Inter Milan boss Leonardo said his side are still alive in the Serie A title race after their dramatic 2-1 win at Cesena.Inter trailed 1-0 after 90 minutes but an injury-time brace to Giampaolo Pazzini helped them secure a remarkable win and trim AC Milan’s lead to five points, although the league leaders have a game in hand.
Leonardo said he would be focusing on Inter’s own game as the season draws to a close, and would concentrate on securing maximum points from their three remaining fixtures.
“We are only focusing on ourselves,” Leonardo said.
“We want to maintain second place and enter the Champions League directly, without forgetting we also have the Coppa Italia semi-final (against Roma). As for the title, anything can happen and we’re still up there.”
Leonardo said he was still haunted by a three-day period in early April, when his side were humiliated by AC Milan 3-0 in the league before being routed 5-2 at home by Schalke in the Champions League, a defeat that led to them being eliminated from the tournament.
“It was tough today (against Cesena), above all psychologically, but the lads were great. I just have regrets over that cursed week, as going out of the Champions League really hurt us after a strange game with Schalke,” Leonardo said.
“This squad won the treble last season, but despite it all, we were still close to winning it all again. Unfortunately, that week ruined everything.”
The Brazilian was full of praise for Cesena, and joked that the late goals to Pazzini had been part of his plan.
“Oh that was all carefully planned out,” he said of the comeback.
“The truth is Cesena defended well and we were too slow, especially in attack. Nobody can deny we are a little fatigued after playing so many games. We conceded during a good spell of Cesena pressure, then everything changed when Pazzini came on.”
Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson was not too disappointed with his side's performance, despite the Reds stuttering to a goalless draw away to Utrecht in the Europa League.
Hodgson's men carved out few chances in the Netherlands, but the former Fulham manager was still content with the display.
He commented:"It was a good point because we knew it was going to be a tough game.
"I thought the problems we had, if we had any at all and the occasions when they created chances, were of our own making.
"We created some good chances ourselves and it wasn't a dull 0-0. There was activity at both ends of the field.
"Utrecht did well, they were determined, aggressive and committed, so we knew we had to be at our best defensively to keep them out and fortunately we did.
"I thought they crossing was very good and I think you could quite easily see today why Utrecht have such a good home record.
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"It would have been unfortunate for them had we won the game tonight, I think Utrecht would have felt hard done by.
"We are top of the group with four points, then Utrecht and Napoli with two and then Steaua Bucharest with one, so it is already quite close and the way it is panning out it will be close right until the end."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Chelsea’s suffered a dismal afternoon in East Anglia as their faint hopes of a title challenge took another hit after being held to a goalless draw by determined Norwich at Carrow Road.
Andre Villas-Boas’ side dominated much of the game but just couldn’t find a way past a resolute Canaries back four as Fernando Torres’ barren run continued in front of goal. The Spaniard cut a dejected figure throughout as Paul Lambert’s men kept their first clean sheet of the season after an inspired performance from goalkeeper John Ruddy in the second half. Chances came and went for the Blues as their aspirations of challenging for the Premier League trophy this year all but evaporated leaving Villas-Boas with only the Champions League and FA Cup as his best chance of winning some silverware in his debut season as manager at Stamford Bridge. Norwich, on the other hand, will be delighted with a point that leaves them firmly entrenched in the top half of the table and well clear of the relegation zone.
Defending hasn’t been the Canaries’ biggest strength this season and they were on the back foot almost immediately as the visitors roared into life during the early stages. Frank Lampard floated a few early balls into the box that were dealt with well by Zak Whitbread whilst Torres’ first touch let him down after being found by John Terry as the Blues continued to press without making any clear cut chances. In fact it was the hosts who went closest to breaking the deadlock after 10 minutes with Grant Holt flashing an effort just wide of Petr Cech’s post after easily shrugging aside David Luiz. Chelsea responded with Juan Mata acrobatically firing over from Lampards corner before sa brilliant effort from Torres with the outside of his was pushed wide by Ruddy.
The away side continued to press forward in numbers after the break to no avail as Ruddy, Whitbread and central defensive partner Daniel Ayala proved solid in the Norwich penalty area. When they were breached the Blues failed to take advantage with Torres woefully poking low ball into the box wide from just eight-yards before Mata was denied by a fine save from Ruddy at his near post. The Canaries keeper then did well to hold onto Ramires fierce strike after Raul Meireles then fizzed an effort just over the bar as Chelsea continued to attack the home side with vigour. Villas-Boas then through Romelu Lukaku into the mix in search of a winner withdrawing Torres with 13 minutes remaining as he made it 15-hours without a goal. The young Belgian failed to make the necessary impact as the West Londoners struggled to find an end product to their late pressure.
