McLeish lifts lid on N’Zogbia

Posted on August 28, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish claims the deal to sign Wigan’s Charles N’Zogbia has broken down because it ‘was not in the best interests of the football club’ (Birmingham 15/2 – Premiership Relegation).

Blues looked like they had finally secured the services of the 24-year-old France international winger when they agreed a club record fee with Wigan following a summer-long pursuit.

However, a late hitch meant that they failed to reach an agreement over N’Zogbia’s personal terms and the player will not be making the switch to St Andrews.

McLeish was disappointed at the outcome as he was hoping the former Le Havre player, who joined Wigan from Newcastle United in January 2009 after falling out of favour at St James’ Park, would help them push on from last season’s mid-table Premier League finish (Birmingham 20/1 – Top-6 Finish).

But the Scot revealed that ‘the goalposts were moved at the last minute despite the club doing everything that had been asked. As a result the deal no longer suited Birmingham and he must look elsewhere for new faces following Sunday’s Premier League trip to Bolton (Birmingham 13/5, Bolton 11/10, draw 9/4 – 90 Minutes) and before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

McLeish told the club’s website: “It was very important to us as a club to stick to our principals and look after the long-term interests of Birmingham City as we are custodians of the club.

“We remain ambitious and committed to adding extra quality to the playing squad but this deal became one that was not in the interests of the club.

“The Board worked with me extremely hard to try and get this one over the line and I thank them for their support.”

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez will now be hoping to keep N’Zogbia, who was player of the season at the DW Stadium last term, as they look to bounce back from a disastrous start in which they have lost two home games against Blackpool and Chelsea respectively, conceding ten goals in the process.

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Kuyt boost as Masch goes

Posted on August 27, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Liverpool star Dirk Kuyt insists he is fully focused on his Kop future and has no intention of following Javier Mascherano out of the Anfield exit door (Reds 15/8 – Top Four Finish).

The Reds have given the Argentina captain permission to speak to the La Liga champions Barcelona after agreeing a fee for the 26-year-old combative midfielder with the Catalans.

Mascherano was also wanted by former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez – who is now at Inter Milan – but Pep Guardiola appears to have won the battle for the former West Ham man (Barca 4/5f – La Liga Outright).

Kuyt was also believed to be in Benitez’s transfer plans for the summer window and although the hard-working Holland international was interested in who was in for him, he has been assured he has a big future on Merseyside.

Kuyt said: “My future is at Liverpool. I have had four great years at the club.

“Unfortunately we have not won any trophies but hopefully I will in future.

“The point for me was that I am 30 years old and I wanted to know if there was any interest from any other club in the world.

“Liverpool spoke to me and explained everything. They said I was really important.

“That made me very proud and at that point I focused my thoughts on Liverpool.”

But Mascherano’s days as a Liverpool player are coming to an end as he gets his wish of a move away, with his family failing to settle in the north west.

A Liverpool statement read: “Liverpool Football Club have agreed terms for the transfer of Javier Mascherano to FC Barcelona.

“The Spanish club have now been given permission to speak to the Argentina midfielder.”

Barcelona claim Mascherano will sign a four-year deal subject to a medical although he will not be on board for Sunday’s trip to Racing Santander.

A Barca statement confirmed: “FC Barcelona and Liverpool FC have reached an agreement in principle for the transfer of Javier Mascherano to the club for the next four seasons.

“The deal was closed after intensive efforts made by the club in the final hours and through the player himself in the negotiations.

“Barcelona will report the details of the operation once the player passes the medical and the transfer is concluded.

“It is hoped Javier Mascherano will arrive in Barcelona this weekend.”

Barcelona turned to Mascherano after being frustrated in their efforts to repatriate Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas (Barca 13/5f – Champions League Outright).

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Gerrard confident of progress

Posted on August 27, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admits the Reds’ group for the Europa League will be difficult but is confident they can reach the knockout stage of the competition (Liverpool 11/1 Europa League outright).

Roy Hodgson’s side survived a scare in Turkey on Thursday night against Trabzonspor, going a goal down early on before an own goal and a late Dirk Kuyt strike saved them from going to extra time.

The Reds have now come through two qualifying rounds to reach the group stages of the Europa League and have been rewarded by being placed in Group K alongside Napoli, Steaua Bucharest and Utrecht.

The biggest test Liverpool are likely to face will come from Italian side Napoli, who finished sixth in Serie A season and have a good squad of players to call upon.

Amongst manager Walter Mazzarri’s squad is the highly-rated Marek Hamsik, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United in the past.

The Slovakian is joined by Italian international Fabio Quagliarella and Argentina prospect Ezequiel Lavezzi, who has also been linked with a move to a number of British clubs.

A trip to Romania to face former European champions Steaua will not be easy either, although Liverpool will be the hot favourites to win the home leg.

