Monthly Archives: June 2010

Van Marwijk pleased with Dutch result

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Netherlands coach Bert van MarwijkNetherlands coach Bert van Marwijk was pleased with the result as Holland beat Japan 1-0, and was happy that his defence had performed well (Netherlands 7/1 Outright).

Van Marwijk, whose team have now progressed to the next phase of the World Cup, says he is not bothered if his team have to fall back on defensive steel.

“I would love to win playing beautiful football but you have to deal with a rival that also wants to win,” said Van Marwijk.

“I think we played a match that was perhaps not as attractive as our previous games but it’s not easy to play matches here and I think we deserved the win.

“Of course, we want to win playing great football but the important thing is that we learn to win ugly games.

“Japan were very confident heading into this match and I knew beforehand that this was going to be a hard game.”

He added: “We came here to win a prize, to become world champions, now that’s far from straightforward and easy.

“If we can continue to show stability, and if we maintain confidence in really winning something, we might get far. So the target is to go for the prize.”

Two wins from two matches delighted the coach, particularly with other fancied teams having struggled.

“At this level, you see that no match is straightforward as has also been the case for other teams like England and Spain.

“In the first half, we went for depth but we didn’t get the ball to our forwards.

“At half-time I told my players they had to be careful. We needed to speed up our game and be opportunistic.

“I believe we did that in the second half.”

Japan coach Takeshi Okada was pleased with his side’s efforts.

“We played against a strong team and we wanted to have taken at least a point in this game.

“But my players did the best they could and we feel sorry for our fans.

“During the first half we frustrated Holland and I told my players to be courageous and aggressive when we have the ball.

“That is what they did, but we weren’t able to deliver the finishing touch.”

Wesley Sneijder scored the only goal of the game, the playmaker slamming his shot into the net off the keeper.

“What you need is a bit of luck,” said Sneijder. “And we ended up at 1-0 and I think, at the end of the match, we should have ended up with 2-0 or 3-0.”

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Ivanovic urges Serb caution

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Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has warned his Serbia (5/1 to win Group D) team mates not to get carried away with their impressive win over Germany (4/6) on Friday.

The Serbs’ hopes of qualifying for the last 16 were hanging in the balance before the start of Friday’s match after their 1-0 defeat to Ghana in their opening game.

With Germany having blown Australia away in their first match it looked ominous for Serbia, who, before the start of the tournament, had been tipped as potential dark horses after an impressive qualifying campaign.

However, after their slow start the Serbs bounced back with a controversial victory over Germany.

The Germans will count themselves a little unfortunate not to have got anything out of the Group D match, the three time champions having been reduced to ten men after Miroslav Klose was shown a second yellow card in the first half.

Milan Jovanovic then gave the Serbs the lead just a minute later and Radomir Antic’s side were good enough to hold on for a much needed win.

While Ivanovic insists he was over the moon about the win he says their heroics in Port Elizabeth will count for nothing if they don’t finish the job against Australia.

“It’s given us back the respect that we lost in the first game. But we have not finished. We must perform, we must stay compact, we must stay strong in our third game. We must now start thinking of the third game against Australia,” said the Chelsea defender.

“In this game, we showed character and we will just try to do our best on the pitch.

“Everyone is happy now at the moment and there’s a great feeling – but we are not qualified. We just have three points and we need to keep the same focus for the third game.”

Serbia will be full of confidence going into the game with Australia who looked a shadow of the side that reached the last-16 four years ago in their 4-0 defeat to Germany.

However, despite the Socceroos (17/2 to qualify from Group D) poor performance against Germany (2/7) Serbia centre half Nemanja Vidic is reluctant to talk up his team’s chances.

“I have played against a few of their players in England – Lucas Neill, Tim Cahill, Brett Emerton – and I have a big respect for their team. Physically, it will be a difficult game,” said Vidic.

“Our people will be satisfied after we won this game, and that’s the most important thing. If we get to the second round, they will be very, very happy.”

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James hits back at Fab fear claims

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David James has dismissed Fabio Capello’s claim that England played with fear against Algeria and says they will bounce back by beating Slovenia. (England 1/2 to win).

England put in an awful display during the 0-0 draw against Algeria on Friday night to leave many fans wondering what has happened to the team that qualified for the finals with ease.

Hopes and expectations were raised after the Three Lions qualified in style, but they looked a shadow of that side as they struggled to break down a resolute Algerian side.

Once again England’s top players who perform week in week out in the Premier and Champions League against the top players in Europe failed to show up.

They are supposed to be world class but they did not show that last night. It looked like they were playing with fear and with the weight of the nation on their shoulders and that would be a viable explanation.

