Zsport: 2012

mardi, décembre 18, 2012

Simeone: "Barcelona plays a completely different game - it's a boring league"

Diego Pablo Simeone couldn't have been any clearer in his assessment of his team's loss at the Camp Nou: "We're going game by game. Whether we're aiming to win the league or not is for you to talk about".

"Of course Cristiano and Mourinho are transfer targets for PSG"

Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the secretary general of the Qatari Olympic Committee and Paris Saint Germain owner Sheikh Nasser Al Khelaifi's right-hand man, has confirmed the French club's interest in signing Cristiano Ronaldo and José Mourinho.

samedi, décembre 15, 2012

Messi's favourite prey

No one could accuse Leo Messi of being picky as to which teams he scores against. "I compare him to a killer, in footballing terms. He goes onto the pitch to collect victims", his compatriot Javier Mascherano told Catalan radio station 'Rac1'. And Atlético Madrid is his favourite victim.

Ronaldo, a Real life-saver

After Real Madrid's cup defeat at the Balaídos stadium, José Mourinho publicly criticised some of his players for not giving their all and showing a lack of commitment, by saying: "One or two players didn't seem up to playing a cup game in the rain and cold".

Mourinho and PSG in secret talks

French weekly sports newspaper 'Le 10 Sport' has claimed that Sheikh Al Thani may have met with the Portuguese manager's agent, Jorge Mendes, on several occasions to discuss his future. It also speculates that a deal has already been made.

jeudi, décembre 13, 2012

Ronaldo gives Real hope

Celta de Vigo claimed a superb 2-1 victory at home to Real Madrid in the Copa de Rey. Real must now turn around the result in the second leg of the last 16, but the most worrying thing for 'Los Blancos' is the ankle injury sustained by Karim Benzema.

mercredi, décembre 12, 2012

Ramalho: "Messi doit gagner une Coupe du Monde" - Sambafoot.com, toute l'actualité du football brésilien

Ramalho envoie Neymar au FC Barcelone en 2014 - Sambafoot.com, toute l'actualité du football brésilien

mardi, décembre 11, 2012

Lionel Messi en chiffres - Espagne - Championnats étrangers - Football - Sport 24

The goal factory

When Real Madrid is in a tight spot, Mesut Özil and Karim Benzema come to the rescue. The German and French players are the best alternative to Cristiano Ronaldo's boot.

Gerd Müller: "Messi's incredible, the best in the world"

Former German international striker Gerd Müller paid tribute to Barcelona forward Leo Messi, after the Argentine recently broke Müller's record for the number of goals scored in a calendar year. The German's record of 85 goals, now one fewer than Messi, had stood since 1972 and he shared his delight for "the best player in the world".

Messi's 2012 goalscoring legacy

Nobody has ever scored more goals than Messi in a single calendar year. He's broken Gerd Müller's record and still has time to improve his tally, making it even more unattainable. His 2012 has been unique in the footballing world.

lundi, décembre 10, 2012

"Stay Mourinho"

Mourinho wanted to get a feeling for the level of affection Madrid fans on the Valladolid terraces hold for him. This time seeking the opinion of those residing outside the capital. It was something similar to when he went out onto the pitch at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium before the derby match, at 21:20h, to see if the public had turned its back on him and the team.

Barça goes marching on

Barcelona racked up its 14th win out of 15 league games this season at a stadium where Real Madrid lost a few weeks back, but not without a struggle. Ultimately, though, the league leaders held firm to grab all three points and add to a record run that is blowing all the other contenders out of the water.

dimanche, décembre 09, 2012

Mourinho to stop any further Christmas excesses

In shortening the holidays, Mourinho wants to avoid a repeat of events last season. The Portuguese gave his players ten days rest at Christmas and the team almost paid the price by nearly getting knocked out of the Spanish Cup by Malaga in the first game of the year.

Higuaín out… again

Yet another week without Higuaín. Mourinho will need to face up to the game against Valladolid without being able to rotate his two starting strikers. The Argentine's return has been delayed and this'll be the eighth game that he'll miss since being injured.

Messi fit to face Betis

After last Wednesday's scare against Benfica in the Champions League, Leo Messi has been called up to Vilanova's squad to face Betis. The team is made up of 19 players and therefore Tito will have to cut a player to accommodate the Argentinean.

Özil has the last laugh

Real Madrid's very own 'Wizard of Oz', Mesut Özil, conjured up two moments of magic to clinch a hard-fought win over Real Valladolid. After Manucho twice put the home side in front, two wonderful goals from the German playmaker – including a stunning free-kick to make it 3-2 – sealed a comeback win that should lift morale in the capital.

samedi, décembre 08, 2012

Djukic: "Nothing to lose and everything to win"

Valladolid manager Miroslav Djukic believes his players are in a calm state of mind as they prepare for Saturday's match against Real Madrid at the Zorrilla stadium. "We know we have nothing to lose and everything to win. All eyes will be on the game and the players have the chance to show what they can do", Djukic said in Friday's press conference prior to the encounter against José Mourinho’s side.

Last minute Negredo header may just save Míchel's neck

Sevilla didn't get the desired result from a game that was set up to be crucial for Michel's survival in the dugout. However, a controversial sending off and a last-gasp equaliser in the 91st minute, with his side a man down, could have just saved the man from Madrid his job.

Coentrao KO'd as Essien enters the picture

Fabio Coentrao has lost his race to be fit for Saturday's meeting with Valladolid, meaning José Mourinho will have to field a makeshift left-back for the fixture, considering Marcelo is still recovering from a long-term injury. Michael Essien is back, however, and could be ready to step up to the plate.

vendredi, décembre 07, 2012

Premier League looms for Llorente

Although Juventus has been widely and repeatedly touted as a likely destination for Fernando Llorente, the Athletic Bilbao marksman isn't so sure his future lies in Italy.

Ex-Barça duo say no to Mourinho at Man City

Manchester City has ruled out the possibility of José Mourinho becoming its new manager, according to reports by British tabloid the Daily Mirror. The reigning Premier League champion will not be bringing in the Portuguese coach to replace Roberto Mancini, should the Italian get the boot at the end of the season.

Messi: "I feared the worst when I was on the stretcher"

Lionel Messi sent out a message this Thursday, calming the Barcelona fans during a Turkish Airlines publicity event, shortly after being stretchered off in the game against Benfica. "I'm fine. Luckily it was just a knock", he assured.

jeudi, décembre 06, 2012

Chelsea, Benitez : "Il faut penser à l'aspect positif"

Malgré son large succès contre Nordsjaelland en Ligue des Champions mercredi soir (6-1, 6e journée de la phase de poules), l'équipe de Chelsea ne participera pas aux 8es de finale.

Cristiano breaks his record for goals in a calendar year

Cristiano Ronaldo did not want to miss the Champions clash with Ajax on Tuesday even though it was a dead rubber. Among his personal objectives for the season is to finish top scorer of the Champions League as he did back in 2008.

Abramovich chasing Guardiola hard

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is pinning all his hopes on confirming Pep Guardiola as his new manager after firing Roberto Di Matteo and seeing an unimpressive start from his successor Rafa Benítez, says The Sun newspaper.

Barça shakes as Messi breaks

It was the 85th minute when Messi found himself in front of Artur, the Benfica keeper. The Argentine cut right, then cut back, killed the ball and tried to beat the keeper on high.

mercredi, décembre 05, 2012

Milan AC : Allegri relativise après la défaite

Contre le Zénith Saint-Pétersbourg (défaite 0-1, 6e journée de la phase de poules de la Ligue des Champions), l'entraîneur du Milan AC Massimiliano Allegri avait décidé de faire souffler quelques joueurs comme par exemple Stephan El Shaarawy.

A family affair

The Barça-Benfica game at Camp Nou could turn into a family occasion for Thiago, Rafinha and Rodrigo. The three are all cousins and this match could mark the first time they go head to head on the football pitch. There was a chance it would happen in the first game, but Thiago picked up an injury and Rafhina was not on the list.

Le président du FC Sion Constantin: " On a tué Oussema Darragi "

Le président du FC sion affirme que l'équipe est hors sujet au cours des derniers matches et surtout contre Young Boys. Il affirme que la baisse de régime de son équipe est en grande partie due à la méforme de son milieu de terrain tunisien Oussema Darragi.

