Monthly Archives: June 2010

Paraguay coach unconcerned by Spanish threat

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Paraguay star Roque Santa CruzParaguay coach Gerardo Martino has insisted his team have nothing to fear from facing Spain in the World Cup quarter-finals.

The South Americans set up a last-eight meeting with the European champions after defeating Japan on penalties on Monday but will start the game as underdogs as tournament outsiders (Paraguay 50/1 to win World Cup outright).

Whereas their opponents, led by Spanish ace David Villa, have started to play with freedom, Paraguay have struggled to create clear goal-scoring opportunities and have scored only three goals in four games in South Africa.

Spanish midfielder Xavi claimed after their 1-0 win over Portugal that his country are now starting to hit form after a slow start to the finals.

But Martino is not concerned by the statistics and believes playing Spain will give his side extra space to express themselves.

“In three of the four World Cup matches we had to take the game to our opponents and that’s difficult for a team like ours,” said Martino.

“Our future rivals will let us play. Spain will give us more space.”

In a forgettable encounter in Pretoria, Paraguay squeezed past Japan 5-3 on penalties after the game had finished goalless after normal and extra time.

It is the first time in their history that Paraguay have reached the quarter-final stage of the World Cup and Martino reckons his side deserve their place in the draw, knowing that victory against Spain will take them through to a semi-final against either Argentina or Holland.

Martino said: “It’s never nice for a match to be decided in this way but I think we sought the win a little more.

“I think we were lucky in the penalty shoot-out. That made the difference.

“Perhaps it wasn’t the match people wanted to see but I don’t think either team has anything to reproach themselves for.

“When you look at how the players played, the solidarity they showed, their enthusiasm, their will to make the history books, both teams did it the same way.

“To speak of an achievement in getting to the quarter-finals is all right but to consider this my greatest achievement is, I think, a bit premature.”

Spain and Paraguay will line-up in the fourth and final quarter-final on Saturday night (Paraguay to win 13/2, Spain 1/2, draw 13/5).

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Brazil facing Elano blow

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Brazil star ElanoBrazil star Elano could miss the rest of the World Cup after suffering an ankle injury in their second group game (Brazil 10/11 – To Reach Final).

The former Manchester City midfielder was forced off against Ivory Coast after a strong tackle by Elephants defender Cheik Tiote and broke down in training on Tuesday as he looked to prove his fitness to coach Dunga.

Elano will now sit out the quarter-final showdown with Holland in Port Elizabeth on Friday as A Seleção look to make the last four for the 11th time ever (Holland 16/5, draw 11/5, Brazil 20/21 – 90 Minutes).

Brazil’s team doctor told the media: “I’m not saying that he won’t be able to play again at this World Cup but he won’t be ready for Friday.

“He has bad bruising and it was after he trained on Sunday that he said that he was having problems.

“The bone is swollen and we have to release the pressure on it so he will do nothing strenuous for the rest of the week.”

“We still hope he can play next week but I can’t say that he will be able to categorically.”

Elano has scored two goals during the tournament so far despite missing the games against Portugal, in Group G, and Chile in the second round.

The pressure is on the Samba Kings after quarter-final eliminations at the last two World Cups in Germany and Japan & South Korea as they bid for their sixth world crown.

Former Arsenal star Gilberto Sliva, 33, is probably playing at his last World Cup and he admits he is looking to make it third time lucky after appearing at the 2002 and 2006 editions of the tournament (Gilberto 13/2 – Anytime Goalscorer).

Ahead of the clash with the Dutch, who topped Group E with three wins out of three, Gilberto admitted he has full belief in the Brazilians’ chances of going all the way to Soccer City, Johannesburg on July 11 and lifting the trophy.

He told FIFA.com: “The mood in the squad is very good at the moment, everyone is enjoying a lot what we’re doing for our country.

“Everyone is hungry to achieve one more trophy for Brazil. This is what we talk about all the time.”