Rounding off Group K (13/2 to produce the outright winner) are Dutch side Utrecht, who enjoyed one of the greatest nights in their short history when they overturned a 2-0 defeat to Celtic in the first leg, beating the SPL side 4-0 at home to go through.

Although Liverpool will be the favourites to win the group and reach the knockout stages Gerrard admits it won’t be easy.

The England international, who missed the trip to Turkey through injury, says that while the Europa League is not the club’s priority this season he claims it?s important they do well in the competition.

“It’s a strong group and I’m certainly looking forward to the games. The media will make us early favourites I’m sure, because of our experience in the Champions League and last year in the Europa League,” said Gerrard.

“I’m confident we can get out of the group but it will be tough. The draw has given us some difficult challenges.

“I don’t think the Europa League is the priority. Everybody knows that our league position, where we finish at the end of this year, is the priority.

“But it’s another trophy, it’s a big cup. We haven’t won a trophy for four years now so it’s important we put a good show on in all the cup competitions and try to reward the fans with a final.”

Joining Liverpool in the hat for Friday’s draw were Manchester City (11/2 Europa League outright) after they cruised past Romanian team Timisoara.

Their reward was to be placed in a group alongside Italian giants Juventus, who themselves are one of the favourites to win this season’s Europa League.

The draw will see City striker Mario Balotelli return to Turin, where he was the victim of racist abuse two seasons ago, resulting in Juve being forced to play a game behind closed doors.

Joining City and Juve in Group A are Austrian champions Salzburg and Polish qualifiers Lech Poznan.

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Rio looking grand for United

Posted on August 27, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand could be back in first-team action for the Red Devils after the break for Euro 2012 qualifiers at the start of September (United 12/5 – Premier League Outright).

The 31-year-old centre-half has been sidelined ever since England’s first training session at the World Cup finals in South Africa earlier in the summer when he suffered a medial knee ligament problem.

But Ferdinand has been working his way back to full fitness as he looks to bounce back from a couple of seasons where he has spent as much time off the pitch as on it with various injuries.

Last week Old Trafford chief Sir Alex Ferguson said he did not expect Ferdinand to be back before the end of next month – however, the former Leeds and West Ham man has clearly had other ideas.

Ferguson told reporters on Friday: “Rio hadn’t done anything football-wise when I spoke last week.

“When he read what I said maybe it gave him a kick. But he has come in and trained this week and done fantastic.

“He will train with the reserves today.”

Ferguson added: “He won’t be involved on Saturday, of course, but we have to try and think when we can get a game with him in the next two weeks he is that close.”

United entertain the Hammers in Saturday’s late kick off looking to bounce back from last weekend’s draw at Fulham (West Ham 2/7 – To Stay Up).

England striker Wayne Rooney sat out the trip to Craven Cottage through illness but is set to return against the Hammers while Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs will both be hoping to be promoted from the bench.

West Ham, who have lost both of their opening two Premier League games – against Aston Villa and Bolton, have moved to strengthen their forward line by snapping up Inter Milan forward Victor Obinna on a season-long loan deal.

The 23-year-old Nigeria international, who played for the Super Eagles at the World Cup in the summer, becomes the sixth signing of the Avram Grant era after Thomas Hitzlsperger, Tal Ben Haim, Winston Reid, Pablo Barrera and Frederic Piquionne.

The Hammers have the option of making the deal permanent at the end of the season.

Obinna spent last season on loan at La Liga strugglers Malaga who avoided relegation by a single point.

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Capello wrong for England – Mourinho

Posted on August 27, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Jose Mourinho believes England will never win anything with Fabio Capello as manager as he does not treat the players with respect (England 9/1 to win Euro 2012).

England were tipped for great things at this summer’s World Cup but put in some of the worst displays seen in a long time by the national side at a major championships.

Draws with the USA and Algeria were followed by a narrow 1-0 victory over Slovenia but that only delayed the inevitable as Germany crushed Capello’s men 4-1 to send them packing at the last-16 stage of the tournament.

The Italian tactician has a superb managerial record at club level, having guided Real Madrid to the Spanish title in his two one-year spells at the Bernabeu, while also winning titles at AC Milan, Roma and Juventus, although Juve were later stripped of their titles due to the match-fixing scandal.

Capello is known to be a tough disciplinarian and takes no nonsense from players. Many pundits felt this would be good for the national side, as it is often difficult to gel together players from so many different clubs.

But Mourinho, who won two Premiership titles while in charge at Chelsea, disagrees and feels that England’s problem is that they currently have a manager who is unable to empathise with players who might not agree with his way of thinking (Real Madrid 9/2 to win Champions League).

“The problem is the manager,” the Real Madrid boss told the Daily Mirror. “Capello will not work for England. He has a one-track relationship with players. Ask anyone here at Real Madrid. He can’t change. You cannot go around just shouting at players. They need to feel special.

