..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Spain must trounce Chile, says Raul

Spain icon Raul says the reigning world champions have to inflict a heavy defeat upon Chile to restore their pride - although he warns teams have learned how to defend against them.
The 2010 World Cup winners were humiliated in their first game of the tournament, surrendering a lead to lose 5-1 to Louis van Gaal's Netherlands.

That result, combined with Chile's win over Australia on the same day, means losing to the South Americans on Wednesady would likely see them eliminated at the group stage.

Raul feels that they have to recover from last Friday's trouncing by picking up a big win but maintains it won't be easy against Jorge Sampaoli's spirited outfit.

"Nothing less than three points against Chile at the Maracana can restore the dented respect for the world champions," the former Real Madrid striker wrote in a column in Times of India.

"The defeat against Netherlands has put the defending champions in a fix. They have to win by a big margin now.

"Of late, teams have, found out a way to play against them - keeping the defence tight and counterattacking with great speed.

"Among the Spanish defenders, only Jordi Alba has enough speed to tackle counterattacks. But because he spends so much time upfront, it is tough for him to track back quickly. Arjen Robben proved how costly that could be."

The former Spain striker also believes Iker Casillas should be dropped for his performance in their opening game, but admits that is unlikely with back-up goalkeeper David de Gea out injured.

"Spain have problems aplenty. Casillas had a terrible day against the Dutch. Vicente del Bosque has no choice but to play him again as second goalkeeper David de Gea has injured himself in training and will be out for at least a week.

"That leaves Del Bosque with a choice between Pepe Reina and his captain. I think Casillas will be preferred again."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ada match 1kanam Due or Die thamai.Kohomahari dinanna one Spain!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona tell Xavi he's free to leave

Barcelona have told Xavi they won't stand in the player's way if he wants to leave the Catalan club this summer, Goal understands.

Al-Arabi coach Dan Petrescu claimed on Tuesday that the midfielder had signed a pre-contract agreement with the Qatar outfit, though the 34-year-old has in fact yet to make a final decision on his future.

Xavi is currently out in Brazil for the World Cup with Spain, but his agent Ivan Corretja met Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu and sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta for talks concerning the player's future on Tuesday.

No final decision was reached, however, with new coach Luis Enrique keen to meet the midfielder personally to discuss plans for the coming campaign.

When he was unveiled last month, Luis Enrique said: "Xavi is a former team-mate and a great friend of mine. Whenever he wants to, we'll sit down and talk about whatever he wants."

However, Barca have since signed Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic from Sevilla and with Luis Enrique known to demand a high work-rate from his players, it is unclear whether Xavi can fit into that philosophy.

Previous coach Gerardo Martino left the 34-year-old on the bench for the Liga decider against Atletico Madrid last month and the Spain midfielder is unlikely to accept a bit-part role next season.

Barca have told the player's agent that he can leave if he wishes, following in the footsteps of fellow club captains Carles Puyol and Victor Valdes.

If Xavi does decide to leave Camp Nou this summer, however, he is likely to be inundated with offers to extend his playing days elsewhere.

The midfielder, who came close to joining both Manchester United and Bayern Munich earlier in his career, has appeared in over 700 competitive matches for Barcelona and won 22 tropies for the Catalan club.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Xavi Barcelona walin yanawanam hoda team 1kakata join unoth hodaiOna tharam teams athi Xavi wa ganna kamathi!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester City open Premier League title defence with Newcastle clash ​

Manchester City will open the defence of their Barclays Premier League title with a trip to Newcastle on August 16.City secured their second championship in three seasons on the final day of the 2013-14 campaign last month with a 2-0 win over West Ham, beating Liverpool by two points and Chelsea by four.​

Liverpool are at home on the opening day of the season, providing new Southampton manager Ronald Koeman with a tough first game in charge.There is a home start for new Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal, with the Old Trafford support getting an early chance to welcome him as they take on Swansea on the opening weekend.​

Burnley have a dream start to life back in the Premier League, welcoming Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, with all three teams promoted from the Sky Bet Championship handed home openers.Champions Leicester City host Everton and QPR, who came up through the playoffs, take on Hull City at Loftus Road.​

The opening day fixture list also provides two London derbies with Arsenal hosting Crystal Palace and West Ham taking on Tottenham at Upton Park, a tough baptism of fire for new Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.Alan Irvine's first game in charge at West Brom will come at The Hawthorns, with Sunderland the visitors, while Stoke City are at home to Aston Villa.​

The second weekend of the season sees the first clash between last season's title contenders with City hosting Liverpool, and QPR's first away trip is a short one as Harry Redknapp makes the return to White Hart Lane to take on former club Spurs.​

