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Gerrard still upbeat over Capello’s England

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England captain Steven GerrardSteven Gerrard believes England (9/1 to win Euro 2012) can go forward under Fabio Capello, despite their major disappointment at this summer’s World Cup.

Having gone to South Africa as one of the tournament favourites, the Three Lions failed to live up to expectations and crashed out to Germany in the second round.

Capello has made radical changes to the squad for this week’s friendly against Hungary (England 2/7, Draw 4/1, Hungary 11/1 – Match Betting), with a whole host of new faces and younger players being given their chance.

The squad has already seen a number of withdrawals though, with Wes Brown and Paul Robinson announcing their international retirements. This has again put the manager’s position under question.

Responding to the duo’s decisions, Capello stated: “You have to accept what they want to do. I think it’s an honour to be with the national team and to play for England.”

Despite these setbacks, skipper Gerrard believes the Italian still remains the right man for the job and that the players in the squad remain determined to be successful with the national team.

The Liverpool midfielder said: “He (Capello) is a fantastic manager and I still have the utmost confidence in him.”

Gerrard (11/8 to score at anytime v Hungary) accepts that England are likely to be given a ‘mixed reception’ by the home fans on Wednesday, admitting that he would boo the players if he was sat in the stands as a fan.

He added: “We have to take it on the chin. We deserve it. We let them down in the summer.”

Meanwhile, Sunderland striker Darren Bent (20/1 to be 2010/2011 Premier League Top Goalscorer) has pulled out of the squad to face Hungary at Wembley due to injury.

Bent, who missed out on a place at the World Cup, is struggling with a back problem, which forced him to sit out Monday’s training session.

The 26-year-old’s absence means Wayne Rooney is now likely to be partnered by either Carlton Cole of West Ham or Fulham’s Bobby Zamora.

Bent, who scored 24 Premier League goals last season, has been sent back to his club and is a doubt for Sunderland’s opening game with Birmingham on Saturday.

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Gerrard: England must take boos

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England captain Steven GerrardEngland captain Steven Gerrard has admitted that if he was a fan he would boo the side at Wembley when they face Hungary on Wednesday night (England 2/7, draw 4/1, Hungary 11/1).

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the friendly, the Liverpool skipper believes that there will be a mixed reception for the players.

England drew plenty of criticism after the squad failed to live up to the high expectations placed upon them ahead of the World Cup in South Africa this summer.

The Three Lions drew their opening game with the USA after a Robert Green error gifted the underdogs the equaliser.

England then went on to draw with Algeria in an extremely disappointing performance before they scraped past Slovenia 1-0.

The 1966 World Cup winners were then beaten convincingly by Germany in the knockout stages and since that game, the side has come under heavy criticism.

Gerrard has stated that England will have to accept the boos on Wednesday night after a poor World Cup.

He said: “I’m sure there will be boos at times tomorrow night but we have to deal with that, we have to be men and take it on the chin.

“We deserve it. We let them (the fans) down in the summer. So we have to get on with that and hopefully in time we can show them we are a good team, there is a togetherness there and hopefully we can make them happy in the future,” he added.

England boss Fabio Capello was blamed by the media and the fans for not doing better in South Africa.

The Italian was criticised for not playing players like Gerrard in the positions in which they regularly feature for their clubs.

Capello wanted to continue working with the national side and is now looking to build towards the European Championships in 2012 (England 9/1 to win the 2012 European Championships).

Gerrard has stated that he still believes in the manager despite the poor World Cup tournament.

He said: “I’ve got big faith in this manager as I’ve said all along.

“I think it would be very stupid and naïve not to still have that confidence in him moving forward. He’s a fantastic manager.”

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Benitez boosted by double deal

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Inter Milan manager Rafael BenitezNew Inter Milan boss Rafael Benitez has received a boost ahead of the Serie A season after Argentine duo Javier Zanetti and Diego Milito agreed to extend their stay at the Giuseppe Meazza (Inter favourites and priced at evens to win the Serie A).

There were fears that Inter’s treble winning team may be broken up following Jose Mourinho’s decision to move on and become Real Madrid manager, but so far this has proved not to be the case.

Veteran defender Zanetti has now agreed a two year extension, keeping him at the club until June 2013, while Milito has agreed a 12 month extension and will stick with the Nerazzurri until June 2014.

Zanetti has been with Inter since 1995 and the 36-year-old could end his career with the Serie A giants after agreeing new terms.

Milito joined Inter last summer from Genoa and scored 30 goals in his first season.  The Argentina international had been linked with a move to Real Madrid but has ended speculation surrounding his future by agreeing new terms with the Milan side.