“It is clear. Capello will not work for England. He does not know the players. They are frightened of him and they can’t play for him.

“For me, it is a mess for England. Players need clear tactics. They cannot be confused about what they have to do. It is the manager’s fault. And it is a big shame.”

Capello’s inability to communicate with his players has been questioned ever since the South African debacle and the veteran manager has been branded a ‘donkey’ by a British tabloid on Wednesday.

He has been given a vote of confidence by the FA and will be in charge for England’s Euro 2012 campaign, starting with two qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland on 3 and 7 September respectively.

Whether or not he is still at the helm at the end of qualification remains to be seen, with England’s fans running out of patience for a return to winning ways and success at a major event.

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Inter make Masch move

Posted on August 26, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Italian giants Internazionale FC have confirmed that they have made a bid for Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano (12/1 Inter Milan – Champions League outright).

The Argentina captain has confirmed that he wants to leave the Anfield club in the current transfer window after becoming disillusioned on Merseyside.

Mascherano has not travelled with his team-mates to their Europa League qualifier against Turkish side Trabzonspor and he could have played his last game for the club.

The 26-year-old has been linked with a move to follow former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez to Inter all summer and according to the club’s sporting director, Marco Branca, the San Siro outfit have made a firm for the player.

He said: “I sent an offer to Liverpool by fax on Tuesday and I am waiting for a reply from them.

“We’re not speaking to the player at the moment because we want to do this in the right way and make sure that Liverpool are happy.

“We’ve made a very good offer, around the amount they are asking for. We have a strong team here, the best in Europe, but we would like to add one or two players to make us even stronger.”

Inter (Evens – Serie A outright) have reported to have made a bid of around £20m for the defensive midfielder as they look to retain their Serie A title.

The blue side of Milan had an outstanding campaign last season, winning the domestic double and the Champions League under former manager Jose Mourinho.

Benitez will be keen to continue that success with Inter and the bid they have put in for Mascherano is understood to be more than a rival offer from Barcelona.

The Catalan club made an offer of around £16m for the midfielder – which Liverpool have rejected – however Barca star Lionel Messi has urged the Premier League club to sell the player this summer.

He said: “Javier won’t play for the club again, I can assure you of that, and I think the Liverpool coach knows that now.

“Javier’s family are unhappy and the pressure of seeing that is making him depressed. Liverpool must act humanely and let him go.”

Mascherano was a favourite of Benitez and he could be persuaded to join the Italian club because he would face a tough challenge to break into Barca’s star-studded midfield, which includes the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.

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Spurs to face champions Inter

Posted on August 26, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Tottenham have been drawn with defending champions Inter Milan (14/1 in 2010-11 Champions Outright) in the group stages of the 2010-11 Champions League.

Harry Redknapp’s men were rewarded for their aggregate win over Young Boys by being drawn in Group A along with Inter, Werder Bremen and FC Twente.

Spurs club secretary Darren Eales told Sky Sports: “They say there are no easy games and it’s certainly true of the group we’ve got.

“We’re certainly not looking too far ahead, we’re just looking to give a good account of ourselves and we’re looking at getting into the knockout stage first, that’s our first aim.”

There is also a ‘Battle of Britain’ clash to look forward to in the first round, with Manchester United drawn to face SPL champions Rangers in Group C.

Sir Alex Ferguson will come up against his former assistant Walter Smith, while Spanish side Valencia and Turkish debutants Buraspor make up the group.

Reacting to the draw, United chief executive David Gill admitted: “There is the Rangers connection, we played them back in 2003/04 and Alex and Walter Smith go back a long way.

“It will be a great occasion, I’ve spoken to Sir Alex and he’s looking forward to it.”

Premier League (England 7/4 Champions League Winning Nation) champions Chelsea will start their bid for a first European Cup success in Group F, where they will face Marseille, Spartak Moscow and MSK Zilina.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have a tough looking group, with Arsene Wenger’s men paired with Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga and Partizan in Group H.

This year’s ‘Group of Death’ appears to be Group G, where three previous winners will go head-to-head.

AC Milan will come up against Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid (9/2 to win 2010-11 Champions League), while Ajax and Auxerre make up the four-team group.

2008-09 winners Barcelona are in Group D along with Panathinakos of Greece, Danish outfit Copenhagen and Russians Rubin Kazan.

Last year’s runners-up Bayern Munich will be confident of their prospects, with Roma, Basel and CFR Cluj making up Group E.

Group B looks the weakest of the eight groups, with former semi-finalists Lyon paired with Benfica, Schalke and Hapoel Tel-Aviv.

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MacDonald aims for group stages

Posted on August 26, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Aston Villa caretaker Kevin MacDonald says he isn’t sure what team he will put out for Thursday’s Europa League game with Rapid Vienna (13/2 – 90 minutes) but insists whoever takes to the field the overall goal will be qualification for the group stages.