Gilberto added: “We expect a very hard game because Holland have got a quality team with very good players.

“We know that (if) we give them space it will be very difficult for us and we could have a problem. This is what we want to avoid.

“We have played against Holland in these big World Cup matches before and it will be an emotional game. But I’m sure we will do our job as we did against Chile.”

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Grayson talks up Leeds’ chances

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Leeds United boss Simon GraysonLeeds boss Simon Grayson reckons the Championship promotion race is “wide open” as he looks to lead the Whites to back-to-back promotions (Leeds 14/1 – 2010/11 Championship Outright).

The Elland Road outfit may have limped over the line to finish as runners-up in League One last season, but it was enough to get them back in the second tier of English football.

And now Grayson is looking to kick on by insisting he is not just going up into the Championship next term to make up the numbers.

He told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “I’m not going to settle for finishing fourth from bottom and staying up.

“It’s a risky strategy anyway and a negative way to look at things. To be honest, I don’t think that many people in Leeds would see it as an achievement.

“Most people would probably see it as a disappointment and I accept that.

“Staying up is your first target but I won’t be the only manager who’s looking at the Championship and seeing a wide open league.

“Twelve teams could have a real chance, maybe more. I said in May that I go into every season looking for promotion and I still believe it might be a possibility.”

Totesport makes Nottingham Forest the 8/1 favourites to win the Championship next term, with Middlesbrough (9/1) and Queens Park Rangers (10/1) just behind them.

Leeds must do without the goals of Jermaine Beckford next season after the striker made the move to the Premier League with Everton.

Billy Paynter has been snapped up from Swindon as his replacement although Grayson is still weighing up whether or not to make permanent moves for last season’s loan stars, Michael Doyle and Neill Collins.

Grayson added: “They’re players who did really well for us last season but they’re obviously tied to other clubs.

“I’m not going to say we will try to sign them or that we won’t. It’s a case of looking at all the options and seeing what’s best for the club.

“We’re at the end of June and there’s no need for clubs or players to rush into decisions.”

Leeds kick off their season with a home clash against Derby on August 7.

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Robinho ready for ‘world football classic’

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Manchester City star RobinhoBrazilian superstar Robinho believes his country’s quarter-final showdown with the Netherlands will be a great spectacle, while his team remain confident of progressing (Holland 16/5, draw 11/5, Brazil 20/21).

Robinho endured a difficult domestic season in England with Manchester City before being loaned out to Santos in his homeland in January but has enjoyed a successful World Cup, with Brazil breezing into the last eight.

Boss Dunga has been criticised in his homeland for the style of play, with a greater emphasis on defence than has perhaps been seen in previous Brazil sides, but Robinho is sure the quarter-final showdown with the Netherlands will be a mouth-watering contest (Brazil 4/9 to qualify, Holland 13/8).

“It’s a world football classic. It’s going to be like a final,” he explained.

It could be argued that neither Brazil nor the Netherlands have produced an exceptional performance as yet in South Africa. The European giants comfortably made it through their group, beating the likes of Denmark, Japan and Cameroon, but did not produce the kind of ‘total football’ for which the nation is so famous for.

The Oranje saw off a spirited Slovakia side in the last 16 but while Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder may have impressed the likes of Robin van Persie and Rafael van der Vaart have arguably failed to deliver at this stage in the competition.

Brazil have surpassed Spain as favourites for the tournament after easing through a group that included North Korea, Portugal and the Ivory Coast and comfortably seeing off Chile 3-0 in the last 16.  However, while Brazilian teams in the past have been characterised by the flair and guile of players such as Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Romario and Pele, amongst numerous others, the current side relies as heavily on other aspects of their game.

The superb goalkeeping ability of Julio Cesar, the experience of defender and captain Lucio and the workmanlike attitude of holding midfielder Gilberto Silva are as crucial to this crop of Brazilian stars as the skills of players such as Robinho and Benfica playmaker Ramires.