He said: “I will always be grateful to a great club like Inter for choosing me, and to president (Massimo) Moratti for his faith in me.”

However, former Liverpool boss Benitez has largely struggled to secure his top targets this summer.  The Spaniard is eager to be reunited with Liverpool star Javier Mascherano but the Anfield side have refused to budge on their asking price for the tough tackling midfielder and the two parties seem to have reached a stalemate as far as the deal is concerned.

Inter secured the Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia titles last season under the guidance of the Portuguese special one and there are high expectations ahead of the new season despite a change in manager.

Inter are the favourites to secure the Serie A title for a sixth successive time, although their 2005/06 title was awarded in the wake of the 2006 Calciopoli Scandal. Meanwhile, AC Milan, Juventus and Roma are all priced at 4/1 with totesport. The Italian league could be a four-horse race this season with the likes of Fiorentina (33/1), Napoli and Sampdoria (both 66/1) given little chance by pundits ahead of the start of the season.

Benitez could be on course for success in the Serie A but the Champions League will be a difficult title to defend.  Spanish giants Barcelona (10/3f) and Real Madrid (4/1) are expected to dominate Europe’s top tournament this season, while Manchester United (15/2) and Chelsea (6/1) could also be in contention to take the top prize (Inter 12/1 to win the Champions League).

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No panic from Ancelotti

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Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti will not be making any hasty signings following his side’s disappointing pre-season as he feels the side will hit top form (Chelsea 13/8 – Premier League Outright) once his World Cup players get back to peak fitness.

The Blues boss was remaining calm after witnessing his double-winning side crash to a 3-1 defeat against Manchester United in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday. It was the fourth successive defeat for the west Londoners in pre-season and raised some question marks about their chances of retaining the Premier League title ahead of their opening game against West Brom (Chelsea 1/7, West Brom 11/1, draw 11/2 – 90 Minutes) this Saturday evening.

However Ancelotti, who is thought to be close to snapping up Ramires, has so far only signed Yossi Benayoun this summer. And, despite calls his squad could do with further strengthening, the Italian tactician is happy with his lot and just feels the players who returned to training late following their World Cup exploits are still slightly short of fitness.

“Fortunately, it’s pre-season,” he said. “I think that there is time to come back to win.”

He added: “It was not a good pre-season for results. We lost four games but I think we did our best.

“We need for the players who came back on July 26 to have more time to train.”

Ancelotti is pleased that the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard will feature in England’s international friendly against Hungary to help boost their fitness levels.

“The England players are very close to being fit,” he said.

“It’s good for them to play an international game. They could play 70 minutes without a problem.”

In the meantime Ancelotti felt his side did need to improve on their display against United at Wembley on Sunday ahead of the big kick-off this weekend.

He added: “We have to have more time in possession.”

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Wenger eyes title charge

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Arsenal are 6/1 to win the Premier League title this season and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger believes they have a good chance of doing so.

The Gunners have not won a trophy since beating Manchester United in the FA Cup Final in 2005 and have not lifted the title since the ‘Invincibles’ swept away all before them the season before.

Despite playing free-flowing attacking football that excites crowds up and down the country, the pressure is starting to mount on Wenger to win some silverware.

Just a trophy would be nice but bringing the title to the Emirates Stadium would be the ultimate achievement and Wenger says such a scenario is not out of the question.

“I believe we have a good chance,” Wenger revealed. “The most important thing is that we have that belief. We finished third last season, so we have two stairs to climb and I am confident that we can do it.”

Arsenal’s chances of winning the title have no doubt been boosted by the news that Cesc Fabregas will be staying on board for at least one more season.

Wenger fought hard to keep the talented Spaniard but there is every chance he will leave for Barcelona in 12 months time, so this could be his last chance to win the Premier League title.

Arsenal have also been boosted by the news that Robin van Persie is back from injury and with Marouane Chamakh also on board after arriving from Bordeaux, the Gunners should have no problem scoring goals.

It is in defence where Wenger could have problems though and it is widely thought that the Frenchman needs to get another central defender on board before the transfer window closes.

Arsenal kick off the campaign with a tough clash at Liverpool and a positive result could be the springboard they need to mount a successful challenge.

The Gunners are 7/4 to win at Anfield but may have to do it without both Fabregas and van Persie, who are struggling with their fitness having only just returned to training.

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O’Neill walks out on Villa

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Aston Villa are 7/1 to finish in the top four this season but their hopes have been blown away with the news that Martin O’Neill has sensationally quit the club.