There is an early Merseyside derby on the schedule with Liverpool taking on Everton at Anfield on September 27, and the first Manchester derby takes place at the Etihad Stadium on November 1.Boxing Day sees two London derbies with Arsenal hosting QPR and West Ham making the trip to Chelsea, with another huge clash on New Year's Day when Tottenham play host to Chelsea.​

If there is another exciting race for the title, the closing set of fixtures on May 24 sees Arsenal host West Brom, Chelsea at home to Sunderland, Liverpool travel to Stoke and City take on Southampton at the Etihad.​

In the Sky Bet Championship, relegated Norwich open their bid to return to the top flight on August 10 with a trip to newly-promoted Wolves - a match you can see live on Sky Sports. Cardiff go to Blackburn for the first TV game of the season on Friday August 8 while you can also watch Fulham's opener at Ipswich on the first Saturday of the season.​

Brentford begin life in the second tier with a London derby against Charlton while Rotherham face Derby who narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League last time out.Scottish champions Celtic have to wait a week to begin their title defence due to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. They open with St Johnstone on August 13. Aberdeen kick off the new season when they entertain Dundee United on August 9.​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United First match 1ka thiyenne Swansea lath 1kka2013/14 season 1keth Manchester United 1st match 1ka thibbe Swansea lath 1kkaHabai AwayThis time home

Good Luck Manchester United!

Team 1ka strong karaganna one EPL start 1kata kalin​

 

[yellow]

අද කවුද ගහන්නේ?

 

[unicornx]

Xavi Barcelona walin yanawanam hoda team 1kakata join unoth hodaiOna tharam teams athi Xavi wa ganna kamathi!​

 

[unicornx]

Barcelona tell Xavi he's free to leave

Barcelona have told Xavi they won't stand in the player's way if he wants to leave the Catalan club this summer, Goal understands.

Al-Arabi coach Dan Petrescu claimed on Tuesday that the midfielder had signed a pre-contract agreement with the Qatar outfit, though the 34-year-old has in fact yet to make a final decision on his future.

Xavi is currently out in Brazil for the World Cup with Spain, but his agent Ivan Corretja met Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu and sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta for talks concerning the player's future on Tuesday.

No final decision was reached, however, with new coach Luis Enrique keen to meet the midfielder personally to discuss plans for the coming campaign.

When he was unveiled last month, Luis Enrique said: "Xavi is a former team-mate and a great friend of mine. Whenever he wants to, we'll sit down and talk about whatever he wants."

However, Barca have since signed Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic from Sevilla and with Luis Enrique known to demand a high work-rate from his players, it is unclear whether Xavi can fit into that philosophy.

Previous coach Gerardo Martino left the 34-year-old on the bench for the Liga decider against Atletico Madrid last month and the Spain midfielder is unlikely to accept a bit-part role next season.

Barca have told the player's agent that he can leave if he wishes, following in the footsteps of fellow club captains Carles Puyol and Victor Valdes.

If Xavi does decide to leave Camp Nou this summer, however, he is likely to be inundated with offers to extend his playing days elsewhere.

The midfielder, who came close to joining both Manchester United and Bayern Munich earlier in his career, has appeared in over 700 competitive matches for Barcelona and won 22 tropies for the Catalan club.

na bro....Xavi has signed a contract with Al arabi (Quatar club)

 

[Wolverine GTR]

na bro....Xavi has signed a contract with Al arabi (Quatar club)

Quatar club 1kata play karana 1kanam aparade brothawath performance adu wena 1kai oken wenne
​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Full Time

Australia 2 Vs 3 Netherlands

Australia Goal(s)

Cahill 21'
Jedinak 54(PEN)'

&

Netherlands Goal(s)

Robben 20'
Van Persie 58'
Memphis 68'​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ajax announce Muric deal

Eredivisie champions Ajax have announced the signing of Croatian youth international Robert Muric.

The capture of the highly-rated 18-year-old striker on a four-year deal looks to be a significant coup for the club, who have reportedly beaten a host of potential suitors in the race for his signature.

The likes of Manchester United and Chelsea were said to be keen on securing his services after he became a free agent following his departure from Dinamo Zagreb.

A club statement read: "Ajax have reached [an] agreement with Robert Muric.

"He signs a contract which begins on July 1, 2014, and runs until June 30, 2018.

"The 18-year-old youth international played last season with Dinamo Zagreb. There will be a number of formalities to be fulfilled before Muric [will] play for Ajax."