Capello hinted as much after the game, but goalkeeper James is having none of it and says they just struggled to break down a side that set their stall out for the draw.

Well Lampard, Gerrard and Rooney come up against teams like that every week in the Premier League and do not seem to have a problem then.

“Did he?” retorted James when told Capello said they played with fear. “Arguably it is more frustration than fear. You are usually playing matches when the opposition wants to win. It is very difficult when you are up against a side who seem not to want to lose.

“You are trying to work out the way to unlock a defence. They did what they needed to do. It was very frustrating.”

It was also very frustrating to watch and the England fans who have spent their hard earned cash to travel out to South Africa will demand more against Slovenia or the boos will be ringing out again.

However James is confident there will be no repeat and says a win is on the cards.

“We are tight enough to recover and win this game,” he added. “I don’t have any doubts about that at all. The reality is if we get a good win on Wednesday we finish top of the group.

“Regardless of whether we win one and draw two or win all three, you are top, which is what our aim was. I have the utmost confidence in our squad.”

At this moment in time the fans don’t and it will take a big performance on Wednesday to get them back on side.

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Golden Gonzalo may miss Greece clash

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Gonzalo Higuain (15/8 World Cup 2010 Top Goalscorer (Golden Boot)) could be rested from Argentina’s last Group B game against Greece as Diego Maradona ponders changes after his team secured qualification.

The Real Madrid hitman leads the race for the Golden Boot after hitting a hat-trick against South Korea on Thursday, but he could be confined to bench duty Tuesday.

Argentina’s coach Maradona, who famously tinkered with his line-ups in qualifying to the extent that he used 78 different players, may now opt to give Sergio Aguero and Diego Milito a chance with Higuain and Carlos Tevez set to rest.

Lionel Messi, yet to score in the tournament, is another who could be taken out of the starting line-up for a match against the fired-up Greeks (5/1 to win in 90 Minutes, Argentina 4/7), who have the chance to reach the second phase after grabbing a 2-1 win over Nigeria.

After the South Korea match, Maradona spoke of his happiness at the strength of his 23-man squad, insisting that they were all great footballers.

“I have 23 beasts in this squad, I have 23 starters,” he said.

Spain’s David Villa is Totesport’s second favourite in the market at 11/1 alongside Diego Forlan, who is on two goals after his brace against South Africa.

Spain, who drew a blank against Switzerland in their opening game 1-0 defeat, take on Honduras next and will be keen to turn their overwhelming dominance of possession into goals against Reinaldo Rueda’s side.

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Domenech focused on South Africa

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France coach Raymond Domenech claims he is “not bothered” about Mexico and Uruguay’s Group A game next week in despite the fact a draw will eliminate Les Bleus (France 17/2 – To Qualify).

France have drawn one and lost one so far, and so must beat hosts South Africa on Tuesday to stand any chance of making it into the last 16 at the World Cup.

Domenech’s team selection will be extremely interesting in Bloemfontein amid reports of a bust-up with Nicolas Anelka and the fact Thierry Henry has played just 20 minutes.

The France coach did restore Florent Malouda to his XI against Mexico but it did not go to plan, while Anelka was hauled off at half-time with the French media now claiming he was involved in an angry exchange with Domenech following criticism of the Chelsea striker’s recent performances.

But for now the outgoing France boss is just concerned with his side’s showdown with Bafana Bafana rather than worry about the outcome of the other group game which will kick off simultaneously.

He said: “I am not bothered about the others.

“We have to play and do our thing and the other match is not my problem.”

Domenech will leave his post when France exit the World Cup “whenever that may be”, with legendary defender Laurent Blanc already confirmed as his successor after six years in the hot seat.

Meanwhile, Uruguay defender Diego Godin insists La Celeste have every intention of beating Mexico which would be a massive help to the French cause (Uruguay 16/5 to win their last group game).

Ahead of the clash with El Tri, Villarreal star Godin claimed: “Our only thoughts are on Mexico and how to control possession, create goalscoring opportunities and finish them off.

“We have not conceded a goal so far and that is very important.

“If we do the same against Mexico, then we will have progressed to the next round and anything can happen from then on.”

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James tipped to get England nod

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Fabio Capello looks set to drop under-fire goalkeeper Robert Green and replace him with David James when England go in search of a much-needed win against Algeria in World Cup Group C on Friday (England 1/4 to win).

Green of West Ham has come in for some heavy criticism since he dropped a clanger against USA last Saturday and whether he keeps his place in the side has been the main talking point in the build up to the game.

Capello is refusing to confirm who will take the number one jersey but there are strong reports suggesting that James, who has dropped a few howlers himself throughout his career, will get the nod.