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Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio said he is still hopeful his side can qualify for next season’s Europa League.Juve are unbeaten in five matches and are seventh in Serie A.
With Udinese and Roma occupying the two Europa League spots ahead of them in fifth and sixth respectively, Juventus’ hopes appear to be out of their hands as they prepare for Saturday’s league game against Catania, according to Marchisio.
“(Our) last month was positive. We had three wins and a draw, some good performances and we gained some points,” the midfielder said.
“Now we need to focus on the last five games, but we can’t just focus on our own games, we need to look at the games that other teams will play. We still hope that something will happen.”
“The important thing is to continue like that, both from a mental and a physical point of view, because we have done very well. We didn’t make the same mistakes as we did in the game against Roma, so we need to continue that way.”
Marchisio blamed his side’s early form in the campaign for their struggle to reach Europe’s second tier competition, and leave them all but out of contention for next term’s Champions League.
“We missed some chances earlier in the season, not recently. It’s wasn’t the draw against Fiorentina that ended our hopes, but now we know there will be two important games, the one on Saturday against Catania in particular. If we win that game we can prepare well for the game against Roma, while Lazio will play against Inter Milan, so we will see,” he said.
“It’s important to continue like this and to try to gain three points, then we’ll go to Rome and hope for something.”
“Apart from the draws, we don’t need to consider all the missed opportunities. The last two are enough – the games against Lecce and Bologna. If we had won those two games we would have had six points more and we would have had the same points as Lazio now.”
“We cannot think like that now, the only thing we can do is try to win on Saturday and then go to Rome and see how it goes there.”
If something works, then one should try the same formula again. When Manchester United signed Nani for just over £17m there was a collective groan across the Premier League of déjà vu. Here was a young Portugese winger signed from Sporting Lisbon, arriving with little more than a big reputation to live up to and a hefty price tag. There was pace, trickery and a hunger for goals and the limelight. It all sounded very familiar.
By the time Nani arrived at Old Trafford, it was 2007, United were champions and Cristiano Ronaldo was ripping teams singularly to shreds. No player has ever taken apart the league’s teams in such a regular and relentless fashion as Ronaldo did during his time in England, and this was to be, and will be throughout his Man Utd career, Nani’s biggest curse.
Nani has yet to hit any sort of heights. There must be a constant sense of frustration amongst the Man Utd fans that watch him on a regular basis; the occasions on which he has produced moments of brilliance make the rarity of them all the more infuriating. During his first two seasons Nani could use the shadow of Ronaldo’s wing as an excuse and a burden to offer reasons for the stuttering start to his time at United, but once Ronaldo made his move to Madrid, Nani was expected to fill the chasm that Ronaldo left.
Part of the pressure on Nani can’t be shifted; there are just unavoidable similarities such as their position, their nationality, their previous club etc. but there are times when I think that the younger of the two doesn’t help himself. When I see a mop of over-greased hair, standing wide-legged over a dead-ball, taking a deep breath of pantomime proportions, I wonder whether Nani is deliberately trying to remind everyone what they are missing out on. It is only a matter of seconds, when the ball thumps into the wall, rather than violently dip into the top corner, that we all come back to our senses and realise that Ronaldo did indeed leave these shores.
In his last three seasons at United, Ronaldo scored 91 goals in all competitions. Comparing anyone to that record is probably a bit unfair, a player could have an amazing record goal-scoring record and churn out scintillating performances and still not manage to reach that Ronaldo did.
If Nani hadn’t moved to Old Trafford then it is conceivable that he would have avoided any comparisons with Portugal’s captain, but turning down a move to Man Utd is easier said than done.
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Nani must now accept that this is the cross he must bear throughout his career, it has become inescapable. It is difficult to know how long Ferguson will persist with Nani, certainly he would have hoped that Nani had progressed more than he has done so far, thus becoming a more dependable player. Nani is a prime candidate when looking around the team to see who will take the goal-scoring burden off Wayne Rooney’s shoulders, and at some point he is going to have to deliver. If he doesn’t then he make have to look for fresh pastures, and he certainly won’t be commanding an £80m fee.
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Queens Park Rangers boss Neil Warnock is desperate to strengthen his squad in January and will make an audacious bid to bring Manchester City’s Nigel De Jong to Loftus Road according to the Daily Mirror.
Warnock will attempt to bring the Dutch midfielder in on loan for the remainder of the season as he has become out of favour under Roberto Mancini, with James Milner, Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry all ahead of him in the pecking order.