Muric scored twice for Croatia at last year's FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

De Rossi: Italy should fear Costa Rica

Daniele De Rossi has warned his Italy team-mates to fear World Cup opponents Costa Rica when the two teams meet in Recife on Friday.

The Roma midfielder helped the Italians get off to a winning start against England in Group D but they now face a dangerous Costa Rica outfit who also took maximum points in their opener.

The Central American side came from a goal down to shock Uruguay 3-1 last week and De Rossi is keen to ensure Italy treat Jorge Luis Pinto’s side with respect as they look to all but confirm their own last-16 spot.

"We should fear them a bit. You need a healthy fear against a team that surprised everyone with their victory over Uruguay," he said.

"Nobody thought they would get such a clear result against a very strong side.

"They'll be fired up after that win. If they had lost 4-0 then we could've underestimated them, but in this case we cannot possibly do that.

"I hope, and am convinced, that we can virtually secure qualification by beating Costa Rica. A victory would put a strong stamp on our ticket to the next round."

Italy are hoping to welcome back captain Gianluigi Buffon from injury for the match, while De Rossi himself should be fully fit after sitting out of training with a neck problem.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

West Brom confirm Lescott interest

West Brom manager Alan Irvine has confirmed his interest in bringing Manchester City centre-back Joleon Lescott to the Hawthorns.

The 31-year-old will leave the Etihad Stadium when his contract expires at the end of June and had been strongly linked with a move to Hull City as Steve Bruce looks to bolster his squad for next term's Europa League campaign.

However, the Baggies have signalled their intent to snatch Lescott - who began his career at fierce rivals Wolves - from under Hull's noses.

Speaking at his unveiling to the press after replacing Pepe Mel, Irvine confirmed: "There is an interest in Joleon.

"He is someone I know well. I had a great working relationship with him in the past.

"I believe negotiations are going well. Hopefully we're able to meet Joleon's demands. That's the calibre of player we would like to bring in.

"We are not there yet but there's an interest."

Irvine previously worked with Lescott at Everton when he was assistant to then-Toffees manager David Moyes.

Lescott was signed by City from Goodison Park in a €30 million [£24m] deal in 2009 but made just 10 Premier League appearances last term after slipping behind Martin Demichelis and Matija Nastasic in Manuel Pellegrini's pecking order.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Scholes: Rooney can destroy Lugano if played in his best position

Paul Scholes has backed Wayne Rooney to recover from a disappointing start to his World Cup and torment Uruguay's defence – so long as he is played in position.

The Manchester United forward was deployed on the left-hand side by Roy Hodgson in England's Group D opener against Italy but came in for some heavy criticism, despite setting up his team's only goal.

Former team-mate Scholes has backed the 28-year-old to shine against their South American opponents but insists that he must be played in his favoured central role to be effective, as Goal expects to be the case on Thursday.

"Diego Godin won La Liga with Aletico Madrid last season and is a very good centre-half – but Godin can't be expected to cover for the mistakes of his partner, Diego Lugano," Scholes told Paddy Power.

"Lugano is slow, he couldn't handle Costa Rica, and he was released by West Brom – it doesn't say much for him.

"Wayne Rooney can destroy Lugano, if Wayne is played in his best position."
Uruguay expect to have Luis Suarez back in their starting line-up after he sat out the defeat to Costa Rica.

Now having fully recovered from his knee operation, Scholes expects the Liverpool star to be a handful on his return to action.

"Last season Suarez changed his game and wasn't just thinking about himself," the former Three Lions midfielder added.

"It made him a better player, especially in his partnership with Daniel Sturridge.

"I've had similar operations and, in my experience, the first game back can be easier than the second game – good training and adrenaline will get you through the first one."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Rooney forward ma play kalanam thamai hoda!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Vidal and ‘suicidal’ Chile all set for dream clash with Spain

Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal says he can not wait for his side's ‘dream’ clash with Spain at the Maracana on Wednesday.

The Juventus star was a doubt ahead of the tournament after undergoing minor knee surgery last month but played an hour of his side’s 3-1 victory over Australia in their World Cup Group B opener last week.

And the 27-year-old has confirmed he is ready to line up against the reigning world champions in Rio.

“[Playing at the Maracana] makes it one of those matches you dream about,” he told Fifa.com.

“There’s an atmosphere in a stadium like that, [with] the fact we’re playing Spain, and knowing that if you win you’re going to qualify from one of the toughest groups in the World Cup.

“[My knee is] fine now. I’m pleased because I made a very quick recovery.

"I thought it was going to be a lot harder for me. Luckily, I made the team for the first match… I hope to show how good I feel in these [upcoming] games and how much I can help the team.”