Dunga has brushed aside any criticism of his team by Brazil?s press in the past, and like Robinho he expects their quarter-final showdown to be one for the football purists.

He said: “We know the Netherlands are a very difficult team to play against.

“Their football is actually very similar to South American football. They don’t try to stay defending and rely on long balls.

“They have technical quality and we will need to be ready for that. It’s a solid team.”

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Muller eyes Golden Boot

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Germany youngster Thomas Muller is hungry for more goals after his brace sent England crashing out of the World Cup (Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain is the current favourite to secure the Golden Boot).

Muller struck twice within three minutes mid-way through the second half to hand Germany an unassailable 4-1 lead and now the 20-year-old is keen to add to his goal-tally.

“Two goals in one World Cup match does not happen too often,” explained Muller.

“But now I want more. I want to score five or six goals here.”

The Germans were considered outsiders at the start of the tournament and some even questioned whether Joachim Low’s men would qualify from a group including Ghana, Australia and Serbia.

However, following their comprehensive victory over England the price on Germany winning the tournament outright has significantly shortened and Muller believes his side can go all the way (check out the World Cup winner market).

Argentina await Germany in the quarter-finals in what should be a hard-fought contest between two organised and efficient sides. The South American giants are the favourites to progress through to the semi-final stage of the competition and Muller is wary of the threat the likes of Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi could pose his side.

Meanwhile, Miroslav Klose has suggested this could be his last World Cup despite his performances for Germany in South Africa.  The striker has an outstanding goalscoring record at international level and bagged the opener against England but at 32-years-old Klose feels it may be time to allow the younger German players the chance to compete at the highest level.

“As long as my legs carry me I will play football,” said Klose.

“But I’m very spontaneous. I would not put it past me in two or three weeks to step aside and give space to new players.”

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Cole set to decide future

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England (8/1 to win the 2012 European Championships)  winger Joe Cole will be at a new club within the next three weeks according to his agent Kevin Giesse.

Cole has just returned from South Africa with the Three Lions squad after the side crashed out of the tournament having lost to old rivals Germany 4-1 in Bloemfontein on Sunday.

The former West Ham United academy player did not feature a great deal for an England side that only managed to win one of their five matches in the competition.

Cole will be a free agent as of July 1 after he failed to renew a deal with Premier League champions Chelsea (13/8 to win the Premier League) having spent seven years with the club.

The 28-year-old was out throughout much of last season through injury but did contribute an important goal against Manchester United which helped the west London side win the league.

Cole was coming back into the side near the end of the season and scrapped into the England team after putting in some good performances in the pre-tournament friendlies.

The playmaker will now be looking to find first team football with a top club and potential suitors are queuing up for the player’s signature.

Premier League rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have declared an interest in the midfielder and could be in the front running to sign the player who might choose to continue his stay in London.

It’s Giesse’s job to find a club for Cole and overseas clubs have been mentioned as a possibility for the talented winger.

He said: “The boy has just returned from South Africa and now he will go on holiday. There are clubs interested in him, we are talking about a world-class player.

“I think by the end of the World Cup there will be developments and within two to three weeks there will be some news.

“Are AC Milan and Juventus interested? All negotiations are possible and that is not garbage,? he added.

Cole will be looking for a club that will challenge for honours at the highest level which is what he has been used to.

Whether this will be in the Premier League, Serie A or La Liga remains to be seen but the player will be hoping to be a key member of the England squad as they look to qualify for the 2012 European Championships.

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Toure set for Man City switch

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Yaya Toure is set to link-up with his brother Kolo at Manchester City and could complete his move to the Premier League big-spenders within days. (Man City 6/1 to win title outright)

Barcelona cleared the way for the Ivory Coast midfielder to move to Eastlands after confirming his departure on Monday and Toure is expected to be the first of a number of big-money signings by City manager Roberto Mancini over the next month.