Top 10 des entraîneurs les plus payés

Les 10 entraîneurs de foot les plus payés dans le monde:

José Mourinho (POR/Real Madrid): 15,3 M€
Carlo Ancelotti (ITA/PSG): 13,5 M€
Marcelo Lippi (ITA/Guangzhoo Evergrande): 10 M€
Alex Ferguson (ECO/Manchester United): 9,4 M€
Arsène Wenger (FRA/Arsenal): 9,4 M€
Guus Hiddink (HOL/Anzhi): 8,3 M€
Fabio Capelle (ITA/Russie): 7,8 M€
Tito Vilanova (ESP/FC Barcelone): 7 M€
José Camacho (ESP/Chine): 5,9 M€
Roberto Mancini (ITA/Manchester City): 5,9 M€

Málaga:Remarkable journey on a shoestring

Málaga remains unbeaten in the Champions League group phase after drawing its last match against Anderlecht. A goal by Dieumerci Mbokani in the 89th minute levelled the score after Duda's brace.

Modric unleashed and Callejón blinding

Real Madrid dispensed with the formalities against Ajax (4-1), bringing the first phase of the Champions League to a close with a victory accepted by the terraces without any apparent judgement. Cristiano, Callejón (2) and Kaká put in the 'Blancos' goals although the match was notable for other reasons.

Anyone but Mourinho

It seems the defiant, arrogant and ornery figure of José Mourinho may be coming to the end, in terms of his relationship with Real Madrid.

mardi, décembre 04, 2012

PSG : Anelka réfute l'idée d'un retour

De passage ce lundi au Camp des Loges, Nicolas Anelka a rendu visite aux joueurs du PSG et à Carlo Ancelotti. Mais l'attaquant français de 33 ans, sous contrat avec le Shanghai Shenhua, a calmé le jeu au sujet d'un éventuel prêt de trois mois.

Nadal à 100% sur terre battue ?

Quand Rafael Nadal retrouvera-t-il le chemin des courts de tennis ? Peut-être dès le mois de janvier.

Le PSG passionne aussi la presse étrangère - Ligue des champions - Football - Sport 24

PSG : Leonardo par ici la sortie ? - Sambafoot.com, toute l'actualité du football brésilien

Nadal: "I considered surgery"

Rafael Nadal provides an update on his current situation from Manacor, Majorca. Off the courts since June, the Spanish tennis ace is enthusiastically looking forward to his return to the circuit even though he is aware that the first few tournaments will be tough until he gets back into the competitive groove.

Le sélectionneur Luis Felipe Scolari endeuillé - Sambafoot.com, toute l'actualité du football brésilien

Arsenal : une tentative pour Lampard ?

Frank Lampard devrait, à l'image du latéral gauche Ashley Cole, quitter Chelsea à l'issue de la saison. En effet, le milieu âgé de 34 ans ne devrait pas disposer d'un nouveau contrat chez les Blues.

Xavi & Puyol: Much more than just contract renewals

Barcelona is busy negotiating new deals for a number of its players, although the club’s priority is renewing Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernández. The captain is out of contract in June and the midfielder a year later.

Modric: "From now on I'm going to play better"

Luka Modric, who's had sparse media coverage of late, commented on Madrid's upcoming game against Ajax, in which he's set to start, and how he's felt during his first few months at Real Madrid.

Only Leo can beat Messi

We are faced with the paranormal phenomenon that is Leo Messi. He devours records like there is no tomorrow. So much so, that the only one capable of beating Leo Messi is none other than… Leo Messi himself.

"Mou at United? He can manage anywhere"

The Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson, believes that the current Real Madrid coach José Mourinho can manage "anywhere", and did not rule out the possibility of him taking over the Old Trafford dugout in the future.

lundi, décembre 03, 2012

L'Inter renoue avec la victoire

La 15e journée de Serie A a vu l'Inter Milan renouer avec la victoire contre Palerme (1-0). Grâce à ce succès, les Nerazzurri reviennent sur le podium à la troisième place. La Lazio s'est imposée contre Parme (2-1) et l'AS Roma s'est facilement défait de Sienne (3-1).

Espérence ST: liste de départ

Interrogé en direct sur la chaine nationale Wataniya 1, le coach de l'Espérance Sportive de Tunis (EST) a apporté quelques rectifications aux rumeurs insistantes qui ont été diffusées dans certains médias de la place, quant à l'établissement d'une liste de départ contenant le nom de quatre joueurs notamment, à savoir Wassim Naouara, Aymen Ben Amor, Wajdi Bouazzi et Khaled Ayari.

En effet, Maâloul a infirmé la présence de la dite liste, tout en rappelant que lors du prochain mercato, il y aura bien évidemment des départs et des arrivées et que les discussions détaillées à ce propos n'ont pas encore eu lieu avec le premier responsable du club, le président Hamdi Meddeb.

Inter Milan : Sneijder dans les filets de l'Anzhi ?

Wesley Sneijder ne souhaite pas prolonger son contrat à l'Inter Milan. Il faut dire que cas échéant, le milieu de terrain percevrait un salaire bien moins conséquent. Du coup, les décideurs lombards ont décidé d'entamer un bras de fer terrible.

Tant que l'international néerlandais refuse de rempiler, ce dernier ne peut pas jouer sous les ordres de l'entraîneur Andrea Stramaccioni. Celui qui possède un bail jusqu'en 2015 devrait, au train où vont les choses, quitter les Nerazzurri pendant le prochain mercato hivernal. A en croire la presse italienne, Wesley Sneijder pourrait rejoindre l'Anzhi Makhachakala plutôt que Manchester United, le Milan AC ou encore le PSG. Il évoluerait alors sous les ordres de son compatriote Guus Hiddink au moins jusqu'en juin. Après cette date, le technicien pourrait rendre son tablier en tant qu'entraîneur et former des jeunes voire des entraîneurs inexpérimentés.

Source: http://www.topmercato.com/57506,1/inter-milan-sneijder-dans-les-filets-de-l-anzhi.html#ixzz2Dz1QeJSs

PSG-Porto : Pauleta n'arrive pas à trancher

Pedro Miguel Pauleta sera sûrement dans les tribunes du Parc des Princes mardi (demain) pour assister à la rencontre de Ligue des Champions entre le PSG et Porto (6e et dernière journée de la phase de poules).
L'ancien buteur du club de la capitale n'arrive pas à se prononcer au sujet du vainqueur éventuel de cette rencontre européenne. "Je préfère ne pas répondre à cette question. C'est trop difficile. C'est une question difficile car je suis Portugais mais aussi ambassadeur du PSG, un club que j'ai appris à aimer. Mais je suis content que les deux équipes n'aient plus rien à craindre. Les deux équipes vont se battre pour la première place du groupe et par la même pour une victoire de prestige", a confié celui qu'on surnommait "L'Aigle des Açores" dixit l'agence Lusa.

Record, Robinho, Seleçao... Neymar parle brésilien

Régulièrement annoncé en Europe (FC Barcelone, Chelsea, Paris-SG), l'attaquant brésilien Neymar, 20 ans, se focalise uniquement sur des sujets propres à son club, Santos, et à sa sélection. De quoi renforcer la thèse d'un départ de Neymar... pas avant l'été 2014.
Sur son année au Brésil. "Je suis très heureux pour tout ce qui s'est passé cette saison. J'ai gagné trois titres [Neymar a remporté le championnat pauliste, la Recopa Sud-Americana et le Superclasico contre l'Argentine,ndlr.]. Cette année a été merveilleuse." D'un point de vue comptable, le prodige brésilien a inscrit 56 buts en 2012, dont 13 en sélection.

Sur la possible venue de Robinho à Santos. "Je ne suis pas le mieux placé pour en parler, tout le monde sait bien qu'il est mon idole et l'idole de tous les supporters de Santos. Alors à l'instar des supporters qui le réclament, moi aussi je le demande. S'il vous plait monsieur le président. Robinho est plus que le bienvenu ici."

Sur le nouveau sélectionneur. "Avec Mano Menezes, j'ai bien travaillé et évolué, j'ai beaucoup appris. Maintenant, l'arrivée de (Luiz Felipe) Scolari va apporter de nouvelles choses, une nouvelle organisation. Je suis à sa disposition. Si il veut me convoquer, je suis là. (rires)"

MLS : le mot de la fin de Beckham

Pour son dernier match avec les Los Angeles Galaxy, David Beckham n'a pas fait les choses à moitié. Annoncé du côté de l'AS Monaco, le milieu de terrain anglais a remporté la finale de la Major League Soccer face au Houston Dynamo (3-1).