Jorge Sampaoli’s side will provide a very different type of opposition for Spain, who have become accustomed to the opposition sitting back and looking to hit them on the break.

Chile, however, are stylistically similar to Vicente Del Bosque's side and will seek to control the play with what Vidal admits can be a high-risk method.

“Some say we take a suicidal approach. We press very high up the pitch,” he said.
“We try to stop other teams from playing and win the ball back as high up the pitch as possible. And when we’ve got the ball we start to play and make the opposition run, which is a good way of finding out if they have same level of intensity as we do when we don’t have [the ball].”

Chile complete their group campaign against the Netherlands in Sao Paulo on June 23.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo forced to exit Portugal training early

The fitness of Cristiano Ronaldo is once again a concern for Portugal after the Real Madrid forward was forced to leave a training session an hour early on Wednesday.

The 2013 Ballon d’Or winner’s fitness has been a constant worry for boss Paulo Bento, with the 29-year-old battling tendinosis in his knee as well as a long-standing thigh complaint.

Ronaldo was a slight doubt for his country’s World Cup 2014 opener against Germany on Monday but managed the full 90 minutes as his side were hammered 4-0 in Salvador.

Bento is now hoping his captain will be fit for what has become a crunch Group G clash with USA on Sunday.

Portugal’s all-time leading scorer could now be a doubt, however, after spending the final 60 minutes of his team’s session at Ponte Preta’s Estadio Moises Lucarelli in Sao Paulo with an ice-pack pressed to his knee.

He has regularly trained apart from the group in order not to further aggravate his knee problems and Portugal fans will hope the decision to end training early was merely a precautionary measure.

 

[prasad9805]

Nethrlnds un waliyata bara wadi chtr dial 2k inno tattayo

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Australia 2-3 Netherlands: Van Gaal's men edge five-goal thriller

Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie stole the show with a brace in the Netherlands' 5-1 demolition of Spain in their opening game last week, and the duo once more took centre stage by scoring again in Porto Alegre on Wednesday.

Tim Cahill earlier cancelled out Robben's opener with one of the greatest goals in World Cup history before a controversial penalty from Mile Jedinak nine minutes after the restart had Ange Postecoglou's men dreaming of a famous upset.However, Van Persie quickly quashed those hopes by levelling in the 58th minute with a neat finish inside the area.

And Memphis Depay – who had come on as a substitute for the injured Bruno Martins Indi - broke Australian hearts with a speculative effort that goalkeeper Mat Ryan will feel he should have kept out.

Louis van Gaal's men can now become the first team to qualify for the round of 16 if Group B's other match on Wednesday between holders Spain and Chile ends in victory for the latter or a draw. Australia, meanwhile, face a near impossible task to progress having lost both group games. Robben's third goal of the tournament in the 20th minute ensured the match exploded into life after a lacklustre opening.

The winger escaped the attention of Alex Wilkinson on the halfway line and surged into the box before drilling a low, angled shot into the bottom right-hand corner.
That lead proved short-lived, however, as Cahill equalised less than 60 seconds later with a goal of the highest quality that will live long in the memory.

Ryan McGowan – playing at right-back in the absence of the injured Ivan Franjic - pinged a superb cross-field pass towards Cahill, who watched the ball over his shoulder and lashed an unstoppable left-foot volley that crashed past the helpless Jasper Cillessen and struck the crossbar before nestling in the net.

It could have been even better for Australia on the half-hour mark, Mathew Leckie fizzed a ball across the area, but the onrushing Mark Bresciano could only side-foot over the bar.

The half ended on a sour note for the Netherlands when Martins Indi was carried off the pitch on a stretcher after a poorly timed challenge from Cahill, who received a booking that means he misses Australia's final group game with Spain.

It got even worse for the Netherlands after the break. Van Persie was first cautioned for an elbow on Matthew Spiranovic that rules him out of the last pool game with Chile before Jedinak put Australia ahead from the spot in 54th minute.
Referee Djamel Haimoudi deemed Oliver Bozanic's cross had been handled by Daryl Janmaat and Jedinak kept his cool to send CIllessen the wrong way.However, four minutes later, the Netherlands restored parity.

Wesley Sneijder's intricate throughball was collected by Van Persie and the Manchester United striker turned well in the area before rifling a shot into the roof of the net for his 11th goal in his last 10 international appearances.And, with just over 20 minutes remaining, the Dutch turnaround was complete.
Van Persie's clever run saw the pitch open up for Depay and his speculative effort from 25-yards found its way home via a costly error from Ryan.

Australia pushed forward in the closing stages in desperate search of an equaliser, but the Netherlands easily dealt with the danger to all-but book their place in the last 16.