The Midlands club welcome their Austrian opponents to Villa Park with the tie level at 1-1 from the first leg.

Last week MacDonald fielded a side which was a mix of youth and fringe players as he looked to rest some of his big names ahead of last Sunday’s match with Newcastle.

The likes of Barry Bannan, Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Hogg and Marc Albrighton all made rare European appearances for Villa, with the likes of Curtis Davies and Nigel Reo-Coker making up the rest of the team.

MacDonald’s side did well that night and he could be tempted into sticking with a similar side for the return leg at Villa Park after being let down so badly by his first choice 11 at the weekend.

Villa were outclassed for the majority of Sunday’s game at Newcastle, eventually losing 6-0 as the Toon took full advantage of a back four who looked to be in disarray.

MacDonald can call on James Collins and Carlos Cuellar for Thursday’s game after both players were declared fit and may do so with Richard Dunne, Luke Young and Stephen Warnock all unavailable.

The defensive duo could be joined by Gabriel Agbonlahor in the starting XI for the game after he was declared fit following his goal scoring return to action in a behind closed doors game against Burton Albion earlier this week.

MacDonald admits he isn’t sure whether to keep faith with the youngsters who served him so well last week or whether he should recall some of his big guns as he looks to avoid a repeat of last year’s exit at the hands of Rapid.

“I’ve thought about throwing more of the youngsters in,” he said.

“They performed very well in a very hostile atmosphere (in Vienna).

“I’ve also thought about playing a few more of the senior players. But whatever team I put out, the big point for us is that we actually qualify and get through the tie.

“Whether it’s youngsters, whether it’s seniors, that is the most important thing.”

Twelve months ago Villa (22/1 – Europa League outright) defeated Rapid Vienna (500/1) 2-1 at home but were eliminated on the away goals rule.

Rapid Vienna (10/3 to qualify) went on to win just one of their group stage matches as they crashed out at the first hurdle and they will be keen to make amends.

The Austrian side have been on a roll of late domestically, following up their victories over Stum Graz and Red Bull Salzburg with a victory over Mattersburg at the weekend.

Peter Pacult’s side might have lost star striker Nikica Jelavic to Rangers but they are still tough to beat on the road, losing just two of their last 12 matches away from home.

MacDonald will be all too aware of the threat Vienna pose and knows he needs a good win to have any chance of taking the Villa manager’s job permanently.

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Harry hails Euro stars

Posted on August 26, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Harry Redknapp said he always believed Tottenham were capable of reaching the Champions League after seeing his side (40/1 – Champions League outright) overturn a 3-2 first-leg defeat to beat Young Boys 4-0 and reach the group stages of the competition.

The north London outfit now join rivals Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and SPL champions Rangers in the hat for Thursday’s draw.

Tottenham have been placed in pot three, along with Rangers, and are destined to be paired with either last year’s winners Inter Milan, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, AC Milan or Lyon.

They cannot face another English side yet and as such will be paired with one of the European super powers mentioned above.

However, Tottenham (5/2 – Premier League top-4 finish) won’t mind who they are paired with after finally returning to Europe’s top competition following a 49-year absence.

The group stages alone are worth £11million to each club involved, with last season’s champions Inter Milan eventually being given £40million for winning the competition.

Spurs’ qualification for the first round had been in doubt heading into Wednesday’s game, with Young Boys holding a 3-2 lead from the first leg of the tie.

However, Tottenham quickly drew themselves level on aggregate thanks to Peter Crouch’s header and from then on never looked back, dominating the Swiss side.

Crouch eventually completed his hat-trick while Jermain Defoe got the other as they won 4-0 on the night, 6-3 on aggregate.

Spurs’ entry into the Champions League completes a remarkable turnaround by Redknapp, who took over at White Hart Lane two years ago with the club languishing at the foot of the Premier League.

The former West Ham, Portsmouth and Southampton manager says he always believed he could get Tottenham into the Champions League and claims this is where the north London club belongs.

“I always felt it was possible. Tottenham were a club which had underachieved for a long time,” Redknapp said.

“The potential was here if we could get the players, and it is not as if I have bought a new team, it was just about instilling a bit of confidence, getting them playing and maybe changing their attitude in some cases. They responded and we have ended up where we have.”

Redknapp went on to give further joy to Tottenham fans by claiming that Defoe (22/1 – Premier League top scorer) might not need surgery on an injured groin muscle after all.

The England striker started the game on Wednesday having revealed earlier in the day that he would need surgery after the match to correct a long-standing injury.

However, Redknapp has played down those fears, claiming Defoe didn’t feel any pain during his time he was on the pitch.

“Now he is saying he might not need it,” he added.

“We are in the hands of the medical people, but he said he did not feel anything tonight.”