Tag Archives: midfield

Mascherano exit looms following midfield deal

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Javier Mascherano is expected to leave Liverpool in the next week after boss Roy Hodgson completed the capture of his replacement, Christian Poulsen, from Juventus in a deal worth £4.5million (Liverpool 12/1 to win Premier League).

Danish star Poulsen was widely expected to join the Reds this week and, after completing a medical and the formalities of the transfer, has joined Hodgson’s new-look side and penned a three-year deal at Anfield.

The 30-year-old, who knows Hodgson from when he was manager at FC Copenhagen between 2000 and 2002, is seen as a direct replacement for Mascherano, with his defensive midfield and tough-tackling qualities earning him a decent reputation in Serie A in the past few years.

The experienced midfielder could even be in contention to make his Reds bow in the season-opener at home to Arsenal on Sunday as his capture clears the way for Mascherano to leave (Liverpool 11/8 to win, Arsenal 9/5).

The Argentinian, speaking after their 1-0 friendly win over Ireland in Dublin on Wednesday, admitted he wanted to leave the club and is seeking a move out of England amid reports his family have failed to settle on Merseyside.

Mascherano almost joined Barcelona last summer and has expressed a desire to join the Catalan giants again this year while Inter Milan, with former Reds boss Rafa Benitez now in charge at the San Siro, are also courting the 26-year-old.

“The only thing I want to say is I don’t have nothing against the Liverpool supporters, the Liverpool people,” he said.

“My problem is not to play for Liverpool. I’m very proud to play for Liverpool. It’s another thing.

“I said to him (new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson) that maybe for my life I prefer to change the country, not to change the club – that is the fact.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool are also closing in on the capture of Middlesbrough keeper Brad Jones as Hodgson eyes experienced cover for number one Pepe Reina.

Jones is set to join the Reds for just over £2million and will cast doubt on the future of current reserve stopper Diego Cavalieri, who is attracting interest from Benfica.

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Parreira hit by midfield blow

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South Africa (21/10 to qualify from Group A) midfielder Andile Jali’s place in the World Cup is under threat after he was sent to the USA for tests on his heart.

Jali, who is only 20 and made his international debut earlier this year, had a mild cardiovascular condition detected in routine tests of players in the 30-man preliminary World Cup squad, the South African Football Association (SAFA) said.

The midfielder was tested twice after a routine assessment found a possible heart problem and a second medical opinion was sought.

The second test, communicated to the association last Monday, confirmed the initial findings.

“SAFA is heeding a doctor’s recommendation that Jali travel to the University of Florida Gainsville Medical Centre in the United States as this facility has a track record of dealing with athletes in this area of medicine,” an SAFA statement said.

“It is envisaged that Jali’s tests will be performed in time for him to be available for the finalisation of the squad.”

The report into his fitness needs to be compiled quickly, as coach Carlos Alberto Parreira wants to name his 23-man squad for the tournament on Monday.

Jali, who plays for Orlando Pirates in the Premier Soccer League, has played three times for Bafana Bafana, and can be used as a defensive or attacking midfielder.

Meanwhile, South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira will go into the tournament with realistic expectations of his country’s potential, drawn alongside France (1/3 favourites to qualify from the group), Mexico (4/5) and Uruguay (Evens).

“We are number 90 in the world now, so we are going to be underdogs in our group,” said Parreira.

“But I’m telling you these boys are working hard and we are going to surprise many people in the World Cup. I’m telling you we will surprise you. Don’t think we are going to be easy target for the other teams.

“It won’t happen… we have been watching our opponents and we are more concerned about is Mexico, because they have been playing so many games with different teams, but we know in their last three (friendly) games against England, Italy and Holland they will play with their main team. We will be ready for them,” declared Parreira.

The 1994 World Cup-winning coach with Brazil admitted he is losing sleep over who to drop from the provisional squad as the June 1 deadline fast approaches for the final 23-man squad submission to FIFA.

“It is going to be very hard for me to decide who to leave behind. All of them deserve to be there, but unfortunately I can only keep 23 players.

“They are doing their best and it makes it difficult for me to leave out even five players. All of them deserve to be in the squad… the way they are performing and the way they are focused. It will be difficult for me to cut the squad,” the 67-year-old admitted.

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