Monthly Archives: May 2010

Jose ready for Real challenge

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Jose Mourinho has signed a four-year contract to become the new manager of Real Madrid – and described his challenge of returning the club to the top in Spain and in Europe as “a big one” (check out ante-post football markets on totesport.com).

The 47-year-old was on Monday unveiled as the successor to Manuel Pellegrini and becomes the 11th coach in the past seven years of Spain’s big-spending capital club.

Mourinho terminated his contract with Internazionale last week after two seasons at the club and Real have paid Inter a reported eight million euros (£6.8m) in compensation.

“I like to give myself a challenge and this is a big one,” said Mourinho. “I have a lot of confidence in myself and my ability as a coach.”

Sporting director Jorge Valdano said: “It’s an honour to have one of the most prestigious coaches in the world.”

The Portuguese coach arrives in Madrid off the backing of guiding Inter to a historic treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League titles.

The former Porto and Chelsea boss is charged with the task of arresting a three-year trophyless title run in La Liga.
Real have also failed to make it past the first knockout phase of Europe’s elite club competition in six seasons.

Valdano added: “We are delighted to have him here with us. The best thing for our club right now is to have Mourinho with us.”

Real suffered another season of disappointment on the home front when they lost out to great rivals Barcelona in the race for the Spanish title.

However, Mourinho said he would not be rushing into making changes to personnel until he had time to settle in.
He said: “It’s too early to speak about changes.

“I believe it’s time to analyse the situation, to get to know my club, ask lots of questions and get answers.”

He added: “If we work as a group, it’s not difficult to get results.

“I want this group to have an identity, to win everything.

“The strength of my team is always the team and not the individuals.”

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Gerrard shrugs off injury fears

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Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has moved to assure nervous supporters he will be fit for England’s World Cup Group C opener against USA in Rustenburg on June 12 (8/1 Gerrard – Top England Goalscorer).

The Kop icon picked up a knee injury in the unconvincing 2-1 international friendly win over Japan on Sunday but stressed it was not serious.

Gerrard – who has scored 16 goals in 80 appearances for the Three Lions – sparked fears about his fitness last week when he twice withdrew from training because a calf injury.

However, the 30-year-old insisted he would be ready for his country’s opener against America in Rustenburg (4/9 England 3/1 draw 6/1 USA – match betting).

“It’s OK, it’ll be all right,” he said. “It won’t be a problem.”

England coach Fabio Capello is sweating on no more injury headaches before he announces his 23-man cut on June 1.

Gareth Barry remains his biggest concern but it would appear the Italian is prepared to relax his own rules to allow the Manchester City midfielder to make the squad.

The former Aston Villa man is struggling to recover from strained ankle ligaments and reports suggest he is almost certainly ruled out of that Group C encounter against the States.

“We will decide on Gareth Barry after we have had the final check to see how long it will be before he can train with us,” said Capello.

Capello will also make personal checks on Chelsea defender John Terry, who fell awkwardly in the second half against Japan and pulled up in pain, while star striker Wayne Rooney suffered from a spate of minor injuries towards the end of the domestic season.

The writing does appear to be on the wall for Tom Huddlestone of Tottenham and Darren Bent of Sunderland.

Both were given a last chance to impress in Austria on Sunday but failed to sparkle and could now miss out.

Stephen Warnock of Aston Villa has also failed to dislodge Leighton Baines of Everton as the preferred back-up to Ashley Cole at left-back.

Joe Cole’s likely inclusion could also mean World Cup heartache for the Manchester City duo Adam Johnson and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Michael Dawson and Scott Parker have not been given a chance by Capello and are also now in grave danger of missing out.

“I know the 22 players who are in mind,” said Capello.

“They are the same 22 that I decided last week. Nothing has changed.”

England wrap up their group campaign against Algeria in Cape Town on June 18 and Slovenia on June 23 in Port Elizabeth.

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Capello clear in his mind

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Fabio Capello has admitted England’s two warm-up matches against Mexico and Japan have had no bearing on selection for his 23-man World Cup squad (England 6/1 to win World Cup).

England followed up their 3-1 victory over Mexico with an unconvincing 2-1 win over Japan in Graz, Austria on Sunday, courtesy of two own goals from the Japanese.

Capello currently has a 30-man squad, with plenty of grey areas in terms of who the press feel may get the chop when the final squad is announced on Tuesday.

But the Italian tactician has confessed that his mind was made up before the two friendlies, with only doubts about the fitness of Gareth Barry giving him any cause to change his final squad.

“I know the 22 players who are in mind. They are the same 22 that I decided last week. Nothing has changed,” he said.

“We have to wait for Gareth Barry. We will decide on him after we have had the final check to see how long it will be before he can train with us.

“We have to know everything about this situation but I am not disappointed my mind is still the same.”