Toure was expected to seal a move to City earlier this month but the deal was held up by the player’s participation in the World Cup and a change of presidents at Barcelona.

But new Barca chief Sandro Rosell takes over at the Spanish champions from outgoing president Joan Laporta on Thursday and Toure’s agent anticipates the transfer being finalised soon after that following the confirmation that the midfielder and teammate Thierry Henry will be leaving this summer.

Agent Dimitri Seluk told Sport: “I think we will have a solution this week. In fact, I would say that (it will be done) on the first or second of July – maybe on the second because the first will be a very busy day at Barca with the change of president.

“Yes, we have to talk, but of course, the reality is not going to change in one moment.

“Yaya wants to play the important games and he knows that he will be an important player at Manchester City.

“It is not a money problem, as I have said 1,000 times, but a problem of (the lack of) confidence (that Barca have in him).”

Seluk admitted that nothing has been signed yet but said that Toure?s wage demands are not excessive and he does not expect anything to hold up the deal.

He added: “I haven’t signed anything. However, Yaya doesn’t have an astronomical salary, not at all, so it won’t be difficult to be reach an agreement.”
Toure could be joined at Manchester City in the near future by Valencia striker David Silva and Aston Villa midfielder James Milner.

Silva, who is also wanted by Premier League champions Chelsea) has been given permission by his Spanish side to open talks on a possible £29 million move, with striker Roque Santa Cruz possibly moving in the opposite direction as part of a swap deal.

Milner has been a target for Mancini all summer and is expected to hold urgent talks with Villa at the start of next month following England?s disappointing World Cup exit.

City kick-off the 2010/11 season with a visit to Tottenham and Mancini would like to have all three players available for the clash at White Hart Lane (Man City 7/4 to win, Tottenham 5/4, 9/4 draw)

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Eriksson in line for Cottage move

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Sven-Goran Eriksson could be the man leading out Fulham for their Premier League opener against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium (Bolton 6/5, Fulham 9/5, draw 9/4 – 90 Minutes) on August 14 if Roy Hodgson departs for Liverpool.

The former England and Manchester City boss has been mooted as the man to takeover at Craven Cottage as his future with the Ivory Coast national team is in doubt after he failed to guide them beyond the group stage at the World Cup in South Africa.

However, the Swede’s return to English football will hinge on current Fulham boss Hodgson’s future given that he remains hot favourite at 4/7 to be Next Permanent Liverpool Manager.

The Merseyside giants are thought to be close to agreeing a compensation package with the Cottagers for Hodgson’s services. But it is being reported that he wants some guarantees about the club’s financial future and his possible transfer funds before he agrees to replace the outgoing Rafael Benitez.

Another potential obstacle to a deal going through to take Hodgson to Anfield is the prospect of the England manager’s position becoming vacant in the very near future.

Current Three Lions coach Fabio Capello insisted that he has no plans to resign following the side’s humiliating World Cup last-16 exit at the hands of Germany on Sunday afternoon in Bloemfontein.

However, the Italian will speak with FA chairman Sir Dave Richards on his return and could be relieved of his duties if the decision-makers feel he is no longer capable of bringing success to the national team.

It is thought that Hodgson will be amongst the frontrunners to replace Capello if he does depart as England boss and they will look for a quick appointment as the bid to qualify for Euro 2012 (England 2/7 group G Winner) starts this autumn.

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Simao upbeat despite Spain test

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Atletico Madrid winger Simao believes Portugal have nothing to fear despite being paired with pre-tournament favourites Spain (4/1 outright World Cup winners) in the second round.

The current European champions were the favourites coming into the World Cup but have so far failed to shine in their first three matches.

Switzerland caused a huge upset when they beat Spain 1-0 in the first match and, while Vincente del Bosque’s men went on to win their next two, they look a pale shadow of the side that romped to European Championship victory two years ago.

Portugal will be hopeful of taking full advantage of Spain’s recent downturn in form when the two sides meet in Cape Town on Tuesday.

