures

Swansea Vs Liverpool

Southampton Vs Newcastle United

Tottenham Vs West Ham United

Chelsea Vs Manchester City

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La Liga 2012.11.25 Fixtures

La Liga 2012.11.25 Fixtures

Athletic Bilbao Vs Deportivo

Atletico Madrid Vs Sevilla

Levante Vs Barcelona
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Serie A 2012.11.25 Fixtures

Serie A 2012.11.25 Fixtures

Atalanta Vs Genoa

Chievo Vs Siena

Sampdoria Vs Bologna

Torino Vs Fiorentina

Pescara Vs Roma

AC Milan Vs Juventus
​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham 3-1 West Ham: Defoe at the double to torment former club

LONDON -- Tottenham gave its supporters something to cheers after the ordeal in Rome with a ruthless derby victory over West Ham as the visiting fans taunted their rivals over the stabbing of one of their fans.

Jermain Defoe scored twice against his former club either side of the break to answer the taunts from the West Ham fans, with Gareth Bale scoring in between to double the home side’s advantage as Spurs cruised to a confidence-boosting victory.

Andy Carroll scored a consolation header for the visitors in the 82nd minute, his first goal for the club.

The result ends a run of three defeats in a row to lift the pressure off manager Andre Villas-Boas as Spurs climb above West Ham to seventh place in the Premier League table.

The derby atmosphere was typically fierce, although sections of the West Ham support let themselves down by continually singing ‘Viva Lazio’ in reference to the shocking scenes in Rome this week when Spurs fans were attacked with knives and racially abused.

On the pitch, however, Spurs started the game with far more purpose than they showed in midweek, attacking with pace and precision as they exploited space given to them too easily by West Ham.

In the sixth minute, West Ham was perhaps lucky not to be reduced to 10 men when Joey O’Brien was booked by referee Andre Marriner for a dangerous studs-up challenge on Gareth Bale.

The Welsh winger recovered, however, and nearly broke the deadlock in the 11th minute. After roaming off his left flank, Bale picked up the ball centrally and stormed past three Hammers defenders before smashing a shot against the underside of the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area.

Spurs continued to attack but West Ham appeared to have weathered the storm after Sam Allardyce made a tactical substitution on the half-hour mark, replacing the dreadful Modibo Maiga with Matt Jarvis.

But the visiting side was caught out in the 44th minute as Defoe broke the deadlock. The striker wriggled out of a tight space on the right touchline, checked on to his right foot past Mark Noble and smashed a thunderous finish past Jussi Jaaskelainen from 25 yards.

West Ham looked more threatening in the early stages of the second half but was denied by Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the 56th minute when Kevin Nolan attempted to square for Jarvis.

A minute later, Clint Dempsey rattled a shot against the crossbar but it mattered little as the home side doubled the advantage with its next attack.

Dempsey, who produced easily his best display since his summer transfer from Fulham, played a delightful chipped pass that caught out West Ham’s static defense and allowed Bale to take a touch and finish into the far corner via the post.

In the 64th minute, the result was put beyond doubt as Defoe scored his sixth goal in seven Premier League appearances against his former club, whose supporters constantly barracked him throughout the game.

Sandro won the ball in midfield before Dempsey played in Lennon, who raced through on goal only to unselfishly pass for Defoe to tap in to an empty net.

Carroll then rose high in the 82nd minute to send a looping header into the corner from O’Brien’s cross. The barely audible cheers from the West Ham fans told the story of a bad day for the Hammers as Spurs saw the game out with ease.

 

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Chelsea 0-0 Manchester City: Blues fail to fire for Benitez

LONDON -- Rafael Benitez's first game as Chelsea manager ended in a tepid goal-less draw against Manchester City on an afternoon memorable only for the extraordinary hostility that greeted his unveiling.

Benitez faced genuine and sustained opposition from large swatches of the home support as they made clear their anger at the former Liverpool manager succeeding the popular Roberto Di Matteo.


Moreover, the Spaniard was unable to provide instant alchemy to the team, as Chelsea mustered only a single shot on target in a match dominated by defenses.

In front of the watching Roman Abramovich, perhaps Benitez’s only achievement was that new-look center back pair David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic had managed to keep the Premier League champion so quiet.

The draw leaves Chelsea five points adrift of leader Manchester United, while City finishes the weekend in second place after failing to make its domination of the play and scoring opportunities count.However, it was extraordinary reception received by Benitez that was the main talking point on an afternoon when the drama in the stands far exceeded that on the pitch.

It took the pitch side announcer passing on the news of former Chelsea manager Dave Sexton’s death at the age of 82 to end the thunderous jeers and chants of ‘Only One Di Matteo’ that had greeted Benitez’s introduction as the new manager.In the early exchanges, Chelsea’s key attackers lacked accuracy with their passing and were easily smothered by the visitors.

Roberto Mancini, whose name was sung loudly by City’s traveling support at regular intervals, would have been satisfied that his team looked far more organized than of late, while also counterattacking with some purpose.

But the champion of England failed to make their dominance count against the champion of Europe in a flat opening period, with Sergio Aguero and David Silva wasting excellent headed opportunities to put their team ahead.Both defenses continued to be on top in the second half, with Chelsea not creating a genuine opportunity until 60 minutes had been played.

Torres, once the most feared marksman in Europe under Benitez, had the chance to resurrect one of the most profitable striker-manager alliances of recent times in emphatic fashion.
But, in keeping with his Chelsea career, the forward fired a half-volley narrowly over the bar after the ball had sat up well for him inside the box following good interplay from Eden Hazard and Juan Mata.