"C'est spécial d'obtenir la victoire devant nos supporters. C'est un jour incroyable, a lâché le footballeur de 37 ans sur ESPN. Je suis triste, car c'est la fin. Ce fut un endroit spécial pour moi, cela continuera à l'être. Je ne jouerais plus ici, mais je vais poursuivre mon engagement pour ce championnat, de la même manière que quand je suis arrivé il y a six ans." Pour semer le doute, David Beckham n'a pas donné plus de détails sur la suite de sa carrière.

The Alonso Grand Prix

The crowds turned out en masse to greet Fernando Alonso at the Cheste circuit in Valencia on Sunday. He said farewell to the season in the company of his two families. The Spanish fans were behind him as always. They were joined by the whole of Ferrari: the team, the Chairman Montezemolo, the Maranello client race department, proud owners and Ferrari faithful, and even official Cavallino dealers from around the world.
"I am going to celebrate our best year with the tifosi. I can't wait to see the whole Ferrari family and the fans," the Spanish driver exclaimed, who for the first time gave his version of the now famous flags in the Brazil race that caused such a stir last week.
The only one missing will be team boss, Stefano Domenicali, who has officially been allowed home to enjoy a well-deserved rest.
The runner-up in the world championship will climb into a F2012 for the last time, the car which he drove in a season that proved nightmarish at the beginning and ended in somewhat listless fashion without any major improvements, struggling to keep on the pace.
This is the third race car Alonso has driven at Ferrari and the second in which he came close to savouring the sweet taste of glory, following on from the F10 in 2010. Fernando will put on a show alongside his teammate Felipe Massa on the home straight of the Valencia circuit, and will burn some rubber for the last time in the number 5 car, as he will be sporting a number 3 next season.

Iniesta adds artistry to the Barça record book

The majestic football Barça is playing is currently hand in hand with the record books. Barça strokes the ball and records tumble, one after the other, regardless of the perpetrator or the victim. The passing game played by ‘Los Culés’ wiped Marcelo Bielsa's team off the map on Saturday, proving Tito is in charge of a squad with more treats than a sweet shop.
One name emerged out of the sea of statistics once again - that of Andrés Iniesta, who shined brightly during a great overall team performance. Iniesta waltzed around the opposition and left them standing in their tracks, he did a 'no look pass' without shifting his gaze, set up goals and was given an ovation by the crowd. And then coincidentally, when he was substituted it was as if the popcorn had suddenly run out. There were no more goals and the game was over and done with.
Iniesta's performance cannot be understood without harking back to the days of Michael Laudrup, who was his childhood hero. He paid homage to his idol when he delivered a pass to Cesc Fàbregas with the outside of his foot without even looking at him, in the build-up to the fourth goal, and he went round the opposition with the Dane's signature dribble, switching the ball quickly from one foot to the other.
The recital by one of the three candidates for the Ballon d'Or, who no one tips to win it, was incredible. Athletic breathed a sigh of relief when Tito Vilanova decided to rest Iniesta in the 73rd minute. The match was already in the bag for Barcelona by then, Barça having got the better of its rival with Iniesta as field commander in chief.

Mourinho to go in June

José Mourinho will not continue on the Real Madrid bench next season even if the club wins the Champions League. Relations between the Portuguese manager and Real Madrid President, Florentino Pérez, have broken down completely, and are now practically inexistent. That's the way things are. Mourinho will negotiate his departure from the club in June 2013.
In private, Florentino said last weekend that "Mourinho is cutting his own throat", and has often been heard criticising both Mou the manager as well as his difficult character - and the manager is well aware of this.
Both club and manager will try to reach the end of the season as amicably as they can, without fighting, and they will negotiate Mourinho's departure in June, above all bearing in mind that there are presidential elections, but the decision has already been taken. What happened at the Bernabeu at 9.20 p.m. on the night of the derby match was one more incident that confirms Florentino's thoughts, that you cannot have a manager continually putting a strain on the club.
Mourinho has insisted repeatedly that the club should get someone to back him up in his complaints, to have some clout in the Federación, in the league and at UEFA. But at the club they know that no one wants to stick their neck out by being an aggressive spokesman, and Mourinho sees that they won’t back him up; and that they only want results from him.
The turning point has been losing out on the league after only three months, and playing much worse than last year. Florentino is aware that the dressing room is not with the manager, and that his rows and his defiance now have little effect. They back him up in the outside world, but indoors at the club they ignore him, something which is driving Mourinho to despair.

Tito the legend

In his first year as coach, Tito Vilanova has succeeded in breaking all the records with Barcelona and entering the la Liga history books in grand style. Team Tito is already the team with the best ever start to the season since the league's foundation, beating Real Madrid's 1991-1992 season in which the 'Blancos' clocked up twelve wins and a draw.
Barcelona's track record this campaign is impeccable, winning every game in succession, with the exception of the 'Classico' on 7th October when it could not break the draw against Madrid (2-2). The 'Azulgranas' have not tasted defeat in any of its 14 matches, totalling thirteen victories and one draw.
Regardless of all that, Tito Vilanova is not being complacent and does not see la Liga as a done deal. The past has not been forgotten. Despite the historic record set by Real Madrid in the 91/92 season, its coach, Radomir Antic was fired halfway through the campaign.
Comparison with his predecessor, Pep Guardiola, is inevitable: "It's not possible to replicate those four years because of the titles they won and the way the playing style evolved. I feel very proud. This has happened in a very short space of time. We need to look at it further down the line, but I'm sure that I'll lose out in the comparisons by a long way".

"I'm the best left-back in the world", says Marcelo

In an interview with Globoesporte, Marcelo confirmed that he hopes to "get back to training with my team-mates at Real Madrid in January. I was very scared, because during the first few days I had no feeling in my foot, my legs were trembling and I felt terrible, but little by little I am getting better".
He was carried off with a broken toe on 14th October, while he was training with the Brazilian national team. After several tests, he was successfully operated on by Doctor Niek van Dijk.
Marcelo has not lost one ounce of his motivation and confidence, and confirmed that "I still consider myself the best left-back in the world. I have to do this - to go on believing in myself and return to the side with more ambition than ever. I am dying to play again".
Specifically, Marcelo tries to think about one of his idols when trying to get back on the pitch as soon as possible. "I always watched Roberto Carlos. I was with him at Real Madrid for six months, and he taught me a lot. He is a great point of reference for me, and I want to be like him. Even today when I meet him I get nervous".
If all goes well, Marcelo could be playing again by the end of the year, or at the beginning of 2013, and aiming to be fully fit by February, when the Champions League will once again be occupying a lot of Real Madrid’s time, with the start of the knock-out phase.

dimanche, décembre 02, 2012

Real Madrid : D.Silva approché ?

Selon The People, le Real Madrid aurait activé la piste menant à David Silva, le milieu de terrain offensif espagnol de Manchester City.
Sous contrat jusqu’en juin 2017 avec Manchester City, le milieu de terrain offensif international espagnol David Silva (26 ans) aurait été approché par le Real Madrid. Florentino Pérez, le président des Merengue, aurait récemment rencontré l’agent de l’ancien joueur de Valence

PSG : Un préparateur physique personnel pour Pastore

Sur la sellette, Javier Pastore, le milieu de terrain offensif du Paris Saint-Germain, va recevoir l'aide d'un préparateur physique personnel. L'Argentin veut remonter la pente avant que cela ne soit trop tard.

L1 / PSG :

Non titularisé contre Nice (1-2, 15eme journée de Ligue 1), samedi soir, Javier Pastore (23 ans), le milieu de terrain offensif du Paris Saint-Germain, connaît décidément une période délicate. Alors que Carlo Ancelotti, l’entraîneur du club de la Capitale, s’est dit déçu par ses performances, l’international argentin est sur la sellette. On commence déjà à parler d’un éventuel départ lors du Mercato d’hiver. Et ceci malgré un contrat qui court jusqu’en juin 2015. Leonardo, le directeur sportif de l’actuel troisième du championnat de France, s’interroge.
Recruté pour quarante-deux millions d’euros, l’ancien joueur de Palerme doit se ressaisir sous peine de graves désillusions. Conscient de la situation (et de ses limites actuelles sur le plan physique et mental), « El Flaco » - qui intéresse notamment l’Inter Milan - va recevoir l’aide d’un préparateur physique personnel venu d’Argentine. Le club du président Nasser Al-Khelaïfi a donné son autorisation. Tout est bon pour tenter de relancer Javier Pastore, qui va bientôt voir débarquer le Brésilien Lucas Moura (20 ans, Sao Paulo).