Speculation over the future of O’Neill has been rumbling on all summer but the decision could not come at a worse time for the club with the new Premier League season just days away.

O’Neill has worked wonders during his time at Aston Villa and even though they failed to qualify for the Champions League, he moved them on to the next level when finishing in the top seven to qualify for the Europa League.

However it seems as though trouble has been brewing behind the scenes with American owner Randy Lerner and there were stories towards the end of last season that he was ready to quit Villa Park.

They turned out to be false but everything has now come to a head and O’Neill has now decided to walk away.

A statement from O’Neill revealed: “I have enjoyed my time at Aston Villa immensely. It’s obviously a wrench to be leaving such a magnificent club. I would like to pay tribute to the Villa players, my coaching staff and the Villa supporters for all the support and encouragement they have given both the club and me personally during my time as manager.

“I wish them all the best for the future. I will obviously be assisting the club in the immediate short-term with regard to the handover of my duties.”

O’Neill has not gone into detail but it is thought the imminent sale of James Milner to Manchester City was the final straw. The Irishman would have been hoping for cash to take Villa into the Champions League but he has yet to make a single signing and is set to lose his best player.

Gareth Barry also left the club for Manchester City last summer and O’Neill may think he has taken the club as far as he can with the support available.

The race will now be on for his successor and although they will be queuing up for the post there are not too many available names that would excite the Villa faithful.

Villa are 4/6 to beat West Ham at Villa Park on the opening day of the season but with the club in disarray, the Hammers may be fancying their chances.

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Capello questions England mindset

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Fabio Capello admits he is not sure how to improve the mindset of the England players as he prepares to take on Hungary in a friendly on Wednesday. (Eng 2/7 to beat Hungary)

England were roundly criticised for their performance at the World Cup in South Africa, as they crashed out of the tournament 4-1 to Germany in the last 16.

Steven Gerrard’s men began badly with a woeful performance in a 1-1 draw with the USA and then put in an even worse display against Algeria, before edging into the knock-out phase of the tournament with a 1-0 victory over Slovenia.

The thousands of England fans had high hopes of an improvement as the tournament progressed but England were comprehensively outplayed by the Germans and sent home with their tails between their legs.

Capello promised change after hanging onto his job and he has brought in several young players for the national side’s first outing since the World Cup debacle.

The Italian tactician admitted that his players in South Africa were way below their best and he believes it will be hard to alter the thought process of the current crop of players charged with the task of getting the fans back in love with the England side.

“South Africa wasn’t good but we did not play at the same level that we played in qualification,” he said. “When you play a World Cup competition, you have to arrive in really good physical condition.

“We were not so fresh as the games we played before the World Cup. We changed some things but it was not enough.

“Another thing really important thing is the mind of the players. We played not with confidence but with fear. I don’t know what we have to do to improve the mind of the players.”

The veteran manager has had to deal with the international retirements of Wes Brown and Paul Robinson ahead of the Hungary friendly but denied that he has trouble communicating with his players, saying that he accepts their decisions to call time on their international careers.

England will be looking for a solid performance and a resounding victory at Wembley on Wednesday as they look to regain the confidence of the nation ahead of the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers.

England face Bulgaria and Switzerland in September before Montenegro arrive for the third qualifying match in October. (England 9/1 to win Euro 2012)

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Brown calls it quits

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Manchester United defender Wes Brown is the second player to retire from international duty with England despite being called up for Wednesday’s friendly against Hungary (England 2/7, Hungary 8/1, draw 7/2 – 90 Minutes) at Wembley.

The 30-year-old versatile stopper joined Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Paul Robinson in calling time on his career with the Three Lions after the pair were given a chance to prove coach Fabio Capello wrong for leaving them out of his World Cup squad this summer.

Robinson stated that he found the role of being a number three or four goalkeeper with England ‘very frustrating’ and that was his reason for quitting.

Meanwhile, the Football Association confirmed that Brown made the journey to England’s team hotel in Watford on Sunday evening to inform Capello of his decision to retire. In a statement, Brown revealed that he wanted to step aside to allow younger players to make the step up into the squad ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifiers (England 1/12 – To Qualify).

He added: “I regard it as an honour and a privilege to have represented my country at every level from under-15s upwards. I have always been very proud to play for England and wish them well in future tournaments.”

Brown only won 23 caps for England since been called up by Kevin Keegan, ironically against Hungary, in 1999, mainly due to a myriad of injury problems. He was part of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s squad for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea but he failed to feature in a single game.