In terms of entertainment, that was about it as both attacks were sorely lacking.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Swansea 0-0 Liverpool: All square on Rodgers' return

Swansea played out a evenly-contested 0-0 draw with Liverpool on Brendan Rodgers first ever return to the Liberty Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

In a game of few clear-cut opportunities, Liverpool went closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half, but Jose Enrique, continuing in a more advanced role on the left wing, saw a goal disallowed for offside after a deft cross into the back post from Luis Suarez.

Swansea manager Michael Laudrup made two changes to the side that beat Newcastle 2-1 last weekend, with Chico and Wayne Routledge coming into the team for Garry Monk and Nathan Dyer, with striker Danny Graham missing out altogether after failing to recover from illness.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers handed rare league starts to both Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson, with Suso dropping to the bench and Andre Wisdom missing out with a knee injury from the 3-0 win at Anfield over Wigan last time out in the league.

With the game played at a lively tempo, the home side carved open the first decent chance of the game in the 11th minute when Routledge forced Pepe Reina into a smart stop down low at his near post after a flowing move.

This prompted a response from Liverpool, though and the club should have taken the lead shortly afterwards when a superb low cross in from the right by Glen Johnson saw Jose Enrique get in front of his marker only to chest the ball narrowly wide when just six yards out from goal.

It took a magnificent save from Tremmel to deny Johnson when he was played through one-on-one by a tidy reverse pass by Jose Enrique in behind the back four, with the fullback's finish deflected over the bar.

Hernandez nearly found the inside of the far right post with a curling effort on the half hour mark from the edge of the box after displaying some quick feet to take it round Allen, with Reina looking well beaten before the ball flashed past the post, before Suarez saw a shot well-blocked by Rangel.

From the resulting corner, Sterling took down the clearance before unleashing a fierce drive which came straight back off the crossbar with Tremmel rooted to the spot. With Liverpool well on top, the club had a goal chalked off for offside in the 33rd minute with Jose Enrique's tap-in at the far post from Suarez's delicate cross correctly ruled out and they went in at the break with the scores level.

Liverpool started the stronger of the two teams in the second half and Suarez brought out a good stop from Tremmel with a powerful strike from a narrow angle after a sustained spell of possession from the visiting side, but Swansea responded by going close with a Michu header on the hour mark.

With the half slowly but surely coming to life, Ashley Williams saw his header cleared off the line after a corner by Allen before Suarez and Sterling combined on the break after a Swansea corner only for the Uruguayan to see his effort fly straight into the goalkeeper's arms in the 82nd minute.

Reina had to be at his best to keep a Hernandez free kick late on down low to his left, before substitute Jonjo Shelvey went close with a stinging strike from the edge of the box which was clawed away by Tremmel. With little to separate the two sides, a draw seemed a fair enough result on the balance of play.

 

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Dempsey picks up assist for Spurs in win over West Ham

Clint Dempsey helped Tottenham to a win on Sunday, providing an assist to Gareth Bale and helping set up the club's third to give Tottenham a 3-1 win over West Ham.

Jermain Defoe opened the scoring for Tottenham just before the break with a brilliant solo run and hit, giving Spurs a 1-0 lead at the half, but Dempsey and company got in full swing after the break.

Moments after hitting the post with his best chance of the night, Dempsey found himself on the ball again breaking forward. His clipped pass split three defenders and found Bale in alone with the goalkeeper. The winger still had some work to do, but he managed to bring the ball down and finish awkwardly into the corner.

Spurs extended the lead shortly thereafter with the American once again playing a big part. Tottenham's other flying winger, Aaron Lennon, was breaking forward just past midfield and slid a ball into Dempsey's feet. After picking up the pass, Dempsey took a touch and slipped Lennon back through the defense. Defoe would get on the end of Lennon's final ball and tap home as Tottenham finished off an odd-man rush to make it 3-0.

Andy Carroll pulled one back late on for West Ham.

 

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Sir Alex Ferguson: Liverpool should have done more homework before signing Carroll

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has suggested that Liverpool did not do its homework before spending 35 million pounds to sign Andy Carroll from Newcastle United almost two years ago.

The Old Trafford boss believes that Liverpool should have done a bit more research on the former Magpies forward before deciding to shell out such a sum for a relatively experienced player at Premier League level. Carroll struggled to hold down a regular starting place after arriving on Merseyside and joined West Ham on loan in the summer.

"He'd played not a lot of games for Newcastle and had to deal with a 35 million pound transfer to a club like Liverpool," Sir Alex told the Sunday Mirror. "He was young, and it was quite a big jump for him for that kind of money. We've gambled on a couple of players in the past, a couple of million, something like that. But when you get to that level of 35 million pounds, you need to a bit more homework and see how he is in the second season, maybe."

The 70-year-old hinted that Brendan Rodgers' inexperience might have been a factor when he allowed Carroll to leave for Upton Park before completing a deal to sign Clint Dempsey, who eventually joined Tottenham.

"They were after Clint Dempsey, that didn't work out, and they had done the deal for Carroll," Ferguson said. "Maybe it was something they did not expect. With the manager being young, maybe he expected the deal to go through, and it was not there and he had lost a player, too."

Ferguson does still expect Carroll to pose a threat when United hosts West Ham in the Premier League on Wednesday evening.

"Now it's up to the boy to improve himself," Ferguson said. "He's a great header of the ball and very aggressive. He'll be a handful on Wednesday."