Mourinho receives applause at the Bernabeu

José Mourinho was warmly greeted at the Bernabeu. The manager, as expected, came out at 9.20pm and stood on the sidelines for two minutes. The barely 3,000 fans present in the Santiago Bernabeu at that time, forty minutes before the derby kicked off, greeted the Portuguese manager in their majority with applause.
There weren’t many people at the Bernabeu, but those present at 9:20pm - the time set by Real Madrid’s Portuguese coach himself - showed their support for Mourinho. There were banners expressing support for their manager, chants and applause that out-weighed the odd isolated whistle.
The Real Madrid coach had talked of his intention to take to the pitch alone to soak up the pressure after fans expressed divided opinions about him during the Spanish Cup game against Alcoyano last Tuesday. Mourinho foresaw there would be a vote of confidence and there was. The Portuguese won by a clear majority, despite there only being about 3,000 people at the Bernabeu at that time.

Real’s never-ending superiority

This year’s opening Madrid derby which was seen as the most evenly-matched in recent years ended in victory for Real Madrid, as it almost always does. Atlético continued its poor run of form against its cross-city rival, having not beaten Real in almost 14 years.
Atlético, which remains second in the league and five points clear of Real Madrid despite losing at the Bernabeu, never looked like winning. Although Falcao carved out the first chance of the game, which Casillas saved, the rest of the match action took place in the area defended by Atlético’s Courtois.
The Belgian conceded a goal from Cristiano’s free-kick on 15 minutes. The last time the Portuguese scored in the league from a free-kick, it was also against the Atlético keeper. Once again the game became an uphill struggle for the visitors very early on.
Atlético didn’t pass the ball well and Madrid was superior in every aspect of the game. After the break, Özil scored on a counter-attack and Madrid could have scored more, but Cristiano hit the post twice in a second half notable for Atlético’s helplessness and Courtois’ saves.

Galaxy eyes Kaká for the post-Beckham era

There has been talk for some time now of the New York Red Bulls – football team that plays in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States and Canada– signing Kaká. However, a new pretender intent on scooping up the Brazilian has come to light: Los Angeles Galaxy.
In an interview with the American magazine 'Sports Illustrated', Tim Leiweke, the president of the Anschutz Entertainment Group and current owner of the Galaxy franchise, revealed that Kaká is on the Californian team's radar to replace David Beckham. The Brit recently announced that he will step down from MLS after the final to be played today, Saturday, against Houston Dynamo.
As occurred in 2007, when he managed to sign Beckham, Leiweke is confident he can reach an agreement with Real Madrid to sign one its stars.
"We're well aware of Kaka's interest in MLS, and we in turn have made it very clear to him that he's aware of our interest in him", said Leiweke. He went on to say: "We have a great relationship with Real Madrid, and just as we worked through a player with them six years ago [to sign Beckham], I'm absolutely convinced we could find the right deal this time too".
Kaká, aged 30, would be the first Ballon d'Or winner to play in MLS.

Özil never fails in the derby

Mourinho is only missing one piece of the puzzle for the derby: the link between the midfield and the attack. His best option is his most regular choice: Mesut Özil.
The German approaches another game as the best choice for an attacking midfielder. Whilst Mourinho is not completely satisfied with his season, at the end of the day, he knows he does not have a better link-up player in his squad.
Mourinho faced the same dilemma on the eve of the 'Clásico' against Barcelona. One week earlier, he had punished the German by taking him off at half-time against Deportivo. Three days later, he did not give him a single minute in Amsterdam. However, when he announced the line-up for the 'Clásico', sure enough, there was Özil – a man who rises to the occasion in the big games. He put in a phenomenal performance at the Camp Nou.
Today is one of the days on which Mourinho has marked on his calendar. The Real number 10 was substituted against Betis at half-time and played, as a punishment, the full 90 minutes against Alcoyano from the Segunda B. However, Madrid cannot fail today and the coach will once again pick Özil over Modric or Kaká.
The German player has a cracking record against Atlético. He has won every one of the six games which he has played against the team, and notched up three goals and two assists. Just like against Barcelona, Özil shines in the derbies.

Barça shows no mercy for Athletic

Barça has just got off to the best start to a season in the history of the Spanish football league, following thirteen wins and a draw and, after what happened to Athletic, it doesn't look like it will stop there. Messi scored once again, and it could have been two if Amorebieta hadn't helped the ball into his own net for the 2-0. Messi is now only two goals away from the Gerd Müller's tally of 85 in 1972.
Tito Vilanova's men saw off Marcelo Bielsa's weaker team with relative ease and did so in great style, putting in one of the best performances of the Vilanova era. Piqué, Amorebieta (own goal), Adriano, Cesc and Messi all scored for Barça, whilst Ibai Gómez scored for Athletic.
Barça's little guys, always ready to shake things up and break with tradition, struck from a corner. Their ability to create chances verges on the supernatural, but the chain of clearances ended up with Piqué scoring one of the easiest goals of his life. From then on it was all plain sailing.
Athletic is not the same team it was last season. The team has suffered too many disasters and is missing some key players. But to top it all, Athletic was also without Muniaín on account of an inopportune tonsillitis, which severely diminished the fire power of Bielsa's team. Llorente did come on in the second half for Aduriz but it was too late by then and the result was a foregone conclusion.

samedi, décembre 01, 2012

Pastore abat peut-être sa dernière carte au PSG

Très décevant lors de ses dernières sorties, concurrencé par Nenê, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Jérémy Ménez et bientôt Lucas Moura, Javier Pastore est en train de perdre tout crédit au Paris Saint-Germain. Le club de la capitale songerait même à laisser partir son joueur lors du mercato hivernal, et le déplacement à Nice pour le compte de la 15e journée de Ligue 1 pourrait être le dernier pour l'Argentin en cas de nouvelle désillusion.

Javier Pastore s'apprête-t-il à disputer l'un de ses derniers matchs sous les couleurs du Paris Saint-Germain ? Alors que le club de la capitale se déplace à Nice ce samedi (20h), pour le compte de la 15e journée de Ligue 1, le meneur de jeu argentin va probablement avoir droit à l'une de ses dernières chances de la part de son entraîneur Carlo Ancelotti. Si le technicien italien n'a eu de cesse de défendre son joueur ces dernières semaines, au gré des contre-performances de l'ancien milieu de terrain de Palerme, le "Mister" est forcé d'avouer que les prestations de Pastore ne sont pas à la hauteur de ce qu'il attend de lui. "Je suis déçu par ses performances, le joueur aussi, je pense", lâche l'ancien coach du Milan AC ce vendredi en conférence de presse.

On le serait à moins. Recruté pour 42 millions d'euros à l'été 2011, "El Flaco" a livré une première saison parisienne mitigée, alternant les énormes prestations et les gros passages à vide, mais a été excusé en raison d'une préparation estivale tronquée, d'un temps d'adaptation nécessaire dans un nouveau championnat, et de la pression gigantesque qui pesait sur ses épaules en raison de la somme dépensée par le PSG pour s'attacher ses services. Mais cette année, alors qu'il a eu droit à une préparation de qualité et y a même donné des signes particulièrement encourageants, l'Argentin montre un niveau de jeu presque inférieur à la saison passée. Lors des derniers matchs, et notamment contre Troyes lors de la journée précédente, le milieu offensif a traversé sa rencontre comme un fantôme, poussant Carlo Ancelotti à le sortir à la pause. Face à Saint-Étienne mardi en Coupe de la Ligue, il ne faisait même pas partie du groupe...