De Jong is looking for a new contract at City but the lack of game time is confining his chance to impress the Italian manager of the league leaders. De Jong has been a key player at the Etihad Stadium for the past two years but as new signings are regularly arriving in Manchester a loan deal could be perfect for the 26-year-old to put himself in the shop window come the summer.
The new owner in West London Tony Fernandes, has promised Warnock extra funds in January as the newly promoted side look to improve on their steady start to the Premier League season. A striker and a centre half are also on the wish list for the Rangers boss next month but they may struggle to attract big name signings.
Warnock said: “The board know we need some more players and they have been very supportive. We are on the lookout for four or five.”
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Villarreal boss Juan Carlos Garrido believes his side can win this year’s Europa League title.Garrido’s side host Twente in the first leg of a quarter-final on Thursday, with the match pitting the third placed side in La Liga against the Eredivisie table-toppers.
Villarreal have been in terrific form in this year’s competition, disposing of Napoli and Bayer Leverkusen in the last two rounds and Garrido is hopeful their form will continue.
“We’re strong enough to achieve success here, so I’ve asked my players to do their best to win this competition,” Garrido said.
“It’s easy to say, but we’re demanding our utmost in an attempt to win a trophy.”
“The match will be very balanced and close, it’ll be decided by small details. Everyone is very motivated, everyone knows the importance of this game and we’re looking for a positive outcome from the first leg.”
“We’re facing a great team that’s first in the Dutch league and in great form. We respect them and we know their qualities.”
Villarreal midfielder Borja Valero feels his side should qualify from the tie, but is wary of what to expect from their Dutch opponents.
“We have full confidence that we’ll qualify,” Valero said.
“Our belief is the same as it would be if we were playing Milan. We’re focused on giving everything and getting into the semi-finals.”
“We expect a tough, complicated match, where hopefully we’ll get a positive result and score without conceding.”
“The Dutch style is all about good football, with lots of touches on the ball and movement. It’ll be difficult to control play, but we’ll try to impose our brand of football.”
Twente are also well aware of what their opponents can produce, with defender Douglas dubbing the Spaniards as favourites as the build-up to the match continues.
“Villarreal are the favourites. They’re a big club who’ve been playing on the European stage for 10 years,” Douglas said.
“I’ve seen Villarreal a couple of times and they play the same style as Barcelona. They try to find solutions through good football. Their two strikers (Giuseppe) Rossi and Nilmar are especially dangerous and we’ll have to watch them closely.”
“Villarreal have very good players. They’re almost all internationals, with a few exceptions. But we also have quality. We try to play football and we’re not afraid of anyone.”
In the aftermath of Manchester City’s 0-0 draw at the weekend, City boss Roberto Mancini was pleading for patience from both the board and the fans as he attempts to mould his expensively assembled squad into potential title challengers.
City looked disparate at times at White Hart Lane, particularly in the first half as England international and new City number one goalkeeper Joe Hart pulled off a string of magnificent saves to keep the scores level while big money debutants Yaya Toure and David Silva looked at odds with the pace of the Premier League.
Although Manchester City have spent big this offseason, spending big is not necessarily a guarantee of success; something that Manchester City fans will be all too aware of. Manchester City were the top spenders in 2008-09 and 2009-10, spending £113 million and £124 million on improving the squad only for the club to finish in 10th and 5th place in the league those two years.
Chelsea and Roman Abramovich have set the precedent for buying success after capturing a league double in 2004-05 and 2005-06 following huge transfer spending and chairman Sheihk Mansour is clearly attempting to emulate his Russian contemporary in trying to buy success. But what sets apart Chelsea’s millionaires from City’s is a semblance of stability that has been lacking at Eastlands.
Chelsea have a relatively settled core group of players that feature regularly for the club including goalkeeper Petr Cech, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. All of these players have been at the club for at least four years and in that time have forged a strong understanding with their fellow teammates. Of all the players that featured on the weekend against Spurs, only Joe Hart, Micah Richards and Shaun Wright-Phillips have been at the club for longer than two seasons and Richards and Wright-Phillips are only fringe players at best for the club. For Manchester City to harbour any aspirations of a title challenge, Mancini needs to ensure the team form an understanding. And fast.
With all the comings and goings at Manchester City this season, Mancini’s man-management ability has been called into question which doesn’t bode well for the Italian if he wants to foster a strong team spirit. Mancini has clashed on many occasions with Craig Bellamy who yesterday sealed a season long loan at his home town club Cardiff City. Then there is Steven Ireland who is being forced to play in the reserves while being used as a makeweight in the James Milner transfer deal.