Brown did feature in Capello’s first two games in charge against Switzerland and France before more injury problems sidelined him. And he did not even make the provisional 30-man squad for the summer’s World Cup in South Africa as Liverpool duo Glen Johnson and Jamie Carragher were picked ahead of him.

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Cole – Reds need to improve

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Joe Cole says Liverpool will need to improve on the form they showed against FK Rabotnicki in the Europa League qualifer if they are to beat Arsenal in the Premier League opener next Sunday (Cole 14/1 to be Liverpool top scorer this season).

New signing Cole enjoyed a fine debut on Thursday evening at Anfield when he was at the heart of most of the Reds’ best moves in the 2-0 second-leg win over the Macedonian minnows, that set up a 4-0 overall victory in the tie.

However, despite the comfortable win and the impressive passing and movement on show in the game from Roy Hodgson’s side, the former Chelsea ace insists it will be a whole different kettle of fish against the Gunners and they will need to be better if they are also to kick off their domestic campaign with a win.

Liverpool’s new number 10 says the return of World Cup finalists Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt and Pepe Reina will automatically raise the quality level but he is well aware there is plenty of hard work to be done on the training pitch as well ahead of the clash against Arsene Wenger’s men (Liverpool 5/4, Arsenal 7/4 to win – 90 minutes).

“We’ve had two (competitive) games now and we’ve got Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt, Pepe Reina and the others to come back,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot to work on and there is a lot for us to do. We’ve got to come together and continue to improve.

“We have to keep working hard every day on the training pitch and go from there. We know we’ve got a long way to go.”

Cole appears to revel in the role Hodgson played him in on Thursday – just ahead of England colleague Steven Gerrard in a central attacking position – but he stresses it is far too early to assess his performance or that of the side in general until at least six games into the new campaign.

“You can’t assess anything on the first six games of the season, you have to judge us in May,” he added.

Liverpool have been drawn against Trabzonspor in the final play-off before the Europa League (Reds 9/1 – Outright) reverts to a group format and will be strong favourites to progress despite a tricky second leg in Turkey at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Juventus midfielder Christian Poulsen is expected to complete a move to Anfield early next week in a deal that could cost the Reds up to £6million.

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Capello curtails World Cup flops

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Fabio Capello has made radical changes to his England squad after their terrible performance at the World Cup, axing 13 of the players he took to South Africa ahead of the Three Lions (2/7 to win Euro 2012 Qualifying Group F) friendly against Hungary on Wednesday.

The Italian has decided to leave a number of players who were involved in England’s disastrous campaign out, with David James, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Matthew Upson, Joe Cole, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Ledley King, Jamie Carragher, Michael Dawson, Robert Green and Stephen Warnock all cut.

Despite their below-par performances, Capello has kept faith with the majority of his big names players with Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and John Terry all remaining part of the squad.

However, Capello’s curtailing of some of his flops has left the door open for some of England’s fringe and young players to stake a claim ahead of the Euro 2012 qualification campaign, which kicks-off in September.

The biggest shock has been the inclusion of Arsenal teenagers Jack Wilshire and Kieran Gibbs, both of who have so far failed to establish themselves in the Gunners’ first team.

Wilshere, 18, has only made 15 first-team appearances  for Arsenal since coming onto the scene 2008, although he did gain some valuable experience having been on loan at Bolton for six months at the start of the year.

Likewise, Gibbs hasn’t featured for the Gunners first eleven on a regular basis having broken his foot in November, which ended his season prematurely.

Both players were delighted to be called up to the England (9/1 Outright Euro 2012 Winners) side, with Gibbs calling it a special moment after a difficult couple of months because of his injury lay-off.

Gibbs added: “I have to say this is a real boost for me as I spent over five months out through injury and this is a good opportunity to thank the surgeons and medical support I’ve received to get me back to full fitness.”

While both players are happy to be included one man who has turned his back on Capello and the England squad is Blackburn keeper Paul Robinson.

The former Leeds and Tottenham shot stopper has rejected the chance to return to the Three Lions fold and subsequently announced his retirement from international football.

However, that is the only black spot, thus far, on Capello’s call-ups with the likes of Ben Foster, Bobby Zamora, Theo Walcott, Adam Johnson, Wes Brown, Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill all likely to be happy to be called up.

Capello has apologised for England’s terrible performance at the World Cup but is hopeful that things will get better and that they will be contenders for Euro 2012.

“I still have confidence in my players, in my England team. I think we are really good, now we have to change something and choose some different players. New players and some young players and we will have to monitor these players,” said the Italian.

“I enjoy the job. I am really disappointed for the result [of the World Cup] but I am looking forward.”

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