Le problème pour Javier Pastore, c'est que Nenê, entré à sa place face à l'ESTAC, mais également Ezequiel Lavezzi et Jérémy Ménez, livrent de bien meilleures prestations, sans compter l'arrivée de Lucas Moura fin décembre qui représentera une nouvelle concurrence très féroce. Qui dit arrivées possibles lors du mercato hivernal dit également départs possibles, et à en croire La Gazzetta dello Sport, le PSG serait prêt à envisager un échange avec l'Inter Milan entre Pastore et Wesley Sneijder, voire un recrutement simple de l'international néerlandais, qui ne laisserait plus beaucoup de place à l'Argentin dans le onze de départ parisien. Autant dire que si l'ancien Palermitain veut avoir du temps de jeu en deuxième partie de saison, celui qui lui sera accordé par Ancelotti à Nice devra être extrêmement bien rentabilisé, sous peine d'être le dernier.

"I wouldn't write Real Madrid off even with a 14-point difference"

Tito Vilanova on being asked whether he thought Madrid would be out of the title race if they lost and the points difference increased to 14: "I wouldn't write Madrid off even with a 14 or 16 point difference. We could equally end up eight points ahead, not 14. The games have to be played".
In fact, the coach does not even intend to watch the derby: "I'll be at the press conference and after that I'll have dinner, just like I always do. I'm not planning on watching the derby".
Vilanova prefers to focus on Athletic: "At the start of the season, I never imagined we would be able to build up such a lead over Madrid. The most important thing is to focus on our match which is going to be a really tough one".
There were a lot of questions about the Ballon d'Or: "I don't think the players get distracted by the Ballon d'Or. Of course, we are pleased that Andrés and Leo have been nominated again".
On making a choice between Iniesta and Messi, he would not be drawn: "They both deserve it. I will be thrilled if one of them wins". On the best manager he commented: "Pep deserves it at club level. Del Bosque has won a European Championship and a World Cup".
The Barça coach, speaking about Llorente, said: "I'm not going to comment on the contractual situation. It's not the right time to think about potential players for next season, although Llorente is good enough to play for any of the big European teams".

Redemption Derby for Cristiano

Cristiano Ronaldo has now had two goalless la Liga matches, three if you count the Champions League game against Manchester City. It is a statistic that would not be particularly significant for any other footballer but, in the case of the Portuguese player, it is quite clearly big news.
Because Cristiano is all about goals. So much so that he has more to his name (166) than games he has played (164). So much so that, if he does not score against Atlético, he will equal his three worst league dry spells: having gone down the same road once in his first season (games 16 to 18) and twice in his second (games 19 to 21 and 23 to 25).
Atlético is usually a pretty good experience for the Portuguese player. He has scored five la Liga goals against them, notable among which was his spectacular hat-trick which, with Barça putting the squeeze on Madrid in the league table, catapulted the 'Blancos' to title victory thanks to its resounding win at the Calderón.
He also scored at the Atlético stadium in last season's Copa del Rey, the 0-1 that sealed Madrid's going through to the semi-finals after its 3-1 first leg win - a result in which he also had a hand, putting away the second of Madrid's 3 goals.
In a home la Liga match, Ronaldo has only scored against Atlético from a penalty. The two goals coming in last season's game, which Madrid won 4-1. Another goal would not only put an end to his personal bad run, but would also bring him level with another Madrid legend, Paco Gento, as the sixth top la Liga goalscorer in 'Los Blancos' history, with a total of 126 goals.

vendredi, novembre 30, 2012

PSG : des excuses signées Ibrahimovic ?

Samedi dernier, l'équipe du PSG avait dominé Troyes (4-0, 14e journée de Ligue 1). A la mi-temps de cette rencontre, l'attaquant Zlatan Ibrahimovic était vraiment en colère. Il en voulait à certains de ses coéquipiers de ne pas être assez performants sur le terrain.

A en croire le quotidien Le Parisien, certains membres de l'effectif parisien n'auraient pas du tout digéré le comportement de l'attaquant suédois. Le lendemain du match, donc dimanche, une réunion se serait déroulée au Camp des Loges afin de calmer le jeu. "Ibra" aurait présenté ses excuses au groupe ! "Si je suis allé trop loin, j'en suis désolé." L'ancienne superstar du Milan AC aurait expliqué à ses partenaires qu'il est un compétiteur et qu'il n'a jamais voulu les heurter en s'énervant de la sorte. Le Scandinave voulait visiblement juste que le PSG soit bien meilleur lors de la seconde période. Le message a été entendu puisqu'il y a eu trois buts de marqués, dont un doublé signé... Zlatan Ibrahimovic !

Essien back at Chelsea

Michael Essien has decided to return to Chelsea, but with the aim of recovering from the injury which has kept him out of action since 11th November. The midfielder has been in London since last week to receive treatment from the Chelsea medical staff, who know the player well after his seven seasons at Stamford Bridge.
After speaking to José Mourinho and gaining permission from the club, Essien believes the best way to get back to fitness is under the guidance of the doctors and physiotherapists at the London club - which means it could be the continuation of an old injury.
However, Aitor Karanka’s version of events in the press conference differed: "Essien is not injured but is suffering from an allergic reaction to a drug", Mourinho’s right-hand man said a few days ago. No medical report for the midfielder has surfaced and Mourinho avoided questions on the matter when asked before his side’s Champions League game against Manchester City.
It seems Essien’s mysterious injury has led to the player’s move to London, where he feels totally at home, just three months after his transfer to Real Madrid. The African has also been seen wearing the Chelsea kit once again – his number-5 shirt is yet to be filled by the club.

Tito still hesitant over Deulofeu

Tito Vilanova gave his opinion on the reserve winger Gerard Deulofeu, who played part of the second half in the cup game against Alavés. Vilanova believes that Deulofeu is highly talented but has aspects which he needs to improve. He added that it is unreasonable to expect any 17- or 18-year-old player to be able to make it in the first team. "We have to make sure that he keeps improving," said Vilanova.
Furthermore, he assured that David Villa is looking better every day. He played the leading role in the match against Alavés, scoring two of the three goals which gave Barça a 3-1 win. "David played well; he scored goals and was able complete the full 90 minutes. He hadn't played in the previous few matches, but he's looking better every day," declared Vilanova.
The Spanish striker received his medical all-clear on the same day as the match, after an ankle injury had left him out of recent games. Vilanova said that he is "a natural goalscorer", who has worked very hard to get fit after fracturing his tibia last year.
As for the game, the Barça coach pointed out that Alavés had surprised them to begin with, and acknowledged that these games "are never easy", both because of the opponent and the timing of the fixture, "which didn't help much". He also wished to thank the 55,000 plus spectators who attended the Camp Nou.

Messi, Cristiano and... Iniesta!

Messi, Cristiano and Iniesta are the three candidates for the 2012 Ballon d'Or to be awarded on 7th January, FIFA announced in São Paulo.
Cruyff, Van Basten, Platini and Messi are the only four players to have won the Ballon d’Or on three occasions, meaning that the Argentinean has a chance to go down in history as the first footballer to win the prize for the fourth time, at the age of just 25.
Despite 'only' winning the Copa del Rey this year, the 'Azulgrana' is the favourite, taking into account that he has notched up 82 goals so far, just 3 shy of the historic record set by Müller 40 years ago. He still has six official games to outscore the German.
One of his adversaries shares the same dressing room, Iniesta, already outdid the Argentinean and Portuguese goalscorers last summer in the vote for the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award for the 2011/12 season. He is now looking to become the second Spaniard to win football's most prestigious individual distinction, after Luis Suárez did so in 1960.
Cristiano is up for his second Ballon d'Or, after winning in 2008. He is backed by Madrid's historic league campaign, which was crowned champion with a record number of points and goals, as well as Portugal's solid performance in the Euros, before being knocked out by Spain in a semi-final penalty shootout.