Carlos Queiroz’s side squeaked through the group stages thanks in part to an emphatic win over North Korea.

While the 7-0 victory helped boost their goal difference it was in fact two solid defensive displays that made the difference as they drew 0-0 with the Ivory Coast and Brazil.

Portugal are now unbeaten in their last 16 matches and will prove a tough nut for Spain to crack on Tuesday.

The Spanish struggled against Switzerland, who were resolute at the back as they ground out a 1-0.

Portugal (10/3 to beat Spain) might offer a similar challenge and having seen their neighbours already lose once at this World Cup Simao is confident they can inflict a second defeat on the Euro 2008 winners.

“They’re one of the best teams in the world,” said Simao.

“They have a style of play like Barcelona, with lots of players from Barca, who play with two or three touches of the ball.

“But it’s 50-50. Without showing them a lack of respect, we’re not scared at all. We’ve got a great team too. And to become better, we have to beat Spain. They’re champions of Europe, but we have our own qualities.”

Simao claims that Portugal’s performances in the ‘group of death’ have given them a lot of confidence after they just made it to South Africa.

“We’re strong as well and I think we’ll give them at least as many problems. Instead of talking about Spain all the time, we need to focus on ourselves,” he added.

Portugal’s qualifying campaign left a lot to the imagination as they were forced to come through a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

While they look to be a long way off the Portugal side who reached the semi-finals of the last World Cup their defensive displays will have given them hope of progressing.

The winner in Cape Town will face either Japan or Paraguay (11/10 to beat Japan) in the quarter-finals and whoever they face either Portugal or Spain will certainly fancy their chances of getting through to the semi-finals.

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Redknapp keen on England post

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Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has indicated he may be interested in the England job – should current boss Fabio Capello leave the post. (Tottenham 50/1 to win Premiership)

Capello’s position has come under scrutiny following a disastrous World Cup campaign, which culminated in a last-16 exit at the hands of Germany on Sunday afternoon.

Many pundits had tipped England to go all the way this time but they showed a lack of ambition and drive and looked devoid of ideas in the final third of the pitch in Bloemfontein.

Despite the Germany defeat, Capello insists he “absolutely” wants to stay on as manager but the FA have said they will take up to two weeks to decide his fate.

Redknapp has been one of the most successful English managers of the last 15 years, enjoying spells at West Ham United, Portsmouth and Southampton, before making the switch to White Hart Lane in 2008 and would certainly be on the shortlist of candidates to replace Capello, should he leave.

The 63-year-old appears to have the Midas touch and transformed Spurs from a side fighting relegation to a Champions League outfit in under two years.

And now there have been calls for the popular tactician to be handed the England reigns, with many feeling it is high time an Englishman was in charge of the national side once again.

It is yet to be revealed whether Capello will be sent packing but Redknapp has made it clear that, if asked, he would not turn down one of the most prestigious and high-pressure jobs in the whole of sport.

“They (the FA) have got a manager and until he’s not the manager it’s difficult to talk about it,” he told Talksport. “But I’m English, who wouldn’t want to manage England.”

“There’s not an Englishman – whether it’s me, Roy Hodgson or Sam Allardyce – who would turn the job down because it’s our country and we want to manage our country. No-one is ever going to turn that job down.”

The Spurs boss is currently preparing for the new Premiership season, which kicks off for Tottenham in August with a fixture against Manchester City (Spurs 5/4 to beat City), but his thoughts are never far away from the national side and he has strong views on the type of person who should success Capello – whenever that might be.

“When he finally moves on, in four years or whatever, surely there has to be a young guy or somebody in this country,” he added. “Surely we have to find a manager from England, an English manager.”

And Redknapp took time to have a dig at the two foreigners who have failed spectacularly at the two past World Cups.

“We should be able to produce someone who can manage the England football team and let’s be honest, they can’t do any worse than what they’ve (Eriksson and Capello) done,” he concluded.

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