Archive for the ‘Euro’ Category
Ten-man Arsenal went back on top of the Premier League as they saw off West Ham 2-0 in a battling performance at the Emirates Stadium.
An early goal from Denilson – after he hammered the ball into the bottom corner from outside the box – gave Arsenal the lead, but they were given a disadvantage when Thomas Vermaelen was sent off for bringing down Guillermo Franco in the box just before the break. @ESPN
Striker Nicolas Anelka has given the broadest hint yet that he is ready to pledge his future to Chelsea.
Chelsea are understood to have re-opened talks with the France international striker over a contract extension that would see him remain at Stamford Bridge until 2013.
Discussions with Anelka’s representatives had originally stalled, allegedly over his desire for a £40,000-a-week pay increase, but the player is on the brink signing a new deal.
His original demands would have taken his weekly earnings to £120,000 and with Chelsea looking to reduce their wage bill, it was feared Anelka would quit the club. @Dailymail
Leonardo hit back at Jose Mourinho’s jibes about Milan closing the gap to one point. “There’s controversy around everything.”
Inter’s lead at the top of the table has been shredded and this week Mourinho hinted that “suspicious” refereeing errors had been responsible.
“It’s a shame that this has turned into the level of a pub argument,” replied Leonardo.
“I hope that soon in Italy we can create a culture of respect and ethics similar to the one in the Champions League. Unfortunately they’re like different worlds.
“Calciopoli means it will take some time, as there is still this culture of suspicion and controversy is stirred up over everything. It would be wise to all calm down a bit and look at the Champions League or World Cup as an example to follow.” @Italia
Bayern Munich have hit out at France’s national team for their treatment of Franck Ribery, and are set to lodge an official complaint with football’s world ruling body FIFA.
Ribery has endured injury woes since before the start of the season and was called up to play for France against Spain in a March 3 friendly despite having injured his ankle playing for his Bundesliga club days earlier.
Bayern chiefs now blame France for helping to aggravate that injury, claiming Ribery received poor medical treatment by doctors of the national team in the days leading to the game.
“We never want to find ourselves in a situation like this again,” said Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on the club’s website. @Soccerway
Sir Alex Ferguson is not surprised that Liverpool have fallen out of the Premier League title race this season.
The Reds were touted as one of the pre-season favourites after taking Manchester United the distance in the previous campaign, eventually finishing only four points behind their arch-rivals.
However, Rafa Benitez’s side could not mount a challenge this time around and now find themselves in a battle to secure the final UEFA Champions League position.
And now Ferguson has stoked the fire ahead over their Sunday clash by claiming Liverpool over-performed last season and says he knew it would be difficult for them to maintain their form. @SkySports
Arsène Wenger will always have Paris, yet his memories hold a haunting quality. When his Arsenal team pulled Barcelona yesterday in the draw for the Champions League quarter-finals, the manager was carried back, inevitably, to that spring evening in the French capital four years ago, when glory in Europe’s showpiece final beckoned only to be cruelly dashed.
Arsenal had their goalkeeper Jens Lehmann sent off in the 18th minute for a foul on the Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o and, although Sol Campbell headed them in front and Thierry Henry missed two presentable chances for 2-0, the Catalans came back to win 2-1. Wenger considers the defeat as his greatest regret in football and the passage of time has clearly done little to heal the wounds, which he continues to feel were largely inflicted by the Norwegian referee Terje Hauge. @Guardian
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has told Owen Hargreaves to forget about the World Cup and concentrate solely on club matters at Old Trafford, after the midfielder admitted earlier this week that he dreams of playing for England at this summer’s finals.
Hargreaves returned to action after an 18-month absence in a reserve team game against Burnley at Altrincham on Thursday.
The midfielder completed 45 minutes of the 2-0 win and whilst it was not the most physical of tests, he did enough to put himself in line for another appearance with the second string against the same opposition at Accrington next week. @ESPN
It is the fixture Sir Alex Ferguson still looks forward to more than any other. Manchester United versus Liverpool at Old Trafford.
Last season Rafael Benitez’s side somehow left Manchester with a 4-1 win and they beat their great rivals at Anfield this season, too.
But as Ferguson homes in on a 19th title that would eclipse Liverpool’s record of 18, the United manager now occupies the higher ground. On Friday he offered his thoughts on Sunday’s clash… @Dailymail
Barcelona’s fight for the title with Real Madrid depends more than ever on the form of superstar Lionel Messi who has scored eight of their last ten goals.
The champions have not been playing at their best and it is largely thanks to Messi that they are still neck and neck with Real with just goal difference separating the bitter rivals at the top of the Spanish first division.
As they prepare to face Real Zaragoza this weekend, the Argentine’s teammates have been quick to praise him with keeper Victor Valdes claiming he has the potential to be the greatest footballer ever. @Soccerway
Wayne Rooney is fast becoming the irresistible choice for footballer of the year. He already has 32 goals for the season and anyone who wants to pick holes in him should do so knowing he did not get to the top of his profession without having the ability to swat away criticism in the way the rest of us deal with a troublesome fly. But there is still one anomaly when it comes to recognising him as the “complete striker” – and it is nothing to do with the argument about what he can or cannot do with his left foot.
The statistics of Rooney’s career are so impressive it is worth a double-take that the man who is already over halfway towards Sir Bobby Charlton’s scoring record for England has gone 15 hours and 50 minutes of match-time without finding the net in his games for Manchester United against Liverpool. @Guardian