"A lot of people are happy things aren't going well for Mourinho"

Do you think Atlético will win on Saturday?
Yes, I think that this is the moment to win at the Bernabéu. I am optimistic, like the rest of the Atlético fans, as we go into the derby above Real Madrid for once after trailing for so many years. Our superb victory over Sevilla makes you think this is the moment to finally come away with a win.
Do you remember the last time?
Of course I do. But we ended up getting relegated, so it leaves a bitter taste.
How do would you analyse Real's form?
The team goes into the game off the back of an important defeat and it's going through a bad period. Confidence and moral are not on the players' side this time. We beat Chelsea, so why can't we beat Real Madrid? The prospect of going to the Bernabéu is not daunting. Atlético is in a strong position.
What about Mourinho?
He's used to being surrounded by controversy, but it's a difficult moment for him. It will be hard for him to win the league now and impossible if Real doesn't win on Saturday. There must have been occasions when he would have happily walked away. I haven't spoken to him recently, but every time Mourinho opens his mouth, he causes controversy, whatever he says. There are always rumours, things aren't clear. It's a difficult situation. It seems people don't want him to succeed. There's a feeling of hate. I think a lot of people are happy things aren't going well for him. You either love him or hate him, there is no middle ground. Sometimes there is a lack of respect, even in Portugal, which I find unbelievable. Things are different in England, more relaxed.

jeudi, novembre 29, 2012

Barça : Vilanova et la qualité de Neymar

L'entraîneur du FC Barcelone, Tito Vilanova, apprécierait tout particulièrement l'attaquant brésilien de Santos, Neymar, 20 ans, et ce malgré le scepticisme de Johan Cruyff.

Vilanova fan de Neymar ? Alors qu'il y a quelques jours, le quotidien Sport assurait que l'Argentin Lionel Messi était favorable à une arrivée prochaine du Brésilien Neymar dans l'effectif barcelonais. Ce mercredi, le même journal ibérique affirme que le technicien catalan, Tito Vilanova, en pincerait fortement pour l'avant-centre de la Seleçao, âgé de seulement 20 ans mais d'ores et déjà annoncé comme l'un des plus grands buteurs de la décennie. A en croire nos confrères de Sport, Vilanova considérerait Neymar comme "un joueur de première qualité". L'été prochain annoncera t-il la formation du duo Messi-Neymar ?

Ronaldo: "Messi is more entertaining for the fans than Cristiano"

Ronaldo believes that Lionel Messi should win the same Ballon d'Or award that he won himself three times, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. "Messi and Cristiano are both incredible, the two best players in the World, but Messi is more entertaining", confessed the former Real Madrid striker who is now part of the local organizing committee working towards the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The Brazilian also recommended his compatriot Neymar to make the move over to Europe as soon as possible. "I would tell Neymar to go to Europe now. Apart from it being the birthplace of football it is a great opportunity culturally for him, he shouldn’t let the chance pass him by", he said.
Ronaldo reminisced about what it was like for him to leave his home and make it in European football. "It's in Europe where footballers really become people in their own right, especially Brazilian players. I learned a lot, it was fantastic to live in Europe for 18 years and I can say there is no university on this earth that teaches you what I learned playing football there", he said.
On the Brazil World Cup in 2014 he admitted that he would love to have played in the new Maracaná stadium. "I wish I was a few years younger to be able to play in the Maracaná. Brazilian football will inherit a great legacy from the 2014 World Cup - new stadiums, new ideas about the game, everything will change dramatically after 2014", he admitted.

Casillas: "Maybe they're being unfair to Mourinho"

Casillas admitted during a publicity event that he did not expect to be heading into the derby against Atlético in the current situation: "We thought we would be closer, but we hope Atlético's advantage is cut to five points. Atlético and Barcelona are ahead and we have to think about closing the gap as soon as possible. Draws are no good to us right now".
Casillas called for the fans to remain calm and acknowledged the players' responsibility for the defeat against Betis. "At times like these we need to be prudent and remain calm. The aim was to be much higher up the league table, but we've managed to go through to the last 16 in the Champions League with one game to spare and from a very tough group, and we've also gone through in the Cup. On Saturday we had to stick our necks out for the manager. The players were to blame. And also Betis really worked hard in the game, playing very well".
The captain stood up for his manager with respect to the catcalling of Mourinho: "A couple of months ago, those whistles were applause and praise when we won the league. People have a short memory in football. Mourinho coached the team to win the title with a record number of points and goals. We need to remember the good times and the continuing plan. The team had some fresh blood not long ago; it's a young group, which doesn't want to stop and wants to keep winning".
"Maybe they're being unfair to Mourinho", added Iker. "A large part of Madrid's success in recent years is down to Mourinho. The dressing room trusts him 100%. He's a coach who's given us a lot".

Villa bags Barça brace

The vast majority of the return legs of the last 32 in the Copa del Rey were resolved earlier tonight. Las Palmas, Osasuna, Córdoba (Segunda División), Betis, Málaga and Real Madrid all qualified on Tuesday and will now be joined by Barcelona, Sevilla, Getafe, Levante, Valencia and Atlético de Madrid.
There are three remaining ties which will takes place on Thursday: Celta-Almería, Granada-Zaragoza and Mallorca-Deportivo de La Coruña.
Victory did not come easy for Barcelona at the Camp Nou against Alavés, who opened the scoring. Barça needed an inspired performance from David Villa to carry the team, which consisted of several reserve players. The Asturian bagged a brace in the second half after the team had bounced back to draw level before the break - a goal from Adriano cancelling out Borja Viguera’s effort. Barça go through 6-1 on aggregate, after a 3-0 win in Vitoria.
It was plain sailing for Atlético de Madrid against another team from the Segunda B, who 'Los Rojiblancos' had swept aside in the first leg by three goals to nil. Jaén put on a professional display, but Diego Simeone’s side – which also mainly consisted of reserve players – won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Raúl García in the first half.
After a 3-1 defeat in the first leg away to Sevilla, Espanyol lost 3-0 at home to the Andalusian outfit. Newly-appointment coach Javier Aguirre watched on and has a lot of rebuilding work to do to his squad.

mercredi, novembre 28, 2012

Arsenal : Wenger fait avec les moyens du bord

Le manager d'Arsenal, Arsène Wenger, sait très bien que certains fans du club londonien lui reprochent le fait de ne pas avoir remporté un seul trophée depuis l'année... 2005.

Même si ce constat est accablant, le technicien français estime qu'il fait le maximum afin de propulser sa formation au sommet mais que certaines écuries, anglaises et européennes, sont sans doute plus solides qu'Arsenal. "Mon travail consiste à obtenir le meilleur de mon équipe avec le potentiel qu'on a. A la fin de la saison dernière, nous avons terminé à la troisième place. Honnêtement, je ne pense pas qu'on pouvait faire beaucoup mieux. A la fin de la saison, je me mettrai devant mon miroir et je me demanderai : qu'est-ce que tu aurais pu faire de plus ?", a confié Arsène Wenger selon Sky Sports.

Zico quitte l'Irak et est disponible pour la Seleção - Sambafoot.com, toute l'actualité du football brésilien

PSG : Ancelotti ne reproche rien à ses joueurs

L'entraîneur du PSG, Carlo Ancelotti, ne reproche rien à ses joueurs qui ont tout donné contre Saint-Étienne en demi-finales de la Coupe de la Ligue (0-0, 5 t.a.b à 3) avant de s'incliner à Geoffroy Guichard.

"L'équipe a été bonne, notre jeu aussi. Je n'ai rien à dire aux joueurs. Nous sommes déçus du résultat mais le comportement de l'équipe a été très bon. On a joué 120 minutes avec continuité et contrôle. C'est une performance qui nous donne de la confiance pour la suite, a assuré le technicien italien avant de parler des Verts. Ruffier est un bon gardien, il a fait un bon match, mais toute l'équipe de Saint-Étienne a fait un bon match. C'était un beau match équilibré et ils ont gagné aux tirs au but. Bonne chance à Saint-Étienne."

100 days with Tito Vilanova

Today, Tuesday, Tito Vilanova is set to complete 100 days since he oversaw his first competitive game of the 2012/13 season. Since 19th August, Barcelona has played 21 games, with a balance of 18 wins, 2 defeats and one draw. In other words, Tito Vilanova's men currently have an 85.7% win ratio.
Vilanova, who assured that he would pale in comparison to his predecessor Pep Guardiola during his presentation as the first team coach at a press conference, has so far produced a record-breaking start to the Liga BBVA with twelve victories and one draw in the first 13 games.
Vilanova's Barça is not only the best in the history of the club as far as the start to the domestic championship is concerned, but has also equalled Madrid's best ever start to the Spanish league of 12 victories and one draw.
Víctor Valdés has been the most regular player over these 100 days, only having missed the Copa del Rey opener against Alavés. He has racked up 1,800 minutes on the field of play, ahead of the 1,746 minutes played by Leo Messi and Xavi Hernández's 1601.