Mancini was the board’s choice to be Manchester City manager and therefore I expect the chairman to give the Italian more time to produce results on the pitch than his predecessor Mark Hughes. However, given the huge amount of money spent by Mancini, there is huge pressure on the Italian to deliver results at Eastlands or risk facing the axe from an expectant board looking for a return on their massive expenditure. I believe that 4th place is the minimum expectation for City this season and anything less would see Mancini out of a job.
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What do you think? Will the board have patience with Mancini or will they expect instant results from their spending and sack Mancini if he fails to deliver?
Bolton are set to take New York Red Bulls central defender Tim Ream on trial, as the club prepares to lose Gary Cahill in the January transfer window.
The England international is in the final year of his contract at the Reebok Stadium, and with ambitions of playing for a bigger club, Bolton are resigned to losing their star player.
The Trotters had to watch as Johan Elmander left the club in the summer on a Bosman ruling, and may try to cash in on their England international in the new year to avoid a similar outcome.
Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea are thought to be keen on the defender’s services, with a price of around £7 million thought to be enough to persuade Owen Coyle’s men to sell.
The Scottish coach has revealed his admiration for possible replacement Ream however, and wants to add the North American to his squad.
“Tim is under contract at Red Bull and a top international. His club are not keen to let him move on, but it would be great to get him among the group and see what he has to offer,” Coyle told The Telegraph.
“We’ve been successful in that American avenue before with Stuart Holden and it’s a market I’m always looking at because there are some terrific players there,” he concluded.
Ream has also been on trial at West Brom recently, and the Baggies may challenge Bolton for his signature.
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Seven and a half years ago we were instructed, after a 25-yard winning strike against Arsenal, by a now famous piece of commentary, to ‘remember the name – Wayne Rooney!’ More recently, the Manchester United striker has been escaping punishments for on-field assault faster than the hair has been escaping from his scalp. Several accusations of adultery and a candid threat to leave Old Trafford later, is England’s greatest attacking potential of the new century failing to live up to his billing and encouraging significant concern for both his club and country?
It cannot be denied that the Croxteth-born attacker has endured a horrifying and demoralising 12 months. This Wednesday marks the anniversary of the ankle injury Rooney sustained in the first leg of United’s Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich, and the first episode in a series of personal and footballing disappointments for last season’s PFA Fans’ Player of the Year. Rooney failed to find the net since the match at the Allianz Arena until converting a penalty against West Ham at the end of August, and scored his first goal from open-play this season against West Brom on New Years Day.
It goes without saying that England’s number 10 was one of several noteworthy failures at last summer’s World Cup, but Rooney had already achieved a considerable amount before he left Heathrow for Johannesburg and is starting to yet again demonstrate his worth. At 25, Rooney is close to completing his eighth full season as a senior professional and has 70 England caps under his belt. With 26 goals for his country he’s not quite matched the international form of David Villa (46 in 72, and now all-time Spanish record goal-scorer), or even Peter Crouch (22 in 42, 23 of those appearances coming on as a sub), but it represents a decent return for a striker of his age.
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What’s more, his record of a goal nearly every other game for United (140 in 311) is an acceptable total for a world-class finisher. In fact it’s strikingly close to what his United team-mate, Michael Owen, achieved in his seven and a bit seasons with Liverpool, eventually prompting Real Madrid, the club Rooney conspicuously flirted with last Autumn, to sign the striker.
Rooney has publicly admitted his recent frustrations and last month conceded to the News of the World“it has been a difficult season for me – probably the worst I’ve ever had.” However, his recent form has transformed his scoring performance in the League to one in three, and has netted 8 times overall since the turn of the year. Rooney has confirmed he feels fresh, “at a time when most players are picking up injuries or feeling jaded,” and his recent exploits have vindicated his confidence. It seems likely that, barring any unanticipated injury setbacks, the man who at 16 years of age curled a rocket past David Seaman on his Everton debut, will propel United to glory this season as he gradually rediscovers his touch.
He will labour to ever convince the public of his moral credentials and will struggle to ease the expectations showered on him having emerged at such a tender age, but his talent, above all else, has remained constant through his yet unfinished career. Having originally been described as a ‘blip,’ Rooney’s darkest spell in professional football, spanning at least 9 months from last March, appears to be at its end. With no less than another seven years remaining at the top of the game, Rooney currently resembles a player determined to expand his trophy collection beyond the Champions League, 3 Premier Leagues and 2 League Cups he’s already earned.
His country revealed their potential in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat of Wales with promising performances from Jack Wilshere and Ashley Young, but England have to re-acknowledge Rooney as the country’s most gifted attacking talent if 45 years of hurt are going to cease any time soon. United have stuck by the player having awarded him a lucrative and long-term contract, and will be proved right in trusting last season’s Player of the Year.
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