England kick-off their World Cup Group C campaign with a potentially tricky match against the USA on Saturday June 12 in Rustenburg (England 1/14 to qualify) before taking on Algeria in Cape Town on Friday June 18 and Slovenia in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday June 23.

Capello will want to keep his squad as fresh and fit as possible throughout the group games and may well include players who are versatile enough to fill in when injuries occur.

He is known to be a fan of Chelsea’s Joe Cole and his comments that Cole “played very well in the second half” against Japan may have been more than a hint that the former West Ham star might get the nod for South Africa.

Only Spain (4/1 Outright) and Brazil (9/2) are ahead of England in the market, with Diego Maradona’s Argentina 7/1 to win the prestigious for the first time since 1986.

England have only been to the semi-finals once since their win in 1966 but now have one of the most respected managers in the game in charge going into the pressure cooker atmosphere of the World Cup.

Managing the likes of Wayne Rooney (6/4 to be England’s top goalscorer) will be vital as England can ill afford to lose a player of his quality to a red card.

Four years ago in Germany the Manchester United striker was sent off for a stamp on Ricardo Carvalho.

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Lippi confident of repeat win

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It is 48 years since a country successfully defended a World Cup – when Brazil sealed back-to-back triumphs – but Marcello Lippi believes Italy (12/1 to win the tournament) can repeat that feat.

Lippi acknowledges that his current squad is not the most talented bunch of players he has ever worked with.

But he talked up Italy’s previous glories against the odds, including their wins in 1982 and four years ago in Germany.

“We’re going there with great confidence, with a status [as champions] to consolidate while also knowing the strengths of our opponents,” said Lippi.

“Many times the national team has started off not being favorites but have achieved exceptional results. We’ll give our all.”

The former Juventus boss has been stressing the importance of togetherness.

“I’ve never been as motivated as I am now. I can’t wait to begin my second World Cup,” he said.

“I think that if we want to close the gap to those teams that are better than us, the only way to do so is to be united.

“Our strength will once again be the group. That’s been my secret since I first started coaching in Serie C.

“And the proof in the pudding is that [Lionel] Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo only scraped through with Argentina and Portugal.”

Italy (11/1  - World Cup 2010 Alternative Outright (4 Places)) reached the World Cup with a game to spare in their qualifying campaign, but they travel to South Africa with many sceptics worrying about their chances – many of them at home.

Defender Giorgio Chiellini , however, has been quick to defend the squad.
“We are working really well. Perhaps other teams have something more in defence, but it’s not about individuals, but about team work,” Chiellini told the press at Italy’s Sestriere training camp.

“The defence works well only if the rest of the team works well too. I don’t think games depend on the two, three or four defenders that play.

“I am convinced that Italy will do well at the World Cup. Even with a normal effort we can achieve satisfaction in South Africa.”

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Slovakia dealt Karhan blow

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Slovakia (150/1 to win the tournament) midfielder Miroslav Karhan has been ruled out of the World Cup because of a recurring Achilles tendon injury.

“There’s a little tear which means I can’t take part in the tournament,” the 33-year-old said.

“I have a three week break ahead of me and the World Cup begins in two weeks. So my withdrawal is final,” added Karhan, who plays for Bundesliga club Mainz 05.

The former Wolfsburg and Besiktas player has 96 caps for Slovakia, scoring 13 goals.

The announcement came as Slovakia were pegged back by Cameroon as the two sides drew 1-1 in a pre-World Cup friendly.

Enoh Eyong’s goal seven minutes from time saw Cameroon escape with a draw after the Slovakians, who in a previous entity as Czechoslovakia reached the last eight in 1990, had taken the lead through Kamil Kopunek in the sixth minute.

Kopunek scored with a great strike from 18 metres out after being set up by Chelsea midfielder Miroslav Stoch, giving no chance to Cameroon goalkeeper Hamidou Souleymanou.

The Slovaks dominated the first-half against a Cameroon side still without their superstar striker Samuel Eto’o, who has been given time off since winning last Saturday’s Champions League title. The European team repelled Cameroon for most of the match, marshalled by Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel.

Slovakia (13/2 to win Group), who are in Group F at the finals in South Africa along with defending champions Italy, New Zealand and Paragua, could have taken a 2-0 lead but Stanislav Sestak’s shot rattled back off the crossbar.

Cameroon – who are in Group E for the June 11-July 11 tournament along with Denmark, Japan and the Netherlands – came back into the match after that and finally were rewarded when Ajax midfielder Eyong struck.

For Cameroon (80/1 to win the World Cup), the draw comes on the back of a 0-0 draw with non-qualifiers Georgia earlier in the week and they will be looking for a vastly-improved performance in their June 1 friendly with 2006 World Cup semi-finalists and fellow finalists Portugal in Covilha, Portugal.