Vettel should have faced a penalty

The image leaves no room for doubt: the German passed Kamui Kobayashi under yellow flags, which prohibit overtaking, way before crossing the green flag checkpoint, after which it is allowed again. The incident would have been worth a drive-through penalty.

Brazil to opt for Scolari

Luiz Felipe Scolari is the favourite to succeed Mano Menezes as head coach of the Brazil national team. Scolari - known as 'Felipao' - led Brazil to World Cup victory in 2002 and has allegedly agreed to take over the role, according to the National Squad Director of the Brazilian Football Confederation, Andrés Sanches.
"According to the information in my possession, 'Felipao' is already in talks with the CBF," Sanches said at the opening of the Soccerex event, world football's annual fair held in Rio de Janeiro.
Sanches - who was opposed to the dismissal of Menezes - also confirmed that he would be stepping down from his position due to the fact that his opinions were not taken into account, meaning that the CBF will also have another replacement to make.
Scolari has been the favourite to succeed Menezes from the beginning, although Tite (Corinthians) and Muricy Ramalho (Santos) were supposedly in contention for the role. 'Felipao' - who has also coached the Portuguese national team - led Brazil to its fifth World Cup trophy in Yokohama (Japan), after beating Germany 2-0 in the final.
CBF President, José María Marín, previously ruled out the appointment of a non-Brazilian coach, with Pep Guardiola said to be an early contender.

Simeone has one eye on Madrid derby

No matter how much Atlético de Madrid coach Diego Pablo Simeone plays down his side's crunch game on Saturday against Real Madrid, it can clearly be seen that the Argentine has one eye on the match. This can be seen by the team's line-up to face Real Jaén in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.
Godín, Filipe Luis, Mario Suárez, Koke, Falcao, Gabi, Arda Turan, Diego Costa, Juanfran and Joel have all been excluded from the squad. Nine of these ten players, Robles being the exception, are regular starters in the first team and are likely to start against Real Madrid.
The only first-teamers in the squad for the tie against Jaén will be Courtois (who will be on the bench and is replaced by Sergio Asenjo) and Miranda.
Youngsters Óliver Torres, Saúl, Manquillo and Pedro Martín have all been drafted in to play in the cup tie. Torres, who is unable to feature in the Europa League, played a few minutes in the first leg and put on a good display. It seems the midfielder will get another chance in the game at the Vicente Calderón stadium.
"We'll think about the derby after the cup game on Wednesday night. The most important game is the next one against Jaén. The fans want to see us win", said Simeone.

Darragi/FC sion: Constantin veut faire de Darragi un grand

Le patron du FC Sion n’aime pas les échecs. En son temps, il avait conseillé que Ronaldinho soit encadré à son arrivée au PSG. Il entend en faire de même avec le Tunisien.

Pour Christian Constantin, Oussama Darragi a toutes les qualités pour devenir «un grand d’Europe».

«Je ne supporte pas l’échec, et je ne veux pas être en échec avec Darragi.» Christian Constantin est on ne peut plus clair: même si l’international tunisien n’a pas encore trouvé ses marques (zéro but en onze apparitions en Suisse), même s’il n’est plus aligné par Pierre-André Schürmann depuis la mi-novembre, il ne quittera pas le FC Sion.

Ballon d’or africain en 2011, Oussama Darragi est sous contrat avec le FC Sion jusqu’en 2016. Ce qui laisse le temps à CC d’en faire «un grand d’Europe». Il s’en explique: «Je ferai exactement avec Darragi ce que j’avais fait avec Ronaldinho, lorsqu’il est arrivé de Gremio au PSG.» C’était en 2001. A l’époque, CC avait conseillé à Roberto Assis (joueur à Sion de 1992 à 1995, grand frère et agent de Ronaldinho) d’encadrer étroitement le p’tit frère, et cela 24 heures sur 24. «Parce que ces joueurs manquent de repères sur notre continent.»
Constantin compare, toutes proportions gardées, Darragi à Ronaldinho. «On est dans le même cas de figure avec Darragi. Oussama a besoin d’un planificateur, d’un accompagnateur, d’un préparateur, appelez ça comme vous voulez. Mais je trouverai cette personne. Darragi a un tel talent que je ne peux pas le laisser partir.»
Le talent. Un terme qui va souvent de pair avec l’oisiveté. «Le problème de tous ceux qui font ce qu’ils veulent de leurs pieds et d’un ballon, c’est qu’ils n’ont ni la tête, ni le cœur, ni les jambes. Je vais donner tout cela à Darragi et en faire un joueur pour l’Europe. Je veux que, chaque fois qu’il tourne la tête, il sente deux paires d’yeux sur lui. Je vais lui apprendre les mots souffrance, efforts ou vouloir.»N’a-t-il pas peur que Darragi en ait marre? Déjà qu’il ne joue plus et qu’on l’annonce sur le départ, notamment en Arabie saoudite et au Qatar… «Aucune crainte, coupe le président valaisan. Je l’ai récemment vu en compagnie de son père: il fera ce que j’estime être juste pour lui. J’y mettrai le temps qu’il faudra, mais j’y arriverai. Et je n’hésiterai pas à être dur avec lui. D’ailleurs, je le suis déjà.»
Constantin en est persuadé, Darragi «prouvera chez nous qu’il est un grand». Il conclut: «Quand il l’aura prouvé, il pourra partir. Mais pas avant.» Si tel devait être le cas, le FC Sion en aura profité, sportivement parlant. Au passage, la valeur de Darragi (actuellement, plus de 3 millions et demi de francs) aura forcément pris l’ascenseur.

The Cantona revolution 20 years on

27th November, 1992, is a day on which the history of Manchester United changed forever. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson, now a club legend, was close to being sacked after a disastrous start to the season.
On that fateful day, Eric Cantona was unveiled as Manchester United's new signing, and the rest is history. The arrival of the Frenchman, who had a touch of arrogance and an abundance of class, marked a new era for 'The Reds'. Twenty years to the day, MARCA looks back at that moment.
Ferguson has no doubt about the importance of the role Cantona played at the club: "If there was ever a player in this world who was made for Manchester United, it was Cantona".
From his first day at the club, Cantona decided to train for an extra period every day and became an inspiration to his teammates. United won eight games and drew two in the first few months of Cantona's time at Old Trafford and went on to win the league title for the first time in 26 years.
'King Eric' initiated a golden era for the Old Trafford faithful, winning four Premier League titles and two FA Cups in five years. Cantona scored over 150 goals, some of which were authentic masterpieces. In 1997, five years after his arrival in Manchester, the Frenchman announced his retirement.

mardi, novembre 27, 2012

PSG : Pastore a le soutien de son ancien président

En difficulté avec le PSG depuis le début de saison, Javier Pastore n'a pas tout perdu. En effet, le milieu de terrain argentin a reçu l'appui de Maurizio Zamparini, le président de Palerme, l'ancien club du footballeur parisien.

"Il est en difficulté à Paris parce qu'Ibrahimovic fait de l'ombre à tout le monde. Je regrette le fait que Carlo Ancelotti lui donne trop d'importance. C'est un joueur fantastique, mais avec certainement un mauvais caractère", a-t-il affirmé au micro de Radio Sportiva. Interrogé également sur la possibilité de voir Pastore revenir au club, Maurizio Zamparini n'y croit pas : "C'est impossible, mais j'aimerais bien. En attaque, nous sommes au complet."

Brésil : Guardiola, une piste à oublier ?

Alors que la Seleçao se cherche toujours un successeur à Mano Menezes, la piste menant à Josep Guardiola semble s'être considérablement refroidie. Si l'on en croit les déclarations de José Maria Marin, le président de la Confédération brésilienne de football, l'ancien boss du Barça ne devrait pas être l'heureux élu.

"Il y a peu de chances que cela soit un entraîneur étranger. Nous avons gagné cinq Coupes du monde avec des coachs brésiliens, je ne pense pas que ce sera nécessaire, a-t-il affirmé auprès de Terra. Le passé, c'est le passé. Nous devons penser à l'avenir. Pour nous, c'est le moment d'analyser le candidat idéal pour diriger la sélection."

Liverpool : José Enrique se sent bien à Anfield

Titularisé à six reprises par Brendan Rodgers cette saison, José Enrique est sous contrat jusqu'en juin 2016 avec les Reds. Interrogé sur sa situation à Anfield, le défenseur espagnol a affiché sa détermination pour la suite de son aventure.