The Portsmouth keeper was even nicknamed ‘Calamity James’ but Capello could be ready to throw him in against the Algerians, which will be a huge blow to Green.

“When I chose Green last week he was in good form,” said Capello in yesterday’s press conference. “He played very well in the first half of the friendly against Mexico. And even last week, the outcome was good for the team because usually you would lose the game after a mistake like that.

“But I have to choose the value of different players, not just think about their mistakes. I have to justify selecting the keeper I choose.”

Green’s confidence has no doubt taken a hammering and Capello must decide whether he is capable of keeping goal in another high-pressure game.

If he does keep faith and Green makes another mistake then he will be hammered by the media but who is to say James will not drop a clanger if he comes into the side?

If all goes to plan whoever plays is likely to have a quiet evening and it would be the prefect opportunity to help Green get his confidence back.

England are 8/15 to keep a clean sheet but it remains to be seen which keeper will be in the starting line up come 7.30pm in Cape Town.

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Greece make Nigeria pay

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World Cup Group BGreece (18/1 to win Group B) made Nigeria pay for having a man sent off as they came from behind to win their Group B encounter 2-1.

Vassilis Torosidis netted a 71st minute winner to secure a first ever World Cup victory for the Greeks.

Kalu Uche had given Nigeria the lead from a free-kick, but after Sani Kaita was sent off, Greece drew level through Dimitris Sapingidis.

Nigeria can still qualify for the round of 16 if they beat South Korea in their final group game and Argentina see off Greece.

“We started the game well, controlled the game, got the goal and then had a sending off. That caused us problems, especially in the first half,” Nigeria coach Lars Lagerback said after the match.

“The positive thing is that if Argentina win their game we still have a chance to qualify,” Lagerback said.

Greece coach Otto Rehhagel was delighted with the outcome.

“We are going to take on Argentina, a world class team. They will clearly be better than us and we have got to see how to cope with them,” he said.

“We all know the Argentine team is of extraordinary quality.”

Nigeria struck first, on 16 minutes, when Uche’s free-kick eluded everyone including goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas.

But in the 33rd minute Kaita was red carded for foolishly kicking out at Torosidis.

Rehhagel reacted by replacing defensive midfielder Socratis Papastathopoulos with striker Giorgos Samaras, who minutes later had a shot cleared off the line.

Salpingidis found space to drive home his country’s first ever World Cup goal with a 44th minute strike that deflected off Nigeria midfielder Haruna Lukman.

Nigeria substitute Chinedu Obasi missed an open goal after a swift counter-attack, but Greece went close again through Samaras before Torosidis stabbed home a second after Enyeama had spilled a low Alexandros Tziolis shot.

Russian-based Kaita apologised after the match for the incident which turned the game.

“I apologise to everyone. To the Nigerian people, the officials and my team mates,” the 24-year-old said.

“I accept the red card as a justified decision, I am very disappointed, I hope Argentina can help us out,” Kaita added.

Nigeria forward Nwankwo Kanu remained typically relaxed about his country’s chances.

“If you look at the table it is not really bad, but we need a win,” he told reporters.

“We cannot go for a draw, we have to go all out and make sure that we win and then it depends on what happens between Argentina and Greece.”

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There is more to come from Chile – Gonzalez

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Chile international Mark GonzalezFormer Liverpool winger Mark Gonzalez believes there is much more to come from his Chile (7/10 to qualify from Group H) outfit in the World Cup.

The Chileans impressed in their 1-0 win over Honduras as they started their Group H campaign in Nelspruit.

Jean Beausejour’s 34th minute goal was the first time Chile had hit the net in the World Cup finals since 1962, but Gonzalez says the team won’t be celebrating their success too long, with Monday’s clash against Switzerland in Port Elizabeth just around the corner.

The 25-year-old, now at CSKA Moscow, said: “It is always important to win the first three points and after that you can think you have one leg in the second round.

“We just want to celebrate, especially because we have made history – for so many years Chile did not win a game at the World Cup.

“We are very happy about that but looking forward to the second game now.

“We just have to think about Switzerland now. It will be a tough game and we will have to keep up our good work.

“I don’t know much about the Swiss but we know they are a very tough team.

“We will watch videos during the week, so we will know them better.

“We will try to win the next game so we can think about the next round.”

Chile are joint top of the group, along with Switzerland who shocked World Cup favourites Spain 1-0.

“We can’t relax yet,” Gonzalez added. “I think we can do much better.

“We won 1-0 but could have scored more goals. As a team we did things wrong and we will try to fix that up.”

Honduras’ first World Cup in 28 years started with a whimper, even before the game, as key striker David Suazo failed a fitness test on a thigh injury and playmaker Julio Cesar de Leon was ruled out of the tournament on the eve of the match after breaking down in training.