They have a final friendly after that against fellow qualifiers Serbia on June 5 in Belgrade.

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Modric signs deal to stay at Spurs

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Luka Modric has ended speculation regarding his possible transfer from Tottenham Hotspur, by signing a new six-year contract with the club (Spurs 50/1 to win the 2010-11 Premier League).

Manchester United and Chelsea had been linked with a move for the playmaker, who arrived at White Hart Lane from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008.

Modric was instrumental as Spurs qualified for the Champions League last season and he revealed that he feels that they can continue to progress: “Tottenham Hotspur gave me my chance in the Premier League and I want to go on to achieve great success here with them.

“Yes, there have been enquiries from other big clubs, but I have no interest in going anywhere.

“Last season’s Top 4 finish was an indication of where we are as a club and I feel I can continue to improve and go on to achieve everything I want to at Spurs.”

The news is a major boost for Spurs’ ambitions next season. Modric was only two years into a five-year contract, but his performances ensured that the Croatian international secured a major pay increase (Croatia are 10/11 to win Euro 2012 qualifying Group F).

Earlier this week, the Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp had spoken out about his reluctance to sell Modric: “There’s no chance of it happening at all. Luka’s key to everything that’s happening at this place.

“Everybody knows what I think of him. And if you want to move on to higher levels you don’t start flogging off your best players – to anyone.

“I have an excellent squad and I stress, Luka Modric is going to remain a part of it.”

In his two seasons at Spurs, Modric has made 77 appearances and scored eight goals. He has played mainly on the left side of Redknapp’s midfield, but featured in a more central role during Tottenham’s crucial Premier League run-in as they secured fourth place.

Modric has been described by Redknapp as, “Tottenham’s one world class player.”

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Australia and Argentina prepare for finals

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Australia star Harry KewellAustralia’s Jason Culina is banking on the squad’s experienced to be a factor in their favour in South Africa (Australia 8/1 to win Group D).

The Socceroos have come in for plenty of criticism in the build-up to the tournament, with the media quick to label them as too old to do well in the World cup.

The criticism certainly didn’t diminish after a lucky 2-1 win over New Zealand in Melbourne on Monday.

But speaking from the Socceroos’ pre-World Cup training camp at altitude in Johannesburg, Culina was keen to use the age of the squad as a positive.

“We’ve all got the four years behind us and three-quarters of the squad have been at a World Cup before so we know what to expect,” Culina said.

“Last World Cup was hard because we didn’t know what to expect.

“We’re not going in there blind this time. It should count for a lot.

“The whole team has really been strengthened in the last few years, we moved up the rankings, and that’s why we’ve got the results we have.

“This squad’s been together for quite a while now and that’s really important to us.”

Culina played well against New Zealand, despite not having played a match since early March when his A-League side Gold Coast exited the finals.

The midfielder has spent the past two months training with his old Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, attempting to keep fit and at the forefront of coach Pim Verbeek’s plans for the World Cup opener against Germany on June 13.

“Unfortunately I haven’t played any games but I’m raring to go. I’m feeling fit and healthy and I can’t ask for more,” Culina said.

Meanwhile, Argentina (4/9 to win Group B) arrived in South Africa for the World Cup looking jet-lagged as they were greeted by media at the Johannesburg airport.

Coach Diego Maradona said: “Hola, South Africa. I love South Africa.” He did not stop to take questions before leaving for his team’s base at the High Performance Centre in the capital Pretoria.

Lionel Messi was also subdued on his first appearance in South Africa. Wearing a white baseball cap, the Barcelona forward did not react to requests from the assembled media for a smile or a wave.

Maradona, who has already named his final 23-man World Cup squad, led the players off the plane on the short walk to the newly built special arrival facility for World Cup teams.

Argentina face Nigeria, South Korea and Greece in the group stages in South Africa. The two-time World Cup winner will play Nigeria at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park on June 12.

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More Gerrard injury concern

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Steven Gerrard (8/1 to be England’s World Cup Top Goalscorer) cut short an England training session for a second successive day on Friday, adding to fears over the midfielder’s fitness.

Reports claim the Liverpool skipper pulled up during Thursday’s practice match and received treatment on the sidelines for a calf problem.

Gerrard did return to training on Friday but did not complete the session, in which the England squad worked on shooting.

The 29-year-old then left the Austrian training ground with physio Gary Lewin for more treatment, and looks a doubt for Sunday’s final warm-up game (England 7/1 to come from behind and win the friendly) against Japan in Graz.

Sunday’s match will offer a last chance for some players to prove to Fabio Capello that they deserve a place in the final 23-man party.

There is better news on the injury front for Gerrard’s Liverpool colleague Glen Johnson, who also missed training on Thursday with a calf problem.

The right-back was back with the rest of the squad on Friday and impressed during the shooting practise – following on from his cracking goal in the friendly win over Mexico.