"J'espère continuer comme cela afin d'aider l'équipe du mieux possible. Je commence à jouer de nouveau. Pour être honnête, je n'ai jamais été inquiet, car j'ai toujours cru en moi, a avoué l'ancien joueur de Villarreal et Newcastle dans un entretien accordé sur le site officiel du club. Je suis vraiment heureux. C'est le plus grand club avec lequel j'ai joué. Les supporters sont incroyables et j'aime la ville. Je veux jouer ici pendant longtemps."

Man City : Ibrahimovic tente d'attirer Balotelli !

Après avoir conseillé à David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy) de le rejoindre au Paris Saint-Germain, l'attaquant Zlatan Ibrahimovic a donné un tuyau au buteur de Manchester City Mario Balotelli.

En clair, l'international suédois a chaudement recommandé à "Super Mario" de le rejoindre dans la capitale française en 2013 ! "Mario a tellement de talent, à son âge, il a le potentiel pour devenir un des meilleurs attaquants du monde. Je pense qu'il a muri et que maintenant il aimerait jouer à nouveau avec moi", a lâché "Ibra" dans le Daily Mirror. Rappelons que pour le moment, Mario Balotelli est le quatrième attaquant dans la hiérarchie chez les Citizens derrière le trio Agüero-Tevez-Dzeko.

Made in Barça

Back in Barcelona, the fielding of eleven players developed at the club's youth academy in the 4-0 drubbing of Levante has been given more coverage than the win itself or the 11-point gap the Catalans have opened up over Real Madrid.
While Xavi, Piqué, Cesc and Jordi Alba have all come out to express their happiness, the up-and-coming youth players at La Masia are even more psyched, as it opens the door for them to make the step up to the first team in the future.
Barça's last four coaches – with Van Gaal and Vilanova sandwiching the tenures of Rijkaard and Guardiola – have all shown that the club's model and philosophy not only work, but are effective.
After Gerard Deulofeu hailed the achievement on social media, the heavyweights did not waste any time joining in after the match. "It's something to make all Barça fans proud. It proves that we are doing things the right way and our philosophy is the right one", said Piqué, visibly overjoyed.
Iniesta was equally buzzing – "it's something really special for the academy to play such a big role" – while Xavi was even more moved and shouted out to Van Gaal: "I'd like to send him a hug because he started it all. It [playing with 11 home-grown players] was his dream, he said it several times, and it's become reality".
Almost fifteen years have passed since Van Gaal gave Xavi and Puyol their debuts, and the club's commitment to its youth policy has only grown stronger. No matter that Piqué, Alba and Cesc rose to prominence elsewhere and had to be re-signed for big fees – they remain 'Azulgranas' through and through.

Saved by the Champions League

Real Madrid has one life-line left. With Barcelona eleven points ahead of them after thirteen games and Atlético ahead by eight, Real Madrid is holding on to a life-line that could either make this season a success, or deflate and sink, taking the team's hopes of silverware with it.
There is however reason for optimism. Real Madrid won the Champions League in the 1998, 2000 and 2002 seasons, after unsuccessful league campaigns.
After 13 games in the 1997/98 season, Real Madrid was tied on 28 points with the team that went on to win the league, Barcelona. As the season progressed, Heynckes' team focused on winning the Champions League, leaving the league to one side. Madrid finished fourth, eleven points behind Barcelona. But they won the club's seventh Champions League title.
Mourinho is going through something similar to Del Bosque in the 1999/00 season. In gameweek 13 they were 11 points adrift of Deportivo, who went on to win the league that year. They finished fifth and without a place in the Champions League.
But once again, Madrid was saved by the Champions League. They thrashed Valencia in the final in Paris, lifted the club’s eighth title and the fans were happy.
History repeated itself in 2002. Valencia was unplayable from the start of the league campaign and Real finished third. Zidane shined in Glasgow and title number nine returned home to Madrid.

Alba: "Atlético can challenge for the league"

"We're on top, but there's a long way to go, so we can't afford to get complacent. Atlético is only three points behind us and could easily overtake us at any moment". This is Jordi Alba's view of the current state of affairs in the upper echelons of 'La Liga' after thirteen rounds of fixtures.
The Catalan full-back also discussed the fact that, following the substitution of Dani Alves, Barça had eleven graduates of its academy, La Masia, on the pitch together at the Ciutat de València stadium: "It's a source of pride and it only goes to show what great work we are doing with the youth set-up".
The FC Barcelona defender insisted that the team doesn't pay "much attention" to the Real Madrid manager, José Mourinho, when he complains of supposed favouritism towards Barcelona, and also gave his opinion on the upcoming Madrid derby: "I want Barça to win. We shouldn't be worried about matches that don't involve us. So long as we keep winning, we'll do well", Alba stated.
After noting that "Atlético is three points behind and is having a fantastic season, while Madrid is 11 points off", Alba insisted that the title race "isn't over. Atlético had a great end to last season and is now proving that it can challenge for the league. We shouldn't rule out anyone, let alone the team in second place. And Real Madrid is going to keep fighting until the end because it is a very important competition".

Alves out for 15-20 days

Barcelona's defender, Dani Alves, will be out for between 15 and 20 days with a hamstring injury to his right leg, which he suffered in the Levante game at the Ciutat de València stadium.
A medical test he underwent this Monday confirmed the Brazilian full-back's condition. This is the fourth time Dani Alves has been injured this season, with all of them being muscular injuries.
Martín Montoya came on to replace him against Levante, which made history because it meant that, for the first time ever, every one of the eleven men on the pitch for Tito's team were players that came through the youth ranks at Barcelona.
During the spell that Alves is predicted to be out for, Barça will play five games: Alavés, Athletic Club de Bilbao, Benfica, Betis and Atlético de Madrid. This will more than likely extend to six games, since Barça will be defending a 3-0 advantage that it notched up in Vitoria for the return leg of the cup game against Alavés this Wednesday and will likely go through to the last 16 of the Spanish cup to be played on 12th December.
Alves actually had exactly the same injury recently, although it was to his left leg. This prior injury happened in the game against Real Madrid, when he was also substituted for Montoya. Alves has now joined Bartra, Muniesa, Villa, Cuenca, Alexis Sánchez and Abidal on Barcelona's injury list.

Messi, highest scorer since 1943/44 season

He keeps going and going. Lionel Messi just cannot stop scoring, and Barcelona's Argentinean now totals 19 goals in just 13 games – a figure unheard of in the Spanish league since the 1943/44 season when Martín, also for Barcelona, and Echeverria, for Oviedo, were the joint top goalscorers with 19 goals apiece.
Messi added two more goals against Levante and has netted three doubles in a row in La Liga. With his tally of 19, the Argentinean has now scored more than seven players who won the Pichichi Award for the top goalscorer at the end of the season.
So far in 2012, Messi has hit the back of the net 52 times in La Liga – just outrageous. Furthermore, the Argentinean is watching his advantage increase over the rest of his pursuers.
Although the third in the running, Radamel Falcao broke his dry spell from the penalty spot against Sevilla, Cristiano again failed to score this weekend.

Mourinho against the world

There has been something for everyone. Mourinho's catalogue of excuses to justify the pratfalls Real Madrid has sufferedwith him in the dugout is extensive and touches on everyone. Even the club hasn't escaped the furious attacks the manager has used in an attempt to hide each and every one of the team's blunders.
Referees, the press, the fixtures list, the players, the medical staff, the Bernabéu, Barça, UEFA, the youth academy, the opposition, the project, Toril, Valdano... Since he arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2010, Mou has found all kinds of reasons to divert the discussion from the purely football. The list is never-ending.
Referees are the biggest thorn in his side. On many occasions he's been so angry at the end of a game that he's taken the bad result out on them. In his first season, we saw him compile the list of 13 mistakes that Clos Gómez made during the a game with Sevilla, brutally criticise Pérez Lasa after the draw with Almeria and wait for Teixeira Vitienes in the car park at the Camp Nou. Then there was the famous outburst of "whys and becauses" at the Bernabéu after being knocked out of the Champions League against Barça.
In his eyes, he's defending his team and denouncing injustices. For others, they're excuses aimed at talking about anything other than the team's performance. It's Mou against the world.