Honduras now have five days to lift themselves before their daunting match-up with Spain at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park.

Veteran captain Amado Guevara said: “Nobody likes to lose, less so in a World Cup, but there are things we can salvage.

“We knew Chile would play to attack but we lacked the patience to control the ball.

“We misplaced too many passes and we need to be more relaxed.”

For De Leon, the result compounded his sadness at being forced home early.

The Torino midfielder suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the week and, after being told to rest for at least a fortnight, gave up his place in the squad.

De Leon said: “I go with the bitterness of not giving the people what they deserve, not showing the world my football.

“There’s something dead inside me, I have no strength to mourn.

“But I must be positive, put on a brave face and smile, because some people are worse off than me.

“For years I struggled to achieve my dream of playing a World Cup, and it has gone – but every player is exposed and unfortunately it befell me.”

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Maradona in Platini apology

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Argentina (9/2 outright to win the World Cup) coach Diego Maradona made a public apology to UEFA President Michel Platini after his side beat South Korea 4-1.

But Maradona failed to apologise to Brazilian legend Pele at a news conference following the match.

Pele and Platini had made comments regarding Maradona’s coaching ability, but the Argentinian said: “The other day I spoke about Mr Platini. Mr Platini sent me a letter, saying that he never said what you (reporters) told me he had said.”

He added: “I want to send my apologies, through you (reporters), to Mr Platini… but not Pele,” Maradona said after producing a letter he said was from the French UEFA president.

Platini was reported to have said Maradona was only a good coach as a player, implying he was not any good now.

Maradona had criticised the pair on Wednesday, telling Pele he should “go back to the museum” while describing Platini as arrogant.

Maradona praised his players after Argentina made it two wins from two games to put themselves in control of Group B.

“Argentina played a great match and were unforgiving. We deserved to give ourselves such a win,” he said.

“In (our 1-0 victory over) Nigeria we had come close to playing a match like this but we couldn’t achieve it on the scoreboard,” Maradona added.

“Argentina controlled the ball at will (today). Korea never dominated, they never found the answer to our game apart from one counter-attack,” he said.

Maradona did not blame Martin Demichelis for the mistake that handed the Koreans their goal in the first half on Thursday, saying such a setback merely made his team more determined to play better in the second half.

Central defender Walter Samuel came off midway through the first half with a leg muscle strain but team spokesman Andres Ventura said: “We don’t think it’s a pull but he’ll have to do some tests.”

Samuel, who was replaced by the impressive Nicolas Burdisso, will probably miss their final group match against Greece on Tuesday in which a draw will be enough for them to qualify.

Maradona also had an unexpected answer to a reporter’s question on whether love would win the World Cup given the hugging and kissing that goes on in Argentina’s squad.

“I love women… so people don’t think I’ve turned over,” Maradona exclaimed with wide eyes and made a gesture with his hand.

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Inter make Mascherano enquiry

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Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano is considering a summer move from Liverpool to join Serie A and European champions Internazionale, his agent has confirmed (10/1 Liverpool – Premier League outright).

Mascherano is said to be considering his options after the Merseysiders suffered a poor campaign by their standards, finishing seventh and failing to secure Champions League football next season.

La Liga winners Barcelona have been looking at the Argentina captain for a few seasons, although they are in negotiations with Arsenal over a potential move for Cesc Fabregas which could deter them from signing Mascherano.

With former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez moving to the San Siro this summer, Mascherano could be keen to join his former boss, according to his agent Marco Piccioli.

He said: “We are evaluating the move hard and in the next few days we will have a new meeting to better establish the details of this transfer deal.

“It is no mystery that he is a player liked by Inter and by Benitez. There is nothing concrete at the moment, but we are in the talking phase.”

Mascherano is currently with the Argentina squad at the World Cup in South Africa with the side winning their first two games in Group B.

Diego Maradona’s men are one of the tournament favourites after showing some impressive performances, including a 4-1 romp over South Korea on Thursday thanks to a hat-trick form Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain.

Mascherano has been a key member of the side playing the anchorman role in the middle of the field, allowing players like Lionel Messi to roam free and create chances.

The 25-year-old has not ruled out a move to Inter as has revealed that he is a big fan of the kind of football Benitez likes to play.

He said: “Would I follow Benitez? I don’t know.”

He added: “At the moment I really know little about my future.

“But of course with Benitez at Liverpool I experienced three incredible years. His football is my football.”

Argentina will face Greece (Greece 5/1 draw 13/5 Argentina 4/7 – match betting) in their final game in Group B and look like clear favourites to progress to the knockout stages of the competition.

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