Having recovered from a hamstring problem, Sunderland’s Darren Bent is expected to feature against the fellow World Cup qualifiers, with Japan in Group E along with Holland, Denmark and Cameroon.

Stephen Warnock will have a late check on an ankle problem to see if he can start, as he battles with Leighton Baines for the role of back-up to Ashley Cole at left-back.

Capello has already stated that Ledley King will sit out Sunday’s game having completed the full 90 minutes in midweek, so Matthew Upson may be handed a start in the centre of defence.

Meanwhile, Fernando Torres believes Gerrard will be crucial to England’s hopes after claiming his Liverpool team-mate is ‘in the same league’ as Lionel Messi.

The Spanish international says the England midfielder is one of five players capable of dominating at the World Cup and that he is able to ‘win a big game on his own’.

Torres has seen Gerrard’s qualities at first hand and he feels the England vice-captain, along with Wayne Rooney, could win the World Cup for the Three Lions.

The Spain striker said: “He’s in the same league as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, that’s how good he is. Rooney and Stevie must have big tournaments.

“If they do then England should be very much feared.”

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Ferguson to help pick successor

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Manchester United (United 11/5 to win the Premier League outright) manager Sir Alex Ferguson will have a key role in deciding his successor, according to chief executive David Gill.

Speculation over when the United boss will retire from management has continued after his side missed out on the Premier League title to Chelsea this season.

Gill has stated that Ferguson has not made any decision on when he will retire but the Scot alongside England legend Sir Bobby Charlton and the club’s owner will choose from a “small pool” of candidates to decide the next manager.

Gill said: “I think Alex will be the key. He knows people. He will have a big role in advising and being a sounding board. I am sure we will talk with the owners and look at who is there and determine who we would like to appoint.

“It would be remiss of us not to use the expertise and knowledge that we have,” he added.
Ferguson has stated that his health would be the only factor in deciding when he would retire from football.

Speculation that the new Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho will be taking reins at Old Trafford after the Bernabeu has continued and the United chief executive would not state whether the two-time Champions League winner is favourite to be the next manager.

Gill said: “He has certainly got something about him. He’s a winner.”

Mourinho has revealed that he would like to work with United and England striker Wayne Rooney, but whether this is at Madrid or in Manchester is unclear.

However, Florentino Perez is supposedly talking to representatives at Old Trafford about potentially signing the player as they claim they can reach the club’s valuation for the forward.

Rooney is currently training with the England (Rooney 10/1 to be the top goalscorer at the World Cup) squad ahead of the World Cup in South Africa.

England will face Japan in their final pre season match on Sunday before the 23 man squad is announced.

Avoiding injury, Rooney is guaranteed a seat on the plane to South Africa and any potential deal with Real Madrid would be likely to take place after the tournament which could increase the player’s valuation if he has a successful tournament.

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Daggers up for Millers clash

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Dagenham & Redbridge assistant manager Terry Harris believes the chance to play in League One is all the incentive his players need in Sunday’s League Two play-off final with Rotherham (Daggers 10/11 to be promoted).

The two sides go head-to-head at Wembley on Sunday for the chance to rise into English football’s third tier, with Rotherham 4/5 to gain promotion.

Harris believes that 10 years ago it would have been impossible even to dream of playing against some of the sides who are currently in League One, and he feels it is testament to the way the club has developed that they have a chance of promotion this weekend.

“Playing in League One is a massive incentive and it is hard to believe,” he said.

“A decade ago we were mid-table in the Ryman League and next season we could be playing in the same division as Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton and Charlton.

“Back in those days there were 20-30 non-league clubs in the south east who were similar in size and support to ourselves.

“But we are the only ones who have gone on to establish ourselves as a Football League side and now we could even be a League One team.”

The Victoria Road outfit can expect around 13,000 fans to make the short trip to Wembley on Sunday and despite the fact that they finished seventh in the League Two standings this year, Harris does not feel they are underdogs going into the showpiece event.

Manager John Still looks set to name an unchanged side from the Morecambe win, providing midfielder Peter Gain can overcome a calf proble.

The northern outfit are the 7/5 favourites to win the match in 90 minutes, with the Daggers on offer at 9/5 and the draw priced at 12/5.

The Daggers’ Paul Benson is the 4/1 joint-favourite to be first goalscorer – along with the Millers’ Adam le Fondre, with Dagenham’s Josh Scott on offer at 6/1 and Rotherham’s Drewe Broughton and Ryan Taylor at 7/1.

Rotherham boss Moore feels victory at Wembley on Sunday will surpass all of his previous achievements in management.

“It will probably be the best of the promotions for me in the way that we have had to do it,” he said.

“Where we are, for the players to produce the togetherness they have, I think that would be the best of all the promotions we’ve had.”

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